LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10858, 27 January 1903, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

, i . . —o . „ A large number of men are to Jbe put on , next week connecting Greymouth with tpe . State coal mine. *' The Hon. W. P. Crick, New South Wales Minister of. Lands, is now^ oil *. visit to New Zealand. * .>.«"> The loan of .£SOOO for abattoir*, twhfeh ; was rejected by^the, Stratfgrd ratepayers, will be raided by the Borough , ConneM >: a* provided by law. ;- . , , „.•_••'-' Mr Chasl" Shepherd Beer, who haa Bftd at Brixh'anv Devon^aged ninety-^ye^fwr Napoleon qp. the deck of jthej^elleroplioii while the vessel was lying, in Tpr'BaJL pte^ vions to sailing for St. Helena,.,/ _c ; „.',' . '-' ' By mistake, Dr Pearson, of Btrkenhead, ' gave a child .sulphate oi: strychnine instead of calomel, and.the A c^d.djfip..,3£n iSß^nrn-.. . ing a v^r,dict'p4^acojdeftt-'\a^urjßUgfeStedy -'. : that poisons fhoiild be : iept in duted_Jg>t«,,; The rnqtor-car service^between th,e ßfwd < r Oak Hotel and ...the TThprndpn^pl^n^^ , iv -Wellington,, waa-sn/^iwsfttljjr.'iiid^giijr? 1 .« ate"d by the New J^ealanA Mofor-ear .iGdiBK * pany on .Thurg^y. ...No,' lutcl^ , ; occurred , ... during the day, and the smooth running .,,. Qf the car w,as Jthe subject of .much fay; , . onrable comme^.' I. '• {" , ■ *'iUio'.[ 'y>* '.. The trown of Aftmari, in the Cripple €r«MSk district of Colorado (U.S;A); has it» st&fltc? paved with the >dump of the. phariXMfefet mine. Recently some of .the pavement^*** ' ■ assayed,' and yielded gold to the amount of 20dol. a ton. Immediately .foflpWiiig^tße ' announcement of ;lhe assay people, bflgan.,, carting off, tfye surface of the streets,, aintii,. the police were oljjiged to intervene/and,;,-, stop them. \ " , ,' 4 ,'">)/. Patrick 'Kenniff, who was ■**>„. cently in c^njiejctiori o wifh.the mjuriSeMJ^g r Mr Dalke and Constable, troyler, Jn,)Qaee^Bi 0 ,. land,' made, the- following staieme^S^on . the scaffold :— <? l havg iolja you. twice; &# ', fore that I am an innocent man. I. pall j, God to witness on the spot 1 stand on today 'that I am innocent. I am innocent? of the criinß fis the "ji&ge who senteiieiw; me. I thank the waraeir tor t»»ir klatfi^ ness towards me, and *i tliahk i^y'w&tf!'' 1 • wishmg friends. I say ghod-bye." " "' v ' The billet of blowing oifrt a wax vesta. and • interpreting evidence in a, Chinese' case is Evidently a paying, one wHen an Important ' action happens along at fte local " Tempi©. .. of TheinfsT 1 A son of Conjucins wii )m£t ' weekfinM MIQO for haviut o^iiun^in'/lBi!'/ possession, and the >chap who . traHsWfed' ' was granted a fee of_J2s I& 6d. .Wlftth looks like lavish 'pay seeing {fiat the Cri/wliiV' solicitor, only gfets s\k guineas. Unfbr MJiaite- n ,ly 'for -the, -interpreter, howdVerj-caaßii-^. this kind don't bcciir dy*ry daysapd>«D^h« other, hand, it is fortuttate for»his coillityy*'.. , mejn, who use the drug all oveeHfae cbioDy,.i *that.they don^t. * '_, , '« '' j'^%**- .'••- ■■' The employes at "the JEastoj^n.. ts\Ws assembled yesterday eveningT^o' bid good-bye to one of their nittpbuxv-Mr? B. A. Wolif— who has been tranltenrad/AoPicton. The foreman,- Mr Butts^ «tp*Mßift . fhe, regret felt by the men in coiMqa^pic^ • of Mr -Wolff's departure from' Mfnongst; thorn, and to demonstrate theic esttteatipn of his good aualiites tkejr- &akeA:9k*^Mc~ ceptance of a travelling ~bag'. Mr*»,WolfE.' . . briefly replied thanking the men fdr^4tynr> .% , very Kindly feelings towards him, irifjl 6 tk~ , gretting that he was -parting with r 'nw old aaaociationa and the ; place in whicl^'lieji^iaa . spent so many pheasant days. > •■■. 