LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2428, 22 November 1892, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Geraldine Stock Sale. — The fortnightly sale of stock takes place to-morrow. Drowned. —A sailor named Jack Taylor was drowned at Kaiapoi on Sunday while bathing. The body was recovered. ' Sudden Death. —Arthur Edward Grey, son of John Grey, a well-known Auckland | citizen, died very suddenly on Saturday night. 1 A Record. —At the Spring Carnival of the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club yesterday, in the Putting Weight Contest O’Connor threw 38ft ‘Jin, and broke the , New Zealand record. Attempted Suicide. A bootmaker named Alexander North attempted to commit suicide at Dunedin by hanging himself, but was cut down by his wife. He had been drinking lately. : Supreme Court. - At the Supreme Court, Christchurch, yesterday, Albert Allen, charged with'having obtained £2 by ' false pretences, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to two years hard labor. Returned Shearers. —Some forty shearers returned to Wellington yesterday by the Hauroto from Australia. They report they have had a bad season owing to heavy rains and floods and the great number of men seeking work. The Wool Season.— lt will be seen by an advertisement elsewhere that Messrs H. B. Webster & Co., have taken the place of Messrs J. Mundell & Co., in connection with the National Mortage and Agency Company, and will conduct all wool sales during the season. Captain Jackson Barry.— We learn that Captain Jackson Barry was taken ill immediately after delivering his lecture in Terauka recently and was removed to the Timaru Hospital, where he has been ever since. He is getting on favorably, but still is unable to leave the hospital. His ailment is rheumatic gout. New Publication. —We have received the first copy of the New Zealand Wheelman, a paper printed in Christchurch in the interests of bicylists. It is very well got up, and contains a great deal of matter which cannot fail to interest bicyclists. It is published once every fortnight, and the cost is 4s per annum. Fire. —The premises of Andrew Lawrie, storekeeper, Auckland, were totally destroyed by fire on Sunday, and the adjosning buildings had a narrow escape, insurances: Victoria Office, £BBOO on stock and premises; Liverpool, London, and Globe on stock; North British and Mercantile, £250 on stock. Salvation Army, Geraldine— Captain Condon, of the Salvation Army, Geraldine, has been appointed to the position of Divisional Secretary at the War Office, Christchurch. Captain Condon has had nine years of field work, and no doubt the new position will be a change for him. Lleuteflahf Francis has been chartered as “special ’’ for the Eastern Division. The Hon. Mr Seddon.— The Hon. Mr R. J. Seddon arrived at Ross on Saturday, and was interviewed by the Borough Council and the Miners’ Association _ on different matters relating to the district. In the evening the Minister addressed a large meeting, at which he sketched the policy of the Government and its doings last session. At the close a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence in the hon. gentleman as a member of the district and in the Government was passed. Tbmuka Floral and Horticultural Society.— At the Committee meeting held last Friday there were present Messrs E. Brown (chairman). E. Cutten, E. C. Dann, Holwell, Smith, Hooper, Epps, Bennett and Cooper. The sub-committee presented the prize schedule, which contained several extra exhibits,_ and a declaration form for intending exhibitors to make their entries on and sign. Mr Bennett proposed, and Mr Dann seconded, the entries for cottage gardens close on i December 14th. The secretary was instructed to write to a number of persons 1 asking them to act as judges at the forth-•-mg show on. Tuesday. Januapy l()fch,lß‘J3. 00 - *rmy, Temuka— The fareSalvation .. "* -■‘■-un Mercier apd well meetings of cap.. Army Lieut mailt Freeman at the Salvaw on Sunday were of a very sympathetic nature. The attendances all day were very 1 rgc, and at night the flow of people in and out of the barracks was particularly so. During the day a brief review was given of the spiritual and financial position of the corps. Ont of the 15 who visite I the Salvation Army penitent form, 10 had become enrolled soldiers. The esteem and regard these officers were held in was shown by the offerings being doubled. Altogether the work seems to be of an onward character. To-night there will be a final farewell meeting, which is expected to be crowded. Alleged Child Murder.— A family of Spaaish-Maori half-castes, named Christian, w->re arrested at Patukahi, near Gisborne, on Friday. Two young women, aged 22 and 24, named Bella and Horiana Christian, are charged with the murder of the infant child of one Zena dui-tian. sister of the a'-cusad, who had given birth, about July 31, to an illegitimate child. Zena Christian and Charles Christian (the father of the young women) were arrested and charged with, being accessories to the murder. The police dug out of a hole the body of an infant much decomposed. The accused were brought before Mr Booth, R.M., on Saturday morning. A brother of the girls gave evidence that, on July 31, Zeua gave birth to a child, and, on instructions from his father, he dug a hole and Horiana placed the body in it. He asserted that the child was stillborn. At the inquest, Dr Heal gave evidence that the body was too decomposed to show the cause of death. A little boy, Joe Christian, aged seven, was put in the box, but his ■ statement went for nothing as he appeared i to know only from hearsay. Ho said that ' he knew the baby had been killed with a i •stick, but when questioned as to how he I knew, the only reply to be got from him i, ; was “ I know," The inquest was ajournod, 1 1

