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Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 126, 17 September 1895, Page 2

Under the amended tariff proposals the duty on tea is reduced to 3d per lb.

The adjourned annual general meeting of the Opunake Bacing Club will be held on Saturday next at Kennedy's Hotel.

A special meeting of the Town Board will be held to-morrow at 2 p.m., to take into consideration the proposed Local Government Bill.

Mr H. Armitage, of Victoria, in a letter to the Times, doubts whether the colonies will long continue the present subsidies to the Australian squadron.

The pennies collected at the doors of the Catholic churches in Tc Aro parish, Wellington, during the past three years amounted to £538.

News by the Mariposa shows that the supposed outbreak of cholera at Honolulu arose from Islanders eating poisonous fish, and a horse, causing a blood disease. Five natives died. Five hundred Chinamen were landed a few days previously, and this led to a CUiard that the disease was Asiatic cholera.

Mr YV. Pearce notiiios that he will place the services of the draught entire Glengarry a l , the disposal of breeders in the Opunako, Awatuna, and Oeo districts this season. His sire Jock is well known as one of the best draught horses which has ever stood on this coast, and on the Jam's side he cl 111113 such sterling sires as Sir William Wallace, Hcutchman, President, Duke of Wellington. [lis pedigtee on both sides shows horse 3 which huve taken numerous champion and other yrizes in nil show lings.

A lost buggy rug is advertised for. Mr W. D. Scott notifies entries for his next Opunake stock sale. We have to thank Mr McGuire, M.H.8., for a copy of the Fair Rent Bill introduced in the House.

The Waimate Road Board notifies its intention of raising a loan of £4OO for the Upper Watino Road. A bag containing the body of a child has been found in the Wellington Harbor. Medical examination showed it was not more than forty-eight hours old ; no marks of violence.

The charge of committing a breach of the Gaming Act against Neill and Co., of Dunedin, for distributing coupons with tea was dismissed, the S.M. stating that there was not that element of chance in the scheme which would warrant a conviction.

At the Hawera District Court John Farrell, William O'Reilly, Owen Cullen Cowen, charged with conspiracy to defraud, were found guilty and sentenced to three year's imprisonment. William O'Reilly was also found guilty of perjury, and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment. Captain Colbeck, who, during his visit to England spent some time in investigating the position of the wool trade, has told a press representative that there is every prospect of the improvement of prices remaining firm for another year at any rate, so far as crossbred wools are concerned.

The Land and Income Tax Department is now requiring all persons who have omitted to send in returns of income for the year ending 31st March, 1895, to do so without ; delay. These returns were due on June 30, but many have neglected to furnish them. If after this warning they are not forwarded the Department intends to take legal proceedings. The penalties provided by the Act for omission are rather serious.

Mr Newton King notifies a clearing sale at the Bank farm, near Oakura, under instructions from the National Bank. The principal line to be offered consists of 140 fhst-clas3 dairy cows. 93 of these show a record for last November, December and January of over 8 pounds of butter per week each, a record which would be hard to beat. Besides these dairy cows there are numerous other lines of stock, farm implements, and dairy appliances to be offered. The balloting for the Maorewhenua farms, at Oamaru, took place on Thursday in a large hall, the small hall at first engaged for the purpose proving too small. There were applicants Lom all over the colony for one of the sections, there being 128 applications ; for others 73, 50 and less. For a few there was but one applicant, and for seven out of the 74 there were none. The disposal of the estate proved the demand there is for laud cut up into farming areas. For the small areas there was less demand than for the larger.

A gentleman in this colony who has spent many years in Australia, and has studied the weather there, predicts that the drought which has commenced and is beginning to be very badly experienced in New South Wales, will continue with more or less severity until 1899, when it will termiuate in a disastrous flood. As the result of his experience and the traditions that he has gleaned of the Australian Continent, he has found that the calamitous phenomena which he predicts occur about once in every 30 }'ears.

Mr Snow, who was delegate for the Taieri County Council at the recent Conference in Wellington, states in his report to his Council his opinion that the Conference was a huge mistake. It was representative of the North Island only, whose interests are not tbe same as those of the South Island, and he compares it to a training college for aspiring politicians, saying that some of the delegates he would back to speak for a week if they got any encouragement. For the Conference to dictate to the Government what they shall do in the future is, he says, out of place. A decision of some importance to storekeepers was given in the Magistrate's Court this (Thursday) morning. On Tuesday last His Worship reserved his decision in the case of Jones v. Maxwell, a claim for goods supplied and interest, as he was doubtful as to whether sufficient notice had been given for the interest claim of £1 Is. His Worship said that he had given the question mature deliberation, and had come to the conclusion that the mere delivery of a bill, on which was printed a notice as to charging interest, was not a sufficient notification as to charging for interest. Judgment was therefore given for plaintiff for amount claimed, less the interest £1 Is, with costs. Mr Weston appeared for the plaintiff.—Herald.

An interesting return, on the motion of Mr George Hutchison, has (the Wellingtou Post says) been laid on the table of the House. The return gives interesting details about the Waverley Experimental Farm. The area is 254 acres 2 roods 13 poles. Of this acreage 71 acres 1 rood and 24 poles are bush. The expenditure on the farm has been as follows—(a) Buildings, £577 10s ; (b) fencing, £367 03 Sd ; (c) cultivating, £BB7 3s lid ; (d) stock, £376 Os sd; (e) other expenditure. £449 103 Bd. The total is in addition to the price of the land, £2657 lis Bd—this is about £lO per acre! How many small farmers could expend such a sum! The Stock consists of 5 horses, 44 cattle, and 307 sheep ! The total returns for two years have been the great sum of £Bl 2s lid. This is a poor return for nearly £3OOO of expenditure.