NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8265, 26 May 1890, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

'Homday granted In all public schools tobirth's circus at the Agricultural Hall S tons of coal were.}hipped from Westport last week. Wellington Hospital shows a credit balance of £500. "' The output of coal last week from Greymonth was 2620 tons. "The Mystery of a Hansom Cab at the Opera House to-night. Saluto fired f.om Fort Cautley on Saturday in honour of the Queen's Birthday. At Fitzherbert School only one child Failed, and that one was in the first standard. . i . .. „ , Post mortem examination on Airs. (. ulpan showed heart disease to be the cause of Mr. James McGowan, of the Thames, has decided not to seek Parliamentary honours next election. ■ Full muster of volunteers called for nine o'clock this morning to take part in review and feud* job. ~.,,. v , Still no sign of the Island steamer Richmond, now a fortnight overdue, and great uneasiness is felt. . Takapuua winter race meeting today. Splendid weather promising and large attendance expected. The Salvation Army of Christchurch purpose giving a free tea to 2500 children in the drillshed to-day. At Brisbane, recently, the newsboys struck, and declined to sell a local weekly, as the- pay was too small. The Napier Harbour Board have purchased from Gisborne a concrete mixer for £600, half its original cost. Saturday, Queen's Birthday, only observed as "a bank holiday in town. The celebration takes place to-day. Mr. C. H. Mills, of Havelock, will at the ?eoct election contest the new WaimeaPicton seat against all comers. In Oamaru theatre-goers are improving on their insult to Miss Atkins by smoking when a performance is going on. Large attendance at the football match played on Saturday for the benefit of Mrs. tonroy. No accidents occurred. Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Heath returned to Auckland from San Francisco per mail steamer Mariposa on Friday night. Meeting of St. Andrew's Masonic Lodge this evening, the first held in Auckland under the New Zealand Constitution. In Chambers at Christchurch Mr. Justice Denniston made an order for the winding up of the Southern Cross Petroleum Company. , TT . The newly-formed Miners Union, or branch of the A.M.A. of Australasia, promises to bo a great success at Ohineinuri. Major Gudgeon arrived at Thames on Saturday evening from Tauranga, on his annual inspection"of the Police Department there. _ It is said that Garrett Brothers, boot manufacturers, have notified their employees that they must join the Union or leave their employ. The contractors for the next section of the Napier breakwater, Messrs. Palliser and Jones, constructed three sections of the Timaru breakwater. A school committee in Hawke's Bay applied for a refund for a half-crown they had paid for the carriage of some maps. The matter was laughed at. There is in Chnstchurch at present a gang of thieves whose organisation enables them to carry on their evil practices with a certain amount of impunity. At a meeting of the Oamaru Bakers' Association, it was decided to subscribe 10 per cent, of their wages in case of a strike taking place in Christchurch. Mrs. Shannon, a little old blind woman, an inmate of the Refuge, and one whose appearance was familiar to all visitors to that institution, died on Thursday. There are twenty-seven selectors of Crown lands in the Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay districts who are in arrears. The total amount owing to the Board by them is £135 6s 61. In Invercargill large numbers of sheep are being purchased by Northern buyers, and at the hist sale in the western district, lambs sold a month ago for 2s lid brought 5s 7d. The shifts at the railway station, Christchurch, have been so arranged that from to-day the porters will work from eight to Bight and a-half hours a day. Previously they hud to work from 10 to 12 hours a day. The traffic returns of the Wellington-and Manawatu Railway for the week ending 17th May, 1890, amounted to £1314 15s 9d, and .for the corresponding period of last year £1043 3s, showing an increase of £271 12s 9d. The Napier Telegraph is informed by a large exporter that there is good reason for believing that in 1892 the export of sheep from the West Coast between New Plymouth and Wellington will exceed one million. Mr. W. A. Murray, of Mount Pleasant, Piako, will read a paper at the next meeting of the Farmers' Club, in Hamilton, on Saturday, June 7th. The subject of the paper is" ' : Some Causes of Depression Considered. A model of the s.s. Arawa, which took a first prize gold medal at the South Kensington Exhibition, and was sent out to the Dnnedin Exhibition, has been presented by Denny Brothers to the Christchurch Museum. The Post says that a youth named [>eorge Colclough, who some four years ago was in the employ of Messrs. Melson, Moate, 'and Co., in Wellington, has been proved the heir to a fortune of some hali-a-million sterling.

A Napier contemporary is indignant. lb says :-—'• The Christchurch Telegraph speaks of Napier as 'that little town.' ' Little town ' is good for a port which last quarter exported more than either Auckland or Dunedin."

The Post says :— " The press throughout fche colony generally condemns the action of the Railway Commissioners in regard to the ' strike ' business, and considers the demands of the employees to be on the whole fair and reasonable."

At the annual meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society it was reported that fully 85,000 healthy young salmon had loeen liberated in the tributaries of the Aparima out of the Southland portion of the last shipment of ova.

A meeting of sixty farmers at Papanui resolved to form a union to counteract the numerous unions which were " all working in the direction of easing the poor farmer of his hard - earned money." The only people mentioned were the grain buyers. It is rumoured that when Parliament meets a Select Committee may possibly be .moved for to investigate the dispute between the Railway Commissioners and their employees, and that the Government would. consent to the appointment of such a committee.

There is some talk of holding a meeting at Te Aroha on Saturday, 31st insb., to consider, in view of the approaching general election, what course shall be taken in the interests of the district and of the colony, and a3 to the desirableness of forming a reform olub.

Messrs. Andrews and Beaven, of Christohuroh, have just finished, to the order of Messrs. Miles, Archer and Co., of Timaru, ,a grain and seed-cleaning machine of the largest size made in the colonies. It is capable of cleaning eight sacks of grain or iwenty sacks of grass-seed per hour. Mr. Eric Craig has published a second edition of his Book of Ferns. It contains 172 varieties, with their descriptions and names. The ferns are photographed by the forro-prusfliate process, and the book is very suitable for those desirous of collecting their own ferns and who do not know how to name them.

The. employees of Messrs. Win. McArthur and Co., on Saturday, presented to Mr. Knight, one of their number, a handsome marble clock and dessert set on the occasion of bis coming marriage with Miss Rutherford, of Di.nedin. The firm also presented Mr. Knight with a silver tea and coffee service, suitably engraved. Mr. Snight leaves for Dunedin to-day.