NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13846, 4 September 1908, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

■ ■■'■«» ' - ■ In the InveTcargill Supreme Court. G. Robertson was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for sheep-stealing. Ten thousand young trout were liberated : in the Little Ashley River on' Friday by ; ; Mr. Douglas, -ranger of the Acclimatisa- '"■•■,„ tion Society. A I'itoaru tobacconist, for keeping - bis /Shop open after seven p.m., when it should have been closed at that hour, was fined £5, and costs £1 Bs. The severity of the winter in Central Qtago. has driven some of the red' deer, of which- there are a large number about the Morven Hills, through The gorges of the Dunetan Mountains into .the district about" St. Bathans. ,'"■ A number of cattle hare died at Puke-, hou, in Hawke's Bay, as a : result, it is thought, of eating a, noxious weed, which only grows on marshy land. The assistant biologist to the Department is at present ',;: X ' in the district investigating ! the trouble. '■;■..;■•■. The steamer '.Oswestry Grange, which "pi: i arrived from Liverpool and Australia yesterday afternoon, lost one of her propeller '•" blades when half-way between Capetown '/ ,■: ■ - and Melbourne. ,On arrival at Sydney she T"[: was docked, and nad a new blade fitted, ■ ['■ and* was also cleaned and painted. • fs. .- : Never 'at any time within the memory ,V : of the oldest fisherman;fee 'the fish draught *r \ ■ elf Toby Bock, and Waipapa banks ' been: so bounteous as ii is at present. ■ Within, ;; : ..':','' : ;-' the hist few -days Bluff, alone inust have, >',',-.-. netted 60 tons of large-sized blue cod. The ,' theory is that they ate Hocking in from th'* i^-..„ '•"'"•■-deep "waters*for .spawning . purposes. ■ ■ Good reports are made of tn«'.condition '.:' of things in the country districts (tele- ;—-"^--»..,, v graphs our Gisborne, correspondent), and ;'.:*' ."?:j early spring is causing a good growth „ „™ig»a6s^ : Although some' of the settlers, /',..' ' ■ who hud fires in the ..summer, somewhat short of feed: for-■■ stock, the cleared land has taken the -.grass seed well, and there should scon be an -. abundance of feed. . The roads have held Out better .< than usual during the winter.