LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 22

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The tramway traffic during the Easter holidays was vei«y heavy. On Good Friday 20,142 passengers were carried (a slight decrease on last year), and on Easter Monday 24.306, which is some 4000 more than last year.

The following paragraph appears in the Paris Figaro of 29th January. It is interesting to know that the manufacture of this form of concrete blocks, mouldings, etc., is now undertaken in Dunedin by the JensonMonier Construction Company, the concrete being strengthened by iron laths or wire being incorporated with it. By using this material, buildings may be made practically fireproof, an important matter for certain classes. of construction*) : — "Yesterday, at 2, the third congress on fortified concrete waa hold at the Society of Civil Engineers. It will last until Wednesday evening. Fortified concrete has, as is known, caused a thorough revolution in construction. It ha« been em-, ployed in the building of the new church of Montmartre. It has also been used for covering the railway cutting at Molineauv. for the two palaces of the Fine Arts, etc. The members only met yesterday to mention the progress made. During the three days they will visit together the establishments where the new mode of construction is made use of. According to them, disastrous fires are no longer to be feared."

New York, and^ in fact.the whole country, according to a New York telegram in the London Daily Mail, is experiencing one of the greatest waves of speculative excitement ever known. "During the past few months thousands of people have doubled and trebled their incomes, while hundreds have made actual fortunes, through the enormous rise in the value of stocks which followed the close of the war with Spain. Stocks aie still going up, and everybody is asking. ' Where is it going to end?' but the upward movement slill shows no signs of cessation. Among the lucky men whose fame is being heralded far and wide is Mr James B. Talcott, a- Well street broker, who has temporarily retired from the Stock Exchange, having cleared 1,000,000d0l since last August. Mr Talcott made money through.JJte phenomenal rise of Union Pacific, Atchison. Burlington, St. Paul, Rock Island, and Pan Handle /ailway shares and People's Gas and American tobacco shares. Since August Mr Roswell Flower, a formei Governor of New York State, has cleared 20,000,000d0l through the rise in Brooklyn Rapid Transit, People's Gas, and Federal Steel. Mr George Gould is credited with 5,000,000d01, made out of Manhattans and Missouri Pacifies ; while Mr John Rockefeller is said to have added 8,G00,000d0l to his wealth through the rise in Standard oil shares. The stories of those enormous profits appearing in the newspapers are having the effect of stimulating wholesale speculation among all classes. '

The sailors on the ships of tho United States fleet which are now in home waters are greatly angered at the issue of an order forfuaaing the sale of beer on board th 6 vessels.

They attribute the prohibition to the influence of temperance reformers on the Government, and declare that they will not bo made the victims of a set of narrow-minded, puritanical landlubbers. So great is the clamour raised by the men, that Mr Long, the Secretary of the Navy, has thought it desirable to make it known that the obnoxious order hae been made on the direct solicitation of naval officers for the benefit of the service, and aims principally, at the protection of apprentices from the abuse of alcohol drinking.

The New Zealand Natives' Association held their usual fortnightly meeting at tl-e Oddfellows' Hall, Stuart street, on the 4th. Mr W. Mills presided, and musical selection? were contributed during the everting by Messrs Brookman, M'Kay, De Lautour, M'Connell, Black, and Inglis. Mr C. Arlidge was elected a vice-president of the association ; and before tho meeting terminated it was resolved to send a letter of condolence to the family of the late Hon. W. H. Reynolds, whose son— Mr E. C. Reynolds — is a vice-president of tho association.

The Westport Time 3 says: — The attempt to dive for gold in the rock crevices above the Brunner bridge, Grey River, has been given up for the present.

The resources of the Railway department v/ere soverely taxed during the holi■days, and tho traffic has been heavier than anything experienced during previous Easter holidays. No fewer than 10,000 people booked out of Dunedin during Friday, Saturday, and Monday, and the inward bookings have been correspondingly heavy. On Good Friday 3600 peraonsi booked at the Dunedin station, and these figures represent an increase of 900 as compared with the bookings on the Good Friday of last year; while on Ka3ter Monday 4-100 persons, or 1400 more than last year left Dunedin through the railways. On Saturday the traffic was also unusually heavy, and 450 proceeded to Henley alone. The practice inaugurated about three years ago of holding schools and trades excursion? haa, a3 can well be imagined, made heavy demands on the local department. This form of outing has become vfirju-popular, and, although a great many trades varied their excursionthi3 year by driving to favourite spots round about the city, there were nearly 5000 more excursionists '"'carried during tlie 32 mouths ended on ths 31st of loot' month than were carried during the year ended 31st of iil&coh, lE9S. During the latter period 34 trad so excursions were held, and 1767 children and 8744- adult 3 were carried. During the year ended 31st of March, 1893, 27 excursions were held, and 1617 children and 7960 adults were carried. There were 93 school excursions during the 12 months ended March 31, 1893, and at those 7369 children, 1179 teachers, and 3735 adults were carried; while for the year ended 31st March last 97 sshool excursions were h^ld, 10.203 children, 1594 teachers, and 6252 adults being carried. Altogether during the last 12 months. 27,626 persons were earned in these excursions, as compared with 22,796 persons carried during the preceding 12 months.

