NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12861, 9 May 1905, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

jViCTOKiA left for Sydney. ! Herald Summary to-morrow. : WestraUa for the South to-day. ; Sonoma from Sydney on Friday.. Kumara tor. London on Thursday. There has been only one bankruptcy in | Jfapier since the beginning of the year. Buffion valued at £21,100 was sent to London by the Waihi Gold Mining Company, via Sydney, yesterday. The number of professed converts during General Booth's "campaign" in New Zealand are said to, have totalled over 600, including 151 in Auckland. The only inmates of the police cells last evening were three persons charged with drunkenness, one charged with theft, and (mother with using indecent language. A cadet named William Thomas, who was employed at Mr. H. R. Shortland's station, \ at Whananaki, died suddenly at half-past twelve on Sunday. He was apparently .well until shortly before his death. During last month 1,195,000 ft of gas was manufactured at the Masterton gasworks. •This is a record for any month since the works were started. The amount of coke • eold last month also constituted a record. • Red deer are becoming very plentiful in Northern Otago. When coaching between Oinaranm and Lindus a few days ago the Acting-Superintendent of the Touristy Department counted 30 head of deer within 100yd3 of the coach. Among them was a Jen-pointer stag. The Wellington Meat Export Company - is about to erect a. power gas plant at Ngaihauranga. The company will manufacture its own gas, and the installation of the gas engines will be by far the largest in the south'- • l hemisphere. The total power of the gas engine? will be about 1200 horsepower. The largest tank engine of its kind built south of the equator is now being constructed at the Pet one railway workshops, Wellington. It is a double compound engine of the Mallet articulated type, and will be used on the section of railway between Peatbersfcon and the Rimutaka incline. It is hope*' to have the engine running in about two months'' time. A rabbit buyer, who does a large business in Ota.go, has informed tho Western Star that he was so disgusted with the way trappers sent in the carcases that lie was thinking about going out of the business. The arrival in London of rabbits that had not y been properly cleaned affected the price, and hence the trade was not profitable. Want of care has also affected the flax market. A correspondent points out (says the Christcburch Press) that this season, owing -to a scarcity of honey in the red clovei =-. crops, the humble beer were attracted to other flowers for honey and pollen. Last winter being wet many of the nests of the humble bees in low banks and drains were swamped, and there have not been so many bees observed in North Canterbury as usual. The following is the state of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ended May 6: —On remand, 3 males; awaiting trial, 15 males; sentenced to penal servitude /or life, 2 males; sentenced to hard labour, 177 males*, 28 females; .v.;. default of bail, 3 males, 1 female; received during the week 12 males; discharged, .;' 21 males, 1 *emale: total in prison, 200 jaales, 29 females. • ~ • The question of publicity was introduced at a .meeting of creditors at Christehurch (states the Press), and the Official Assignee remarked •■■• that ■ there was nothing in the 1 Bankruptcy Act to make the meetings public. He found that there was a great and growing'. feeling among commercial peoplo that : these things should be treated as matters between creditor and debtor. This was the reason why there were so many private ,' " ■ arrangements in place of proceedings in the official assignee's office.