LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2359, 11 May 1899, Page 22

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Mr E. H. Carew sat on the 2nd inst. to consider claims to old-age pensions, and granted three applications for the full amount. One claim he rejected on the ground that the applicant's income from various sources was such as not to entitle him to any pension.

The representative of the Argus who is travelling through New Zealand with the Victorian Commissioners wired to his paper that their visit to Levin farm was somewhat of a disappointment, as only a few persons were found in occupation of the farm, and but little of an instructive chaiactei could be ascertained from them.

Mr F. Pirani, M.H.R., speaking at Bunnythorpe, referred to a misrepresentation about his answer to a question at his last meeting there. He had been asked, if Captain Russell or Mr Rolleston succeeded Mr Seddon as Premier, what his attitude would be, and he had answered that he would give them his support in preference to Mr Seddon, so long as their administration was hone=t and their legislation was in the best interests of the colony. That, he said, was ir.isconstrued to mean that he said he would follow Captain Russell as leader of the Opposition, but he explained that it was not likely he would tie himself down to that, because it would mean that he would be a "party hack," and not even to gain a seat in Parliament would he surrender his right to oppose what was wrong and support what was right, independent of who was concerned. He was quite willing to pledge himself to do his utmost to turn the present Government out and to give their successors what help he could to right the wrongs which existed, but he could not undertake to support anyone blindly in Parliament.

Some of the strains of blood that make up the composite American are unable to drink moderately, and when they get drunk, they revert at short notice to the plane of the savage. In Cuba and Porto Rico there have been some outrages by drunken American soldiers which led to the passing, without debate, in the Army Reorganisation Bill a. clause intended to abolish the canteen. It provided that " no officer or private soldier shall be detailed to sell intoxicating drinks as a bar-tender or otherwise in any post exchange or canteen, nor shall any other person be required or allowed to sell such liquors in any encampment, or fort, or any premises used for military purposes by the United States, and the Secretary for War is hereby directed to issue such general order as may be necessary to carry the provisions of this section into full force and effect." But the object of Congress is likely to be defeated. Mr Alger, Secretary for War, called in an astute lawyer, and as a result of the opinion given, Mr Alger now holds that, although a soldier may not lervo as a bar-tender in a canteen, a civilian may, and he intends to issue instructions in accordance with this view.

The Gazette notifies the appointment of Dr George Hodges to be health officer for the port of Dunedin, vice the late Dr Cunninghame.

The Chrißtchurch Press says: " On Sunday, Hone Paratene Tamanuiarangi, at the age of ?8 years, died at tlie Kaiapoi pa, St. Stephen's. He used to say he was about seven or eight years old when Kaiapohia fell. For some time he was whaling at Oashore with Mr P. Ryan and Mr T. Green, sen., and was one of the pioneers on the West Coast in 1865, in quest of gold. He was always fond of racing, and in/ matters connected with Kaiapoi Native matters took a leading part. In May, I£6B, he was the first representative in the General Assembly for the Southern Maori electoral district, beating Wi Nahira and Tamati Kirene. He has been succeeded by Taiaroa, Tainui, and Parata. On several occasions Paterson, by which name he was known to Europeans, represented the South Island Maoris in their North Island councils, and was one, we believe, who represented this island in respect of the .King movement. He leaves a widow to lament his decease."

The whalers that go from San Francisco this year will liberate at several points within Behring Strait some 50 casks of peculiar construction, which have been prepared by the Geographical Society of Philadelphia, in order to determine, if possible, the drift of polar currents, and to ascertain, perhaps, the existence of a circumpolav current.

The horse attached to the Drapery Importing Company's delivery van bolted from Regent road about midday on the 2nd, crossed George street into St. David street, and on reaching the corner of King street came into collision with a coal cait standing

