Local and General.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5448, 17 August 1901, Page 2

Local and General.

Social Column will be found on our fourth page to day.

Weather Forecast — Oaptaio Edwin reports:—Strong north to west and south west winds; glass fall ; indications of rain.

Concert and Tableaux —Those interested in the work of the Ministering Children's League are informed that a concert and Tableaux, together with a sale of work, are being arranged for an early date, to be advertised. For some time past the promoters having been busy preparing the details.

Butter and itgg ., —Mr G. T, D iwson annually exparts from Tapsmui district 20.000 dozen eggs and 20 OOOlbs of butter. The buttej(aaya the Courier) is of the 'good old sort,' and is mostly powdered. No dairy-kef p.r has yet pub In a separator to supply the town with fresh up to.date butter.

A Handsome Souvenir——Tha medal presented to Trooper I X Thompson, who returned recently form the Front, is a very handsome one. It Is silver shield shaped of elegant pierced work, tha attaching ribbon also having Bilver bare on it. The medal and bars are suitably inscribed, indicating that the gift is from Highbank residents, for his services in South Africm The whole work refleote great credit on Mr Da Beer's j .wellery establishment.

A Big Cheque —Colonel Rowell,,,the officer in charge of the contingents ..who returned to Australia by the Brlttanlc, brought Imperial pay with him to the amount of. £36 000, to be paid to the various Australian troops, £13,000 being for South Australian troop., £3000 for Queenshndi arid £7000 each tot West Australian and Taemanlari.

Sports Association's CoNOERT-^Afc ihe concert to be given on Tuesday evening next in the Qddfelbwf.' Hall by the Ashburton Minstrels, several new items will be introduced to the publio, including fanoy clog dancing by John J Ritson, champion step dancer of Sydney.' The objeot of the concert, namely, to raise funds for tha new asphalt track, is one that should receive the support of every Athtetio Club and sportsman in the district

Thb Farmers' Frsbs Gang—Owing to the scarcity of labour in Q.age County Kansas, twenty farmers, armed with revolver., marched to Peterson, and there ' held up' a train. After o impelling the train hands to uncouple two immigrant cars, four of the farmers, according to a New York telegram of last month in a London paper, stood over them, while the other sixteen attacked and subdued 2CO Immigrants, who eventuttl'y agreed to remain in O.age County and work in the harvest fields at 103 a day per man.

Gardening Reminder—During August get ready every inch of ground for summer crops. Get in manure ; let ib be properly Incorporated before sowing. Sow peas, broad beans, parsnips, spinach and leeks, and onions in open quarters, and radish, hardy lettuce, and parsley on warm slopes. If any pruning of bash fruits has besn neglected, see to it at once. Towards the end of the month plant early potatoes. So* tn hob bed for transplanting tomatoes, capsicum., melons and cucumbers! Plant rhubarb, asparagus and shallots. Finish planting fruit trees, bushes and hedge plants

A Chimeric vt. Scheme-—A Sydney telegram in the Melbourne Argus B^y-: --*Wiih reference to ths opinion by Mr Seddon in tho New Zealand House of Reprrgintaiivea that he Baw no reason why the steamers of the P and 0 and Orienb lines shoull nob visit New Zealand, ir.qiiries made of the large shipping companies showed that the inducements to go to New Z aland were not sufficient. The project of the New Zealand Government to build stenmers of 10,000 tons with a speed of ab v. 18 knots an hour, was regarded in shipping circles as quite chimerical »

Lilywhite m Poor Health-—The sudden passage from confinement to iiborty has had a painful efF.o', says the London Daily Marl on poor Charles Lilywhite. Until hi. release the tension saems to have kept him up Now that it ia all over he has collapsed; 'He doesn't seem able to realise thab he i. fren,' sud his brother to a Daily Mail representative. *If I wished to I < ould pull him aboub just as I liked. If I say • Come here,' he'll ju.b answer, \ Yes, I'm coming, ' and come. You can'b treat an innocent man like a criminal for close on eight months and expect him to recover from ib all ab once. He seems as if he were in a dream.' Mr Lilywhite is under medical treatment, but it is doubtful whether he will ever bo the same man again. His bother considers thab yeara have been taken off the end of his life.

Old Men's Home—The ma.ter of bhe Old Men's Home acknowledges the following contribu'ion with thanks: —Mr Gordon (Union Bink) English and Australian pap.ra and magp;_'ne_; Mrs Timmln., papers and magaz/nea ; Mr G Sboddart, sandwiches; Mr Watson, fi.h dealer, fish; Mr C J Taylor, Cape papers, English illustratad papers and magaz'nea ; Mrs Andrew Orr, papers, etc; Mr W G Brittaio {Ohristohurch}, magazines.

