The Herald. Alexandra, Wednesday, January 24.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 505, 24 January 1906, Page 4

The Herald. Alexandra, Wednesday, January 24.

The Vincent County Council sits at Clyde today. We understand that Mr L. Ryan has received the appointment as agent for the New Zealand State Fire Insurance office. In this issue we insert an advt. of the Chatto Creek Hotel, The genial proprietor, Mr D. G. Gunn, is still to be found in this popular and old-established hostelry. It is reported that Mr T. E. Taylor, is about to remove from Christchurch to Wellington, having accepted an appointment as manager of a large brick and tile works at the Empire City.

Included in the list of Otago candidates who passed in the junior national scholarships and free places for secondry schools are the names of Miss Evelyn Bodkin, of Clyde, and Master Charles Gair, of Cromwell.

At the monthly meeting of the Otago Education Board, held last week, the department wrote notifying that an amount of £450 would be paid for an additional classroom at Alexandra.—lt was decided to call for tenders for the work at once. Hitchon Bros., the well-known ham and bacen curers of the far-famed grain growing district of Tokomairiro, inform us that they are now supplying a quality of bacon and hams unexcelled for quality, cure and freshness. They have a change «f advt. in this issue.

Mr E. E. Banks, of the Public Works Department, who has acted as paymaster on the Otago Central railway works for the past two years, has been transferred to the ollice in Duuedin. Mr Harold Grave, of the Dunedin ollice, takes Mr Banks' place at Alexandra,

We are in receipt of Messrs Mills, Dick and Co's almanac and directory for 1906,and is as usual well got up and of artistic finish. It contains a vast amount of information, and business men and others should not fail to have one of these most useful directories in their home.

For milk supplied during December, the Taieri and Peninsula Company paid out £27,00 J. Under the supervision of Dr Truby King, the company will at once instal a plant for the manufacture of humanised mi!k. This is an important new departure, and the company are the first persons to take it up seriously. Mr J. A. Millar, M.H.K. for Dunedin Central, was entertained at a social on Wednesday night last. In the course of the proceedings Mr M. Sinclair (the Chairman) handed to Mr Millar a purse containing 200 sovereigns, remarking that the recipient had secured the highest number of votes given to any candidate in the colony.

We notice that at the recent Accountants Examination, held in November last, Mr LC. Kyan, formerly of Alexandra, succeeded in passing the associates' grade. Eightyseven sat for the examination, out of which 37 passed. His many friends in this district will be pleased to hear of " Leo's " success, for he is now a qualified accountant and auditor with the appendage A.N.Z.A.A. Mr A. ASHWORIH, of this town, has received word to the effect that one of his birds at the Blenheim Egg-laying Competition died during last week. Although Mr Ashworth has a spare bird at the competition, this to him is not only a severe loss but it is sad news, as his pen of Silver Wyandottes is at present in a good position, with every prospect of securing first prize when the twelve months are up.

The programme for the third annual show of the Dunstan District Horticultural Society, which is to be held on Thursday, February 15th, has been issued, Every provision has been made for horticulturists to exhibit everything in the way of fruit, flowers and vegetables; and a class is set aside for butter and cookery. As the exhibition last year was purely local, we hope to see all the surrounding districts represented with exhibits this yeaj\ and by so doing make this show a most successful one.

Mr John Sullivan, who has been on the staff of the local post office for the past six years as messenger and cadet, has been transferred to the Waimate office, and left for his new situation on Friday last. Mr J. Lindsay, of Napier, fills the vacancy. Piior to his departure, Mr Sullivan was the recipient of a handsome gold tie pin, the gift of the staff of the Alexandra office. Mr Egginton (postmaster) made the presentation, and, in a few well-chosen words, referred to the good feelings that had always existed in the office, and though he regretted losing the services of tor Sullivan, who was a deligent servant, he was pleased to say that it meant promotion. On behalf of the staff he had much pleasure in wishing Mr Sullivan every success in his new place, Mr Sullivan, who was taken by surprise, suitably responded, and heartily thanked the staff for their valuable present and the speaker for his kind remarks.

It was five years on Monday last since the death of Queen Victoria and the accession of King Edward.

% With this issue we present to our readers our almanac for 1906, at the same time apologising for not being able to issue it before now.

It is estimated that the value of the wool disposed of at Dunedin on Tuesday was £150,000. Piices for some of the clips represent a record for the colony for this season.

The Wellington Cup, run on Saturday last, resulted as follows :—Ropa 1, Achilles 2, Melodeon 3; dividends, £29 18s and £2 6s. The time, 2tnin 33sec, is a record for the colony. At the egg-laying competition at Lincoln College last week, the Alexandra Poultry Company's pen of White Plymouth Rocks was second highest with a total of 27 eggs for the week.

Our readers' attention is directed to the important notice regarding the great end of sale of Brown Ewing and Co. Ltd., drapers, etc., Dunedin. During the sale great reductions in will take place, and everything will be of the usual' dependable' quality. A LARGE quantity of material—dobbins, barrows, etc., —from the Otago Central Railway works is being dispatched to the Law-rence-Roxburgh line, and we understand that about 50 men are to Le shortly transferred from the railway works here to the Lawrence line.

