LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1762, 29 August 1885, Page 8

LOCAL & GENERAL.

There are at the present time upwards of 160 men employed at the Hillside Workshops, and a good deal of work is on hand, no fewer than seven locomotives undergoing a thorough overhaul.

A return showing the number of teachers from other Colonies in the service of the Otago Education Board has been compiled on the suggestion of Mr Fraser. It appears the first teacher from Victoria was appointed in 1878, and the last in March 1885. Altogether 22 teachers from Victoria have been employed by the Otago Education Board, and one from Queensland, With three exceptions all had high-class certificates. In these exceptions the three teachers had C certificates.

Some of the Southland sawmillers have been endeavouring to gain a foothold in the Queensland market, but the duty proposed on imported timber in the last Financial Statement of the Treasurer of that Colony is likely to interfere with them if carried.

At the City Police Court on the 20th an infor-mation-was laid against a Mornington resident for allowing cattle to stray in the borough. The local constable proved the case, and put in the bye-laws of the borough, Mr Carew pointed out that they were ultra vires, inasmuch as under them an offender could be fined £1 per head for all cattle straying in the borough, while in the Municipal Corporations Act there was a clause providing that no penalty exceeding £5 could be inflicted. The Mornington bye-laws were therefore at variance with the clauses in the act bearing on the subject, because a person might be fined £20 or more vinder the bye-laws. The case was therefore dismissed.

The secretary of the Education Board was a few days ago the recipient of an anonymous letter enclosing £2 to be applied to his own use. At the last meeting of the board Mr Pryde laid the donation, along with the letter, before the members for their consideration. It was agreed, after a number of suggestions, that the .money should be put into the education fund and acknowledged as an anonymous donation. Professor Shand commended the action of Mr Pryde, and remarked that whoever forwarded the money evidently did not know Him very well.

A gentleman, who is about to visit Cape Colony, who "recently passed through phristchurch, generously offered to" present the Acclimatisation Society there with a number of South African deer, which he promised to have conveyed to Cape Town, and sent on shipboard, if the society would arrange for- their passage to New The oJEer has been accepted, and probably ere lopg Pape deer will be added to the list of the sopiety's jmpprj#fions.

The weather which has b,een of late experienced in Melbourpe hag produped a mild epir demic of unexampled uniyprsality of diffusion. The Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney SlaiJ. says :— There is scarcely a house into whjcjj jf has npj; entered, and in many cases evpry memper pf thje family is attacked by it. ft seems to be a spepies qf infjupn?a, commenping with a congestion p f the mupous membrape lining $he npstrils, throat, gnd air passages, and pulminatipg in incarnation pf £he PFQnpfual tubes. Y^hen thjs occurs Jt npt unfrequentjy rpsults in the death of the patiept. Jlyefy bapk, J believe, and jnemoers of the wholesale houses have been seriously {nQonvemßpppd. by the number of absentee employees who are suffering from this malady ; and the same complaint is made on the railways and in the police. In the churches and at the theatres it is painful and sometimes not a little annoying to listen to the amount of human barking which is going on ; and it would scarcely be an exaggeration to say that the whole of Melbourne is on the sick list. Nor is any change for the better to be looked for '■"■'>■ »'

while this weather lasts. All night long, and far into the morning, • dense fogs clog M the filthy air," and unless people follow the wise example of the Indian races, as recommended by George Catlin, and- keep their mouths shut, there is no knowing what disease germs they may inhale with the murky vapour which they breathe.