Owing to tho heavy goods traffic on the Waimea Plains line .on the sth inst., the Lumsden train was three-quarters of an hour lato in reaching Gore. This necessitated the detention" at, that station of the south express, which, in consoquence. did not arrive in Dunedin until 10 minutes to 6.

Conpiderable discussion took place at a special meeting of the City Council held last week to consider a proposed new by-law making provision for the HcenFing and inspection of common lodging houses, majority of the council were of opinion that some of the provisions in the draft of the by-law before the council were too stringent, and eventually the by-law was adopted with tho deletion of several of the clauses considered objectionable, and one or two slight alterations in some of the clauses.

We understand that Mr Janies Hislop, the well-known architect, has received a request from the directors of the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, through Mr Bews. the energetic local manager, to prepare plans at once for suitable offices for the company, to bo built on- the vacant allotment opposite the Daily Times office, at the corner of Dowling and High streets. The building is to be one of three or four storeys — probably four, — and is to be proceeded with as soon as the plans are approved. A number of tenants have already been secured for offices in the new building, which is to have every modern convenience ; and as there is an opportunity of having offices fitted up to suit the tenant, the remainder will no doubt soon be taken up. The erection of a suitable building on such a valuable corner cannot but wove an ornament to tho city. -

The chairman of the Bene-volent Trust mentioned at last week's meeting the case of a recipient of nid, who had loft the institution and drawn his pension, or the portion which was due, on Saturday By Saturday night, Raid Mr Solomon, ho was blind drunk, and had not a farthing left. Ho went back to the institution on Tuesday, and was lying there ill in bed at the present time. That. Mr Solomon remarked, was an episode of the oldage pensions.

On the Bth the Hon. Mr Ward, accompanied by Mr Gilfedder, member for Wallace, opened the new Clifton bridge ove* the Waiau, 23 miles north-west of Otautau, which has been under construction for some months. The bridge, which cost about £10.000, will be a great boon to many of the settlers in the district, and will undoubtedly lead to further settlement taking place on the other side of the river

Lyddite, as an explosive, fails to come up 10 expectation in practical warfare, in destroying buildings Although several Lyddite shells penetrated and exploded within the cupola of the Mahdi's tomb at Omdurmun, the tomb wa« not demolished thereby. A mud hut ako withstood an astounding number of tlie«e shells before it could be baitered down out of the line of fire. Od the other hand, its destructive effect upon human life proves to be far greater than was c-ilmated. One report of its terrible ha.\.-sc -U the battle of Omdr.rman says: — "It kilis all around it. Horfes and mpxi wmplr drop flown as though the angel of death had pa-j-ed over the field when the shells burst. Thirty per cent, of the ensmy found-dead through artillery fire shewed no signs of wounds. They had been killed by the air concussion of the explosive "

The banquet- to the Hon. J. G. Ward, member for Awarua, at "Winton, 021 Tuesday night, 4th, was attended by .lpwards of 250 persons, including :i number of ladies. Mr 'I M' William, penr. (Mayor of Winton), occupied the chair. Mr M'Laren, vice-chairman, proposed the toast of the evning, and the Hon. Mr Ward replied in a felicitous speech, in which he touched on many topics, ranging from reminiscences of the days when, as a boy, he played marbles on the Bluff hills, to the more serious subject of New Zealand's politics. Under the lattor head he mentioned that he had recently been approached by several parties with the view of offering him-

self for other electorates in the colony,. but to these solicitations his reply invariably was that, in grateful remembrance of the loyality and sympathy shown to him by the people of Awarua, he would not desert the constituency for any other in New Zealand — a statement that was greeted with ringing cheers. Among the other speakers were the- Hon. Mr Feldwick," M.L.C. : Messrs A. Morrison, R. M'Nab, and M. Gilfedder, M.H.R's. Mr A. Lee Smith, M.L.C, was' also at the banquet, but did not address the gathering.

