THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 6th FEBRUARY, 1897.

Southland Times, Issue 13671, 5 February 1897, Page 2

THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 6th FEBRUARY, 1897.

Page Four.—“ Funny Japan” a sketch by a Melbourne Argus correspondent published on the 4th page this morning will be found exceedingly crisp and amusing.

Retired.—Mr D. Roche who was nominated along with Messrs J. W. Mitchell, A. McLean and J. E. Watson for the representation of the town on the Bluff Harbour Board has withdrawn from the contest.

Rural Lands.—Plans of Crown lands in the Otara and Tuturau districts are now on issue, and applications for them can be made at the local office on and after the 25th inst. Spoils to the Vanquished.—A Wellington telegram says that the Governor has consented to receive nominations by the Government for three seats in the Legislative Council. A later telegram shows that all three are Government candidates defeated at the late elections.

Unclaimed Letters.—Letters from places beyond the colony, addressed as follows, were received in Invercargill during the month of November, and remained unclaimed on the 31st January:— From Victoria: Hohbs Kirk, Mrs S. Sutcliffe; from Tasmania : Victin, care Jos. Miller. The Harbour Board Elections.—A large and influential meeting of Mr A. Bain’s committee and supporters was held yesterday evening. Favourable reports were received from the suburbs as to the prospects of Mr Bain’s success in Monday’s election. A second m< eting will be held to-morrow evening to make final arrangements for the election. Those present expressed themselves confident of Mr Bain’s return. An Act that Wants Amending.—Mr Carew, the Dunedin S.M., has upheld Mr Sims’ contention that under the Licensing Act the prohibition of the employment of a barmaid after 11 p.m. does not extend beyond midnight, wherefore he dismissed the information against a publican for having a girl in the bar at 1.50 on Sunday morning, that being a new day. Avenal.—The Borough Council has resolved to continue the drain on the North Road from Lowe street southwards for a few chains. The dog tax for 1897 was fixed at ss, and accounts amounting to Ll 6 8s were passed for payment. A Sobering Effect.—The laws and lawdispensers of Tasmania are harsh enough to take one back to the days when sheep-steal-ing was a hanging matter and the population of the colony were convicts. The' other day the first mate of a small barque was missing and it being supposed that he had deserted, the police were put on his track, another man being also shipped in his place.. The man was apprehended while making his way to where the ship had lain, and when brought before a court stated that he left his vessel with the intention of returning soon afterwards. He said he had a glass of ale, and after taking that he had no recollection of where he had been. The Bench said it was more serious for an officer to desert than an ordinary seaman. However, he had been punished a good deal by losing his position, and it was therefore not desired to inflict a heavy penalty, but he would have to go to gaol for 48 hours. Properties for Sale.—Attention is directed to the list of properties advertised for sale by the Scottish and New Zealand Investment Company. In regard to. the well known Bayswater Estate it is satisfactory to learn that, with the exception of-fiye sections, the whole of the property has been taken up on the exceptionally liberal terms offered by the company. Many of the buyers have this season valuable crops of wheat, which will go a long way to enable them to complete their purchases. Increased Facilities.—The Winton people have long been dissatisfied with their train arrangements and many attempts have been made by the Department to satisfy their j'equirements. This morning an advertisement announces that the 6.40 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. trains between Invercargill and Lumsden will run daily, i.e., every day there will be two trains from Invercargill' to Lumsden. At present there is a train from Lumsden to Invercargill every night but the down morning train misses two days in the week; these arrangements will not be altered. The morning train to Lumsden will leave Makarewa at 9.25 instead of 9.30. There are also additions and alterations on the Riverton line. The new arrangements come into force on the 22nd. -p S.M. Court.—At this Court yesterday before Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., judgment was given for plaintiffs in the following cases —W. H. Mathieson v John Carlene (Oteramika) for L2 2s, costs 20s ; F. J. Lillicrap v G. Outsell (Oreti Plains) for 265, costs 8s— Mr J. F. Lillicrap for plaintiff. L. Rodgers v Geo. Bull, for LI 2s on judgment summons. Order made for payment forthwith; in default two days’ imprisonment: warrant not to issue while defendant pays 5s per week. Joseph King v Thomas King—Mr Macalister for plaintiff, Mr Hall for defend-ant-claim L 6 Os 8d on a judgment summons; no order was made. It was shown that defendant had earned only Ll 9 since July and had a wife and family to keep. His wife was owner of section 62, block 2, Seaward Bush township and employed him chopping wood thereon whilst he was out of work. —His Worship said he did not like the conduct of the defendant but could make no order as the wife and children could not be left to starve.

