General News.

Southern Cross, Volume 5, Issue 33, 20 November 1897, Page 8

General News.

The Southland Land Board meets to-day. The Waianiwa Athletic Society holds its annual sports on 30th December. The Council has disagreed with the amendments made by the House in the Invercargill Public Offices Site Act Amendment Bill. One hundred store pigs were recently: railed from North Canterbury to the Edendale piggeries. A number of people visited Mr Lithgow’s workshop on Saturday night, and witnessed a double display—ah exhibition of acetelyne gas and Sun bicycles. Illuminant and machines were alike admired. Mails for Great Britain close at Invercargill at one p.m. and 3.15 p.m. on Tuesday next. The outbuildings on Mrs C. T. Warden’s farm at One Tree Point were burned down on Wednesday night, and six.draught horses that were in the stable perished. A lot of' harness, produce, and implements were also lost. The insurances are £l5O, but the loss is greatly in excsss of that amount.

Mr H&ghr Mair waijoni OTucsdsy last elected ‘ 'Mayor- of Itivercargitl ovdthout> opposition. ‘?Ehe following - gebtleiheja-have o alto; been r«jtdriied : Unopposed as Mayors - for the boroughs named A. J.Garmsori, North Invercargill • J. Walker; South Invercargill; A. F. Hawke, Gladstone ; G. Avenal; R. Galbraith, East Invercargill. The Southland County Council invite tenders for a number of works. A new brake for vehicles has lately been on the market, for which Mr John Bath has been appointed the Southland agent. It is.“ Madder’s Automatic Brake,” and as the name indicates is a self-acting contrivance, although it may be used in the ordinary way as well. An arm in front is attached to the breeching, and in descending a hill the brake is forced against the wheels, and this bringing more weight on the horse’s back gives it more hold on the ground. To another lever on lop the reins can be attached when the horse is left, and it cannot pull forward without pulling on the brake. The latter point should recommend the brake to those using carts and vans in town. The hearing of a case, in which a little girl named Ehoda Elizabeth Swan sued (through her father) for the recovery of £SO from S. Whitcombe, was concluded in the S.M. Court on Thursday. The facts of the ease were that, owing to the bad state of Clyde street, Mrs Whitcombe, who was riding a bicycle, was compelled to take to the footpath, and there accidentally knocked down the . girl, who was hurt about the face. After hearing the evidence His Worship said he did not think the girl would suffer any permanent disfigurement, but she had suffered a good deal of pain, and something was due for that. He thought £lO would be ample, and gave judgment for that amount (less £7 5s paid into court), with costs, £5 13s. The Black Family, who are welcome visitors at the Bluff, give another of their charming entertainments there on Friday evening, 26th inst., when Miss Metzger will make her appearance as a vocalist. Queenship has its drawbacks. Queen Wilhelmina, of Netherlands, now 17 years old, has reluctantly agreed to the request of her Ministers to forego cycling owing to the danger of the pastime. The Hudson Surprise Party, who opened their New Zealand tour in Invercargill this week, are bound to have a good time in the colony. So are their patrons. As one of them put it—“ It takes a good deal to make me laugh, but I had to the other night. Laugh ! I never laughed so much in all my life before.” And it was the same all over the house. Every member of the company is good in his or her particular line, be i* singing, dancing, joking, acrobatism, or instrumentalism, and best of all there are no long waits. They have abundance of material, play into each other’s hands beautifully, and crowd no end of good things into the programme —so good that the weather and all the other miseries of life are for the time forgotten. Once upon a time, as the story-books . say, there lived a man in New Zealand who owed another fellow-mortal some money. We will call him Mr A. He was unable to discharge his indebtedness. One day Mr A introduced a third party, who made glad the heart of the creditor by buying some of his wares—and paying for them. He did this several times, always paying. Meeting Mr A. the creditor said—“ By Jove old feilo/v, it was awfully kiad of you to bring that good customer along.” “Well, you see,” explained Mr A., “ I thought that as I couldn’t pay my own account I’d try and make it up to you and do you a good turn.” So each went his way. Not long after that they met again—this time without gladness on the par 1 of the creditor, for the third party had run up a big bill and cleared out to parts unknown. The creditor wants no more “ good turns.”