A young Greek, Evangelo9 Kalafirs, was committed for trial at Melbourne on a charge of wounding Marcel Rose, a native of Mauritius. Both were employed at an oyster saloon in Swonston street, and during the quarrel accused is alleged to have picked up a knife, and to have thrown it at Rose, grazing his scalp, and inflicting a wound on the top of •his head. Prosecutor was asked by the bench how the stabbing was done, and he gripped a knife from the hand of a constable, and, flourishing it around his head, threw the weapon towards the door with terrific force, the blade sticking in the woodwork. Rose remarked, "That's how he did it." The constable who had been holding the knife near the witness box had a very narrow escape, and there was considerable consternation in the court for a moment.

Writing on March 23, the Norfolk Island correspondent of the Auckland Herald says :— " On the 10th of last month Martha Adams, wife of Webb Adams, who resides at the Short Ridges, committed suicide in a most remarkable manner, and without any apparent cause. The woman left her home on the evening of the day named just before dark with a small line in her hand, and was ieen to proceed down into one of the valleys close by, where, in a secluded spot, under a lemon tree, the act was committed. One. end of the line was thrown over the fork of the tree, and drawing the two ends together the woman had apparently wound the line round her neck, and smutting down, seemingly choked herself to death. There was no appearance of any struggle ; the dry leai^s underneath were not even disturbed. The body was not found until the afternoon of the 15th, when it was in an advanced state of decay, and almost unrecognisable. The Government medical officer, after viewing the body, ordered its immediate interment, tha funeral taking place the same night, arriving at the cemetery just before break of day, and was a most woird and impressive ceremony. A magisterial inquiry, with a jury who had already viewed the body, took place two days afterwards, their verdict being suicide whilst of unsound mind. Two other deaths took place during last month. On the JOth Abbv M'Coy, aged 25, daughter cf Philip M'Coy, died from tuberculosis; and on the 18th Pearl Christian, aged 18, the bright and winsome daughter of Hunt Christian, from a cold, following an attack of measles."

Mr James M'Lean, who has for several years filled the important position of mine manager at the Tararu Creek Gold Mining Company's property, was drowned in the Piako River, Auckland, or the 2nd inst. H2 was out shooting in a Maori canoe with Mr G. Tetley and a Maori, when the canoe upset. Deceased, who was not a very good swimmer, swam a stroke or two towards the upturned canoe, but having a. gun in his hand, it is thought that this helped to drag him under. The Maori ? noticing thai Mr M'Lean was in trouble, weal to his assistance, and caught hold of him, and tried to get him ashore, but was being Sulled down, and to save his own life he ad to let him go, and swim foi the shore. Deceased's hands were seen to come to the surface after this, but nothing more was seen, of him. In the meantrm© Telley, who was unable to swim, had drifted up the creek a distance of about 400 yards on the canoe, and using his gun as a paddle, he succeeded in getting ashore. Deceased was about 40 years of age, and leaves a widow and six children.

Tho Gazette notifies che revoking of classified rates for Class E in the score of charges on the railways, and in substitution thereof a rate per ton per mile is announced, ranging from 2s 3d per ton for the first mile to 93 8d for 100 miles and 22s 2d for 200 miles. New regulations are made concerning hay, turnips, firewood, Native coal, road materials, and bro-.vn coal. In Class E arc placed bonedust, butter, cheese, guano, manure (other than flvreet, stable", and farmyard), f-alt, and roots.

A number of experiments in wireless telegraphy hava bean conducted in Wellington by Mr J. K. Logan, Superintendent of Telegraphs. The area over which the messages have been sent by Mr Logan has only been the length of his room, but the experiments have been very interesting, a. telephone receiver adding to the clearness of the messages received. So far, however, it has been foi>nd (reports the Post) that the despatching operator has had to send his messages very much more slowly than by the telegraph system at present in vogue. One of the numerous tests applied by Sir Logan has been to f>ead a' message through a wooden door, but when a metal screen was put against the door failure resulted. The Superintendent admits the usefulness of the Marconi system, but it is limited in its possibilities, and he has sent to tho Wirelecs Telegraphy Company, London, for information upon some points which now present problems to him. Mr Logan intends to continue investigations, and to this end will try experiments over larger areas than heretofore.

It is understood that the purchaser of the New Plymouth boring plant has formed a syndicate with a fairly large capital to go still further with the boring. The syndicate is said to be composed of prominent local business and professional men.