3'.ra.V-,;i/, About a week ago (says tHe"Tim*M"3P^t) about fifteen jrigeons were sent to.GisbbAe by the Timaru Pigeon' Plying Club; atfd to' - to the present some seven birds have homefl. , The air-line, distance" is 543 miles, 'and.'lw ■ ' A. Burfprd's Successful, tn 1 © winnip^ bi)r% . new the distance in 28 -hours, thuis m^tro* 1- - lishin'g a record for long-distance flying l^p 1 " ' Australasia- ' Mr' J. Auld's S^whfet^i*' 0 » second. The ;v;eloi?ity ( bi ti^rf^UW $&& m was 634 yards per minute, which is'Si'Briljra*' did performance. The Ciub^de^iresjift titanic 1 *" Mr Crammond, agent for the U.S.S. 1 .; for liberating the birds at GisbotHe: J:in*i. ° record fly in Australia was recent4y>'Ame from Ararat to Sydney, a distawe^of' &4fe miles. ■■, o '. '■ > - s tfdt -*ii<ter A pitiful tale of >• destitution wWjSte»»ht J ' under the notice of ,the polictfuif^Nfeif » Maitland, New South' Wa|es, Qm* totii&day. William Victor- Dngan, m&fntih^ wife and three young children >«^j«£fi*d-- J there from 'Tamwortfy a month agte* $Rtl>?': rfather got work with a farmer ftt^^db* enh'eld,' his, wife, and children 1 6^(^f||^ , a house in" the neighbourhood vrilmpmi^'. ' stipk of furniture. The ■'nffi^ky^ti 1 seven months' old, 1 became ,iUi l " a^|'.''<h^ parents/ after taking it to^.the doctor; had to leavethe house. The family Walkjedl'to 1 East Maitland, where, the baby diedVitt itip mother's arms in. the street. The^polic*, had the family taken to the Ben«vol«iit Home, where they have since been reared for. , • . « -; - ' -f. *'* '■ Bounties on the French system haienofc . benefited ', the great French ' cotepanyY one may 'judge from thte following^ froA' the Shipping World; :It'ia askeli'^hi^j« ' the position of the Menageries Cbm,p4nff After irfcreasing its ckpijCal account^ by' .^2,000,000 to meet the^Gbverhm€oitVf6quirement's in respect of mail sejV^c^'be^ tween France and South t A'merica' /,'lt r is , obliged to confess (a) that the contrail cn T tails a loss (the deficiency- in }901 being (b)'that if wiU- pxo^&lf'M tender next year for' the contrafctj>jwt t will (c) give up^ the phssen^er/tra^m^af . the South\ American line and adap^itfiplf ' to the conditions of tn'e law of last'AjflrH by 15 slow steamers, and 'simply cany *-cargpes in* a leisurely ;Way^ and wax fit , the - bounty. . Hero,, we . have ,aoj «hjte<^ , , : lesson to show its that a- Government con* tract may be a. very, bad thing for? shijfr owners, and the French bounty system in* ■ juridli's to -the commerce of <tha country: »t A horrible death as the result 6$ '■*■ -p&isf* tical joke occurred a^ the l^S^uWM^ 4 works at Paterson, New Jersey, esWy^tt '*> month. ' The victim; -p»a Harry RUit». ;.»" ;' youth of. 16 and a 'new hand, and. 1 five * older cpmpanions jokingly proposedf'a method of iiu^iating'Vhim. ' Durihg" thfe ' lunch hour they seitedltuit and dragged, him to a hydraftfio crane driven by ''jcpf pressed air. and foxfced'fhe air tuw.'into his mouth. As soon •as the air wasi released it rulshed down Ruit r & throat' ' r^fi}» terrible effect, 'distending his* abdomen 'to twice ..its natural siiie and causing, frigl}j> t . fnl internal iirjuries and . agonisirig pain,* '. Ruit was, removed to the .^ospj^i^n^ ; s died shortly ' SfterT' The 'young, njeVbpjj- . ' cerned in. faifar '^ath^ere /( arreste|C^ip%^,' <( 'charged witl^'mahsl^ugiiter.' '^ninftiPohc*' .'. Court 1 Euit'^' father "attacked" ,on» M-. %»; V - prißoners, aii'd wonld,^''ha\;e/ slkilled(^i)a»i^fs I killed (^i)a»i^f -./, ., he had iiofbeeh greve^te^., „' ._ >' ,-,^ 11 < r^, i (, - T)ie ,idange|rox\s praetido<)f stonei-rthreiiriii^ -' by boys has, alw,ays .been regarded as'TjWftV"' reprehensible byi^niagistiatea/andujti^tici^v ■' ' but it, is to be. feared that -parents' (}d 1104 • , always .check theiu children- with proij**r - severity, When they a find, those whon^»tMf* should control guilty of this offence.. , A case which shows the terrible- results, tn*at may follow on this .practice haa>bee)i brought to notice by the cprresppnd99%o% •an exchange. His little grandson* a.>fragilo • little fellow,, tlum, -in bad- health. «r«£s ■ struck on the spine with a stono carelessly-: ' thrown, it is alleged, by- a schoolm»t©i-» The . injury affected the spine, brought on brain. <i roiil?l A . arrd ul f imatoly caiisebl the liftle feT^' ilow's death. One of ouj; reportersinvesti- 1 ' gated the case yesterday, and the, facts he - gleaned corroborate in every respect the ■ story told bv'our correj»nbn^«nt. ■• -Jteys^V"* indulge in stone throwing should ( therefore- ' bfewar* or they may find themselves^in^tli* "'■■ handa of .the police. ' if >

