TOWN & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 4255, 4 June 1888, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

By advertisement the bakers of Timaru are warned to keep away from Dunedin during the cigbt hours' dispute. It is stated that the Hon. B. Oliver, M.L.C., is likely to represent this colony at the Sydney Conference on the Chinese question. In another column Meesrß Grade, Maclean, and Adam publish full particulars of the sale of the late Mr W. Moody's dead and live 6tock. The 6ale takes place on the 12th inst. The total sum expended upon railway construction up to the 31st March last was £14,603,100, of which £13,352,978 was the coßt of the. lineß already actually opened for . traffic. Yesterday the police paid surprise -visits to tho hotels m town, and we learn that the result of their tour will be the laying of three informations against the licensees of three hotels of Timuru. The Auckland Herald states that there was ' a sale at the Police Station on Saturday last of a number of properties that have come into the hands of tho polico. Amongst other things were ono or two relics of the Great Barrier murder— Caffrey's gun and tho notorious black flag fetched ss, and his bull-dog revolver went for 3s 6d. Mr P. C. Morton, of New Plymouth, who goes to Bio to open up a butter trade m that city, was a passenger by the b.s. Doric. He took with him the following packages of butter :— BO tins, containing 301 b each ; 160 tins, 151 b each ; 240 tins, 101 b each ; 480 tins, 51b each j 2 cases, containing 91b tins, the weight of the two cases being 1201 b. Mr Fisher's Fisheries Bill consolidates and amends the existing laws relating to fisheries, 1 and its moat important featuro is the definition that for the purposes of the Bill the term "oysters" means and includes all kinds of oysters of any description, and all edible shellfish that may be from time to time declared to be oyatera for the purposes of the Act. Mr Emii Hall, contractor for building the morgue at the hospital, is getting on well with . his work. Tho morgue is situated to the south of the operating room ; is of brick on concrete foundations, and was designed principally on lines supplied by Mr Jowsey, tho steward. The morgue will be furnished m a stylo embodying tho latest improvements. The election of a member to represent the Otipun sub-division on the Levels Boad Board resulted m Mr W. Hall-Jones polling the largest number of votes. The official declaration of the poll is to be made at Boon to-day by Mr Granger, tho board's returning officer. Great interest was evinced m the ulection, tho candidates generally canvassing energetically for support. The report oE the Public Petitions Committee upon the petition of ex-Inspector Shearman has been presented to the House. The committee etato that they have fully gone into the petitioner's case, and consider that the Government have dealt very liberally with him, bo that they cannot recommend that he should receive any further consideration. The Otago Central Hailway Bill was before the Waste lauds Committee last week, when Mr Vincent Pyke tendered as evidence m support of the Bill a large number of telegrams from the heads of local bodioj and chairmen of public meetings within the district affected, all expressing warm approval o£ the provisions of tho Bill, and an earnest desire for tho construction of ths railway. For some reason or other, the committee came to the conclusion that they could not receive such evidence It will surprise many people to lenrn that m this colony, which contains little more than half a million inhabitants, no loss than 170 newspapers are published. Such is the number of New Zealand papers comprised m a collection which has just been made by the Minister of Education — ranging from the voluminous weekly of 20 or 30 pages to the substantial daily edition of the large towns, or the modest littlo rustic bi-weekly. The collection, which is intended for an interesting exhibition of the journalistic literature of tho world, which will shortly take place at Aix-le-Chapelle, has been forwarded to its destination through Mr F. Krull, of Wanganui, German Consul. The funeral of tho lato Mies Florence Hunt, sister-in-law of Mr Bracefield, was witnessed by a great many people. On the cortege reaching tho Salvation Army Barracks the coffin was taken inside, and a special service was held, the procession re-forming at its conclusion. At tho hoad was borne the Army banner, the hoarse following, then the chief mourners, behind whom marched tho Army band and a large number of Salvationists. On tho way to the cemetery the band played appropriate hymn tunes, and at the grave the service was conducted by Captain Williams. Brother Bycroft delivered an address, and several hymns were Bung to tha accompaniment of the band. Last evening a funeral service was held at tho barracks, which was attended by a great many people. Tho deceased sister had beon a member of tho Army for over four years, aud was respected by a very largo circle of friends, Tho Otago Daily Times says :— Cases of dissatisfaction with tho new tariff seem rather numerous. Tho following telegram has been despatched to all the Otago members by tho jam manufacturers m Dunedin •' — "The proposed duty on fruit pulp and partially preserved fruit will close our factories and throw out of emplovmont HO hands, and wo are the only manufacturers of jam m Otago." Signed— Irwin and Stevenson, Phoenix Company, and Geo. Peacook and Sons. The argument of these manufacturers is that tho IJd per lb duty on fruit pulp is equivalent to about 203 per cent. ad valorem duty on their raw material, aa the averago value of it is under three farthings per lb. There is only a farthing duty on table fruit, and they urge that it ii m opposition to economic principles that six times the duty should be charged on material that employs labour hero to convort it into a marketable commodity that is charged on goods that require no labour to fit them (or use.