A correspondent of the Fiji Times, Suva, alleges that cases of leprosy exist in the town in its worst form. He states that many vendors of vegetables and household supplies are suffering with leprosy, and yet nothing is done to keep them away from contamination with the more cleanly.

Letters of naturalisation have been issued to Johann Hcnrech Budelmann, miner, Waipori, Mark Matthew Harracich, stevedore, Port Chalmers ; John Rosenbrock, labourer, South Dunedin ; and Joseph Connell Warren, farmer, Southland.

The Tablet announces that Bishop Verdon will leave on Tuesday, 11th, en route for Koine. He will be accompanied by the Very Rev. Dean O'Leary, who is about to visit Ireland.

We (Chnstchurch Press) have it on ,he best authority that there is no foundation for the statement which appears to be in circulation 4 ,hat Mr Rolleston does not intend to seek re-

election in" the next Parliament. His heattK is steadily, improving, and he will address his constituents at the end of next week, when his intentions-will bo mads clear.

Statistic? from the Taxing department o£ tho municipality show, says the Berlin corY respondent of a London .contemporary, that of 530,000 persons, .paying taxes in Berlin, over 295,000 have an, income between £45 ana £150 per annum. Only 45,000 pay on income? of over £150. Twelve persons haye an in* come of over. £50,000, and one person has £100,000. There are only 759 persons who pay property- tax on property valued at between £50,000 and £100,000; 34-7 pay taxes on,' property over this amount. The rich.es.fc man in Berlin assesses hi 3 property at £1,450,000.

An audacious robbery, under circumstances which have been zealously guarded from the public for over a fortnight, was perpetrated at the Comptroller of Accounts* Office, at Adelaide railway station, on the night of March 9. The officers of -the department were enjoined to the strictest secrecy, and after tho lapse of many days information has jusb leaked out that £190 was stolen. The chances of tracing the culprit, owing to the impossibility of identification of the coin, are very remote. The peculiar 'circiinistarices of the robbery point to. persons with an- intimate knowledge of th'a office. "The safe from which, the coin was taken ordinarily contains books only, and tha key was kept in ajdrawer in the office. When a special pay* occurs the pay money is placed in the;safe, .the key then being tfckea by tha paymaster. On March 9 preparations were made, for the payment on the following day of the men employed, at Greenock ressrvVOir. _When the" paymaster weitt 'to the safe in tho moraing he found it had been oue'ned by a duplicate key, and the -contents" were missing. Two of the smartest detective' in the colony' have been investigating the m»tlsi, but the task of bringing about arrests 13 too formidable to warrant the hope of success.

The Balclutha water gasworks were accidentally burned on the sth, only the gasometer and the retorts being saved. '/lie •property was- owned by Mr D. Wood, and was not insured. • Pending -the arrival of Mr Watt, the patentee,' from the North Island, it is not known whether the worts will be re-erected or not. The loss ■is severely telt by. all those who used the gas — a considerable number of the residents.

1 The 6 o'clock train from Mosgiel was 00i tainod on Friday for an hour at the CaverI sham station, through an engine, which 'had I left the Hillside workshops, breaking down I between Kensington and the Anderson Bay roßi* crossing. Most of the passengers came to town by tram-car from Caversham. The first and most important statement in tho annual report of the directors of the Wallaroo and Moonta Mining Company, presented at the shareholders' meeting on the j 23th ult. (saya the Adolaide Advertiser), was I that the profits last year amounted to €28,554j 10s 3d, This giatifying result is to some exI tent due to the rocont rise in tho price of copper, but as it was considered possible that the present high prices might not be maintained the directors exercised caution in making recommendations as to the disposal of the amount. After £5000 had been devoted 1 to the redemption of the company's debentures, the balance sit credit of profit and loss ..^tood at £29.009 14s 2d. Of this the directors proposed to spend £3000 in the usual dividend of Is per share, and reduce the ['liabilities .by the balance.

The Southland News says: — "The rapid advance in the price of tin is having tho erl'ect of directing attention to the almo3t deserted Pegasus tinfielda. Wo learn from Mr C. W Brown, who has been in correspondence in refo:-ei:cs to the matter for some time paat, that an expert is now on his way out to inspect the field and report to an English syndicate, and. judging from the tone of recent correspondence, there appears to bo every profjpeet of business being done, if the report pioves satisfactory."

