The Arrow Observer AND LAKES DISTRICT CHRONICLE. Arrowtown, Thursday, Dec. 11, 1879 Local and General News.

Lake County Press, Volume VIII, Issue 448, 11 December 1879, Page 2

The Arrow Observer AND LAKES DISTRICT CHRONICLE. Arrowtown, Thursday, Dec. 11, 1879 Local and General News.

We -would remind our readers of the sale of stock, produce,. &c., at Mr Scoles’ farm tomorrow.. The ordinary monthly meeting- of' the Arrow District School Committee takes place on Monday evening next. We understand that the Committee has received a decision from the Education Board on the vexed question of the school-house and glebe. The ordinary meeting of the Municipal Council was held on Monday evening ;.but no business of interest was transacted. Dr W. M. Dickinson and family arrived in the Arrow on Tuesday evening; and may now be consulted at the old bank buildings, next the 27ew Orleans Hotel. We take the opportunity of tendering him a hearty welcome in our midst, and wishing him a long and succesful stay. The hospital will, probably, be opened for patients in less than a fortnight. At a meeting of the County Council in March last a resolution was passed that, in order to render the positions of the gangers on. the County roads permanent, they should be engaged for twelve months at 10s per diem. This was done. But a few weeks back the wages of all day-men were reduced, and the Bangers, from what we hear, are included. In the face of the previous resolution we think this savors somewhat of injustice ; and, if the services of the present good overseers are to be retained, the matter ought to be reconsidered .by the Council.. I An entertainment is announced for Saturday and Monday evenings which should draw good houses. The opinions of the Press on Professor Taylor and the “ Queen of Skates” are exceedingly favorable, and recommend a visit. One feature which cannot be introduced into performances as a rule is that the audience assist, if they feel so disposed, in the fun..

A very bitter letter from Mr J. Edgar (late County Chairman) appeared in the last issue of the ‘ Wakatip Mail,’ in which Mr W. T. Smith and the County Chairman (Mr F. hj! Daniel), are severely castigated for alleged misdeeds and want of ability. Without here discussing the merits of. the case, which we prefer to do when a little of the hot blood has cooled down, we cannpt but express an opinion that it is extremely bad taste for Councillors sitting at the same board to attack each other in the columns of a newspaper. Mr M'Dougall, also, has written a letter in the ‘ Otago Witness ’ reflecting on the Coundecision. slaughter-house at Pembroke. The following telegram (which we published on Monday as an » Extra") from our Weliinyton correspondent will be read with mingled feelings—satisfaction that the whole of tho £5,000,000 loan bas been floated, and regret that Native affairs again wear a threatening aspect“ Wellington, December Bth,.. Tie Bank of England has issued the loan at a minimum of £97 IQs. Eewi, the great Native-chief, has severed liia connection with the Government and joined, the Maori King. Tips will probably lead! to another war with the Natives.” We understand that a letter Las been received from the Education Board by the promoters of a side-school at Arrow Flat, declining the application,. In all our experience we never knew a case in which a, school was more required than at the Flat; and think the Board can hardly understand the circumstances. There are a large numher of children in the locality, and'the settlersoffered liberal, assistance in the matter of buildina’and maintenance; There is reason to believe that interested persons in the Arrow have put in a word against the school. We should advise the settlers at the Flat to .again petition the Board on the subject, W. Patton was charged on Tuesday (before H. A. Stratford, Esq., R.M.) with-, being dr 5 l T ‘k and. disorderly, and was fined 10s. The time of the House has been occupied during the greater part of the week in considering the Property Assessment Bill. Messrs E, Dimant and' Co. have arrived in the Arrow, and opened out (until Mondav next) an extensive assortment-of drapery anil clothing in the shop facing the Library Hall, ■they sell only for caah, and quote cheap lines m.. another