Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927), Friday 16 March 1894, page 2


Notes of the Week.

Pearling is clearly on the wane at Thursday Island. One of our store-keepers the other day received a com-munication from one of the leading firms .\t the Island placing a ii um lier of hilliers under offer at most reasonahle prices, and in our advertising columns Mr. G. C. Wayne is offering a 100-ton schooner and two luggers for sale.

. Bicycling is to have a start here very soon. Two roadster machines are said to l»e under order to enthusi-asts in the O.T.

All the pearling hoats proceeded outside during the week to heinii a new season at the place where they were raising shell when the stormy season drove them into port. The Ark, after a rather prolonged cruise on the Port Essington coast during the squally weather, returned to port a few days ago with a very unsatisfactory

record.

j At the Athletic Association's meet-

ing on Saturday evening there was a j poor muster. Mr! Price resigned his j secretarial position and Mr. Becker

was appointed to fill the vacancy.

To morrow heing the 17th of March, <ill good Irishmen may he expected to " shake a loose leg."

A tiger snake 3ffc Gin in length was killed in the Club Hotel har a few days back-winch rather lets the cat out of the bag.- When a man 'cn I led for "snake juice," or invited a friend to nominate his " poison," lie would hardly have been cheerful over it had he known tlie landlord had that tiger party stowed away under the bar counter. Host Ellis alleges tlie snake was amongst tlie, soda bottles whendiscovered, but that yarn is too thin. Snakes and soda we never heard of, but snakes and "square"-Great Scott ! how many have seen them ; not a simple tiger snake but the whole known species.

A cricket match is to be played on the Oval on Easter Monday between General Public and Civil Service, and a lively game should be the result.

A party of tourists are said to lie on the ss Guthrie, which h-ft Sydney on 'Sunday last and should therefore reach Port Darwin by Wednesday or Thursday next. If tim* permits the local club will engage the visitors in a game of «ricket during the steamers

stay.

If yon drink wine, drink thelie=t. If you

drink Schnapps, dr-nk Woi.fk's, which is ' the only genuine Sciin.um\s.

I In regard to'racing *tt Fine Cieek ¡ft j correspondent informs US" that a meet! iug of the Northern Territory Gold-~ ¡ He.ids Racing Club was held at tire; : Union Hotel on Saturday evening; last.j .Mr. A. Cr. Beresford presided- The" j treasurer, Mr. W. Al lb-own, re.-wl the j balance sheet for 1KÎ).'», which showed/ j a credit balance of ¿GIT 8s 7d in« the" '. bank to opeif the new season with.| The balance sheet was uifcinirnously

adopted. The resignation oí .ti re soere! tary (Mr.- II. Elliott) was accepted,. j and a vote of thanks recorded tor past i services. Air. J. 14. Castle was ap! pointed secretary pro. tem. and in-

structed to call a public meeting- for an-ea rly date.

Further interest ha9 been evoked iiidiamond mining by a report that It; Richardson liad found another diamond at the Cullen and also a blue, sapphire.

The information comes to us from si\ reliable correspondent, who further states that prospectors will soon beable to set to work on the field in*

earnest.

A correspondent assures us that parts of the road between Pine Creek and the Katherine are almost impass

able even for a saddle horse. It willbe noticed from our telegrams that theMinister has promised to have this

matter attended to.

Fifteen blacks were recently brought into Wyndham on a charge of killing

cattle on one of the Durack's stations,

Notwithstanding the many severe lee-sons which have been "'"taught the' natives of East Kimberley, they stilt continue their depredations amongst"

cattle ou the runs.

At the Licensing Bench on Tuesday

before His Honor Air. Justice Dash-

wood (Chairman), Dr. O'Flaherty, J.P., and Mr. J. A. G. Little, J.P., all the applications presented were granted without opposition.

Rumoured that some properties in Cavenagh-street will be available at a cheap ligure before loiig.

. The ss Darwin l».ft Singapore on the.

14th for Port Darwin.

According to late Adelaide papers the M'Kinlay and -,Mt.. Wells ,Co.. is calling up Is. per share. ;. ,, !)-,

At the Port Darwin Tin Co'» nri»e> Mount Wells, the winze shaft balbeen put down SOffc towards the. tunnelf. The manager proposes now to explore the lode from the tunnel by taking out 25ft north and the same distance south in order to ascertain if possible where the best ore body lies.

Mr. and Mrs. George will shortly be leaving for other parts. Saunders and Johns are believed to be getting nady to leave by the Ch;*»ugsha.

The charges for 'Easter 'MbnAiv'sconcert have, been tixeel sit 3s«. and. Is'.,, and plan of seats may be s***» at Rundle Bros', store after tot-morrow. The bon. sec. desires us to notify u**»t>bers of the Society that a short dance* will take place at the termination ok*

the oilier entertainment.