An action was heard in Sydney on M,arch 26 before the Chief Justice and a jury, in which Henry St. • John Bell sought to recover £250 damages from the Evening News newspaper for littel. The plaintiff had been called as a witness in" 'the case where Richard Meagher, M.P., was charged with assaulting John Norton,, arid in reporting the case the defendant newspaper made some expressions apply to him instead of another witness. The evidence of j,he plaintiff in that case was that Norton had. called out to him "You scoundrel" and "It is another Dean conspiracy." The observations made were, as a fact, not addressed to witness at all, but to another person. The pica of not guilty was entered, and for the defence it wa3 shown that a stone hand in the Evening News composing room had inadvertently substituted the name of tho plaintiff for another name during the transference of some type. The jury found for the plaintiff, assessing tho damage at £35.

A remark by Mr Newton, a Canterbury delegate, at the Trades' Council (says tho Lytlalion Times), that the appointments -to the Legislative Council consisted largely "of. I "Government touts," led to a more or less irrelevant discussion. Mr Collins objected forcibly to the insinuation, whereupon Mr Kodgers observed that the majority of the workers in Wellington regarded Mr Collins himself as nothing more than a Government tcut. Mr Nauphton, another Wellington delegate, followed, stating that although Mr Collins was a strong party man, and at times showed a little want of tact, yet no man in the Labour Party doubted his honesty and attachment to the workers' interests. Mr Vaney contended that the present Government appointees to the Council (vere mainly unsatisfactory from a labour point of view. He expressed the opinion that this section of Councillors frequently had private instructions to throw out bills, and that the Government, if in earnest, could always get their measures through the Upper House as at present constituted. Mr Vaney took occasion later "on to contradict the statement that he was an Oppositionist. His position was time, together with 90 per cent, of the conference, he placed tho interests of labour above those of party. Mr Rodgers's statement :especting Mi- Collins passed without challenge at tha time, but after the midday adjournment Mr Collins's Auckland colleague brought up the matter, threatening to withdraw from the conference unless Mr Rodgera withdrew the words. This Mr Rodgers refused to do for * time, but when a serious breach seemed imminent he ultimately withdrew the words. The various meetings of the city school committees were held during tho week. The attendance at the Arthur street School waa shown to be:— Boys, 273; girls, 262;; total, 555. The number at present' on the roll was — Boys, 316; girls, 315 ; total, 631. The Average attendance for the quarter ended March 31, was:] —Boys, 291; girls, 282;— total, 573. The attendance had been very considerably affected by the prevalence of measles, and oh Friday last over 170 ohildren were absent. High street School: 80794