column. A parade of the Arrow Cadets is- called for Saturday evening,, and a full muster requested. Parents should aid the Captain in securing this, as the movement is one which is calculated to confer lasting benefit upon the lads., 1 The sitting of the Licensing Court has been adjourned twice this week owing to the want ot a Bench of Commissioners. It now stands adjourned, for the third time, to Monday next, at 11 a.m. There are some persons in, or about the Arrow who appear to take dog-poisoning fits, during which they lay poison indiscriminately about the township, with the result that many valuable dogs are destroyed. We are well, aware that it is a source of'annoyance, and often loss, to the sheep-owner to have his flock disturbed by dogs; but it is the duty of the shepherd-in charge to detect or catch the real culprit and then make the owner pay for any damage done. But if sheep-owners andi eu men persist in sowing poison broadcast: ignoring the probability of many valuable dogs ben.,; destroyed, we fear that a feeling ot animosity and retaliation will be engendered, which, is almost sure to.be productive ot serious loss to those provoking it. Indeed it is not many weeks since a sheep-owner not many miles from here had alibis do.s poisoned on their chains in one night. The above remarks are suggested by the poisoning last Va * Ua k' e township on Sunday fV 1 ) important-explanation- with regard to-a political prayer has been given by Mr Spurgeon (says an English paper). It seems that someone lately made a statement that Mr Spurgeon had “ openly prayed for a rapid change of Government.”' No suchpraver has been uttered by Mr Spurgeon—at least, he does not remember any prayer offered up by him exactly to this effect. Writing to the western Morning News,’ he says “I pray daily that the Lord would change the pohey of our nation from that of blustering and invasion to peace and righteousness. If this means a change of Government, so let it be ; but I do not. remember putting-it in that form. My politics are not. bound up with party, but I love righteousness and.peace.” I? 5%* w ~ r ? s ’ Spurgeon prays daily that the affairs of this nation, may be administered strictly in accordance with a policy approved by himself. If Lord Beaconfield adopts and carries out Mr Spu-geon’a policy well and good—he may remain in office; but it, on the other hand, he cannot, or will not mend his ways, then, if Mr Spurgeon’s prayers are successful, he will have to.leave Downing street. This, however,- is a matter of detail with which Mr Spurgeon does-not trouble himself. All that he wants is-no “ blustering and invasion’’—anything for a quiet life ; and he prays accordingly. ° We leam (says the Dunedin ‘Herald’) upon good authority that £BOO,OOO forwarded to Canterbury for investment will be withdrawn should the Property Tax be imposed. A gentleman in Dunedin, with £SO;-000 to place, is hesitating to invest £36,000 in. an estate, until he sees how matters will turn out. £IOO,OOO sent from Melbourne for investment here will be returned to the place from whence it came, should the Property Tax Bill become law. This is not a very encouraging state of affairs. The following, is a report laid before the House of Representatives by the Native Affairs Committee “Petition of Ngatuere and others—The petitioners state that they are the owners of Wellington. Inasmuch as it was insufficently paid for in pipes, marbles, and other beguiling articles, ir stead of gold, silver, and'precious stones, they pray that one millon of acres may be returned to them, and that they may receive compensation to the extent of one million pounds sterling. I am directed to report as follows That the committee has no recommendation to make.. November 7th, 1879.” Mr F. W. Delamain, the well-known owner of race-horses, had a narrow escape o being seriously injured at Christchurch last week He was thrown from a break and fell between the pair of horses. He stuck to the pole, however, and managed to mount one of the horses, which were going at a gallsp. andsuoceeded in arresting, their progress. The Dominican Convent Bazaar in Dunedin was a great success, realising the handsome total of £434 Bs. The annual election of the County Chairman for Westland took place recently, with