The boss longevity story surely

comos from Manila. The Manila

Diario of 17th February gives thefollowing:-"Yesterday, among the prisoners released from gaol, was Maria.no Santa Ana, a native of AH»s«y, whose birth was registered in 1777, and who is thus 117 years oh! now. Ile was sentenced 58 years ago to ten years' imprisonment for desertion, but just befoie his time was out he man-aged to escape. He was caught at once, and sent back : and two other escapades brought him similar mis-fortune, with an increased sentence every time, so that he has only now completed his sentence ! Lately -helias had to be kept in the hospital of Sau Juan, and' on the expiry of his time he petitioned not to be turned out in his old age !"

Hongkong papers received last week give no absolute identification of the steamer that collided with the Hangchow au.d disappeared, but there seems

to be n0 doubt that it was the St. Asaph, and that all hands perished. An enquiry was held at Hongkong,

but the Board came to the decision

that they were not justified in dealing

with the certificates of the master and

mates of the Hangchow, although regret was expressed that Capt. Derby

did not make more strenuous efforts to find out what became of tlie other ship. H.M.S. Pigmy went out in search of wreckage or survivors but could find nothing that formed the slightest clue. A more complete dis-appearance could not be imagined.

The steamer Red Gauntlet is duefrom western ports in a week's time or so. We understand Mr. Bradshaw has. no present intention of sending her westward again.

A preliminary announcement of au important . auction is contained among our advertisements this week.

The ss Menmuir should arrive here

from Hongkong about Monday next,

and the Guthrie from south on the following day.

We aro not in a position to say

what is the exact nature of tlie com-plaints which the local blacksmith has been making to our members, but wo do know that there have been grmubI lings in that quarter for a very lou"

time past. Others have been- doi»" Government work which he,, Uy virtueof his contract, claims should come to» his shop, and we distinctly remember that some years ago the complaints, were as loud as they are now. Onestory used to be told of a. Government officer (now in Adelaide), who made it almost a practise to get estimates from. Williams and then see if lie couldn't, get a Chinaman to go below the whiteman's figures. A similar dodge has. been tried with success on European, carpenters. The white man provided the designs-he was expected to da this free, just to show material required,, you know,-and the Chinee performed,

the contract.

What is it a sign of when the grass, grows green in tue streets and oil the pavements of a c.tyi

Tlie following clipping fruin a !af<> lo'-cii an;l C »ti'tr'n/ ni'iy interest- pearl shellers:-** £n¡ London-, on February $,. at the" p: riodicn» auction sales of iivother o? peu-1 shell the demand was good, the market was- active and showed an advance' of from' 5$. to 10s par cwt for Australian Shell.

We know of oner horse that lias heen remove I far from' the* tortures- of the

Öy pest, aird the removal was both sudden and complete. On Saturday «vening hist during a. heavy thunder And lightning visitation, a bay horse the property of Mr. J. J. Symes was

struck dead chise" to the -road which

{caris to the Hospital. There can be no doubt the mischief was caused by lightning, for traces of the shock were distinctly visible on tlie animal. It is curious that the loss should fall on one

who has within the last eight or nine months lost three other horses through ?what may be termed unnatural causes. In tlie matter of horse-ownership Mr. Symes lias latterly been getting all the

worst of the luck.

On Fridty last the Commercu-1 Bank shipped away áGSJozs gold valued at oSS,311.

"Guide to Western Australia and! its Goldfields " is the title of a booklet received by last mail from Adelaide. .Contained in this volume are sketch »naps of Goldfield«, showing routes and «camping places, and distances bet we -n waters*; also complete miniivj- laws and regulations ; Customs tr.n r, postal, money order, and telegraph, rates. The work is compiled and published by V. L. Solomon (senior member for the Northern Territory) who has livened tip the drier details with brief but attractive references to Southern Cross, Coolgardie, Hannen'« find, Murchison, Pilbarra, and other fields of note. .So good A case is made out for our .western neighbour that it is impossible to go through this guide without wish-ing one's self "over west "-a condition .of thought which the member, for the Territory should not he too anxious to

foster.

Received:-" The Goldfields of West Australia," being a reprint by Frearson from th'" Western' Australian" Year Book for 1893,' together with a imp showing the latest divisional plan of the colony. ,

Mr. V. V. Brown (of the Mercantile & Agency Company) held au auction on Thursday last of the furniture and effects of the Family Hotel, There was a fair attendance of buyers, hat biddings were far from sp'rited. and a vast proportion of the articles offered went dirt cheap, as might h ive been expected »here the goods were so numerous and money so tight-(i .'s about the only thing that can afford to get tight nowadays). The sale was not concluded on Thursday, but th a actionner finished off the catalogue on Saturday afternoon. Between £3 0 and £400 was realised by the sale.

The first pile of the Wyndham cattle

y .mis was driven on January 31st by j Mr. Doherty, of the firm of Connor »fe Doherty, and by this tijue the enclosure should lie well in hand. A supervisor

and materials and labourers arrived in j the ss Albany a few d.iys prior to the momentous event recorded abo/e.