Otautau. —An old resident) writes: Dr Baird, son of Rev. James Baird, Winton, has taken up his residence in Otautau, and has began the practice of his profession as physician and surgeon. The medical history of this district has been somewhat romantic ; and it ought to be a comfort to parents and others to feel that a thoroughly qualified doctor has taken up his abode among them. Dr Baird has graduated M.8..C.M., Glasgow—that is, the highest degree that a young doctor can take, and it is the degree that leads on to M.D. If after practising a year or two Dr Baird writes a thesis on some medical subject he will receive the degree of M.D. The most of the best cases in this district requiring medical advice have hitherto passed on to Riverton or Invercargill, but it may be hoped this custom will now cease. We extend to Dr Baird a hearty welcome and trust that the natural ability he is possessed of, backed up by a thorough training in medicine in one of the best medical schools in the world will secure the confidence of the people. Noxious Weeds and How to Cope with Them,—Mr Kirk, a lecture on this subject to a limited but interested audience, in Moore’s Hall, Winton, on Wednesday evening. Mr Duncan King, President of the A. and P. Association, occupied the chair and introduced the lecturer. Those listening would be thoroughly convinced of the immense importance of only sowing clean seed on their farms instead of always seeking out the cheapest obtainable. Regarding the so-called tansy weed, so abundant in the neighbourhood, and supposed by many to be the cause of so much death among the horses, he (Mr Kirk) was most emphatic in saying that, after careful examination of several samples of it, no poison had been discovered, nor had he found any other weed of a poisonous nature in the locality, so that the cause of the mortality must be sought in some other direction. Specimens of hawthorn, holly, cabbage, turnip, apples, etc., afiected by disease,: were submitted to Mr Kirk, who stated the nature of the trouble and the cure. The lecture was illustrated by lantern views. A vote of thanks was heartily accorded to the lecturer at the close.—Orchardists and others are reminded that Mr Kirk will speak on the same subject to-night in Invercargill.—Own correspondent. 1

Bushy Park.—Mr F. D. Rich writes as follows to the N. Z. Herald “1 notice that ■ you state that the Bushy Park estate is one of those properties which over-borrowed itself an'd which therefore came inso the hands of the Assets Realisation Board. This is altogether incorrect. It never had more than a very , moderate liability upon it. _ I had to sell it and other valuable and paying properties to meet losses incurred in the development of a coal mine, the construction of a railway in the south, and an extensive purchase of unsaleable land in the provincial district of Auckland. The Bank of New, Zealand, which purchased the property, gave me within a trifle of four times the amount of the liability on the estate, consequently there was no over-borrowing. From the position and configuration of the land, I strongly advised -the bank not to subdivide the property but to sell it as an estate. It appears the Realisation Board have wisely adopted this course. I wish the purchasers of my old home every success.”

He Saw. —A politician from one of the Australian colonies, hearing of all the “ advanced ” legislation in New Zealand, isked, “ Doesn’t all this socialistic legislation detrimentally affect the interests and progress of the people ?” “It would,” replied the New Zealand statesman to whom the query had been addressed, “if the legislative enactments were enforced. If they were enforced there would be a revolution or civil war in the colony/ They are merely passed, however; put on the Statute Book, and then they are dead letters. The people of New Zealand, that is, the sensible and responsible people—don’t bother about the laws that are made : they know that it’s all so much clap-trap to humbug the working men, and their condition is becoming worse year by year.” “Then there’s nothing in it?”•• “Nothing init at.all, unless votes.” “ Ah, I see," and the conversation was concluded.

An Overland Tragedy.—A terrible tragedy, reported from the far north of Queensland, where the season has been unusually dry this summer, was recently cabled. Queensland papersjreport that John Forbes was a drover who set out in company with his mate, Thomas Martin, to take a mob of 14,000 sheep from Bunda station, on Lexby River, to Tooleyduck station, on Hamilton River. After travelling a long stretch over desolate sandy country, with a scanty vegetation and infrequent waterholes, Forbes .found himself at last in a locality between Flinders River,. which flows into the south-east corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and Eastern Creek. - The country consists of sand ridges, with clumps of spiuifex here and there. In their extremity the drovers held a consultation and it was decided chat Martin should ride forward and look for water while Forbes remained with the sheep, many of which had already died. Martin rode away, and no one saw Forbes alive again, but three days after Christmas a black boy named Howard came across his body lying out on the plain. Within a radius of a few miles the carcases of 14,000 sheep lay rotting. The surroundings showed the sufferings of the unfortunate” man at the last. A dark stain on the sand indicated where he had killed a sheep to assuage his thirst by drinking the animal’s blood, and four miles away from the overlander’s corpse lay the carcase of his horse, still saddled and bridled. • Martin was successful in finding water; but did not go back |to the assistance of Forbes.