The Railways. —During the four weeks ended October loth the receipts amounted to £75,877, and the expenditure to £<58,208, A Curiosity. —A fine, well-grown lamb was sold in the Addington yards having a pair of feet attached to each hind leg. It was run up to £7 ss. Lucky. According to the Wairoa Guardian, Mr J. Hunter Brown, of that township, after leaving for England, received intimation that a maiden aunt, of Brennan, Dumfries-shire, had willed him an estate worth £6OOO a year. Raid on Bookmakers, —The Wellington police, headed by Detectives Campbell and Herbert, made a raid on the spieling fraternity on the racecourse on Saturday, and ten of that ilk are now locked up. They will be charged with vagrancy. Discharge Suspended. —ln the Bankruptcy Court, Wellington, on Saturday, T. H. Bond, master plumber, applied for his discharge. Mr Justice Richmond expressed disapproval of the debtor’s conduct in several matters of business, and suspended his discharge for three years. Land and Income Tax. Land tax will be payable on December 7. Notices and particulars of assessment will be posted on November 28, The tax may be paid at the commissioner’s office at Wellington, or at any postal or money order office. It is not intended to make the incone tax payable before the latter part of January. Samoa. —When the Lubeck left Samoa H.M.S, Ringarooma had been ordered to the scene of conflict in the island of Tutuila. It is reported that between fifty and sixty natives were killed during the hostilities, but the news lacked confirmation. Another explanation of the dispute is that Roman Catholic natives and Protestants are making a religious war of it. Cycling. —A road race took place from Timaru to Temuka and back on Thursday afternoon, and resulted as follows.Burford (Omin), 1 ; Byrne (llmin), 2 ; Truman (scratch), 3. Mr Truman’s time was ihr 25min lOsec, and Mr Burford’s Ihr 20min 3sec, both under the record made by Hassall last year of Ihr 28)min. The distance, however, was 200 yards snorter. The Anglican Synod.— At the Anglican Synod, Dunedin, on Friday, it was decided to inquire into the Gothenburg system of controlling the liquor traffic and also other systems. Members generally opposed prohibition. The motion dealing with the Bisnop’s decision in the Rev. Mr Gifford’s case was talked out, Mr Lubeck ei, who retired two nights ago, returned and apologised.

A Gigantic Cheese.—Mr Robertson, the Dominion of Canada Dairy Commissioner, has just made the largest cheese in the world. It is intended to be placed on a pyramid among the Canadian products at the World’s Fair at Chicago. The cueese weighs over 22,0001 b. It contains the curd of one day’s milk supplied by 10,000 cows, and is pronounced to be perfect in texture, flavor, and color. Alter its exhibition at the World’s Fair the cheese will be sent to Great Britain.

How to Get Rid oe Weevils.—To owners of grain stores the following paragraph taken from the Mark Lane Express of li)th September last may be of some service:' —"Le Fermier states that an American miller, having occasion to preserve some salt in his granary, placed the sacks in a place where the cracks of the planks were filled with weevils and larva), and was astonished not to find any of these insects some months afterwards. Acting on the fact he dressed all the places where weevils existed with strong salt water and they disappeared.” Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine.—There was a large attendance at the Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine, on Sunday last, when the Rev. J. White, of Pleasant Point, preached the anniversary sermons. In the evening the rev. gentleman chose for his text “ The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our Refuge.” He preached an excellent sermon from this text, and was listened to with rapt attention throughout. On Thursday evening next the annual soiree in connection with this church will be held, after which the cantata “ Esther ” will be given by a choir of 40 voices.

