LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11887, 12 February 1902, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Boers in. Cape Colony are again active. A convoy in the Fraserburg district was attacked and captured, and two officers and 11 men belonging to the escort were killed. Reinforcements arriving the enemy were pursued, and 24 were killed and 47 wounded. Near Calvinia a detachment of 100 men were rushed during the night, and lost two i officers and seven privates killed. Lord Kit- ; chener's weekly report of Boer losses gives the number of killed, wounded, captured, and surrendered as 717. Some of De Wet's men who surrendered state that a mutinous spirit existed in the commando because De Wet, when his force wa,s in a tight corner, advised them to shift for themselves and rode off with a small bodyguard. Wei-hai-wei has been abandoned by the British Government as a military and naval post, having been found, as was predicted at the time, unsuitable. The Egeria, which went in search of the Condor, is herself missing, and fears are being entertained for her safety. The Auckland sittings of the Arbitration Court were brought to a termination yesterday, after the evidence in the sawmillers' dispute was concluded. The Court adjourned to Nelson, where they sit on Monday next, afterwards taking cases in the Westland . district, and proceeding thence to Invercargill to complete the sawmillers' dispute. The award in the latter will, it is expected, be delivered in about three weeks*' time.

'The contractors; for the Whangarei waterworks are making good headway with the works, the water mains .in . the majority of the streets to be served having been laid, while the head works are also in a forward state. The engineer (Mr. J>xetcalfe), who recently paid -a visit to the works, is satisfied with the progress; made, and the contractors hope to have the - water laid on by the end of nest month..

'■— mmmmt, i minimum wm—mmmmxnemiman**,. .' l\ \ S , , ___ i2 aaE ; » , | y^| Sir J. G. Ward lias intimated to Mr, ]>, ' A. Sutherland (Mayor of Onehunpa), that* he can only devote a short time to jwblfa . business at Onehunga, oi> Friday, fie will '' \ open the new post office .d noun, sharp, after which he will be entertained at a, banquet at one p.m. in the Public Hall." Sir J. Q, Ward will leave for Auckland immediately after the banquet.. . ' ',- Through the instrumentality of Mi. Jackson Palmer, M.H.R., an additional £100 his been' granted by the Government towards the new drill-shed now being erected ab' Paeroa. The structure when completed will be a great acquisition to the volunteers.' '-/.- The fine steamer Mimiro, of the Tysetf line, arrived in port yesterday afternoon from London and Australia, bringing 2000 - - tons of general merchandise for Auckland and a quantity for Napier and the South. " . The steamer, which comes into port in splendid order, left London on December 8, and met with terrible weather in the Channel, heavy westerly gales and high seas prevailing. One sea, which broke -on board, knocked one of the crew down on the deck with such force that he suffered a compound fracture of the right leg. The steamer put into Falmouth on the 10th, and landed the injured man. All the way across the Bay of Biscay the Mimiro had to contend 1 against strong winds and heavy seas. Crossing the Southern Ocean a succession of strong to moderate gales were encountered* Two Immense icebergs were sighted in latitude 48.50 south, and longitude 49,21 east, ' the larger of the two bergs being estimated at 250 ft in height. Crossing the Tasraah Sea strong south-east winds and heavy cbn- , fused seas were met with; the weather moderating' as the New Zealand coast was made. On her last voyage from New Zealand to London the Mimiro encountered a, tremendous amount of ice, on one occasion, '* the steamer being quite surrounded by the bergs. The greatest number '<■. in sight at -. once was 94 large .bergs and a quantity of - ; floating ice. ;' , ' *

