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Clutha Leader, Volume VI, Issue 338, 2 April 1880, Page 5

It will be observed that the English Church concert has been definitely fixed for the 23rd inst. Tickets may be had at all business places. There was no sitting of the Resident Magistrate's Court here on Wednesday last, it being the day of Mr Carew's monthly court at Clinton— the last Wednesday of the month. It will be seen from our advertising columns, that a dance in aid of the North Hillend school funds will be held in Mr Robert Paterson, junr's barn, Hillend, this night week. We have been requested to direct attention to Mr Christie's sale of valuable property at his rooms to-morrow — Saturday ; also, *to j his sale ab Kaitangata the same afternoon, aa ! advertised in another column. I The gentlemen composing the Hoyal Commission on Public "Works here by 1 the mid-day train on Weduesday. They took a 1 drive aa far as Glenomaru, returning in the i evening, and left yesterday per morning train for Dunedin. We would call attention of our readers to Messrs Maclean and Co.'a sale of store cattle, ■ sheep, etc., at their yards to-day, at one o'clock. | On Tuesday, the 6th inst., they will submit to j public competition the celebrated stock and implements of Mr Robert Clarke, Hillend. At the meeting of the Educational 1 Institute on Tuesday evening, Professor Black , mentioned that he intended to deliver a course of scientific lectures tor next winter. The announcement was received by the teachers with loud applause. We add our Hear, hear ! It will be observed that the Rev. J.|N". Buttle will preach a sermon bearing on the temperance question in the Wesleyan Church here on Sabbath evening. In consequence of this service Mr Morice has postponed his lecture on " The Immortality of the Soul," till Sunday week. We understand that Rev. Professor Salmond will preach at Port Molyneux and Puerua on Sabbath first at the usual hours— viz., Port Molyneux at 11 a.m., and Puerua at 2 p.m. On Monday evening following the Professor will deliver in Puerua church the lecture recently delivered by him in Dunedin, and so highly spoken of by the Dunedin Press, on Dr Chalmers, one of the greatest and best men Scotland or any other country has produced. The lecture will begin at 7 o'clock. We hope that many from the surrounding districts will avail themselves of this opportunity of hearing the learned Pro* fessor. Our Wangaloa correspondent writes : — The crops have all been gathered in and stacked in the best of order. The yield was satisfactory, but the price is much the reverse.— The School was opened on Tuesday with only an attendance of twenty pupils, affording ,a somewhat poor prospect as regards the teacher's salary for the ensuing year. The cause of this small attendance is that a number of the older boys, pupils last year, have gone to work, while a few have (eft the district.' It may be mentioned that should the average attendance not come up to twenty, the Education Board is not bound to Keep tha School open.. It is to be hoped, - therefora, that those who have children at School will take care that they are regularly in attendance. !-'"-''•■■.■•: ' ■■ •■• '■." ■■:.■ . - ■'. -

It * will " ''be"*ol>served~*thW > tende~rs**"are ! . 1 invited for piles, planking &c, washed away from the Balelutba traffic bridge. We should think much of this would KeTvefy suitable for building purposes, or for the scaffolding. necessary in connection with the re-erection of the bridge. ; . ; „ ; „ < , : A correspondent in the Palmerston and Waikouaiti Times protests against the expense of deputations of councillors on journeys to Dunedin, &c. When the.effect of the present liberal system of education shall be felt throughout the country— that is when the present scholars shall become councillors and in other capacities take part in public business, they will be able to conduct such business by correspondence and . the deputation nuisance will abate— but not till then ■ —not till men of liberal education are to be found for public positions. The Olutha and South Motyneux Road Boards will perhaps excuse us for calling their attention to a very dangerous piece of road. We refer to fthat leading from the Puerua-Warepa road to Willowmead, the gradient of which we should think is about one in four. The danger is enhanced by a bend in the formation made no doubt with a view to easing the gradient, which, however, it does not, do. The soad is in the Clutha Road district, but is chiefly used by the settlers and others in the Pueruu valley, yvhich is in the South Molyneux Road district. It would seem reasonable therefore that both boards should contribute towards the expense of the work. The road is really a very dangerous one, and as the traffic is now considerable, the matter should be attended to at once. Considering the number of unemployed knocking about, the boards would find it to their advantage to have such jobs done during the present season. An equally favourable opportunity may not occur for sometime. A number of boys were allowed by their parents to go out shooting at Wallacetown Junction, Southland, on Monday. One of them, named Robert Curtis, only ten years of age, was accidentally, shot through the jugular vein and death was instantaneous. Prom