Hockey—A meeting of delegate, representing Timaru, Waimate, Rakaia, aud Ashburton Clubs, waa held at limaru yesterday, bo pick the team to represent South Canterbury in the matoh against North Canterbury bo be played in Timaru on Thursday next. After considerable diecua.ion aa bo the merits of the. various players the following were ohossn :—For* wards, G Wh!t% Ashburton ; A Lane, Timaru ; H Millichamp, Ashburboa ; Bsrry, Waimate; O May, Rakaia. Halves, E Line, Timaru} Hardy, Rakaia ; Healy, Waimate. Threequarbers, W.Smith and'A Mi'lichamp, AshburtonJ Goalkeeper, D Stock, Ashburton. The meeting appointed Mr Stock, captain, and Mr Good, of Christ, ohurob, referee.

Raii.way Races—-From Home files we leer a thab there is keen rivalry between three of tbe Railway Companies as to which can make the run from London to Edinburgh in the shortest tinrj The third days'race was won by the Easb Coast Company's express, which left King's Cross at 10 o'clock p;m, and arrived ab Waverley station ab 6 9 on the following morning, thus doing the journey in 8 hours 9 minutes, or 6 minutes under the schedule time. The West) Coast express did the tun in 8 hours IS minutes, and tke Midland in 8 hours 45 minutes. The distances are as follows s—Easb Coast, 395 mi'e., Midland, 404 miles, West Coast, 400 miles. In 1888, the East Coast journey Was made in 7 hours 45 minutes, which ia an unbeaten record. „•■■'■

Impetuous Ladies—Two young Napier ladies are now regretting their impetuosity. Being very anxious to bo the first to welcome one of the returning troopers, who was com* ing home by train, they journeyed bo a country station in order to board the train and thus gain tbeir purpose. On the arrival of the train the young damsels, seeing their • gentleman in Khaki,' as they thought, threw their arms round his neck, and kissed and hugged him till he was nearly suffdfcated. When their paroxysm of jiy had subsided, however, they were disgusted to fiod that the subjeob of their embraces was a stolid Maori, on h's way to attend a parade;

A Farewell Social—A very pleasant gathering took place ab the Tinwald We_leyan Church for tho purpose of extending a tare well social to MrC Hawkins and family, ab which a few friends from Willowby took par. by contributing songs, solos, apd duets. The programme also included several chorus soDga. Addresses were given by Mr S S Cnapman, Mr H M Jone°, and Rev T Fee, and also b/ Rev J D Jory. Mr Hawkins was presented with a nice travelling Gladstone hug by a few Tinwald friends, as a token of the eßteem in whioh ho waa held; Regrets ab his deparbure were deep, einoefe, and general, and Mi.s Clothier who has Lgaa a.^aoiatod with Mr Hawkins in connection with Sunday Schools for soma time is leaving Tinwald, and the opportunity was taken of presenting her with bwo very nice books in memory of Tinwald and her friends. After the programme had been oonoluded, refreshments were provided to all in abundance by the ladies in connection with the church. Tho meeting was brought to a close at aboub

PjtiVAM Hosmtais "— In the House yesterday the BospitaL Nurses Reglstra - tion Bill was amended in Committee so as to bring private hospitals within Its provisions.

A Nctabl- Visitor—Mr J G Woolley, the famous American orator, who is to epeak in the O Idfellows' Hall on Wednes .day, 28th in.t, will bo the guest of hia Worship tho Mayor.

An Impbotkmbnt Wanted—Now that the new Fob. Officio ia all but finished, it is to be hoped that the authorities will relay the aspha!t footpath in front of it, which at the present time ie in a very broken condition.

The Someksbt Bcildino—Mr J C Maddi.pi., architect, and Mr Lane, the owner of the Somerset freehold, were io Ashburton this week in connection with the erection of die new hotel, at which active work will start on Ootobsr Ist.

Methtsn —Warm spring days, with hard froata, have prevailed in the Methven district during the past fortnight, but on .Wednesday, about noon, a heavy sou'wester came up, and snow fell heavily all the afternoon, covering the ground to a depth ot about four Inches,

Musioai.—Lovers of musio will be pleased to hear that the Ashburton Wesleyan Chclc are assiduously practising the Sacred Cantata • ISsihe. ' which is to be rendered on Sep* tomber sth. Besi ie_ well known vocalists thfjr'e will be some who have not previously appeared before an Ashburton audience.

Statelet;— After a few weeks of fine weather, on Wednesday afternoon a sou'wester sprang up, bringing rain, and then snow, which came down steadily all the afternoon, covering the ground to a depth of about four inches.