near Gibson's butcher's shop -with such . force that one of the wheels of the van was I taken off. The runaway continued its I course till it came to Castle street, where it got free from the shafts and went on towards the centre of the city. The driver was thrown off- the va"h at an early stage, and escaped with very little injury. A robbery of a contemptible nature was committed on Saturday night at the Wcodhaugh Paper Mills. Some short time back an effort was made to raise funds for the benefit of the family of a man named O'Halloran, who was killed by being thrown from his horse, with the result that something like £30 was raised. Towards the end of last week about £23 was in hand, and on Saturday it was decided to hand this amount over to the safe-keeping of Mr C. F. Mitchell, of the Paper Mills. The banks being closed, and Mr Mitchell, having no safe, placed the money in a bag and deposited it in a drawer in bis office. During the night the place was broken into and the money abstracted. The thief gained access to the place by breaking a window, then, by inserting his hand, turning the lock. The window is somewhat loftily located, but it was reached by means of a drain pipe placed on end against tho wall. "Whoever committed the crime must have known the run of the place, and must have been aware that, contrary to the custom of the establishment, a laige sum of money was lying in the office. Possessing this knowledge it may fairly be inferred that he knew of the specific and deserving object to which the money was to be devoted. The process of dismantling the old gaol has involved a duty on the part of the gaol authorities which is reminiscent of tragedies of by-gone years. This duty is the exhumation of the remains of three criminals who were executed in Dunedin for the crime of mui'der, and whose bodies were buried in the gaol grounds. The criminals were William Andrew Jarvey (better known as Captain Jarvey), John Jones, (alias Pool, alias King), and a Chinaman named Ah Lee. Jarvey was the commander of a small coasting steamer, and on the 24th October, 1£65, he was executed for poisoning his wife. Jones was executed on the 6th of April in the year following, for the murder of a man named Atkinson at Waipori on December 23, 1565 ; while the crime for which the Chinaman was adjudged deserving of tho last penalty of the law was the murder of a woman named Mrs Young at Kyebnrn on October 10, ISBO, the execution being performed on £he sth of the following month. The Kaitangata Coal Company have been so satisfied with the result of their inquiries into the working of the new American coal cutters that they have ordered a number of them. It is stated that each machine, managed by two men, will turn out between 30 and 40 tons of coal per day. Anotfier innovation which is contemplated is the institution of the endless rope haulage system, with some minor improvements. I This system does away with truckers, and will enable the mine to be worked with a considerably reduced staff. ! A Mataura elector writes to us with refer- . ence to the opinion expressed by our Wel1 lington correspondent that Mr Thomas Mackenzie when he returns to the colony could • score a win for Mataura, among other places. Our Mataura correspondent takes exception to the soundness of the opinion as to Mr Mackenzie's chances for that electorate, and fcays the electors there are perfectly satisfied with the local candidate, Mr ; 1. W. Raymond, whose chances of securing I the seat are considered to be excellent, j An adjourned special meeting of the High Schools' Board of Governors was held 1 on the 3rd, and attended by Dr Brown (chairman), Messrs ti. G. Russell, J. It Sinclair, J. M. Gallaway, and Professor Shand. An apology for the nonattendance of his Worship the Mayor was received. Consideration was given to a petition from R. Smithson and 17 others to have luns 205 d and 205e sub-divided and offered under a small grazing system. After giving the matter due consideration, the board de- : cided that it could not see its way to grant the petition. It was decided lo offer the lease of runs 205 d, 205e, 213 a, and 213 d, Strath-Taieri, for a term of 14- years, and the secretary was directed to advertise the same. A Palmerston correspondent writes: — Some larrikins broke into the Salvation Army barracks at Palmerslon during Monday night and stole a lot of cake, left over from the social held during tho evening. The cake was intended for freo distribution to children at a limelight exhibition to be held on the following evening. According to a Levin paper, the recentlyappointed organiser of the Liberal party, ex-

plained the objects of the new federation at a meeting in that district the other evening. He said it was proposed to organise the Liberal party in a colonial, and not in a local way, and the organisation would be called " The Liberal Federation of New Zealand." There would be first a local branch ; secondly, an electoral branch, connected by delegates ; thirdly, a central council to which the electorates would each send a delegate. This council would meet annually. A programme would be drawn up which would suit north and south, and it was intended that every member should feel as much interested in the return of a candidate in Otago as in his own electorate. The subscription would be Is per annum, so that no one would be prevented from joining; this would go towards organising work. Then, each local branch would levy another Is for local purposes. As to cai.didates, the man who wanted to stand alone they would leave alone. A multiplicity of candidates must be avoided.

The mayor mentioned at last week's meeting of the City Council that Mr W. B. Taylor, town clerk, was still in a weak state of health, and his medical adviser had recommended him to take a rest for a few weeks. The council decided to grant Mr Taylor leave of, absence for four* weeks. It was also left lo the mayor to grant such leave of absence as he thought was necessary to Mr Mirams, the city surveyor, who, Cr Solomon informed the council, was also in a bad state of health. * There are some people who believe, or pretend to believe (says the Tuapeka Times), that Mr Scobie Mackenzie is merely a comedian or humourist on the political platform. To this it may be said thero are very few men who can appear to advantage in such a role. Bui in our opinion he is very much more than that. He is the most expert and graceful political swordsman in the colony. There is no other puhlic mail amongst them all who can put home a sword thrust with such neatness and, at the same time, with such deadly effect as he can. Kin .speech at Dunedin on Thursday evening contains many fine instances in this respect. It is one thing making charges, but he made none that he did not at the same time send home with an eas9 and completeness and lightness of touch that proclaimed the mapterhand. Ho handled the marine certificate episode like in artist, took his audience smiling up to it, and after a few quick movements drew the veil aside and revealed the Seddonian horror within. Taking it as a whole and as a political speech of the literary and artistic kind, it is unquestionably tho finest and most perfect piece of work that has been put out of hand in the colony by any politician during the last 20 years.

The Theological Hall Committee of the Presbyterian Church has awarded the James Clark scholarship of the value of £20 and tenable for three years to Mr Thomas H. Rpseveare, of Waiwera.

