News in Brief.

Otago Witness, Issue 1585, 8 April 1882, Page 22

News in Brief.

Mr R. M. Turnbull, meriibeiffor Serpentine Riding in the Maniototo County 'Council, has resigned, his intention "being to, proceed on, a visit to' Europe. ' ( \ ' '!', ''•'' \J The water-racep for irrigation jpur?!>bses\in the Ashburton County, formally opened the' other day, are of a total length of 300 riuTes, and will benefit 300,000 acres of'land. ...',',"..'. ,Mr Allison D. Smith, is of opiniq.ii ,'that the Nightcaps coal is superior to itaitangata, and states that it answers ,well fori railway purposes. „; . • -, Mr A. Piper, late teacher at Teaneraki, who is about to leave for England, was )entertained ata dinner by a number of his Oamaru friends on Friday evening. ' t ! ,

The Mount Ida Chronicles mentions that, for the first time in its history, the 'Maniototo County Council has, at thi6' month's" sitting, finished its deliberations in'bne day. '''> The Palmerston Times states that a company from. Dunedin are actively, engaged ,prp§ppcting for coal on the property of Mr D.'M'Leod, Shag Valley.. < A depth of 27 feet has already been reached 'and' the indications so far are considered good.

.On,the,>.fanTi ,of Taieri, this season, ten acres 01 spring sowp wheat yielded 800 bushels!, On the sdine farm at the same time eleven acres 6f : winter 1 sown yielded 800 bushels. ' 'In' 'both' 'cjas^sl; the red straw' variety 'was used. '" "'

Friday's Mataura Ensign say's :— * Very large Suan tities of rabbits are, now being received at le Woodlands ,MeaiT Preserving ' Works from all parts of the district. 'Wednesday's \^aimea Plains train brought down 'over a, ton, weight of the 'animals.' ' / , ,V , „\.'" , The average attendance ,at . the Southland Boys' High ,Schoql list, ,montl^', was, 6l, while that.at, the Girls', -\yas 4p. .(The'^pard^fgovernors - have decided to icominunicate with the Minister of Educatipn with the.yjiew.of obtaining, Government aid w ihe formation of a library in connection with' the Boys' School.

The boring operations for water at the Waikouaiti railway station have proved unsuccessful, and the work' has in con equence' been stopped' after reaching a depth of 1250 feet. The workmen are now engaged s'inkihg--at the Palmerston station, where it is hdped they may be more successful/ >f ■•->' > > • i •''>' -

, Mr C. E. Ronald, of Waiahiwa',' 'sends the Southland 'N6ws specinieris of burrowing bees found in his district. ' They h'aye'Beeii' observed since 1857 V but their numbers 'seem to have increased greatly since then. ]Eggs, young bees, and pollen' have been' frequently found in tho

'tunnels,' 'but never honey. p ' . ...Thp Oamaru Mail states that it, 'is' estimated that when the N.&lj. and* M:JC~Com'pany's new store is com^leted^a work that is expected to be finished 'within' six. months— the holding capacity of the store will be equal to 100,000 bags of grain, which, according to our contemporary, will *fnake' it 'the largest store of the kind m New Zealand. ■' ;'; ' - ' :<•> '»'V ,' A Chinese, miner, known as ' Charley,'sustained a" compound fracture ' of ! jbh'e thigh at ' Round Hill' one day last w'eek',"throug'h'the fall of a portion of the face of ,the'c}aim;in which he was working. He was carried' on' a'litfer s,pme six mile's over',ayery'rovgh corduroy .track' to tho present terminus, .of' the'Orep'nki line, where the surfacemen kindly furnished ' a trolly, and some of the number toolc the sufferer on to tho Rivertori Hospital.' . • " ' ' ' ' " ' A.t n Ida Valley, on, ,'th.e ?^th }) a, lad named Loye, aged 15,, was,, killed by the accidental discharge of , his gun. , JCheladwa^'out shooting , rabbits with , ,his , . father ,' and ' brother, and appears to have lajd his gun down, and in some , manner, it ( explpded< , 'Unfortiinijitely th^charge struck him in a vital part, and a t few minutes after ,h^s, -father, who was a short distance off, had reached him, he expired. „',,.', , : • The Wakatip Mail truthfully s'^ys, that the large (quantity of , fruit sent. fromjLake, County this year to Dune,din and,ilnyercargill met witji a • favourable .reception,, .because t such fruit as plums, apricots, and peaches, arrive in fresh and' 'sound 'condition, much different to that arriving per steamers' from Australia and Tasmania. ' ,

. We .understand (says the Mount Ida Chronicle)'that the rabbit inspector, Mr Miles, has just completed his first inspection of his dis trict. He finds the rabbits are not very numerous in the heart of the county," 'bufexist in considerable' numbers on the boundaries. Ho will make another tour in about a week's time and will .then give notice to all occupiers whom he finds'are not sufficiently exerting; themselves to, keep the bunnies in check." ' ,',",', ti ; .The whole of the interior) of .N^ill.Brqs.' new store at Oamaruj with the exception ,of a small space occupied by offices,, will ,be ,available for storage purposes, the 'total holding, capacity beneath the heavy beams which support the roof being equal to 40,000 sacks of .grain ; but the spaces between the beams cani also be utilised, and the storage thus increased to about 50,000 sacks. • , '■ '

The erection of grain stores in Oamaru is proceeding ' apace. Besides those .mentioned above, a store has been erected for Mr, Smith, in Tyne street, which is described, by the local Mail ( as ■' one of the handsomest buildings in Oamaru, the trout to Tyno street ' Containing a large amount of ornain«ntal carving, which gives it more the appearance of a temple of art than a grain store. 1 The tolal storage capacity of the building is 30,000 sacks. It has a depth of 100 feet, with a frontage of 44 ,feet ; while there are two floors, the lower being 1 20 feet anil the upper 15 feet in height. Messrs Meek and Co. are also erecting large stores and grain elevators.

Licenses to sell liquor in Nebraska are hereafter to cost lOOOdol. There is a hot and bitter contest over tho law, and the Liquor Union ■has raised considerable money to contest its constitutionality and prevent its enforcement,