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Bruce Herald, Volume XII, Issue 1121, 22 July 1879, Page 3

W_ are reluctantly compelled to hold over a full report of yesterday's meeting of the Mount Stuart Road Board for Friday's issue. Tho immediate cause is an unexpected addition to our advertising columns, and other late communications. We might have found room for a greatly condensed report, but as various matters of interest to the ratepayers have cropped up, wo prefer giving it in.ext enso. Vf'm understand that the Tokomairi-O High

School Cadets have petitioned their late Captain--(Mr Malcolm); to call a meeting for Wednesday evening next, for tho purpose of considering how best to appropriate a suni of about £60 of capitation money, at present in that gentleman's hands. W* record, with satisfaction, that the Railway authorities have, at last been roused from their lethargy, and have commenced to gravel the hollow in front of the entrance to Milton Station, which has been a nuisance throughout the winter. Better late than never. A mabbl-- tombstone, bearing the following inscription,, has, at the expense of a number of residents in the Walkawa district, been placed over tho grave of Mrs Welsh, who was murdered by her husband :— " In memory of Louisa Richardson, Mrs Welsh, who was murdered at Waikawa Station on Sunday, September 15th, 1878. Kaised by public subscription. May her soul rest in peace. A TEi-OKAM from Wanganui says : — A man in the employ of Mr W. tfomers picked up a Worcester sauce bottle on the beach. On opening it he discovered a small scrap of blue paper, with the words written, " Strathnaver on fire off Polly Beach, April 26, 1876. Heavy sea running. W. Waller, chief officer. On chance." It will be remembered that the Strathnaver left Sydney about the date mentioued, and was nerer heard of. Tho paper appears to be a genuine production, Sror thief ! An exciting chase took place on Saturday afternoon, when Mr Willson, the fruiterer, nimbly pursued a young larrikin who had managed to unlawfully possess himself of some apples out of the shop. The young, aspirant for soma future sojourn in one of Her Majesty's prisons was run to earth : in Ajaxaireet, and afterwards enjoyed several hours of solitary confinement^ in a dark room on the prosecutor's premises, from whence ho was liberated pretty late in the evening, after having promised not to offend again. Upon enquiry we learned that Mr Willson had b?en annoyed in a similar way , upon several occasions,- but has always taken it upon himself to inflict a well-earned punishment, and which proceeding has put a wholesome check upon the attempts of other juvenile*-. It would be well if Mr Willson'a example was followed by other residents, upon capture|of one of these delinquents ; the infliction of a sound thrashing, and a few hours' confinement, would be found_ far more efficacious than au exposure in a Police Court. Ma W. Da_ryj_*?le, senr., of Port Chalmers has forwarded to us a phamphlet, written by him on J the "School Penny Bank," together with directions how to start a school bank &c. The treatise deals very exhaustively with the subject, within a smal space, and contains much valuable information for the supporters of this no doubt praiseworthy scheme, the importance of which is enhanced by the fact, that the Government have deemed it advisable to make departmental arrangements for facilitating the movement. While gladly conceeding to the author the many valuable and interesting points, which he has with great diligence collected and brought forward in support of the system, we are still of opinion that, under all ordinary circumstances, the Post Office Saving Banks supply all wants, with the exception of those outlying ! districts where they do not,exist, and where the j school certainly might very properly come to the rea«ue. That the example of early habits of provision for the future must morally, and intuitively, exercise a great and beneficial influence on the youthful mind, no reasonable being will deny. But it b«come3 a pertinent question whether, as a general rule, the earliest encouragement aud impressions should not more properly come under the head of parental duties, than be promulgated by the schoolmaster. Wo must also not lose Bignt of tho fact that, particularly as regards large schools, much valuable time might be lost in spite of all exertions to the contrary, through the more or less practical turn of mind of individual teachers. We make these few remarks without the least intention of detracting from the merits of the school-banks, and can recommend Mr Da'rymple's valuable little pamphlet to all fricii ia and supporters of the movement,|as well worthy of perusal and consideration. We cau vouch for the following amusing incident which happened in Dunedin a day or two ago, and was witnessed by a gentleman whose veracity is placed beyond doubt. A revend genleman, who is well-known to hia friends and admirers for his love of athletic sports of various kinds, and whose genial manners and associations are a shade above strictly orthodox principles, owns a tine specimen of the canine breed. While proceeding along High-street, closely followed by his faithful friend — who, by the way, is of rather stalwart dimensions— aud when passing the "City Butchery," the sagacious animal noticed on the window-coumer the placid, but not altogether uninviting, countenance of a cleanly shaven calf's head — valued at 4s 6d - tastefully ornamented with the usual allowance of parsley. Whether the calculating quadruped intended to negotiate