LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3330, 12 January 1898, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Letters to the Editor will be found on our fourth page. Mr W. F. Shortt’s auction mart will be closed to-day owing to tho marriage of hia son.

The annual meeting of the Hospital contributors will be held in the Council Chambers to-morrow at 3 p.m., (or the purpose of electing a trustee for the Hospital. A large grass fire, which destroyed a quantity of fencing and a large belt of pinna insi.,nis trees on Mr Kompton’a property, was burning in Greytown on Sunday. Tho residents in the vicinity eventually managed to subdue the flames.

The Blenheim Building Society has just completed tho forty-third half-yeir of its existence, and has again declared a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum, A dividend at this rate has been regularly declared for some years.

Mr Caleb Porter, who plays Nero in “ The Sign of tho Cross,” gave a lecture on tho play in the Theatre Royal, Christchurch, last Sunday evening. The lecture was illustrated by views and enlivened by songs and recitations by members of the company. Alterations are being carried out at the Terrace t tato School which will give the infants access to their part of the building without its being necessary for them to pass through other obim -roomn. The method adopted is the erection of an outer staircase.

Mr Stratford, S.M., in dismissing two informations at Greymouth, said that in hia opinion all boxing contests were nothing more nor less than fights, and gave the men to understand that if they were brought before him again he would have them sent for trial.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Benevolent Trustees the Rev H. Van Staveren signified his intention of not seeking re-election as chairman. He had, ho said, filled the position for the past 13 years, during which time he always had cause to feel indebted to the other members of the Board for their kindly co-operation. It was a post the duties attached to which occupied a great deal of time, and as other matters demanded his attention bo was compelled to taka the step indicated. Mr Jlradey and Mr T. W. McKenzie referred to the excellent work done by the chairman, both expressing regret at bis impending withdrawal from tho chair. The petition now being circulated in. Christchurch foe presentation to the Legislature praying for the abolition of the Upper House is meeting with considerable favour. The Lyttelton Times hopes that the promoters of the movement will not be discouraged either by the ridicule of their opponents or by the conflicting suggestions of their friends. Jt does not imagine, of course, that a petition addressed either to tho House of Commons or to our own Legislature would have any immediate effect upon the existence of the Council; hnt it would be just as well to oh. tain a direct expression of public opinion upon this important constitutional question. • It may well be imagined that before a woman parts with her wedding ring she will pass through many tribulations and much heart breaking misery. Bat circumstances often arhe which render it imperative, and oases frequently come before the charitable organisations in which it is elicited that the household wolf has only been kept temporarily at bay by tho—to a woman—desperate resort of pawning her one remaining article of jewellery. At yesterday’s meeting of the Benevolent Trustees a case involving this feature came up. It was that of a young woman —little more than a child apparent ly —who, with an infant in her arm*, applied tor assistance, her husband being an invalid. Tho Board decided to redeem the pledge.

The Benevolent Trustees met yesterday afternoon. Present the Eev H. Van Staveren (chairman) and Messrs R. C. Mothes, P. Bradey, G. H. Baylis and T. W, McKenzie, A number of applications for relief w§re considered and dealt with as the circumstances appeared to warrant. Among the letters read was one from the North W.ajrarapa Benevolent Society regarding the case of a desf and dumb youth who was to be discharged from the Masterton Hospital incurable' with bip disease. The Trustees decided to admit the lad to the Obiro Home on condition of the usual charges in such oases being met. The accounts for the month were passed for payment, totalling ■£278‘143 lid.

