LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1805, 25 June 1886, Page 12

LOCAL & GENERAL.

In reference to the rise in the price of wool in the London market, it may be noticed that though the news is so far satisfactory as showing an upward tendency, yet the present prices are not equal to those obtained at the opening of the July series of sales in 1885. That series of sales closed on the 11th July, prices having been uniformly downwards, the total fall being from to| l^d and 2d per lb, according to quality. The October sales of 1885 exhibited a still further downward tendency all through, the fall being from 10 to 20 per cent. The tendency of the December sales was still downward, although the rates were not quotably changed. At the February sales of 1886 the only change was in low sorts, which fell id per lb. At the April sales, however, there was another fall of from |d to 2d, according to grade. The present series were reported as opening at a rise of 5 to 20 per cent, (or say |d to 2d), according to grade ; coarse crossbreds firm only. It will thus be seen that the recovery in prices is short of those at the opening of the July series of last year by fully 15 per cent. No doubt woolgrowers appreciate the change which has taken place, but look forward anxiously to a still further recovery.

An Ophir correspondent telegraphed on Tuesday that Edmund Morressey, aged 65, a resident of over 20 years by the Manuherikia river opposite Ophir, has mysteriously disappeared. Excepting a man named Johnson, who was residing with Morressey, no other person in the district lias seen him since the 24th May. Johnson states that Morressey left the house on the sth inst., not saying where he was going. For the last six days continuous search and inquiries have been made by the police and others, but no trace of the missing man has been found. Morressey was a sober, steady man, and hale and hearty for his years. Excepting an occasional visit to Ophir, he seldom or never left his home ; hence a suspicion of foul play prevails in the district. The conduct of Johnson is regarded as singular under the circumstances. By his own account Morresseywas missing from the sth to the 16th inst., yet he did not make his absence known, though the missing man has a brother living within a mile.

Tho Lawrence District High School Committee held a special meeting on Monday evening, at which all the members attended for the purpose of appointing a second master in place of Mr Allnutt (resigned). There were four applicants, and after due consideration the committee decided to appoint Mr G. D. Braik, third assistant of the Arthur street school, Dunedin.

A meeting of delegates from Dunedin and Suburban school committees was held in the Normal School on the 17th inst. The question of the desirability of inspectors when examining schools addressing their questions through the teacher (mooted by the Union street Committee), so as not to confuse timid children, was discussed.— On the mction of MiCohen it was resolved that the Education Board be asked to direct that at school inspections

questions may in cases of difficulty (where practicable) be put through f.h>; fcswlior of ibe class. On the motion of Mi 1 Ku'hoifoulic w.is resolved: — "That this confere.iu; viows> »vith alarm a bill recently introduc d by bir Julius Vogel authorising local bodies i.v boii\j\v mutiny for the erection of school birldingh. The Central Government has soizi-d our laud revenue — our education reserv. s, and taxi.s us to the extreme point of our en iuraiiC". Th.' object of this bill, we apprehend, ;-. to with-lra.v the public grant for school buillnig- 1 . W« resolve, therefore, that the chairman of this conference send a petition against the; l»ill to Sir R. Stout for presentation to the H nis,; of Iloj>it>sentatives." It was resolved, ( n the motion of Mr Sligo " Thatin the opinion of tiii-; conference the regulation of the Education Board i'cq*iir< ing 12 square feet space foi' Cauii chil 1 inaverage attendance will email too gival an expenditure for the erection of v.eh building-, and that in practice Bft wou'd bo found sufficient."

A motion that the amount deiu.uided as» a contribution by the Rovljn Borough Council towards the Hospital aud PuaiitaMe Aid Boards be paid was negatived at the last meeting of the council. The IKyor and tlm majority of the councillors were of opinion that it would be better to substitute a spocial rate than to take the contribution from the borough's general funds, as then each ratepayer would know exactly what he was paying towards the maintenance of hospitals and charitable aid.

No less than 117 applications were forwarded for the position of messenger at tV Education Board office, Dunedin. The salary is 30s pisr week.

