Summary of News

Southland Times, Issue 19263, 29 January 1904, Page 2

Summary of News

Whitaker Wright poisoned himself. This is a consequence of granting a desperate man bail while on trial." The Australian Political Labour League will take a hand in licensing legislation and the subject of compensation for losses by the closo of hotels. Queensland's present Premier says lie yrill borrow no more for railways ; the probabilities are that some other Premier will. A South Australian Labour leader gave his followers a dig. He told them they know more at>out probable winners of a Melbourne Cup than they did about the legislation in which they were most interested. Some Australians in Johannesburg have practically told Federal Premier Deakiu to mind his own business. H is supposed that matters have come to ,a deadlock between Japan and Russia. There are strong indications that the Russian war lords are less afraid of Jaipan than of possibilities in their own country should war be declared. Russia is a Seething cauldron of discontent ; only a little enlightenment of the masses is needed to cause it to boil over, Mr Tom Mann is not going ploughing this fall. Mi- Deakin has received a comforting message from Johannesburg. It appears that Australians are "no 'count" fellows who meet secretly. A secret has been defined as a thing thatis "enough for one, too much for two and nothing at all for three." Smallpox has appeared in Wellington. Russian military men are arrogant towards Japanese requests. The Secretary for the Colonies "sa,vs Imperial Parliament will debate tho Transvaal labour question before the colonial ordinance receives Royal assent. The scattered Gorman settlers in Pamoraland are in parlous case. They are so few in numbers that it would be costly to keep a sufficiently strong military force to protect them.

Mr T. E. Donne, manager of the Touristi Department, attends a meeting in Stewart Island this evening, when residents will bring matters connected with tourist traffic before him. On Monday he proceeds to Queenstown Mr James ' Crombie, the well-known dairy farmer, of lieuuington. who recently sold his farm, is to be tendered a /arewell social and buH in the* One Tree Point iiall to-night. A drag leaves the Post Ollici« in time for the social and returns alter the dance. Sir John Mclntyre, a vigorous Victorian politician not unknown in N.Z., died last week. Uo was an aged mun, and had overtaxed his strength during the recent elections. The first prosecution in lnvercarjgill under the bylaw prohibiting expectoration on the footpath, was heard in the Police Court yesterday before Mr S. E. McCarthy. S.M. The nlTender admitted the commission of the offence, alleging that ho was not uu'are of the existence or thu bylaw. As this wns tho first case of the sort here, the Magistrate decided to convict and discharge. The case should act as a warning to others who indulge in this unseemly habit. With the notices on. the lamp and telegraph posts, there is no excuse for ignorance, and the Court will doubtless take a, less lenient view of future informations. Major Coyle, who is to take charge of operations for the removal of tho niidchannel rock in Mull harbour, has arrived and is making preparations for blasting operations. Wednesday's passengers to Stewart Island by the Thcrosa Ward.— From Bluff : Sirs and Miss Spencer, Miss Mitchell ; from Invercurgill : Misses Gougli ,(2), PooSe, Thomas. Strang, McVey, Cumming. Leaven, Allan, Hermann (2), Nisuel, Miliigan, Treasure, I.auder, Mesduuies McLean. Butler, Ronald. Millar, Thomas, Edmunds, Strang, Jones, Messrs Jenkins, Fruser, Holms, Barr, Jones, Moflett (2), Chaplin, Williams, Millar (2), Walluce, Ro.derique, Ready ,' frotft Waianiwa :Mr and Mrs Catherwood ; from Wallacetown : Biss Jenkins ; from Lumsden ; Miss Howarth ; from Dunedin: Miss Gill, Mrs .Millar, Messrs Millar, Blair ; from Christchurch : Miss Hobbs, Mesdames Mardon, Uili, Messrs Mardon, Wilson, Gill ; from Blenheim :Mr McCallum ; from Adelaide : Messrs Clark, Dennis : from Hedgehope : Mrs Gorman. Oi.e hundred returned from tho Island. The troubles of a Charitable Aid Board secretary were put before tho S.M. rather forcibly by Mr R. Day yosterdny morning He said that a Christchurch magistrate had- recently been slating a Board for not going to the assistance of certain people, but there were two sides to such questions. He had, at the request of a voman. laid an information against her husband, charging him with falling to comply with an order for her support. The wife, at tho last moment, positively refused to give ; evidence against her husband, and he had therefore to apply for the withdrawal of the information. At a meeting of Lambton Quay (Wellington) tradesmen hold to discuss the half-holiday question, it was stated that of 38 tradesmen 24 had signed a requisition in favour of Saturday closing. It wa« pointed out '• that if Saturday Was found unsuitable they could revert to Wednesday. A motion was carried that,since the Gavernment have already introduced compulsory closing, a step forward should be taken and Saturday declared the closing day throughout tho colony. It was further resolved that those firms signing the requisition should determine to observe Saturday independently of those whoso consent hud not been ob-tn-ined. and that Saturday closing he given six months' trial. On Tuesday afternoon a pleasing ceremony took place in the news-room of the Times oflice, when Mr O. R. Joyce, as spokesman for the employes, marked the occasion of Mr E. Keast's recent marriage by presenting him with a handsome clock and a pair of silver toilet salvers. In making the presentation, Mr Joyce referred to Mr Keast's Jong and creditable connection with the office and eulogised his sterling maalitieg, which had prompted tho spontaneous ottering from his associates. Mr Keast, in acknowledging the gifts on behalf of himself and hie wife, assured hia co-workers that they would bo prized moro for tho memories of the donors connected with them than for their simple Intrinsic value. Tho total arrivals in the colony during L 903 were 80,883, departures 19,008. The Chinese show v.i'2 arrivals and VM departures—all train or to Australia.