The Timaru Herald says:— "The curious phenomena known as a mirage was seen in great perfection from Timaru between 1 and .2, o'clock on Wednesday. Stretching out from the peninsula, an exceedingly clear and welldefined image of a girder'bridge was seen—presumably a mirage of that over the Rangitata River. The representation was so exceedingly vivid that a stranger would have been positive that it was a real bridge and approaches on, which he was gazing. The weather was olose and warm at the time, and there was apparently a good deal of moisture in the air — conditions favourable to the production of the phenomenon. For distinctness the mirage would almost rival the famous case which occurred in 1798, when the whole coast of France, from Calais to Dieppe, although 50 miles distant from Hasttings, became visible at the latter place, and remained so about three hours." The was a very large gathering of students and their friends, including a number of ladies,at the meeting of the University Debating Society, which was held in one of the college class-rooms last evening. The principal item on the programme was an essay by Mr W. Ledingham Christie, on Oliver Wendall Holmes' novel," Elsie Venner." The' paper was criticised at length by Mr M'Lymont and Miss Montgomery, while a discussion oh' the production was taken part in by Messrs Murray, Hislop, Baume, Waters, SmailJ, Sidey, and others. ■ During the evening Mr Christie was congratulated on his elevation to the temporary charge of the Dunedin Hospital.

A return of the law costs paid out of bankrupt estates under the present Bankruptcy Act laid on the table of |the House shows that the costs amounted to £994 9s 6d in the Wellington district, £606 18s in Auckland, £1350 Is Id inJCanterbury, and £2016 5s 3d in Otago :— total, £4967 13s lOd. . '

The f ollowing •declarations of insolvency have been filed during the week : — William Montagu' Adam, of the Glen, accountant'; James Hunter,' of Green Island, labourer; David Graham, of Balclutha,labourer

According to the Wellington Times, a gentleman who arrived there from Lyttelton a few days ago states that the captain of one of the Union Company's boats was much exercised in mind over the erratic way in which the compass veered about just after clearing the Heads. The captain made a minute investigation, but could discover no clue, until at length the thought struck him that a lady who was standing close by might be the unintentional cause. She was politely requested to retire, and then the compass continued on the even tenor of its way. Some steels which formed part of the lady's dress were thus found to be the cause of a change which, on a foggy night, might have proved disastrous to all on board. The gentleman who vouches for this statement is connected with one of the largest manufacturing firms in the Colony, and does not treat the matter in any way as a joke* , ■ .

Some time ago it was announced in the Sydney Morning Herald and other local papers that the late Hon. John Fraser, M.L.C., of New South Wales, had bequeathed the Bum of £2000 to found an annual prize of £100 for an essay in defence of the Christian faith. This essay will be open to all residents in the five Australian Colonies, and to natives of the same resident abroad. The subject for the first competition, in June 1886, will be "Agnosticism, considered from a moral and spiritual point of view."

A branch of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for women has been founded in Dunedin. The object of the society (says the Tablet) is the relief of the poor, and it has always been found to work most successfully wherever it has been established. The active members meet once a week to sew for the benefit of those who are in need of clothes, and it is their duty to attend to the wants of persons recommendedjby honorary members, to visit the poor in their own particular district, and the sick at the hospital. It is, however, forbidden by the rules that anyone shall neglect her own' household in order to fulfil these duties. The society does not limit its attentions to members of the Catholic Church, but, irrespective of creed or denomination, embraces in its sphere people of every form of belief; and it is also open to non-Catholics to become honorary members. The ladies who have joined the Dunedin branch of the society as active members so far are as follows .-—President, Mrs Fergusson ; seoretary, Mrs Callan; treasurer, Miss Horan; librarian, Miss Hutcheson ; wardrobe-keeper, Mrs Horan (assisted by Miss D. Horan^ ; buyer of goods,' Miss M'Kay (assisted by Mrs Callan, Mrs C. Chapman, Miss Ratislau, and Miss D. Horan)' The Rev. Father Walsh has undertaken the duties of spiritual director. Some Protestant ladies have also entered their names as honorary members. The Tablet hopes that the Catholic women of Dunedin have inaugurated a work that will be speedily taken up also by the Catholic men. The successful work of both branches of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul would be productive of good untold, and is an object that should be pursued with the utmost vigour and perseverance.