f

' . 332.; girls, . 310 ; total, 642. The average daily attendance was: — Boys, 309; giiJ'a, -269 j— total, 598. It -war reported that £5 4s had been deposited in the Penny Savings Bank, arid £6 "9a withdrawn. George street School : The Head Master reported that the number on-the roll war 778, and average daily attendance,- 643. . The " spoil* system," says * recent number of the Montreal Herald, must be avoided at all hazard*. It has been the cause of untold . injury to thr public service, and to the private as well as to the public morals of the United States. It were "better that a Canadian Government, Liberal or Conservative, should err on the side of undue leniency to political opponents in office than 'that any semblance~of recognition of the spoils system ■ - should "be given. The Palmerston Times reports that a mean -theft .was committed some time on Sunday night or early on Monday morning, the Presbyterian Church having been entered and the contents of the Sunday School children's pence box, about £4, abstracted. A similar theft was committed at St. Mary's Church a ■ few weeks Ago. . , A number of prominent members of the - Opposition intend to address their constituents within the next two or ■ three' weeks. ! Mr Rolleston speaks at Riccarton on Satur- j day next, Mr Scobie Mackenzie will follow at the Agricultural Hall a. week or sm later, and -. Mr Allen will speak at Milton shortly after ■ Mr Mackenzie.- 1 A meeting of ' the Conciliation Board was ! held at the Supreme Court on Monday morn- j ing forthe purpose of giving the parties con- j ' corned in the Kaitangata coal mine dispute ' ah opportunity of considering what they proposed to do in regard to the recommendations of the board. ,Mr Smith, as the" repre- ' sentitive of the union, said, in reply to the ' 'chairman, that the union wanted more ex- . planation as to the meaning of some of the ' clauses in the recommendations. They were I prepared to aeoept the recommendations, pro- | vided satisfactory explanations oould be j given in regard to the clauses in question. < The chairman said in regard to the clause re- ■ f erring to the filling of boxes he understood ; that it meant that boxes were to be delivered j to the company in the condition that the ' company took over boxes. As to the clause , referring to non-unionists, it gave the com- j pany power to employ them or to re-engage I them if they were dismissed. They stood on ' the same footing as unionists. Mr W. P. Watson, representing the Coal Company, said that the. company were prepared to accept the re- , commendations of the board, and he was instructed to ask that they should come into j fores on May 1. He also desired to know what redress the .company would have* as against the men if they did not do what they j should. In the meantime, they were not j doing that, and the company suffered tre- | nsendously\ in consequence. The chairman i replied that the Arbitration Court had to do . with the .enforcing of awards, and not the board. The meeting was eventually ad- i journed until Wednesday morning at 11 o'clock,-, with the view of giving the union another opportunity of considering whether . they, .would accept the recommendations of the board. With the view of testing the legality of the action of tKe Dunedin Jockey Club in re- " 'oerving -money for investment on the totali"Sator at the- club's office, the police have instituted proceedings .against William Smith, the agent of the club, against whom an in- - formation has been laid for that he, not being a person conducting or employed in the ■working of a totalisator, did sell a certain ticket entitling, or purporting to entitle, the purchaser to an interest in the result of the ! working of the totalisator at the Wingatui | racecourse in respect to the Dunedin Cup. I Three other informations in reference to the lame matter have also been laid against the J - same defendant, and the cases are fixed to come on for hearing on Thursday. 1 The police on -Monday tool possession of i nnother lot of goods found in the house of j Mary and Charles Banwell, in Grange street, i including a couple of tubs of fancy glassware. These goods, and the bulk of those previously taken possession of have been identified by the owners. I The general acceptation of the provisions of the Truck Act is that it merely prevents an employer from charging goods sold by him to an employee against the latter's wages, but j judging by. a case that was heard at the Magis- j trate's Court on Monday, it goes a good deal further than this, for it actually prohibits him from seeking redress in the court. Section 7 of the act provides " that no employer shall have, or be entitled to maintain, any action in any. court against any workman, for, or in reprpect of, any goods sold, delivered, or supplied to any such workman, etc.," and although certain exceptions are embodied in eectiorv 19, these exceptions are exceedingly 'restricted. The point was argued as to whether the goods supplied in this instance 'came within section 19. but the Magistrate, Mr C. C. Graham, held that they did not. His reading of the act was that the employer could not recover on goods at all delivered to_ an employee, except when the goods were utilised j by the latter on the premises in inaking up stuff for the employer. A Maori debtor who had filed a petition in bankruptcy obtained his final order of discharge or Monday. It is very seldom a Maori

A Maori debtor who had filed a petition in bankruptcy obtained his final order of discharge or Monday. It is very seldom a Maori finds his way into the Bankruptcy Court, and in this case the debtor was apparently forced into it, having been imprisoned for a debt he was unable to pay and filed a petition > -of insolvency in consequence. In granting the discharge his Honor Mr Justice Pennefather remarked that the bankruptcy was not due, to negligence or carelessness, but to the unfortunate failure of a crop last year. An ■unusual aspect of the case is that the debtor

is possessed of an interest in certain lands which yield an income of £40 a year, but the rents had been collected in advance, and the *■ debtor's interest in the principal is protected by a statutory provision which makes the lands of natives up to a certain value — sufficient for the support of the owner and family — inalienable. The order of discharge was granted unconditionally. Biskop Verdon held a reception in St. JcstphVHall or Monday evening, prior to his departure for Rome. A great, many neople were received by the bishop, and subsequently the .•visitors assembled in the main hall, when an enjoyable entertainment was proceeded with. Those who occupied seata on the platform •with the bishop were : — The Very Rev Father O'Neill (of Milton), the Rev Fathers Lynch <Palmerston), M'Grath, Murphy, Ryan, CofJey, M'Mullan, J. O'Donnell. and Cleary, and -Messrs J. B. Callan, F. W Petre, D. W. JWoods (who, it might be mentioned, was the contractor ior the building), J. Liston, and j. A. Scott. The programme was an excellent one and heartily enjoyed, those who took part being: — Misses Staunton, Bush, K. Blaney, L. Thomas, Messrs E. Eagar, J •Woods, J. Black, J. M'Cormack, and P. Carolin, Mr F. H. Stokee (the acting organist «£ |bi> cathedral) playing the accompaniments.

During an interval, Messrs Callan and Petre delivered brief" addresses, at the conclusion of which three hearty cheers were given for Bishop Verdon, who acknowledged the compliments in a few words. The bishop leaves for Europe by the Tarawera on Thursday.

