NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9023, 31 October 1892, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Jte Melbourne the dog-tax collectors (strangle all dogs found without collars, and limit them down for their fat. The meeting of the Occidental Gold "Mining Company, which was to have been ilield on Saturday morning, lapsed for want A disputeoccurred in Masterton recently between two Maori women over the Native Land Court, which was ultimately settled by means of fisticuffs. According to Mr. T. W. Glover, Danerirke is, for its size, the worst place for drunkenness in the colony, £20,000 being yearly spent there in liquor. A Reefton paper learns that a party of men have been sent to prospect in the Mauria district, upwards of twenty people having agreed to jointly support the enterprise. A correspondent of the Wellington Post, who signs himself " A Genuine Wharf Lumper," says " the wharf lumpers are by this time heartily sick of the present Government." A recent arrival from the South Island asked a settler what kind of weather they had in the Forty-mile Bush. " Weather be hanged," said the settler. "We don't have any weather here at all, it's all rain." Boring for artesian water has not been a success in Hawera. The Star says :—" The ghost of the artesian well has turned out a fraud. It is capable of being pumped, but the water is of a reddish, rusty kind, not even fit for washing bottles." The Taranaki Herald understands that the Survey Department have, at the instance of the Scenery Preservation Society, agreed to publish lithograph views of Mount Egmont and the country surrounding, with a view to encouraging the tourist traffic. The south-western train, which arrived at Junee, New South Wales, at half-past five one evening, ran over a woman and child named Jones, a quarter of a mile from Junee. Both were cut to pieces. The woman tried to save the child, who was on the line. As a Maori, name unknown, and a European named William Quinn, were bushfelling on Sir Walter Buller's property at Obau, a tree fell and struck the native on the head, smashing in his skull, and inflicting such injuries that he died within five minutes. •* Major Parris has just paid a visit to parihaka after a considerable absence, and received a hearty welcome from Te Whiti and the other natives, being feasted right royally. Among those present was Erueti or Patu, who in 1860 endeavoured to murder Major Parris. A deputation of unemployed met the Chief Secretary for Tasmania, and asked the Government for work. Mr. Douglas impressed on the men that it was not the duty of the Government to find them work, but said he would consult with his colleagues and see what could be done. A gentleman residing in Wellington informs the Press of a peculiar circumstance. He has recently obtained a number of selected trees from Auckland and Invercargill respectively, and he finds that while the Auckland trees are doing well those from Invercargill do not thrive at all. Among the matters considered by the Medical Congress that recently met at Sydney was snake bite, and Dr. Huxtable said that in the great majority of cases a strong and healthy adult will recover from the bite of the most venomous of the Australian species. Dr. Creed pointed out that fear tended to aggravate the symptoms, and even to bring about a fatal issue. The Commissioner of Police in his annual report says:—Another prevalent crime in the colony is sheep-stealing. Though there has been a decrease during the year, the present high price of sheep renders it probable that the decrease is not likely to last long. In dealing with this class of crime the police find considerable difficulties. A few days ago (says the Feilding Star) a worrier was caught in the act by two settlers near ApitL They went to the camp of the owner of the dog, who was engaged in -felling, and told him that the dog had killed two of their sheep. The dog was handed over to them, and, with two sharp slash-hooks, they chopped the poor brute to pieces.