MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1136, 8 December 1893, Page 42

MISCELLANEOUS.

“What is a ‘ social ’ ? ” sternly asked his Honor Blr Justice Denniston the other day in .a breach of promise case. After the Bar lad -wrestled with the conundrum thus propounded by the Bench, one of the) lawyers cut the Gordian knot by describing a '''social” as “ a sort of a dance.”

The Christmas vacation at the public schools will commence on Friday, loth December, and the schools will re-open on Tuesday, 23rd January.

.The girl suffering from leprosy at West t Maitland is a Miss Robinson, 16 years of age. The disease is said to have been contracted through eating vegetables grown by a Chinaman.

An estimate of Hansard of last session, made by a contemporary, shows that about 3,360,000 words were reported. The new Parliament .is not likely to be so talkative as the last one. Mr Fish is out, for one IpXuygi? ,>"A telegram from Woodville states that the libel action Clark v. Haggen has been withdrawn by arrangement. !:■ The Criminal Code Act, passed last session, will be gazetted shortly as to come into force on March 1.

Councillor L. L. Harris has been appointed by the Horowhenua County Council as their trustee for the Wellington Hospital, as their delegate at the meeting to appoint six members of the Benevolent Trustees, and to represent them on the District Hospital Board.

The Government are not likely to accept the invitation of the Hon Mr Bowell (Canadian delegate to these colonies) to send a Minister or an official representative to the Reciprocity Conference in Canada early hfext year. In the first place it will clash with the Intercolonial Postal Conference to be held in Wellington next month, and secondly it is difficult to see what advantage to New Zealand would accrue from the despatch of an emissary that could not as easily be compassed by other means. The Premier is not enamoured of the proposal, but at any rate it will be discussed and settled in Cabinet next week.

The children of the public school at Paikakariki enjoyed a picnic at Plimmerton on Tuesday week. Races and various other amusements filled, the programme, the prizes consisting of books and toys of more or less value. An ample supply of good things to eat and drink was provided by the school committee.

A reporter on the staff of the Sydney Morning Herald found 180 destitute men huddled together sleeping on the pavement in the shelter of an old market building in that city a few nights ago.

Two jars of water from Virginia Lake, Wanganui, have been forwarded to Sir James Hector, Government Analyst, for his

M opinion. Board of Education has accepted the tender of C. Colquhoun, =£443, for the erection of a schoolhouse at Khandallah. 'TPhe other tenders were as follow: —J. Rusj sell, ,£447 ; Miller Bros., =£455 ; A. Seanier, .£456 ; T. Orr, <£46o; J. Edwards, =£465 ; T. Hitchin, =£4Bs; J. and A. Wilson, <£49o ; fj. J. Webb, ,£530; D. McLean, £548;

J. Brooks, £6BB 9s 6d ; Smith and Snook, . £712. ■Jw During last month the estates of 21 deceased persons were placed in the hands of the Public Trustee for administration.

Those of largest value were left by the following Robert P. Levein, Nelson, £20,000; Frederick Lange, Clinton, £2000; Wm. '* Barry, Otakaia, £958; Arthur Evans, Wellington, £810; John Baird, Milburn, £206; John Dobell, Dunedin, £IBO. . The latest news from Raratonga, our island appanage in the South Pacific, where Mr Moss plays the congenial role of guide, philosopher and friend, is that the chiefs //•there have tired of their uni-cameral system of representative government and, harking back to the New Zealand model, have determined to set up a nominated Upper House and to have as its complement an elective lower Chamber. A despatch on the subject is said to be now on its way to Lord Glasgow.

The Railway Commissioners have accepted the following tenders for coal supplies for 1894Taupiri Extended Coal Company, for Auckland section; J. J. Craig, Auckland, for Kaihu Valley and Whangarei sections and Newmarket work- - shops-; Grey Valley Coal Company, for Napier, Taranaki, Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Lyttelton, Timaru and Oamaru sections, and for Addington and Petone workshops ; Kaitangata Coal Company, for the Dunedin section; Mokihinui Coal Company, for the Hillside workshops.

Four tenders have been received by the Public Works Department for the manufacture of 50 points and crossings, the Government supplying the rails. One of the tenders comes from Grey mouth, two come from Christchurch, and the fourth comes from Dunedin. We understand that the lowest tender is well within the estimate. The matter has not yet engaged the attention of Cabinet, and until it has no action will be taken.

A Press Association telegram from Auckland states that Mr Ward has expressed his satisfaction at the result of the elections. '■He sees no necessity for calling Parliament together earlier than usual. The Government, he says, had expected to win victories in the South, but the result of the Auckland contest was a great surprise.

During last month 35 patents were applied for, in the Colony, seven of them being, from Wellington. Since the beginning of the year 582 patents and 305 trademarks have been applied for in the Colony, /Wellington alone sending in 103 applica*

tions for patents, and 50 applications for trade-marks.

Dr John .Carmichael Smith has been appointed Public Vaccinator for the district of Hunterville.

We learn from the Under-Secretary for Lands (Mr Barron), who arrived from the South on Sunday, that the unsold cash lands on the Cheviot estate, including the 5000 acres attached to the mansion, will probably be thrown open for selection under the lease-in-perpetuity system shortly after the New Year holidays. No difficulty is anticipated in disposing of the whole of them nin this way.- ,In fact the great difficulty with intending settlers was the finding in cash of the stipulated onehalf of the purchase-money, which in some cases would amount to £BOO or £9OO, and many of them signified their willingness to pay down one-fourth of the purchase-money if the balance could be allowed to remain for five years at 5 per cent. The law, however, would not admit of any arrangement of the kind. When the land, however, is offered under the lease-in-perpetuity system it will be quickly snapped up. Many of those settlers who have less than the maximum area of 640 acres are anxious to take up adjoining sections.

Messrs Ward (Colonial Treasurer) and Cadman (Minister of Justice) are expected to arrive in Wellington by the end of the week. Mr Carroll arrives on Friday from the East Coast. The important Cabinet meeting will therefore be deferred till the beginning of next week. All the Ministers will remain here until the eve of the Christmas holidays. The Hon Mr Seddon has received a letter from the Premier of Queensland expressing great regret that his Government are unable to spare the services of thengeologist, Mr Jack, to visit New Zealand, in order to report upon the deep levels at the Thames, Reefton, &c.