At tho 'Y.W.C.A. Ropms on Monday evening, Mr A. Wilson, M.A., deliveroa an interesting lecture on "Tennyson" before a large and appreciative audience. The meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr Boreham. Dr Brown, in a happy manner, introduced the lecturer. Miss Treseder sang " Too Late "in excellent style, and contributed in no email degree to a most pleasant evening's enjoyment. Miss Statham, the secretary of the association, in moving a vota of thanks to Mr Wilson, Miss Treseder, and Dr Brown, hoped that advantage would be taken of Mr Wilson's kind offer to assist thorn in a study of "In Memoriam." The meeting closed ac usual with the benediction.

A four-roomed corrugated iron house, owned by Mr W. Theyers, and occupied by Mrs Dennieon, together with its contents, was destroyed by fire at Alexandra, at 6 o'clock on Monday morning, the fire being caused through the bed-curtains being accidentally ignited by a candle. There was no insurance on the building or Mrs Dennison's effects, but Mr Theyers estimates his loss at £200, and the occupier of the house her's at £30.

A good deal of interest has been awakened lately as to the condition of the descendants of the Bounty mutineers on Pitcairn Island. Mr Quintal, just arrived at Auckland by the schooner Croydon Lass, states (according to the New Zealand Herald) that there is no reason to accept the accounts lately published respecting the descendants of the mutineers of the Bounty on Pitcairn Island as true. He admits that intermarriage is not unknown, but on the other hand the custom among the islanders is to choose a Tahitian wife. He also states that the fate of imbecility, said to threaten these descendants of historic ancestors, is a fallacy. The descendants of the mutineers, living upon Norfolk Island, have consigned to Mr J. M. Shera, agent for the Croydon Lass, ten cases of bananas for the orphan home and other charitable institutions of Auckland, and further they have offered to forward oranges, shaddocks, or other fruits in season.

Among the visitors to Wellington at present (says the New Zealand Times) is Mr Earle, who until recently resided for a considerable time in the Philippine Islands. During the insurrectionary war he was attached to the Spanish forces in his professional capacity of veterinary surgeon, and naturally witnessed many stirring scenes — among- them being the destruction of the Spanish fleet off Cavite by Admiral Dewey. Mr Earle was on several occasions thrown into contact with Aguinajdo, the rebel leader, whom he: describes as a strong- willed man of vigorous intellect, " but more like an ourangoutang than anything else in physical appearance." As to the ultimate result of the war between the natives and the Americans, Mr Earle is decided in his opinion. "They will never capture Aguinaldo, he says, " and to establish the Stars and Stripes on the islands they will have to kill every man, woman, and child of the native population, for the Filipinos will never surrender."

The reduced mileage rates by rail for goods under class E, which practically includes agricultural produce of all kinds except wool, amount to 6d on 5 miles, lid on 10 miles, lOd on 20 miles, ls 2d on 30 miles, 3 s lid on 4-0 miles, ls 6d on 50 miles, ls lid en 100 miles, ls 9d on 200 miles, and Is 8d on 400 miles. Butter and cheese are charged E rates and a-half.

A married woman named Mary Banwell, who was convicted and discharged at the Police Court ou Saturday on a charge of shop-lifting, was again arrested the same afternoon by Detectives M'Giath and Cooney on a series of charges of stealing articles of various descriptions, including bedclothing, drapery, boots, and a couple of go-carts. It is,, believed the robberies have been carried on for a period of several months, and some of the things are supposed to have been stolen from clothes lines. Many of the articles are quite new, and have evidently been pilfered from shops in the city. Charles Banwell, the husband of the woman, was arrested next day (Sunday), charged with being implicated in the theft of the stolon property. Up to the present goods to the value of over £15 which were found in the house of the accueed in Grange street have been identified by nine different persons, but a largo quantity of the articles still remain unidentified. Banwell has for some considerable lime been in the employ of a well-known firm in Dunedin as a carter.

The hospital returns for the week are as follow: — Patients remaining from the previous week. 100 ; admitted during the past week, 25; discharged, 23. Charles Anderson and William Fielden died during the past week, and the remaining patients number 100.