At a meeting of tlie Canterbury Railway, League, Mr. Charles Lewis, M.H.R. (say 3 the Press), told a good story in connection with the anomalies in the railway tariff about an incident which had happened to himself. He had wanted to send a ram to the North Island, and inquired the fare to Lyttelton from Christchurch. "Is this a valuable ram, sir?" asked the clerk, '" Well, I bred him," said the senior member for Christchurch City. " Oh, well in that case it is 155," was the reply. '' Suppose he had been a common or garden ram belonging to Someone else, what would be the price? " asked Mr Lewis. "" Oh, well, .sir, Is lid," said the clerk with a grin. " Well," said Mr Lewis, without a blush, "to tell the truth I am exceedingly glad to get rid of this sheep, and am sending him to the North Island to get him out of tho Tl «iy. ' " Oh," said the clerk. " then it is Is lid." Mr Lewis handed over 2s and got Id change. Ho took the trouble to inquire, and found tnat the Railway department, would have undertaken no responsibility from Christchurch to Lyttelton for the extra 13s Id. Another member of the league said lie knew of a ram that had been imported from England in his box with a supply of food in an accessible place for £5, and it cost 19s to get him from Lyttelton to Christchurch.

A barn belonging to Mr E. F. Palmer, Meadowbank. Tokomairiro, was destroyed by fire early on Thursday morning. The building contained a quantity of oats, wheat, and barley, which had boon stored for farm use. A buggy house, containing two light traps and a, quantity of harness, was also burned di.wn. The barn was insured for £EO, but tlu j contentF. valued at £150, were uninsured. At midnight on Wednesday everything was intact, and no one knew what had happened until one of the farm hands, on going out

next morning, found a heap of ashes where the barn had stood the night before. There was nothing to indicate what had caused the fire, and incendiarism is suspected.

We learn that the South Dunedin Borough Council have given £50 towards the Anderson's Bay road Improvement fund, and Mr G. G. Russell £25, so that- there is every prcspect of a considerable portion of the v/ork, being accomplished this year, if the public . generally -support the movement liberally. So far the collectors have been -"all ricoiTsd, which renders their task a pleasant one.

The train vravelling from Kingston to Gore on Wednesday, 3rd inst., ran into a flock of sheep at Kingston Crossing. A great many were killed outright, and others were so badly mangled that some of the passengers mercifully despatched them. Altogether 25 sheep were killed. At a meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children which was held on the 4th at the Town Hall, a constitution and rules were adopted, and Mr R. Chisholm wa3 appointed treasurer. A telegram was also received from Wellington intimating that his Excellency the Governor and Lady Ranfurly would be pleased to be patrons of the society."

A peculiar misfortune has befallen a lad ton years of age. who is at present an inmate of the hospital. While running to a- fire on Monday afternoon, Ist, he swallowecl a small whistle, and when picked up by a cabman was in a halfchoking condition. The whistle evidently stuck, first of all. in the youth's windpipe, for every time he ga3ped for breath the whistle would give out a shrill sound. The doctors have so far been unabla to remove the obstruction]" whioh afterwards shifted on to the boy's lungs. The X rays Aver:' being used to discover the position, and by this means its place of lodgment has been located, but any operation is fraught with ir>ueh danger. A hope is entertained that a fit of coughing may move the obstruction sufficiently to permit of its being extracted.

While unable tc say whether, as is currently reported, the Premier approached Mr Hannan, a Greymouth barrister, to contest the Grey seat against Mr Guinness, the correspondent of the Lyttelton Times reports that Mr Hannan has serious thoughts of coming out, and in the event of his going to the po 1 ! it is quite likely he will be elected.

A ferious squabble has occurred among . the Methodist community in New York — i we learn from the Morning Leader — owing ■ to a decree by Pastor Odell aud the board . of trustees of the fashionable Calvary Methodist Cliurch, which ordered women to remove their hats in church, declaring that the present style was ungodly and obstructive to the view. La*t Sunday out of 2700 women present only nine obeyed. A special cloak room has now been constructed, , where hats must be placed or admission is refused. The ladies are organising opposi- \ tion, and a possible secession to a neigh- j bouring Episcopal church is talked of. ' There, presumably, ideas of what consti- [ lutes an imgodly hat are less circumscribed.

Some 15.000 to 20.000 sacks of oats were shipped last week from Dunedin and the Bluff for the Home market.

The remains of the late Mr James Brown were interred at tho Northern Cemetery on Thursday afternoon. Prior to the funeral leaving the deceased gentleman's residence in Heriot row service was conducted in the hou3e by the Rev. Mr ITewitson. Tho following was a very numerous one, and included a large number of prominent citizens and old residents, both in town and from the country. On. arrival at the cemetery the coffin was lowered into the grave by the four sons of deceased, and the service for tlie dead was conducted by the Rev. Mr Hewitson.

The Weiner Tagblatt states that a daring young Englishman of good family (name not given) has succeeded in abdv:<mg and eloping with one of the ladies of the Sultan's own harem. According to the Morning Leader correspondent's version of the btory, the young man made her acquaintance during the recent festival of the Leilat El Kadrat, when all men and women alike go to the mosques to pray. Each of the ladies of the Sultan's harem who goes is jealously guarded by a eunuch, but tlie horo of this adventure succeeded in winning over the guardian of tho beauty he admired by heavy bribes. Tlie eunuch acted ai go-be-tween, and made the necessary arrangements for the elopement. The Englishman hucceeded in getting his Mohammedan ladylove on board a steamer bound direct to Bombay. Several eunuchs, suspected of

being accomplices, have been thrown into dungeons, l^nd t)je Sultan utters fearful maledictions on the .English.