a commercial transaction on behalf of h-B master, or whether he recognised in the tempting looking morsel the features of a deI parted friend, oiir informant was unable to as certain, Suffice it to add, that the cab's head was speedily seized by the faithful servant, — parsely aud all— and carried in close proximity to his owner's heels along Princess-street, to the no small amusement of an admiring public, and to the still greater delight of passing juveniles. We are glad to be able to record that the re /erend gentleman preserved the ino3t imperturbeble countenance under these trying circumstances ; never looking to the right or b ft, but steadily pursuing the .even tenor of his way. Arriving at the Octagon, fresh ideas seemed to enter the fertile brain of our cauine friend, for he and the calf's head suddenly parted company by apparently mutual conseut. It has been uncharitably suggested, that the unexpected appearance of a gentleman in blue, was tiie immeuiate cau*e of this suddeu dissolution of partnership; but the smail boys justly argued, that »t was not a case of wilfully and feloniously stealing, taking, and carrying away, ai the, dog . o k the article openly, in broad daylight, and in the presence of many witnesses. This being the case, any attempt at a criminal prosecution would, we feel sure, prove a failure. Tub Taieri Derby Ploughing Match, the first of its kind held in that locality, came off at M >sgiel on Friday last. Mr M'Kay's farm was chosen for the eTent, on account of its central position, though the nature of the soil in the paddock was not of a character to assist in making the best show of sk lfuU ploughing; The day waj fine, and a number of visitors were on the ground, while the competitors also mustered pretty strongly. The highest prize for the event was in class D, for double-furrow ploughs, and consisted of £6 in cash, a saddle, a silver medal, and a double furrow plough — the latter to be won twice. The following ia a summary of the events :— Class A, swingletrees, six entries, all comers — First prize, £6, and present from Kohn and Co., £2 2s, T. Dowling; gad prizes £4, and pair of blinkers, Jas. Gilbert; Class B, Bwingletrees, six entries, Ist and 2nd class prize takers excluded — lstpriz?, £4, and box of tea, Jas. Whyte : 2nd prize, £2, and a clock, W. M-Meckan. Class C. swingletrees, for juniors under 20 years of age, three entries l ß fc prize, £2, and silver medal, John Miller ; 2nd prize, £1, and a bridescake, Robert Haugh. i Class D, double-furrow ploughs, open to all comers, 12 entries— lst prize, (as previously described), W. P. Christie ; 2nd prize, £2, and a garden seat, John Whyte ; 3rd prize, £2, and a set ; of swingletrees, John Allen. Special pn_», —Silver medal, for best ploughing in the field W. P. Qhristie ; box of tea, best feering in Class A, Thos Dowling; Pat sheep, best finish in Class A, James Gilbert ; Hat, best feering in (Jlass B, W. M'Micken ; pipe, best finish ia Class B, James Creo ; cruet 'stand, boat feering

in Class 0, A; Sinolair ; lamp, best finish m Glass 0, John Miller ; box of tea, best f soring m Class p, W. P, Christie ; fat sheep, second best feering in same class, John Whyte ; cruetstand, for second best finish in Class D, D. Staffer. No speoial prizes for best turn-out, best groomed horses, or best harness, Ac, were on the list, i. Am inquest oa the late destructive fire on Mr James Stand's premises, Weat Taieri, was hold on Saturday afternoon, before Mr J_mes Fulton, acting-coroner. The following verdict was returned—" That no evidence of tho origin of the fire doth appear to the jurors." . An animated game of chess waa recently played at the New York Academy of -Music.-' The pieces were represented by ladies .and gentlemen appropriately dressed, who moved about on a muslin carpet, divided into largo black and white Bquarcs in proper chessboard style. Ako-Hbr Maori prophet (says the ' Taranaki News ') has arisen at Punehu, a native sottlemant gouth of Stoney River. This rival of Te Whiti, whose name we believe is Ta Mutu, appears to possess ritualistic tendencies, he having fitted up a house with carved images and with a-, kind of chancel cr holy place. On the application of Mr D. Reid, his Honor Judge Harvey, at tha last sitting of the District Court, granted an order deolaring the deed of assignment of' Mi? Joseph Mackay completely executed under the provisions of the Debtors' and Creditors' Act,' and an order authorising tha Trustees of the property of Mr R. W. Capstick to sell and dispose of for the benefit of the creditors of tjhe debtor certain drain.. .pipe's and crockery wars, which, it was alleged the debtor had at the'time' of his bankruptcy In his order and disposition with the consent and. per-.. I mission of the trao owner. t Zadkiel's Astrolpgical, : Almanac, for ,1879, published last year predicts that at 1.30 p.m., January 22, 1879, '"difficulties would come on the English Govenment at the Capo through hostile acts perpetrated by discontented tribea." This was a good hit, for it was the day and hour of tho Isandula disaster. Another prediction was that in June several Royal personages would suffer from sunstroke and., other strokes. Certainly Zadkiel can score one in , the person of the prince Imperial of France. I The ©Id proverb " Better be dead than out of I the fashion," has been illustrated recently | within less than a hundred miles from Tokomairiro. A certain respectable party wished to file hia schedule, and went to consult his legal adviser about the necessary steps to be taken. Having carefully perused