MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1162, 8 June 1894, Page 18

MISCELLANEOUS.

The rainfall during* the past month was 4*33 inches, which fell on 17 days, the maximum fall being I*6o inches on the 29th. The fall for the corresponding month of last year was 3'16 inches, and the average for the month in previous years is 4'98 inches. On the night of the 28th May a woman named Agnes Hiles, a widow, was shot in a house in Douglas street, Redfern, near Sydney, with a revolver, by an acquaintance, who after committing the deed made his escape. The house is the residence of a Mr and Mrs Bowberg, and here Mrs Hiles had been staying as a nurse. The man visited the place and saw Mrs Hiles, but two minutes afterwards Mrs Hiles rushed into the room whero Mr and Mrs Bowberg were with her face smothered in blood. She sat down by the bedside, and, though suffering great agony, she managed to make Mr Bowberg understand that she had been shot. That gentleman rushed downstairs and out of the back door, intending to intercept the assailant, but he was unsuccessful. The man must have made his escape as soon as Mrs Hiles rushed from the room. 3frs Hiles, whose jaw was fractured, is in a very weak condition. No motive can be assigned for the crime.

A shop and dwelling on Manukau road, Parnell, owned by the Presbyterian Orphanaga Trust, and occupied by Edward Wood, grocer, has been burned down. The insurances were—Building, .£350 in the New Zealand; Wood's interest, .£314 in the North German. Mrs Wood escaped by an upper window with a child four years, and falling from the verandah fractured her thigh. The child's leg was also broken. The Public Trustee lias completed arrangements for inviting tenders for leasing in sections of convenient size several thousand acres of land on the West Coast, chiefly in the neighbourhood of Hawera, and forming part of the West Coast settlement reserves. Tenders will be invited about a week hence.

The second term of the Wellington College has commenced under most favourable auspices. Despite the fact that the bad weather has possibly kept boys at home for a longer period than usual, there is already an increase of numbers both in boarders and day scholars. The work is now in full swing, and the amount ot energy and zeal displayed by the boys bids well for the future. Mr C J. A. Haselden (Registrar of Patents and Trade Marks) gave judgment on Monday upon tho opposed application of Austin Walsh and Co., tobacco manufacturers, of Auckland, for the registration of " No. 1" in a shield as a trade mark for their tobacco, cigars and cigarettes. The objection had been lodged by Dixson and Sons, tobacco manufacturers, of Sydney, who claimed that they had been using a similar trado mark for some years past. Tho Registrar held that the matter in dispute really resolved itself into a question whether registration in another colony is equivalent to user in New Zealand, and gives priority of right in this Colony. He was unable to find any ground for the contention that registration or user of a trado mark in another country or colony gives any right to such mark in this Colony, while it was easy to see that tho existence of such a right might cause grave inconvenience and injustice to those who registered in New Zealand. If a trader wished to protect his mark here he should register at once and not wait until application was made by some one else, presumably in good faith, to register tho mark for his own goods. Had there been proof of user in New Zealand by tho opponents ho might have decided differently, but as it was he decided in favour of the applicants with .£3 3s costs. Mr W. R. Haselden appeared for the applicants and Mr J. P. Campbell for tho objectors. Milwaukee's leading theatre was destroyed by fire on April 9th. Tho name of the house was the Davidson, the hanoV somest theatre structure in Wisconsin. The loss of the building and its scenery and equipments aggregates 300,000 dollars. Twenty firemen were on tho roof of tho building, and it was thought the blaze was under control, when suddenly the roof seemed to bulge under the men's feet, and in a moment every one was pitched into the auditorium of tho theatre. It was as if they had been thrown into a fierce furnace. Many of the brave fellows were burned to death, and six were seriously injured. The work of relief was carried on with herculean efforts, with the groans and shrieks of tho imprisoned and perishing men to urge their comrades in the work.