no result. Eight members-were present*. and all wore candidates. No one was elected, and the meeting adjourned sine die. It is proi bable that the Govemor-iu-Counoil will be j asked to proclaim another day for the election ! of a County chairman, otherwise the present j chairman (Mr Grimmond) will retain office., . The latest news of' the Kelly gang was recently published by the Sydney ‘ Evening News,’ to the following effect:— A gentleman well known in the north-eastern district of Victoria, slates that while travelling between Benalla. and Wangaratta a month, since he met four armed men, whom he recognised as the Kelly gang. Seeing that they were recognised, the outlaws stopped, the gentleman and threatened vengeance if he said a word of the rencontre for a month, and being afraid of the consequences, he refrained from- mentioning the matter until the expiration of the allotted time, a day or two since. At the end of the month ho received two £5, notes of the Bank of : New South Wales,. Jerilderie, as a present for his silence. The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, in a lecture on “Amusements,” says:— Horseback riding, is a magnificent amusement., How inspiriting it is to have another form of life under yO”and that, too, substantially your own. The man who overdrives-a generous ho se is a brute. The man who underdrives him is stupid,, all that has been said to the contrary notwithstanding; It would be cruel to drive Dexter, the way you would'an ox. It would be like comparing a swallow to a goose. The horse is so organized that he relishes the sport and the excitement as keenly as, does, his driver. The Liberal Associations throughout the country have been passing resolutions condemnatory of the Property Tax. A Wellington telegram says ;—At the Appeal Court a case of considerable importance to insurance companies was decided. A man named' White, of Nelson, had insured his house in one policy and one premium, but with different amounts proportionate to the several items. The policy contained a clause making it void should’ another policy be effected; The plaintiff sought to recover the amount of damage he had sustained by fire, but the Company disputed the claim on the ground that the articles mentioned’ in the policy, were insured in other offices. The Supreme Court of Nelson held that plaintiff could not recover; and the Appeal.Court has sustained that.decision., A few days ago Mr J. Wagner, of the Clarendon Hotel; Christchurch, caught the largest trout ever taken out of, the Avon just below Lane’s mill, at the point of the island on which the mill stands. Two very lar«*e trout, have been known for a long time to frequent this spot, and n any efforts made to catch them. The one caught is the smaller of the pair, measuring no I ss than 30in. in length, 16in. in girth, just turning the scale at 161b., and was a magnificent looking fish. A very rum.story of a. christening is related by a passenger who arrived in one of our immigrant ships a few weeks ago. On the voyage out a daughter was bom to a married couple who decided to have it christened as follows “ Tristan D‘Acunha Annabeila Flannigan.” There is nothing like a good name to start in life. Surely that girl cannot complain.. In the course of a debate on Lunatic Asylums .in the Legislative Council; Dr. Grace staled that the great majoritv of lunacy experts were insane ■ and looked upon as such by the profession. An hon. member asked “why?” Dr. Grace continued “ from their constant contact with-, psychological, and physicolo ical conditions, which neither they nor anybody else can understand.” The hon. member again interrupted with “ Dr. Skae ?” Dr. Grace said “Dr. Skae had the advantage of haying a wife and six children, and that was quite enough to bring any man down to mundane matters.”’ A queer story is told’ by a Dunedin paper. It runs thus ;- —A certain legal gentleman, well-known in Dunedin, and residing somewhere in the suburbs, has in his possession a “ nice little dog.” This nice little dog paid a visit to town, and visited a. well-known butcher, and with the greatest impudence imaginable scampered off with the tempting piece of beef upon which his eyes, with a canine sagacity,, had rested for some time. Chase was given, and after pursuing the dog for some distance the, meat was. well-plastered with mud and other matter to be met with in the streets of Dunedin, rendering the food unfit for use. Our friend the butcher found out who the “ nice little dog ” belonged to, and proceeded to interview the owner forthwith. Arriving at the office of ■ the leal, gentleman he was shown into his presence, and interrogated the lawyer as follows : —“Supposing, Mr. , that a dog was to come into my shop and run away with ■ a piece of’meat, and before it was regained rendered it perfectly useless, could I claim damages of the person to whom the dog belonged?” “ Certainly,” was the prompt reply; “ you could claim the amount of what the beef was worth.” “ Then,” said our butcher friend, “your dog came into my shop and stole a piece of,beef to-day.” “ What was it worth,” asked the lawyer. “ Five shillings,” was the reply. “Here you are then,” said the legal gentleman, handing him the amount; “ and now you will oblige me by pay ng 6s Bd. for the legal advice you have just received.” Of course there was a protest but it was of no avail. There was no getting out of it; the lawyer would, ( ave his pound of flesh, and our butcher friend was obliged to stump the desired amount or—the usual process. The butcher came away a wiser though a poorer man, and with a fixed determination to shy clear of “those lawyers” for the future. It is estimated that the South Australian harvest will this year yield a surplus of’ 323,000 tons of wheat for export.. The ‘Morning Herald’s’ “own” telegraphed from Invercargill last week as follows Mr Printz, proprietor of the claim at; Longwood, is in town to-night, and brought up with him the gold taken out of the rich spot recently struck. I inspected it, and I can report, a capital sample of rough and fine gold, contained in a number of small specimens, seme of them being all gold that apparently lies free in the lode. The gold was contained in four pomade bottles, which, weighed in my presence, nearly turned the scale at 2|lbs avoirdupois. There was a good deal of sand weighed with the gold, but at a moderate estimate there must have been 9oz of clean metal. This, Mr Printz assured me, was the product of two tin dishes of, stuff taken from the reef. At Alexandra last week an accident that most providentially was not attended with fatal circumstances, happened to a little girl

about sis years of age, a daughter of Mr IPeters, bootmaker. It appears she was riding*on one of the lorries used by- the contractor for the Alexandra bridge for convoying stone from the quarries to the works, and fell immediately in front, the whole machine with its load passing over her, resulting most fortunately in only a few scratches and a bruised, or dislocated ankle.—‘ Dunstan Times.’ A correspondent informs the Oamaru ‘ Times ’ that after-the recent heavy rains the whole of the crops in the. Papakaio and Awamoko districts are looking- splendid, The weather for them has been, as one farmer, expressed it, as though it had been, specially ordered for their growth. With such bright prospects of a large yield, this harvest, the settlers of the North Otago district, if able to get their crops in without damage, and the prices of' grain are as high as they are expected to be, will-be enabled to retrieve thenlosses of the past season.