Untitled

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 123, 17 November 1876, Page 5

A letter by " Citizen," Milton, and other matter crowded ouk We notice that Mr Grigor will sell the right to erect booth on the show-ground tomorrow in his rooms at 2 o'clock. We have to call attention to the annivery soiree and ball in connection with the Odd- , fellows lodge at Catlins River this evening. Our Catlins River readers will observe that Mr Morris, at present officiating in the I Puerua Church, will conduct Divine Service in their district on Sunday week, the 26th instant. The Agricultural Show will this year, as usual, be held in Barr's paddock, on Friday next. The entrance will not be as formerly by John-street, but by Barr-street,Jwhich turns off the main road through the township about raidway Barr's Hall and the Wealeyan Church. At a meeting held in the Town-hall Tapanui, on Saturday, 11th instant, for the purpose of reading the nominations for the office of Mayor (left vacant by the resignation of Mr John M"Kellar), Mr Andrew Allan was declared duly elected to the office, his being the only nomination received. The inhabitants of Tokomairiro and the travelling public will be glad to know that Mr George Coombe is now personally to carry on the business of the Commercial Hotel, Milton. Those who know him (and who dosen't ?) need net be assured that the fame of the Commercial Hotel will not suffer in his hands. A pretty severe thunderstorm passed over the township on Tuesday, followed by a very heavy shower. Iv the Waitepeka district large hailstones fell, and the ground was covered to some depth. One of the telegraph-posts was struck by the lightning, the support being shattered and thrown to a considerable distance along the road. We regret to have to report an accident which occurred at Kaitangata on Wednesday afternoon. It appears that while a boy, son of Mr Dutton, was holding a root wuicu was being cut with a shovel by Charles Taylor, the shovel missed the root, and cut off one of the boy's fingers. Dr Smith was at once sent for, and is trying to unite the parts, but the bone and flesh were cut clean through, only a small bit of skin remaining uncut. As the settlers between Waikaka township and Gore are, with good reason, greatly dissatisfied with the present postal arrangements, we should recommend them to draw up a petition embodying their wants, and get it signed by as many as possible, and send it into the Postmaster, or to us. We will gladly forward it, and let them know the result. From our knowledge of the district, we should think the most suitable arrangement would be for a mail once or twice a week between Gore and Waikak* direct. We hear that great dissatisfaction exists amongst the men recently discharged from the Milton Pottery Works. It appears they had agreed to allow a portion of their wages to be deducted and applied to payment of shares in the Works. They have now been unexpectedly discharged, and being out of employment will be unable to pay the calls upon their shares, which they must therefore forfeit. These Works have all along proved an unfortunate concern for all in any way connected with them. The public in this quarter will be sorry . to learn that Mr R. B. Williams, coach proprietor met with a serious accident on Tuesday evening. Upon mounting a young mare at the Crown Hotel stables, the animal reared and fell backwards upon him. In the fall his head struck upon a bolt in the door ■which, produced slight concussion of the brain. He waa ! conveyed to his lesidence where he lay uncon- ! scious till Wednesday morning. Since then we : are glad to say he has progressed favorably under Dr. Smith's treatment. B. B. Lyons, of Stirling, had a narrow escape from instant death on Thursday last. While he and another man were in the act of lowering a segment of a cylinder with a winch, his mate stupidly let go his handle. The sudden additional weight jerked the other out of Lyons' grasp, and he was at once struck on the side of the Lead with the winch handle. He received a severe scalp wound, and lost a large quantity of blood, but under the care of Dr Smith, he is getting all right. His escape will be understood when we say that had he been standing an eighth of an inch nearer to the winch, he would have been killed on the spot. According to a resolution of the Executive Council of the Otago Convention, subscrip-tion-lists to defray the expense of the delegates to the Imperial Government and other necessary expenses in connection with the Convention, have been sent to all the members throughout I the Province. It is necessary these should be attended to at once, and returned without delay, ! We learn from various quarters that the public are responding very liberally to the call, and j thus giving the most practical evidence of their j earnestness in the work. In Balclutha the members have succeeded beyond their expectations, and with one or two exceptions, have met with a most cordial reception. This is as it should be, ] as the labour is a gratuitous one, and we, have no doubt the sums now given will be reproductive a thousand-fold. • > Messrs M'Lean Brothers, of Dunedin, who recently opened a branch of their business in Balclutha under the management of Mr' James Whyte, held their opening sale of stock at their 1 lew yards on Tuesday, 14th instant. There was a large attendance of the principal farmers and grazers in the district, and excellent prices were realised fer all the cattle offered, store cattle making as high as £9 10s, and fat ditto, £11 1/s 6d. Maclean Brothers are to be congratulated in having secured the services of such an energetic agent as Mr Whyte, who is bo well known to the settlers in the district; but for the successful result of the opening sale they are in no small degree indebted to Messrs Tosh and Cossens, upon whose property the yards are erected, and who, with characteristic energy, completed them in time for the sale. The yards are situated outside, the town boundary, and are easy of access, and their plan, construction, and suitability were the subject of general remark by the gentlemen present.