One of the 'lioasjn; £h.e Sydney Zeo hjjs died of old age? He was. born in tne'Zow .fourteen years ago.""- ' v • Two^Wnf found dead of thijst, 18 mifes from Gougblgon, New South Wales, had a faithful dog dead beside them. c The butchers "of Alexandra (says I?H e .Herald) intend to reduce' the price of ntfit;tpnld per pound all round at the enfl^pf ' the present, month. ' .. c •^.The trawler' Express landed two tons' of ■pfb.J-.at' Lyttelton, which included fwflee, kingfish, mold, ling, terakihi, and grower, all finding a quick sale in phristchureh. While 1 the Oamaru .fisherman never 1 ' exi^perieneed; such a dearth of fish, bet weeii the v WaimafcirirVand Ashley- Rivers the settlers are obtaining immense hauls of flounttera, soles, and herrings. . r. A hopeful Oaniarv citizen (says' the <North Otago^tQ^/yhoTnibwi) somethijns^botJt farming; -siyrf'sbme'bf the b)it crojfcahi' the *Waih*t> dtstrict^ook'as If they WoUrd yield* 120 bushels to the acre. It apWars that acetylene gas-lights used for signalling in th£jjennan Army.^MixM with oxygM; it yields thrie times<aß muSh light. as the oxy-hydrogeil lamp, fanif dan be seei't^day for* five miles, by, night fdr fifteen unites: ' : " - 1 ' " " ' « ' Two iaSy- doctors, who* practise'irt Leeds, recently applied for admission' into the Leeds audi West Riding Medico-Gllafrurgical Society. *<- The members of this society met on November 21, and refused to 1 admit the lady medicals- as members. >tTradesije<iple and others (says' #ie Christchurch Press are advised to, Ichj£ twice at a half-sbveVeigft before acceptiigr'it as numbers of 'clever c'dnnterfeits, ptortorting to be issue* 'by the Sydney Mint^ftre now in circulation in the city. A house in; s the Mont Routed* quarter of' Paris suddenly sank; 20 feet ii£> the ground one morhiil^ while the inmaWfwere dsleep, owing to a subsidence of 4M soil. The house wds dyer the- old Pa«S catacombs,' part of which had fallen in.'. n An eXjAosjon took place- tf^the Glenferxie Ice Won^e, near Melbourne fusing damagp estimated at about 4200. In addition to } this, abol}t','^2o6 worth office will be lost. No one was hurt. The *Jsse of the accident 'is unknown, but ifr/is' supposed to be traceabler-to^ weak.spafcrtii the cylinder. DuriuaJfie pastfyeai dfedging has cost - the" Timaru Harbour. Beard no .less ,tban J^27o IMI^ 1 ,. 'Ai a naming of the board ; this. wasj»ndenjn^ a^too costly, >nd it wa*"decl«# > ' t *o!«*k'th«/Jnguieer to report on the fjeaabjUityiof p^wSping the' silt from the harbouxjpn the eSu^e principle' as that ' applied '$i*jjnaxesin. , t , A Russian; warghipjvwhich is proceeding •to\ the "Pacific Ocearf,, will have^n* board Mr faefwy of wireless teleeraphio^ppara%^fe/ who is being sent by the Jtfinister of Mtapne for \he purpose of instructing the offifcrs of the squadron in the -pra<?tica£use te%witetta& telegraphy. - News^fToimOramfcp <N.S.W.>, states that the . Plowman^ faii^, residents of that district ioi a.a»umbflftof years, are in receipt of inforwiatieniifet their if ather, thte late 'Mr Sinclair, V^ftwmanj, who died a few months ago, vfcfcjone of- the heirs to an estate in' India; ,-^lned as far back as the year lß3Q;af i6|iOOQk(KJOv The estate is still unadministeftf;>and the late Mr Plowman's, sons are now/liking steps, to establish their claims as' su^jpapr^a to one of the heirs. ' Reports. ffj4i' ;i thfe .mountain districts of New Soutl^^ales in reference to the mortality amtoj|j'.sheep, gracing there, during the recent qaujf. weather show. the lossesrto have-beeni>lßfx'!fle,»ere. At Dargo, High Plains, a^Jltetna pastoralist lost 5000 sheep in one *?w»t., , The animals were .ovetwhelmeit jnjpi^snptf. Another pastoralist lost 4OOOfJsiirsig.' Xhe. same night, ahd many other nUnro.r. losses are reported. In parts of the jsnow t^ro feet in depth lay fo/ Jwo;^g tjirfie.days^-. In other parts:' of the? State*. Jv.fejW "days ago the mercury was hovering, in the vicinity of I^2 in the shade. s ,/,,;,,,, .