The Government have accepted the tenter of James Gibson, manager of the Mt. •Joiners Coal Co., ior a lease of the Macareo lime works, Inch Valley, on which x largo sum of public money has been expended. A hundred women lost their husbands, md five hundred children have been orphaned by tha Harwick (U.S.A.) mine Jisoster. A piece which broke from the face of a hammer he was using entered a dredgctnan's body, and inflicted a very grave injury. A slight sensation was caused in Cartertoh the ojther day when a man mounted on a bicycle was seen in the shafts of a light gig. The shafts were tied to" the cyclist's shoulders, and he was travelling tit a rapid pace. Ah accident to the horse had necessitated tho strange yoke. The Kaiapoi Woollen Factory, Ballahtyne & Co., K. Rceco & Sons, P. & D. Duncan, the Singer Manufacturing Co., Cooper and Duncan, have placed seats in the Christchurch public gardens as gifts to the body corporate. Tho lifebuoy picked up on tho Nelson coast the other day had slipped overboard when the cranky scow Oban capsized. The inscription "Grace Dent, Sydney," had been on it for ten years, that vessel having been wrecked off Wanganui in 189. T. Apparently the buoy had never been in the neighbourhood of the paint pot since. New Plymouth is experiencing very warm weather. Tho local News remarks < that that infallible and somewhat inaccessible person, the " oldest inhabitant," is ransacking his diaries, endeavouring to ascertain whether New Plymouth has ever had warmer weather than is being experienced at present. A beach-yacht, running on four wheels, and carrying two sails, has been racing vp 1 and down the New Brighton beach at a very rapid rate recently. The contrivance is easily handled and runs lyA prisoner, who was brought to Christchurch from Lyttolton on Tuesday morning, attempted to escape. When his turn came to enter the sombre van that Vas waiting at the' station, he made a siid« den dart for liberty. He ran down Manchester -street, and turned into Dundas street hotly pursued by a constable. When the fugitive emerged in Colombo street his career was stopped by two civilians. — Lyttelton Times. A suburban resident and his wife wore pottering in tho garden the other night when a sound with which they were not familiar was heard : then there was a bit of a crash, v chunk was knocked off a flower pot. and, on lookinjg about, a Lee-Enfield bullet was found : one of the sort that we were told in war time would go through a man without "stopping " him, but which no peaceful citizen has any desire to stop. Investigation elicited that it had been fired at a post by an ardent young volunteer in his backyard, soino 200 yards away. . His aim w.as not up to Uisley or Grasrnere requirements ; the bullet ricocheted, leapt a street and two fences, and dropped, as aforesaid. This was not a solitary instance of its kind, for it has been ascertained that bullets have gone ia quite another direction from the ,samo backyard, and that ' when spoken to the young shootist said he " didn't think " etc. The Lop-Enficld shoots to kill at 1700 yards, and is altogether too big a weapon for a quarter-acre section, surrounded by houses, and within a municipality. And, by the way, ia it not a military misdemeanour to fire, these rifles when not under orders ? Perhaps the recruit had never been told that. In this case- tho bullet passed between the persons in the garden, and the rifleman will surely let up on the dangerous and unprofitable practice. As the Ashburton High School has lost the grant for ten froe-place pupils, which lias .been disallowed on account of tho children 1./jing over the. age limit, the Board has decided to demand payment ol the Joss from the parents. The Manawatu. in common with tho rest of the coui'try, bears evidence of tho prolonged dry weather (says the Wellington Post). Roads that were hard and rough are now thick with dust that clogs the wheels of the bicycle ; and streams where the cyclist used to dismount are now dry, and he bumps across buttons well calculated to shake up the torpidity of tho city liver Dut the most marked effect of the absence of rain is seen between Puikakariki and Parap&raiimu, where a flax swamp has become so dry that fire has got in among the green (lax Considering that someone has recently estimated the return from flax land (at present price "of hemp, etc) at over £100 per acre, and that the phormium is probably the bost crop that much of this land will ever bear, the advent of the fire to the swamps is to bo regretted Worse still, many farmers on the Manawatu are having to reduce stock owing to lack of pasture. — This statement is borne out by the fact that 3yr-old steers are fetching up to six guineas at auction in the district ; in Southland they are worth 33 per cent. more.

The Warnambool to Melbourne Road Race, a distance of IG3 miles, was won by J. Arnst, of N.Z., in 7 hours 43 minutes from scratch, beating the previous record by one hour. Arnst rode a Red Bird machine, thus proving it to 'bo the best machine for road riding. Price and Bulleid — Just received another shipment of Ladies' Ready-made Costume Skirts, cut and styles tho newest. Ladies' Costume Skirts in Canvas Cloth, Ladies' Costume Skirts In Lustre, Ladies' Costume Skirts in Durable Cloth, Ladles' Costume Skirts in Voille, Ladies' Costume Skirts in French Serge, black and navy, at Price and Bulleid's in Tay street. Capstan Butter is not surpassed for quality. It Is the choicest, the purest