The two grand concerts to be given by the distinguished and beautiful young violinist, Miss Eileen O’Moore, at the Exchange Hall on .Friday and Monday next promise to be among the greatest musical treats given in Wellington for some considerable time. Miss O'Moore, who alone is worth travelling any distance to hear, will be ably supported by a strong company farther augmented by prominent local artists. The programme to be submitted by Miss O’Moore, embracing as it does classical and popular mucin, will, we are sure.be greatly appreciated, and wo anticipate for her and her company a hearty welcome from an audienoe that will crowd every part of the hall. The box-plan, on view at the Dresden, is rapidly filling np, and we would advise all who wish to reserve their seats to do so early. The H aror i reservoir at the present time presents a half-empty appearance. Above the surface of the water rises some 20ft of bare rook that ia usually out of sight, but is now very much in evidence. Instead of the normal depth of 53ft 6iij the depth of the water is now on ! y 34ft. As the upper 14ft is estimated to contain half of the water, when there is an ordinary supply, it may be said that the reservoir is only about onethird full. A small quantity of water, about equal to the discharge of a 4in pipe, continues to find its way into the reservoir, with the stats of the contents of which, moreover, no fault is apparent. The reservoir bag been lower before. Jt was much lower, for instance, two years ago. The ominous feature of the present stoppage is that it has oome about so early in the season. News has been received in Wellington of the escape of the prisoner Frank O’Neill, alias Bereaford, alias Barron, from the Foxton police station. O'Neill, who is a weltknown character, and who has been in trouble many times before, was remanded from Wellington on two charges of theft, one information relating to a gelding and a nair of shooting boots, the other concerning a saddle and bridle. It appears that shortly before 7 o’clock the constable in charge proceeded to get tea for the prisoner, and by some means or other not known h ’re O’Neill managed to gain liberty and make himself particularly, scarce. As he has been in Foxton for some time be knows every inch of the district, and it may be found very difficult to eatoh him. O’Neill was dressed ia a sack serge suit; be was shared wi h the exception of a moustache, ia of fresh complexion, has brown hair, gtey eyes, stands sft 7in and weighs 1441 b. Mr John Grady, sou of Mr Frank Grady, the wall-known jewaUer, has invented an improvemant in the bicycle which should be heard of in the near future. Hitherto the great difficulty in taking a bicycle to pieces for cleaning has bean the driving out of the ootter pins whioh connect the cranks with the axle. With Mr Grady’s patent this part of the machine can be taken to pieces without any knocking in about half a minute's time. The patent consists of the crank bracket being made in halves, and by simply unscrewing two nuts the bottom half swings open on binges. Then all one has to do is to lift the whole concern out, the prank being all in one piece, which latter idea ia being taken np by all the best-known American makers Mr Grady has had a machine bnilt by. Messrs Oates, Lowry and Co , of Christ fcurnh. w rh his pat nt att .abed, and a neater mount no- I body oonld wish to have, tee Southern firm ‘ being very favourably impressed with the imorovameut The inventor has protected his patent for nine montos Experts are ) advising the inventor very strongly to send I the patent Home. |

Fireman McVicar ia to represent the Wellington Fir© Brigade at the Auckland conference in March next.

The Postal Department has received advice that the Moana left San Francisco on Sunday last* threedays late. The annual ram fair of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association is to be held on the 3rd and 4th Match. An Ashburton Plains farmer who has 700 acres of crop this year says that the product of the whole lot could be put in three nosebags.

An emergency meeting of the Waterloo Royal Arch Chapter will be held in the Freemasons’ Hall, Boulcott street, at 730 tonight. Tho election of a member of the Hutt County Council for Belmont riding in place of the late Mr Speedy, is to take place on the 2lst inst. Nominations close on the 18th inat.

Members of Court Sir George Bowen are invited to attend the funeral of tho late Brother J. N. Worth, which leaves Sussex square for the Karori Cemetery to-day at a quarter past 3 o’clock.

The usual monthly meeting of tho Yorkshire Society will be held at the Trocadero this evening at 8 o’clock. The advertisement invites all Yorkshiremen, whether residents or visitors, to attend. A Court sitting was held at the Mount Cook Police Station yesterday morning, before Mr McFarland, J.P., when an old offender named Henry McCormick was fined 10s, or 4S hours’ imprisonment, for intoxication.

At the meeting of the Eight Hours Demonstration Committee last night, a communication was received from the Wellington Boys* Institute thanking the committee f°r Bs donation, and intimating that it was intended to devote tho same to the purchase of some new band instruments.

The Wairarapa show grounds at Carterton were discovered to be on fire on Sunday morning, and it was only with very groat and sustained exertions that the local Fireßrigade was able to subdue the flames and prevent the valuable buildings on the grounds from being destroyed. As it was a considerable quantity of feneing was destroyed. At a meeting of the Onslow Borough Council last evening a resolu ion, which had previously been adopted, respecting the deviation of the road from Kbandallah to Kaiwarra, was submitted and confirmed. Some routine business was transacted, and after passing accounts amounting to £75 the meeting adjourned. The Post and Telegraph Department has notified Mr J. E. Evans that his tender for letter carriers’ bags and leggings, telegraph linemen’s valises, telegraph messengers’ saohels, &c , required by tho department for the ensuing three years has been accepted. Mr Evans has supplied these goods to the department for the past 20 years. It having been reported that there has been of late a great deal of mortality amongst the Maori children at Lake Waikaremoana, the Native Minister has ordered enquiries to be made, and if necessary that a doctor should be engaged to attend patients. It is thought that the disease which is causing the fatality ia a virulent form of influenza, Mr J. B. Gould, stationmaster for the Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company in Wellington for many years, severed his connection with the Company on Saturday. Mr A. E. Pollock has taken hia place as stationmaster, and Mr W. Simons has succeeded Mr Pollock as chief goods olerk, Some of the junior officers have also received promotion.