the number of mere boys that are allowed to go about with fowling pieces the wonder is that more accidents of a similar nature have not occurred before now. Surely parenfe are not aware of the dangerous nature of such weapons, and the continued caution necessary to avoid accidents, otherwise they would not allow reckless youths and larrikins to have them in their possession. In the case of youths, familiarity with such dangerous weapons, speedily engenders carelessness and indifference, and the result is that not only their own lives but also the lives of others are frequently juapordised. It is to be hoped that parents will take warning in time and prevent the use of guns by members of their families till they arrive at years of discretion. Colonial boys are proverbially rash and daring, and this strengthens the reason why parents should be on their guard against entrusting them with weapons of so dangerous a nature as firearms. Mr J. C. Miller, North Taieri, writes to the Evening Star that after a number of rabbit shooters from Dunedin had left his place on Good Friday he found one of his dairy cows shot dead, and another shot but not dead. The same paper contains an account of a dastardly outrage at Ashburton said to have been committed by the members of the Naval Brigades of Dunedin and Port Chalmers, while on their way to the Christchurch review. When tho train stopped at Ashburton station the defenders of our country referred to rushed to the shop of Mr Furness, fruiterer. Mr Eurness was ill, and only Mrs Furness was in attendance. Finding the establishment thus so ill protected the volunteers rushed behind the counter and filled their pockets, caps, etc., with everything they could find on the shelves. Their plunder was apparently of a miscellaneous character, including as it did biscuits, tins of lollypops, lumps of tobacco, pipes, cake 3, etc. In fact the shop was sacked, everything within reach having been appropriated. They then marched through the streets displaying their booty, which of course was not and is not yet paid for. It is to be hoped a strict investigation will be made into the matter. Our Waipahi correspondent writes : — " Absence from this place for a considerable time will account for my effusions not appearing in the LEADER lately. Harvesting is now thoroughly over ; and thrashing is being proceeded with vigorously. Those who were fortunate enough to have their crops in, before the heavy wind, that we wei-e favoured (?) with one Sunday, have reason, to be thankful. But as far as I can learn very little was out. The yield will be slightly above last year' 3. — The Tapanui line is being proceeded with vigorously. The first layer of ballast is laid down from the Pomahaka bridge to Waipahi. The other evening I took a spin up on the engine to see how the work at the Bridge was progressing. The piers, as you know, are in, and now the superstructure is being built. A temporary bridge will first be thrown across, to enable the contractors to proceed with the plate-laying on the other side, as all the material has to be taken across. The station buildings along the line are in a forward state. Owing to the nature of the country there are some very sharp curves, between here and the bridge. There are at present about 150 men employed on the line ; a few more will he pub on when the , engine can cross the Pomahaka. The Kaihiku annual soiree in aid of the school funds was held on Friday evening last. The building was crowded to excess. The ladies of the district, as usual, prepared a superabundant supply of excellent provisions and after all had been served there was quite sufficient left for a treat to the whole children of the district the following day. Rev. J. Waters occupied the chair, and delivered an able opening address on Education. The other speakers were Rev. Mr Bannertnan, and Messrs Waddell, A. D. Johnstone, Auger, and James Johnstone. Mr Howie gave one of his favourite readings, entitled " Willie Waddell'a Courtship. Mr R. Aysonledan excellent band of choristers who sung a large number of glees and other pieces most efficiently. Messrs Roseveares of Waiwora gave a duet with ; very good taste and execution. They received a hearty encore which they richly deserved. At the close Mr John Watt moved a •vote of thanks to the choir, and Mr J . Johnstone a similar compliment to the speakers, both of which were heartly given. The company then joined in singing "Aold Lang Syne," which brought the proceedings to a close a little after 11, o'clock. The soiree was as usual a most successful one. The speeches were much above, the usual soiree speeches io merit, and the; utmost harmony and good feeling prevailed^ throughout..- - , r ' ; :> •.,. :, { . .,

