Untitled

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 802, 12 May 1876, Page 5

At a special meeting of the Tokomairiro Road Board, held on Tuesday night, the Clerk was instructed to sue all persons who had not paid their rates. Owing to the rush of Court cases at the R.M.s Court atßalclutlia last week, MrMaitlaud resolved to sit both on Wednesday and Thursday next at the Clutha. A s-toruEK o£ football players will meet on the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon at two o'clock for a friendly game. In the evening a meeting will be held for the purpose of making arrangements for the formation of a football olub. A BiLiUED tournament is now going on at the White Horse Hotel, the prizes being £5, £3, and £2. The game is a new one in this town, and a large number of players have tried their hands at it. The highest score at present is 27. A pbocl.uiat.ion' appeared in Wednesday's ' Gazette ' declaring the country between the Waitaki River and Catlins River, and ten miles back from the sea coast, open for the shooting of cock pheasants during June and July. In last Friday's Bruce Heeaxd appearod a lengthy report of a case of considerable interest to waggoners, heard in the Resident Magistrate's Court, Milton. On Tuesday last Mr Maitlantl delivered judgment against the defendants, who were fined 20s each for evading payment of toll. At a public meeting at luvercargill on Monday, resolutions werp tarried affirming the desirability of a harbor board being established at the Blufi, which should receive a land endowment and "an equitable participation in any public money appropriated for public works in common with other ports." TiiE Oamaru ' Mail ' says :— " Several persons have asked us why we do not get the 'Mail' registered as a ' Q-azette ' in Bankruptcy, under the new Debtors and Creditors Act. The fact is that Oamaru at the present time J3 in such a flourishing and substantial condition, commercially speaking, that it would not pay thp price of postage to make the application." . The advertisement columns of one of our American exchanges contain the following: — "Alive young man wanted as a mailing clerk and coj>yiifg glgrk." As it is pretty certain no dead young man \youlcl apjjly for the appointment, "live" may probably be consjtrupd jntp active — too inexpressive an adjective, seemingly, itt tljs adrei'tjser'3 estimalion. A corresponoekt, writing from Balcluttya, states that a great inconvenience is caused by the want of a mid-day mail to Dunedin, which he ptafes would be of more use than the other two. By the present arrangement, a letter posted at Balclutha is not deiiyerpd in Dunsdin until (;lie following day, although there are three trains i running daily. This is truly a very considerable inconvenience, and one which we feel sure the Chief Postmaster at i)unedin will immediately attend to if it is brought under his notice.

The dignify of labor lias its peculiar phases, which lias jus£ been exemplified by the female bookfoldera at the Q-ovei>nißcnt printing office. The 'Evening Argus' states that on Saturday lust they " struck " from rather a novel cause. The week's work being done, the overseer asked them to wash dor/n their benches, This was too much for Miss Jemima Spriggjus, -yyhose parents had been — well, it doesn't matter what they had been — Miss gpriggins was herself a lady, " and wasn't a-goiu' to wash, down no beuch." She resigned, and all the other folders, taking up Jemima's quarrel, resigned too. The Govern: ment printer parted with the mutineers, and asked for time to consider his position. And so the matter stands. But they didn't scrub down > that bench,