A partial eclipse of the moon is (]iv> for the 21st insta.it. Siys the calen dar: The earliest phases visible in the extreme west of North Amerioi, the Pa-ific and Asia (except the «»xt .eui" Western parts). The end visible iii Alaska, the Pacific, and the whole of Asia. Moon enters penumbra 11 'i 57m a.m. ; shadow lh 25 p.m. ; lea e

shadow 3h 16m p.m. ; penumbra, -iii. 44m-p.m.

Wolfe's Schwits wpuld not have stpoil ¡ ?t'ie test of nearly a half century were i4" no1, a in ist superior article. '

During the last week or so our police have been actively endeavouring to suppress certain forms of Palmer-ston vice, but they have not yet got beyond gambling and aboriginal opium dealing. Last Friday night a couple

of constables raided a well-known Chinese gambling den and scattered their forceful attentions broadcast among the inmates. It was believed that an action would be instituted against the police for wilful damage to property at this house, but the Chinese have thought better of it. Since then a raid has been made on another des-

cription of houses of ill fame, where a number of black gins were found in various stages of opium drunkenness. No arrests were made, but the con-stables are said to have created a scare

that may not be forgotten for a while. Furthermore, it is common talk that the Police Department has put a stop to an "art union" that a Justice of the Peace was quietly arranging for the disposal of his goods and chattels. The said J.P. was most distinctly made to understand that if he emulated the example of another J.P. who departed this colony a few months ago he would be proceeded against. We can see nothing to condemn the police for in this, because where a thing is against the law of the land we are too demo-cratic to make fish of a magistrate and flesh of a publican. The Force let one J.P. slip through their fingers after the plebeian publican had been fleeced;

but never again.

We are informed that it is the in-tention of the country turfites to have their club registered without delay.

A crushing of 40 tons from a tribute on the Pine Creek Prospecting and Mining Company's Sultana claim was cleaned up on Saturday last for a return of OOozs. of gold. This stone, we are informed came from a reef in some new workings, and the l>ody of stone is said to be of good extent.

DkakSess Pkkmankntly CruKi» Î Any person suffering from deafness, noises in the licad, &c, may learn of a new and simple treatment, which is proving very succrssfu in completely «airing cases «if all kinds Full particulars, including many unsolicited testimonials ami newspaper press notice«-, will he sent post free on application. Tlie system is without «Ionia the most tmccesstul ever brought before the puMic. Address ¿Intuí ¿"/?/r/Vi/íV, Albanv lîuihlmsrs, SUVio toria-st, Westminster, Loudon, S.W.

A correspondent writes calling attention to the depredations com-mitted by dags belonging to the various blacks' camps in the.' vicinity of the town. The particular weakness of these canine abominations appears tobe1 poultry, which- are sirapped up-as often as not ïn broad1 daylight, the» long grass at this time of year enabling them to prowl about without the slightest chance of detection. Our correspondent states that he has lost ten fine, fowls in this- way in something less than a week ; and we- have heard several similar complaints. The police > might surely take some sfpps in this matter, which has for long been an undoubted nuisance. The old plea justifying the existence of these swarms- of mongrel curs-that the natives required them in hunting-is

a bit of a farce in so far as the blacks around Palmerston are concerned.

A new Resident, Mr. F. Pearse, has arrived at Wyn lhani, W.A.

At the meeting of the District Council on Tuesday night the Clerk presented a statement showing the arrears of rates on taxable property the owners of which could not he \ found or else would not pay up. The

question what, shall be done with these lands is under consideration, and it- is mo?t likely the Council will go to* the extreme of selling them if the ratesare still unpaid at the expiration of the ' temi which the Council is legallv ob \ liged to give before the lands can be

offered at auction, viz., twelve months. ! Some very choice township lots are in \ the. list, which, if they come under the ' hammer eventually, should fetch prices ! that will enable local investors to take | them up. These absentee land-holders

are now and hive been f >r ages past a ' perfect curse to Palmerston progress. ! By simply holding their titles* and re-

fusing to place anything but a ridicul . ously fictitious valuation on their lots,

they have caused hundreds of persons to abstain from establishing themselves h ;re. Certainly town lands have of late been getting ne irer to their normal , and rightful value, but a few years ago j when there was aii inclination to bnv ! them for building on £500 or £1000 was a comino,i demand for anything like a convenient business sit-*. When Palmerston w.is first sold or given away by the Crown a thousand pounds

would have secured the whole place, or5, very near it. Present values are in many cises most unreasonably high, and the worst of it is some of die very best building sites are in the hands of men who paid little or nothing for them and can afford to wait for a hiir boom-a thing which is by no means in sight just now. The Council has he-n very tardy in pilling up its de-linquent ratepayers, but apart from the purely business aspect of the case

as between debtor and creel tor there

is the just as important consideration of the advancement of city interests to be ta'cen int> account, and wa sin-cerely hope tint if the Council decides to put the screw on at last, it will be done with no sparing hand. We fully j expect to find t'lic a perc -ntage of the i arrears will b .. p I'd when the land j owners see that the Cmiicil inerns ; business, but we also nn'icipate that

ni my w' o have he*n r-tted up to date pissed over the Jordan yeais ago.