LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2249, 3 September 1891, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Beer Duty.— ‘•The beer duty collected last month was £3955. The revenue for five months is £4354 below the Treasurer’s estimate. Sucidb. —John Ford, aged 63, hung himself at Parnell, Auckland. He was suffering from rheumatism. He left a note for his wife, stating that poverty and illhealth caused him to do the deed. Temuka Road Board. —The monthly meeting of the above board was to have been held last Tuesday, but, owing to only Messrs Talbot and Fraser being present, it lapsed for the want of a quorum. The Salvation Army, Geraldine.— The Salvation Army, Geraldine, hold special meetings on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday next, with Major Vince in command, and on Monday a monster tea will be held at 6 p.m., when Captains Potter and Oruickshanks will be present, and Captain Murray will farewell to Geraldine. Rifle Match, —The following will represent the Temuka Rifles in a match with a civilian team from Timaru to-day, viz., Lieuts. Findlay, and Whithead, Sergts. Hobbs, Levens, Mason, and Watt, Privates Sim, Nicholas, Philips, and Bruce; emergencies, Privates Scott, and W. Collins. Firing will * commence at I. p.m.: undress uniforms without sidearms. A Narrow Escape.— A young man had a very narrow escape from serious injury, if not death, on Monday last in front of Mr Dunlop’s store, Geraldine. The young man, who, unfortunately has only one arm, was riding a horse, when the horse shied and swung him off, with his feet held tightly in the stirrup irons. The horse then got ready for a bolt, when, fortunately for the young fellow, the girth broke and thus freed him from the animal. Inquest. —An inquest touching the death of William Allen, aged 17 months, son of Mr A. Allen, of Waitohi, was held last Tuesday, before C. A. Wray, Esq., Coroner, and the following jury, viz., J. Cooper (foreman), R. Lavery, T. Cronin, C. King, E. Williams, and JJ. Cain, The jury drove up to the residence of the father to view the body, and after returning the inquest was held in the Temuka Courthouse. The evidence of Mesdames Telford and Braddick, and the father of the deceased was to the effect that the deceased climbed up a low chair to get his hat off a box and fell between the chair and the box. His mother took, him in her arms and gave him some lollies, and he went about for about an hour, when he went into a fit and died. Dr Hayes, who examined the deceased, was of opinion that his death resulted from one of his ribs breaking and cutting an artery, thus causing internal bleeding. He found one of the ribs broken. The jury returned a verdict of . ‘• Accidental death.”

Geraldine Literary and Debating Society. —There was a large attendance of ladies and gentlemen at this society’s meeting last evening. The Rev. A. B. Todd occupied the chair, and the evening, one of the most interesting the society has had. tips session, was taken up with readings from tlm plays of Shakespeare. The first piece read was from “ Much Ado about Nothing,” Mr Orbell talcing the part of Claudio; Mr Hawkins, Benedick.; Mr Thomas, Don Pedro; Mr Moore, Leonato; and Mr Winstone, The Boy. The next was taken from Richard 11.,

act iv., scene 1. Mr Webster represented King Richard: Mr Thomas, York; Mr Orbell, Bolmgprpke | M? Orbell, juur., Northumberland,' “ As You I|ike It,” act iii., scene 2, came next, the Rev. A. B. Todd reading the part of Rosalind and Mr Webster Orlando. Another reading was taken from “ Much Ado about Nothing,” act iv., scene 2, the Rev. Todd reading part of Dogberry; Mr Thomas, Verges \ Mr 'Winstone, The Sexton ; Mr Hawkins, Boraghio; M r Orbell, junr., Conrade ; and Mr Webster, Watch. The last reading, and the best of the evening, was from Richard 111., act- i., scene 4, Mr Moore taking the part of Bakenbury and Mr Winstone that of Clarence. At i the next meeting of the society Mr Orbell, j sen., will read a paper on “ Self-culture,” i which will no doubt ensure a good attendance on that occasion. i

Home Rule.— One of the Irish delegates, Mr J. R. Cox, M.P., arrived by the Wairarapa, from Sydney, in connection with raising funds for the Home Rule cause. Doctors at Loggbkheads. —A fracas in which two leading Dunedin medicos were concerned, arising out of recent proceedings of the Medical Association, is likely to come before the law courts. Weather Prediction, Captain Edwin reports that there are now strong evidences of a heavy gale from northward, changing by west to southwest, between midnight of the 3rd and midnight of the 6th.

