Untitled

Clutha Leader, Volume XII, Issue 597, 25 December 1885, Page 5

The next San Francisco Mail will close here at 3 p.m. on Friday next week. The Matau bridge will be closed for dray traffic for one week from January 4. It will be observed that Mr M'Eachen has opened a photogi-apher's studio in premises in Clyde Street next to Mr Brewer's Store. The Highland Society's annual ball will be given in Barr's hall here on Tuesday evening— race-night— when it will no doubt, as usual, prove a very brilliant and lively gathering of the clans. We have received copy of a novel Christmas* cwd, being a view of the new Post and Telegraph offices at Wyndham, fully embellished | with cabbage trees, ferns, bull-rushes, &c. In I the one corner is " With Christmas greetings," aad in the other — " John A. Algie, poshoiaster ; B. Sutherland, assistant." Tbe card was drawn in Balclutha and cromo-lithographed by Mr A. D. WjlUs, Wanganni,

Mr G. Thomson will run a waggonette to and- from Kaitangata to-day and to Stirling every*hour to-morrow. ■ The Post Office here will be closed to-: day and will only be open to-morrow from 9 a,m to LO a.m. It is reported that the Rev. Mr Bannerman has been asked and has consented to be put in nomination for a seat on the Otago Education Board. M'PhersotiL and Filmer's sawmill at Mabel Bush was burnt down on Monday. The plant, buildingß, and men's dwellings were destroyed. Sir George Grey has intimated his intention of paying a visit to Invercargill during the summer for the purpose of " stirring the people up" on the land - question. The Roman Catholic community, Clinton, have purchased a ..commanding site in the centre of the town and intend building a chapel. Already some thousands of feet of timber are on the ground. The Illustrated New Zealand News for December, contains views of the township of Lawrence, th. Kuat_u Falls, Lake Wakatipu, and the Diamond Lake." It also lias a.large number of views of A--jtealia_ scefaiery. Mr Dunne will run a four horse coach to and from Kaitangata to-day, for the convenience of those attending the sports. The proceedings at Kaitangata will be wound up by a concert ih aid of the. Band fund which should be well patronised. During the height of. the gale at Clinton on Monday, the chimney of Mr Redpath's bakery came down with a crash, smashing through tha iron roof and causing a .complete wreck. The batch had just been, drawn from the oven and was completely smothered with bricks, lime, &c. , Fortunately ho one was hurt. Another serious fire occurred atLumsden between 2 and 3 o'clock on Tuesday morning, resulting in the destruction of Braduiore'n store, stock, and dwelling, the Colonial Bank, Maley'a shop and contents, Stanford* storey dwelling, and contents, and Fraser''* blacksmith's shop and tools. ' * It is expected there will be a large gathering at the annual sports hero to-morrow; The Secretary, Mr G W K Wood, has been most enorgetic in tlie matter, the various arrangements have been carefully entered into ; the entries, so far as ascertained, are fairly numerous and keen competition is expected in the several events. We have been requested to draw the attention of farmers and others to the great- cruelty of sending pigs and poultry to market in crates and boxes without sufficient room. As tbe law provides a penalty in such cases the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals intend in future to prosecute in every case of the kind which comes under their notice. It will be seen that special trains . will be run upon the Romahapa line on New Year's Day. Without these, the annual gathering on that day at Wiltshire Bay has hitherto been very largely attended. With the facility for travelling afforded by the new railway, we have no doubt that this year there will bo an immense crowd from all quarters. Some time has elapsed since we had to chronicle the opening of now business premises of any importance in Bilclutha. It would seem, however, the township is again beginning to move in this direction. We notice that Mr Mackenzie has just opened his new premises (formerly known as Bain's Store) with a large stock of crockery, &c, several waggon loads of which he recently purchased upon very favourably terms in Dunedin.

The Grand Unitel Temperance Demonstration at Smith's Bush, Stirling, tomorrow, is likely to be very largely attended. From Lawrence alone 500 "are expected. Milton will no doubt send an equal number, while Waitahuna, Waihola, and other places will still further augment the numbers. Should the weather prove fine, the demonstration will undoubtedly he a grand success, and will give considerable impetus to the temperance cause throughout these districts.