the statements put before him, the gentleman of the wig and gowu told his client that he waa perfectly solvent, and had no need whatever to submit to the process of " white-washing." The party, however, had made up his mind, and immediately exclaimed in a rather highly pitched voice, " Rut 1 wants to be 1 " We clip the following racy paragraph from " Tho Loafer in the Street," ia the Christchurch ■ Press ' : — So far aa I can gather, the ladies of thia city are not much given to visiting the poorer sisters, There are a few, however, who go out on charitable intent sometimes, and one of them tells the following story. She waa visiting an "unemployed family," and noticing that the children were of the grimiest description, she as delicately as possible suggested that they would be the better of a bath. "Well, Ma'am," responded the loving mother, "my husband has a prejudice agen baths. He took one hisself about nine years ago, and it disagreed with him. He wouldn't have those children bathed on no account." " Well, but," said the Bister, " don't you think you could get them dressed a little neater ? You se- their clothes are all in rage." "That's where it is ma'am," said the ready mother. " I aint very handy with the needle. I never had your advantages, ma'am, in being brought. up to the dressmaking." Exit visitor. lw the Resident Magistrate Court, Balclutha, on Wednesday last, before E. H. Carew, Esq., R.M., Thomas Smith sued George Soott for £30 damap-es. Mr Taylor appeared for plaintiff, and Mr D. Reid for defendant. Thomas Smith on being sworn depqsed as follows :— On Ist May I found 5 rams amongst my sheep. They belonged to the New Zealand Land Company. They had the Gompany's brand and ear mark. I pat the rams in a yard, and David Melrose the shepherd came and took them away. William Scott said he would take all sheep in lamb, at my price. I sold 120 of my sheep to Mr Ayson on the 16th July, at 16s, because they were in lamb ; there were about 60 ewes in the flock. I sold them as fat sheep. On Ilth April, 1879, I saw 4 rams among my sheep. I went and told Mr Scott, he asked Mr Melrose to go for them. On Ist June there waa another ram among my Bheep. Jame3 Wilson deposed that ewes aofd 6 weeks after being with ram would bring full value. By Mr Reid— Purchased Plaintiffs sheep last year, gave him a big price, if plaintiff had kept the sheep for 2 months longer he would not have obtained such a high price. Market fell after 16th July. Mr Ayson gave corroborative evidence. Mr Reid contended that nominal damages only ought to be given as plaintiff failed to prove that he had suffered any lo^s, and that his sbeep had deteriorated in value. Judgment was given for 20s, damages ; Court costs, 40s ; witnesses expenses, 10* ; and professional costs, 10a 6d. An instance of the correctness of the old adage that many a true word is often spoken in jest cornea to our knowledge from this great City of the Plains. A well known Hibernian MUtonian, with pockets bursting with delicate but pressing invitations from the mansion house of E. H. C , Esq., and which were panting for delivery to ail and. sundry to whom they were addressed, accompanied by a gentleman whose time is pretty fairly divided in Toko, between books and newspaper* aud the collecting of unpaid rates and taxes, was proceeding down tiie street of this township, yclept Union, a few mornings ago. Tuey passed the shop of a vendor of fruits and vegetables, and other esculent commodities, outside whoso verandah hung a cage, the occupant whereof appeared clothed in a suit of feathers with beak complete, and was conspicuously labelled " for sale." Pausing, our two friends gazed long and silently on tbis ornithological specimen. Said the gentleman in the unpaid taxes interest, "For sale! why it's been for sale for ever so locg.'^ Quoth the gentleman in the pressing-invitation department, "Fer sale, pooh; that's only a lark." Resolved to ascertain the correctness or otherwise of the announcement, both were about to enter the shop for the parpos'e of making enquiries, when the Hibernian gentleman with characteristic quickness of wit, and having a tender regard for anything and everything in anywise oonnected with the . beak element, suddenly exclaimed, " Be jabers, but it's a rale laik." We understand that on hearing tois the sagacious bird, winked its eyes as much as to say, " but ye're right, Pater, darlint." Whereupon the collecting gentleman immediately became so frightfully apoplectia with phuokles that he had to be taken home and put to bed at once, so that he might evaporate off the earth comfortably if he felt so disposed. For the benefit of those whose little rates and taxes are a trifle troublesome, we may stats, on the beat authority, that the visits of our friend will be, in consequence,, postponed for a few days, and also that the date of the ' family i gathering at Mr C w 's mansion stands adjourned to a future day, of which due notice will be given to the guests invited, as the Hibernian assassin has mysteriously disappeared, being fearful that he may be charged with having' slaughtered his inoffensive friend with malice aforethought, though all the result ; of %lmrle.

Wi hear that Mr Matthews, Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, leaveS.on Milton Thursday next, to take charge, of a store important > branch in another part of the Colony. While congratulating Mr Matthews on his new appointment, we cannot but feel regret in losing ! such an energetib and kind-hearted citizen. We heartily wish Mr Matthews and family a aafe a_d speedy journey*