NEWS IN BRIEF.

Waikato Independent, Volume V, Issue 323, 12 January 1907, Page 5

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The following is Captain Edwin's forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.ra. to-day:— Northerly moderate to strong winds. Glass fall ; rain probable. Sir Joseph Ward has been invited to Canada. James Baird, a Waihi miner, committed suicide by shooting. Napier proposes going in for electric trams and the electric light. There were 52,889 Chinese on the Rand (South Africa) on December 31st. Mount Etna, in Rome, is emitting smoke and flashes of red fire. The steamer Netherton is a complete wreck. Street bettors are being heavily fined in London. A commercial treaty has been framed between Russia and Japan. Thirty rioting strikers at Orizaba were killed and many more wounded. Gust’s furniture shop, Pahiatua, was partically destroyed by fire. Mr W. Fraser has been appointed engineer to the Whangarei County Council. The Huia expedition has recovered £ISOO of the £17,000, lost in the wreck of the Elingamite. The half-brother of the late Shah of Persia’s successor will fight for the throne. Rain has spoiled a considerable portion of the hay N crop in the Coromandel district. The fires on the Glenmark Estate, in North Canterbury destroyed 5000 acres of grass and 30 sheep. The appointment of Mr Sira, Dunedin, as President of the Arbitration Court is officially announced. Ramsay’s drapery shop at Hamilton, was entered on Thursday night by burglars, but nothing was stolen. It is stated that Mr Geo. Wenniger, an old Auckland identity, believes he has fallen heir to a fortune of £1,250,000. W. S. Vines, Perth (W.A.), won the chess championship at the N.Z. Internation Chess Cqngress at Christchurch. Owing to the excessive stock of Brennan torpedos their manufacture has been temporarily suspended. Cabinet has accepted the tender of Mr McArthur of Ngahua, for cutting 7,000,000 superficial feet of timber on the Selwyn Estate. Explosions in the furnaces in Messrs Jones and Loughlin’s steel works at Pittsburg, are reported. Many were killed aud injured. Three boys, the oldest of whom is but thirteen years of age, have confessed torobbing and firing several State schools at Walthamstow, Essex. The resultant damage is estimated at £12,000 The War Council has instructed Major Long, of the Array Service Corps, to inspect the meat packing establishments in the South American States, and also in Australia and New Zealand. The Auckland Harbour Board has been served by the Shaw-Savill Company wita notice of an action to recover £15,000 sdamages in connection with the accident to the steamer Mamari. At Invercargill, a man named Israel Moore was fined £2O for using indecent language in a railway car, and another man named Patrick Hughes was fined £ls for using similar language in the Invercargill streets.. Owing to the Hon. George Fowlds’ presence being required in Christchurch, he will probably be unable to accompany the Hon. McNab in the Land Bill campaign through Auckland province, as was originally intended.