NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10921, 28 November 1898, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The Napier Harbour Board proposes constructing a pontoon dock at the Spit, A movement is on foot to arrange for a Sir George Grey memorial day. The Sydney Chamber of Commerce proposes to appoint a shipping sectional committee. The total amount of butter exported from Taranaki for the present season is over 21,000 boxes. A Chinese minister and a Chinese elder took their seats at the last meeting of the Sydney Presbytery. The general verdict along the East Coast is that this has been a bad shearing season, owing to the weather. "The first cherries of the season," from Australia, are ticketed in Wellington fruit chops at Is 3d per pound. Through the overcrowding of a train from Molong to Orange (New South Wales), a young girl had her arm broken. The grasshopper plague is proving very destructive in the Deniliquin and Braidwood districts (New South Wales). A 22-year-old child of Mr. Bertbold died at Feathetjstone the other day from the effects of eating green gooseberries. The police of Timaru have determined to make an effort to put down loitering on the footpaths, which lias become a nuisance. At the Foxton Police Court a man was fined for being drunk in a church, and having interfered with the orderly conduct of the service.

The dog fiend lias evidently been at work again in Ciiristchnrch, as Mr. Justice Denniston lost a valuable dog through poison the other day.

The proceeds of a floral fete held at Nelson recently were sufficient to provide for the purchase of a Rontgen rays apparatus for the local hospital. Some 5000 boxes of butter per week are now being uceived at the Taranaki Freezing Works, and this number will increase as the summer progresses. A few days ago. Abel Kairl, a well-to-do farmer, living nt l'inda, South Australia, committed suicide by hanging himself to the rafter of a shed.

The newly-elected clubhouse at Lower Hutt, which was thought to have been built above flood level, had three or four inches of water in it during the recent flood. A policeman, with a knowledge of the Chinese language, is wanted by the Victorian Government to act as inspector of factories in the Chinese quarters. At musketry practice at Casino (New South Wales), Marker Roderick was accidentally shot through the left thigh, but fortunately no bones were broken. On November 9, Miss Amy Castilla, one of the first lady graduates in medicine at the Melbourne University, and one of the founders of the Melbourne Hospital, died. The New South Wales dairy expert points out the trouble which is likely to arise from the use of preservatives in exported butter and recommends the pasteurisation of all cream.

The Sydney Board of Exports has received a letter from a London business firm to its Sydney agents, expressing satisfaction at the proposal to grade New South Wales wheat for export. The mail van attached to the Wanganui train ran over a stop block on the line at Palmerston recently, and was derailed. A delay of about a-quarter of an hour resulted. No damage was done. In January of the present year there were 200 newspapers on the register for New Zealand, of which 50 were dailies, 28 tri-week-lies, 30 bi-weeklies, 63 weeklies, three fortnightlies, and 26 monthlies. Measles were fatal in four cases in New Zealand in October. Two deaths from the disease occurred in Wellington, one at Christchurch, and one at Dunedin. Three of the deceased were children under five years of age. A sleeper-cutter, at Kotupna (Victoria), ate some meat cut from a leg of mutton, and was shortly afterwards seized with violent pains. A strong emetic relieved him. The mutton was given to a dog, which died in 10 minutes after eating it. The body of ft widow named Mrs. McLellan, who resided at Elsternwick (Victoria), was found on the railway track at North Williamstown on November 10. The head had been cut off clean from the neck by a passing train. There were no less than nine prisoners in the lockup last evening, namely, two females and four males 011 charges on drunkenness; William Ingster, on a charge of being drunk and disorderly; Tlios. Finnegan, on a charge of assauling Thos. Baxter, and also for resisting Constable Harvey, in the execution of hi;, duty; and a girl on a charge of vagrancy.