Miscellaneous.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1030, 27 November 1891, Page 41

Miscellaneous.

Mr Charles Edward Harden has been appointed Crown Prosecutor at Westport. A van containing a number o£ sheep belonging to Mr Beavis, butcher, of Happy Valley, overturned while proceeding up the Ohiro Hill yesterday week. Several of the animals, which were just being brought back from the Agricultural Show at the Hutt, were injured, but assistance was procured as speedily as possible, and their injuries attended to. Her Majesty’s warships Tauranga and Ringarooma arrived in harbour from Lyttelton on the 19th. ‘ Both vessels are of the some tonnage, and resemble each other in almost every particular. The following is a list of the Rlngarooma’s officers : —Captain, E. G. Bonrko ; lieutenants, E. D. Hunt, L. is. Stansfield, Louis McHutehiu ; paymaster, T. J. Stovin ; chief engineer, R. J. D. Johnson ; surgeon, Thomas Austen ; eleotrloal gunner, R. J. Graham ; miosnipman, J. Harper, Both vessels arrived off the Heads at S o’clock in the moruiDg, but the Ringarooma remained outside and had some shot and shell practice, and did not anchor until mid-day. It is expected that they will remain in Wellington till the 25th inat.

Among the Volunteer officers whose appointments appear in the last Gazette appears the following :—Guy Featherston Johnston, to be lieutenant D Battery Artillery ; date of commission, 7th October, 1891. Mr Justice Williams and Mr Justice Denniston are gazetted as haviDg been appointed the Supreme Court Judges before whom shall be tried the petition presented by Eden George against the return of Ebenezer Sand, ford os a member of the House of Representatives for the electoral district of tho city of Christchurch. Some weeks ago a cablegram, from America, published in our columns, stated thai tho coloured delegates attending the Methodist GSoumeuical Conference at Washington had been refused permission to dine at the same restaurants as the white representatives. At the time many interpreted the message to mean that a strange lack of Christian charity had boen shown. We are glad, from United States files to hand, to explain that no fault whatever lies at the doors of the Conference. It was the hotelkeepers and restaurant proprietors who refused food and accommodation, and tho matter gave rise to a lengthy conversation in the Conference, and both Europeans and Americans expressed keenest disapproval and condemnation of their action.

A meeting of the Standing Committee of the Wellington Diocesan Synod was held on Wednesday. Present—the Most Bev the Primate, Ven Archdeacon Fancourt, Bevs A. Towgood, J. Jones, and W C. Waters, Messrs C. P. Powles, G. Beetham, C. E. Zohrab, C. C. Graham, and C. B,ous Marten. A question relative to the boundaries of the Feilding Parochial District was raised by the Rev J. Jones, and elicited a lengthened discussion, bat was ultimately referred to a sab-committee,consisting of the Archdeacon, the Bev J. Jones, and Mr Beetham, with instructions to report at next meeting. The financial report showed that there were stipends owing to the amount of £575, against which there were parochial assessments due to the amount of £655. The case of Marton —which showed £lOl arrears —engaged some attention. The B.ev A. Towgood explained that the apparent largeness, of the arrears arose mainly from the fact that the subscriptions were mostly paid in a lump sum at the end of the year. He expected to see the deficiency materially reduced in a month or two. It was suggested that Turakina should be

taken out of the Martou district, but decision in the matter was deferred. The Primate, Mr Beetham, and Mr Itous Marten were appointed a sub committee to arrange for securing a suitable place for the triennial meeting of the General Synod in February next, with full power of actiou. This concluded the business. During the last twelve months the Wertheim sewing maohine has gained gold medals and awards at important exhibitions, and now we hear that it has been fitted with additional improvements. From hosts of leading firms in Australasia come testimonials as to its advantages, and as these emanate not only from sellers, but buyers and users, the popularity of the Wertheim may be assumedos a fact. The official reports of judges’at exhibitions afford further proof that the machine is what it is represented to be, and a decided increase in the already large sale may be confidently looked forward to. Mr W. A. Fitzherbert was the only oan« didate nominated lai.t Friday for the office of Mayor for the Hutt and was duly elected.

The weekly meeting of the Trades and Labour Council was held yesterdy week, the : President, Mr J. Eigg, in the chair. In j regard to the offer of the Premier to place a certain portion of land at the disposal of the Council for special settlement purposes, the following resolution was agreed to : “ That the Secretary be inatructed to write to the Premier for information as to the district in which the land can be obtained, the quantity, price, etc.” The question of fixing the date at which the next Labour Demonstration shall be held was allowed to stand oyer until the meeting of Trade Connoil delegates, which takes place in Dnnedin in February next year. Acoonnts were passed for payment amounting to £8 7s lOd. The resignation of the Secretary, Mr D. P. Fisher, was received with regret, and will date from the 12th December next. The meeting concluded with the customary ■ vote of thanks to the Chairman. !

