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South Canterbury Times, Issue 8776, 11 March 1897, Page 3

The Oamaru Garrison Band has also been offered £SO by the management of the Druids Sports in Melbourne if it will visit that city. The money would go towards the expenses of the band in visiting Melbourne,

In the first few days of the oyster season, it is stated that 12,000 dozen bivalves were brought in by the cutters at the Bluff each day. Their quality is much superior to that of former years se early in the season.

The Oamaru Arbor Day Committee have resolved to keep Arbor Day on the 13th of May, as they believe that autumn planting is more suited to their district than spring planting.

The North Otago A. and P. Association have set up a sub-committee to consider the question of reducing entry and subscription fees, with a view to increasing the prosperity of the Association. The mover in the matter contends that a 10s membership subscription will produce a larger revenue. We are requested to state that the proposal to readjust the ridings of Mackenzie Country was lost by a vote of 4 to 2, not by the casting vote of the chairman. The error in our report arose through the motion being seconded by a member only proforma. The Inglewood Record hears that losses to the extent of £IO,OOO have been ex. perienced by those principally engaged in the butter export trade of Taranaki, owing to the recent fall in prices at Home.

However much we may regret the loss and inconvenience caused by it on the West Coast, we on this side of the island must be thankful for the westerly storm which cleared the sky for us. To-day the weather was moat enjoyable, and this afternoon the first bright half-holi-day for a good while. Mr Paulin on Tuesday and again yesterday reported that the indications were still stormy. A Masterton resident was awakened by his little boy screaming, and investigation showed that the child had been severely bitten on the hand by a rat. The Itttle chap was taken into his parents’ room, but never dreaming the rat would return a second time after being distubed, a younger child (who had slept soundly through the noise) was left, in its cot. In less than twenty minutes the parents were again aroused by violent screams and found that the other child had been bitten on the hand. The rat was even heard about the house afterwards, but succeeded in evading capture. There was a large atttendance at the Geraldine sale yesterday, and an improvement in the entries all round, while business done was considerably more than at any sales here for the past twelve months. Prices Sheep—2 and 4 tooths, from 7s Id to 10s 2d; lambs, 3s Id to 9s Id ; merino ewes, Is 2d ; 2 and 4 tooths, i-bred ewes, 7s Id to 10s; fat ewes, 6s 3d to Bs. Cattle—Fat cattle, £4los to £6; springing cows, £4 to £5 12s 6d ; li-year-old cattle, £2 to £2 5s ; 2-year-clda, £2 ss, to £3 15s. Pigs— Stores, 6s to 8s 6d. On Friday last the Hazelburn School children held their annual school picnic in a paddock kindly lent by Mr C. Blackler. The day, although not sunshiny, was a most suitable one for the children who were taking part in the sports. A large number of parents assembled, and added considerably to the day’s enjoyment by supplying excellent refreshments for the children. The school committee had given liberally towards prizes to be competed for, so that the children were kept employed most of the afternoon in getting through the numerous events on their programme of sports. After the prizes had been distributed to the winners of races the unsuccessful ones were allowed to chose from among those remaining. With money subscribed by the gentlemen an old boys’ race and old girls’ race were run. The afternoon ended with the maypole dance by ten boys and ten girls.

From all accounts Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy is a Godsend to the afflicted. There is no advertisement about this ; we feel just like saying it.— The Democrat, Carrollton, Ky. For ale by J, C. Oddie, chemist, Timaru.

The accident to Mr Heaton Rhodes in the polo field at Auckland, by which he is laid up with a broken jaw, gives special interest to the following paragraph from a London paperlt is an extraordinary instance of the irony of fate that Lord Roberts’s ‘son should lose the sight of one eye at polo. For years past Lord Roberts has exerted himself to.diminish the grave dangers of poloplaying; indeed at last he issued an order that players should cease to wear caps, but should protect their heads—and their necks—by helmets. In spite of everything, however, the list of killed and wounded officers is so considerable as to give the game a bad name among the authorities. Young Lieutenant Roberts, by the way, has had a remarkable run of ill luck. He broke his leg playing football with his own men at Ohitral; then he broke his collar-bone while exercising a horse in Dublin; and

now he has lost an eye by a polo-ball striking his eye-glass and forcing the splinters into his eye.

Chief Warder Flannery, of Mount Eden Prison, Auckland, has been promoted to be gaolor at Hokitika. The Public Trustee notifies that anyone having claims against the estate of the late William Sibbald, runholder, Burke’s Pass,must send them to Wellington on or before the 27th May next.

