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Opunake Times, Volume II, Issue 64, 12 February 1895, Page 2

The final test match between England and Australia will begin on Ist March. The Eev G. T. Marshall will preach at Eltham Road on Friday next at 7.30 p.inTenders are called for renting the premises lately occupied by the late Major Tuke. Mr Rennell, Native Reserves Trustee, is in Opunake to-day paying Maori rents. Tenders for the Ihaia Road metalling are being dealt with to-day. We give a reminder of Mr W. D. Scott's Opunake stock sale which takes place on Friday next. Inspector Thompson was on a visit to Opunaie yesterday and was to leave to-day for Manaia and Hawera. Owing to bad weather no steamer will leave Onehunga for Waitara and Opunake until about Tuesday, 19th February. We remind settlers that Messrs Nolan, Tonks and Co's next sale at Opunake will be held on Monday next instead of on Tuesday, as upon the latter day the annual sheep fair will be held. Mr M. D. Eraser notifies that he has started business at Rahotu as a saddler and harnessmaker. There should be a good opening for him there as extensive settlement is proceeding in and around the Rahotu township, and it will be a convenience to settlers.

The post mortem examination of the Gulf of Bothnia's cattle showed that they died from want of proper treatment. The food was insufficient and the floor space too closely confined. They were also deprived of green fodder. It is considered foolish to ship wild cattle just taken from tho runs. In consequence of the fine form shown with the bat, Eady, the Tasmanian cricketer, has been selected to practice for the final test match. Whether he will be chosen to play or not, it is considered certain he will be asked to join the next Australian team that visits England. Constable Hickman came into Opunake this morning with two Maoris from Rahotu. There was a row between a couple of them there lxst night, and Constable Hickman arrested one and placed him in the store there for safe keeping. One of his mates came to help to effect his release, and kicked in a couple of panels of the store door, when Constablo. Hickman also effected his arrest.

Valuers under the Cheap Money Act have reported on about 40 properties, all between Wellington and Opunake on one side, and Napier on the other. About 1000 applications are now on hand, and instructions have been issued for valueing 250 properties. The valuers receive a guinea for each. The aggregate amount applied for is £700,000.

To avert misapprehension as to the rateß of postage charged on packets containing more than one newspaper for the United Kingdom, Ac, the public are informed that the rate of Id for the first 4oz and £d for each succeeding 2oz is chargeable on each newspaper enclosed in a packet, thus two newspapers, each weighing under 2oz would, if sent in a packet, be liable to a postage of 2d. While on the voyage from London to Auckland the steamer Waikato was stopped off the African coast to effect some repairs to the machinery. The vessel was soon surrounded by sharks, Captain Banks and his officers indulged in a little sport to while away the time, and with such success that within two and a half hours no fewer than 113 of the brutes were captured, ranging in length from six feet to 14 feet.

Mr J. C. George, manager of the Crown Dairy Factory Companies, was in Hawera today. His many friends will regret to hear that in consequence of ill-health he is compelled for a time to relinquish the management, and indeed has alseady done so nominally although he still directs, pending arrangements being made for someone to take up the active works. Mr George under medical advice is about to visit England ao that he may have a complete rest.—-Star. On a railway train recently a half-intoxi-cated old sinner, sitting next to a mintster not of the Crown, but of the gospel—pulled out a bottle of ardent spirit, and offered him a taste. Could he do what he liked with it, queried the parson. "Oh yes" said old three-sheets-in-the-wind " help yourself; stow away the lot." But he did not pass it down his neck, but out of the carriage window, bottle and all, to the intense merriment of about 20 passengers.—Christchurch Press. A Napier paper says:—The reductio ad absurdum of the co-operative bungle has been realised. A number of " right color " men were given work on co-operative principles at Cheviot. The prices were so good, so that these " children of flight" sub-let their job to a contractor. He made ratc3 good enough to pay him and his horses and his men, and the other gentlemen lay back, smoked their pipes, and subsisted on the difference between what they received and what they paid their servant the sub contractor.

A shocking discovery was ma le last week at the Railway Crescent, South Melbourne. The neighbors noticed a foul smell emanating from a small shop occupied by au elderly woman, Mrs Perkins, and her daughter. The door was broken in, and tho mother was found sitting in a chair, and the daughter lying alongside. Both bodies were decomposing. In tho centre of the room was a dish of charcoal. They had evidently committed suicide. Nothing had been seen of them since Friday. Both were well educated people, the daughter being a music teacher, but they were in needy circumstances, and the mother had on several ocoasions informed the neighbors that they had not known where to get food. They lately received aid from the Benevolent Society. A pathetic letter was found written by the daughter, asking for God's forgiveness for the deed she was going to commit. They were deeply in debt, and she could not bear to see her mother turned into the streets. Mrs Perkins once possessed a considerable sum of money, but lost it in a bank failure. Henry Boyd has been committed for trial at Sydney on two charges of inciting Charles Roylance to murder a young woman named Dolly Jones and Henry Deinpsey, her adopted father and guardian, under sensational circumstances. Roylance deposed that recently accused came to him and said Miss Jones would shortly have £2OO coming to her and proposed that they go to her house, and while lioyd got Dempsey out of the way, Roylance should stun the girl and throw her into a waterhole. Dempsey, it was suggested, should be subsequently treated similarly. Precautions were, it is alleged, to be taken to make it appear as if the death of the victims resulted from suicide. Roylance was to receive one-third of the amount realised from the two estates. After gaining possession of all details of the horrible scheme, Roylance informed the police of Boyd's proposals. Dempsey gave in detail a number of business transactions he had with accused, wich whom he was on friendly terms, and preparations were in progress for Boyd to draw up the wills of Miss Jones and himself. It was bo arranged, Dempsey stated, that Boyd should act as guardian to the girl in tho event of anything happening to witness.