Geraldine Licensing Committee. — The quarterly meeting of this committee was held on Tuesday last, but no business was transacted beyond the reading and confirmation of the minutes of the previous meeting.

The Railway Insurance Bill. —At a meeting of the Railway Union at Oamaru it was resolved “That the Insurance Bill is unanimously condemned as cumbrous, arbitrary, and drafted in the interests of the Department, as opposed to those of the men.”

The Waikato Seat. —lt is understood that Ministers are urging Mr W. J. Napier to become a candidate for the Waikato seat in the Government interest. The Liberal Association of Auckland, meet on Thursday to consider the situation, A petition, signed by Waikato settlers, was posted on Monday to Mr Bryce, urging him to resign. Sly Grog. —At the Magistrate’s Court Wellington, Mrs Harding was fined £25 and costs or a month’s imprisonment for sly grog selling at the Temperance Refreshment Rooms, Manner’s street. A second charge was withdrawn. Notice of appeal was given. Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine.—The successful tenderer for the contract for St. Mary’s in the Bush Church alterations was Thomas Scott, not J. Scott, as was supplied to us and published in this paper. The alterations which are now progressing rapidly will cost the church fully £4OO, and Father Treacy is sure that he can raise the money by house to house convass without resorting to the usual method of raising money for church funds, viz., bazaars, etc. Seeing that the alterations being made will be a great boon to the members of the church, Father Treacy should have very little trouble in getting members to help him. Timaru Hospital. —The following is a return of patients in the Timaru Hospital for the month of August, 1891 : Patients under treatment at date of last return : Males 16, females 11, total 27; admitted during month: Males 12, females 10, total 22; totals treated : Males 28, females 21, total 49. Discharged during month: —Cured : Males 4, females 9, total 13 ; relieved, males 4, females 3, total 7 ; dead: males, 1 (Robert Cunningham), females 0, total 1; totals discharged: Males 10, females 13, total 23. Remaining under treatment : Males 18, females 8, total 26, Out-patients treated during the month : Males 8, females. 10, total 18. Correction. —Mr Bryce has requested the Press Association to .make the following correction in the early part of the speech which he made on being recalled to the House on Thursday evening:— “ If he had used thewords in the offensive sense in whice the Premier understood it, he (Mr Bryce) should be ‘ashamed’ of himself. He did not. If he did a member or any man an injury, wittingly or unwittingly, when it was pointed out to him as a matter of consequence he was ‘ashamed’ of himself, and the result of that shame, as far as he was concerned was to try and make atonement for the conscious or unconscious Injury he had done to him.

Women’s Franchise. —There is a great deal of feeling among the supporters of women’s franchise in Dunedin about the proposed compact to defer the measure going into operation till after the next general election, and an indignant meeting has been convened. Miss Morrison, secretary to the Tailoresses Union, has telegraphed to the Premier that the Federated Tailoresses Council, representing 2000 working women, indignantly protest against the proposed suspension of the women’s franchise, which as a matter of right and justice should come into effect at once. They hope the Ministry will justify its claims toLiberality by immediately conferring this right on those who so far have loyally supported them. The Union also protest against the Council’s action re increasing the number of persona in a factory as tending to encourage sweating.