The body of a man, whose name is given as John Malenoir, was found near the Deep Stream on thp 2Qth inst. From inquiries made, it seems that qn Wednesday depeased traced by rail from Dunedin to Qutram; 'tfoenoe. by poapft to Hindon ; and then, in company with a man named John Bro-vme, of Machine Creek, pro. ceeded to walk to Nenthorn. After goipg a good distanpe, deceased said he was tired anfl would have a rest. That was about 7 p.m., and his companion left him. There were no marks of violence qn the body, Very little appears to be known of depeased, who was a cook, and had been engaged to work for a boarding-house proprietor at Nenthorn. Mr Watt, tp whom the matter was reported, has decided that an inquest is not necessary, M the meeting of the West Coast Railway fteague in Christehuroh, Mr Matson brought forward* proposal to strike 20,000 medallions of membership,

A fatal aocident oocurred on the 20th at the south end of the Deborah Bay tunnel to a man named John Crisp, aged 49, employed at the railway works there. It appears the poor fellow had drawn a charge of dynamite which had failed to explode the previous evening. While clean, ing out the place from which it had been withdrawn the charge exploded, and one side of his face and Ms right arm were completely blown away. The body was conveyed to WaitatL where his wife resides. Crisp had a narrow escape from the same fate some time ago while employed at the Port Chalmers quarry. Robert

Sumners'/the overseer, and a man named Cassy were momentarily stunned by the explosion, but were otherwise uninjured." An inquest was held by Mr I.'N.'Watt on Friday, and a verdict of " Accidental death" was returned. In malting an explanation to the House in connection with the Wellington Hospital scandal, the Premier said the facts of the case were that a certain "round robin" was sent by the nurses and the steward to the committee, which the committee referred io the Government, and the Colonial Secretary made a minute upon it to the effect that the nurses ought to be dismissed, ■ if the hospital couid be carried' on with* out them. , This was 1 referred to Dr Grabhara, who replied that the hospital' could be carried on without them. The Cplonial Secretary being out of town tont on that evening, the chairman 1 ' o£ the' Hospital " Committee, (Hon. G. R. Johnson) '' saw the Undersecretary, aii'd that gontleman undertook the responsibility of discharging the. officials. Accordingly it was decided to write to Dr Levinge, and request him to dismiss the nurses arid give one mouth's notice to male officers of the staff This letter '(to the doctor) was written by the 1 of the committee, and Dr Levinge, ou receiving it, thought it incumbent upon him to at once * dismiss the nurses mentioned. On learning what had beeu done, the Premier said, in conclusion, he had at onco giveu instructions that the nurse's were to be taken back that evening. '"' "', The clerk of,, the) St. Kilda Borough Council Borough' Council has been instructed to write to Mr Larnach, M.H.R., asking him to use his influence with the Government to get them to take pver the Ocean Beach railway. Mr T.Pavitt, the delegate from the Christchurch Industrial Association who visited the South Sea Islands by the Janet Nicoll, read his report at a special meeting on ( Thursday evening. Mr Pavitt says : " In'addition to a bank there is a ' magnificent opening for a well-orgauised trading company, with a capital of, say, £300.000. This company with a careful and proper management would absorb in a short time nearly the whole business of these islands,' and the Government of New Zealand would, in my humble opinion, be quite' justified in assisting by a subsidy such an institution. lam quite aware objections might be made to the latter suggestion, but if any of my fellow colonists will viait these Islands and seriously 'consider thsir probable future produce, they will not only form tho same opinion as I have respecting the success that would a'ttehd such a company, but they would also 1 ' be satisfied that our New Zetland Parliament would be acting .wisely in assisting this matter." * ' '