A recent development of insanity amongwomen in. -New York, is said to be causing great concern to the authorities and to, scientists. "" During the present month (tha Morning Leader, correspondent tells us) 64cases have already been received in tho insane ward of Bellevue Hospital, mostly women, and 20 to 30 of these being middle* class" housekeepers and servants. The noted specialist, Dr Elton, says - that American women of the middle classes remain too much indoors, drink extravagantly of coffee, and brood too much over their inability to compete with the wealthy women whose doings are advertised in the daily press. This is the great cause of insanity. _ They alsp seem to thirst for notoriety. One beautiful woman last week threw vitriol over her own face, and informed the police that she was the victim of an outrage by a noted clubman. Another, who wished to go on the stage, jumped from a ferry boat, hoping to be saved, but was drowned.

The Caversham. Presbyterian Literary and Debating Society held the first meeting of the present sess.ion or Tuesday evening in the Presbyterian -HalL— Mr-P. Roberts (vicepresident) occupied the chair, and there "was a fair attendance, of members. An apology for non-attendance was received from Mr T. K. Sidey. The opening address was delivered by Mr Scobie' 1 Mackenzie, M.H.R., and in • the course of his remarks he gave some most useful information to the members on, the arb of delivering "a lecture. J He illustrated his statements by quotations from. Shakespeare, Coleridge, Kipling, Coventry, Patmore, Pope, Disraeli, Gladstone, Balfour, and many other?." His remarks were listened to with rapt attention by the members, and at the conclusion, sof the address he received a" hearty round -t>f applause. Mr Mackenzie thanked those present for their attentive hearing, and desired, .that they would not pass a vot& of thanks. The Hon. George Jones, M.L.C., personally thanked Mr Mackenzie for his atldress. During the evening Miss Baskett contributed a song, " The toilers," very acceptably.

Tho not value of • the estate of the late Mr Tyson, the squatter millionaire, in New South Wafes, is estimated at £560,112, and probate duty amounting to £23,005 will snortiy be paid- to the New South Wales Government.

The German Government has undertaken a remarkable experiment in taxation in a bill compelling large . shops. . to contribute a larger proportion than small ones to Germany's revenue. The bill provides that three factors are .to determine taxation — the number of branches, -"the number of employees, and the amount of rent. It divides the branches into five group9-r-food and drugs, clothing, furniture. glass and jewellery- "Establishments trading in two or more of tlueee groups and employing .more than 25 persons come under the new law. Those engaged in two- groups pay 10 per cent." of their profits "in taxation; three, 15 per cent. ?-- four,.. 20 psr cent. ; five, 25 per cent. ; shop* engaged in three groups and employing 25 persons pay an annual tax o£ 20 marks for each one of the 25, and 10 marks for each additional employee. Stores with bra::ch establishments will be treated as if oil' were under the came roof. ■ Cooperative stores will not be taxed under the now law.

Harrowing details are pxiblished regarding the famine-stricken districts of Rus?ia, espe-" cially in the province of Samara, where, in addition to starvation, the villagers and peasants havenow to cope with outbursts of scurvy, typhus, and other diseases. Tho doles and advances made by the Zemstvos to the peasantry scarcely sufficed for the first half of February, and the people are now reduced to feeding tipon a kind of gruel of boiled flour and water or on bread composed of a small proportion of wheat mixed with chopped htraw and bran. The doctors are sending in alarming reports as to the effect of this diet upon irames already weakened by hunger and disease. The distress ha 3 caused many to sell everything portable they ],ts<;c'S-ed, and scores of houses are absolutely bare of furniture, everything having been pledged or Fold to purchase food. In some distiicls the poor people are unable even to obtain firewood, and are fireless as well aa foodlpss. Not a few have been obliged to port witli their agricultural implements, and will not be able to cultivate their land thie 8] .ring.

At the Philosophical Institute (says the Lytlellon Times) Captain Hutton exhibited a Maori skull perforated with a round hole,

.which had the appearance of being caused by a bullet. Captain Hntton explained that the ihole could not have been caused by a bullet, a*s no such missile had been, found inside the skull, and, besides, there were indications that the Maori had lived fojvsome considerable time after receiving Sre* injury. The iiole had originally been much larger than it now appeared, but a successful operation had apparently been performed, and afterwards the growing bone had filled up th© jagged edges, and gradually overlapped, bo as to icake {he hole perfectly round, and reduced to the size the audience saw it. The operation was identical with trepanning, and the discovery of the skull was the first and only intimation scientists had received that the operation was known to the ancient Maoris. It was well known to have been practised among some of the South Pacific races.

That cigarette smoking by women is coming more into vogue (says the Wanganui Chronicle] there is no doubt. Unfortunately the practice is not confined to females of a mature age, but is being adopted, by maidens of tender years. On Sunday evening last two girls, apparently about 16 or 17 years of age, and members of respectable families, •were cycling along the Quay, enjoying the beautiful moonlight night, and in the full enjoyment also of their cigarettes, which they smoked like old hands. The practice is deplorable enough among grown women, but when youngsters take to it it is time some eteps were taken to put down the practice.

