NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10047, 6 February 1896, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

fionriEN death at Waihi. Fata? accident near New Plymouth. Yacht Club race for 2J-raters to be sailed Over again. The Melbourne Tramway Company have declared a dividend of 2J per cent, for the past half-year. . The Intercolonial General Council of the Australasian Labour Federation has decided to meet at Brisbane on the 17th inst. At Newcastle a coal-trimmer named John Byrne was fined £5 for assaulting his little daughter by beating her with a cane. The rate of interest payable to depositors at the Dunedin Savings Bank will be reduced to 3J per cent, on the lrt May. _ The proposal to borrow £/500 for drainago works in the Manawatu Land Drainage District was lost at the poll of the rateP Tny'New South Wales M.P. serving in a Ministry for four years (not necessarily continuous) is entitled to a free railway pasa No bankruptcies were recorded In the Wanganui district for the month of January just past, nor for tho preceding month of December. Some good burns have been socured in the Ngamoko district, Norsewood, but in some instances it has cost tho settlers a good deal of their grass. The lessee of the Auckland Islands will take a prospecting party down for three months in March to make a thorough search for minerals, especially cold. The Wanganui Herald states that the pollution of the river by tho town sewage and gasworks drainago has spoilt the fishing between town and the Heads. Harvesting operations in the Umutaoroa Block are finished. What would have been excellenb crops have beon slightly lessened by the high winds- experienced of late. The Minister of Lands has promised that arrangements will shortly be made for the Government surveyor to go out to look for a lino botweon Shannon and Eketahuna. 'As the steamer Bulimba was about to leave Adelaide for Fremantle several stowaways were found. One man was sewn up in a bag of chaff, and three others were taken from amongst the cargo, several tons rjf chaff having been placed above them. Several acts of larrikinism on the unomployed relief works near the Wellington Botanical Gardens have occurred lately. Barrows and tools have been thrown down the hill, and a good deal of damage done. Steps havo been taken by the polios to prevent further annoyance. Some time ago active stops were taken by the Customs Department to compel manufacturers of cigars in Victoria to properly label them, so that consumers would know exactly what they purchased. The department is now taking similar action with importing firms.