NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 24, 20 October 1898, Page 17

NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

Spurious half-crowns are taid to be in circulation in Auckland. Tt has been urged that any memorial to Sir George Grey should be colonial in its character. A cave contairing 2-1 skeletons has been discovered at Pahia Bay, near Waitakirei Ranges. No inqu* st has been held. Mr. J. J. Ramsay is definitely announced as a candidate f•: Tuapcka. Wk learn that the new church at Cape Foul wind is approaching completion and will shortly be opened. The late Sir George Grey's only child (says the So it them, Cross') is buried in the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide. It was born while he was Governor of South Australia. McAlpine, who intended to hold an art union of pictures which were not painted, was fined by Mr. Beecharn, at the Christchurch KM. Court, £20. A Wellington contemporary says that the conference in that city, between the newspaper proprietors and the representatives of the typographical unions for the formation of a linotype scale of charge?, failed to arrive at a satisfactory settlement. An experiment by a Christchurch gentleman has proved that the ]>iin/*i in/* insign is timber make« excellent butter boxes. A thorough test proved that butter stored for four months in a jnnun insignia box was perfectly free from wood taint of any kind. The Lyttelton Times in instancing the force of the recent galej in the Highbank district says : — Tt may be mentioned that two children there were lifted bodily by the wind and thrown over a fence. Both suffered considerable injury, and one of them was not found by the relations who went in search for three hours. A telegram received from Wellington on Tuesday says : It is understood Inspector Broham, of Christchurch, ia to be transferred to Dunedin, and that Inspector Pardy will take his place. It is understood that Inspector Cullen will be permanently appointed to the charge of the Auckland district. The statements are not confirmed.

The Nelson. Colonist Bays of Auckland's Jubilee bronze statue of the Queen that it will weigh approximately, one ton, and the pedestal about 6£ tons net, the latter being of polished red granite. The Colonist is evidently more impressed with the solid weight of the affair, than with any statuesque beauty it may possess. Tragic end of Mr. Larnach at Wellington on Wednesday 12th. inst. He committed suicide while in a state of unsound mind. The funeral took place at Dunedin on Monday, 17th inst., and was largely attended, by a most representative gathering of Dnnedin citizens. The body was brought from Wellington by the Hinemoa, and was interred in the family vault at the Northern Cemetery. It is said that a Bill is about to be introduced into the House which will aim at the prevention of fictitious bids at auction sales. The custom of bogus bidding is known as ' trotting.' and is as old as the auction itself. Whilst we fear that legislation of this nature seldom accomplishes the desired object, we cannot but commend the sense of fair dealing in business which prompts it. A gentleman recently lectured in Wellington on the evolution of man ; the discourse being illustrated by means of limelight views. The lecturer asserted that man had evolved gradually from a low type of ancestor through thousands of years to his present high intellectual position. Could the lecturer have dispensed with the limelight for an illustration of such a man, and substituted himself ? We thank the following contributors of stamps for Father Kreymborg'B mission : — A Friend, Lawrence ; Mrs. R. B. Wilson ; a Child of Mary, North Canterbury ; Misß H. A. Byrne, Paroa ; a Friend, Chrißtchurch ; Miss M. Downes, Dunedin ; Miss R. Riordan, Charing Cross ; Miss Nellie Phelan, Macraes. And for Father Holierhoek's Maori mission at Matata from a friend (Orepuki) six shillings. It is understood that Mr. J. J. Ramsay will be a candidate for the Tuapeka seat. Mr. C. C. Rawlina is definitely out, and the Tuapeka Times says it has some authority for stating that Mr. Sim, of Cookston, will probably be the Government candidate. Mr. John Mouat, solicitor, is prepared to become a candidate in the Liberal interest. The name of Mr. James Bennett is also mentioned as a probable candidate. The bicycle rage is likely to develop something at last. Mr. Galbraith of Waihi, has invented what he calls the ' encycle ' or travelling rail. The machine is said to be going to revolutionise ■vehicular traffic. Briefly, it is a scheme whereby any kind of vehicle may run on rails ; the invention enabling such vehicle to carry its rails with it, and lay them down too 1 Mr. G alb raith's idea should do much to solve the difficulties surrounding the completion of both North and South Island Trunk Railways. It was stated at the last meeting of the Wellington Hospital Trustees that thtre was not a single case of typhoid under treatment just now. The Times points out that as a matter of fact no case has been reported since April last. This improvement remarkably yet naturally enough coincides as regards time with the completion of the expensive drainage scheme which Wellington now enjoys, and forms an unanswerable reply to the ' let alone ' policy which has in the careless past decimated so many communities. A Christchurch paper says that a meeting waa held there recently to form a Royal Humane Society for New Zealand. A motion was carried formally e^tiblishing the socie y, and it w. itdecided to invite the Queen and the Governor of New Zealand to become patrons, the Premier, Sir. J. Prendergast, Mr. Justice Denniston, Bishops Julius and Grimes, Hon. C. C. Bowen, and Mr. G. G. Stead, vice-patrons. Mr. Joyce, M H.R., was elected president, Mr. R. Linn secretary, and the mayors of Auckland, Wellington. Christchurch, and Dunedin vice-presidi-nts. The inenne required will be about £2.~>0 a year. The Mount liewjer Mail records that lately Mr. James Co«grove, contractor for the Waikaia-Glemiry mail <vr\ice. lost his life while crossing the Waikaia River, the river being in flood at the time. His son, Mr. J. B. Cosgiove, who ha.l gone to meet his father, hampered as he was with an oilskin coat, jumped off his hoive and plunged into the river, and. after being washed down over 100 yards, had a desperate struggle to regain thy bank. The body has not yet been recovered. Mr. Cosgrove, who was 70 years of age, was well known in this district and also at Alexandra in the early days, and much sympathy is felt for the widow and one son who are left. The ceremony of the renewal of baptismal vows by the children attending St. Mary's Catholic School at Howick took place at the conclusion of the 11 o'clock Mass on the Uth. celebrated by Monwgnor M'Donald. The children were prepared by Miss Mulkere. Mi»s Lottie Yandle read the prescribed form very distinctly and devotionally ; her assistants (Miss M. Cooper and, and Miss E. Kearney) wore the usual white dresses and wreaths. The blending of tbe choir's voices in conjunction with the children's contributed (says the Star) in no small manner to make the function as attractive and as interesting as it had been. The latest news with regard to the stranded steamer Mapourika is from Mr. Daniels at Greymouth who wired the owners of the vessel that she now lies with her bow 30ft. clear of the rocks. The ship is in a much better position, and I consider her practically but I have had to abandon all idea of launching her sea'tards. The patches cauie adrift on. Saturday night's tido, and the hold filled with water, but lam again patching the holes. Theie are two large dents under the engine room, seve-al smaller dents near the same place, and the holes are so large that 1 am now surprised we have been able to save her so fur.' Since writing the above we have been glad to learn that the captain and officers have been completely exonerated from all blame, their certificates returned to them, and the Crown ordered to pay all costs of the inquiry. The decision of the Court is said to have been a very popular one.