GERALDINE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7225, 26 April 1884, Page 3

GERALDINE.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] For the past three weeks the weather has been very favourable for getting in the balance of the crops to be got in, and threshing has been pretty general throughout the district. The .result is, taking the crops right through, very gratifying to the farmers. I hear of one, amongst many, instances of prolific yield. On the farm of Mr J. Airey, near the Eangitata, twenty acres of Danish oats yielded the astonishing quantity of 1700 bushels, or no less than eighty-five bushels to the acre. It certainly does require a large yield in every respect Ihis season, as prices up to the present time are unfortunately very low.. If any of the present members of the General Assembly are at a loss to know what to do with their honorarium in the future, I would recommend the example set them by Mr Postlethwaite, the member for Geraldine, who has sent liberal donations to the local institutions. His last act of munificence was a donation of J3lO toward the Roman Catholic Presbytery Building Fund, which has been suitably acknowledged by Father Kean through the local paper. Despite extreme dullness of the times new buij.lings are springing up here and thero, filling up the gaps along the main road, and although they are not of an ornamental character, no doubt they will prove tobeof general utility to theirowners. An instance of sudden death occurred at Woodbury, near Geraldine, recently. A man named William Bxearton, employed as a cook at the Four Peaks station, went to the Woodbury races, and on his way back called at tho house of a friend, stating he had been thrown from his horse, and did not feel well. He remained at the house the whole of tho following day, but about noon on tho next he sat down at the table with his face resting on his hands, and died whilst in that position. At the inquest, the jury returned a verdict of death from natural causes, Dr Fisli having given his opinion that the man died from heart disease. The body of deceased was brought to Goraldine on the following day in an express, the undertaker sitting on tho coffin. The remains were interred m the cemetery without anyone following them to the gt are as a last tribute of respect, and no clergyman was present to read any burial sorvice whilst tho body was being consigned to its last resting place, ino matter caused considerable comment at tho time, but, as usual, it was looked upon as a "nine days* wondor, and is now forgotten. The old ditty, Rattle his bones over the stones; hes only a pauper whom nobody owns," is very adaptablo to this instance, and it is sincerely to be hoped that such a spectacle may never again bo enacted in Geraldine. A very important case, in which the interest of farmers was concerned, was heard

during the last sitting of the Eesident Magistrate's Court here. A farmer was sued for the price of a Howard binder by a person who procured it for him at his request ; but the machine not doing the work required of it, was returned. A large quantity of evidence was taken on both sides, the case lasting nearly the whole of the day, but ultimately the Bench gave ite decision in favour of the farmer. The dealer, who purchased the machine from the agent in Christchurch, being a dealer in these and other reapers and binders of a similar character, has the article now thrown on his hands, and will have to seek to recover its value, or else return it to those from whom he purchased it. A numerously-signed requisition has been forwarded to Mr C. G. Tripp, of Orari Gorge, asking him to allow himself to be nominated as a candidate for the Geraldine scat in the General Assembly at the next election. In all probability Mr Tripp will accede to this request, as, although he 18 on the eve of his departure on avisit to the Old Country, yet he has promised to be back again in or about October next. Mr Tripp is very popular with all classes of the community, and will stand a good chance of being elected. The great event of the week has been the giving of a farewell banquet to Mr Tripp, and to wish him bon voyage % It was given in the Oddfellows' Hall, and about 80 gentlemen were present to honour their guest of the evening. The chair was occupied by Mr Angus Macdonald, supported on his right by Mr Tripp and the Hon J. B. Acland, and on his left by the Eev G. Barclay and Messrs W. U. Slack and E. Wakefield, M.H.E. The banquet was catered for by Mr E. Taylor, of the Geraldine Hotel, in his best style. All the speeches were eulogistic of the worth, of thoir gue3t, and one and all wished him a speedy and safe return. The Salvation Army, or rather a contingent of it, took Geraldine by storm on. Sunday last, holding services in the Good Templar Hall during the afternoon, and in the Oddfellows' Hall in the evening. The latter was crowded almost to suffocation. The larrikin element was present in strong force, but the threatened defence of the town with showers of rotten eggs did nob come off, no doubt to the extreme gratification of those who were present in their best Sunday go-to-meeting clothes.