The Ray. Mr Neave, formerly of Riverton, was inducted on Wednesday, the 3rd, into the pastorate of the Kurow Presbyterian j Church by the Rev. R. J. Porter, moderator of the Oamaru Presbytery, assisted j by other members. There would appear to be a market for ' frozen meat at Hongkong. The correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes: "If you Australians could pay a visit to Hongkong during the summer and taste the raeat upon which we have to live, your pity and disgust would most certainly be raised, j It i* tough, unpalatable, and coarse. Yet we j are in direct communication with Australia. Australian rrjeat is sent to Manila, and ar- j rives in excellent condition, yet we poor Hongkongites are left to subsist upon stuff th.it would be scorned in the colonies. Can- ; not some enterprising Australian firm be prevailed upon to take the matter in hand and oport meat to Hongkong? We have plenty of ice, and a cold storage house should not be an insurmountable obstacle. We have icany men-of-war calling at the port and spending weeks here, and the shipping passing through is immense. Will not some Australian reader take pity upon us and show the ultra-conservative folk of Hongkong that it is better to consume British meat than Chinese rubbish?" In order to protect their copyrights of the operas, dramas, comedies, etc., of which they have the Australasian rights, Messrs Williamson and Musgrove have appointed Mr B. Royle, of Wellington, as their New Zealand representative. The Reserves Conservation Society are making some additions to their experimental plantation on the Sandhills on the north side of Tahuua Park. Lately two men have been j engaged in planting some willow cuttings, and | judging by the appearance of the willow stakes which were planted there some time -back this is a class of tree which should thrive in certain parts of the Sandhills. Although some varieties of plants have failed to grow, a number of others are making satisfactory pr egress, and the time should soon arrive when an accurate decision can be arrived at as to what are the best trees and plants to grow in order to beautify the Sandhills. It might be added that the lupin which the society received from San Francisco, and which was planted near Lawyer's Head, has thriven amazingly, and one gentleman who has had occasion to study its growth is very strongly of opinion that had half the care and diligence been expended in the planting of lupin that was devoted to the marram grass the Sandhills would now be well covered. The seeding properties of the plant cause it to spread rapidly. It apparently grows in exposed places equally as well as in sheltered spots, and, moreover, in summer' it becomes'one mass of perfumeladen lemon : tintQ(J ISfoo.m.

During a * discussion which took place at the Fabian Society on Friday on the question of " Municipal Socialism," the apathy and indifference manifested by. the citizens generally in regard to municipal -politics was deplored by most of the speakers, and reference was made by two or three to the small number that had taken the trouble to get enrolled under (he new Municipal Franchise Act. In this connection one- of the speakers said that although the City Council advertised in both local papers, and it had been mentioned in the City Council, that persons desirous of being enrolled under the new act must send in their claims for enrolment by a certain date, only 591 claims were sent in. There were, however, 4848 dwelling houses in Dunedin, apart from stores, and 1099 stores, making a total of 5947 buildings in respect to which rates were paid. If only two voters were counted for each dwelling house, there would be 9696 voters. But to this must be added a certain number in respect of stores and freeholds belonging to non-resident freeholders. These would lyimber at least 2500, so that, on ihe lowest estimate, there should be about 12,000 voters in municipal elections in the City of Dunedin. The actual number, however, was a very little more than 3000, or about one■quarter of what there should be if all who •were qualified to vote had enrolled.

" Alfred, ' England's Darling,' " was the subject of the inaugural address of the present cession of the Otago University Debating Society, delivered on Friday evening before a numerous gathering of students by Mr T. Pearce, M.A., at the chemistry lecture room. Tho lecturer, after referring to the fact that the present was the age of commemoration, proceeded to outline the political situation in England 1000 years ago. He referred to Alfred the Great as practically the founder of the British Navy, the first to commence to put army mobilisation on a proper footiug, the pioneer of general education, and one of A« «atly eodifiars ol the law. He was a saint.

