LAWRENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10598, 19 February 1896, Page 3

LAWRENCE.

(From Our Own CoivsESPdNDENT.) : , • , ', February 1". . Harvesting is commenced and will soon bs ia full 3W ing, the recsnt hot weather bringing the grain on very fast. On the whole the, crops are good, considerably above tha average, bo if the . prices are at all decant the benefit will be felt by the whole community. The cuae" Police v. taffej;, for selling liquor at the recant race meeting without a proper lsgal permit, has bf>en decided in favour of the defendant, 3lr tiiSey. The contention was as to whether any two members of the Licensing Committee 'have power of themselves, without the chairman's consent, to grant temporary licenses to sell intoxicants at sports or race meetings, and from the decision jast given, it appears they have. '.' ' ' '." ■ .' ~ I notice the results of last race meeting in a pecuniary sense have not been nearly co satisfactory 35 usual. For somo years back the club has generally made a decent surplus—not a Government surplus on paper, but r. tangible surplus in coin of. the" realm. It, ia difficult to account for the sro»,H rsuriiber'of acceptances this year. The Tap-nui oports cay it is..bi>c_ure'we stole their dates and chipped in before them. Others^ 1 «ay tha hahdicips ehould not have btea declared until after rhci Gore meeting. Others osy one thing and another. I think the club' did their level best to make the meeting a Bucce»s, but even with the best intentions, we cannot always j command iucenss.

In minine there is nothing .very startling to chronicle. . Sir Walter Buller paid the Blue Spur a visit last week,'and expressed himself highly pleased witu the prospects of the Consolidated Company, and the successful .way the works bad been carried out by the general uixnager, Ml1 Jackeou A dividend is expected very shortly. The Goldea Gate Dredging Company, which has only been "three, months in operation, declared a dividend last week of 6s per share. Lucky shareholders, as another dredpre that worked away for many mantfaß, on nearly the same spot, as a number of Dunedin shareholders know, har.lly got the colour; bo there seems to be an element of luck permeating everything. ■ ■ Our .Iqcikl Sunday schooln hold their annual picnic on. Wednesday next.; The friendly eooieties were to.'.' have held theirs ,on the following ■Wednesday, but, as it was not a siiitablfi time for the railVfay authnrities; it,has been postponed until March 4—also a Wednesday. ' Application was made to the District High School Committee to close the school on the two days fixed for those picnics, and the committee, while agreeing to the request on this occasion as the dates had been fixed, expressed their opinion that the middle of the week was a very unsuitable time to hava picnics for school children, as it generally unfitted Soth scholars and teachers for school work for the rest of the week. . ■

I understand Sergeant Conn has at last obtained his wish. He in to be removed to Dunedin, and will be replaced by Serge.nt Mackay. During his stay here Sergeant Conn has fulfilled his uu'ies in a very satisfactory manner, to the approval of tha general community, and will leave behind him many friends and . well-wishem , for his future prosperity,; „ ■ _~:..'. ..,..'