LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 968, 5 December 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

With respect to the raise m wool which has come to us through our cablegrams, the following may be looked upon as explanatory : — Advance on wool only 2d,' crossbred greasy ; 4d Was for Scotland ; Merino greasy, Id. There is a report m circulation that one among our oldest Poverty Bay settlers has applied to the Government for the lease of a block of land on which to form a Mormon settlement. It is stated that the settler m question has received a "revelation," ami that when the settlement is formed there will be a plurality of wives as a part of the system. We have not written m anything like jest. The information has been communicated to us as a fact. It is with satisfaction we learn that Mr. S. M. Wilson has leased the Albion Stables from Mr. Bradley, which will form part of the fine premises to be known as the Albion Club Hotel. These stables have been built regardless of expense, and are equal to the best livery and bait stables m the North Island. The tenders which were called for .by Mr. Wilson are now cancelled.

We learn that the sale of grass seed this season has met with few buyers. The only reason assigned, is,, that the rates rule very low, and that the difficulty of procuring cheap labor for cutting and preparing the seed for market is very great. The grass is m splendid condition, and is likely to yiold an enormous harvest ; but still, buyers are few, and the prices offered are not sufficient to induce owners to part with their crops. The' ordinary monthly meeting of the Gisborne District School Committee was held on Wednesday evening last. Mr. D. Johnston, the Chairman, presiding. It was resolved that application be made to the Board for another pupil teacher, owing to the great increase m the number of children attending the School, also for the provision of suitable lavatories. The establishment of a High School was further considered, a telegram on the subject having been, received from Mr. S. Locke, when it was resolved that that gentleman aud Mr, McDonald, M.H.R., be communicated, with to .urge the matter to a successful issue if possible. The Secretary was instructed to enforce, the compulsory clauses of the Act. The Committee voted £4 to be expeuded m the purchase of prizes, to be distributed among the Schools before the breaking up for the Christmas vacation, which will take place on the 19th instant. The Revs. J. McAra and E. Williams will act as examiners. Mr. Henry Bull, at present head master of the Public School, at Wallacetown, Southland, has been appointed second master of the Gisborne School, and will assume the post when the School assembles m January, next. Messrs. Ferris & Pitt wiU'hold.a largo sale of furniture and household effects tomorrow, at their mart, the whole of which will be sold without reserve. Mr. O'Meara tells us that the fences of the Recreation , Ground have been broken down, and promises further information for to.morrow'B issue. The Gisborne Athletic Club have inserted m our advertising columns a preliminary advertisement of their intention to hold an Athletic meeting on New Year's Day. The committee are busy making all the necessary arrangements to ensure a good day's sport ; and a novelty m athleticism, a swimming match, is to be one of the events, a gentleman resident here having offered a prize for that particular event. The Members are endeavoring to raise subscriptions so as to offer prizes worth while competing for. We trust those that are fond of competion m physical exercise will patronise the Club by helping to augment their funds. . De Candolle, the great French botanist, gives some interesting facts showing the strength of certain fibres used m the making of ropes and cordage as compared with the strength of silk. While silk sustained a weight of 341 b., a fibre of New Zealand flax of the same weight sustained a pressure of twenty-three and four-fifths lbs. ; common hemp, 1621 b., and common flax llf pounds.