The reduction to be made by the Wellington Gaa Company in the price of gas will apply not only to gas consumed for beating and lighting purposes, but to gas used by manufacturers for motive power. The Company have also deoided to abolish the rent hitherto charged for meters, and the total loss involved by the change, which takes place after the termination of the current year, is estimated at £3OOO yearly. Among the gentlemen gazetted as Assessors under the Land and Income Assessment Act, 1891, are the following : —Henry William Potter and Walter Knowles, Wellington ; Robert Franklin, Otaki ; Walter Bock, Featherston, and James Purkiss, Halcombe. The traffic returns of the Wellington and Manawatu railway for the week ending 14th November, 1891, amounted to £1469 3s 6d, and for the corresponding period of last year £1507 4s lid, showing a decrease of £3B Is sd.

A meeting of the Board of Examiners under tho Coal' Mines Act was held at the Government Buildiug on Saturday morning, there being present Mr Percy Smith, Surveyor-General (in tho chair) ; Mr H. Gordon, Inspecting Engineer ; Mr T. Brown, of Westport, and Mr VV. Shaw, of Kaitangata. Mine managers passed for rirst class certificates as fellows : JV Coomfce, Reefton ; J. Green, Brunnerton. T. Barclay, of Kaitangata, passed for a second class certificate. It was decided to issue service certificates to manager® who had qualified by length of service. Several engine drivers’ certificates were also issued. The draft of the new regulations under the Coal Mines Aot was considered and approved, subject to tevise by the Crown Law Officers. A sale of work in aid of Dr Bernardo’s Homes in the Eaat of London, was opened last Friday afternoon at the Congregational Church Schoolroom, Bowen street. Mrs and Miss Biirbor were the prime movers in the affair,and a good collection of fancy work and needlework, chiefly the result of their own labours, was on sale, besides refreshments and a charmingly arranged flower stall. The various stalls were presided over by Mrs and Miss Barbor, assisted by the Misses Povvlea, Ida Hawke, Willis, Twiss, and Olive Gore, and a staff of juvenile helpers. The room was prettily decorated with a quantity of bunting, kindly lent by Messrs Turnbull and Co. During the evening vocal and musical selections were readered by friends interested in the object of the bazaar, and good business was done throughout. On Saturday morning the Hon Mr Seddoa was waited upon by a deputation, urging upon him the claims of tho Garrison Band to consideration in respect of free railway passes to Dunedin, where they wish ,to go in order to attend the forthcoming band con. test. After some explanation by Mr Ken. nedy Macdonald, M.H.R., Mr Thompson, solicitor, one of tho trustees of the Band, and Mr J. H. O. Schwartz, the Minister said he would instruct Lieutenant-Colonel Hume to pass the members of the Band as on duty, which would entitle each of them to travel free on the railway line. In the evening the Band gave a concert at the Drillshed, when the selections to bo played as test pieces at the oontest—Rossini and Wagner—were performed. The proceeds of the entertainment will go towards defraying the expenses of the Band daring their stay in Dunedin. Mr H. W. Robinson, District Coroner, hold an inquest on Saturday afternoon on the body of a woman namedßridgeta Barsanti, 67 years of age, who had been living with her married daughter, Mrs Bartoni, at a laundry near the Newtown Hotel. From the evidence it appeared that tho deceased had been ailing for some time past, being attended by Dr Fell, but had recently seemed a great deal better. Last week, however, she suffered a relapse, but her condition was not regarded as serious, and no medical assistance was called in. She had been seen in bed all right about 12 o’clock on Friday night, but as 5 o’clock on Saturday morning she was found dead in her bed. Dr MacCarthy, who-had made a post mortem examination on the body, certified that death was due to heart disease, and a verdict was returned accordingly. The prizes gained by the competitors at the recent sports in connection with eit Patriok’a College were distributed in the hall at the College on Sunday. The Rector addressed the boys, and remarked that the prizes now about to be presented were but a forerunner of the prizes shortly to be given for success in their studies. Hs congratulated those boys who had been successful at the sports, and hoped that those who were not now successful would receive instead rewards for prominence iu the literary labours of the school. The prizes were then distributed by Dr Cahill, who subsequently addressed the boys in an appropriate manner. Besides tho ordinary prizes, Hanning, Jones, Fay, and Smith came forward to recoive the St Patrick’s College challenge cup. Two prizes were also given for the best forward and hack in tho football field, which were awarded by the verdict of the Club to E. P. Cooney and W. H. Jones respectively. The Rectoi’o trophy to the boy gaining the greatest number of points at the sports was gained by Arthur McKay, with 12 points. The ‘following prizes gained by collegians at the Wellington Football Club Sports were also presented : I, M. Hanning, 100yds Open—l, W. H. Jones. 250yds—2, M. J. Hanning. The prizes for rifle shooting were awarded to E. Smith, 1 ; M. Hanning, 2; R. D’Ath, 3. Each successful competitor was greeted with hearty applause by his fellows as ho came forward to receive the result of his success. The College String Band, under the able conduotorship of Mr Trowel, and the Brass Band, led by Mr Cimino, rendered pleasing selections of musio during the afternoon, and the pleasant proceedings were brought to a close by aooording hearty votes of thanks to Dr Cahill, and to Father Holly, Mr McCardell, Mr Michael Hodgina, and flan, ning, Jones, Fay, Lafferty, and Cullinaue for their assistance in bringing the affair to such a successful issue.

