Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927), Friday 14 July 1893, page 2


Notes of the Week.

Railway Revenue-'For week ended

July 8th-£308. $£$?{:; {I iu<C l«¿- £ i ^

No one outside officialdom appears to know who is to be our hangman. Find the missing name.

Our amateurs should rejoice. Press criticism has just driven the British Ambassador from Paris, and with one thing and another the Franco-British horizon is very clouded for the present.

Invigorate the system with Wolfe's Schnapps if you would avoid bilious attacks.

A section of our inland settlers will no doubt be glad to hear that Mr. E. H. Oakes intends initiating a mail service between the Katherine and the

Elsey Station. This useful little idea is born of the fact that under existing conditions there is no certainty about mails ever reaching the Elsey at all from the Katherine. At any rate, the present system is so outrageously in-convenient that Mr. Oakes has deter-mined to run a mail on his own account. The mailman will leave the Katherine once a mouth, on the first or last Friday, we are not sure which, and settlers knowing this will be able to arrange matters to fall in with the service if it suits their district.

On the question of Chinese passing overland from the Northern Territory to Queensland, a correspondent assures us that he recently saw a party of 16 Chinese passing northward past the Elsey, and afterwards a number of others straggling in the same direction. They had started to get across the eastern border, but the prospect of a 140-miles dry stage was more than they could stand, and so turned back. Our contributor states further that the

Government can have no conception of the way the Chinese have been driving the figurative coach-and-four through the legislative enactments of both

colonies.

The Port Darwin Literary and Debating Society is to meet this even-ing at the Town Hall at S o'clock, and a lively evening is promised. The programme, as drafted at the last meeting, contains the following items :

Song-Mr. Heaps.

Recitation-Mr. Williams Comic Song-Mr. Price

Debate (Women's Franchise)-Mr. Mac-

donald in the affirmative and the Rev. Mr. Millikan opposing. Reading-Mr. H. H. Adcock

Quartette-Messrs. F. Fox, Barnes, Price

and Dobinson.

Recitation-Mr. Dolan.

Stump Speech-Mr. Bryant. Comic Song-Mr. J. Gregg.

Recitation-Mr. Riddell Reading -Mr. Goss

Lecture on the Northern Territory-Mr.

D. Kelsey.

It is appropriate to the times to remember that many years ago the Northern Territory was on the verge of an execution-gallows erected, ropes and pulleys bought, and things looked bad in a general way for the con-demned. But there's many a slip twixt neck and trip, and in this case the prisoners were soon at large again.

Mr. A. E. Jolly is having crushing power erected at Flora Bell to work both that mine and the old Elizabeth gold claim.

The Government Resident left town for the country districts on Friday last, and after making an inspection of the mines in the Howley and vicinity returned to Palmerston by Wednes-day's train.

A new rule seems to be working in regard to the issue of totaliza toi

licences. Hitherto the Palmerston Club has had no difficulty to secure a licene on forwarding the application, giving a list of members and passing along the necessary fees. This year, however, the Commissioner of Police is a trine more particular, and he has

all at once come to the conclusion that

until 50 members have paid up, the licence cannot issue. Seeing that but few members pay until Hearing race day, and that there is no compulsion for them to do so sooner, this fiat of the Commissioner's is strikingly in-convenient, and charmingly red-tapey. The Act says that clubs more than ten

miles from Adelaide must have a roll

of 50 members subscribing £50 in annual fees, and the Commissioner shall require proof of the provisions of this clause. In previous years Mr.

Peterswald has never asked for such

proof, but he has grown suspicious of late, and notwithstanding the Secre-tary's sworn declaration that the Club has 50 members subscribing £100 he wants to see the money up before he

issues a licence.

The Australians have put up their tenth win against English cricketers.

The Menmuir was to leave for the

East at an early hour to day, Friday.

Early in the week a buggy mare belonging to the O.T. was hauled out of town in a perfect state of defunct

ness. The animal had received hurts

which looked uncommonly like stabs, and lock-jaw supervening she was soon beyoud the reach of earthly troubles. If the party who inflicted the wounds will call at the O.T. yard he will hear of something to his advantage.

