NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10837, 22 August 1898, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Westbalu arrived from South. Elingamite from Sydney this morning. Wreckage reported on the East Coast. Vancouver mail due at Wellington to-day. The political women of Wanganui are demanding cremation. . Scarlet fever appears to be on the increase in and around Brisbane. Smallpox is spreading to an alarming extent in the South African Republic. It is reported that a valuable discovery of diamonds lias been made at Henderson. Epizootic ophthalmia in sheep is now prevalent in New South Wales and Queensland. There is a heavy mortality amongst the cattle in the Camperdown (Victoir) disTlio cheapest classes of beef and mutton are now selling in Tasmania at 7d and 8d per lb. ..tiii The question of the remission of the stock and meal taxes is arousing much interest in Tasmania. Kapanga Gold Mining Company returns : —Company. £15 from 10 tons ; tributers, £56 from two tons quartz. Beef was recently sold to butchers at the Hobart slaugbteryards at 4Jd, the highest price realised for 10 years. The Hauraki Company crushed 200 tons ot general quartz and 2671b picked stone for "he satisfactory return of £1274. At Heidelberg (South Africa) a marriage party had to be broken up because the bridegroom's name had been wrongly published^ The tableau of " CoiniiT Through the Rye,' at the Greenwood concert, was arranged by Miss Ada Wood, who took one of the parts. The number of kangaroos and wallaroos killed last year in Queensland was 684,000, compared with 288,000 during the previous J' ear - , • ■ i , The Oamaru Mail says:—"lt is, indeed, many years since'the farmers of North Otago had' so fair a start for a prosperous season.' The Postmaster-General of Victoria has promised to improve the arrangements for cablegraphic intercourse between Melbourne and Tasmania. The Johannesburg papers just to hand contain heartrending reports of continued destitution and starvation existing in tho Golden City." A witch case is reported from Rhodesia (South Africa), a child being murdered by its mother because its top teeth grew before the bottom ones. The Agent-General for Tasmania (Sir Westby Perceval) is willing to retain oliice from year to year. His time this year etpires on September 30. A wheat pest in the shape of a small grub that attacks the young wheat below the surface, is reported as being very destructive among the wheat in South Australia, An option over portion of the property ol the Arolia Gold Mining Company (in liquidation) 'has been granted to the Rev. J. Campbell, the representative of the Montezuma Company, at Te Arolia. Owing to the depth of snow on the Papafoa Range (Westlnud) all mining operations were brought to a standstill the other day. On the top of the .storm-swept range there is no timber of any kind.

The number of marsupials roved last year in Queensland was 1,522,835", being nearly double the number destroyed during the preceding year, and greatly in excess of any previous one year's operations. It is stated that'there are at present buildfag and at work in Olago about 100 gold dredges, representing an immense sum of money, the construction of which has kept the foundries busy almost night and day. There were in the lock-up last evening, two persons on charges of drunkenness, and George Fredk. Porter, arrested by Constable Smith, on a- charge of forging a cheque for £4 10s un the National Bank of New Zealand. The report of the chief inspector of stock for New South Wales shows that there has not been such a general drought for more thar. 50 years, only a smau portion of the colony having escaped this time. The losses of stock were very heavy. The gem of the New South Wales general election was the candidature of one Amein, a Hindoo chutney maker. The local humorists jokingly inflicted on him all sorts of indignities, but the dark man was in deadly earnest, polling eight votes. The other day tlic Tasmanian Legislative Council lowered the duty on champagne, and then adjourned for dinner. On resuming business at half-past seven p.m., the Council decided to put champagne back again to its former rate of duty, 20s per dozen. Great loss of stock is being experienced in the Korumburra district, West Gippsland. It is only now that the full suffering attendant on the loss of grass through fires _is being experienced. Enormous quantities of chaff are being fjiported, farmers in some instances ordering several truck-loads. Gold mining has started again on the Kakanui beach. The heavy weather of the past few days has brought iip a quantity of black sand," and in this sand is the gold. The Aorth Otago Times understands that all the available claims have been " pegged pegged off, at least, so far as the sea will nermit. The prospects are fairly good. Mrs. Chisholm, of Suva, who resides 75ft

above the sea- level* recently forwarded several shrimps to the office of the Fiji Times, with the following memo:— I send you a few shrimps which came with last night's shower. I may also mention tuat I have noticed the same phenomena for the last three or four weeks. I can only say that it is a mystery." Our Kaikohe correspondent writes: —Mr. Ralph Davison has been away on a justlyearned holiday to Auckland. Whilst in town he was married to a young lady, Miss Bessie Topp, who is not unknown in these parts, she having been here some time ago in Mr. Dickeson's employ. The newlywedded couple have the hearty eongratulatins of the whole community.