Yesterday being a Presbyterian Fast-day, there was no sitting of the Resident Magistrate'? Court, Milton. A boy named Palmer, attending the Grammar School, broke his leg on Tuesday, by faUing from the back of another boy, with whom he was playing. A TEiiBGRAK from Tinaaru states that the Southern Railway is finished as far as Otaio, but cannot be opened owing to the -want of room at i the Timaru station. This inflicts a loss upon the j farmers. ' We learn from the 'Tuapeka Times' that scarlet fever is sbiil prevalent at Waipori. A large number of cases are under treatment, but as yet none of them have terminated fatally. The following quantities of gold were taken to Dunedin by the Southern escort on Tuesday: — Lawrence, 1694 ozs. 11 dwt.; Waitahuna, 206 ozs. 11 dwt.; Tokomairiro, 203 ozs. 14 dwt. Total, 2104 ozs. 16 dwt. The reported action of the Governmont in sending to England for an Inspector of Prisons is condemned by the Northern journals. The ' Post ' Btrongly supports the claim of Mr Caldwell, of whom ifc writes — " Hia manner of conducting the Dunedin gaol, and tho great improvement 3 he has effected in it since ho assumed control, have elicited praise from all who have visited the place. He has had forty years' experience as a gaoler, and the reports on crime which he furnishes annually to the Government are quoted all over the Colony. Therefore, there is at leaat one competent man in the Colony, and and we cannot see why his claim, or, indeed, that of any other competent and experienced man, should be overlooked." The nomination of officers for Lodge Clutha, No. 460, S.C., for the ensuing term, took place in the Lodge room at Balclutha on Monday evening last. There was a good attendance, and the nominations Avere spirited. The old R.TV.M., Bro. John M'Donald, was unanimously re-elected for — well, it is so many times that we have lost count. This mark of confidence speaks Avell for Bro. M'Donald, but not so for the younger members of the order. They should aspire to gain the tree top, in place of seeing even so worthy a brother yoked in harness for such a length of time. If. is unfair to ask a brother to remain in the chair for such a long time as Bro. M'Donald, of Lodge Clutha, haa been good enough to have done. It truly bears out the motto of wearing out the willing horse. Sic James Ferguson, our late Governor, has has been lecturing at home on the Suez Oanal purchase. The first part of the lecture consisted of a sketch of Egypt. Sir James afterwards spoke at length on the origin and construction of the Suez Canal, paying a high compliment to M. de Lesseps. Into the political question raised by the action of the British Government in purchasing the Khedive's interest in the canal he thought it would be impolitic to enter, seeing that the subject would be fully discussed at the approaching meeting of Parliament. He would simply ask, what would the nation have thought had the Government, 9oeing tliafc the shares were for sale, stood aloof aud allowed them to fall into the hands of some other and possibly hostile party ? Sir James hoped that the lecture would enable his audience to read with more interest the debates ou the subject, and more fully to understand the bearings of the question when it came to be discussed in the House of Commons. Our correspondent writing from Catlins River on May 2nd, states that the'number of arrivals for the past month was seven, — 265 tons register, — against 13 sailed, — 493 tons. Seven loaded at the Pig Mill, and six at the Owake Mill, five were sent to Dunedin, four to Lyttelton, three to Waikouaiti, and one to Timaru. The Fanny, Anna and Catlin sailed from Catlins River last Sunday, leaving the river clear of vessels ; but only until a shift of wind takes place, when there will sure to be some finding their way down again. Barraeouta have been verj plentiful in tho bay lately, and the fishermen have made some very good hauls, aud, as far as our correspondent can learn, find uo difficulty in selling them to the inhabitants of the district. T}lE following is Inspector Petrie's repor-b on the Waipori School : — " Education Office, Dunedin, 27th March. — The Waipori Bchool was visited by me on the 3rd March. The instruction was very satisfactory in the higher classes, and fairly so in the lower ones. In the readiug of the junior pupils, more attention to distinctness aud a correct grouping of words is occasionally needed. The Avriting in the home exercise books also, requires more careful superintendence. If pas-: sible, tho number of classes shquld be reduced. Should the present large attendance (83.) con? tiuuc, a pupilrteacher should bo appointed to assist tho master. Discipline and movomonts were good. — (Signed) D. Petrie, M. A., Inspector of Schools." There was a good muster at tho Commanding Officer's Parade of the Brine Rifles on Wednesday night, Avhen twenty-eight rank and file turned out, with two sergeants, the Lieutenant and the Captain. After the parade the paptain read a letter from the City Guards, offering to. fife a niatpli with the Bruce Rifles, in Dunedin, on the Queen's Birthday. After some discussion it was resolved to accept the challenge, the team to consist of Capt. PcUit, Lieut. Scott, Sergt. Dtckson, Privates Reid, Tough, Mathieson, Grant, M'Latchie, Clarke, and Nutsford— 'A. M'Kecbnjs eleventh man. It Ayas arranged that certain money prizes should be fired for at Milton, on the Queen's Birthday, by the other members of the corps. The resignation of Sub-Lieut. Nutsford was read, and Privates D. Reid and W. Poppelwell were nominated as candidates for the vacant office. The following prizes won during the District Prize Firing were then distributed. First Set— 2nd prize, £8, Private Grant 5 §tb do., #4, Private M'Latchie ; 6.th do., £4, Lieut. Scott ; 12tii do., £2 lQs, Private Tough; 13th do., £2 10s, Private Gordon ; 14th do., £2, Sub: Lieut. Nutsford ; 17th do., £1 10s, Private Rcjd,. Second — gtli prise, £2, feergt. pickson ; llth do., £1 10s, Private Clark. Total— £2B. During the discussion that ensued upon the reading of the challenge from the City Guards, Lieut. Scott referred tq the fact tj^at j,ho Bruce Rifles had been short of ammunition for some months past, and had nqt been able to practise. Major Jones, who Avas present, said that he had arranged that the Company should get seven hundred round*, immediately.

The Committee of the Otago Christmas Fat Stock Exhibition met at Wain's Hotel on Tuesday ' afternoon. Present— Messrs W. J. M. Larnach (in the chair), Etching, Driver, John M'Loan, W. C. Smith, James Shand, Wm. Soutter, and Wm. Fraser. The folloAving gentlemen were appointed as a sub-Committee to prepare a pro* gramme for the Show :— Messrs Thos. Brydone, John Roberts, and W. C. Smith. Mr Sydney James was nominated as Secretary to the Exhibition. We have been requested to publish the following copy of a letter from the Public Works Office, Wellington, dated sth May, 1876:— " Sir,— Reverting to your letter of the 15th February, and to my reply thereto of 14th March, relative to inspection of Kaitangata Branch Line, I am now directed by the Hou. the Minister for Public Works to forward to you a copy of the certificate of the Inspecting Officer (Mr W. N. Blair, C.E.), notifying that the above line is safe and fit for public traffic— l have, &c, Chaeles T. Benzoni, in absence of Under-Secretary. — A. J. Smyth, Esq., Managing Director Kaitangata Railway Company, Dunedin."