LOCAL AND GENERAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 819, 26 June 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A would-be wit rusher! into our office this morning, and m ■ informed us that a barque had come ashore near the mouth of the YVaikanae river. Our reporter w»» about proceeding to the spot to ascertain the correctness or otherwise of the information, when he was stopped by the would-be wit, stating that it was only a dead dog, which, to lm thinking, was a defunct bark to all intents and purposes. We will thank our informant for the future to keep his wit within bound*. We observe m the Gazette of the 12th instant, that His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint Dr. H. Pollen, of Gisborne, to be Honorary AssistantSurgeon to the.T Battery of Artillery, date of commission, 20th May," 1879. We have been requested to remind the local Volunteers that the first of the series of drills under Sergeant-Instructor Huddlestone, will commence to-morrow evening, at 7 o'clock, at the place appointed. .•■ The following from the pen of a nonOisborne resident may be instructive to business men : — "I cannot say I have much respect for the mode m which business is conducted m Gisborne. I bave seen business done m many parts of the world, but lam bound to say that I never saw such stupid business blunders m any other cony munity as are often made m Gisborne. Last mail I received a most curt and peremptory order from an irate firm to pay for goods I had never before heard of. One would think most of Gisborne folks were on the briuk of bankruptcy, they hit out so wildly at imaginary debtors. lam quite a victim to sort of thing, and other Billy blunders ; so much so that f must say for the acme of stupidity m business, commend me to Gisborne." At noon to-day the thermometer stood three degrees lower than at any time during the .last two years iv Gisborne j that is at the same hours. It has been a " nipping " day m more senses than one. There was pne unimportant case -at the Police Count this morning, m which aman named Alexander Mc'Kenzie was charged with larceny of a bridle from .a publichouae. The charge was remanded for' evidence.

Tho whole of the stock-in-trade of Mr. Stubbs' establishment is advertised to be sold al auction by Messrs. Ferris and Pitt, under Bill of Sale." The chemists' stock will be sold on Monday next ; the books, stationery, and fancy goods on Saturday week. Messrs. Ferris and Pitt will sell at their mart, on Saturday a quantity of orna- | mental shrubs, and flowers ; alao, a choice selection of vegetable and flower seeds from the celebrated- nuaaeries of Mr. Sturm, of Napier, and a quantity from Mr. Hill's nursery of Poverty Bay. ; .Messrs Bourke. and Smith will sell tomorrow, at 12 o'clock, at Mr. S. M. Wilson's stable yards, two staunch saddle > horses well-known m Gisborne as thorough goers. ; The objections to the Land Tax valuatious m the Wellington district number 2000.- Very many are merely technical. All the objections will besubmitted to an independent valuer, distinct from the gentlemen who originally valued the properties. His report will be sent into the Commissioner, who will determine whether the case Bhall go before the Appeal Court or uot. Every ol»)ector will receive due notice as to what has been done m his individual case. The Hon. Mr. Stout has. prepared a Licensing Bill to be submitted uuonicially by him to next Parliament/ It is, pruccieally, a " Permissive Bill." It provides that licensing districts shall be identical with Boroughs or wards of Boroughs, ridings of Counties, Road Districts outside Counties, to such other districts as the Governor uiay fur the purpose constitute. No new licenses are to be granted unless and until the ratepryers have determined by.a general poll whether the number of licenses shall be increased. The bill also provides that the Licensing Court shall entertain atiy petition or memorial from residents or ratepayers of district, and on proof of the authenticity of signatures, if it appear that at least two thirds of the residents or ratepayers m the neighbourhood of the house to which the petition relates object to the licenses, the Court shail refuse to grant the application. The Licensing Court is, at its discretion, to determine what is to be decided as " the neighbourhood." Sunday trading is to be strictly limited. No persons are to be supplied except lodgers and hone fide travellers, aud at least five miles from the uremises, and anyone falsely representing himself to be a traveller m liable to a fine of £5. Under the heading olKeroalne Dangers," the English Mechanic of February says,: — *' A correspondent mentions ' a source of danger m usiuk kerosine lamps, which seems to have been generally overlooked— namely, the habit of allowing lamps to stand near hot stoves, on mantlepieces and other places where they become sufficiently heated to convert the oil into gas. Not unfrequently persons engaged iv cooking or other work about the stove will stand the lamp on ah adjacent mantlepiece, even on the top of a raised ovin, or, when ironing, will set the lamp near tho stand on which the heated iron rests. It is needless to enlarge 'upon the risky character of such practices." The most horrible of aea-mousters, the '•devil-fish," is apparently becoming unpleasantly common ou'our coasts. A few days ago an euormous specimen was found dead m Lyell's bay, VVelHn^ton, and we now read that : a fishing party caught an octopus Bft, m length, near the lighthouse, atNeloa a day or two ago. They cut oif the creatures arms aud then let it go. A monster of that size can draw a good-sized boat dowu into the depths. In the deadly grasp of its arms a tnau is absolutely powerless j aud the creature is provided wi.ha powerful beak, with which he rends his prey to pieces. Probably there is no city or town m New Zealand where bigotry and bitter sectarianism rides more rampart than m Ghristchuroh. The Bishop and his clergymen, have had a preliminary meeting to form a Benevolent Asylum for the distressed ; but then the distressed — the nun ry, the Hid w, the halt, and the lUiiutted — must Iva members of the Cuurch of Euglaud. All the others m dire need may starve. This is the City of Cathedrals, church bells, and if sherry and biscuit ministers, What would be thought of a minister if any particular religious sect m Gisborne was to move for v similar sort of tiling. Would it not " stink j' the nostrils ?" The number of objections to the Land Tax Assesmeut m Canterbury is 2800. In Nelson 346. Illicit distillation is alleged to be m existence iv Poverty Bay, aud this to a considerable extent. The rumor may have been brought about by the falling off m the duty on spirits at our uort. In the Middle Island, we learn by a late report, illicit distillation is been conducted on a gigantic scale. The. Wellington Chronicle thinks the Srinciple should be rigidly enforced m ealing with the disaffected natives . of making the land nay the cost of the war. It should be sold and settled upon ; and eveu should there nut be war, the land should be taken possession of all the same.