The • Chronicle;:states: that?Sir.:".G; ;■ Grey., is so ijl that his attendance at the next session of Parliament ia extremely 'ioubtful; ;•' In the Dunedin.. murder .case 1 yesterday, T)r Hocken-was examined as to tht. spots of blood on the prisoner'sjclothes. His evidence, was corroborative of ;tbe previous testimony. The prisoner was then committed for trial on the chargn of murder. :.. < .'.•_• r, ■', t t : . Through some unexplained cause .not one member of Pastor Chiniquy 'a Auckland Committee was on the Auckland wharf on Wednesday to see him off by the mailbpat.for'San Francisco, The Pastor has ,for. a Ml6\v-,passengev the Roman Catholic Bishop, of Wellington, and.on the same steamer are several converts en route for the Salt Lake City. , Monday being the first of the shooting season for Colonial game and likewise a general holiday, a great number of, our citizens availed themselves of the opportunity of having a stroll with the gun. , Unfortunately ducks are not so plentiful this season as they have been, and very few big bags were made so, far as we can. learn. The season has been far too dry. for, this species of game, but no.doubt when the weather breaks and the streairs and lakes become flooded with rain better sport can be' relied on. ■ Pigeons- are , said to be more plentiful in the bush this season than they have been for a number of years, The Rev. H.,J. C. Gilbert preached his valedictory sermon on. Sunday evening, last at All Saint's Church. During the service, the rev. gentleman presented the Bishop's license to Mr W. J. Cunningham to act as lay reader,, and complimented the recipient onhis accession to the position. At the conclusion of his sermon Mr Gilbert said, he was to write " Kinis " at the end of the record of two years' minis tration. Others would come after him whose voices (he hoped) might be more sympathetic and more in accordance with the ideas of his hearers, but truer they could not be. He, would now say farewell, and God bless them all. Mr and Mrs Gilbert jleffc for Chris tchurch- on Wednesday morning.— Tapanui Courier. To judge by the railway returns just to hand, it would seem (says the Morning Herald) that the branch lines are worked at a loss. For the past month, on the Chrisfcchm-ch main line section, the percentage pf expenditure to receipts was 57.21 ; on the Timaru aiid Oamaru section, 67.93 ; on, the Dunedin section, 59.96 ; on the luveicargill. section, 61.58. ,- So much for the main lines. On the Shag Point branch, the percentage of expenditure to receipts was 213.95 } the Walton Park branch, 207.95 ; thn Eyreton branch, 161.21 ; the Ngpara branch, 124,65 ; and the Oxford branch, 114,43. The Lawrence" brnnch spent L 704 in earuing L 731, or 96.25 per cent. ; the Ou tram branch spent L 276 in earning L 399, or 69.00 per cent. Game this year seems (says the Timaru Herald) on the whole toi be more plentiful in. this district this year than. last, and we hear of some capital bag.* haviDg been made. A party with seven guns near Waimate bagged 110 birds in a day ; another with four guns at Kingsdown. something over 120 ; two oa th« Wushdyke, 55 ; one on the Saltwater Creek, 33. — Tho shooting season was commenced pretty punctually ' in " Southland this year (say the News). Sportsmen bound for duck haunts in various parts of the district were seen sallying forth uu Sunday, and shortly aftor midnight the work of destruction was commenced. The night, although cloudy, was light, aud favourable for . shooting. Four gentlemen roturned to Invercargill on Monday evening with a bag holding 195 ducks. They atate.l that the birds were very plentiful aloDg the line of the Makarewa. During the floods in the North two boys at the Hutt were engaged in catching driftwood which came floating dawn the river. Frederick ATlntosh, aged nine, was cautioned by his brother Thomas, aged eleven, to come away, but would not do so. Suddenly the earth gave way and Frederick was swept into the jriver. The little fellow Thomas plunged in, and succeeded in reaching him. Then came an exciting struggle for life, the younger boy pulling the elder under the water. The elder boy in self-preservation was obliged to shake his brother off. Frederick then came to the surface; and was carried out into the stream. He shook his hands in the air, and cried out — " Good-bye all ; you will never see me again." He then disappeared. Thomas, who is an intelligent boy, but small for his age, managed, although very much exhausted, to reach the shore unaided. The plucky little hero deserved better success for his gallant conduct. On all hands (says the North Otago Times) it has been admitted that a number of, Volunteers attending the Christchurch 'Review behaved in a most unbecoming manner. In most cases punishment did not follow their acts of incivility or larceny, although porhaps a day pf reckoning will shortly arrive, -in one iDstance, however, the perpetrator of a petty larceny did not escape scot freei One of the Southern Volunteers, on the train-caching a small town somewhere between Oaxnaru and: Christchurch, espied a number of loavag temptingly laid out on' a stall for sale. His" hunger and cupidity increased at ' the sight, and he reached for, the bread, but without any intention of passing over its equivalent in value. The owner of the loaves immediately laid hold of the Volunteer, arid the latter passed a loaf, over to a comrade. The train starting at this moment, the soldier made frantic efforts to extricate himself from the clutches pf the individual he had wronged, but the latter tenaciously hung on to his coat tails till, alas, the strength of threads and material could no longer withstand the strain, aud — ho pursued, the train without them.. If the owner got nothing for his loaf, he at all" events holds sufficient cloth to make a start on a military coat for his sob.