LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2959, 28 April 1893, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Footballers are reminded of the annual general meeting to-morrow night. For the popular concert on Wednesday isygningnext, MissSpensely, ofChristchurch, has hsen specially engaged, as well as Mr C. Edgar. A football mat.efc WHS played in the Domain on Wednesday at'te^opn between the Borough School and Waterloo Clubs- F- »«<! !>• Wilson, A. PilbrW, aM G. Gourdie p^aped well for tne Waterloo Club, and F.. Smith for the school. The game resulted in a wiu for ,the Waterloo Club by iourjpoipt* to two,

The Plumpton Trotting meeting, fixed for to-morrow, has been postponed till May i. Messrs Finlayson, Cousfield, and Co., the well-known thread manufacturers, are sending to the Chicago exhibition a reel of linen thread measuring 55 miles iv length without abieak. After to-day the 650 a.m. train from Methven to South Rakaia will not run on Fridays, but a train leaving Methven at 10.30 a m. to connect with the 11 a.m. train from Ashburton to Christchurch will be sub- | stited. - A start is to be made with the new land settlement in Otago, aud ths Labour Bureau will shortly despatch to Chaslanji's Mistake twenty-five men selected from Christchurch | and Oamaru. The Hinemo<* will convey them to their destination. On dit that Mr Alexander's stable has disposed of several oif the young hors«s, which again have been resold. The Stonyburst -Flatter filly and the Burlington —Rosedale gelding will sport the colors of Mr M. Friedlander. The horses are being trained by Mr Alexander. Captain Edwin says there are well marked indications of the approach, of a low pressure from the westward, and gales from that direction may be expected, to affect most parts of the colony southward of Raglan and Opotiki, between noon to-day and midnight on Monday next. Mi J. W. Paulin, Dunedin, predicts that ths atmospheric disturbance will pass at the westward of the South Island, add there is no reason why westerly gales should be experienced. Somewhat remarkable weather has been experienced in Wellington during the last fortnight. With one brief interval, the sun has not been seen since Monday of last week. It has been raining or drizzling all the time, and the sky is still in the same condition. A committee of the Edinburgh School Board, after conferring with the lady managers and sewingmistresses of the schools, has recommended that, where practicable, the boys a 8 well as the girls in the infai't departments be taught sewing and knitting. The coroner at Melbourne held inquests on four infants on April 19. Verdicts of wilful murder were returned in two cases. The other two infants were the offspring of unmarried women, and it was shown that death had been due to unsuitable feeding. One of the mothers was a girl of less than 16 years of age. The Hon W. Rolleston has. been touring the Southland country districts the last fortnight, and so observant and interested has beeo his inspection of the various districts, as well as the mode of working and dealing with the various descriptions of bush, swamp, clay, and dry lands, that many think his visit must have something more than political significance. Afc the Rev Mr Isitt's meeting afc Wellington on Thursday night, the following resolution was carried :—" That this meeting, recognising the evil of. the drink traffic, and the undoubted right of the people to deal with the subject, pledges itself to support the Prohibition League platform, and not to vote for any Parliamentary candidate who is not prepared to support and vote for the principle of the direct veto. It is stated that in Nelson throughout the* Inangahua electorate requisitions are in course of signature asking Sir Robert Stout to become a candidate for that seat, and that Mr Richard Reeves is supporting the requisitions being sent. The opinions expressed are very favourable to Sir Robert. Mr Richard Reeves has received a great number of telegrams from Auckland and Dunedin expressing sympathy with him in his position The adjourned meeting of the Canterbury Belfast Co-operative Bacon-curing Company was held on Thursday, when the report on the accounts was submitted, and a discussion of three hours' duration took place respecting the position of the Company. Ultimately it was decided that operations shoula be suspended to give the Directors an opportunity of realising on all available assets and placing the affairs of the Company before a general meeting to be called to consider the advisableness of wind- !"» tm nr continuing operations. The vole plague on the Scottish Borders z» said to be diminishing on the higher, ground. 4)a one farm, however, 40,000 voles were killed in three days by men and doga without visibly lessening the number of the creatures. The Vole Inquiry Committee has just issued its report, which recommends the sparing of owls and ot her birds which prey on the voles, the burning of bog grass, and, above all, the employment of men and doga to check the increase of the voles Inoculation and other attempts to kill off by disease or poison are admitted to be utter failures. Thus the voles still hold their own again3t men, birds, and beasts. The first action in which Mr George Fisher's Book Purchasers Protection Act of last session was brought into requisition was heard a few days ago at Gisborne. A man named Campbell, canvasser for Messrs Trasher and Graham, of Wellington, sued Mr E. Wilkinson for £2 103, for an enlarged and colored photograph. It was claimed by the defendant that the photo was not according to sample, aud his counsel pointed out that the Book Purchasers Protection Aot of last session had not been complied with, as the order form did not show the liability incurred, nor was a duplicate order given. Judgment was given for defendant. In the course of one of his sermons at Wellington the Rev L. M. Isitt stated that he had been informed by an upoountry bank clerk in that province during his last visit to Wellington that persons engaged in banks in New Zealand were not permitted to wear the blue ribbon during the performance of their duties. Believing there was a misapprehension on the subject he made enquiries on his return to Christchurch, where he found that the statement was quite correct, One young man employed in a Canterbury bank assured him (Mr Isitt) that he had been ordered to remove the "piece of blue" from the lapel of his coat. A. charge of alleged dog stealing was heard this morning by Messrs Alcorn and Sawle, Justices of the Peace. James Fox, a South Canterbury wan, was charged with having gone upon the premises of Joseph Robinson, Tinwald, and stolen a sheep doc. The accused, by Mr Crisp, pleaded not guilty. There was no denial of the taking of the dog which had been done openly, in broad day light, and in perfect bona fides, believing then as he did now, that the dog was his own. Evidence as to ownership by Robinson was given by Robinson, M. Redmayhe, and two others, who together gave the history of the dog from puphood in 1887 till its theft by Fox. Mr Crisp contended that this was not the side of the Court in which to decide the ownership of the dog. He asked for an adjournment so that important witnesses as toindentity could be produced by his client. The bench said that both sides had b«en precipitate and foolish in their action—Fox in taking the law into his own hands by going upon Robinson's property and- taking the dog ; Robinson by having Fox: arrpted without proper ihquuy. Ihe case "would be dismissed, the dog, pending any future proceedings, tq be rejturnjpd to Robinson. The c^se ia e& Aldrjdge was argued at the Court of Appeal at on Thursday. Application was made fop a writ of fyaheas corpus to discharge from custody one Aldridge, convicted of felony betore Mr Justice Edwards, when sitting as a Judge of th.c Supreme Court at Blenheim, and by him sentenced to five years' penal servitude. The application was made on the ground that Mr Edwar<fs not having been duly appointed the proceeding* ivgre void. Mr Vogel and others for Aldridge, and JJfr Gully for the Crown, Mr Vogel admitted that if Mr Edwards was a Judge de facto though not #e j jure, his actp #« a Judge were valid, but 1 contended that )i2 was not even a Judge de \ facto, thpre having been no vacant office for him to fill and njo power £0 create a ncr office. It was not a case of niereinformajijty in appointment to an existing oiJßce. Mr Gully contended that this was immaterial. Mr Edwards having received an appointment, and binafide acted upon it, not being a mere usurper. He contended also that there was an existing office, though it was a condition precedent to its being filled that the salary should be voted. The point was fiaff raised that the validity of the appointment of a Judge could not be enquired into oia hapeas corpus. The Court reserved iuclgmenti iV ■ '•