A man named Harris, employed at the Bruce Quartz Mining Company's claim, met with a severe accident on Saturday last. A piece of rock fell upon him and broke his leg below the knee. He was sent to the Dunedin Hospital. The recent showers have had a great j effect upon the crops in the Tokomairiro district. The crops in general look well, and the grass in paiticular never looked better at this season of the year. Mr M'Donough, Chief Agent for the Government Life Insurance, is now in Balclutha, prosecuting the business of the Department. We j believe he stays at the Crown Hotel, where those desirous of information upon insurance matters j will b© able to find him. ! We understand that arrangements are already being made in connection with the annual picnic to be held at Warepa on Christmas Day. This has hitherto proved a most extensive and enjoyable affair, and it is expected that this year a larger attendance will be attracted than on any | former occasion; Mr James Scanlan, fellmonger, Tokomairiro, has purchased from Messrs Russell, Ritchie, and Co., the premises lately occupied by Mr Holt, where he will, no doubt, do a very large business. Mr Scanlan's long-continued and prudent progress in Milton has secured for him the confidence of all, and we have no doubt he will fully succeed in his new enterprise. Mr Alexander Findlater, an old and respected citizen of Dunedin, died at his residence, George-sfcreet, on Wednesday last. Mr Findlater was for years clerk to Mr John M'Glashan when he held the office of Provincial Solicitor, and lately he has acted as Secretary to the Caledonian Society. He was always courteous and obliging, and not a few of the early settlers could testify to many little acts of kindI ness and good counsel they have received from him. A petition to the Town Council is being numerously signed, asking them to set apart and prepare a recreation ground for the inhabitants of Balclutha. We tiust this step will lead to the desired end being obtained, as Balclutha is placed in a most anomalous position, not having even the semblance of a recrextion ground. Now that our obstructive Provincial institutions have been made away with, no time should be lost in making application to the great paternal centre of Wellington. Rumors have recently been- afloat as to the intended retirement into private life of Sergeant Smyth, Tokomairiro. We believe he has now taken this step, and that the station has for the present been placed in the hands of Constable Hackett, late gaoler at Oamaru. We do not know who is likely to succeed Sergt. Smyth, than whom a more prudent and efficient officer never was in the force. He is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, Tokomairiro, and is respected by every one. We have, received the first and second numbers of the New Zealand Temperance Times, published weekly in Dunedin, and with which is incorporated the Liberator. Such a journal was very much wanted, and to all appearance the Times will fully meet the want. Its leading and other original matter is ably and smartly written, while its extracts are carefully selected. We commend the Times to the attention of cur Good Templar friends in particular. 3 1 ia worthy of their support. As a proof that the prevaling dulness has not affected the value of sections in Balclutha, we may mention the fact that, on Wednesday last, Mr John Macdonald gave £230 for one-sixteenth part of an acre, adjoining his shore ; and which enables him to boast of being the owner of the most valuable and compact business block in the township, Whea we consider that only sixteen years since the whole flat was bought for 10s per acre, we are forcibly reminded of the rapid strides the district has made in material prosperity. By private letters received by last mail wo learn that the Rev. Mr Bannerman had been paying a visit to the Blackwater and Glenshee. He delivered an address on Suunday evening in the Church of Cray upon the progress of the Church in Otago. At the close of the services, almost the whole congregation pressed round ;>lr Bannerman to shake hands and to make inquiries regarding, and send mes -sages to, friends here. Not a few of these are to be found in the Clutha district, and if Mr Bannerman faithfully executes the several trusts reposed in him, he will not be idle for some time after his return. , The Aucklmd, by which he returns, sailed two months ago. As large numbers of cattle are now being