The Cromwell Argus reports that the residence of Mr William Masters, J P , at N«vi>, was totally destroyed, with its eontei.t;-, by fire on the 13th. It appears that lhf> fire o - curred about 10 o'clock, and gained a hold *.o speedily that little or nothing could be :>aved. The house was occupied by Mr Clusters and family, including his brother, Mr Charles Masters. Mrs Masters and six children were in the house when the fire broke out, and hid barely time to escape with what they htood in, so quickly did the place fill with tmokc. A strong wind was blowing at the tiiru*, and the buil ling was soon a mass of flame. Mi- W. Masters vvas in the stable, some 300 yard?, off, ufc the time, and notwithstanding the joint exertions of him self and brother, all that could be bayed w.is a pair of blankets, a looking-glass, and a few mji.vll articles. The house was insured in tht> New Zealand Company's office for £173, but 2-Ir Master estimates his loss at fully £100 over this amount. A supply of winter stores to the value of £50 had just beeu laid in.

The impounding of horses does not seem to be a very profitable speculation for the Borough of Roslyn. At last night's meeting of the council an account for £3 for the keep of an impounded horse, which at auction realised o:ily os, was passed. The Mayor stated thai some persons evidently thought +hatthe turning out of worthless horses on the streets, so that they might be impounded, was an excellent plan of getting rid of them.

The newspaper portion of the mail fov Europe and America despatched from the Duu.jdin Poit Office on Saturday consisted of go bags, each weighing about 751b, the total wtigat being therefore nearly two tons Tlie Po.-.t Oifi.'u officials calculate that the number of p .pur.-, ijpresented in the above weight would bo abcut 23,000. The Daily Times issue for tht> throe days was 29,000.

The mortal remaius of the late Mr Robert Gillies, one of the pioneers of Otago, w<.,re consigned to their last resting place in the Nortlu. m Cemetery on Friday afternoon. As showing the respect in which the deceased gentlemau was held, it may be mentioned that at the funeral services were the early minister* of Oiago and settlers from the Clutha, Tokomairiro, and Taieri districts.

A number of contracts on the Obago OVnlral are to be let shortly by tho Public Work*. Department, one of the conditions being thai a certain proportion of the unemployed are to be taken on. The first of these, the Mount Hjde contract, will bs let on Monday next, and others will follow as quickly as arrangements can be made. It is estimated that the Mount Hyde contract will absorb about 00 men. Work on the Anderson's Bay road is stiil going on, and a number of men will be kept employed there for some weeks.

The OamaruMailoftbel7thstate.stb.ata nasty accident happened on that morning to a railway surfaceman named John Morley, near Duutroon. The poor fellow managed someho »v io get his foot entangled in the lover of the trolly, and before he could extricate it his foot was torn off.

The Post states that Messrs Fisher and Shannon appear to be completely ma-L. rs of the situation in respect to Lhe Government Insurance Association special inciting, ;»i th;:y hold a sufficient uu.uber of proxie.i bu earr,\ any proposal they like, and it is therefore scaccely worth while to waste another night in discussing resolutions the fate of which is already scaled.

A man named Peter Brookland, of Makarewa, met with a fatal accident in Seaward Bush, near luvercargill, on the 10th. He was engaged clearing bush for the railway, when the branch of a falling tree, in spite of his efforts to get out of the way, struck him on the back of the neck. He was removed to the hospital, where he received every attention, but his injuries were, so severe — concussion of the spine being the result of the blow — that lie died yesterday. The unfortunate man was 40 years of age, and leaves a wife and 12 children, who depended on him for support. To earn bread for his family he obtained employment on the "unemployed" section of the Seaward Bush railway, but had only been at work for about a week when the lamentable accident occurred.

The Rev. Mr Ferguson, of the First Church, Invercargill, has expressed himself in favour of seatholders giving up their seats on Sunday evenings, so as to make the church a free one at these services. The views of the congregation are to be ascertained by the issue of voting papers on Sunday.

