PEDESTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5846, 8 February 1887, Page 3

PEDESTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIP.

SIZE OP CORNSACKS. SEAMEN'S UNION DISPUTE. A CRICKETING SCANDAL. THE FLOODS— HEAVY LOSSES BY j FARMERS. j Melbourne, Feb. 2. ! A large number of friends met Mr Bosisto on his arrival and welcomed him. He will be entertained at a banquet Bhortly. i The pedestrian races for .£SOO and tbo , championship of the world between H. ! Hutchens, champion of England, and W, Clark, champion of Australia, were concluded on Monday, ab the Flemington i running grounds. The contest comprised three distances, 50yds, 100 yds, and 130 yds. Clarke was successful in the first two, tbua winning the championship. < Miss A. Stewart, a well-known aotres?, leaves this month for England on a twelvemonths' holiday. ; The Melbourne Chamber of Commerce j has had nnder consideration tfee question | of adopting the the Calif or nian dental sacks , for grain. It is generally admitted that i the cornsaoks in use in these Colonies are j inordinately large, and that a reduction in size is desirable, in ovder to facilitate handling. The matter will be farther con- , eidered by the Chamber* ; A dispute has arisen between the Seamen's Union and the Tasraanian Steam : Navigation Company. On the recent trip of the Mangua to- the north-west coast of Tasmania, tha second mate, White, spoke to a seaman named Gilmour respecting his manner of doing work j whereupon, as alleged, Gilmour abused and kicked the second mate, who retaliated in an effective manner by knookinghimdown. Gilmour complained to the Union, who notified the Company that if White was not dismissed the men would be withdrawn. A compromise, how- \ ever, was arrived at, and a full enquiry will bo made into the circumstances or the altercation. Mr Edward Langton, who has gone Home, has been commissioned by Mr Gillies to enquire into the working of the Audit Office in England, and also into the method of Committee Commissions on Public Accounts, his experience as a finan- ! cier and as Treasurer of Victoria having thoroughly qualified him to master the subjects in question. ; Sydney. ! The fact of Percy M'Donnell being given out leg before wicket in the recent match with the Englishmen, and thereby virtually '. losing the game for the Australians, has caused a great deal of unpleasantness, and the umpire's ruling is freely canvassed. The difficulty culminated on Monday in a fracas, during which Barnes, while endeavouring to annihilate Huddleston, dislocated a finger. He will be unable to play for three weeks. Heavy wagering '■ took place on the game, and this intensified the bitterness. The affair is regarded in cricketing circles generally as scandalous. Election work is now proceeding vigorously, and the country is immersed in politics. Sir Henry Parkes' followers seem confident of a good majority. • The losses of farmers in the Grafton and Clarence districts are estimated at j>loo,oop. The maize crop is entirely dt'strojed. The mining strike continues, but hopes of a settlement are not abandoned.