General News.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2046, 23 March 1887, Page 2

General News.

INTEB-PBOVINCUL,

The site of the late big fire at Napier is now a busy scene, buildings being iu course of construction to replace every one of those burned, with an additional one or two on a section then vacant.

The advantages of taking a tourist’s ticket on the railways has been pointed out by a gentleman in New Plymouth, who has recently returned from a holiday trip. He took out one of these tickets, paying therefor £B, which entitled the holder to go over any of the Government lines as often as he liked during a certain period. He travelled from New Plymouth down to Invercargill, then back, pro ceeding north as far as Napier, returning home after having done about 1800 miles on the New Zealand railways. This is certainly a cheap and expeditious way of travelling, and the traveller can see every town and district of importance in the two Islands. We learn that a large number of these tickets have been taken this season. Of course, the traveller has to pay the coach fare to connect with the railways when necessary, and also the sum of £2 10s for crossing Cooks Strait.—Taranaki Herald.

Hr Lynn, the famous escamateur and illusionist, who formed the principal attraction at the Egyptian Hall and Crystal Palace, London, for a number of years, and wbo recently performed so successfully in Melbourne, and more recently in Dunedin and Wellington, appears tonight in Wanganui. Writing on the comparative merits of the New Zealand kauri and the Baltic timbers, the Auckland Star says that any practical man who takes the trouble to examine the kauri doors of the South British Insurance Company, which have stood eight years in the blazing sun, with the Baltic doors of the Bank of New South Wales after three years in the shade, can have no doubt on his mind as to the relative merits of the two timbers. It is the old story of “ distance lends enchantment.”

The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club has set an example which the other respectable clubs would do well to follow. It has decided to hand over the whole of the commission from the tolalisators to the lauds of the Napier Hospital. According to the Auckland Herald, Mr Courtenay, who has four acres of land near Auckland in vinery and 'rehard, states that he clears at least £1,01)0 a year from his fruit aloue. No journalist, except an ‘'Army” one, could have put so much into such small space as the following ;—“ Burglar Jack, the uew convert, went gunning for sinners at Hamilton’s, and bagged 500 in four weeks.” A gentleman who has been very successful in rearing a fine crop of grapes, was somewhat surprised to find that bees were to blame for an immense amount of damage to the ripe bunches, by breaking the skin and removing the inside.

A contemporary says:—H.M.S. Nelson represents, it is said, £600,000. The only ports in this colony into which it is considered a safe risk to take this valuable man-of-war are Auckland, Wellington, and Akaroa.

Dunedin justices have fined a couple of lads 10s each for thron ing stones. The Rev J. O’B Hoare, the popular incumbent of Papanui, has been offered and has accepted, the incumbency of St Matthew’s Church, Dunedin. One of the Christchurch Cricket Clubs has made up its mind to take the plunge and endeavor to arrange for a thoroughly competent cricket professional. A deficiency of £125,000 is expected in the Customs Revenue for the year, and £75,000 net in the railways. These figures may be slightly altered by savings in the N.Z, estimates. The deficiency will be about £200,000.

The Nelson Club have inaugurated a Derby for 1889, nominations to close on 9th April. Writing on Volunteer squabbles in Auckland, the Herald says— We are bound to say that the men to whom the command of these battalions have been given are responsible for a great deal of the existing dissatisfaction and the numerous resignations.

In Melbourne, a company is being formed to purchase the patent right of Wolseley’s sheep shearing machine, and shaves are going off rapidly. Mr R. G Williams, saddler, Woodville, was arrested on Saturday on a charge of forging the name of T. Lowes, late of the Gorge Ferry Hotel, on the back of a promissory note for £44

The continuance of dry weal her in Napier is becoming alarming ; there has been no rain to speak of since Vovember, and the whole country is 11 d np. On some farms willow ticca are being cut down to feed the (.■ ■ws It is feared there wll be no growth of grass before the frosts set in. Contractors in Dunedin complain that the unemployed do not do a fair day’s work, and have asked the Government to refund them the loss they have made by employing them. A few days ago we (Feilumn: Star) advertised the loss of a purse con. laining 30s lOd in money. The purse was found, and strange to say, no less than live different applicants put in claims for it, each having lost a purse containing this exact sum. These coincidences are simply remarkable. Unluckily for them some other particulars of the contents were not published. It is a wicked world we live in, Since the establishment of the intorproviucial between Otago aud Canterbury in 1864,26 matches have been played, of which Canterbury has v.ou 15, Otago 0, and one been drawn.