In the case of Toner v. Herring, a claim for damages for alleged trespass and assault and libel, heard befui.; .Mr Justice Johnston at Timaru on the 16th, which resulted in a verdict being given for plaintiff for £150 damages and costs, plaintiff sought to recover damages from the defendant— (l) £200 for trespass and assault, and (2) £300 for a libel published by defendant in a O'u'i.tel-iureh newspaper, in a letter in which dt.feiid.uit :<lkged that plaintiff had been rightly convicte 1 of larceny in the Resident Magistrate's Court at Ash burton, and further that he had on other occasions stolen timber, the property of the defendant. The libel also attacked plaintiff in his character as a farmer, and generally impugned his character for honesty. Toner had taken some sticksjwhich he had cut from bush,

the property of ths Alford Forest Company, of which defendant was maii'icur. Defendant ha 1, gone to Toner's house with a constable, who searched tho plico without having a soarch warrant-, and then arre.it ed defendant. Mr Ju-jbicjj Johnston, in summing up, said with regaid to the arrest, that it was illegal. The constable had no rig I."-,1 '."-, to take such a step, but a person with greater knowledge of law than tui; constable pressed might have aefcod iv a similar manner, ilia Honor hial no donht that the constable acted to the best of his j-.i.'.fc-ment. But there was no evidence to connect the lofen Unt willi tlu arrest It was •I'lnutl -"I that lefendaut committed a trespass whuii Ik; aeuomp.uiie I th * constable to search plaintiff'. 1 ! premises. Hi- Honor directed the jurj that if they found she allegations in the letter had not beeu justified by the defendant", they wera to give a verdict for the plaintiff. The question of the amount of damages was eutin-ly for them to decide. They should give such an ainoant as would vindicate plaintiff's character if it had biwn unjustly assailed. The jury retired, and after half-an-hour's deliberation returned into Comb with a verdict for plaintiff — damages, £150. His Honor gave co.-itn on the lowest scale.

Tho North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association have decided to increase the value of the cup given at the annual show to the largest pnzctak'jr iv Ayrshire cattle to £25, and the cup foi' strong and fine combing merino sWeep to £20.

A labourer named Charles Crane, who was woiking at the breakwater works at Otago Hea<Ls, fell off the staging into the sea at about 3 p.m. on Saturday, and was drowned. Thcro was abour, 18ft of water where the accident occurred, and a strong flood tide was running at the time Planks and buoys wove thrown into the water in the hope that the unfortunate man would be able to catch them, but he failed in doing so, although lie was seen to rhe once. We are informed that the deceased leaves a wife and family in Dunedin.

Between 70 and 80 pi-rsons attended the adjourned meeting held in the Royal George Hotel on Saturday evening to discubs Mr M'Neil's proposal for chartering a vessel for Cambridge Gulf. Mr J:\mi\-. Hirris was appointed chairman Mr M'Neil explained that he wished to secure the names of 100 willing to try their fortunes on the Kimberley diggings, and went into the details of the scheme, by which it was calculated each passenger would get to Cambridge Gulf for nothing. He reckoned that surplus stores which they could take over iv the ship .vould sell there at treble their value hore. A discussion arosu as to the relative merits of a steamer or a sailing vessel for the conveyance of horses. Mr M'Neil lu,ld that a hailing vessel w«i- preferable, and mentioned that chartering a steamer was out of the question in regard to his plan, for he had made inquiries and found that a steamer could not be sent from here for less than £4000. In reply to questions, he said that he intended to go to Kimberley and not merely to Cambridge Gulf. Some proposed that a committee should be appointed from tho meeting to inquire as to the most practical way of reaching the diggings — whether a steamer or sailing ve.-sel should bo chartered ond which was the bet'; jp laud route to Kimberley, via Cambridge Gulf or Derby. Mr M'Neil did not seem to fa'l m with this suggestion, and referred to the ti-ou'jk- ho li>ul already taken in the .natter. Eventually the chairman said that the object of tho mee'.ing w.h to ascertain the number anxious to g') in accordance with Mr M'Noil's proposal ; but only six or mvoii intimated in writing their willingness (o join in the project.