The following patents have been. a t };>lio;l for — Esau Fisher, of ■ Southland, for a fuiicuig wire strainer '; )W t . ,E. .Richardson, of Outrain, for a butter-printer;, "John. Middleton, of Ashley County, for. ._ improvement in chaff -baggers ; Thomas" Bruce, of Waipa Cpunty, . for a ,new beehive} , Hjjalmar' Graff, of Fielding, for a movable 'iron* stanchion for wire fences; W. WrighVpf Melbourne,, for machine for bending rails and'dttier metal bars ; E. W,atew>, of Melbourne, for improvements ,in vacuum >bra,ke apparatus,. and the same for improvements in heating and' purifying water for boilers. There is-'atdast- some probability of Dunedin being provided with a market. A gentleman recently- returned from England has offered a donation of £200 towards the establishment of a ' market, and steps' are to be taken with a view to securing .. the unoccupied land between the Railway-station, and High street as a site. - Mr Vincent Pyke recently forwarded ( to Lord Rpseber a copy of his patriotic song "The Old Flag."- By this week's mail he received ' the following letter 'of acknowledgment :— " Lahsdblone House, Berkeley square, 16th July. '/Dear'Sir,— Allow me to thank you very much for the spirited and admirable verses that you haye 1 beehi, good enough to ,send me. It seems to ipe %hat they have merits of their own, and I, like-you,' look', forward to the incorpora :< v tion of the ' Southern Cross in the Union Jack. — Believe me, yours respectfully, 'Rosebbry. 1 Vincent Pyke, M.H.R., Dunedin, New Zealand." The late E. M. ; Boyle,,grandson of the Earl of Cork.f.'who ,died at Queenstown-recatttly, was attended by his sister, Mrs Quin. The Lake i Wakatipu^Majl reports that' prior to that lady ? a i departure she gay.c. through Dr Douglas, who attended,,her brpther, £20 for. the Frankfcon Hospital, aijd to the J2ev..D. O. Hampton £30 to assist ,in paying off the debt oil the parsonc age and other works in connection with the church ; while Mrs Eichardt and her servants were not forgotten. . ' , " i , A tragedy, involving 'the death' of two selectors' named Christoper M'Crae anil Thomas Clarke, took place near Gobur, Victoria, in the northeastern district, on the l'2thj It was a case of murder in a moment of rage, and suicide when 1 reflection- came. • Clarke lost a ' favourite' do*g by poison, and he believed that M'Crae,' his- neighbour,' had destroyed it. He charged him with having done so", and hot words passed, while' Clarke held a loaded gun. M'Crae* offered to 'fight him' 'if he - would put down his gun, and then -Clarke shot him through the heart, killing him instantly. Clarke ran away, visited his ; wife, tbld her what he had done, advised her to go to a neighbournamed Moylan, and then- twice 'called .upon another selector about threemjlesjfrom-the' scene of the murder; The second time' he' sajd'he intended to shoot himself to avoid being hanged, and he was found shortly afterwards withhisright breast'shatter'ed with shot. 1 ' ■ '. ' Every r effort is being, made (says our Timaru correspondent) to develop mining industries in 4* this district.,. _There is little doubt thai? at the " back of ,Temuka there is a very fair prospect of payable coal and, marble being found in. the neighborhood of : Pareora River, to the south of Timaru. .Sand has been found which it is believed will answer all purposes for glass. Samples of the latter are being sent away for analysis. . Mr WyJ.-Denniston, whose death at New Plymouth is announced (says the New ' Zealand Times), 1 was youngest son of Mr' Thomas Denniston, for. many years editor of the Southland Times, and brother of Mr J. E. Denniston, the well-known" barrister, and of Mr G. l! Denniston, merchant, Dunedin. The deceased' was formerly in the employment of the British and New Zealand Ag-ency Company in Dunedin. About two and a-half years ago, owing to illhealth, he had to give up work, and took a trip to England, Some time after his return he entered the service of the Union Shipping Company in Wellington, in the hope that the climate here would improve his health. Latterly disease has been gaining fast on him, and about three weeks ago he went to Now Plymouth with his father, in the hope that the change would do him some good. It, however, was of no avail and he died of consumption. Mr Denuiston I was about 30 years of age. De"ep regret is felt by his fellow officials in the Union Company's Office, by whomr he was much liked, and there will be the same feeling among the many friends of his family and himself iv the South.