* , • t ■ R^tocntlyjithere^wasyon view Sn a Sydney Jew^Her's mHAwtt; iftn Swanston Street ia -^'goidf' ing«tti,o^eri which there was a ticket a^inouncing that the value of the ingot waev'£262.MXfAW % i n g - and. successful attea^t wasjg^de^he -other night to steal (the^iupot^tiliqowpa^pw* being broken by "a stotl* Jwho.^jeten^i^g to be drunk, lurched amidst itjfj^hjlJß, another- man, darting his hftid thTQ^gh t|re,jhole, seized the ingot, ftgo(d with,b^,.fj^pP9^ed drunken companion, W'ught sa^|f JA^iUjrried flight. -The police -arrested e^h&jsfqn-.-on suspicion of being ■ cbncernedfHL, tjke^jfobbery. The stolen ingot was a^ jjlastpr imitation of gold, and the shop tfyndax which was broken was insured iot^^fLQa^ ~ ' In its ' Newi Zealand notes the Australasian prints ttie fallowing paragraph :*— "As to the Opposition, -it wilt be remembered , that last teessiao they had no leader and ho official organisation. The result of the election has, been .to put new life into them, and next flesßioaj^we shall see, them -in formal fighting aajay. . As a* leader it is generally unde/stootL tiiat Sir William Russell will not be^putejoywafd, and, that the party's choice wilijilie between Mr James Allen ifor^ruce), Mr John Duthfc (member for 'Wejliiigton)^ and Mr Masspy (member for Jwiriklin). Of these Mr, Duthie is the hardest wtter in debate, t but his manner and v^e,w«»re .ta/fcher too uncompromising -to make^tne most successful leader in \ the present saanewbat delicate state of parties. I the*«/orje'&)cp^ct to s^e Jklr Massey elected, jfcle iB/a man , of ni^ich ta.ct and personal ' , atpactfdnV and thus likely to orHw in retfmits to; the party!" • A, rematWble stWy coines'frbra France,. Hungary -W-fixst-hland information ' as to 'ihfe'treatnV^t accorded 'to lunatics, a Parihjijp. jour*«fcrt-.-attired. himself in fantastic raiment, *9lOj sallying forth into- Rue RoyaleV aedsrtste'd " a> gendarme, demanding angrily/ why, he did not salute the "Emperor N^tpofeon" when he saw, him. ■ Thr - gendarme, .smiling broadly, invited the journalist t9'aowsmpany him to thePrefectufet r t»d befpr^ jt^a ioanj bt letters, quite grasps his jposftifln, he was incarcerated in \ ah aMjr^um ■te of illusioiZ?." * ■He..j(6^!i therefore,' a splendid ■ opportunity ttf/ltud-,, the methods of luna- I .tic 'tjfeatment^.aiid piad,e ejrery use of it. j Bu^ooii he wearied, of his role, and being airii^us tp.'^cgn'a^nt his-\paper and, the | Iju^BTc of his, experiences, he, after- sundry I abftjytivß intWyfey&'witlt'doctor8 r requested M\fd broughf^fotff the. medical board oi eks/niners, tb^whom^lje' explained the situv aftjpn. The v aoct6ts fjyavely 3hoo"k their J la»»ds, and reported; th'a^ they considered fee -was now "15ecpm'ing J ifeally dangerously mod. He . iheref dfje kep.Viinder the. Closest watcfiaflta ¥estrMiit, and' Tjecanjjr '/neftrly mad with F anxiety" before lie induce/I ' one of the nurses to convey to hia pa'p'or" the news of , t }u%% plight.' <But:'PY-en thW his troubles- were jio£,.6verv for "doctor."refused to apcepib.ithteccxplAnattoji 'bfifercd' 1 and have all, - certified, ithat- the man 1 is s dangerous l,u,natic. A- special commission has now beet?, (appointed to investigate hit f > cos% „ , 1 Dysentery - causes the death . of more " people than small - pox and yellow fever Combined. In-'afc army it is dreaded raorr ,th»m a battle.. It '"requires prompt and ef fcotive treatmenti' v Chamberlain's Colic Cholera, and.DuirThoca Remedy has hoc} used in nine epidemic* of dysentery in the United States .with perfect success, am 1 liau cured the' most malignant cases ootl of children and^adulte, and 1 under the mos* trying cunditj»Qn£.. 'Every household should have a bottle,. at hand, .Get it today. I1 may save a life. ../ United Farmers' C^.dp Aasocibtioa