Baptist Union.— At the meeting of the Baptist Union, Dunedin, it was resolved, by 26 to 16, to re-admit the Rev, C, C. Brown. The question of the admission of female members was discussed, and a motion interpreting members to mean adult Baptists (including females) was rejected by 23 to 11. It was resolved that the Conference deeply deplores the extreme and growing prevalence of gambling and betting strongly supports the movement for the abolition of the totalisator, and strongly urges all the Churches to avoid everything in financial arrangements which bears the slightest appearance of encouraging this spirit.

The Native Land Question. —The Premier has replied to Mr Rees’ suggestion of a special session to deal solely with native matters, that no good or sufficient reason is shown, but rather the contrary. He reminds Mr Ross that the commission of which he is chairman has already done precisely the same work as his proposed joint committee of members and tribal representatives, and the House is in possession of the result. He asks Mr Rees if hejhas formulated any sound scheme on the subject, and if he has, calls upon him to lay it before the country. He concludes by saying there has not yet been time for the Cabinet to consider the Native question in the light of the evidence which has been accumulating, but as soon as he can go into the matter with Mr Cadman and Mr Carroll, there shall be no delay in preparing proposals for submission to the Cabinet,

A Mania for Poisons.— An enquiry is now going on intermittently at Auckland into the death of a man named Thomson, suspected to have been poisoned by a neighbour named Scott. At one of the sittings of the coroner’s jury last week two Auckland chemists gave evidence of the purchase of poisons by the suspect. From one chemist Scott bought, in July, some toothache cure, then aconite for feverishness. Lute in August he got hqlf an ounce of arsenic for cats, as he found rough-on--1 ”-»*.« no goo 1, ftftd on October sth an ounce • because ilO could not sleep, of laudanum . < and six grains of strychnia ® the 17 th he bought a drachm of pruss.. acid to take the itching out of a horse’s sore back, and on some other date he bought belladonna. From the other chpmfst he bought in the middle of September morphia, to make him sleep, mid some solution of strychnine for cats. A few days later he bought a box of rough-on-rats saying the strychnine did no good. Next day he got an ounce of laudanum for neuralgia, and two days later some chloral as a remedy for sleeplessness. To both chemists Scott gave false names, to one Gordon, to the other Wilson, and a false address. (There is a Mrs Thomson in the case.)

Suspicious Fiee. —At the inquest upon the fire at Smart's, pawnbroker, Wellington, W. Smart, his brother, said that he had left analbo-carbon light burning when he went out to post letters, and that the fire occurred during his absence. A similar burner had set fire to goods in the window some time before, and he was aware that there was some risk in using these lights. G. W. Smart, the proprietor, who was away in Christchurch at the time, said that he had had no opportunity to estimate the loss, as he had not been permitted to enter the building. He estimated the value of the stock at £SOOO, and the total insurance was ,e;U7O. Constable Huntley, who first saw the fire, said that on entering the place there was no ilame near the gas get referred to by the first witness. The captain of the fire brigade said that the main body of fire was away from the jet, but when he saw it the latter had been destroyed. Thomas Whisker, Smart’s storeman', said that the burner had overflowed a few days before, and that another had been substituted. The jury returned an open verdict.

The Catholic Church Clock. —Prom a letter received by the Rev. Father Fauvel on Saturday last it would appear that the repairs to the Catholic Clock, Temuka, are completed, and that Mr Murray will be down from Ashburton to-day to put it in position. Mr Murray says the clock looks well. He would have been down yesterday, if requested, but advised another day’s delay to enable the enamel to properly dry a Bull in Trouble.— On Saturday, afternoon one of six prize bulls being* shipped by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, by the steamer Penguin to Wellington, took charge of loading operations on the wharf. The huge animal fell into the net fixed between the wharf and the steamer for the purpose of saving any cargo that may fall out of the slings, The net did not however stand the strain put upon it, and the bull went with a great splash into the water, The animal was towed to the watermen’s steps, but as a landing could not be effected there, he was taken back to the steamer’s side and eventually hove up by the steam winch. Beyond being a bit scratched, he was not much the worse for his experiences.—Lyttelton Times. Winchester Fruit Preserving Company.—The annual meeting of shareholders in the Winchester Fruit Preserving and Export Company is to be held in the hall of the local Mechanics’ institute on 26 th November, at 7 p.m. We understand that the directors have been offered the use of an engine shed and storeroom for five months from the middle of January at the nominal charge of £ls, should the shareholders desire to make an experiment in jam making during the,coming season. As only 21 out of 86 shareholders have paid their allotment fee, and as there seems a disinclination on the part of the defaulters to pay np, the directors cannot be blamed for allowing matters to lie dormant. We hope that there is a sufficient number of public-spirited shareholders on the register who will accept the liberal offer made, and guarantee the, necessary expense in connection with a first experiment. Now that wheat is unsaleable, and potatoes a drug in the market, and the growing of mutton beyond the reach of small settlers, we think a good opportunity presents itself for utilising the immense quantities of surplus fruit grown in the district. The shareholders should attend the annual meeting and take an active interest in a proposed industry that so materially affects their own welfare.