crossed at the bridge here, we think some precautions are necessary to prevent accidents. Formerly no mobs were crossed unless a man were stationed at the other «nd of the bridge to prevent people entering till the cattle were past. This precaution seems now to have been abandoned, and several women and children have had narrow escapes of late. From the position of the road and the bridge, the cattle are not seen approaching, and an unsuspecting passenger might easily be confronted by a mob of wild bullocks on the centre of the bridge. The position would be an awkward one. We trust those whose duty it is will attend to the matter without delay. A meeting of the workmen employed on the Mataura Railway at the time of the failure of the contractors, Messrs Minamin and Co., was held at Waipahi on the 11th instant — Mr Pettie in the chair. The meeting was called by their delegate, Mr Litton, who is at present completing the contract, and who read a full statement of how matters stood with the men. From this it appears the men will receive the balance of their wages from Government upon the completion of the. contract, the money being retained in the meantime as security. The reading of the statement and explanations occupied two tours. At the close Mr Litton waa loudly applauded and complimented upon the trouble he had taken in the matter. It appeared he had spent three months over it before he got the Government to agree to pay the money. He also took a journey to Christchurch to interview the Minister of Works on the subject in December 1875. The arrangements were then made with him to complete the contract. The Hon. Mr Reynolds also exerted himself on behalf of the men, and his services were fully acknowledge at the meeting; Before the meeting broke up a committee was appointed to present an address and some slight tangible acknowledgement to Mr W. H. S. Roberts, J.P., for the many kind services he had rendered to the men during their trouble. A A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the very harmonious and satisfactory proceedings of fko meeting.

[ The English mail via Suez will close at the office here on Tuesday first at 10 p.m. The Milton citizens -will regret to learn that Mr F. Bastings has resigned his appointment as Captain of the local Volunteer Fire Brigade. It will be difficult to place another such man in the command. The Palmerston Times is responsible for the following : — On dit, that the hon. the Minister of Justice, Mr Bowen, will acfc temporarily aa Chief-Commissioner of Police for the Colony, and that two officers, each occupying a secondary position, one in the North and the other in the South Island, will be appointed. Mr Kennedy, Scottish vocalist^ has forwarded a draft for ten guineas to the Working Men's Club, in fulfilment of a promise made by him before leaving Dunedin. Mr Kennedy and family, at the time of his writing, were commencing a tour through their native land, where they were received with enthusiasm. The old veteran contemplates another visit through the Colonies at the same time he promised, in 1880, when he may rely upon a cordial welcome from all lovers of Scottish song.— Evening News. A meeting of the Committee of the Clutha Agricultural and Pastoral Society was held in the Crown Hotel on Friday last. There were present : Messrs P. Ayson (President), Scott, Tosh, A. Watt, Moir, M'Farlane, White, Petrie, and John Paterson. The Secretary reported the progress made re prizes and judges, and mentioned that several entries had already been made of sheep and horses, which he thought augured well for the success of the Show. He also mentioned that Mrs Barr had kindly granted the use of her paddock in which to hold the Show, and that fche same was accepted It was resolved that two booths be upon the gro\md, and that the same be sold by auction. All other . stalls, sheoting galleries, &c, to be charged 10s each. Messrs Tosh, White, and John Paterson were appointed a Committee to make all final arrangements. In the Resident Magistrate's Court here, cases not unfrequently ocour where parties issue summonses upon a claim in the form of " To amount of account rendered," and often even fail to bring their books to prove their claims. This is frequently the cause of delay, expense, and disappointment. It therefore should be known that no matter how often the account has been rendered, a- detailed statement of every item must accompany the summons and