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Oamaru Mail, Volume XVII, Issue 5461, 17 December 1892, Page 2

We hear that 530 acres of Mr Thomas Reid's farm have been sold, at a good figure, to a person from Napier, and that Mr Thos. Reid has purchased about 250 acres of land near his old farm, but on the opposite side of the road.

The Otago Daily Times' Wellington correspondent says : —Notwithstanding all the favorable reports of the Premier's progress towards convalescence, I regret to learn that he is still too ill to see anyone excepting Mrs Ballance and his medical attendant. Even intimate personal friends are not allowed to see him, although promising not to touch on business matters or on any subject which could prove exciting. We understand that there is a likelihood of Mr T. M'Combe, the champion cyclist of Victoria, competing at the Caledonian meeting here this year. At the meeting of the Education Board on Wednesday the following resignations were accepted W. Y. Campbell, pupil teacher, Otepopo ; Mr W. Renton, head teacher, Awamoko. The Teaneraki School Committee wrote asking the Board to appoint a Committee to inquire into the grievances and complaints made against the teacher by a number of residents in the district. It was decided to appoint the Chairman, Mr Macgregor, and Mr Borrie to hold an inquiry into all matters connected with the school. At the breaking up of the Dunedin Normal School on Thursday, says the Daily Times, Miss Ferguson, M.A., was presented with a very fine edition of Tennyson, the gift of her pupils—the girls of Standard VII. Mr White, in' making the presentation, spoke in the highest terni3 of Miss Ferguson's character and ability. He was personally highly gratified at finding one of his staff called on to fill the important position of lady principal of the Girls' High School, Oamaru. He had no doubt that Miss Ferguson would fully realise in her future work all that her many friends hoped for and expected to see. The gift of her pupils was intended to show the very kindly feelings that had been evoked between teacher and pupils by Miss Ferguson's conciliatory maimer and her skilful and judicious management of her class. Miss Ferguson thanked them very sincerely for the present. It was pleasant for her to think that she was held in affectionate remembrance by her pupils. A friendly tone always prevailed in the class. She thanked them for the appropriate present, and would always value it highly for their sakes. Mr Borrie stated that he was compelled to confess that he was responsible;- to a certain extent, for the loss they sustained in the departure of Miss Ferguson, and he was sure that she would find the girls of Oamaru as kindhearted as the Dunedin girls. (Applause). The Waimate Times says that a Waimate resident raced the train on his pneumatic safety from St. Andrews to Waimate on Monday morning last, and. .reached town 17 minutes before the train's arrival doing the distance in 1 hour 13 minutes. The roads were very heavy owing to the rain on the previous day. Geordie's weight in the Flying Handicap is 7st 71b. It was omitted from the list of handicaps forwarded yesterday by Mr Dowse.

The euemies of settlement are addicted to making statements that the outcry for land is all a sham—" sham" is a term to which they are particularly partial. We always like to meet these people with irrefutable facts and figures, so we will give them a few which have come to hand to-day. The Otago Daily Times Auckland correspondent telegraphs :—"As showing the land hunger prevailing, there were about twenty sections of land thrown open by the Government for selection on the Ohaka swamp, which is about three miles from Waiuku. There were nearly two hundred applications." Another telegram which hails from Invercargill, and which appears in another column, shows that there was a frantic rush for certain lands offered by the Government in Southland. ' There is no disputing that land is in demand ; but only at prices that will enable it to be worked at a profit. People have been made careful by past experience, and will no longer pay prices for land for farming that could only be warranted if farming were a perfect gold mine. The quarterly summoned meeting of the Star of Oamaru Lodge, P.A.F.S., took place on Monday evening last. There was a large number of members present, and JBro. Main presided. After the ordinary and special business had been disposed of, the following officers were elected for the next term: — W.M., Bro. A. Brown; D.M., Bro. S. Jones; Secretary, Bro. Oliver (re-elected); Treasurer, Bro. Gillies (re-elected); Chaplain, Bro. Familton; Elders, Bros. Main and Lowen ; Auditors, Bros. Mote and Simkins. Drs Garland, Stewart, and Whitton were re-elected medical officers, and Messrs Dodds and Co., chemists. A vote of confidence was passed in the medical officers and chemists. It was announced that sixteen new members have been enrolled during the quarter, bringing the total up to 100. Accounts amounting to L 56 were passed for payment. The receipts for the evening were L4B, a satisfactory conclusion to a most successful meeting.

