fjag Herald* PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBOKNE, WKDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1892.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6260, 6 January 1892, Page 2

fjag Herald* PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBOKNE, WKDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1892.

IMPORTED DISEASES. Two or three deaths have occurred in Gisbocne from la grippe, but in each case fatal consequences would most probably have been averted had the victims not treated the complaint lightly at first. Medical aid was called in at too late a stage. The disease is dying out here, and in a short time the place is likely to be quit of it altogether. So far Gisborne ht;s suffered lightly from its ravages, other parts of the colony having experienced a much more deadly visitation. The danger both in regard to contagion and fatal results is greatest to people with weak constitutions, but it does not seem that the best sanitary surroundings are any safeguard against catching the disorder. Cablegrams have informed us that several members of the reigning houses of Europe have been amongst the afflicted, also peers, Ministers, and members of Parliament. The affluent classes are just as likely to be struck down by influenza as people in the poorest circumstances. This disease does not seek its victims mostly in the slums of large towns, like cholera, smallpox, and typhoid fever, but strikes the high as well as the low in the scale of material prosperity. Country communities, in which all the surrounding conditions are favorable to he-ilth, are just as liable to the complaint as crowded cities. Yesterday it was announced that the hotels and boarding-houses in Pahiatua has been turned into hospitals, and are crowded with victims of the epidemic, and that some of the bushfellers' and contractors' camps have been quite deserted. There is no practical way of isolating la grippe. Quarantine regulations are inoperative against a visitation, unless communication with the outer world were cut off altogether, for the disease just now appears to be prevalent, everywhere. However, even were it not now too late, no one would dream of cutting New Zealand off from communication with the rest of the world to keep out the disease. Bad as the influenza is, it is nothing compared to yellow fever, which is a terrible and deadly scourge. Communities fly from the presence of "Yellow Jack." The climate of New Zealand is fortunately not favorable to the projmga-

tion of this disease, which seeks its victims not in tens but in thousands where there is human material to work upon. The risk i 9 greater to the North Island than to the Smith. People, therefore, must have read with surprise a Dunedii. telegram announcing that thu barque Inverurie, from a Brazilian port, which arrived at the Heads with yellow fever on board, had been ordered to Napier — seni on from one of the coollest pirts of tho colony to one of the hottest. Thenis absolutely no risk of yellow fever ob taining a permanent hold in New Zealand but at this time of the year there would bo considerable danger of a tempnran lodgment in the sultry and swampy capital of Hawke's B -»y, and death migh: ba the lot of hundreds befoie the destroyer ceased operations. Napior should bt the last place in the colony to despatch a ship to which had yellow foyer on bo ird. Tho Auckland Islands or some other cold uninhabited land in the South Pacific, should have been chosen. With yellow fever at Napier, tho people of Gisborne would have reason to feel particularly uncomfortable. This place is certainly not swampy, but it is hot enough in the middle of summer to permit of tho ravages of the black death. New York, Philadelphia, and other places in tho Northern States of America, havo had dreadful visitations of the disease, and great havoc has been wrought in Spain through its importation frotn the regions from which the Inverurie has arrived, A telegram received yesterday states that when the barque reaches Napier, if there is still yellow fever on board, she will be ordered into quarantine at Wellington. This is more satisfactory news than that formerly received, for the further south such a visitor is located the less danger of this particularly deadly disease spreading.

