INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1557, 24 February 1887, Page 4

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

It is stated that a powerful syndicate of Auckland capitalists have made proposals to *Sir George Grey to purchase Kawau. If the present negotiations end in a purchase it is understood a portion will be sold for summer residences, and the rest !be disposed of iu accordance with a plan which, has been agreed to by the syndicate, The price offered ih not yet stated. Vvra. Hanaghan, aged twenty-three, has been drowped while bathing at Slippers Greek, ®rury, Auckland} \ A young la I, sm "f Mr Fletcher, tailor, Hamilton, was drowned in the Waikato river from a Rob Roy canoe. The Colonial Secretary is well satisfied with the results of.hia visit to the South, and considers he will be able to effect a considerable saving in the sheep and rabbit departments without impairing their efficiency.. The provisions of the Rabbit Act are rto be strictly enforced. - At the annual meeting of the Wellington 1 Chamber of Commerce the motion of Mr Dransfield respecting a change in the fiscal policy being necessary, in order to further develop manufacturing industries, was lost.

A running match fat five distances, between W. H. Noel and J. H. Smith took place at Dunedin on Monday for £SO. Noel won the 100 yards, and Smith the 200 yards. ; Noel then won the 150 yards 16 ;4-sth secs, and Smith won the 300 yards in 36aecs. In the final of 250 yards Smith lost his shoe, and the event was won comfortably by Noel in 29aecs, thus winning the match.

Three persons were fined £5 each at Dunedin on Monday.for not sending- in property tax was pleaded that the person was absent from the colony at the time the return should have been made.

A child, named Mary Ann Sutherland, six yens and a-half old, died on Saturday at Deep Stream, Otago, from the effects of burning. The mother of the child stated she left her house,, deceased, with two younger children remaining at -home. She returned in less than two hours afterwards whsn she discovered the deceased in flames, frorirthe' 1 effects of which - the child died. The father is a laborer on the railway at Deep Stream. Another heavy bush fire broke out at Martinborough (Wellington), on Mitchell's run, near Henderson’s sawmill. A bridge was burnt down on the Martinborough and Greytown road. It .was blowing a gale all Monday and raining lightly. A settler named Matson has bad bis shed and haystack burned.. At Masterton an unoccupied aeven-roomed houae in Church street, owned by Mr A. G. I 'Smith, was; burned down on Monday morning. It was insured in the New Zealand office for £2OO. Serious bueh and.grass fires are reported from all parts of the district, the heavy winds causing the fires to be very destructive. At Mauriceville the house of a settler named Neilson was destroyed, also several sheds and a large quantity of fencing, Palmferston North was in imminent danger of being destroyed by fire. Fires werebreakingout in all directions, and at all hours of the day the firebells were ringing. Several bouses, fences, etc., were destroyed.

Two hundred summonses have been Issued at Auckland for non-paymeut of property-tax overdue. Walter Eggington, a seaman, was arrested at Papakura Gumfields for assaulting a gnmdigger named James Scott, and breaking his leg. Eggington was Caffrey’a mate, and was to have sailed on the memorable trip of the Sovereign of the Seas, but got involved iu a slabbing case.

The tenders for the new hospital at Now Plymouth ranged from £4182 to £5290. As only £3OOO was voted for new buildings, arrangements were made with the lowest tenderer, Mr G. Cliff (late of Timaru), for a modified plan of £3325. Captain Webster, harbormaster, of Timaru, who is on a visit to Auckland, was at New Plymouth on Saturday, and seemed favorably impressed with the work done at the breakwater.

The Nelson remains at Wellington for another ten days, and then will probably proceed to Hobart. The Admiral had a long interview with Sir Julius Vogel on Tuesday afternoon, At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, a cottage at Sydenham was burned down. The fire was caused by children playing with a lighted stick in one of the rooms. On Saturday morning a man named George Cann was found dead in his bed at Takaka, Nelson. The cause of death was heart disease.

It is conjectured that the body of the man found in the Mataura river may be that of Hall, son of Rev. Mr Hall, at Waibola, who mysteriously disappeared from Glenham, where he had taken up land, several months ago. At the annual meeting of the Oamaru Harbor Board, on Tuesday, the Chairman, Mr Geo. Sumpter, said that during the last three months, eight vessels, representing a tonnage of 6731 tons and the yalue of £126,698 of cargo, have just been loaded for the United Kingdom, thus showing that a very considerable increase in direct shipment has been attained, which is likely to continue, owing to the large increase in the acreage under crop, and the good yields.