The s.s. Changsha is expected to leave here for Hongkong about the 22nd July.

The ss Chingtu is to sail for south about Tuesday next, the 18th July.

Quite a crowd attended on the Oval on Saturday last to witness the mile race between A. McDonald, of the O.T., and C. Gibson for ¿£10 a-side. It was

a sorely disappointiug contest, and needs but little describing. The telegraph representative went to the front at the start, and won without a struggle, keeping up a nice easy pace throughout. Gibson hung close be-hind for half the journey, and after that he lost groutd rapidly, until he eventually pulled up without complet-ing the course. The time occupied was 5m. 23sec. A little money was

won and lost on the result.

It is said to be the intention of the Socials" Committee to introduce a

greater variety of dancing in future balls of their ordaining; which re-minds us that we suggested something of the kind a few weeks ago. On Tuesday night the Alberts was added to the list. From one or two society letters in southern contemporaries we gather that the barn dance is being excluded from the programmes of the

bon ton.

The information that silver has fallen to 33d may not seem to us to l>e of muoh importance, but it represents a terribly big depreciation in silver stocks all the world o\erf aud means a

panic in silver dealings geneially.

It is something of a coincidence that the wreck of the warship Victoria and drowning of Admiral Tryon and 421 officers and men last week was similar to the wreck of li.M.S. Victory in 1774, when Admiral Balchen, about 100 officers, and a crew of nearly 1,000 men perished.

Tuesday night's " social " called out the devoted energies of about twenty couples, and the usual sprinkling of non-dancing members, and the fun ran merrily through a beautiful night up to about 1.30 a.m. Unusual, and, we might say, unnecessary, elbow grease was expended in smoothing the floor for the occasion ; it was all well meant, we feel sure, but there were many who looked to be dancing un-comfortably under the fear that there was an ever-present prospect of comingdown. Of course a tumble now and then adds to the fun of dancing, but ladies do not as a rule like to cater ir» this undignified way for the enjoyment of others. However, all went well, as it happened, and we are not disposed to "growl at trifles. Nothing could be more flattering to the Society than the earnestness and good will displayed by the dancers, added to the expressions of satisfaction and pleasure heard on all sides. Nearly twenty dances were_£one "through.,the last one being to all appearances a duel between music and maidens, for it threatened to go on for ever, and as it was lasted until the pianist began to get thick-fingered. For the hulk o£ the music Mr. F. A. Price was respon-sible. On the whole it was a merry party, and a charming certificate of the sustained popularity of these bliss-ful oases in the social desert of our existence. One thing Mr. Black must do before the next smoker takes placo is to nally up the dancing members, so as to ensure that no ladies are left sitting. Otherwise we might soon find a scarcity of fair ones, and a conse-quent degeneration of the socials.

Another small consignment of cattle for Manila is being taken away from

here ex Menmuir.

The s.S. Menmuir arrived on Wed-nesday evening from southern ports. One of the passengers for here was Mrs. O'Flaherty.

An issue or two .back it was men-tioned in our telegrams that the steward of the steamer Menmuir had been fined heavily at Sydney for smuggling. This, we are now assured, is quite incorrect, and it is explained that the persou who was fined was Stewart, one of the officers of the ship. The mistake is easily accounted

for.

The following are the successful tenderers forl the Government con-tracts for year ending SOtli June, 1894 i -General Supplies : Messrs. RundleBros. Shoeing ; Schunke & Williams.. Supply of Bread : A. A. Lewis. Sup-ply of Fresh Meat ; Armstrong and

Lawrie.