The Borough valuation roll shows a total value of properties of L 26.200, which is L 319 less than last year. The Post calls Mr McLean, one of the candidates for Wellington, "A Ministerial Marionette." The gas played tricks at the Borough Council meeting last evening. It had the hiccups. The Harbor Board rates for 1891, which were due and payable to the end of December, have come in well. Only L 239 is outstanding, as against over L3OOO alleged to have been outstanding last year. During the year the Board has collected L6OOO of rates. This evening the entertainment in aid of the funds which are necessary to send a fire brigade team to the competition to be held in Christchurch takes place in the City Rink. The programme has been published and assures all who by their patronage desire to assist the brigade that they will receive a most enjoyable evening's entertainment. We arc informed that a good house is assured, tickets having sold well. Of nearly a hundred newspapers in the colony, these are the only ones, says an exchange, which support the Government: — News, Invercargill ; Standard, Gore ; Globe, Dunedin ; Mail, Oamaru ; Leader, Temuka ; Colonist, Nelson ; Times, Christchurch ; Herald, Wanganui ; Settler, Stratford ; Star, Auckland ; Standard, Palmerston North : Observer, Auckland ; News, Napier ; Star, Masterton. A Hobart bench of magistrates, to the surprise and disgust of the superintendent of police there, ruled that one man standing by himself coidd not be an obstruction on a footpath. A constable had "woke the wrong man" when he ordered a lawyer's clerk to "move on," for he demanded the policeman's number and wrote a letter to him demanding an apology for interfering with him oi: the public street. The following figures aro interesting as showing the extent to which hoi-se-racing is" cariied on in this district. During the year 1891 the amount of money paid to racing clubs for the privileges of collecting money at the gates, publicans' and refreshment booths, etc, was LB3B 10s ; the total amount paid away in stakes was L 2930 ; and no less than L 20,221 passed through the totalisator ou the eleven days on which racing was held during the year. These three sums added show a total of L 23,987 10s spent in racing. Mr Buick, M.H.R., told the people at Carterton the other night that it was the intention of the Government to submit any measures of importance they intended bringing before the House first of all to the National Liberal Federation and take their vote, and on their decision would proceed with or reject such measure. The minority in the Associations, and everybody out of it, are to be completely ignored. How long is such a state of things likely to last. — • Observer. The default of the Oamaru Harbor Board coming so soon after the New Plymouth affair is a very serious matter, writes a London correspondent. City folk are beginning to wonder how far this sort of thing is going. The writer of the famous New Zealand Harbor Board series of articles in the Financial Times has so far proved painfully perspicuous. New Plymouth, Oamaru, and Otago were the three he specially declared rotten and impossible. Two of them have already defaulted, and Otago bonds, I have ascertained for myself, are with difficulty negotiable. The Times itself is ferociously jubilant. The inadequacy of the wretched excuses of the Chairman of the Oamaru Board are cruelly exposed, and their absurdity plainly demonstrated. Finally, the Times repeats the advice it has many times given to holders of New Zealand harbour bonds: "Put your interests in the hands of competent and impartial experts on the spot, and do not, as heretofore, place implicit reliance in people whose only proved ability is that of squandering money and mismanaging business affairs. " A lady writing to the Telegraph says : — I wonder if there is anything in the air of Napier which makes many girls here discontented ! Several whom I have met seem to take such a superficial interest in life ; as long as tliey have tennis, dancing, or flirting to engage their attention, they are happy, but when they are at a loss how to fill in their time with pleasure, one hears a long string of petty grumblings and complainings. It is astonishing to note how little interest many girls take in domestic matters. It satisfies them to sec their mother take all the home worries and troubles upon her own shoulders and they look upon it all, feel sorry, and yet do not lift a hand to make the work lighter. The new Act relating to bakers came into operation last month, which provides amongst other things that in every bread cart there shall be a pair of scales wherewith to weigh the bread. The inspector of weights and measures has been on the warpath in Auckland, and several bakers have been fined. One baker was charged with having on his cart a loaf of bread that was neither 1, -, 4, fi, or Slbs in weight as provided by the Act, but was 3lb 10oz, being (ioz less than 41b, the said loaf not being a French twist or roll. The defendant and his wife stated that the loaf in question was stale, and only intended for fowl's food. Sergeant Gamble said that it was ordinary bakers' bread. His Worship inflicted th« minimum penalty in each case, namely, 20s and costs for the second charge. The Weather. —Weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. to-day: Wind between west and south and south-east at all places northward of Lyttelton and Hokitika during next 10 hours, but changing after that time to between north-east and north and west at all places from Napier and Wanganui, southward to Lyttelton and Hokitika ancl to between north and west and south-west elsewhere. Barometer further rise at all places north of Napier and Wanganui, fall at all other places soon. Sea heavy on western coast and between Castlepomt and Kaikoura. Warnings for westerly gales have been sent to all places southward of Napier and New Plymouth. Synopsis of last 24 hours : Northward of Timaru and Queenstown the barometer has risen steadily but it has fallen slowly in the southern districts. Rain has fallen heavily everywhere except in Southland, and the weather has been generally colder with strong southerly gales. — R. A. |Ei)Wi\. Oamaru peoplo arc not stricken with the racing mania. They have two meetings a year and at the last only put through the {otulisator LB-30,