The -Oamaru Mail gays: "Seven thousand acres of the Three Springs estate, Fairlie-^-5000 of which are said to be first-class agricultural land, and 2000 pastoral, which would be leased in say, two pastoral blocks — may be acquired by the Government. The settlers in the neighbourhood are anxious that this property should be subjected to the popular ordeal, and it is understood that there are so many anxious to becuro slices of it, that it is already, in prospective, apportioned into dozens of smiling homesteads. '

The axis deer which the Wellington Acclimatisation Society received from India some time ago, and which are now in quarantine on Somes Island, are to be set free (says the Post) on Kapiti Island, already the home of numbers of imported game, where they will be allowed to increase until such time as the herd warrants the society turning some of them loose for sporting purposes.

Commenting upon a bankruptcy case before him at Palmerston North last week, the district judge made some remarks on the subject of bankruptcy which should be of general interest. The Bankruptcy Court, his Honor pointed out, was not a whitewashing institution, where debtors could come with no assets and large liabilities and be relieved as a matter of course of their legal obligations to pay. While no doubt the court had to protect unfortunate bankrupts against rapacious creditors, it must also protect tradesmen who conducted their business in a legitimate manner against men who tendered for work at a price they knew would not pay them, and who afterwards made their creditors bear the burden of their losses. If some penalty were not imposed upon such men then the honest tradesinau could not carry on, because there was a point in trade competition beyond which the man who wished to pay 20s in the pound felt he could not go if ha wished to maintain his financial integrity- In therefore withholding the bankrupt's discharge for six months he wished it to be understood that he did so simply to pt|t a

I check upon recMess and thoughtless trading, '. and to let bankrupts understand that they could not incur liabilities with impunity, and : . expect the people who trusted them to bear : the full brunt of the consequences. i When the phonograph was still a novelty I (writes Mr Lucy in the Sydney Herald), Colonel Gouraud, who, as Edison's agent, took it to Great Britain, formed a collection of more or less interesting observations. They usually took the form of a spoken message to Kdison. On one occasion Tenniel, Dv Maurier, the editor and a member of the literary • staff of Punch, sent a quartet of messages to I l£dison, which he occasionally turns on at ! Menlo Park for the edification of his visitors. A more famous occasion where the | practice was observed was at a dinner given i some six or reven years ago by Mr James ] Ivnowles, of the Nineteenth Century. The : phonograph was one of the chief attractions j of a notable gathering. Mr Gladstone was ; specially interested in the novelty, and easily ; fell in with a- suggestion that he should speak ! to Edison across the Atlantic. He began with ' pathetic reference to the breakdown of his ! voice just then giving him some trouble. It ! was, he assured his unknown, unseen inter- | locutor, merely the echo of the voice i that had served him through 60 years j of public life. The cylinder into which Mr Gladstone spoke was duly forwarded to Men- ; lo Park, but Colonel Gouraud first secured, a ] replica, which he possesses to this day. He has the shrewd business idea that there are hundreds' of thousands of people who would pay their shilling Or sixpence to hear the sound of a voice that is still, and is ready to place the cylinder at the disposal of the i Gladstone Memorial Committee if th6jr see their way to use it in furtherance of the fund. , Three applications under the Old-age Pen- ; sions Act came before Mr Oarew, S.M., at | Port Chahrfbrs on Saturday. One male was | granted a full pension, one case was deferred For proof of age, and in the other the applicant failed to appear. A sensation was caused at th« Wesleyan Church at Port Pirie, South Australia, on \ Sunday last, when several members of tho \ congregation took strong exception to some j of the remarks of Mr C. Schubert, who was j conducting the service on that occasion. Mr • Schubert, for his sermon, gave an adverse | criticism on Sheldon's book "In His Steps, or "What Would Jesus Do?" After the speaker had laboured on for a while, he was j met with such interruptions as " Rubbish !" | and ''Shut up!" and eventually Mr J. C. I Ha&lara took him to task, and carried the | Jarge congregation with him as he defended | Sheldon's book, which, he said, had proved a ' blessing to thousands of Christians all over j the world. I At the request of the Victorian postal i authorities the Government Printing Office j at Melbourne has prepared a very effective exhibit for the- Greater Britain Exhibition. It consists of a design including specimens of all the postage stamps issued by the colony of Victoria. Some of these are very rare, and of considerable philatelic value. The aggregate face value of the stamps used in the design is | about £1400. Postal note* and post cards are also shown. Apart from the postal exhibit, | the Government Printing Office has made a j collection of specimens of its 'own artistic I workmanship, such as process engraving, I chronio-lithography, - and -scientific colrfur I printing in the shape of illustrations of insect j pests, etc. The collection gives a good view | of the standard of art work in the printing I office. |