A Springvale (Katherine River) contributor sends us the following :"The weather at Springvale during the Last week has bee» exceptionally cold. The thermometer registered under the veranda of the stone house 50 degrees, in the iron bath house 49> degrees, and hanging in a tree- in ti*» open 38 deg. The latter indicates; exactly the degvee of cold? one would! experieu.ce. if cam-ping out here on ». plain with no fire and no covering save* perhaps his necktie. A birthday blanket for the ©k1 blacks, would! be a. boon and prevea* their toes.- Beaching, freezing point.-The last floods in theKatherine seem, to have left some old-man alligators in the big teaches.. One day lately they ahuosfc disenir bowel led a varoable horse at Spring-vale, and the u.ex.t night one of themilking' eows looked! a& iff she had! come in contact withe four ok- fivegrapnel irons, all her sides being ter-ribly torn. The blacks say they ar©! the blunt-nosed saltwater alligator,.nott the common long-snouted gavial."

The following notes have been furK nished by our Katherine correspondr-ont under date July 9th :.-w Boll Patrick's team, with the first load off Maude Creek machinery bound foePine Creek, passed here to day.-Mr.. Tom Pearce, brother of the late Fred.. Pearce, has arrived here overland, andi reports the country looking well be-tween the Katherine and Alice Springs. Mr. Pearce also reports that the stock are in good order at Newcastle Waters,. Renner's Springs and the telegraph stations en route. The past prolonged drought south of Alice Springs has. left the stations in a deplorable state., Idracowra lost about 400 head of cattley Crown Point about 7Q0 head of cattle j, Aringa, near Charlotte Waters', about. 3,000 head ; Dalhousie Springs about 3,000 ; and Macumba station, about 30 miles north of Oodnadatta railway terminas, about 1,000 head« These: figures are approximate but are con-sidered well within bounds, and it will be years. before the stations recover such severe losses. In all cases the want of water - has been the great, drawback, as all the waterholes, &c.% previously considered permanent were completely dried up. Report says that. Idracowra, Macumba and Glen Helen stations, owned by Grant & Stokes,, have changed hands at 12s 6d per head for all cattle with the country;

thrown in."

Mons. Sers, who was known in the Territory very many years ago as Mr« "Sparderj" is a through passenger per steamer Meumuir. He is just now in the travelling show line as the agent for a phonograph company, and by way of exposing the merits of his stock-intrade, and doing a trifle of business, Monsieur placed his wonderful instru-ments on exhibition throughout yester-* day and last night.

Sentiment is stirring up in South Australia against the projected hang-, ing of the Malay Bay murderers. If Wandy could only get out again what enjoyment he might derive from the perpetration of his third murder !

Wolfe's Schnapts is the purest and best stimulant, tonic, diuretic, at present before

the world.

Mr. M. Warton, of the Engineer's Office here, has been requested to pack up his belongings and report himself at the metropolitan headquarters. In other words, with a view to economy in the Northern Territory Mr. Warton is being transferred to the Engineer's Office, Adelaide. This officer has been a very useful servant to the Railway Department of the Territory, particu-larly while the department was minus a head in Mr. Baggaley's time. He has besides acted like a friend indeed to townspeople of the curiosity-collect-ing order, for in the art of taxidermy and for artistic "setting up" of stuffed specimens of animal nature, he holds quite a reputation. Alligators were his particular fancy, and the deaths of a vast number of those monsters may be attributed to the pleasure which Mr. Warton felt in turning out a beautiful specimen for a friend. Mr. Warton is to leave for Adelaide by next week's steamer.

The £10 Handicap Trophy of the Port Darwin Rifle Club was finally won last Saturday, after a long and interesting competition, by Mr. H. A. Innes-Joues, of the B.A.T. As Mr. Jones is about to leave us the win was very opportune, since he will be able to secure quite a handsome souvenir of

f.: , :j-In ;" 4-^0 Vi***tl»»rn Terri-tory.

At the meeting of depositors and shareholders iii the E.S. & A.C. Bank, held in London on June 12 (according to late cables) a considerable amount of opposition was displayed towards the proposed reconstruction scheme, a proposal being made by some of the Scottish depositors that the Bank should lie placed in liquidation. On the question being put to the meeting, however, persons or proxies represent-ing £2,630,000 voted for the adoption of the scheme, whilst its opponents represented only £271,000.