The Woodville Examiner, a strenuous supporter of the present Government, is quoted as giving a curious reason for the present rush upon land. The attention of the Government is called to the statement, whioh is as follows ; " The people of New Zealand have now learned how to circum- £ vent the ballot-box and the Minister of Lauds at the same time. They have found out that by the formation of special settle- | ments every member of the Association gets a section, and as they have besides the ] privilege so much decried by the present ( Ministry of picking the eyes out of the country, they naturally avail themselves to the fullest extent, but the real secret is, as >ue astute individual put it tous recently, there is money in it." Great interest has been manifested at Montreal (says an American paper) in the new Edison electric mining appliances exhibited at the Electrical Exposition. The most striking of these is the electric percussion drill, which will bore at the rate of 3in per minute in the hardest granite. It needs but little power to operate, and can be worked any distance from the dynamo to a limit of three miles. The drill is very simple in construction, having no moving parts except the plunger, and nothing that will be affected by moisture. The device, it is said by experts, will completely revolutionise mining work. The next in importance is the diamond prospecting core drill, designed for locating mineral deposits. It will bore 150 feet into the earth, bringing out a specimen of the mineral for the purpose, of determining its value. Some, have likened this drill to the mythical " divining rod," which was supposed to indicate the location of minerals. The Edison drill certainly resembles such an invaluable instrument. Aside from these are- exhibited electric cotil drills, electric hoists, electric fans, aud electric pumps, showing that Edison has turned his attention in earnest to mining work, and many are expecting marvellous results from this branch of electricity in the near future. In an article referring to Mr Fraser'* speech at the Opera House meeting in support of Mr M'Lean the Wanganui Chronicle writes ; — " Not one word of personal commendation could he frame his lips to utter. Tn sheer desperation he blurted out the fact that he did not care whether the candidate was a stick or a Chinaman, he would support him if he was brought out by the Government. In other words, this upright and honourable advocate, who had not one solitary word to say in favour of Mr M'Lean's ability or in defence of his character, declared that, however objectionable personally the candidate might be to himself - though he were as useless as a stick and as depraved as a Chinaman— he would do his utmost publicly and privately to make him one of Wellington's representatives in the Parliament or New Zealand. We confess that we knew nothing about Mr M'Lean before Mr Fraser spoke. His opponents had said next to nothing about him personally. What we think of him now, after Mr Fraser's strange way of commending him to honest and honourable men, we would not care to express in print. But Mr Fraser has unconsciously given ua a double revelation. He has shown us, without saying so, exactly what he thinks of Mr M'Lean, and he has at the same time revealed to us that there is no tool so mean, unworthy, and depraved that he would not stoop to use in furtherance of the public ends upon which he believes he has set his heart. Air Fraser is a good and honest worker in the interests of the public but if we knew no more of him than is to be gathered from the exaggerated foolishness of the words which he used to defame Mr M'Lean while commending his candidature to the public of Wellington, we should say that he was either an awful political humbug or a born natural. As for Mr M'Lean, the peculiar terms which Mr Fraser used to illustrate his qualifications, show why the candidate is the chosen and the beloved of the Government—and why also he should be rejected by all men who look for something better than sticks and Chinamen in the Parliament . of the country. Some remarkable disclosures have lx;cn made in the Victorian Legislative Assembly by the Attorney-General in connection with the scandal caused by the free and easy manner in which marriages, to the number of 8,000, have been celebrated during the fast few years by Mr Kinsman, described as head of the Free Church of England in Australia. Mr Shiels stated recently that on Mr Kinsman's nomination two other persons had been licensed by the RegistrarGeneral to perform the marriage ceremony. But it now transpires that Mr Kinsman, who is repudiated by a real bishop of the Free Church now in Melbourne, has not even been ordained. Mr Kinsman has recently applied to Bishop H. Orion Meyers for ordination, writing: — "As I have not been ordained, perhaps you will kindly put me in the proper way." Bishop Meyers has lodged his credentials with the proper authorities, but Mr Kinsman appears to have acted entirely without warrant in nominating other persons to celebrate marriages. The case is further complicated by Mr Shiels admitting that one of the ' ' ministers " nominated by Mr Kinsman was known under an alio,s. The House appeared greatly scandalised by the disclosures made, and demanded that a prosecution should be undertaken by the Crown against Mr Kinsman, but the AttorneyGeneral was reticent on that point.