Tho Bishop of Had igaocar, Dr Kcstdl Cornish' arrived by the Munapouri at the Bluff on Sunday. During his visit to Dunedin he will probably deliver a kct ire in the interests of his church in Madagascar.

Professor Huttou, of Canterbury College, has decided to visit, ou his own account, the sceneof the eruptions in the Hot Lakes district.

The Educational Institute of Otago will hold its ninth annual meeting on the 29th and 30th June and Ist July, when, after the transaction of routine business, a number of papers will be read. At the evening fitting of the first day's session the president, Mr James Reid, will give an address, and Dr Colquhoun will read a paper on " The physical factor in education." Papers on " Drawing," by Jilr Best ; "On the relation between etamenfc.iry :xiul secondary education," by Air Dunbar; and ou "Class subjects," by Mr Selby, will be read at the morning sitting on the second clay; anl in the evening the Rev. Mr Wall will have Fomathing to say on " The earliest scheme of education," and Dr L. Ferguson will read a paper on " Optics." Two papers will be read on the third day, Mr Scrack reading one on "Music," and Mr G. M'Donald one on the "Abolition of the pupil teacher system." Mr J. Jeffrey will introduce a subject for discussion, and the evening will bring the session to a close with the usual conversazione.

The following applications for patents have been received :-—W. G. P. Sharp and C. Bradley, of Melbourne, for improvements in bedsteads; F. E. Robertshaw, of Auckland, for a elothfs-dryiug apparatus; G. E. Evensen, of Auckland, for night-signals ;S. Fallwell and J. Hicks, of Ouehunga, for a fume-condenser for vapour minerals ; O. K. Jeff and G. Moody, Onehunga, i'or invention for destroying blight on plants; J. Clare, of Auckland, for a turn silt pump ; W, Reeves, of Waikari, for an improved band- brake; H. Marks, of Chrictchurch, for a folding step-ladder ; T. West, of Auckland, for an improved patten or sandal.

Thirty-three out of the 431 telegraphists in the colony recently held a competition for the prizes offered by the Department. The most proficient all-round operator proved to be Mr Talbot, of the Dunedin office ; Mr J. Kivell, of Wellington, being second ; and Mr R. H. Keys, of Blenheim, being third. Mr Hale, of Blenheim, was the best sender, and Mr Morley, of Christchurch, the best receiver. The prize for the best cadet was secured by Mr P. Thompson (now of Napier) ; Mr Marryat, of Timaru, gaining second honours. There are 230 town and 69 country operators, whilst 132 postmasters also act as operators.

In connection with the volcanic eruptions, a correspondent of the Christchurch Press at Tauranga states: — "I have made a careful estimate of the stuff ejected during the eruption. It amounts in round numbers to 5,000,000,000 cubic yards, weighing 6,000,000,000 tons, which is after all not quite one cubic mile. It seems a small cavity, but it would take more than the amount of the national debt of England to excavate it. It would take one good workman ono million years to shovel the stuff from the ground into carts ; yet all was done in four hours. The stuff, when washed, shows glittering particles of mica and little pieces of transparent white crystals. Sanguine people imagine they have found gold and diamonds, and are anxiously awaiting analysis."