What was at one time called' "Australia's greatest curse,". has proved to be a blessing to the dxought-srtricken population in the interior. ,The despised rabbit has kept many struggling farmers alive, and the skins, worth lid a' pound, have been a source of unexpected income. Some men who have gone down badly in connection with the dredging industry have the greatest contempt for engineers, whom they blame for, a great deal. One Greymouth chap lately said that if he had his way with them he would crucify them wrong way' up.' — Spectator. The Queensland Govt. spent .£15,000 last year on immigration, and of this d£7ooo went for rent and other' exes, while the salaries totalled up to ,£2750 per annumQueensland has at present hundreds of men at relife' stone breaking, or in receipt oi Goyt. rations, ,yet she goes in for iinmi,gration. i - i ' Mr Chamberlain first attracted attention as r is : debater when he was replying to a speech made by a bitter opponent on the Birmingham Corporation, and who was locally, known as "The 1 Alligator," He said : "That allegation is .untrue, artd what is mor ( e" ' (with, emphasis), "'The Alligator' knows it.'"' •*■ ( W|i A donation of .£IOO towards the-, fund for the erection of a' suitable building for the late Dr Kinder's library^ at St. John's College, Auckland, has been 'offered by Archdeacon Samuel Williams, on condition that the building is commenced within a year. The sum required for the building is .£SOO. The wool merchants of Wellington report that the clips now coming to hand ifrom stations in the. Wellington district ' show increased bulk ,'by comparison with 1 those of previous years. An exception,however, is noted in the division of wool known as "Jiogget," there havitog- ' been a i, mortality amongst the. young -sheep as a 'result of rigorous weather. , Mr Henry. Gullet, the retiring editor of the, Sydney' Daily Telegraph, is the Avealthiest working jaournalist in Australia. From his 1500 shares in the Telegraph Company, paid up to <£10 each, he draws ,£3OOO a year in dividends. As Telegraph shares sold the.pther day at .£SO, Mr Gullett's scrip represents .£75,000. He reads five hours a day, and lives quietly. ! , Falardo, an American imitator of musical instruments, who was lately appearing at the Tivoli, in London, is stated to be capable of imitating any instrument of an orchestra. He also possesses a bass voice of unusual range,' going down the scales as far as pedal F, an .achievenment which he declares is a note and a half lower than the lowest ' note ever accomplished by the • World's greatest bass singers." A•. new bank, with a capital of '.£1,000,000, is to be opened in New York shortly. The ,post of president has been offered to Miss Sarah Dick, 'cashier of the National Bank at Hemlington,' Indiana, who was for many years the only female employed in United States banking institutions. A novel feature- of the new establishment is that it will be managed entirely by women, but presumably men will be allowed to deposit their savings. Another absent-minded bridegroom turned up down South the other day. On •the evening \>i Ms marriage he • intended holding a merry gathering and had invited • quite a crowd to the festivities; • When. they turned up with presents and what not, though, and found the building in darknessthey made some remarks about having been hoaxed. Later on, however, they discovered that the bridegroom had forgotten to hire the building. To commemorate the Coronation of the Kinsf, who is patron