A Victorian firm of vignerons baa i cceived an order from a Loudon firm for 60 f OOO gallons of wine,

FOBBHHI. The Pope has summoned several French Bishops to confer with him respecting the attitude to bo adopted by the Church toward the French Government in the event of fresh measures against the Catholic clergy in France. Eighteen winners of the Derby are now alive, Macaroni, who won in 18G3, being the oldest. James Tinney, the celebrated swimmer, challenges the world to remain longer under water than any man. He offers a gold medal to anybody who will beat his record of 4min 29isec. American yachts intend competing for the Royal Thames Yacht Club Jubilee Prize. It is proposed that these yachts should have a race across the Atlantic.

A 1G hours’ female walking contest has taken place in Aberdeen, in which no less than 13 competitors took part. Gaudaur having a match with Hanlan,the departure of the latter for Australia has been delayed to September, as Gaudaur would not allow the date to be altered. This accounts for Hanlau’s change to row Beach in the summer instead of winter.

It is proposed in Dundee to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee by paying off the debts of the local literary and art institutions, and to this end one of the citizens has given 10,000 guineas. King Mounga in Africa recently discovered a servant studying a catechism, and being greatly enraged, caused the massacre of 100 negro converts. Most of the victims were burned alive. Mounga, the missionaries say, vows he will destroy all Christians in his kingdom.

An experiment to test the speed of the swallow’s flight has been made at Pavia. Two hen birds were taken from their broods, carried to Milan, and there released at a given hour. Both made their way back to their nests in thirteen minutes, which gave their rate of speed at 87£ miles an hour.

A sandwich factory has been started in New York on the east side. Factories, offices, business houses, and restaurants are supplied. The bread is cut by machinery, and there is con tinuous slicing of beef and poultry and tongues. A sandwich factory has been running in Chicago for a year, with a profit of 30 000 dollars. A prize of 2uo guineas is to bn given at the Frome (Somersetshire) dairy show next September, for the finest cheese made on tne Cheddar system anywhere in the British Dominions. INTER-COLONIAL. A large tract of 366 acres of Crown land has just been reserved at Western Port in connection with the scheme for the defence of Melbourne. It is proposed to establish a permanent military camp there on the model of Aldershot.

At the first conference of delegates of the Shearers’ Union of Australia, held at Ballarat, it was stated that the association numbered 9000 members, exclusive of Queensland and New Zealand.

During last session the Victorian Parliament granted £20,000 for distribution among the Agricultural Societies of the colony. At the special meeting nf the Melbourne Presbytery, on March 8, the Rev A. Hardie was appointed a commissioner to proceed to Fiji, to make an inquiry into the state of the Presbyterian Church at Suva. In order to meet the convenience of the mercantile public, the Railway Commissioners of Victoria have decided to issue annual through tickets between Melbourne and Sydney, for first-class passengers only. The prices will be £75 each.

Chaffey Brothers intend commencing irrigation operations on the Mildura run immediately the agreement is signed. Skilled labor will be imported from America, but ordinary labor, together with the necessary machinery, will be obtained in Victoria. The work will be commenced simultaneously in Victoria and South Australia.

A Sydney paper relates the following ; A correspondent, who has been at the game himself, but who “ for conscience sake" would “ like to see the thiug squashed," tells us of a receptacle for obnoxious persons (sic), who for a stipulated sum are quietly “ put away" and no questions ashed. One man from Adelaide is there, he avers, while an aristocrat enjovs the society of his young and handsome wife. This “prisoner” has been there, insensible, for seven months. Another is from New Zealand, kept there at the instance of a business man, the reason being his efforts to promote temperance. Others, if our informant is to be believed, are in this den, the locale of which is given as near a suburban railway station.” The relatives of A. Levy consider this corrn borative of his story, and say he was only let out of the den because the instalments were not regularly paid. Levy said he had been kept away in a plane of the sort described, lie has gone back to Sydney to obtain certain evidence for the prosecution of the legal action he contemplates. The typhoid fever cases reported in Melbourne are numerous. On March S, 29 cases were reported, five of which proved fatal.

Kear-Admiral Henry Fairfax, C.8., the new Admiral of the Australian Station, is a much older man than Admiral Tryon. Monday, February 28th, was the hottest day experienced this summer in Sydney, the thermometer registering 87 degrees in the shade. A very severe attack of ophthalmia has broken out among the cattle and sheep at Dandenong Creek, Victoria. Many animals afflicted with it hare become totally blind. The disease is cooUglous among cattle and sheep. I'he ollu'ial returns just published allow that the estimated population of Queensland on the 31st December was 313,768, being an increase of 858$.