Local and General.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1028, 6 April 1894, Page 6

Local and General.

The Victorian Government have decided to appoint a resident dairy expert in England to advise them on matters concerned with butter, cheese, and other products. The hearing of the remaining issues in the Speight-Syme libel action recommenced at Melbourne on Monday. The plaintiff claims L 24,900. Montgomery and Williams have been sentenced to death ab Sydney for attempting to murder the police constables who endeavored to effect their arrest on a charge of breaking and entering the Union Steam Ship Company's offices. The affair took place early in February, and ifc will be remembered that several policemen were severely injured in the scuffle. Montgomery is a native of New Zealand. At Napier eight inches of rain fell in 35 hours, from Saturday night to Monday morning. All the rivers were in high flood. The water rose gradually and there was time to remove stock, but many sheep were drowned. Most of the breakwater now under construction was heavily damaged, about 400 ft being swept away. The unusual and rather novel spectacle of a minister of religion turning bill-sticker was witnessed in Kumara recently, when the Rev. J. Smith, in the interests of temperance, was observed making his way to the various hoardings in town, armed with a dipper full of paste and a roll of bills. The rev. gentleman soon made the town look quite gay. If the Licensed Victuallers showed half as much enthusiasm as this, there would be no doubt as to the result, — Kumara Times.

f " \ The sentence to death passed on the chemist named Green at Sydney for causing the death of a woman by the performance bf an illegal operation, has been commuted to imprisonment for life. The telegraphed figures of the public revenue for the last quarter of the financial year show all the departmental votes are within the estimates and a surplus of about L 200,000 is expected for the year. The late Professor Pond has bequeathed his library of 1300 volumes of standard and classical literature to the Auckland University for the use of the students. Tho revenue of New South Wales for the quarter shows a decrease of L 133,000 as compared with the correspending quarter last year. The railway revenue for the past quarter shows a decrease of L 85,000. By the Victorian Purification of tbe Rolls Act, 1891, a husband who has been convicted of beating his wife is prohibited from voting at Parliamentary elections. It is expected (says the North Otago Times) that the solicitors acting for the Oamaru Harbor Board 1879 bondholders will make application to the Supreme Court on Friday (to-day) for the appointment of a receiver. It is stated that within the last few days over 600 miners have arrived at Sydney from New Zealand. The Government decline to grant strangers permits, on the ground that they have their own unemployed to attend to first. No more permits are being issued for the Wyalong field. These permits are equivalent to a free railway ticket to the scene of the rush and a free miner's right, and in many cases free provisions. William Shand, employed in Stratford and Blair's saw mill, Greymouth, came to his death in a shocking manner on Monday afternoon. While canting a log wifch a crowbar close to a circular saw the bar slipped. Shand fell back, and although the bar came into contact with the saw first, Shand was frightfully mangled. His head was sawed in two, both arms went, aud one leg and portion of the other were cut off. Mr Blair, the proprietor, witnessed the occurrence, which was all over in a second, death being instantaneous. No one else in the mill knew that anything had occurred. The decensed was a married man with a family. A correspondent of a Wellington paper writes : — I do not think that anyone need be surprised if the present able and far-seeing Government manage to show another large surplus for the financial year ending 31st March last, when they have to resort to such miserable tactics as keeping a large number of civil servants waiting for their salaries until Monday. Last Saturday was the proper pay day, but I suppose ifc would have interfered with the Ministerial plans to have paid them. I am one of the unfortunates employed on the much-vaunted Government co-operative works, but the engineer found ifc inconvenient to measure up our work in time for the regular pay day. I find, on making inquiry, that the civil servants both in the Public Works and Post and Telegraph departments did not get paid as usual, so that I am not the only one who has to wait until it suits the Ministerial plans before we receive our dues. A public menting was held at the Thames on Tuesday night for the purpose of protesting against the decision of the returning officer in declaring at the recent local option that informal votes do not count to, make a poll valid. The following resolutions were carried : — ' (1) That in the opinion of this meeting of electors the decision of the returning officer in declaring the local option poll void in the face of the fact thafc 1631 electors voted calls for the immediate action of the Cabinet to give a decision as to the legality of the returning officer's decision. (2) That in view of the most unsatisfactory character of the Alcoholic Liquor Sale Control Act, as proved by the recent elections throughout the colony, this meeting calls upon the representatives of the people to take immediate steps when Parliament assembles to secure the repeal of the act, or such amendments as will place the direct veto fairly in the hands of the people.' It was also decided that a copy of the first resolution be forwarded to the Premier and of the second to Sir Robert Stoufc and the members for the Thames and Bay of Plenty electors. Holloway's Pills and Ointmett. — Billious affections, with all their concomitant annoyances, induced by atmospheric changes, or too liberal diet, should be checked at once, or serious consequences may ensue. When anyone finds his ideas less clear than usual, his eyesight dimmed, and his head dizzy, accompanied ,by a disinclination for ail exertion, physical or mental, he may be quite sure that he is in immediate need of some alterative medicine. Let him at once send for a box of Holloway's Pills, a mild course of which will remove the symptoms, and speedly renew his usual healthy feelings. If the bowels be irritable, Holloway's Ointment should be diligently rubbed over the stomach and liver every night and morning. — [Adyt] Teacher — { What part of speech is 'bnt?" Michael— " But ' is a conjunction.' Teacher — 'Correct. Now, give rae an example of its use.' Michael -. — 'Seethe goat butt the boy. 'But* connects the goat and the boy,'