A University Extension Conference is to be held shortly in London, at which all parts of the Empire are to bo represented. We understand that the Government have decided to request the Hon. William Gisborne to attend it as representative for New Zealand. Mr Gisborne's experience and knowledge of the educational requirements of this Colony, as well as his high literary attainments, afford the guaranteo that in him New Zealand will have a most fitting and capable representative. The object of the University extension movement is to devise some effectual means of examination for persons who are unable to take up residence in colleges, and to extend tho examining functions of universities to all parts of the Empire. It is in fine an effort to popularise the examining functions of the universities, and to improve the existing facilities for higher education, tt During last month the estates of 33 doceased persons were placed in tho hands of the Public Trustee for administration. Amongst them is the estate of the late Lieut.-Colonel de Quincey (Sergeant-at-Arms), which is set down at a value of .£l4O. There were no Wellington estates in the list.

During the voyage of the barque Federation from New York to Wellington, tho chief officer of the vessel, named Rochette, died. He was apparently in good health when the vessel left New York, but complained greatly of his chest when a little over three weeks out, and was forced to take to his bed. On the 21st March, and when the vessel was crossing tho Line, he expired. The deceased was a native of Nantes, 46 years of age, and leaves a wife and family residing in Nantes. His place as chief officer was filled by tho promotion of the boatswain, Cardanal.

Two magnificent locomotives for the Manawatu Railway Company arrived here by the barque Federation from New York on Tuesday morning. The engines are from the celebrated Baldwin Works in Philadelphia. They are on the compound principle, each having four cylinders, en, abling the steam to be used twice, and they will be the first locomotives of that type running in New Zealand. One of the engines is intended for the heavy grades between Wellington and Paikakariki, while the other will be employed between Paikakariki and Longburn.

A young man employed on the repairs to the .Aorangi .bridge had a very narrow escape from death while at work in the bed of the river under the bridge. A heavy crowbar fell, and grazed his right temple, striking him in the grion, and injuring him rather severely. Had the crowbar hit him fairly on the skull, he would certainly have been killed.

The Rangitikei County Council has accepted the tender of the Manawatu Timber Company for the supply of timber for 12 months.

The people of Hunterville have a Savage Club. The programme at the first meeting comprised an interesting debato en the question of novel-reading, and plenty of good songs and recitations. Rothley Temple, the birthplace of Lord Macaulay, near the Forest of.Charnwood, with 900 acres, has just been sold for .£40,000. It was to Rothley Temple that Richard was carried after the battle of Bosworth. , Of the bodies cremated in New Yoik States last year 50 per cent, were those of Germans.

The arrest of Jabez Balfour, it seems, was effected through the publication of a portrait of him in the Penny Illustrated Papa, which was identified by an Englishman who knew him at Salta as Samuel Butler, and who happened to see it posted on a notice board at the British Consulate at Buenos Ayres. This led to tho journey of the British Consul to Salta, and to tho immediate arrest of Balfour, who had assumed the name of Butler.

~A Welsh bride, having failed to pay for her trousseau, the husband was sued for the amount recently, and was ordered to pay, the County Court Judge contending that a man in taking a wife took with her all her possessions, whether of wealth or debts.

A hard-headed, bluff, straight out digger of the old school left Ashburton some time ago for Coolgardie. He promised to write to some friends hero who thought of going to tho field, and to let them know straight out just what he thought of it. Writing from Melbourno on the 'lth of April, this is what he says to an Ashburton chum : —" I am just back from Coolgardie to-day, and of all tho ru<?he3 I have over seen that is tho greatest duffer. You can advise your friends and tho public in general to remain where they are." During his recent visit to Wellington, Mr Fred Pirani, M.H.R., mado inquiries into statements mado that the iJ3OO granted by Government towards putting the road between Birmingham and Pemberton (Rangawahia) in repair was nearly all spent near the State Farm. He ascertained that Captain Turner had been left unfettered as to tho best way to allocate the money, and that officer, learning that the Kiwitea County Council was about to spend .£l7O on the end of the road near Birmingham, allotted the money as follows :—The sum of £BO to the road near Bull Flat, and .£IOO on that part between Beef Creek and Whare road and Rangawahia. As the State Farm is situated some four miles beyond Rangawahia, it can hardly be said that tho money has been diverted from its proper destination. — Standard.