NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9180, 9 October 1888, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

►The latest sales of Mount Morgan shares *rere at £15, a fall of £1. New Zealand last year sent to England 766,417 carcases of mutton* as against all Australia's BS.SII. Mr. Gillies has received an intimation that Sir Henry Parkes intends visiting Melbourne this week. programme of Herr Carl Schmitt's cantata "Arc and Mind " will be published in Saturday's issue. Mr. Smythe, under whose skilful pilotage Miss Von Finkelstein is creating such a furore in New Zealand, arrived in Auckland yesterday. A Mahakipawa prospector says that far more money can be uaade there at sly-grog selling than at gold digging, and that the returns are certain. There are now about 63 miners on the Sudest ffoldfield, New Guinea. The natives speak of poisoning the water in order to get rid of the Europeans. The report of the Victorian railways shows that the revenue during the year was £2,756,041), and the expenses £1,753,019. The passengers carried numbered 55,911,894. The South Australian Agricultural Bureau considers that the delay in attempting to deal effectively with the Hessian fly will be attended with serious damage to the crops. The proposed banquet to Dr. Leger Erson has been abandoned at tho request of that gentleman, as he has not yet decided whether he ."hall remain permanently in Australia. It is notified in another column that the Sunday train from Auckland to Waikomiti and Henderson and back will now run regularly every Sunday instead of the first Sunday in every month. Several "plants" for manufacturing farina are said to be on their way out from England, und it is declared that New Zealand will soon be making her own Starch, groats, pearl barley, and so forth. The Brisbane Ironmoulders' Society have voted £25 in aid of the ironmoulders in Melbourne who are on strike. It is intended to lay the whole funds of the society kt the disposal of the Melbourne men if taeeded.

A snake five feet long and of a poisonous kind found its way into the Limtnering State School, Victoria, the other day. Forty pupils were present at the time, and the reptile was killed with the stick of a '■wall map. An irrigation plant being made for CoLuna, in Victoria, will lift 42,000 gallons a minute, which conveys an idea of what the demand will be upon the Murray during the dry season, when irrigation plants are numerous.

The condition of the Javanese who were j deported to Thursday Island in June last, from Norrnanton in consequence of three murders having been committed in the latter town by one of their countrymen, is eaid to be deplorable. It is said to be a very difficult matter tor printers to find employment in Melbourne. At the leading offices as many as 20 or 30 men are on the roll who want work, and although many men are out of employment printers are flocking in wholesale. The Water Famine Committee at Broken Hill has reported to the Premier of New South Wales that all the water in the locality is highly mineralised and unfit for human consumption. They ask that a competent person may report on the question. Among recent applications for patents in iNew Zealand are two by Thomas Aha Edison, who applies for patents for improvements in phonographs and phonograms, and for improvements in phonogram Blanks and processes for making the same. At a meeting of the Senate ot the Sydney University the other day, a letter was received from the Hon. William Macleay, enclosing a cheque for the sum of £6000 for 'the endowment of a curatorship in connection with the gift of his museum of natural history to the University. The usual Gospel Temperance meeting ■was held in the Protestant. Hall, Karangahape Road, on Sunday evening. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, the attendance was good. Mr. Geo. French presided. Mr. J. B. Elkin gave the address. The Amy Sherwin Company gave their last performance at the Adelaide Town Hall on September 30. The Adelaide season has been very successful. They perform in the country next week, previous to their return to Victoria, to lulfil an engagement. Mr. Way Lee, the well known Chinese merchant at Adelaide, has been informed that he cannot pass over from South Australia to Broken Hill, to visit a branch establishment of his firm without paying the poll tax. The matter is to be brought before the South Australian Parliament. In order to convenience a large number t>l residents on the West Coast who purpose visiting the Melbourne Exhibition, the Union Company have determined to lay on the Rotorua for two direct; trips from Greymouth to Melbourne. She leaves on the first trip on October 18th, and the second on the 31sfc October. The following is the state of Her Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ending Oct. 6th : On remand, 1 female ; awaiting trial, 4 males ; boys, 5 ; penal servitude, 42 males, 3 females; hard labour, 104 males, 15 females ; imprisonment, 2 males ; default of 'bail, 5 males ; received during the week, 12 males, 5 females; dischargees, 9 males, 6 females; total in prison: 161 males, 19 females.