CRICKET.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 10199, 3 January 1895, Page 2

CRICKET.

England" v. Australia. At the clo3e of the day's play on Wednesday the Australians had scored 328 for nine wickets. The scores are: — Australians (second innings) — Bruce, c Stoddart b Peel, 54; Giffen, c Brown b Brockwell, 43; Trott, c and b Brockwell, 95; Gregory, b Richardson, 12; Darling, b Brockwel!, 5; Lyons, bPeel, 14; Jarvis, b Richardson, 4; Coningham, b Peel, 3; Trumble, run out, 2; Turner, not out, 2G; Iredale, not out, G3; extras 7. Total (for 9 wickets), 328. To gain a victory Turner and Iredale will have to put on 100 runs, the visitors having set the Australians 428 to make to win. The sum of £643 was taken at the gates on Wednesday, 10,380 persons paying for admission. TTKORANGI. [from our own correspondent.] January 2.~3During the past month farmers have been very busy about the the hay crops, and I believe the whole, or nearly so is stacked and secured , the crops on the whole is light. I hear there are some very good pieces of seed rye grass. Now that milking is so general, the grass land heretofore kept up for cocksfoot, has been required for the cows ; there is therefore not a great many acres of cocksfoot for seed, compared to that which used to be kept up. The oat crops look very well, and I suppose in another week all will be busy in its harvesting I havo not seen much wheat about, but what few patches there are are looking very well. The growing crops and harvesting those that are ready require farmei'b to be particularly busy during what is called the Christmas and New Year season. If perchance they do take a day or so off, extra labor (perhaps loss} on crops is the result. These festive seasons come just when time can bo spared very badly. Christmas, as far as fir as this district is concerned, has not been full of fun and frolic but active industry. Tbe weather has been better than the average for December, and the hay crops have been gathered without damage. The crops of turnips and carrots look well, and a good yield may be reasonably expected. Cows are milking better than in the earlier part of the spring. I see cattle are selling much lower ; we shall soon be having the old prices again. BREAKDOWN OF THE N.S.W. MANSARD STAFF. In consequence of the almost continuous ' sittings of the Assembly during the week, the chief of the Hansard staff, says the Sydney Morning Herald, has presented tho following memorandum to the Speaker. The latter laid it on the table ' of the Assembly, and it was ordered that ; it be printed. It is as follows : — '' lam : constiained to invite the attention of Mr Speaker to the overworked condition of ' the shorthand staff. Ever since this i Parliament met the staff have, at times under circumstances of agonising effort, • striven to do the enormous amount of i additional work devolving upon them by the earlier hour of meeting of the , Assembly and the protracted hours to • which it has sat. Last week, for example, I wa3 able to obtain only v two hours' sleep on which to do thrae days and nights' almost continuous work, and when the House rose at the end of the week I had still two days to catch up. One of i the reporters to whom I was obliged to i allow a few hours' rest had hardly got to Led and asleep before he was discovered to be in a fit as the result of the tension 1 of 24 hours continuous labour. The typo writer has also been worked to the last point of endurance, having more than 1 onco tumbled on the floor as the result of hiving fallen aslaep at his work. There is not a single member of the staff whoso health is not seriously impaired by ovorwork aud want of sleep. The new practice of having committees sitting at the same time as the Houses is another aggravation of the difficulty; in point of fact it is equivalent to having to report three or four riousea when the staff, as organised, is not more than strong enough to report one. If the state of work which lias existed for the last few weoks is to continue to the end of the Parliament, and it seems to bo expected that Parliament must sit for 12 months, at least 10 additional shorthand writers and a staff of type 1 writers will bo required to do tho work as it has hitherto beon done. Under the circumstances in which I am placed I havo no option but to withdraw the shorthand writers from tho committees, being under tho impression that Mr Speakor would regard their inquiries as of subsidiary importance to tho business of the Hou^e itself as being capable of being postponed) while that of the House must go on. Every hour of noto-tiking lepresents fi om four to eight hours' work in tran suription ; and in tho present condition of the btaff tho transcription must be suspended to prevent an absolute breakdown. Although opportunity of sleep was afforded last night, yet following upon 36 hours' continuous work such a3 ours, icfreshing sleep, and indeed I might say tho power to sleop at all, is fora time rendered impossible."