Auckland is complaining of sharp weather, severe frosts, and mountains dressed m snow from top to too. Corney Collins, an old offender, wa3 on Saturday morning fined 5a for drunkenness and cautioned for using obscene language. The marriage of Mr Frederick Cargill to Misa Rose Steadman took place on Saturday afternoon, at St. Mary's church, wb'eh was well filled with ladros. Aftertha ceremony tbo happy pair left by train for Oamaru. Jonathan Roberts, when taken before the Christchurch Bench on Firday, wbb "strongly" guarded, a3 if tho police feared that having run away once when there was nothing at all to prevent it, he will bo sure to try it again. The Christchurch papers give Detective O'Connor great praise for the capture of Jonathan Roborts. Where would his cleverness have couio m but for that cypher telegram sent fromTioiiiru at the inatanco of Detective Kirby? We learn by tho last English mail that His Holiness the Popo will hold a Consistory for the nomination of Cardinal Bishops during tho latter Dart of tho currant month. It is rumoured that one of the " hats " will bo given to New Zealand. Mes3r» Pslliaer and Jones, contractors for the north wall, tipped the first loads of stone on Saturday afternoon. Everything worked smoothly, and the successful initiation should augur well for the future carrying out of the work. The new tariff will press heavily on firms which are expecting the fulfilment of their orders for milling machinery from abroad. Une caso is reported m the North Island m which the no* duty on some milline machinery now on its way to the colony will be £250 ; and m Timaru, Evac and Co., for a much larger milling plaut, will have to pay about £1200. The injustice m these cases is obvious, and the worst of it is that the duty is a direct and substantial obstacle m the way of the establishment of an important colonial industry. At the Resident Magistrates Court at Waimate on Saturday, before His Worship the Mayor and Mr J. Manchester, J.P., William Henry Hoskins was charged with having no visible lawful means of support. The accused (aged 20), who was m a very miserable condition, and Beamed to be of weak intellect, informed tho court that he left Christchurch about three weeks ago, and had travelled thus far looking for work, but had been unable to gßt any. He had to suppo rt himielf by begging for meals on the road, and had slept m stables, sheds, and even on j the roadside. He had no blankets, and hardly any shoaa to his feet. He said bis father was a second-hand dealer m Christchurch but of poor means and unable to support him. He was remanded for three days for tho police to maie enquiries. William Melaady was fined oa for being drunk m a publis place. The weekly meeting of the Life Boat Lodge of Good Templars was held on Friday night m the Barnard Street Ball. After the routine business of the lodge had been transacted, an open meeting was held m the front hall which was very well attended. The chairman, Brother Hilton, m his opening remarks urged upon those present who bad not yet done ao, to join tho order and thus strengthen the cause, a nobler than which never brought men and women together. During the evening songs, recitations and dialogues were given, all^of which were well received. Sister Malcolmjon gave a recitation with •plendid effect and Brother James Clarke, deserves great praise for tho very able way m which he sustained tho parts allotted to him in' the various sketches. Misi A. Clarke and Sister Wildsmith and Brothers Muchmore, Bezzant, and Rowlands, deserve special mention, as also Mr Shields for the very efficient manner m which he officiated at the piano. The entertainment ended about 10 o'clock after a most pleasant and successful meeting. The lodge intends holding several such meetings during the winter, and judging from Friday night's audience, they will ba a success. Tha correspondence between the Premier and the Agent-Goneral, relative to tho appointment of a Chief Commissioner of Bailways, has been presented to Parliament. Its main purport has been anticipated, bat the following points are worth noting : — In the first placo the Agent-General was emphatic m warning the Government that it would be useless to name a salary "not exceeding" any sum— the amount mu»t be definitely fixed. To this the Premier replied by naming £2500. Sir Francis Bell subsequently wrote that he had obtained tho aisistance of two noted railway magnates as advisers, viz., Sir Edward Watkin (chairman of the South Eastern Railway) anH Mr Mr George Findlay (general manager of the London and North Western) and eeren candidates had been selected from the list of applicants, but after personal interviews it was unanimously agreed that not one was at all suitable. It was deemed unlikely that the right eort of man would apply, and so the Agent-General suggested that ho should bo empowered to do the best he could towards obtaining what was needed. The Premier replied by cable on the 4th ultimo ; " Endeavour find such man." With this brief but pointed mandate the corresponence ends, and " such man " is still unfound. Tho Wellington correspondent of the Olago Daily Times, telegraphing on Friday night, says : — " Mr Ormond's motion came on tho House, and especially on the Opposition, as a complete eurpriie, and has undoubtedly checkmated certain unfriendly [intentions that were entertained. In fact, as one member remarked to me to-night with evident cbogrin, it has got the Government out of a hole very nicely. It of courso will enablo s'ist that sort of non-committing diseentions 4to take place which will tend greatly to clear the way bo that when the main question is debated it will be with a pretty clear knowlodge how the House really fecla on various important points. But on the other hand thero is a'vory strong disposition on tha part of somo members of the Government at any rate to resent the tendency displayed by some of their party to play fast and loose. Ministers consider that it is impoesiblo to carry on tho Government by a party unleej the support of a party can be depended upon instead of its boine merely contingent on a penon's approval by individpal membors o£ every detail of Ministerial policy. So strong ia this feeling on the part of iomo Ministers that it is not at all unlikely that a " coup " may bo performed to bring matters to a direct ißsuo. I havo reason te believn that some of tho Freetraders havo received a tolerably direct intima tion that if they publicly throw over the Government m tha way they are doing, they may find themselves out of the fryingpan into the fire. It m understood that those who bavo seceded repudiate haviug gone into oppo* lition.