River Protection.—A largely-attended meeting of settlers was held in the Pleasant Point Assembly Rooms on Friday night to consider the action of the County Council with reference to river protection at Pleasant Point. Mr Acton occupied the chair, and in the course of his remarks said in conjunction with Mr Orbell he (the chairman) had examined the river, and they thought the danger not only imminent but serious, but they were fully convinced that the river could be easily diverted. Mr Mee said it was surely the duty of the County Council to keep the river in its natural channel, and so to keep the main thoroughfare clear. The county had built a bridge at the expense of thousands of pounds ; the bridge was now practically high and dry, for the river had been allowed to change its course, all for the want of a few hundred pounds. He urged the settlers to stick to the Council, and they would do the work in spite of the antagonism of their own member (Mr Howell). Messrs Rayner, Butler, Cook, Mee, and Bishop put a series of questions to the engineer of the County Council, Mr Marchant, who was present. Mr Marchant said to thoroughly protect the district, fully a mile of fencing, etc., would be required, but to simply divert the river into its old channel under the bridge it would be necessary to protect two gaps of 15 chains respectively, at a cost of £lO per chain. If this had been done a few years ago there would have been no need for the present useless stock bridge. Mr Howell explained that the members had to consider the welfare of the whole county, and as many of the rivers would need protective works from source to outlet he thought they should take a broad view of the matter and consider the advisability of levying a general tax for such purposes. Colonel Eichbaum said there was no town in the county in the same danger as Pleasant Point and urged that the Council should look on this as an exceptionalcase ; protect this bank first and deal with other serious cases as they occur. Messrs Halstead, McKibbin, and others having spoken, in reply to a question as to whether he would now support an expenditure of say £250 for protecting two gaps in the river bank so as turn the river under tie bridge, Mr Howell said that if the settlers were willing to submit to a special rate, so that protective works could be constructed on the other rivers of the county, he would bring the matter before the council. Mr Mee proposed, and Mr Morris seconded, —‘‘That this meeting desires that the County Council undertake the protective fencing of two places in the river bank, being 10 and 15 chains respectively, and that a deputation consisting of Messrs Morris, Eichbaum, McKibbin, Acton, and Mee, bo appointed to urge this on the council.” The resolution was adopted unanimously, after which votes af thanks were accorded the engineer (Mr Marchant), the chairman (Mr Acton), and the member (Mr Howell), and the meeting terminated.

Machinery.— The appliances at tho New Zealand Cycle Works are unequalled. Come and see whore “ Stars ” are made; they are the best. Adams, Curties and Co., 70, Manchester street, Christchurch. —[Advt.]

SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS.

H. Neutze—Has sheep dogs for sale. E. Lee—Old school dwelling-house, etc., to let. N.Z. Railways—Arrangements for Ash* burton races. Mrs Wm. Scott, Woodbury—Has farm to let or sell, or bush land to let. Alex. Montgomery, Deputy AssigneeNotice re bankrupt estates. Waitohi Flat School Annual entertainment on Decernbpr 2nd N M. & A. Co.—Hold first wool sale on GtH December; cash advances free of commission ; well ligl ted stires. W, S. Maslin—Particulars of sale of wheelwrights’ stoik in trade, threshing machinery, etc., at Temuka on November iTtjb E. Brown arid j. Opie- --In', ite tenders for cottage at Winchester ; important notice re outstanding accounts in W. Carston’a assigned estate. if. B Webster M Co —Have arranged to join the K.M. k A. Co. with regard to wool for coming season, and request clients to Send wool to them addressed to the N.M. & A, Go.. Timaru; wool packs and twine on sale i have largo consignment of Packard’s superphosphate to hand.