The Defence Minister and the Colonial Secretary, accompanied by Lieut.. Col. Hume, paid au official visit to H. M. ships Tauranga and Ringarooma last Friday morning.

At the Petersham (NT.S. W.) railway station on Monday, the 19fch ultimo, a signalman named Jonathan Marsfield, in attempting to jump on to a carriage of a moving train, fell between the carriages, and was killed instantly. According to the Registrar-General’s returns during the first three months of the present year, 95,114 persons in England and Wales etiterod into the bonds of wedlock. This gives an annual rate of 14’7 per 1000, and is tho highest recorded in the first quarter of any year since the prosperous time of 1876. In London, 16,044 persons wero married, the number being above the average quota in proportion to population. One hundred and twenty staff officers of the Military Riding School at Hanover executed an extraordinary riding performance on Juno 25. Starting at four o’clock in the morning, they rode at quick trot to the rendezvous, which was twenty-five kilometres distant, and then on new horses rode to tiie hunt, covering more than twenty kilometres in forty minutes. After this they returned on fresh horses to Hanover, a distance of about twenty-five kilometres, and reaohsd it about ten o’clock iu the morning, having covered over forty-four miles before breakfast. ‘ >

£3 A meeting of creditors in the estate of Alexander B. James, mariner, of Welling" ton, was to have been held last Fiilay morning at tho offices of the Offioial Assignee. As the bankrupt is suffering from influenza, the meeting was adjourned sine die. From a written statement supplied by the bankrupt, it appears that in May, 18S9, ho commenced business as providore of the s.s. Huia, with no capital. In the first five or six months it paid fairly, but after that time the steamer was frequently laid up, and he consequently made nothing ; he was also at that time trying to pay up arrears of rent. Having become providore of the s.s. Rowena, and finding if did not pay, he secured tho catering p,t the A.C. Barracks, but found it totally unremunerative, and continued getting further involved until he gave it up on the 24th Oatober last. As several of his creditors were pressing him, and one had put a baliff in his house, he was obliged to seek the protection of the Bankruptcy Court. Tho amount owing to unsecured creditors is £B2 Sa SJd, and the assets (furniture) are valued at £B, leaving a deficiency of £74 3s 84d. The debts are chiefly owing to storekeepers, butchers, bakers, &o.

A meeting of creditors in the estate of Carl Moeller, furniture manufacturer, Weilingt m, was hell on Wednesday afternoon at the office of the Official Assignee. Mr J. W. Poynton, solicitor, was present on behalf of the debtor, who also appeared. The debtor put in a written statement, from which it appeared that he commenced business in March, 1889, with a capital of about £l5O. He borrowed £2OO to get plant, and carried on successfully until about December in the same year, when he started a retail Bhop in Manners street; it was not a success, and in about a year he mode a composition of 10s in the pound with his creditors. That amount was more than he could afford, and he had to borrow money to make it op. He had been pying that off at the rate of £8 6s per month. To meet necessary expenditure for plant he borrowed £BO from the Loan Company on bills ; bills ho received from one dealer for goods supplied, were discounted by loan companies, and were dishonoured and he became liable. A fortnight ago his stock in trade was seized on a distress warrant through one of those bills. About nine days since another seizuro was made on another distress warrant, sued out by the Empire Loan Co. on another of those dishonoured bills for £22 ss. While the stock in trade was under seizure a second time a third judgment was obtained for £32 by the Wellington Lean Company on another dishonoured bill drawn, by the furniture dealer. He then made an offer of 5s in the £ pay. able in one month, whioh was not accepted by the pressing creditors. He was then relaotantly compelled to seek the protection of the Bankruptcy Court. He had done his best to pay his debts, had never been extravagant, and to keep down expenses had lived in a portion of the factory hardly fit far such a purpose. He could not offer the oreditora anything at present, but would pay 5s iu the pound on the total amount of his debts in throe months. In answer to questions, the debtor stated that his income during the last three months had amounted to about £3O a week. Ho had received payment for his goods ehiefly by bills, whioh he had negotiated with loau oompaniea. The amount of interest he had paid was 10 per oent for three mouths. At present be could not offer a guarantee, although he might be able to do so very shortly, Mr McLean proposed, and it was seconded by Mr J. Beok, that the offer of 5s in the pound be accepted, provided that a satisfactory guarantor be found. The offer was aooepted, and the resolution will be confirmed at a meeting to be held in a fortnight's time.