The members of the Cricket Club will meet to-morrow afternoon at the .Recreation. Ground and play a scratch match. Sides to be picked on the ground. ■ It is interesting to note that m February next there will be five Sundays." This fact occurs hut three times m a century. Thu9, after 1880, we shall have to wait until 1920 until the shortest month of the year can again boast of five Sundays. The' Murrurundi Times says : — We are informed by a resident m this town .that watercress has a marvellous effect \ipon a bilious headache. Whenever he or any. of } his household suffer m that way they make a meal of watercress, and within a short time they find themselves restored to their usual state of health, no matter how severe the attack. Whilst out opossum shooting one moonlight night a lad, the son of Mr. Blake, of Boora, was bitten by a large snake, which had been disturbed m a hollow log. The bite was on. the finger. The brave little fellow first attempted to blow the finger off with his gun, and failing, went to a neighboring house, and fin- ling an axe outside submitted to have his finger cut off by a companion youuger than himself, and who only succeeded after several blows. Young Blake showed no sign of fear or pain, and, beyond the loss of his finger, suffered no serious consequences. The Challenger, when m these latitudes, took soundings along the course where the cable is laid down between New Zealand and New South Wales, and much interesting zoological information, was obtained. The cable steamer Agnes, which' left Wellington for Sydney last week, intends taking the same route as the Challenger, taking soundings every ten miles along the course. These are much shortor distances than were adopted by the former vessel, and it is anticipated that the voyage of the Agnes will bring to light' innch that is at present unrevealed m the scientific world. A prisoner m Fentridge states that Moonlight tried to raise a gang with the view of seizing the mail steamer daring the voyage, and compelling the Lascars to land them with, the gold and specie at some point on the Australian coast. Forty-five thousand bales of wool were sold m Melbourne during last month. Fifty-four thousand bales were catalogued. The Union Bank, now unlimited, intend to increase their £25 shares to £75, the additibnrl £50 being exclusively reserve. The shareholders thus kuow the limit of their responsibility, while the public are guaranteed to the extent of £3,800,000 above the paid-up capital. A special meeting of the London shareholders will be held on January 12th to confirm the action of the Directors. A new thing m London shows is a bullfight by a circus performer and a trained bull. The beast plays his part wonderfully well, making a pretence of furious rage, toeing the man, and trampling on him, but does it all so carefully that no injury is done. , Here is a painfully practical exemylicfiation of how hard the times are just now. Some days ago iv Christchurch, an advertisement was inserted m the looal journals requiring a clerk m a merchant's office. No less than 178 applications were received during the week following the notice. And the salary offered was but 35s a week ! >Under the Property Assessment Act clau3e 87 states if the person liable to taxation (1) knowingly and wilfully makes a false statement or false answer for the purpose of evading assessment, or (2) by falsehood, wilful neglect, fraud, art, or contrivance, evades, or attempts to evade, assessment, on proof before two Justices, be shall be charged with treble the amount of the tax for which he sought to evade payment, m addition to the tax fur which he is otherwise liable, and shall be also liable to a penalty of not less than £&'■ or more tihan JSIOO. Any person aiding or assisting is liable to a penalty of not less than £5 nor more than j£so. (88.) Any person obstructing any officer m the discharge of his duties under the Act,- by refusing or neglecting to answer questions put by such officer relating to the property, or who gives a false or evasive, answer, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding Bellerine, a township not far from Geelon?, is chiefly one long street. For the convenience of worshippers the Episcopalians have erected a church at each end- of the town, where service is conducted each Sunday morning and afternoon .alternately by the same clergyman. A short time since the natives were astpuuded at reading the - following remarkable announcement, which was tacked upon the door of each church, "On Sunday next ' the Rev.—— will baptize infants at both ends." An English paner of a late date has the ' following:— "We spend £140,000,000---annually upon drink, and it had been calculated that the indirect cost was £130,000,000 more, or a total annual expenditure, direct and indirect, • of £270,000,000 — that is, an average of £9 a head for every man, woman, and child m the United Kingdom; We complain of bad times ; one. great secret of bad times was this enormous expenditure. If this money were spent m legitimate trade, at the shops of the draper, the butcher, .the tailor, it would give such an impulse to trade that we should be startled at our own prosperity." Two living alligators are being exhibited at Sydney. They were captured about eight weeks ago m Alligator Creek, twentyfive miles from Cleveland Bay, Northern Queensland. The mode of their capture was as follows.: — 1 portion of the creek which is effected by the tides, to the extent of four or five feet, was fenced or " coralled " off with timber, with the exception of a space m front sufficient to admit an alligator. Juicy portions of wallabj were then placed at: intervals inside this "corral" as bait, to entice the monsters to enter, and then sentries were posted off to await the result. They had not lone to wait ; , and as soon as they saw one safely within the enclosure, they lost no time m stopping up the opening and making him a prisoner. -When the tide went down, -he was found to be an enormous brute, measuring, as was afterwards found, nearly 17 feet m length by fully 2| m breadth m his widest part, and it was only after ten days of severe labour that six men, by the aid of ropes succeeded m getting him into a tatfk which had been prepared for him.,, This tank afterwards proved to be too slight to carry his great weight, and the one he is 'now m was built for the purpose. The smaller alligator, between 8 and 10 feet Ion?, was caught at the same place, and by the same means. While the House was considering the Registration of Electors Bill, say a a Wellington exchange, Mr. Andrews, the member for Christchurch, objected to clause 19 containing anything m a foreign language which could be put into English. The words were mutatis 'mutandis. He was told that those- words expressed the meaning better than, the English words would. Upon which he replied, amidst much laughter, that every lawyer m the House gave a, different translation. The words were not struck out. , '.-