NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9628, 28 September 1894, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Chamber sittings of the Supreme Courtthis morning. _ There are said to be 180 officials in the employ of the Colonial Bank. Dividend of 6d per share in Try Fluke Gold Mining Company, Kuaotunu. Waihi Company's return of bullion for 28 days' crushing is £7716, equal to £3 14s 7d per ton. There are 1008 lone Chinamen ehopkeeping, getting gold, and humbugging the storekeepers generally in Westland. The co operative workers have completed the last part of the widening of the Great South Road through South YVestland. During the month of August, 112 unemployed were assisted by the Department of Labour in the Wellington provincial district.

TheGisborue case, Farmer and Brown v. the Cook County Council, which has now occupied two days in banco, will be resumed this afternoon.

A large number of natives, including the Otaki Band, who had been attending the funeral of the late King Tawhiao, left for their homes by the 8.8. Mahinapua yesterday. The first shipment to London of this season's butter was sent by the s.s. Mahinapua from Onehunga yesterday for transhipment to the Aorangi. It consisted of 88 kegs. As a means of getting rid of a grievous burden, the Hokitika Harbour Board proposes to sell 3000 acres of its reserve to pay off the Government loan. At present the Board pays annually £500 to the Government.

Mr. James Adams has received the following telegram from the son of the late R. J. Duncan, Wellington :—" Please accept heartfelt thanks and convey same to other gentlemen for kind remembrance of my father.—H. R. Duncan." There is a market in Dunedin for Russian sunflower seed, a local firm being prepared to purchase it at £12 10s per ton. To encourage its cultivation they have imported the seed, and will enter into an agreement to purchase the crop. The Timaru Herald says :The sand is creeping out in Caroline Bay. It is just beginning to show on the reef clcse to the north mole. A couple more sea storms such as we have had this month, and one will be able to step on the sand from the mole at low water.

A work involving graat patience bas jusb been completed by Mrs. Harris, an invalid lady in Wellington, in the shape of a design representing a paroquet sitting on a branch, done in bead embroidery on black velvet. There are no less than ; ,000 beads, in 90 different shades.

Some time ago the late Mr. Adam Porter ordered a quantity of the seed of the manna grass for the purpose of distribution. It has now come to hand, and those in want of a s(nall paoket should apply to Mr. W. Goldie, Superintendent of Public Parks, enclosing a twopenny stamp for reply. Things have been bad—very bad— Westport for some time past. Subscriptions have been on the wallaby for families in distress—subscriptions to find money to keep them from actual starvation ! They will be worse yet, as last Saturday week 225 employees at the West port Coal Company's mine received notice of dismissal.

Whilst at work in his claim at Tunnel Terrace—a tableland between the digging townships of Staffordtown and Goldsborough, on the v\ est Coast, last Monday week, a miner named Ludovio Martini was recovered alive, but severely cut and bruised, after having been swept down and emptied out of his tail race, which is 1500 ft. long. The building trade all over the colony seems to be in an unsatisfactory condition. At nearly all towns in the Wellington district it is described as dull. At Auckland, however, ic is fair, and there are expectations of a revival, according to the Journal of Labour. There is also an improvement in this branch of trade at Christchurch, and at Eunedin there is a noticeable improvement on last month.