A man remained in the sea for six hours near Brighton, thus winning a wager of £I7OO.

A German named Maximilian Gustav Werner was brought into 'Wellington Monday afternoon by Constable Lyster, of Petone, who had arrested him on suspicion of being a lunatic. The man was medically examined,, and committed as a lunatic to Mount View ABylum. There were some extraordinary occurrences at Homebush railway station, near Sydney, recently. At 9 o’clock in the morning a porter was knocked down by a train and killed. At 5 o’clock in the afternoon the man who was Bent there to take his place met with the same fate at the same spot. The total number of dogs registered during the current year is 1016, or 553 more than were registered last year. The Inspector (Mr J. Doyle) reports to the Council that there are still a very considerable number of stray ownerless dogs about, and he is of opinion that the time has arrived when the Council should devise some means of getting them off the streets. Mr Fielden, M.P., while deerstalking in Scotland, fell down the precipitous face of a mountain, but was caught in the descent by a gamekeeper, who, making a spring, seized him as he fell upon a ledge of rook 20 feet below the summit of the crag, and overhanging a precipice 1000 feet deep. It was six hours before the injured M.P. and the gillie could be rescued from their perilous position. An Auckland knight of the hammer claims the distinction of being the first to take advantage of that clause in the new Auctioneers Act which extends the scope of an auctioneer’s license to every part of the Colony. Last week he despatched to Gisborne several hundred pounds’ worth of stock, went down himself, and this week is initiating a series of sales. Doubtless the peripatetic auctioneer will now become an institution in the land.

"“'The sale of the Bodmin Estate, Lower Hutt, at Messrs Harcourt and Co.’s rooms on Saturday was well attended, and a number of sections were quitted. Lots 1,2, and 3, fronting the main road, and comprising about half au acre in all, were sold for £64, Mr VV. A. Fitzherbert buying two sections at £2O each, and Mr M. G. H. Scales securing the third at £24. Mr Scales also bought two back sections, each comprising 36 perches, at £l7 aaoh, and five others of like area, at £lB each. Sections 27 and 28, 2 roods 33 perches, abutting on the main road, with dwellinghouse, fell to Mr Hugh Wilson at £2OO. Three adjoining section?, each consisting of 1 rood 11 perchaß, were purchased by Mr G. Reich for £26. Mr T. M. Wilford bought a triangular section, 1 rood 4 perohes, in the centre block, £22 10s. Of the larger class of allotments, Mr J. Clement bought No. 32, measuring 2 acres 1 rood 12 perches, for £167 15s 9d ; and Mr T. Hancock secured No. 33, 3 acres 34 perches, at £225. Sections 35 and 45 remain nnder offer till Monday morning at £BO per acre ; and section 44, 1 acre 3 roods 9 perches, whioh has a dwellinghouse upon it, at a lump sum of £215. Mr J. B. Harcourt acted a 3 sales, man. Notice is given by advertisement that the unsold sections will be open for private sale until the end of the present month.

The Inspector of Nuisances (Mr J. Doyle) has been engaged during the past two months in compiling a statement with regard to the house drainage of the city. He states in a report presented to the Public Works Committee Monday evening that he has not met half a dozen householders, excepting plumbers and professional men, who have the faintest idea of what is meant by drain trapping or the most simple sanitary appliances. In Thorndon Ward (the inspection of whioh he has just completed) he found 1572 sewer inlets, of which 211, or nearly 14 per cent, were defective. In all cases where he had found defeots he had given the responsible party notice to have them removed within a reasonable time. He states that “the present system of removal of rubbish is, to say the least, very unsatisfactory. Shop keepers who reside on shop premises where their business is carried on have to carefully separate household refuse from trade refuse, or the contractor, according to the terms of his contract, may refuse to take it. Also with regard to garden refuse—a barrowful of . faded flowers from a drawingroom is household refuse, and a bucketful of similar material from a garden no bigger than a drawingroom is “ garden refuse,” which the contractor will decline to remove. Apart from this, one of the worst results is that people place no reliance on the system, and it any one doubts this he has only to look at nearly every unfenced piece of land abont the city, and he will see that a great many people have a system of their own of disposing of rubbish.”