LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4289, 23 February 1901, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wciuher pcrijiit I'iufj;, tho Camera Club '■‘.ill hold a Held flay at tho Lower Hutt to-da v.

Tho twentieth annual picnic of Government limiting Office employees will be bald at Day’s Lay on Tuesday.

The latest contributions to the Queen’-, Seatee Fund are:—W. J. Kirk, •It! ; Kai i'yei Woollen Company, .to ■is; X.V.Z., #J I 1.,; .1. Einblitig, i:2 2s. Pas -.on"i;is to Kaikoiira, by tho Wakaiii a.si reminded that tho steamer will b'ave tor lbo South la-morrow, and not, a> ii iia.l, oil .Monday. '’ he ,\i ”. Plymouth Telegraph Cilice will bo closed to-day from 1.30 till i> I’-in. on account of the visit of the Indian troops to that town. i’>y en error the name of Councillor McGill was .substituted for that of Cuuncillor Luke in our report of the debate at the City Council meeting or; : Thursday evening on tho abolition oi l vardf., the name of Councillor Luke .should Iravo appeared as tho introducer of tho debate. The ambulance lecture given at the Munions to Seamen last night by Mr •I. Moore was much enjoyed. Care m ov«*ry-»hy matters regarding health, tips ceuceruing bandaging, etc., filled up a profitable evening. Musical items were ehnSa-ihutcd by Misses Pederson and Newman and Messrs Woods, Waldio and Claiklgc (s.s Karamoa). Dr McArthur, S.M., yesterday made pond'd reference to the habit of some udhie-ses who I'rcqmuit the Court of upset tin;,; the decorum of the Court by talking aloud, interfering by sign with oilier k ihicsfies, and otherwise misconductin'; themselves. The 'Magistrate intimated that lie would have to resort in div die measures to repress tho scandal if ii. continued after tho warning giv-en.

Our Pa!mer.-.tou North correspondent report,; Iho meeting of burgesses called by Councillor Park resulted in a full house. It ivu < decided that Mr F. Piruui, .M . (1.11 ..eluiiruum of tiio meeting, should lay be fore the Borough Council the uudioti proposed by cx-C.'ouucillor Colville. to Hie effect that the Council be reioiedrd. to reconsider its decision with reference to the supervision of the new .sewerage works, and to ondcavoi.il’ to havo tho work carried out under the supervision of tho Council’s own staff.

It is probable! that tho original intention of tho Government to construct a two-foot gauge line of railway from Stratford to Kawakawa, on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, via Whangamomoma, will bo departed from in favour of the gauge (three feet six inches) of tho existing lines of railway in the colony, so. as to enable it to carry tho heaviest class of goods. Tho report of Mr Monaghan, who has been making a preliminary survey of the proposed railway, is expected in a few days, and if his report is favourable to widening the gauge, tho Minister for Railways will recommend its adoption.

In tho Magistrate’s Court yesterday 'William John Hammond was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment for having stolen -CO and a pocket dictionary from a member of the Fifth Contingent named Thomas R. Horne. Tho accused pleaded guilty to tho charge on the advice of his solicitor, Mr Buckie. Frank Robinson, who pleaded guilty to a charge of having stolen a camera valued at £l2 from Thomas Stonebriclge, and who was remanded for the probation officer’s report on his character to ho submitted to the Court, was admitted to probation on condition that ho obtained a surety of £SO for his future good behaviour.

The Wairarapa Maoris (writes our Carterton correspondent) are urging the Government to allow Papawai to bo the meeting place between the Duke of York anil tho natives of New Zealand. Although tho Wairarapa. is not the most populous Mauri district in the island, tho natives consider the recognition is duo on account of their loyalty to tbo Crown in the troublous days of ISG7, when they withstood" tho warlike appeals of the fiery Titokawaru and other ningatiras. Many old Wairarapa settlers still remember the visit of those Northerners—when peace and war hung iu the balance—and how,, finally, a refusal was given by Ngaturi, who swore ho and his would remain true to Wilritoria. No land disputes of any consequence and no spilt blood have blurred tbo history of tho valley since the Treaty of Waitaugi. The Wairarapa natives’ peace-loving conduct is in marked contrast to that of some of their Northern brethren, consequently their contention that some honour should be .shown them, scorns perfectly fair. . Messrs- Tamahau Mahupuku and Houarc Parata, who have tho matter in hand, are sanguine as to their success.

