NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10415, 13 April 1897, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Herald Summary Thursday.

Fire at Paeroa. Harbour Board meets to-day. 'Frisco mail leaves on Saturday. Rotomahana arrived from Sydney. Manapouri for Sydney this evening. Alameda left Sydney for Auckland.^ Quail and pheasant are numerous in the jlanawatu district. The Hawera Gas Company have made a start with the erection of their works. The eold received at the Victorian Mint during the past quarter was 199,3650z. An English mail will probably arrive from Sydney by the Alameda on Friday. Eighty-one claims to old age pensions have been sent in for registration from Wanganui. The railway line will be opened to Paniatua on Ist May, and to Mangatainoka on the Ist July. The various local bodies in Wellington intend to hold a conference shortly to discuss the abattoir. The petition for the release of Chemishaa been sighed by over 400 persons in the Featherston district. The vintage in the Corowa district is nearly completed, and vignerons are well satisfied with the results, An order has been issued making five feet two inches the minimum height for lady clerks in the Post Office. Some despicable thief invaded the garden belonging to the Wellington Benevolent Home the other night, and made off with a considerable portion of the crop of pumpkins. The Mayor of Masterton thinks that the majority of the local bodies of New Zealand will adopt the rating on unimproved values system before the end of another twelve months. An old soldier who had been through the Maori war, and had served in the 57th Regiment, asked for rations, which were granted him for a month by the Wellington Benevolent Trustees the other day. Of the 118 teachers in charge of the schools under the Wellington Education Board, 65 are male and 53 female; there are 29 male and 57 female assistants, 22 male and 114 female pupil teachers, and 10 sewing teachers. Though the number of stags shot this season in the Nelson district has not been large, some of those that have been stalked have given excellent sport, and their size and antlers have been enormous. Several of the carcases weighed over 3001bs. A wholesale destruction of trout was perpetratsd by some person or persons on Saturday night or Sunday morning week in the Waipoua, under the bank below Collier's wool works. Dead fish are lying in the river and on the banks in great numbers from the place named down to the bathing sheds. A return just published shows that the number of children attending New Zealand State primary schools last year was 132,364. At the same date 17,600 young persons were at college, and 6352 were being taught at home. The Sunday-school scholars numbered 104,934, and the Sunday-school teachers 54,850. According to tho Mataura Ensign onethird of the entire crop of that district is Btill in the stool:, and sprouts make rapid progress. The whole of the wheat grown stands in tho Mine position, bar the portion yet uncut. Many out stacks are heating, and some have hud their broadsides pulled oat and been restocked, or put through the mill right away. The following is the state of Her Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ending April 10:—On remand, 5 males, 1 female ; waiting trial, 10 males ; boy, 1; penal servitude, 2 males; hard labour, 106 males, 9 females; imprisonment, 3 males; default of bail, 4 males; received during the week, 22 males, 10 females; discharged, 16 males, 8 females. Total in prison, 131 males, 10 females.