of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of New Zealand, the Grandmaster of the institution (Mr Herbert J. Williams) last year instituted a special ef-, , fort to revivify the fund "for the relief of aged and infirm 2 freemasons. The "movement has been exceptionally well supported, and as a result a previously languishing fund has been considerably strengthened and made effective for great good. Nearly J6IOOO has been donated, and there is nlready -a sum of <£dOO in the hands of the secretary to the Grand Lodge (Mr Malcolm Nicolj, who is acting as treasurer to the movement. An extraordinary crop 'of ryegrass seed, which' will perhaps constitute a record for the whole of New Zealand, has been cut on Mr Webster's farm, Gebbie's Valley, Canterbury. A yield of 98£ bushels to' the acre was thrashed out, and the area" of 'the crop, which ..was very large, was uniform throughout. When it is remembered that 56 bushels of seed per acre was regarded • as a highly satisfactory yield in- former years, the magnitude of the present return will be understood. Mr Webster received an offer before thrashing for 3s 6d a bushel for the crop as it stood,, which was not accepted. He has already realised \ enough profit off his grass seed to pay 'the value of his farm twice over. • A young doctor, just out from London, arrived at Dunedin the other day, and swooped down on the house occupied by his people, only to find that they had gone to the country for a month. However, he soon made himself at home, and rounded up a few boon companions to have supper with him, and to pass a social evening. But a neighbour, who had been asked to • give an eye to the place, immediately interviewed the police wlien he saw a light in' • the establishment, and the supper party weje surprised to find themselves under arrest. The neighbour didn't recognise the doctor, so much had ho altered ' while in England, and it to ? ok the young fellow a long while to convince the bumptious po- . lice that he was* the son of the owner. A humourous sidelight in connection with 'a recent burglary which was alleged to have been committed in the premises of a Christchurch legal firm recently is related by a business man. Judging from indications, the burglars had adjourned to another office to examine their spoil, and had dropped a .sovereign, on the floor. This coin was discovered, next morning when the of-. - fice was opened, and about ten . shillings 'worth of goods which were missing had evidently been carried away. In consideration thereof the owner of the goods, who admitted having done excellent business by the'deal.'is divided in his mind as to whether he should safeguard against a' further visitation or whether he should allow* facilities for the burglariously inclined, in the hope of their dropping more sovereigns on the floor. ] The temperance advocate would doubtless .regard a. .publican who "watered" his vyhiskej as a public benefactor, but the law< takes a different- Tiew, and yesterday Mr,, Crulckshank, S.M., at Gore, had before him a-"licensee charged .with, supplying, 'wftibkey 55 $egr ee§ underproof. The^de ieiitfant w^s Thomas Spear, late proprietoi • 6r*tKe" hotel a"t Heriot. "In." pleading "guilty," he alleged extenuating circum- • stance's, and: said that on. the day the offerico oceun'ed lie was unusually busy. Ht had a special bottle of whiskey, diluted with water, which he kept for personal consumption i when drinking • with pustomers. He had left, his wjfe in the bar fdi a time, and she liad moved his bottle and placed'it on'' the' shelf where the ordinary •whisky was kept. /When the police camrin defendant had returned to the bar and did not notice that his private blend hat' been misplaced. When the sergeant asked for whisky lie took up this bottle, and supplied him from it in mistake. The magistrate evidently did not regard the story as (thin as the whisky, fo,r he infliclpda fine' of 5s only and costs. — Otagc Daily -Times; '

