TELEGRAPHIC BRIEFS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 22

TELEGRAPHIC BRIEFS.

Robert Jackson, alias Patrick Loughran, who has, by means of skeleton key.- 5 , bee n robbing the stores aud shops in New Plymouth, and every town between that aud Wauganui, was brought up at the Police Court at the former place charged with breaking into the railway station at Patea and stealing tickets to the value of over £7; with doing the same thing at the Waverley railway station ; with breaking into a store at Kakaramea, and with stealing goods. He was remanded to Patea. This burglar has been recognised by the Napier authorities from a photo, taken as Patrick Loughran, who was only liberated from Lyttelton gaol on March 16 last, after serving a sentence of five years for housebreaking at Napier. Loughran, after bning liberated from gaol, returned to Napier, where he committed the burglary for which he is wanted. A matter of considerable public importance was brought before the Auckland Board of Education, when Mr Theo, Cooper moved for a return showing which of the city or suburban schools ' have, since the beginning of the year, been closed on school days. He asked if the' board had any knowledge of the fact that some of the schools in this district were closed on certain days when their attendance were below the "strict working average" in order to enable teachers to avoid taking count on those days. He had been informed that this had been done, and if the statement were true the Government were being defrauded. The Chairman (Mr Upton) said tho board had no knowledge of the fact. It was agreed to prepare tho return men- j tioned by Mr Cooper. It is believed the amalgamation of the We.Btport Coal Company and Mr Martin Kennedy's mines at Greymouth, which will be worked together under a new arrangement in fnt'ire, is | likely to benefit all parties. The Union Shipping Company will do all the carrying by sea of coal, the competition which has existed will ■ cease, and as the expense will be reduced it i^ believed that the public as well as shareholders will benefit. The second show of the Jnvercargill Poultry Association, which opened ou Friday, showed a ] great advance in tho number and excellence of the exhihits over last year. The champion prize of five guineas for the best rooster, any breed, opeu to the colony, was wou by A. Lindsay with ! a light Brahma bird, which arrived from Wei- j lington this morning. There was a better locally-bred bird, but the ownei 1 had not catered him. \ Peter Grant, clerk of the R.3VI. Court, Riverton, aud holder of other public offices in the district for many years, died of dropsy on Friday night. He had been 30 years in the colony. Judgment was given at Wellington on Friday in the ca^e of Cury, the French escapee from New Caledonia, the judge making an order for his release from custody. Cury was released from custody during the afternoon. He states that he will remain in this colony, and by his future life show that he is not undeserving of the privileges of a free man. Gaspariui, the French convict, will be sent to Sydney, en route to New Caledonia, iv the Wakatipu on Saturday. At fee Auckland Education Board 7.*7 .* meeting it was stated that the Newton East school bad been closed on one occasion when between 200 and 300 children had attended. The result was to defraud the Government and give the teachers a holiday. A Maori named Tere Penai, just released from Wellington Gaol, in which he had been serving a sentence of three years for horse-stealing in this district, took it into his head to jump through a storekeeper's window about 10.30 on the 11th In his mad leap he cut himself considerably, and slashed the crockery and fixtures in all directions. The storekeeper attempted to seize him, but the Maori threatened to brain him with a saucepan. Finally, several people came t" the assistance of the storekeeper, and the Maori was overpowered, bound with ropes, and conveyed to the olic3 station. The Wefcfcport Coal Company are increasing their staff by 90 men, and intend doubling their output by means of <loublo shifts. It U reported that the company's property is about to be Eold to a powerful syndicate. At Christchurch on Wednesday three men employed at B- Sunderknd's bakery, Richmond, went to bfd about 9 o'clock »nd left a fire of coke burning in their room, "which is closely boarded, and, when the door and' window are shut, almost airtight. They have been in the habit of doing this for some time, but owing to there being a broken pane in the < window no serious effects had hitherto resulted. This pane has been mended,

and consequently on the 15th when the coke fire burnt up the fumes could not escape.' The head baker went to wake them at 2 a m., and found them insensible. He opened the door and window and sent for Dr Stewart, under . whose treatment two of them recovered, but the third (Frederick Collins) is still in a precarious state.