duplicate. Also, to prove the claim, whether the case be defended or not, the plaintiff's oath as to order and delivery is insufficient. He must produce his books in support of his claim, and in particular should be prepared to read the items from his day-book, in which the goods were entered at the time of delivery. -If parties would only attend to this they would save themselves a great amount of unnecessary annoyance and trouble. The North Otago Times- records the following distressing case of drowning :— On Monday evening a son of Milligan, tailor, Oatnaru, in company with several others, was playing about on the bank of the creek below the railway bridge, when, by some cause or other, he was pushed or fell into the water, which at that part of the lagoon is about seven feet deep. The little fellow, being unable to swim, of course sank, and the other boys becoming frightened, did not render him the least assistance. Some of them rushed home, and others ran to the railway engiue shed and told the workmen. The alarm being given, a number of men ran down to the creek. A hook was procured, with which it was endeavored to find the body. After some time had been spent in searching for the body, one man at last stripped and dived down to the bottom of the creek. Thinking that he touched something with his foot, he took the hook in his hand, and shortly afterwards hauled up the boy. A Milton correspondent writes : — Some little excitement was occasioned in the vicinity of the Court House on Tuesday, in connection with the dispute re the Camp Hotel. Mr Cros» san, the landlord, observing Mr Julius, the occupier, outside the hotel, immediately took charge of the front door with a view to preventing Mr Julius getting into the establishment. The latter at once made a feint as if going to consult his lawyer, who lives near by, but instead of doing so he made a detour round by the back, and with the agility of a harlequin leaped into the hotel through a window. Mr Crossan quietly enjoyed his supposed triumph for some time, when he made the terrible discovery that the 1 enemy had taken possession by the rsar. The I doors and windows of the building had been removed some time ago, but a happy idea now struck the outwitted landlord, who at once got these apertures closed up and had the enemy I snugly shut in. This was all very well for some time, but as the dinner hour passed, and the culinary arrangements not being adequate to the production of a. good square meal, Julius tired of it. An axe was at hand, and by use of it he opened up communication with the outside world, and the ordinary business of the hotel was speedily resumed. It is said the R.M. will again have to adjudicate in the matter. Our correspondent at Port Molyneux writes :— Mr Morris held the second of a series of fortnightly evangelistic meetings at Port Molyneux on Thursday last. On both occasions the attendance has only been fair. A much larger number easily could, and on ordinary occasions would, have turned out without inconvenience to any. But aa the meetings have been, as yet, only by way of experiment, we believe the originator is fully satisfied with the results, and we feel justified in concluding that as time elapses so will they increase in favour, and their beneficial effects become more apparent. A novel feature, at least in that quarter, has been introduced, viz., the exclusive use of Sankey's hymns during the meeting. Several ladies and gentlemen, comprising the choir, resolved that previous ignorance of the hymns, whether of words or music, or both, should prove no o'ostaele to their introduction at the time desired They accord* ingly met once or twice a week at Mr William Wilson's for practice. They had many difficulties to surmount, but they did surmount them. Like many more, I am not much qualified to give a critical opinion in musical matters, but I flatter myself that I can both understand and appreciate good music when 1 hear it, and fancying so, I am fully impressed with the belief that if any one acquainted iv former days with the condition of musical science at Port Molyneux were suddenly to have the opportunity of comparing it as formerly existing with its present practice by the choir, he would be not a little astonished, and his astonishment would be mingled with considerable admiration. Efficient assistance was rendered at the last meeting, both in the singing and otherwise, by some friends from Pueraa.