NEW IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10132, 15 May 1896, Page 6

NEW IN BRIEF.

. Si BALD SOMMART. i Heavy gale and rain yesterday.; Alameda from Sydney to-night v Kicbmond for the Wanda to-night. ■ Brigantine Ocean Hover in distress at RusselL Large ' quantities ? of produce coming forward from the South. Five out of the eight members of the Queensland Government are lawyers. Bain is wanted on the Lower Flinders station!, and numbers of cattle are dying. ' All the sittings in the Palmerston Presbyterian Church are now free to the public in the evening. The cultivation of the date palm in the northern part of South Australia has proved very successful Promising reports are coming from Tai- • tapu (Collingwood) as to the discoveries of auriferous stone. A young man named Patrick Clancy was killed in a fight among some labourers at North Fremantle. Four children were poisoned at Melbourne recently through eating some unwholesome candy. . A committee has been formed in^ Sydney to arrange and carry out a fito in aid of the destitute unemployed. The annual meeting of shareholders of the Northern Steamship Com: Any will be held to day at three o'clock. A large area of Crown lands in the Eaiwhata district is being sown in grass by the Department of Agricaltare. The Brisbane Traders' Association are* taking action with a view to obtain proper regulation of street-hawking. Yesterday being Ascension Day special services were held in the various Anglican Churches of the city and suburbs. A Chinese leper, engaged as a hiiwker of vegetables, has been removed from Warwick, Queensland, to the Dunwich Laza-

zette. There pill be two football club matches to-morrow afternoon at Potter's Paddock, namely, Ponsonby v. Grafton and City v. Suburbs. The West Australian Government have promised to consider the granting of bonuses for the encouragement of the wine industry. By a mining accident at the Northern Star mine, near Ballarat, Victoria, Wm. Bolitho was killed, and Thomas Bath seriously injured. In portions of the Wilcannia land district, New South Wales, all the grass and edible scrub have been eaten by the rabbits, and not a blade is to be seen. The other day Mr. Henry Gill, of Oamaru, while killing pigs, was seized by one of the animals, and nad tho third finger of the «left hand pulled clean out of the socket. The Melbourne Clearing-house returns show an increase of £2,666,648 in the clearances since Ist January, compared with the corresponding period last year. At the Hawera races a " sport' received about £50 over Napoleon's win in the' Hurdles, and shortly afterwards was relieved of the lot by the pocket-picking fraternity. The land under orchard in New Zealand last year totalled 19,632 acres. The area under private and market gardens (anything less than ball an acre not noted) was 17,794 acres. Arrangements are being made with New South Wales of a satisfactory character in reference to the importation of cattle from Queensland, which has been impeded owing to the tick trouble.

Ad abandoned infant four days old was found on the platform at Sebastian (Victoria) Railway Station. Tho child was wrapped up in a blanket, and was banded over to tbe police. The election of school committee at -Charleston was distinguished by a number of personalities passing between several of the householders. Eventually something like a free fight was indulged in. Ophthalmia is one of the latest complaints developed on . the goldfielda of Western Australia, several cases ha'ring occurred at Nanunine. Poisonous flies are said to have caused the outbreak.

A Shannon settler says be has found that the sowing of mustard is a good thing to get rid of the grass grub. He was troubled with the pest and he turned up the land, and sowed mustard. Then be dug the crop in, and his land is now free from the grub, and is richer for the mustard.

A meeting of the St. Mary's branch of the Mothers' Union was held yesterday, when it) was formally inaugurated, as bad been arranged, on Ascension Day. The meeting was held at three p.m., when 29 members were enrolled, and 22 will be elected at next meeting. A social committee was appointed for the social work.