LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3440, 23 May 1898, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The offiuial report on tho recent sewage overflow and letters to the Editor will be found on one fourth page. The Court of Appeal aits again this morning.

The dredge at Lake Mahinapua is reported to have struck a lead, which is nob improbably the old Aylmer lead. Two boys ran away from Stoke Orphanage the other day, bat were recaptured. One of them had absconded twine previously. The liabilities of tha Groymouth County Conn cil exoeed tho assets by £SIOO 13s lid. The Council is AI3OO behind on the past year’s transaotiona. It is announced that the Premier will deliver a political ab FowlflUs, near Feilding. on „r(day, the 27th Instant, in the Birmingham Town Hall. Tho Customs Upturns ttollebted on Saturday amounted to lie lOd ; and for the past week, jSSdIO 15a 2d. The beer duty received during the week was £193 3s 2d-. In oofineitldn with the native gathering at Papawal on Wednesday next, a cheap excursion trAiU will be i riin to Groylown. Particulars will be found In Another column. The Adwice’s Bay Aerald unAerstanda that ft is the intention of Mr Purvis Russell to appeal to the Privy Council against the recent decision of the Appeal Conit in the Hathma case.

A number of tha unemployed Brunner coil minors are scouring the adjacent ranges with pick and pan., iTfley are reporjtpd jio Hayß found ground that would pay 20s or 30s a Week.

The Manchester Unity Lodge of Oddfellows held a cliur -li parade yesterday at St. John’s, where the Ksv. J. Paterspn preached an appropriate sermon. Over 120 of the brethren mastered at the, lodge r om, and in .full regalia, .headed by Jupp’s badd, marched through the City. the roof is being placed, on the new portion of the Parliamentary Buildings intended to be useji dudng the coming session. The doors and sashes, which, are being made in the Government workshops, will be at onoa fitted in, and the caponiers will proceed to roughly floor and lino the interior. There were no creditors at the meeting in the estate of James Henry Turner, ot the Lower Hutt, summoned for Saturday morning. In his statement to the C fficial Assignee the bankrupt, who is a sausage maker, attributes bis insolvency to scarcity of work in his line of business. A correspondent asks: —Firstly, Why are the grounds at Government Hunse at the corner of Charlotte and Sydney streets allowed to be used as a dumping ground for stable refuse, to the annoyance of passers by and to the danger of residents in the neighbourhood ? Secondly, Whoro is our Inspector of Nuisances? Mr W. F. Ward, the National Association

candidate for Mataura, is reported to be a very rapid speaker. A Southern contemporary says he goes at the rate of 200 words a minute, and that the Hansard staff may bless their lucky stars that he has no chance of getting into Parliament—just now, at any late.

The Christchurch Beautifying Association is doing some most creditable Work in the southern ohy, by earing for and adding to the charms of many of the attractive scots in the locality. It is much to be regretted that such an organisation Is not in Operation in Wellington, for it could unquestionably find numerous outlets for activity. On the evening of Monday, the 30th instant, Lady SioUt is to road at a meeting of the members of the Southern dross Society a pnj)er on “ fho Economic Independence of Women, ’ prepared by Miss Ethel Benjamin, LL.D., of Dunedin, for perusal during, the recent session of the Women’s National Convention.

At the Magistrate’s Conrt on Satnrday morning a man named Allan John Gibson pleaded guilty to sterling a shirt, valued at 2s 6d, and was sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment. Ihe only other case was that of t-'y ney Wright, who was ordered to be imprisoned for 14 days for stowing away on the Takapuna, bound from New Plymouth to Wellington.

The elimination of the Premier and the Hon X’. Thompson, Minister for Justice, before the Police Commission, will not be taken tint! the nett sitting in Wellington, probably in tbree or fonr Weeks’ time. Mr T. E. Taylor has informed the chairman that he will certainly subpoena these two gentlemen, bat prefers not to do so until the whole of the available evidence has been taken. Seme interesting flotsam was picked up by Constable Oox on Petone 'beach on Sunday morning. Amongst it was the photograph of a young officer, a hook containing charts of France, Portugal, Africa and the Canary islands, an empty case marked Hongkong, a shipping company's guide, and a quantity of planking, apparently need for painting purposes. None of the things had been in the water for any length of time. The Police Commission sat on Saturday morning for the perusal r pf reports and department J documents, a’ large number of which wore produced by Colon I Hums. The Commissioners leave by the fir»t train this morning for Napier and meet for the transaction of business at that town to-morrow. Mr T. E, Taylor, M,H.K , also proceeds to Hawke’s Bay,where he vei l prosecute charges of a serious character against a prominent officer.

