NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7659, 9 June 1886, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Construction of the Rotorua waterworks proceeding rapidly. Iα the Waikato district this year there are 8212 acres in turnips or rape. The last gold escort from the Otago diggings brought to Dunedio £25,000 worth of gold. In Canterbury this year there were acres in wheat, the smallest area in that grain since 1877. instructions have been given in Brisbane not to olear any veseel for New Guinea with General Mclver on board. Three mineral leases have been granted by the Westland Land Board, for working nickel deposits in the Gorge river district. At Randwick, New South Wales, a labourer, named Patrick Daley, was ran over by a tram, his arm was taken off, and he was disembowelled. The number of empty houses in Dunedin is fixed by the centua at 831. If they are valued at £200 a-picoe, this ia equal to £168,000 lying idle. The erection of the new hotel at VVhakarewarewa, Rotorua, is making good progress, and, when it is completed, it will be a great boon to tourists and invalids. In Melbourne a navvy, n&med Alick Roy, drank six pints of beer in five minutes and a half, as a bet. He won his bet, but soon fell dowo insensible, and died the same night.

The mail ooach that runs between Tahoraite and Palmerston North had a narrow escape last week. One of the hind wheels came off while descending the Manawatu Gorge. Mr. W. Kelly hae been appointed jointly by the Tauranga Borough and County Councils as a delegate to proceed to Wellington to strengthen the hands of the sitting member. The Chamber of Commerce in Noumea has memorialised thoGovernmont to authorise the institution of an exchange, which shall be open from half-past ten a.m. to half-past twelve. The Adelaide people are calling upon the mayor to convene a public meeting aa early as possible, for the purpose of asking the Prince of Wales to visit Australia and open the Jubilee Exhibition. Captain Johnson, of the steamer Elsie, has been suspended for three months, and required to pay costs of inquiry fur stranding the steamer on Wave Point, Haulaahore' Island, on the 28th May. TheK.M.H.s. Jhimborazo shipped on its last borne trip 59,4220z refined silver for the Barrier Ranges Silver Mining Association, South Australia. This make* 340,5000z sent off in all by the association. The licensing committee, the publicans, and the public get on well together in Nelson. The total abstainers made no attempt to pack the committees, but both sides uni' \d in selecting sensible men of moderate views. In consequence of the recent drought an entire station holding of sheep in the (Jooma district, New South Wales, were offered for sale at Rixpence and a shilling a head. In some districts scarcely a blade of grass is to be seen, for stretches of 20 aad 30 miles.