Sunday Island, in the Kermadec Group, containing 930, Acres, is<"nettified as 6penfW selection on lease in perpetuity at a rental of 2s 4d per acre per annum. We were in error in the paragraph last evening referring to the Rev. Hugh Northcote. That gentleman is not dead, but is returning to England. Captain Kennedy 1 telegraphs: — Wind moderate, west to south-west and south; barometer rise; sea moderate, tides increasing. The Hon. Dr Grace, M.L.C., has been confined to his house for some weeks through illness, ahd his condition was regarded as rather , serious. His many iri«nds will now be pleased to hear that he is . somewhat better. . . ■ Before being sentenced at the Kent Assizes to seven years' penal servitude for six burglaries, Thomas Deaman,-66, admitted that he had already spent 34. years in gaol, but urged that he was not too old to reform. Mr Ben Jarvis, the Casttecliff ' Railway Company's foreman, is pushing on wi,th the , deviation of the line from the Hospital to the gasworks. The cuttings have nearly all been 'completed, and the work of ballasting is being proceeded with. The rails are laid from Mr Atkins' gate to Messrs F. R. Jackson and Co.'s sale yards. The question of running electric cars on Sunday is just now exercising the minds of the citizens of Auckland, the campany having announced that 'it'is their intention to apply for permission to start a Sunday service. As may well be supposed, opinions are very. much divided on the the subject; ' the churches even are not unanimous. Bishop Lenihan, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, sees nothing -objectionable in Sunday tramsiv All the Protestant ministers are opposed to them. The Trades and Labour Council, which may be taken to represent the workers, -is also against them, but some of the company's employes do not share its views. ;ihe Press .take opposite sides. T^he Herald favours the innovation, and-the Star defyoivrfces it. But, after all, the final decision restjs with the people themselves,, as the'City.,CQunptl cannot •sanction the proposal "without first'takiner a- poll of ratepayers. * Tliere is much speculation as to the future of the' New Zealand Flourhiillers' Association (says the Otago Daily Times). A directors' meeting to consider the situation was held at Timaru on Thursday: night last, but the proceedings have vnot been made public* • It >is rumoured that,,, owing to a number, of, the millers standing out, the matter is held in abeyance for the present. As, however, the present agreement* expires on February 28th, some / decision must; soon be arrived at. Amongst the milling firms whose names are mentioned as likely to. stand out are one -.in Southland, two in- Dunedin, one in-Tima-ru, and one in Oamaru, but of course this is only rumour, and it is difficult to obtain definite - information. It is ' also stated that the idea *of a seven years' agreement has been abandoned, and the term proposed is now said to be either two or five years. From Taupo we learn of an incident in which Sir Bobert Stout, C.J., prominently figured and in which ke acted in an eminently characteristic manner. His Honor was in the" district when the dead body of a man named Bobert 'Rogers was found in the Ai;ateatea ■ rapids on Tuesday last. Considerable difficulty was found, owing to the sparseness of the population, in securing a jury for the inquest. Sir Robert heard this, and on being informed that after all resources had apparently been exhausted there was still a man short, voluntarily offered his services. It was not necessary, however, to take advantage of his courtesy and consideration, as at the last moment a sixth, man turned up, but had he dat tho picture would have r been one edifying to every democrfaitc heart. Imagine the Chief Justice of New Zealand sitting on a Coroner's jury, and perhaps not even occupying the proud position of foreman !