NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13395, 25 January 1907, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Tokomartt due from London. Mokoia arrived from the South. The Victoria is due from Sydney on Sunday.

Marere arrived from London and Australia. .

Gore (Otago) has under consideration a scheme for building a new hall, to cost £5000.

" The Free Press (Balclutha) slates that about two acres of flax were destroyed byfire at Finegand last week.

There are some excellent potato crops on Inch Clutha, Otago, this year, and so far there is no sign of. the blight.

The. recent southerly weather coated the Tararua range tops with snow, a remarkable circumstance at this time of the year

A sharp frost, severe in its effect on young potato crops, was experienced around Ngaire, Taranaki, on Sunday morning.

The South Canterbury Hospital Board has let a contract for the erection of a new operating theatre at the Timaru Hospital. The theatre is to cost £740.

• A black-edged Parliamentary paper has been issued containing all the letters and telegrams of condolence sent on the death of Mr. Seddon. The condolences cover 287 pages.

A reliable Christchureh paper states that on the last day of the shearing at Mr. E. Short's Pararangi shed eight shearers shore 1660 sheep, the top tally, that of S. Richardson, being 294.

. A syndicate has taken up the railway crossing danger signal, the invention of Mr. G. T. Pritchard, of Wanganui. and patent rights have been taken out for Australasia. It is recorded that Speaker Coles, of the South Australian Assembly, has put up what looks like a world's record. He lias been nearly 17 years in the. chair, and during that time he has not missed a sitting of the House. It is alleged that tin action by a cordial manufacturer, claiming £2000 damages, is pending in connection with recent' ptomaine poisoning cases. The case will probably be heard at the next,sitting of the Supreme Court, says the Manawutu Times. "I tell you candidly that I am done with politics," remarked Mr. John Hutcheson at the social gathering held in Mr. J. Devlin's honour at Wellington. His comment was in rebuttal of an allegation that his attitude on the Irish question was due ; to a desire to "make his case good," lor the next election. Several of the fruitgrowers in the Roxburgh district (100 miles from Dunedin) are observing, in some cases for the first time, abundant signs of silver blight on their trees. Various remedies have been tried, but without any success, and growers are learning that the only way to deal with the latest pest is to cut down" the tree and burn the whole lot. '■ The quantity of dairy produce shipped from the West Coast (Patta) Refrigerating Company's works during the past four months totalled 40.960 boxes id' butter of the value of £102,359, and 15,325 cases of cheese, valued at £42,904. The amount exported for the corresponding period last year was 56.337 boxes of butter, valued at £118,405, and 517 cases of cheese, valued at £1490. A Balchitha dealer was offered a line of full-moUthed ewes from Oainaru at 7s a. head last week, The low price is owing to the drought and scarcity of food; at this time last year the same class of sheep ..were fetching 15s to 17s. Another example of a similar kind came under notice at the yards the other day, when dairy cows which cost £7 in the spring soid for £2 ; 10s.

The following amusing conversation was heard at the Exhibition (says the Lvttclton Times) between a lady ami a Fijian ■who could speak English fairly well. "Have you been up the tower''' queried the lady. "My Lord, no," answered the Fijian, "me afraid.'' "Don't talk like that," corrected

■'. the lady; "shy, 'My gracious, no.'" ',y "Right," said the Fijian, "me say 'My f, ■ gracious' if you like." The dusky visitors from the sunny isles of Fiji are nothing if not obliging. B . The schooner Maroro is now being laden .. with 250,000 ft of white pine at Wangainii i'/ for Sydney. The Alexa has just deputed U' v with a load of 300,000 ft, and as she is exfli pected to return in a fortnight's time an- % other large consignment will be in readiness. '%■'': The market for local timber is very brisk H "in Australia just at present. This vast ex%:■port of timber is being drawn from the Tai- -', liape district. Owing to a good season hav- %■■■' ing been experienced in the. Commonwealth, ;, v a good demand for timber has set in.'

During lard year the number of live stock . slaughtered at the Waiiganui abattoir was 1956 cattle, 8590 sheep, 921 lambs, 1559 pigs, and 182 calves. Of these 39 cattle, 19 sheep, one lamb, and 12 pigs were condemned as unlit for human tonsumption. The December killing at the abattoirs for local consumption was 698 sheep, 323 lambs, 139 cattle, 113 pigs, 18 calves, of which six sheep, two pigs, one cow, and one bullock were condemned by the inspector as being unfit for human consumption.

'f ' To presorvoand increase the charm of a 111 good complexion every woman should use &••;'_- Gibbs' Cold Cream Soap. It is the best }*< tonic the skin could have. ■ ■" p .The secretary of the South Canterbury Board of Education says that, approxi- ' ' mately speaking, the abolition by the Government of the franking privileges will mean a loss to his Board of £100 per an- ■■' " num. ' j £ Gibtw' Cold Cream Soap removes all obstructions to th« perfeot functioning of the in, and imparts the delicate- bloom so grateful to every woman's eye. || Two thousand eight hundred and fifty H bales of , wool . were despatched from the H Eketahuna railway station during, the p months of October," November, and December, 1906, which is a large increase on that '.'' - sent away during the same months of 1905. f,'-' No matter how long you have suffered from rheumatism, gout, sciatica, or lumbago RHKUMO will euro you. All chemists and stores stock it. Price. 2a 6d and | *« 6d. liC.'/ ; - '■■ f}s# : -;■■■■' ■' KlSiiS-< :.''•■'■'.;"• '■