On ' Tuesday morning the train front Helensville to Auckland broke down between Swanson and Henderson at abouti half- seven a.m., and it was nearly, midday before it reached town., : This is a striking instance of the- neglect and indifference to the settlers manifested on this line. There were a good number ,of passengers and a large amount tof perishable produce on the train. A truckload of fruit was waiting for it at the Henderson' railway station, and two trucks >of fruit waiting at Waikumete. It.evidently took the Railway : Department , from half-past seven ,to nearly eleven o'clock ;to get an. engine from Auckland to.- Swanson, and; the traffic on the line was suspended and; the;passengers inconvenienced during this time. One curious feature ;■: in connection with the affair is that '~ there is no telephone service to New Lynn, where the : trains cross, and the up-train simply had: to wait there until orders were sent fromv Avondale .:, by ; ; bicycle." - The .fruit...'.• and; perishable products, which should * haV» arrived in time for the morning sales, only reached the auctioneers at four p.m. ■ "

From Messrs. Henderson,and Macfarlane'd ' local agents for the Oceanic Steamship: Company (A. '-~ and A. Line), . we have re*' ceived a neat little card ; entitled; "The ; Coronation Ceremonies,";: brimful of good and valuable information to those fortunate ones who intend visiting London during the great event. Incorporated in the'in-, formation arc fares round the' world,'toi London and return by . America, .the! Oceanic Company issuing tickets at re* duced rates which cover passage 'to Loh-< don via America or Canada and return via ; Suez 01 .the Gape. % Those .who intend travelling via San Francisco/';audi.■ also those who have booked Home by ■other lines, would do well to secure : this little; ■; card to take with them as a • vade mecum.V ■> on the trip. A great feature in this route ; is that business men pressed for time" can ;; leave Auckland as late as May 17, see the;;-, London ceremonies, and' be back again in Auckland by August 12, ; only 87 days from time of departure. We are informed that the Oceanic steamers' accommodation is well taken up right on to the May sailing. Shortly before eight o'clock'last eveningvi Constable Reid, on duty in. arrested a man named Joseph Andrew, onf a charge of indecent'assault, . with intent' to commit rape. Accused, who was lodged in the police cells, i High-street, - will be charged with the offence mentioned at the Police Court this morning.

Reports? from residents^ along the riverff Biree, .Bokhara,-, and" Culgoa, New ; South Wales, are alarming. The rivers in question have long since ceased running, and; are now only a chain of ponds, with" long dry spaces between them. They have not been so dry since the drought of 1888. A'j number of stations have just brought then* stock back, and unless rain or flood waters come down from Queensland, the < outlook is serious. Out at Old Gnomery there-is a splendid Government bore, but in its': present site it is practically ...useless, the? water only spreading over a small. portion of the station. : '■ • , '.'; .-•.,*

The Oamaru Mail states that ferrets arcf getting very numerous in the town and! suburbs. The other day the sparrows were! making a great commotion round a tree* at Mr. Macdonald's residence. For sometime the cause could not be made out, but the solution was found when a ferret was! seen coming down the tree with a young; sparrow in its mouth. It then disappeared among the bushes, but after a : little timet ■ it came out again and reascended the tree*, and the birds- renewed their noise. The, actions of the ferret were noted, and the spring from branch to branch was mar- ; vellous. It seemed to equal, the squirrel} in its agility. - . »'•

The harvest is now completed in the". Barwang district, New South Wales, and' it lias been very satisfactory, the average being about 4£ bags to the acre. It would; have been much better ' only for the destruction by rabbits. Most "of the farmers say their loss was fully one bag to the acre.. The rabbits were never so bad in this district as at present. They have destroyed' all the com, and potato crops, and 'are doing much destruction in orchards by eating the bark off the trees. ~ '

A meeting of the Management Commits tee of the Auckland Amateur Athletic and!' Cycle Club was held at' the rooms of the* Amateur Sports Club last evening. The programme for the club's autumn carnival, i to be held at the Domain Cricket Ground on March 8, was approved, after which the proposal to send G. W. Smith and W. F. Simpson to England was discussed, and' it was decided to support the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association in the . matter. Subscription lists will be circulated among the members of the club and others interested, and every effort will ba made to raise funds in the Auckland dis«trict. ■

Mr. J. Hubbard, secretary of the PaerocS butter factory, has received advices that the" third shipment of butter to the Home market realised ll|d a lb. ' ' , , ■