Local and General.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1035, 25 May 1894, Page 6

Local and General.

S. H. Saunders has been committee! for trial on two charges of passing valueless cheques at Ashburton. Saunders, who is an elderly man, has held good positions in Ohristchurch. An extraordinary phenomenon was witnessed at Koroit, Victoria, An enormous quantity of cobwebs rained on everything, and gave the appearance of a covering of ice, whilst the ground became alive with myriads of small spiders. The Evening Press (Wellington) says one. of the. Court of Appeal judges recently interrupted counsel 53 times in the course of an address lasting two hburs 25 minutes. What led to so careful a count being made was a complaint by lawyers engaged in court of constant interruptions from the bench, j At the Police Court, Marton, on Tuesday Thomas Armstrong, a member of the Marton Borough Council, was sentenced to 14 days' hard labor for using profane language in a public place. The offence consisted in making a profane remark in answer to something said by the Salvation Army in the street. Counsel gave notice of appeal, and bail was allowed in accused recognisance for L4O.

Her Majesty Queeu Victoria was 75 yesterday. Masterton is full of unemployed, waiting for.bushfelling to begin. The two men Watson and Douglas have been sentenced to death at Melbourne for the murder of the Frenchman Possett. A six-roomed house at Ashley was destroyed by fire on Monday morning. The Presbyterian Church adjoining was saved with difficulty. Mary Alice Jenkins has been committed for trial at Auckland on six charges of alleged breaking and entering. A large quantity of the missing articles were found in her house. A daring burglary was perpetrated at Auckland on Monday morning on the premises of Dunn, Smith, and Co., engineers and brass founders. The thieves entered by the back window and endeavored to force the safe open, but did not succeed. They, however, made off with a diamond worth L2 and 2s worth of stamps. A unique case is about to come before the- Wellington Magistrate's Court (says the Post), in which the plaintiff claims from his mother-in-law LI 00 as damages for breach of an undertaking on her part that she. would allow him L2 a week for the first 12 months after his marriage, and also provide her daughter with her trousseau. The commission appointed to inquire into the charges brought by Mr Charlton against Mr Ritchie, Secretary of Agriculture, and Mr Hull, stock inspector, reports that the accusations are groundless and should never have, been made. Mr Charlton's resignation, sent in before the inquiry, has been accepted. Mr Gilrufch also forwarded his resignation, but has since withdrawn it, and his salary will be increased to L350, with travelling expenses. As showing the effect of the low price of wool and cost of rabbiting, we (North Otago Times) are informed that some years ago B-hoborough Downs station, in the Upper Waitaki district, was sold for LI 5,000. Two years ago it was sold for L5OOO, and a fortnight ago it again changed hands for L2500. This includes nearly 13,000 sheep, 30 head of cattle, 20 horses, etc., new house, shed and yards, with a good deal of first-class fencing. The mysterious stone-throwing on a residence situated in Charles street, Enmore, New South Wales, which has been going on for some time, much in the same manner as the mystery in the Maclean district some 12 or 14 months ago, hat been elucidated. It turns out that a girl, aged 12, a servant in one of the two houses attacked, is the culprit, and was detected in the act. Premier Patterson (Victoria) says he is glad New South Wales is moving in the federation question, and if that colony is willing to enter into a Customs union and allow the free passage of goods across the frontier Victoria will be only too happy to open negotiations. The matter, he says, can be so arranged that the colony which loses the greater amount of revenue by the abolition of border duties can be compensated by the othpr colonies. The Daily Times Wellington correspondent says Parliament House and grounds are chaos, thrice confounded, and it seems almost impossible that the place can be made ready for occupation by the 2 1st prox. But the needs of Imprest Supply will be too imperative to permit of postponement, no matter how unready the palaver House may be. As for the grounds, while the fair plantation of trees has disappeared, the Cockney paradise that is to take its place is yet uncreated. When it is it will need but one thing to fittingly complete this act of vandalism — a statue in brass of its author. Mr Wi Parata is at present in Wellington in connection with the apportionment of the areas to be awarded to the landless Maoris of the South Island of whom there are about 200 families. Many of them have large families, and these have to be provided for. Quarter-castes and half-castes will participate in the allotment along with full-blooded Maoris. Four blocks have been set apart for the purpose — viz,, one on Stewart Island, one at Waiau (Southland), and one each at Wanaka and Catlins River. A fifth block is likely to be set apart for the same purpose in Westland. Among the various efforts which the Government of Victoria have put forth in order to promote the industries of that colony the establishment of a scent farm at- Dunolly plays a role which is comparatively modest in itself, but is?, [ nevertheless, being taken advantage of ! for the purpose of providing a new occupation, more especially for women. In addition to looking after the farm the manager thereof holds daily classes in order to teach the dry processes of the extraction of scent, as well as the distillation of roses, lavender, etc., the treatment necessary for the growth of the various scent plants, the soils suitable for them, the times of planting and pruning, and other operations. The idea is that scent-making should be combined with bee-keeping and poultry farming — all three affording suitable employment for women— and that in this way the gentler sex should be providechsvith an additional means of earning a livelihood, and, at the same time, make a still further contribution to the industrial wealth of the colony.

The new Greenvale settlers are bestirring themselves, and the broad acres of green sward will soon be transformed. The Ministerial journal in some editorial articles on the appeciation of gold, leads upto^the advocacy of a State paper currency. This will, it is believed, be found a part of the Government policy. ' T It is feared in Melbourne that further reductions in the civil servants' salaries will be necessary. If additional taxation is required the Government are almost certain to bring forward the income tax proposals of last session, with an absentee tax. Mr Bridger, of the well known firm of Thomson and Bridger, hardware importers, Dunedin, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver at his residence, Caversham Rise, on Friday morning. He was to have sailed for England shortly. He leaves a widow and large family. It is | understood that the act was induced by business worries. ! A marvellous gold discovery is reI ported from a locality near Mount Lyell, Tasmania. A man named Samuels, addressing a meeting, stated that a survey of the find. has disclosed 20,000,000 tons of stone, and he offered to forfeit L5OO to any charitable institution if any man failed to get a . ' prospect ' from a dish of stuff. The officials of the Survey department l think that the man's story is worthy of some credence. The 'Temuka Leader' says the harvest is over in that locality and the crops have been thieshed. Machine owners state that the yield is not only the poorest for many years, but that it has been expensive to thresh Rowing to the amount of coal required to properly put it through. As a consequence, we are informed that •the average wage earned by the working man has been about 245, per week for, soy, three ( months, 'clear of tucker.' This year the cook was the best off. Had it -not been for the favorable weather the result would have been much worse.