Public Market for Geraldine.— By reference to our report of the Geraldine Town Board meeting held on Tuesday evening last, it will be found that a movement is on foot to establish a Public Market on the Market Reserve on the north-east side of the Geraldine School. Since waiting on the town board re the matter, Mr H. B. Webster called a private meeting of those interested. This meeting was held yesterday at Mr Webster’s office, and it was unanimously agreed that the erection of Public Yards would be beneficial to the district. Fully 300 shares were taken up by those present, and it was decided to canvass the district for more and call a public meeting for some time next week.—lt has since been decided to hold the meeting at the Geraldine Town Board Office on Monday afternoon at 3 o’clock.

Professor Mason. —This gentleman, wljo is travelling on a lecturing tour, will appear in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka, next Monday evening. Professor Mason deals with everything relating to the laws of health. The. Ashburton Guardian of last Monday gives the following notice of the eleventh lecture delivered by him in that town On Saturday evening Professor Mason had a crowded audience to hear his lecture on “How to obtain health.” The lecture was replete as usual with valuable lessons on sanitary subjects, and at its close a now feature was introduced, namely, painless dentistry. The Professor asked for volunteers with bad or aching teeth to join him on the platform, and he would remove from their jaws the offending molars without pain. In response to the invitation some twentyfive to thirty patients took the platform, and in seven minutes the Professor had a pile of thirty formidable looking teeth upon his table. The patients, as they Avere relieved of their worries, left the stage with a-bow, most of them-scarcely able to • realise that they had been operated upon, notwithstanding that the Professor held the sanguinary trophies up to their view. ' '

Customs Revenue. —During August the Customs revenue collected in the colony amounted to £155,032. The amount collected for five months of the financial year is £651,106, being £11,522 above the estimate for the period. Just So. —A meeting of journalists in Christchurch unanimously adopted a protest against the Institute of Journalists in Wellington adopting a constitution and electing a council without consulting tiie journalists there. The Christchurch journalists are quite right. Crime. —The criminal statistics for the year ending 31st December, 1890, show an increase of 170 in the gross total of offences, the North Island showing a decrease of fifty and the South Island an increase of 220. Drunkenness has increased by 246 in the former and 176 in the latter Island. _ Attempted Suicide. —Mrs Hill, the wife of George Hill, a farmer at Tanapuna, Auckland, attempted suicide on Monday morning by cutting her throat and stabbing herself in the arms. She is an elderly woman, and had been suffering from insomnia, through personal affliction and domestic troubles. She lies in a precarious condition. More Embezzlement. - Murdoch McKenzie, who was at one time overseer for the Masterton Road Board, has been arrested at Masterton on a charge of forging the names of several contractors to vouchers of, the board. The alleged offences have been going on for some months and were detected by the Government Auditor, who instituted proceedings. Extensive Robbery.— The robbery of a cash-box belonging to Myer Goldwater, of the London Loan Office, Auckland, is reported. It contained £IOOO in promissory notes, a Bank deposit receipt for £3OO, a quantity of mining scrip and jewellery. Detective Chrystall recovered a parcel of the stolen property traced to the possession of a young woman named Ellen Rowe, who was arrested on Monday. She has been remanded. SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS. S. Ellery, Belfield—Has seed barley for sale. F. H. Stocker, Orari—Two sections for sale or to let. Edward Fronting, Undertaker Funeral notice. T. Connelly, Levels Plains—Has laid poison for dogs. Wm. Stevens, Orari—Has 122 acres turnip land to let for crop of oats. Public meeting at Geraldine—On Monday afternoon next, re public sale yards. Bartholomew Martin, Temuka—Has six-roomed house and 2f acres land to let. Taylor & Flatman, Woodbury—lnvite tenders for ploughing and for trimming gorse. Salvation Army, Geraldine—Special meetings Sept. 6th, 6th, and 7th, also monster tea on Monday, at 6 p.m. Professor Mason—Will commence a series of lecture entertainments in Temuka Volunteer Hall on Monday next.