and though never canonised, he deserved it perhaps more than many who had been so honoured. He gave quotations from the hisj tories of Green and Freeman to show the manifold good qualities of Alfred. Mr Pearce, who was loudly ' applauded, ■ "was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. Professor Salmond presided, and during the evening a song was contributed by Miss K. Robertson. An Ashburton telegram states that Mr J. S3. Tennant, of the High street School, Dunedin, has been appointed head master of the Ash- ! burton High School. There o were twentythree applicants. It is intended to establish a Warden's Court at Gore, and the records of the Waikaia court are to be removed to Gore. Speaking on the subject of Temperance , (says the Christchurch Press) Bishop Julias said that when he came from England he left a work in which moral suasion was the chief factor. He found when he got to Ballarat that he was asked to jump a great gulf from that to local option. He eventually did make the jump, and he helped to close publichouses in Ballarat, as he had helped to do here, and was willing to help again. When he came to New Zealand he found that if one was not a prohibitionist, he was nothing. That jump was too much for him to take; he had not become a prohibitionist. He could not go with them, but he could say " God bless them." j Preparations for the marriage of his Majesty King George of Tonga are (says the Tongan correspondent of the Auckland Herald) going on in a mysterious way. The making of ths wedding garments has been entrusted to two Europeans in Nukualofa, and rumour says that their instructions are to make them so that they can bo readily altered to fit the bride whom the King finally selects. The wedding cake, too, which came fiom Auckland months ago, and which has since nourished some millions of ants and copra bugs, is in the hands of a local confectioner, who is busily engaged repairing their ravages. Meanwhile nobody, apparently not even the prospective bridegroom, krow3 for whom the dresses and cake are interded. - A remarkable attempt to commit suicide waii recently made by a Vienna music teacher. The Morning Leader correspondent says that she first swallowed ten. doses of morphia, which failed to produce any marked effect. Next she tried oxalate, which also failed to act, and potassic acid, which was equally unsuccessful. She then had recourse to overdoses of strychnine, but still remained alive and conscious. 'A final attempt with pruasic acid also failed to rob her of her life. Abandoning poison, the lady got out of bed, where she had been lying to await the working of the poisons, and fetched a heavy rolling pin from the kitchen. She belaboured her temples and the back of her head with this, still without the desired results. Finally she took her pocket knife and cut open veins in her left hand and arm. She began her attempts at suicide at 5 in the morning, and at 3 in the i afternoon, when discovered, she was still alive ! and conscious, although faint from loss of blood and from the effect of the various poisons. She is sure of recovery. The doctors declare that a constitution able to withstand so many desperate attacks has never before come under their notice. The death of Miss Mary Jane Janett Turner, of Blackburn, England, which occurred in March, at the age of 35, severs the last personal link (says the London Daily Telegraph) in an extraordinary romance in which the_ distinguished colonial legislator and author, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, was the principal actor. This episode involved questions of abduction, criminal prosecution, and a, special act of Parliament. Her sister Ellen, the heroine, who was heiress to considerable property, wa3 at school at Liverpool in the early part of 1827, and under the pretence that her father was very ill she was taken away to Manchester by a person representing himself as a servant. There she was joined by Wakefield, who told uer her father was ruined by the failure of a bank, but promised if she would marry him io give £60,00 to save him from imprisonment. This she consented to, and the ceremony was performed at Gretna Green. Hearing of her abduction, her two uncles followed the couple to Calais, and brought her home. Wakefield was feubsequently prosecuted at Lancaster, and with a brother, who was implicated, sentenced to three years' imprisonment, and in the following month the House of Lords passed a bill annulling the marriage. The lad who recently swallowed a whistle while running to a fire, and was admitted to the hospital, has succeeded in getting rid of the obstruction. He had a fit of coughing on Saturday, the effect of which was to remove the whistle. His escape was a providential one, as from the position of the impediment any operation to remove it must have been attended with doubtful results. The weekly returns for the hospital are as • fellows : —Patients remaining from the week previous to last, 99 ; admitted during the past week, 16 ; and discharged, 20. Three deaths are recorded, the names of the deceased being George Woods, Annie Knowles, and George Hemsley. The total number of patients remaining stands at 92. The police are investigating a theft of a most peculiar nature. ~ The Department of Justic were removing the remains of the three murderers who were buried within the precincts of the old gaol. After being uncovered, the remains were left pending an order for their removal being received from Wellington. In the interval, however, some person, presumably a collector, took a fancy to the skull of the late Captain William Jarvey, executed for the murder of his wife, and annexed it. The police hope that anyone offering for sale a skull " other than their own " will be made to account for it. ' Our Palrnerslon correspondent writes as follows: — Referring to a paragraph appearing in your issue of the 4th inst concerning a breaking into and stealing a quantity of edibles from the Salvation Army Barracks here, I may slate that the local police, although never reported to them, have traced th» mattei to a. successful issue by diecoverinz