At the Churoh of St Mary of the Angels, Bonloott street, on Sunday morning, the Very Rev Father Davoy announced that the financial result of the fancy fair he'd recently m the Skating Rink in aid of the Te Aro Parish Schools, after paying all expanse®, was .£BOO- He thanked all those who had assisted to make the fair snob a success. It was also announced by Father Devoy that by the system of weekly contributions towards liquidating tha debts of the parish, .£205 had been rea is'd in ten months. Another notice was that a “ social,” the proceeds of which would go to augment the parish school fees, would he held in the Skating Kink on Tuesday, the 3 let instant. The annual effort made by the Salvation Army to secure funds for the proseentio a of its prison gate and rescue work will be made on the 19th and22nd of next month, on which dates a social and public meeting will be directed by Major and Mrs Birkenabaw. Any contributions to this laudable labour in which tha Army has embarked will be thankfully received by ho commanding officer, and there i® certainly no more deserving cause towards which the charitable may contribute. A farm has been acquired in the vicinity of Auckland, to be used in connection with prison gate relief, and a naw rescue home is being built in the northern city. Locally the Army has met with gra’ifying success 'n this, field, and therefore makes an appeal to all classes of tae co-n----manity for assistance. The third lecture of Mr John Vale’s local prohibition campaign was given in the Sa'vation Army Citadel on Saturday evening. The lecturer confined his remarks almost exclusively to what were termed “ facts and fancies ” in connection with the Olntha district, where prohibition has been in operation for soma time. Comprehensive statistics were quoted by the speaker in support of bis general argument that the present condition of affairs in the locality was an improvement, both morally and materially, npon that which prevailed at a prior period. Mr Vale gave a forcible address, and was frequently apHanded during its delivery. Mr f. E TayTo-, U.H.R , who occupied'the chair, spoke at some length on toe evidence given before tha Police Commission when sitting at Clutha. commenting on seme of the testimony adduced, and pointing out the inferehoe to bo drawn therefrom. Both gentlemen were accorded a vote of thanks op the motion of the Eev J{j Dawson. j

The Wanganui Steamship Company intend despatching the a.B. Manaroa to day with excursionist! for the Wanganui races. a zoophone entertainment is to he given at Th »mas’ Hall to-night by Mr Len under the auspices of the S’e'V Zealand

Aativ. a’ Association, The St. Patrick's College students will commence their midwinter vacation on the 15th of next month On the day previous the usual musical and literary entertainment will be given. We understand that the korero between the Premier and toe natives will take place after the departure of the Governor and Admiral from Papawai en Wednesday, and that Mr Seddon will return to Wellington by the early tr&in on the following morning. At St. Peter’s Churchyeacerday.it being the unday after .'scen&ion Day. the services wore of a f stal ch ir.i it- r. A*, t-vena*mg the Magmfijat aud Nunc Dior’.tii wee I Trimned in F. Stainer’s anthem “ Leave us not, neither forsake na ” was very well sung by the oboir. The vicar preached upon the death of Moses, and iu the course of his sermon referred to the loss sustained by the pariah through the death of Mr S. S. Downes, to whoa© energy the church, in a great measure, owed the splendid peal of bells now in use.

The cyanide patent question is likely to be re-opened in New Zealand by means of an action brought by the Caaael Company to recover from an Auckland gold-mining company royalty alleged to be due for the use of the MacArthur-Forrest process of gold recovery prior to the aequiriog of the patent, rights for this colony by the Government. A writ has been issued against the WaihiSilvertou Company. Application is likely to bo made for the appointment of a roving commission to examine experts in Europe. The matter came before Mr Justice Oonolly in the Supreme Court on Saturday, but was adjourned till Wednesday. Dr Findlay appeared for the Casael Company, and Mr H. D. Bell for the Waihi-Silverton Company.

The Public Works Department invites t*ndors for the ntanufapUtre c( pulleys, shafts, pedestal, &c,, for Vfea Potiiuft Asylum. The Commissioner of Crown Lanls advertises a sale by auction of leases of Tokaanu township sections. . A man with all round knowledge of soft goods is required to work the North Island. Mr S. Salek, watchmaker and jeweller, Ashburton, having become independent, and being about to leave the colony, wishes to dispose of bis business.