Mr William Ledingham Christie, one of the medical students at the Otago University has passed his second professional examination with much credit in two of the subjects — viz., materia raedica and pathology. The examiners were for physiology, Professor Scott and Dr Coughtrey ; materia medica, Dr Macdonald aud Dr Alexander ; pathology, Dr U-pherts and Dr Gordon Macdonald. Tha result of Mr Christie's last year's work was as follows * — Materia medica, Ist class; pathology, Ist class ; practice of medicine, Ist class ; physiology, 2nd class.

We are pleased to see that the young girls who attended the girl's high school, Dnnedin, from the district schools in thh locality took a good position in the school. Miss Kinder of Stony Creek secured a silver medal for mathematics in the sixth form. Miss Joanna Paterson of Kaihiku was first iii French in the lower form, upper fifth ; and in the upper fifth was awarded certificates of. merit for Euglish, Latin, and Science. She also took first prizj for Bible knowledge, the prize having beeh given by Mrs Matthew Holmes for competition amongst tbe boarders. Miss Paterson was also second for music in Mrs Spooler's class. This says a good deal for the efficiency of the teachers in the district schools, and leads us to entertain a hope that shortly the scholars will be able to go direct from these to tlio University, same a** with the parish schools of Scotland. .

At the sitting of the Supreme Court in Bankruptcy at Dunedin on Monday last two cases of local interest are thus reported in the Dunedin papers :— lie Seaton Porter — Mr Fitchett appeared for the debtor, and Mr D. Stuart for the petitioning creditors (Messrs M'Neill, of Balclutha).— Hia Honor.: The Assignee reports that the declared liabilities are L 063, of which L 449 consists of a deficiency on a mortgage which was realised upon very harshly immediately after the bankrupt passed through a dangerous illness. By a resolulion of the ct editors LIQO was accepted for the whole estate, and considerable sympathy is expressed for the haukrupt. The public examination is passed, and an order made closing the bankruptcy.— Ke Gilbert M'Kay. — Tbe Assignee said this case was in a fog owing to a mortgage having been given over the debtor's lease without the consent of the landlord. He asked that the bankruptcy remain open.— H.is Honor : Very well, £.T.aminatioo pasgfid.

The Clinton Jockey Club met last Thursday week at the Commercial Hotel, Mr Geddes in the chair. The Secretary stated that the privileges had realised L33 9s. Four entries were received for tha Clinton Handicap and the same number for the District Handicap. Only two entries were received for the Hurdle Race and the Stewards decided to substitute a Hack Race of LlO for* horses that have never won an advertised race; post entry. Messrs Low, Redpath, Pacey and Turnbull were appointed a committee to arnuige fixing the course,

All the arrangements in, connection with the forthcoming meeting of the Clutha Jockey Club are now well advanced. The course has been carefully prepared and.it is expected it will prove all that could be desired. For the Clutha Handicap, there are eight entries;, for the Trotting race, nine entries, and for the Hui d c race fi*. c entries; Hors- s are coming from Dunedin, Milton, Lawrence, Tapanui, kc, and there is every promise of a capital meeting. Although the entries last year were not s_ numerous the several events— with a single exception— were fairly carried out and exactly hit popular taste. There was no-rowdyism and the race meeting was very much like a reunion of friends with the races added.;. Thus the races were • resuscitated in the > Clutha under most favourable and promising circumstances. Let us hope the stewards will take care that the sam-s pleasant after reflections can be indulsred in this year. If a little sport in horse racing cannot be indulged in without being accompanied by all the swindling, quarreling, fighting, debauchery and general rowdyism that was prevalent at, say, the recent Taieri meeting, then we'hope and believe the public here will unanimously set their faces against them. • So long as they are fairly orderly and pleasantly conducted, but no longer, will they merit and receive the support of the general public of the Olutha.