the perpetrators of the offence. The facts are, though, exaggerated in your Thursday's issue. Some four youths, after the meeting dispersed, remained behind. Two of them er.tered a cellar, the door of which was incautiously left open, and from there gained entrance to the barracks through a trap door in the floor by pushing it xip. They then helped themselves to some cakes, amounting in value to about 6s, and brought them out and divided with the other two youths out- , side The Army officials, in their great charity and forgiveness, refuse to prosecute, , preferring the more Christian mode of deal- ! ing with offenders by reclaiming them by moral suasion. It is a pity an example is rot made of such persons when caught. It | is not an easy matter to detect such offenders, ' and when, as in this case, the matter is discovered, a salutory lesson from the bench would, in the opinion of many, act as a much better deterrent. "When they got oft so easily, it is an encouragement to them and others to repeat the offence when opportunity offers. Speaking at the function given in his honour by the Marine Engineers of New Zealand at "Wellington, Mr Archibald Denny said the country appeared to him to be a perfect Garden of Eden — mixed up a little with the Highlands of Scotland. — (Laughter.) 1 Some of the harbours were very good — at any rate, they were very numerous. — (Laughj ter.) The east side of Canterbury was the ! Garden of Eden, the West Coast — about "W'estport — was reminiscent of the Grampians. The coxtntry had room for scope, and wculd take a good deal of spoiling. The people he had met — well, he didn't want to say too much, lest he should make them too proud. — ("No! no!" and laughter.) Well, at any rate, he did not want to meet people more friendly than the people he had met in thi* colony. — (Applause.) ' The Melbourne University Council has decided on erecting a bacteriological laboratory. The bacteriological department will be situated at the back of the medical school _|md chemistry laboratory. It is proposed to put up a building of the simplest architecture, all needless ornamentation being dis- | pensed with ; but these and other details will be left for decision to the faculties of medicine and engineering. It is considered that . the sum of £2000 will be quite sufficient to ' meet the purpose in view, and there is a con1 iident belief that when the laboratory is fitted up it will be entirely self-supporting. • There was a general agreement at the xneet- ' ing as to the value of 'the opportunities the department will afford for original research and useful tests by the Government experts, the result of whose work should be of the greatest importance and service to the com- ; munity at large. i The latest news from Klondyke appearing in the English papers, and dated from New ' York on March 24, says that the steamship | Laurada lias arrived at Seattle from Alaska ! with 150,000d0l in gold. It is the first ship- | ment from Klondyke that has arrived this ' year. A woman who has been residing in : Dawson City is one of the richest of the : party. The miners say that the Skagway River was frozen up completely when they left. Everybody was short of water. The I rich men on the Klondyke were washing their . faces with champagne. Mr "Bill" Partj ridge, an English mining expert, who has ! also arrived at Seattle, says that Mr Alexander M'Dowell, otherwise known as King of Klondyke, has disposed of six of his richest claims to an English syndicate for two and aqnarter million dollars. The basin of Pande Lake, in Barnoff Island, has been drained, and a great quantity of gold gravel found exposed on the bottom. A New York syndicate has purchased it for two and a-half million dollars. ' The Deputy-registrar has received advice ' from Wellington (says the Lyttellon Times) that instalments of pensions actually due to pensioners at the time of death cannot be paid to their relatives. The Old-age Pensions Act requires the personal attendance of the pensioner or of his duly appointed agent when payment of an instalment is made. The claims of relatives who contend that the pension is payable up to. the date of death, as well as where a monthly instalment is actually due, cannot without an alteration in the act ' be recognised. It is unfortunate that proj vision cannot be made for paying over pen- • sion moneys due to tRe representatives of de- ■ ceased pensioners, as they are in many cases ! ill able to afford the funeral expenses. I The member for Motueka (Mr Roderick i M'Kenzie), who in a fit of spleen towards the end of last session tendered his resignation ' to the Speaker of the House, and who, but for the intervention of Mrs M'Kenzie, would have lost his seat, has been making himself ; disagreeable in his position as a member of the Westport Harbour Board. The Westport Times, in its report of the incident, states that a most acrimonious and heated j discussion took place between Mr M'Kenzie j and the chairman, and finally things became | so warm that the board adjourned till 4.20 p.m., on the motion of Mr Reeves, seconded by Mr O'Regan. The board resumed at 4.30 p.m., and Mr M'Kenzie continued the obstructive tactics, contending that an amendment he moved, questioning the accuracy of the special meeting minute, should be put, although the minutes had been confirmed. A I protracted series of most painful scenes occurred, in which very bitter language was used as between Mr M'Kenzie and the chair- , man. Mr O'Regan strongly protested against IMr M'Kenzie' s attitude, and these gentlemen ' had some very warm exchanges. In the course of the debate, the chairman inbtructed the secretary to remove Mr M'Kenzie. ■ Several attempts were made to commence 1 business, but Mr M'Kenzie would allow no ; progress, and finally the board at 5 p.m. ad- ! journed till a later date. Mr Archibald Denny, of the British shipbuilding firm of Messrs William Denny and I Bros., who, while in Wellington, was presented with the badge of the Institute of Marine Engineers, related a peculiar incident on that occasion, according to the Post. "When I was in India in February last," he said, " I had my horobcope cast by an Indian fakir or aootha&yer. These fellows are considered

