NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10124, 6 May 1896, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Burbtoibeet gone South. [ Flora arrives from the South to-morrow. j EM4. lades leaved for the Islands today. Out of 50,000 male adults in South Australia, 2000 are Justices of the Peace. An eel of a bright orange colour was caught in the Pstea River the other day, Outram is the only town in the colony that has adopted the Saturday half-holiday. The annual valuation of the city of Christchurch for 1896 is £189,856, about £3300 less than that of last year. The Minister tor Mines and Agriculture is engaged in endeavouring to prevent tick from spreading in New South Wales. A petition to Parliament for a grant towards a bridge over the Big Huia creek J has been circulated and signed by the residents. j

The aided school at Kalparoro Is to be taken over by the Board, and arrangement* are to be made for the erection of a suitable achoolhouse.

A good deposit of coal has been discovered ten miles from Wood ville. Should the find prove lasting it should be a great benefit to the district.

Sham coins representing half-sovereigns are being freely circulated in Melbourne.' The irrepressible " smasher" is evidently at his old game. A man named M. Sexton was brought into Hokitika on Tuesday evening last, having received a severe crushing by a fall while at work in bb claim.

The Victorian Premier is devoting attento the preparation of a measure for the establishment of a State Bank, and the creation of a Credit Fencier.

During the first six weeks of the present year 1,050,0001b of tea were shipped from Colombo to Australia, as compared with 759,5001b for the same period of last season. At the Bundaberg (Queensland) Circuit Court, recently, five Kanakas, natives of Malay were found guilty of the murder of a white man, Joseph Law and sentenced to death.

While the Banks Peninsula steamer was on the ran from Hobart to Strahan, during a heavy lurch a passenger named Neighbour, a fruit dealer of Hobart, was washed overboard and lost.

A Taradals larrikin named William Ross was deservedly fined 10«, and ordered to pay cost* £1, for (shouting and whistling and disturbing a Band of Hope meeting at the Anglican Church, Taradale. A young man named Archer was brought to the hospital at Kokiri with a severe axewound in his foot He had eridently lost a considerable) quantity of blood, but is reported to be progressing favourably. A cyclist named Grant bad a narrow escape at Broken Hill recently. He was in the act of raising his hat to a lady when he ran into a train. The machine wai smashed but Grant escaped with slight injuries. The Canterbury Fir* Insurance Associations has declined to renew its contributions, amounting in the aggregate to nearly £300 a year, towards the cost of firo prevention in the city and Sydenham. Rosella parrots have at Bendigo learned a new trick of destruction. in the farms bordering on the Welsford State Forest, theso birds hare been picking up the wheat plants in the early sown crops, and thus caused much destruction.

A man named Win. Edward Wright, aged 62, died suddenly at Manly, Sydney, theother day. The deceased had for some time been suffering from heart disease, and about tho boor mentioned be was seized with a violent fit of coughing, during which he expired. Considerable quantities of meat are being shipped from the VYaingawa boiling down works every week for Wellington. About 200 sheep a week are being Boot away. Between 3000 and 4000 sheep are being killed and fellmongereJ at the works. The following is the state of Her Majesty's prison, Auckland, for week ending May 2: — On remind, 1 male, 1 female; awaiting trial, 9 males; penal servitude, 16 males ; hard labour, 78 males, 12 females; default of bail, 2 males, 1 female; received during the week, 15 males, 3 females; discharged, 14 males, 1 female. Total in prison, 106 males, 14 females.