Telegraphing from Napier yesterday, enr special reporter says:—Tho Highland Society had bad luck in having to postpone the championship sports till to-morrow on account of tho vain. An endeavour was made to get the sports off, in tho hope that the weather would improve. After running tho first'heat of tho 220yds amateur handicap there was no sign that tho weather would clear, and tho president announced that under the circumstances tho meeting would bo postponed. Judging by the class of competitors present from all parts of tho colony, and tho estimated attendance had tho weather been favourable. tho gathering would have been one of tho most successful of its kind over held in the colony. This is tho first t ime the Hawke’s Bay Caledonian meeting has been interfered with by the weather. Lord Ranfnvly wrote expressing his regret at not being able to bo present. Tho Governor’s medal for tho best all-round athlete in tho colony may he won by Carlson, of Danncyirkc. On arrival at tho ground, tho pipers played a lament for tho death of Queen Victoria, the members of tho society following, and tho national flag being flown at halfmast.

MV J. G. Pascoo (formerly of the Public Works Department) returned vesterday from Australia, where ho has been on a visit for the past three months. Through the courtesy of the Under-Secretary for Lunatic Asylums in New South Wales, Mr Pascoo visited the Parramatta Asylum - during his stay in Sydney, and had an interview with Crcswich of Tiehborno claimant fame, who is at present living there in confinement. Mr Pascoc came casually in contact with a, gentleman who is believed to have been the real Sir Kogor Tichbomo. over forty years ago. when ho lauded from the Osprey, and his obioct i‘i interviewing* Creswick was with the view of identification. Ho was unable to do so, however, notwithstanding the fact that ho had a lengthy conversation with him, but this is scarcely to h ( . wondered at, considering the very lorn- interval which has elapsed. Croswick i« in first-rate health, bub appeared to he subject to an occasional temporary suspension of his mental powers luul during one of-these brief mental •(liberations ho handed Mr Pascoe a small parcel, which he requested him to deliver to someone residing between Svdnoy and Melbourne,, it need scarcely be added that the parcel in question belonged to the asylum authorities, and was quietly left with the warder.

The St. Patrick’s Day sports will be hold at tho Basin Reserve on Saturday, March Ifhh, and in the evening an Irish national concert will bo held. There has been received at this office a copy of the “Statistics of tho Colony oi New Zealand for the year 1809, with statistics of local governing bodies for the year ending 31st March, 1900.” The statistics have been compiled in the Reg-istrar-General’s office from official records, and the volume has been issued from the Government Printing Office. A first offender, -who had incapacitated himself physically by over-indul-gcncc in alcohol, was remanded for seven days’ medical treatment by Mr T. B. Dwau, J.P., at yesterday’s sitting of the Mount Cook Police Court. Dr McArthur, S.M., convicted and discharged a similar offender at the Magistrate's Court.

Tho Official Assignee's accountant presented a report at a meeting of A. Giddings’s creditors yesterday, showing j that tho bankrupt had kept a proper ro[cord of his transactions, but that his ’expenses had been out of proportion to bis profits. The accountant made no chargo of extravagance against the bankrupt, who had only drawn £2 10s a week for tho keep of himself and family. It was resolved, “That tho debtor bo granted an immediate discharge, on the ground that tho books wore properly kept, and that bis position is due to losses . fade in the ordinary course of business without suspicion of fraud.” A vote of thanks was passed to the Assignee’s accountant for Ids services.