In suggesting that tho Government should mako an effort to acquire land loealW f ' subdivision and disposal as town, suburb*/ and farm allotments wo wore simply antici' pating their intention. An advertisement for land of this nature appears elsewhere.

Entries for the running, vaulting, jumping and bicycle handicaps for tho Caledonian Society's New Year's games close wit n Secretary at the Queen's Hotel to-night not later than S o'clock. Largo Ik-Ids are antici. patcd.

The heavy thunderstorm experienced here yesterday was more or less severe in the country districts, but less crop has been Uj ( \ than was generally anticipated. A propj. tious breeze aftor the rain shook most of clear, and, as the crop is generally stroiii; not much damage has been done. Heavy thunder showers again fell at intervals t,>. day.

The time for the pigeon race from lhmedin was given by us yesterday as '2min lOsec. One of the timekeepers suggests that, it should have been '2hrs lOinin. Wi prefer to think that tho winner (Shakespeare) was " a good old bird," and fast at that. Weinlmit that 2'nin lOsec is a particularly good time ; but anyone who thinks it is too is m liberty to take tho other as correct. The Rev. Wni. Nicol, of Hampden, will preach morning and evening at Emmanuel Church to-morrow.

Some years ago pocket handkerchiefs were not considered a necessary part of a soldier's kit. I myself (says a military corre.ftpmnlem of the Leeds Mercury) knew a sergeantmajor who when drilling a Biiuad or hutu. lion would not permit any man to nun one, although one day he did order a recruit to fall back and blow his nose, scolding him at the same time for not having " blowed it." " Please, sir, I did blow it," answered dm man, " but it wouldn't keep blowed." ly r mission to carry those useful articles will now probably be given, for I boo the Win Office have sanctioned a military liankercliief being patented by Lieut.-Colonel Fulton. On this handkerchief is printed all sorts of useful information concerning the use ami construction of the Lcc-Mitfoi'd riflle, the alphabet used by army signallers, general rules to be observed in any position in which a Eoldicr may find himself 011 campaign, tiie various bugle calls, and other things, tunny of which ar:; to nicely illustrated that it would bo a thousand pities to uso it in tho manner naturally prompted by a cutting " nor'-easter."

A Paulin has been predicting bad weiUlicr. The bad weather is certainly appalin'. Tlie War Cry enquires for Thomas Forsyth, of Lowertown, Scotland, List, heard of in or near Oamaru. Your old mother is very anxious for news. Dr Lemon, Superintendent of Telegraphs, will retire next year on a pension, lifter,"!() years' service. It is not yet known who will succeed him, but Mr Bold is next in seniority in Dr Lemon's special branch of the department—the electrical one.—(Hugo Daily Times' correspondent. A novel scheme has been proposed to t lie Executive Committee of the World's Fair us an attraction in connection with the exhibition. A man has sought to leaso a piece of land near the show ground, upon which lie intends to build a railway a milo in circumference, with another lino inside the main track, the two being connected by a switrli. On one side the projector would en d, a grand stand capablo of accommodating 30,000 people. The lines would bo plao'il in such a position that two engines with carriages going in opposite directions would collide. Thus ho would produce a real railway disaster, which he contends would prove an attractive spectacle. He propones, for the purposes of his display, to buy abandoned engines from different railways, which can be procured cheaply. He says he can provide performances twice a week at a cost, of LSOO each.