Will the Tail Wag the Dog ’—There is (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the O.D. Times) a great deal of talk just now about Federation. The Federal Council, in the first place, is meeting in Hobart, but that is a gathering in which nobody feels any interest. One good thing it does achieve, however, it enables the Australian Premiers to meet and hold consultation one with another ; and word of mouth is a far_ more efficacious and speedy method of arriving at one another’s views than word of pen. This year Mr Seddon is on the scene. Many people besides the Premiers take an interest in Mr Seddon. The papers have said he is to be accompanied by “ two secretaries ” so that people expect him to arrive with huge portfolies full of proposals and subjects for consideration. He has just forwarded „to the Victorian Premier a list of “supplementary ” subjects which he proposes for consideration: —(1) The selection of a Minister to represent Australasia at the Postal Conferenee in Washington ; (2) the codification of the commercial law of the United Kingdom and the colonies ; and (3) the establishment of a federal commercial law for Australasia, having special reference to bankruptcy, carriers by land and sea, partnership, joint stock companies, and other cognate subjects. Mr Seddon must have a superabundant trust in human nature if he imagines that a number of respectable elderly gentlemen in Hobart for a holiday are going to spend their hours of ease wrestling with an appalling list like this. But a man who travels with “two secretaries” must make a show.

Three Donkeys.—The late Robert Louis Stevenson (says the correspondent of the Evening Star) wrote a delightful work entitled ‘ With a Donkey in the Cevennes.’ Mr Pitcher Woodward, of the Brooklyn Writers’ Club, is at this moment painfully amassing the materials for a book on his donkey ride across the American Continent. He isn’t doing the journey from choice, but simply because free silver failed to please the great American nation to the extent of bringing; Mr Bryan to-the White'House. Had the “ Boy Orator ” secured the Presidency, Mr Benjamin Lelhard, a publisher of Brooklyn, would now be investigating the salient points of the donkey. He and Mr Woodward had abet on the election, the terms of which compelled the loser to make his way from New York to San Francisco on a donkey in a year. It further stipulates that he must carry no money with him, but support himself en route by selling photographs of the “ two donkeys, ”or by lecturing and writing articles for newspapers. And finally he must visit Mr Bryan at Lincoln, Nebraska—a visit the defeated candidate will scarcely relish. For Mr Woodward carries with him a breech-loading rifle and two revolvers, and by the time he reaches the home of the great silverite it is quite likely he will have developed homicidal intentions towards the politician whose defeat is responsible for his asinine pilgrimage.

Depravity and Murder.—Further horrible facts have come out regarding the supposed murder of Mrs Lyfield, at Rosebrook, near Port Fairy, Victoria, some months back. Mrs Snell, a daughter of Lyfield, has confessed- that she took part with her father in the murder of her stepmother, that she held Mrs Lyfield’s arms, while Lyfield struck her on the head with a hammer and thus killed her. Mrs Snell has been arrested on a charge of murder. Particulars of the confession are to the effect that Lyfield was greatly annoyed because of the strict watch which his wife kept on his movements, preventing him and daughter from having improper intimacy. On October 13th, in the afternoon, Lyfield said to the daughter he was going to kill her stepmother that night and remarked: “She won’t watch us any more.” When the time for the crime came Mrs Snell did not want to go to the room, but Lyfield threatened to kill her and she yielded. He then led the way to the bedroom, and, while Mrs Snell remained at the door, he walked up behind his wife, who was kneeling in prayer. Lyfield caught hold of her, threw a string round her neck, and dragged her back on the floor, at the same time pulling the string tight. Mrs Lyfield screamed loudly, and struggled to free herself, which caused Lyfield to put a jacket over her head. He-then told Mrs Snell to hold her. She thereupon grasped her stepmother and Lyfield struck his wife two or three blows in the mouth with his fist, and then, seizing a napping hammer, used by stonebr eakers, struck her on the nape of the neck. The woman was dead before he ceased to strike. Mrs Snell’s daughter has also confessed to seeing the murder committed.