We regret to record the death of the youngest son of Mr and Mrs M. H, Dawson, of Parkside hotel, Caversham, which occurred on Saturday last. The bereaved parents are well-known in this district, and to them we extend our deep sympathy in their sad misfortune, At the second day's racing of the Gore meeting, Mr George Donnelly's horses were successful in annexing two races. After a brilliant finish, Stepenfeldt beat Crighton in the Racing Club Handicap, paying £6 14s ; while Metford accounted for the Borough Handicap, returning his investors £4 Bs. A South Taranaki farmer, noted for his absent-mindedness, drove home from town the other day, after transacting his business. During the journey he was troubled with the thought that he had forgotten something, but could not think what it was. On reaching the farm he was met by his daughter, who exclaimed: Why, father, where have you left mother 1 We have been experiencing rather boisterous weather of late, and yesterday was no exception to the rule, for the heaviest hailstorm that has occurred in this district for some time fell yesterday. In the short space of a few minutes the main street was white with pebbles, and we learn that in the Clyde-Cromwell gorge the hailstorm was also exceptionally heavy. The increased responsibilities of hotelkeepers in the matter of prohibition orders since the passing of the last Licencing Act cropped up in an Auckland case last week. The magistrate (Mr Kettle) mentioned that in cases where prohibited persons were inadvertently supplied the onus was upon the hotelkeeper to show that he did not know, and he had to satisfy the Court and not the police on that point. A Timaru Herald correspondent mentions an instance of the queer places in which birds will build their nests. A pair of moleskin trousers had been hung up on the end of the house to dry, and when the owner went to take them down, he found something in one of the legs. On investigating, he discovered that a starling had used the garment as her nursery, having built her nest and hatched a brood of four youngsters in the leg of the trousers. The attention of the public is called to the unsafety of the Alexandra bridge, and waggoners and others are warned about carrying heavy loads across it. One of the wooden stringers or girders is completely rotten, and has broken in two places, while the ones on each side of the decayed one have also given away, and unless these are taken out and new ones substituted there is every probability of a serious accident happening at any time. We undeistand that the county engineer is making arrangements to have new stringers put in, and the sooner the work is put in hand the better will it be for all.

A heavy thunderstorm took place in Christchurch on Sunday last, windows being blown in, and gardens wrecked. The chief mishap, jjowever, was the collapse of a large portion of the Exhibition Building. About 200 ft were blown down, and much heavy timber smashed. The disaster is not likely to delay the opening of the Exhibition, but from the point of view of the contractors it is a serious one. They had been at work since November. The damage represents the loss of a considerable portion of the work done. The cost of restoring the framework to the condition in which it stood before the storm will probably be £3,0C0. The Alexandra Rifles went into camp on Thursday last for their annual week's training. Although the weather has proved rather unfavorable, the camp has been the most successful held during the past four years. The attendance has been good, the parades both morning and evening being we;l attended. Sergt-major Kibblewhite, of Qamaru, is the drill instructor, and has imparted some useful information to the men. On Sunday afternoon a large number of townspeople visited the camp, where the brass band discoursed a programme of appropriate airs, and afternoon tea and cake was dispensed to the ladies. To-morrow the camp breaks up. Military sports will be held in the afternoon, and in the evening a social will be held, which promises to be successful.

Mb Mark Cohen, editor of the Dunedin ' Star,' interviewed at HoUitika on 201.h inst., spoke in glowing terras of the future of Wcstland, After his three weeks' stay he recognises that the province has a great future before it as a tourist resort, and feels confident that the attractions of South Westland, when fully known, will ensure an unending stream of visitors. He was surprised to find it a district of such great promise, and considers it worthy of the fullest development. Ho speaks hopefully of a West-iand-Otago ltailway materialising from a mere dream to a reality, and thinks that the Government might do worse than send a parliamentary excursion through South Westland into Otago, so that members could see the country and it great natural rcsonrses for themselves.

Ballasting operations on the Omakau- (. hatto Creek section of .the Otago Central railway are now in full swing, the ballast engine having arrived last week. A large number of men from the Clyde section have been transferred to the ballasting work, and as the ballast-pit is conveniently situated, this work will be pushed on with all possible speed- Plate-laying is being carried on, the rails now being laid to the Manuherikia bridge (second crossing), and a considerable quantity of rails and sleepers are stored at Chatto Creek. Work on the Clyde-Alexandra section of the line is about finished with the exception of the crossing at Muttontown Gully, and all the men have been put on the Galloway Fiat-Alexandra section. File driving is being carried out on the Manorburn viaduct, and in the two large rock cuttings rear Alexandra two shifts a day have been at work for some time. The formation work of the Alexandra station ami yards is well advanced and it wiil not be many weeks before this is completed. At Chatto Creek the engine' shed has been erected. The contractor for the station buildings (Mr J. Drummey) has not yet made a start, having to wait for the arrival of the material.

We are in receipt of the programme of the second atonual meeting of the South Island Rifle Association, which takes place at the summer range, < hristchurch, on Ist, 2nd and 3ird March. It is confidently anticipated that the forthcoming meeting will be largely patronised, and as the prizes are substantial as well as numerous, members of g©ldfields rifle clubs and volunteers would do well to visit this meeting. When a precocious infant threatened to disturb the serenity of the political meeting at Kumara on Wednesday evening last, the Premier, in kindly words, asked the mother not to retire, as the infant would soon settle down. Momentarily there was not much hope of this transpiring, and Mr Seddon had to raise his voice to overcome the disturber of the peace. The. strong man, however, held sway, and the guileless one soon gave up the struggle, and settled down to the peaceful quiet for the rest of the evening.

Mr E. Montgomery, of the well«known company of entertainers, writes stating that the company intends paying a return visit to Alexandra shortly. Since last here Mr Montgomery with his customary enterprise of being up-to-date has just received from France the latest production in machines for picture exhibition. It is known as the "Professional," and was the one machine chosen out of many for the pictorial entertainment at the Great World's Fair held at St. Louis. It is said to be a most perfect piece of mechanism, silent in movement, and reduces that annoying flicker almost to vanishing point. An entirely new series of subjects will be given, including something of a distinctly thrilling and sensational nature in the " Daring American Bank Robbery." Ihe first of a series of views of the NZ; rugby football team on tour of Great Britain will also be shown.