clever in fortune telling, and among other j things, he told me that within five months I should be the recipient' of an honour in my j profession, and (exhibiting the gold badge pre- | sented at the meeting) here it is. And, more • than that, the fakir said that the honour had j already been decided upon." " Well," remarked Mr Hislop, secretary of the institute, > " it was in February that the institute de- ' cided to make you an associate so soon as . you reached tho colony." ' The annual conversazione in connection with the Otago Institute will be held on Friday evening, when those who attend will have an opportunity of inspecting many objects of general interest. Dr de Lautour, who has very superior appliances, will exhibit a number of strange and interesting photogiaphs taken by means of the wonderful Ronlgen rays. The complete moa's egg recently found in the sand on the banks of the Molyneux River will also be on view, as well as many other objects which can seldom be inspected save at the rare gatherings of a ' similar nature. The Elsie Hall Concert Company will only give two concerts in Dunedin — on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Miss Elsie Hall conies to us with the highest credentials from England and the Continent, and there should naturally be a desire to hear the playing of a young Australian who has completed her studies in Europe. Mrs Howie lias been a resident of Christchurch for some time, and is apoken of in the most flattering terms by those who have heard her. Gardini (violinist) and Leon Ronchetti (cornet soloist) have also a high reputation. t The attention of parents is drawn to the • danger to children by allowing them to be- j come possessed of the small tin "whistle that • is usually concealed in the packets of confectionery that children are wont to purchase. The whistle is similar to that which a little boy Bwallowed the other day, and which neces- • sitated medical treatment at the hospital. It . is made of two circular pieces of tin with a j hole pierced in the centre. The object, which •' is a little larger than a shilling, is placed in- j side the mouth, and the whistling sound is j produced by blowing through the hole. It j will thus be seen that from the very nature j of the toy it if a risky thing for children to j play with, for when placed in the- mouth it j is no small feat to hold it in position without • swallowing it. I The monthly meeting of the committee of j the Otago Early Settlers' Association was j held on Monday at the secretary's office; i present— Messrs D. .tfpid, jun. (in the chair), ; T. K. Sidey, R. N. Adams, Dr Fulton, J. R. j Monson, G. C. Proudfoot, and P. Duncan, j Some correspondence was read and received. It was decided to hol3 the annual meeting of the association on* the evening of Tuesday, ' 30th inst. The anmial balance sheet was re- , ceived and read,i and a oommittee was ap- j pointea to draw up the annual report. - i The Victorian parliamentary commissioners, , Messrs Best and Trenwith, were entertained [ at a dinner by the Mayor of Christchurch last Friday evening, and the Premier of this j colony was also a guest on the same occasion. ; During the conversation at the table the Hon. M\- Best suggested that it might be a good thing if the Victorian and New Zealand Parliaments would occasionally exchange a few members for a session. This form of reciprocity at once commended itself to Premier Seddon, avlio instantly rejoined that he won id i consent to that, as there were several politicians in this colony whom he was quite pre- ] pared to exchange for any members of the , Victorian Parliament. "It needs no ghost to tell us" that the honourable gentlemen to \ whom the Premier is so ready to bid a cordial ' farewell usually sit during the session on or . near the front Opposition benches, or that for ' similar reasons the Victorian Premier would ■ have just as little objection to the proposal. j The New Zealand Times states that the J ratio of hotels to the population in Auckland i is one to every 666; in Wellington, one to j every 789 ; in Christchurch, one to every 454 ; j in Dunedin, one to every 439; in Kumara, j ono to every 88 ; and in Hokitika, one to every j 95. The proportion for the whole colony is j one to every 476. The Gazette notifies that Mr Bernard Cracroft Aston has been temporarily appointed an analyst to the Government. j A case of interest to cyclists and owners of | horses came before Mr Hawkins, S.M., at J Gore on Friday, when A. G. Holden sued G. ; Marshall, livery stable keeper, for the recovery of £6 10s, damages to plaintiff's bicycle, alleged to have been caused by the negligence of defendant's servant. Plaintiff's case was that three horses, which were in charge of a groom named Rowan, who has since left Gore, appeared to be quite out of control, and they collided with his machine, damaging it. For the defence evidence was given that the usual rule of the road was to pass led horses on the side of the man leading them, and that 1 this had not been done in this case. Further, j it was shown that the horses were usually quiet. The magistrate said he considered the rule of the road did not apply so much in the case as the fact that the groom had acted imprudently in leading fresh horses round a corner at a trot. Negligence was shown, and an absence of ordint^y care and prudence. J

Judgment would be for plaintiff for £4 l(Js damages; costs £2 Bs. Before Major Keddell, S.M., at Oamaru on Saturday a cabinetmaker proceeded against" his apprentice for being absent without leavo from his master's service before the term cl apprenticeship had expired. It appeared from the evidence that some words passed between master und apprentice, when the master ordered his servant to knock off the work he was doing. Defendant alleged that he was ordered to leave the shop, but admitted that in going away he was only doing what he had previously resolved upon, having received an offer of higher wages. Mi 1 Creagh quoted sec tion 9 of the Master and Apprentice Act of 1E65, which says that the apprenticeship of a boy shall expire at the age of 19, and the case was dismissed. This means that no matter when a lad enters his apprenticeship he crnnot be held longer to his indentures than tho period when he reaches the age of 19. A meeting of the Working Committee ot the Dunedin Pipe Band was held at the band nooms, Rattray street, on Saturday evening. Information having been received that the 15 sets of bagpipes ordered had been shipped by the s.s. Tekoa, it was decided that immediate steps be taken to raise funds to provide the Highland uniform. Subscription cards have been issued, and it was decided to hold a concert some time in June. The band members have made themselves responsible for £200, and having done bo much they expect now to receive some assistance from the outside public. Their treasurer, Mr William Reid, of the Caledonian Society, will bo glad . to • acknowledge subscriptions for the band uniform fund. Mr A. W. Hogg, member for Masterton, reckons he has earned the gratitude of his constituents. "He could not say how much money he had helped to got on the Estimates for roads and bridges for his constituents, but he reckoned a quarter of a million would not be far off the mark. . . . He could regale them with plenty of stories of people in .the towns, lifted from their embarrassments and transplanted among the hills and valleys of the bush, where they had grown and waxed fat, but time would not admit. If anything compensated for his work in the House and ou the Land Board, it was the fact that wherever h© travelled all over the Wellington province he could find warm-hearted, grateful friends."