Local and General.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 16, Issue 93, 2 December 1902, Page 4

Local and General.

Queen’s Birthday.—Yesterday wis the fifty-eighth anniversary of the birth of Queen Alexandra, who was born on ist December, i 84- , . , •

Havelock Police-Station, —We are informed that arrangements have b -en made for the building of a new Police Station and residence in Havelock, and that the work will be commenced very shortly.

The Commercial Hotel.—Mr Hunter has just completed a thorough overhaul of his large building, with the result that it is now one of the most comfortable hot Is in the Province, Wooing on the admirable motto that. " the best is eventually the cheapest,” Mr Hunter has' furnished all the bedrooms, sitting-rooms, and dining-room with the best and most comfortable necessaries. There are seventeen bedrooms, each containing new bedsteads and bedding of a very luxurious description ; a very cosy sitting-room and a bath-room (with hot and cold water laid on) complete the upstairs portion of the house; frbm each of the bedrootps are ropes as a means of escape in case of fire, in sie passages are wire ladders to hang out of the windows, and at the rear of the building is a ladder fire-escape leading to the yard. Downstairs the samp careful attention to the requirements of boarders and visitors is evident, The dining-room is cool and comfortable and tfee bftr has been repapered and painted in a very attractive style. There are two sitting-rooms off the bar, both of them being convenient and nicely furnished. The billiard-room also has received attention, and a new cloth placed on the table. The outbuildings—-stpre-room, sample-room, etc. —have been re-modelled and almost re-built, and many improvements have been effected that will be of great advantage to ffie lipengee and his patrcns. Externally, the hotel has a ye ry fine appearance, owing to the' excellent painting done by O’Neil and Son, of felen- i heim. who deserve commendation for their prompt and effective work. Mr p. Crispin bad the contract for repairs to tfie hotel end outbuildings, and did his work in the very best style, Mr Andrew Gregor was entrusted with the upholstering and renovation of couches, chairs, etc., and also made several pieces of furniture, and the work was done ;n a manner creditable to the best city estabhs’onient. _ We congratulate Mr Hunter on bis enterprise, which is sure to receive Aiwa the public

S.M. Court. —Mr Ecott-Smith, S.M., will preside at a sitting of the Havelock Court to-day. Tenders. The Roads Department, Picton, invite tenders (closing on 13th December) for the formation of a'dray-road and the building of culverts, etc., on the Bartlett's Creek-Langley Dale Road.

Cricket. —The Havelock-Linkwater team will play the Awarua ‘earn at Spring Creek on Saturday, and it is hoped that a good team will be got together from this end. If this cannot be done, it would be as well for the “Amalgamation” to retire gracefully from the Cup contest.

Journalistic Traitors. —lt is a pity that the human ctickoos of New Zealand, who. take a morbid delight in fouling their own nest, cannot be ruthlessly and permanently ostracised from the land. .Our blood boils when we read the traitorous stuff which some of these ill-conditioned creatures are in the habit of sending to English newspapers, .the editors of which ought to be ashamed to countenance the unspeakable meanness of their distant contributors. — Dunedin Star.

Crown Costume Dance.— The Havelock Hack Racing Club Committee have arranged to hold another Crown Costume Dance, which will take place at Victoria Hall, Canvastown, on Friday next, sth December, As this event will probably be the wind-up of the dancing season there is sure to be a large attendance of the youth and beauty of Havelock, Pelorus, The Wak, and Rai districts. We hear there are several wonderfully pretty and original costumes being prepared for competition. A capable Driver.— During his election campaign the Hon. C. H .Mills has been compelled to frequen'tly drivfe long distapces) at all hours of the day and night, and Mr ■ McKenzie, of the Blenheim Livery and Bait Stables, has always provided a splendid t am and vehicle. Mr Arthur Stewart, the driver, knows every inch of the country, and has proved a very capable and obliging Jehu. Stewart’s, fine team and his skilful driving in Blenheim on Election Day were admired by everyone. An Election Story. —The “boys” at Mahakipawa have the laugh against a wellknown resident in that locality. For nuny elections this old identity has boasted that ; he wis never on the 10.-in / side, and after the poll , was closed on Tuesday he was crowing as, usual about having voted for tne ultimate winner—" Charlie Mills can’t lose,” said he; “I voted for him every time, and have just voted for him at The Grove.” The joke was apparent when the return came in from The Grove, namely, “ Dnncan 14, Mills nil.”

A Misunderstanding.—ln our issue of 25th November, in referring to the late hour at which the cricket match Hayelock-Link-water v. Waifau was commenced, we stated that this was owing to the Wairau team not being able to get a drag to take them from The Grove to Mahakipawa—-which was actually the case ;-but some people have, or pretend to have, the idea that Campbell’s coach was not at The Grove in time. The facts of the case are that the cricketers arrived before the mail steamer, which broke down, and as Mr Campbell is bound to wait for the mail he could not neglect his mail contract in order to drive the cricketers to Mahakipawa. In order to save future misunderstanding it would be as well for other teams coming from Picton or Blenheim to let Mr Campbell know they are coming, and he can then have a brake ready.

