General News

Southern Cross, Volume 4, Issue 2, 11 April 1896, Page 8

General News

The Education Board yesterday decided to continue the Park school, and to meet the wishes of the Waikiwi residents by renting the ’’ Presbyterian church there for school purposes. Mr Hall-Jones, Minister of Public Works, arrived ,in Invercargill by yesterday afternoon’s express. The Southland County Council yesterday refused to renew the license for the Croydon slaughter works. Mr M. Impey, who recently opened as a herbalist in Tay street, is manufacturing a Worcester sauce, which is pronounced to be of excellent quality. It has a flavour much like that of the article made by one of the best Home firms, and as it is retailed at a very reasonable figure, there should soon be a demand for it. Sale of Education leases at Gore to-mor-row. At the instance of His Worship the Mayor, an effort is to be made to have railway workshops re-established in Invercargill. Latest advices are to the effect that London is flooded with cheap meat.

The Mataura Ensign has authority for stating that Messrs Tothill, Watson and Co have purchased the business, plant, build-, ings, etc., in the assigned estate of Mr H. SValentine, Riversdale. On Wednesday evening a sensational occurrence took place near Clinton in the shape of a collision between a goods train from Clutha to Gore and a special excursion train from Edendale. Beyond few minor injuries, the passengers were unharmed, but the engines and some of the carriages were badly damaged. It is alleged that the goods train should have waited at Waiwera till the other train passed. Betty thieving of a mean kind is becoming rather frequent about town. About a week ago a leg of mutton (intended for Sunday’s dinner) and half a roll of bacon were extracted from a meat safe at the bouse of a family on the flat, and this week a cooked joint and a plate of scones were removed from a safe in Don street during the absence of the family. On and after Tuesday next the Invercargill Borough Council resume possession of the jetty, hitherto leased, and in this issue they invite applications for the position of wharfinger. Burgess and defaulters’ lists may be inspected at the Municipal Chambers. The great attraction during this week for the juvenile portion of the community has been the steam merry-go-round at the north end of Dee street. The horses and carriages fly around so gracefully that the youngsters are charmed and insist upon having a ride. The hours and charges are notified in another column. The Trades Council held their annual conference in Invercargill this week, and dealt with a large number of questions affecting labour. A deputation of the unemployed in Wellington told the Minister of "Works that some men were getting married because of the preference given to married men on relief works. "Visitors to the country during the holidays were struck by the number of swaggerg travelling the roads in search of work. One of them had travelled all the way from Christchurch, and had only got a day or two’s work all the way. The house surgeon of the Christchurch hospital is to be asked to resign on account of neglect of duty At the draughts tournament in Wanganui the championship was won by Boreham. Spain is sending 40,000 men to suppress the rebellion in Cuba. Count Mattei, well-known as the discovere 1 " of certain remedies, is dead. He was in hi eighty-sixth year. Mr Trenwith, the Melbourne labour leader has lost his sight, and £630 has been subscribed to send him Home to undergo an operation for its restoration. Protests continue to be made against Hew Zealand’s tax on commercial travellers. A young man named Walter Knight, a passenger by the lonic for Capetown, poured a tin of carbolic acid over himself in the belief that R was water, and died from his injuries. The acid was kept'in the bath room in a can of the same kind as that containing water. The congregation of the Bluff Presbyterian Church have sent a call to the Rev. Mr Ash of Ravensbourne. His own people don’t want to part with him. P- Sheehan, Eye street, while engaged in his duties as a shunter at Balclutha on Monday last, had his leg broken through the wheel of a truck passing over it. He was brought to the Southland Hospital. Kensington Museum was opened to the public on Sunday for the first time on Easter Sunday, and was visited by 10,000 people. Census forms have to be filled up to-morrow night. Sunday is also the date fixed for the consummation of the union between the United Methodist Eree Church, Bible Christians, and Wesleyans ; and the Methodist Union Committee suggest that if members of the two former churches prefer to return themselves as members of those denominations they should explain in a note that union takes effect that day. The police force is to be increased.

The Wyndham Farmer reports Mr McNab,, a-s having made the following prediction “ I venture to say that the Bank of New Zealand legislation'will be the cause of more institutions being wrecked during; the next decade of the colony than any other

agency.’

• Parental responsibilities have been brought home to a father in New Plymouth. He was charged with failing to send his son toschool, and despite his plea that he had done all he could, was fined, with the alternative of going to gaol.

A man named Matthew Finlay Paterson has been arrested at Waiwera, near Clinton, on a charge of burning three stacks of oatsbelonging to J. Nicol, who had won an action brought byj Paterson for the recovery of wages. It is alleged that Patersontold someone he had a system of setting fireto stacks by means of phosphorus, which enabled him to get a good way off before combustion occurred.

The annual Convention of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union has just closed in Dunedin. The reports read from the various branches were of a hopeful character. The Invercargill branch reported that owing to the kindness of the Bluff Harbour Board they had been able to place a pianoin the Sailors’ Best at the Port. The following office-bearers were elected :—President, Mrs Schnackenberg (Auckland) ; corresponqjjjjpg secretary, Miss M. S. Powell (Palmerston North) ; recording secretary. Miss Kirk (Wellington) ; treasurer, Mr& Ballantyne (Riccarton )

During the hearing of a cast at the New Plymouth Police Court last week it came out that a woman named Welch had sold her daughter (a white girl) to a Maori, the consideration being a 10-roomed house and 100 acres of land. The- agreement provided that the Maori was to marry the girl in nin e months. The girl objected to the arrangement, and left for the South Island.