LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2962, 2 May 1893, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following are the vital statistics for Ashburton for the month of April:—Births, 26; marriages, 7 : deaths, 6. On Sunday "'the pulpits of Ihe Ashburton and Wakanui Presbyterian Churches were occupied by the Rev W. Finlayson, lately of the hilh district. To prevent the trespass of cattle in the Domain in the evenings and at night, the Domain Board have decided to instruct the caretaker to close the Park street gate at five o'clock every evening. Letters from places beyond the colony, addressed as under, were received at the Ashburton Po3t Ofthe during the month of February and are still unclaimed:—Johu Connell, Timothy Maune, F. Miller, David Shaw. | On Thursday next, to give facilities to country residents to visit the Circus and Menagerie, the evening trains from Ashburton to Springburn and limaru will start at 5.30 and 5.40 respcetively. This will ailow of an attendance at the afternoon performance which commences at three o'clock. The New Zealand Shipping Company of which Messrs Miles and Go. (Limited) are the local agents notify in our advertising columns that arrangements have been made with the New Zealand Government by which intending emigrants from the Old Country can secure passages to this colony at greatly reduced rates. For the people's concert to-morrow evening Miss Spensley, the celebrated Christchurch soprano, has been engaged, and Mr C. Edgar, the humorist who was so popular at last concert, will also appear. The local performers will be Miss Hardy and Miss A. Gates; Messrs H. G Flower, D. Booth, and H. A. Gates, vocalists ; and Mr 0. phapman, elocutionist. Three tableaux will also be given. The Timaru police have been scouring the district in search of an elderly man framed Bowman, a dairymin, who has been missing since 5 a.m. on Saturday. It is his son who is under arrest on suspicion of administering poison, though the youth says it was an accident, and it is feared that Bowman has committed suicide. The person poisoned has new recovered We learn that at the half yearly meeting of Directors of the Bank of New South Wales, held yesterday in Sydney, a dividend of 15 per cent was declared, and an addition made to the reserve fund of £10,000, while the sum of £15,900 was carried forward to next half year. Since the establishment of the Bank a total of £320,000 has been written off the Bank Premises Account out of profits. The profits for the half year just ended would have justified the usual bonus, but it was considered prudent to withhold it. In view of the recent stoppages of financial institutions in Australia, the above figures must be considered highly satisfactory to the shareholders and depositors of the Bank of New South Wales, and is evidence of the soundness of the business.

A very gn cessful trial of five Howard digging plough* was held last Thursday on Mr M. Ingle Brown's station, Highbank, near Mcl liven, in a paddock overgrown with cock>foor. The ploughs worked remarkably well, and complete'y covered all surface übbish and broke the furrow up so well that, it will not be necessary to harrow the 'and before drilling the seed. A trial is idverlised to tnke place at thn farm of Mr Sam. Brown, Wakanui, next Monday, May 8 Thefollowiug are the Road Board members clecred up to date :— Rangiiata Mr R. M. Goodwin ; Mount Hint—iVcssra M. Ingle ! Krown and James Wallace; Lon«bG&ch — Messrs John Gngg and Arthur Wilson ; South Rakaia—Messrs E. S C <sier aud John Lambie; Upper Aahbnr on—Messrs M. •Stitfc, Joshua Tucker, and Ronald C.unpbell; ! Wakanni—Messrs D«,vi(l Johnston and J»me* Quigloy ; Coldntream—Mebsra John ' Studholme and John Withell. An excellent practico of the " May Queen" by the Ashburton Musical Society was held last evening, when there was a good muster of members. The orchestra was in attendance for the first time during the present term, and rhe whole of the chorus portion of the work was rehearsed with considerable satisfaction. As the soloists ace also in active practice a successful concert is anticipated, It is intended to hold the concert towards the end of the present month, and all members of the Society are therefore requested to attend the remaining rehearaals with regularity.