NEWS & NOTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXI, Issue 298, 22 December 1896, Page 1

NEWS & NOTES.

A. telephone bureau station baa I- eon opened at Plummerton', Wellington district. Telephone offices hivo been opened at Okarito, Wataroa, and TLe Forks (all m the Hokitika distriot). Tbo usual hours are observed. The Land Board met yesterday, m conjunction with the Lmd Purchase Board, (he principal Lv sines? bein's m connection with the recent tour of th« latter budy throughout the district;. The meeting will be continued to-day. A man named Cunningham employed on a limber vessel tradiug between Lylteltcn and Havelock was arrested at Havelock this week and has breu taken down to Lyttelton by Constable Egnn. Cunningham is charged, along with otbets, with the larceny of a watch. Tlie de>>th is announced m Auckland of Mis Newman, widow of thola'-e Mr Joseph Newmar, at the venerable of 95. The deceased lady came cut to JNew Zealand with her husband m 1837. The, Auckland business mm who was reported mieging Isst week, is Mr John Bincrofr, ix.*uißgr of the Industrial and Provident Permanent BnildiDg, Land, and In veal ment Society. • An exciting incident took place at Albury a few days ego, whm Mr H-»s---sell, ML A., was oesaultod by a lady, who slrtpped him on (he face. The cause of the troubie was Mr Hassell having lodged a complaint against her for letting off firearms withia the municipality. The*Oamaru Mail reports the death of Mrs Proctor, a very old settler m the district and owner of the Royal Hct*l properly. The excitement of tha election so attectid her m her weak health that she had an apoplectio seizure, which proved fatal. The present propiietors cf the building lately knowu cc the Temple of Truth, Christchuroh. have altered the najme to "The Terr pie," and are having cb'iterated all the mementoes of Mr A, R. Worthington, with which the structure wA3 adorufd. , At West port, Wong Pang Kee has been sentenced to two months' imprisonment on a charge [by the Deputy • Offioial Assignee with defrauding- his creditors by transferring ten boxes of goods to another Chinaman at Greymouth. A telegram received last n'ghl states that the Governor arid Lady Glasgow and party left for Picton m the Government steamer, Tutanekai, yesterday afternoon. The movements of tha steamer are uncertain, but it is expected the party will be absent three weeks. A New Pli mouth telegram announces the death of a native named Piripi Ngatnru, at the age of 80. Ha was the only survivor of the natives who were liviog nrcund Sugar Lpaf Islaud whtn the Tory visited there m 1889. The New Guinea author ties art) of j the opinion that there will be a big rush to the locality cf toe recent gill finds iromediattly after tie wet season m. March. Tfao Governor; Sir William Mftcgregor, is taking steps accordingly, . and is determined to expand £1000 m making a track from an advantageous porr, end establishing one or \cora dtputs along the route, where distressed diggers will be able to get supplies. Several fiae rivers run down from themountains, but that which will give the most direct and easy route inland has not yet been determined. In Lis anunal report, Mr 8. W. Linioreaux, Commissioner of the General Land Office of. the United State?, says there are 600,040,671 acrea of public lands still uuoocupied. This is exclusive of Ohio, Indian*, Illinois, Alaska, and military and Indian reservations. Among his recommendations, Commissioner Limorenux suggests that appropriations for surveys of publio lands be made ocn'inuous, that a national irrigation, commission be created, and that laws be enacted for the compulsory attendance of witnesses at bearings m contests before district; land officer*", and for the protection of forests on the public domain from destruction by fire. A delightful instance of absent mindedness has just oome to light m Masterton, says the Slar. A publio officer (he shall be nameless) proclaimed that be had lost his bicyoK aud all tff irte to find it having proved unavailing he reported the matter <o the police. It was not uutil the town was being searched high and low, at da crowd was thirsting^for the blood of the thief, that the young man renumbered that on the previous day he had taken his machine to Messrs Waters and Wo.I F to bo repaired, and hid neglected to call for U. Six months' imprisonment "for wife assault was ii,fl:cted by the Melbourne Bench on the 24th ult., on George Mintern, laborer. The wif-j, a scantily clad, emaciated young woin'un, had a three week's 01-1 chili at her brt-ast, both before and after the birth of which ,Rh« had been subjected' to shocking illtreatment. On tbe previous day the prisoner, m a statw of dtu k*n frerzy, kicked her m .tha stomnch find threw her in'o the s'rect. As.«he ran effwith her baby he overtook h«r aud beat her t> the ground. Cjoipluinant stated she had not tabled food for nearly three days. TLe inhuman husbaud accused his wifti of neglect of household duty, and said everything would be right if th& would only turn over a new leaf.