The Senior Member for Dunedin.— Mr H. D. Bedford, one of the new members for Dunedin city, was born near Leeds, in Yorkshire, England, whence at the age of nine, and possessed of such education as is acquired in the 3rd Standard of the Board school, he emigrated, in the company of his mother and sister, to Invercargill to join his f ither, who had .preceded them 10 New Zealand some twelve months previously. After continuing his education up to thebth Standard, he left school with the object of preparing himself for a farming life, On hjs father’s farm he had familiarised himself with' dajpy work and subsequently pony breding. and in this latter connection he experienced the glorious and exhilarating excitement of brtaking in young horses. To fit himself for a practical life in all the ramifications of farm work he served for a time at a smithy and also acquired a technical knowledge of farm implements. His attention was first drawn to matters political by the perusal and discussion of a book on social and political problems The new train of thought thus awakened proved so fascinating that the idea of farming was abandoned. Mr Bedford decided to adopt the legal profession and was able’ in spite of some difficulties whjph, happily for the object he had in view, proved not to be insurmountable, to enter the Otago UDiversity, of which he is one of the shining alumni, having graduated there in 1901. He made a special study of political and economical science, and won distinction as a debater at the .Christchurch carnival in'l9ol. He stood-for Gavershain in the bye.-election but was defeated. Obituary.—An old Native resident of the Pelo u - - Eruera Wirihaqa Kaipara (other.wise Edwin V 'Wilson) —died on Sunday mor.ii at er an illness that toe old man has fought against with wonderful doggedness. Deceased kept a store at Canvastown, and WuS pottering about on Saturday night, but on Sunday morning he was found,dead, lying beside his fire-place. Dr Will has been attending him, and gav» a gertiljcate that Edwin died from heart disease and con tipation The ojd fellow has for about thirty-two years carried on a store in the vicinity'of Canvastown, and is reported to be close upon 95 years of age ; certain it is that he was a young man when Rauparaha made his tearful descent upon the Wairau, Awatere, and Pelorus Valleys in 1828, for he used to relate, w*'h great gusto, how he managed to e-cape, to the bush during, the raid. The funeral will take place at Canvastown to-day, the Rev. Mr Howell officiating, •

A Seven-masted Schooner.—The’sevennusted schooner, Thomas W. Lawson, which was launched recently by the Fore, River Ship and Engine Company;,Quincy, Mass., U S A., enjoys the distinction of being the largest sailing vessel afloat, She is built of steel, is 403 ft long over all, 50ft beam, and 36ft depth of nold, with a cargo capacity of Sipo tpns, the displacement when full loaded being 11,000 tons. Forty-three thousand square feet of canvas will be stretched from seven fpasts I:ssft high, the lower masts being steel cylinders 155 ft long and 32m in diameter, weighing negrjy 20 tons each. The topmasts are of Oregon pane, long. The spike bowsprit is of steel, ssll Jong, so that from the tip of her bowsprit to the tip of her &fter-mast boom she will measure 478 ft. She has site engines, one forward of 40 h.p. to work the capstan and hoist the anchors, and five others ot 25 b.p. eaeb to handle sails and work the six hatchways. The vessel has a double bottom of cellular construction,' 4ft deep, between the inner and outer plating; divided' into four compartment)* capable of carrying iobo‘ torts of; water ballast. Be§ides this, there is a trimming tank at each end. She fyas two continuous steel decks, besides a lower deck composed of a tier of beams connected with stringers and tie-plates.

*• Stop The Leak In the blue bag Empire Company’s Royal Blue can do its woEkibot it nuut have a. sotindjaiuc bagjj.

Dentistry.—We remind our readers of the visit to morrow of Mr Powell, dentist, who may be consulted at Mrs G. Pope’s. St. John Ambulance Society.—Members of the local branch of the above Society are requested to attend the final meeting for this season, in the Schoolroom, at 7.30 on Friday evening.

School Attendance.—We learn that many local children have been, during the past sit weeks, very lax in the matter of attending school, and that the School Committee have a few " awful examples ’ in their mind’s eye.

A Plethora of Luck !—When the Premier was in Cambridge, some seven months ago, (says the Waikato Argus), he was asking what was the reason the population was not increasing. A case happened the other week at a settler’s farm on the Hamilton road that will gladden Mr Seddon’s heart, for in the one week a f irmer’s wife presented him with twin sons, his mare had twin, foals, and his cow twin calves. Suppose you try me? Money to lend on freehold security with secrecy and despatch. F. S. Cory, Estate and Financial Agent, 7 Grey Street, Wellington —Advt. "You want it"—so do we. .You want your washing to look well; we like to see it so; we wish, you wish, and everybody does and wished it al along that Empire Company’s Royal Blue had been discovered long ago.