Messrs Harooutt and Co,, at their auction sale yesterday, sold a freehold property having 44ft frontage to Guildford terrace by a depth of 95ft, with eix-roomed dwelling, to Mr D. Lynch, at £640. There wore several bidders for this property, but the building sites in Ingestre street and Selwyn terrace wore passed in, and are now held for private sale.

A miner named Jaekson—who discovered the Mahakipawa goldfield, for whioh he received the Government bounty of -€SOO —has discovered, according to the Colonist, at a spot not more than 15 miles from Nelson, some very rich specimens of gold-bearing quarts, and some alluvial gold, including a very fine nugget. The find has occasioned some excitement in the locality. The fact that The Times is distributed to all parts of Worsen Bay district is greatly appreciated by the residents of this rapidly growing seaside resort, especially by the business people, who are thus enabled to see the morning paper before going to the city. Our agents at the bay, Messrs Hearn and Williams, will bo pleased to receive orders for Tifs Times, guaranteeing an early delivery.

The ratepayers of Greytown will shortly hold a poll to decide the proposal of whether or not to borrow .€3OOO for prosecuting an irrigation scheme in the district. The exceptionally dry weather experienced in.thodistriot of late must have convinced many landholders of the absolute necessity of making some provision against drought. A correspondent states that the crops are very stunted, and many farmers have been recommended to turn their fiooks on them. Sheep on the plains are dying for the want of moisture and feed, A remarkable oiroumstanoe in connection with the foundering of the brig Minora off the New South Wales coast last week is that the names of the crew cannot be ascertained, and the absence of an official record of these particulars has been commented on in Sydney as an instance of the laxity existing in the administration of shipping laws. Were coasters compelled to enter in and clear at the Customs in the same way that intercolonial ships do, no such thing as a wreck taking place without leaving a vestige of anything to show who were the victims could ppsaibly happen. A meeting of the Eight Hours Federated Union was hold in the Trades Hall last night, Mr W. Hutchison, president;, ip the chair. There was a large attendance of delegates from the various unions and labour bodies. A letter was received from the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, acknowledging receipt of JBiO from the Union, and thanking it for its efforts to further the establishment of the eight hours day. Various accounts were passed for payment Messrs Fisher and La Grove weep appointed auditors. It was decided that the balance-sheet should be ready for the next monthly meeting of the Union.

Thus the decorous Melbourne Age refer* ri*er editorially to its Freetrade opponents j —Falsehood, as usual, was a familiar weapon to them. They declared this colony, which is the moat progressive colony of the group, to be in the throes < f a collap e, and that all its mUfo? tunes, true and fanciful, were the result of promoting domestic industries. It was a truly demoralising time, when all the elements of trading t-elfi”'hneha came out, and rjiakjug use of the noisome things which are ever ready tp prostitute their longues and pens whore wealth cap njpst afford to purchase them, literally made the htptl with fiscal falsehood.

Au arrest was made by ,Constable O’Leary at the Volunteer encampment at Newtown last night, when a man named John Ueave was charged with stealing a m*re v the propeityof Maria \Vaktfield, at Foxton, The accused was walking round the cooking tent when the constable saw him, and on being askud if his name was Reeve he made an affirmative reply. Constable O’Leiry, who only bad a brief telegraphic description to go upon arrested the man and took him to the Lamblou quay Police Station, where he charge i him with the offence mentioned. The prisoner will brought before the Magistrate this morning.

A sale will be held to-morrow afternoon at 2 o’clock by Messrs Francis Sidey- and Co., at their salerooms, Manners street. *“Mr P. Cohen is selling the balance of his summer std/ik at If-pripe. A number ol cheap lines are detaU§d jn another column. Messrs George Tfcomjj.B and Co. sell a grocer’s spring cart to-day at 2 p.p?. Tombs’ Wellington Almanac for J.S9S is Issue.