The Southland News stati-s that but for the piompt action ot Jainus Il'ahoy,I I ' ahoy, a Lid 10 years of ago, :.t least one life would hsive been lost in tho riCJiiL 'ire a.', thu Shamrock Hotel. Tho lad is a stepson of the proprietor, aud was awakened by the stifling smoke before the filar, n was given. He immediately wont round to all the rooms in the upstairs part of the hou»e, and having wakened the occupants by kicking at the doors with his bare feet and knocking with his hands, he trkd to get downstairs, but was prevented by the thick smoke and flames. He then went to the back window, raised it, and jumping on to a lean-to, was enabled to reach the giound, and thereby obtain entrance to the lower part of the house by way of the back door. Here he knocked at all the sleeping apartments, firot waking his father, who, not recognising the danger at the moment, told the youngster to go to bed — thatho was dreaming. Young Fahey then rushed into his mother's room, and, after rousing her, seized the baby in his arms and ran out into the street, his night-dress being the only article of clothing he saved. A collection made at Knox Church on Sunday in aid of the poor fund realised £68 5s lid. At the evening service Dr Stuart intimated that the Sunday school children had made a handsome contribution in the shape of clothing, fuel, &c. The Rev. Mr Gillies, of Timaru, preached in the evening. The following are the Dunedin Hospital returns for the past week : — Number ot patients remaining trom the previous week ... ... ... ... 107 Admitted during the week ... ... 1(5 JJisclmrged during the wejk ... ... 5 Tot .il remaining... ... ... ... 118 The deaths of three notable persons are announced this week. In another column will be found a sketch from " Men of the Time" of the career of the Hon. Augustus Charles Hobart. Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, X.C.8., was married to a sister of the late Lord Macaulay, their only son being the Right Honorable G. O. Trovelyan, who was Secretary for Ireland after the murder of Lord Cavendish. The late SL* Charles Edward Trevelyau in his time did much for the education of the natives of India, and his exertions for the relief of the distress caused by the Irish famine led to his being knighted. He occupied the position of Governor of Madras, but was recalled for protesting against new taxes by the Indian Government, his great services otherwise receiving acknowledgment. He also occupied afterwards the position of Financial Minister in India, and on his return to England took part in the discussion regarding army purchase, afterwards taking great interest in reforming charities. The third death is that of the Maharajah Gwalior of Scinde, one of the semi-independent Princes of India. This Prince, at the head of his own troops, attempted to assist the British troops during the great mutiny, taking the field against the contingent of his subjects who had joined the Sepoys. His troops, however, nearly all deserted him, and he had to fly. He was subsequently restored by the British Government, who gave him high testimonials. The Prince also offered assistance recently when war with Russia was expected in reference to the Afghan boundary dispute. A

So far, the total sum received for the Taiaroa Relief Fund amounts to £383 16s Id, and the disbursements come to £267 14s Bd, leaving a balance of £116 Is sd. At a recent meeting of the committee his Worship the Mayor and Mr J. Hyman agreed to canvass the city for subscriptions, and probably they will commence this work some time this week. Several parties are still getting aid from the fund.

The Timaru Herald states that one of the unfortunate men (D. Brown) who perished in the TarawtTJ. eruption was, many years ago, a resident of the Waimate district, in the capacity of a farm labourer. He afterwards removed to tho North Island, and finally settled in the Rytorua district, where he succeeded iv obtaining an allotment of land on which he built a house for himself. He is said to have been a very industrious man.

The league formed to contest the Waimea Plains railway rate is to be wouud up, aud a resolution was can ied at a meeting in Gore to instruct thoir nolicitors to stop further proceedings. It was also resolved to request the Waimea Plains Railway Compauy to give the ratepayer^ two years' time iv which to pay up the half rate to which they are liable.

A good many inquiries relative to the announcement that the barque Alexa will sail for Cambridge Gulf about the 20fch of next month have boen received by Messrs G. Blyth and Co., and in nearly evory itiatauce are made by upcountry residfiit-,. No additional names have been added x<> the lisb signed at Mr Neil's in-jcti.ij: in tho Ilnyal George Hotel la^t Saturday night.

At present the total number of men on the relief works ab the Heads and in and around D'inedin id 413. No further information has bren received as to when the small contracts on the Otago Central will be opened.

During the bankruptcy sitting of the Supreme Court 011 Tuesday the Official Assignee brought strougl.y before the court the loose method of bookkeeping adopted by the majority of tradesmen— oven tradesmen in a large way of business; and Mr Justice Williams, in several cases that came before him, expressed emphatic disapproval of the system. In one case he went so far as to suspend the order of discharge for six months, and remarked that he could imagine nothing more commercially wicked than for a tradesman in anything like extensive business to keep his books by single entry.