Police Sergeant Emerson, who recently received orders to proceed from Hokitika to Dunedin, tendered his resignation rather than be transferred, and will retire when Sergeant-Major Moore arrives from Gisborne to relieve him. Sergeant Emerson is entitled to a retiring allowance equal to 12 months’ salary. He has spent 33 years in the Police Force of New Zealand, many of them on the Coast in the early days, when police duty had to be discharged with tact. It is his intention to settle at Kokatahi, near Hokitika, where he has a farm.

The Wellington Evening Post says:— “Several remarkable extracts from sermons preached by candidates for the ministry were read at the Wesleyan Con' ference. One candidate referred to the fact that when Paul was in Thessalonica the church there only paid him a portion of his stipend, but did not forget to send the balance when the Apostle was a prisoner at Rome, thus shaming, the preacher added, “ some of our latter-day churches, who act on the supposition that the just man must live by faith alone.” Of another candidate it was reported that he had given an incorrect version of the Lord’s Prayer, and an unusual form of the benediction.

The following passage from a report of a sitting of the House of Commons contains a suggestion which may be accepted by some of our school teachers Mr W. Johnston asked the vice-president of Council on Education whether, by introduction in the code or by instructfon to the teachers, attention would be directed during the present year in the various schools throughout the country to the events which had occurred throughout the empire during the sixty years of Her Majesty’s reign, with special reference to the extension of her dominions and the moral and material advancement of her people. Sir John Gorst replied : The Committee of Council have sufficient confidence in the loyalty and patriotism of the managers and teachers of elementary schools to leave them to impart suitable information to the children as to the character of Her Majesty's long reign without giving them special instructions. Two vessels which arrived in Wellington on March 7th,—the steamer Gothic, from London, and the barque Portland Lloyds, from New York—furnish further evidence as to the immense quantities of ice now regularly seen by mariners when crossing the Southern Ocean. For several days the passenger liner passed between large bergs, of which about 20 were counted, besides a host of small ones and broken ice. The experience of the Portland Lloyds was something similar. Captain McLeod reports that for six days, during which 1000 miles were logged, his vessel had the dreaded visitors in sight. It necessitated a sharp look-out being kept by those on board, but as the vessel did not come within two or three miles of the bergs, there was never any immediate danger of coming into contact with them. Some of these floating masses resembled largesized islands, and the scene was a grand one, which a painter would have delighted to reproduce. A telegram from Westport yesterday says:—Heavy rain on Monday night and yesterday brought down a big flood, and the river is now running nearly bank high. At Addison’s Flat great damage was done, the injury to the Shamrock claim alone being estimated at £ISOO, and other claims are damaged to the extent of £ISOO. Two bridges on the road to Charlston have been washed away and will cost £IOO to replace,. No news has been received from up country, but it is expected that the roads will have suffered. The steamers Pukaki, Omapere and Charles Edward are in the roadstead unable, to enter, owing to the strong run in the river. The Charles Edward, which has been outside since last night, signalled this afternoon that she was short of coal. The steamers will be able to come into port to-morrow if the weather keeps fine, but it is very threatening to-night. A tennis match was played this afternoon on the courts, North Street, between teams representing the Pleasant Point and Timaru Recreation Clubs. Play commenced at 2.30, and afternoon tea was supplied by the ladies of the Timaru Club. The following played for Timaru :-Misses L. Livingstone,McLeod, Cameron, Henderson, and Messrs Blake, McLeod, Mayne and Morton; Point,Misses Lambert, Jones, Cartwright and Cottam, Messrs Lambert, White (2), and E, Stewart. The opening games were ladies, doubles, Misses Lambert and Jones (P) beating Misses McLeod and F. Livingstone (T.) 72, and Misses Henderson and Cameron (T.) beating Misses Cartwright and Cottam (P.) 7-3. These games were followed by men’s doubles and singles and combined doubles. The attendance of visitors was very good.

Judge Wofford, of Kansas city, recently made some extraordinary remarks when delivering sentence on a man who had pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing a bicvcle. His Honour said“ Well, well, well. The idea of a man running the chance of going to the penitentiary for a bicycle. I hate to send the man to the penitentiary for stealing a bicycle. I wish some one would steal all the bicycles in existence and sink ’em in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I wouldn’t give five cents for the best bicycle ever made. What made you do this, young man P Were you drunk?” “No, sir, I was under the influence of morphine.” “ You must have been under the influence of something to steal a worthless trap like a bicycle. I can see how a young man can be pushed to steal some-

thing to eat, but a bicycle ; well, a man has a strangely-constructed head who will steal a bicycle. If you stole an old blind horse or anything useful it would have gone hard with you in this court, but for stealing a bicycle I’ll be very light on you. Six months in gaol.”