TOWN & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 5263, 14 October 1891, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

On Saturday next Mr F. W. Stuhbs will bo preparod to reooivo entries for the sheep, I cattlo and pig classes at the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association's show. Messrs Gracio, Maolean and Co. will sell the show privileges of tho Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association, at 2 p.m., on Saturday, at their horse bazaar. The privilogos compriso two general license booths, and one refreshment booth, Ihe New Zealand Herald etatos that tho losses suntainod by the New Zoaland and South British Insurance Companies by tho recent fire in Brisbane wore not so heavy as reported by cable. Tho lots of tho first namod oompouy is £500 (not £5000), and that of tho lattor £600 (not £1000). There was an excellent downstairs houoe, ; and a fairly good attendance in the oirole laßt evening on the occasion of tho sooond appearance of tho Akorman-Canaris Company ; an all round improvement on tho audience of Monday evening. Beveral important changes wero mado in tho programme, Dr Ganaris showing some, of bis best illusions. Ho did all of thom in a very neat stylo, and named tho most hearty applause. Mr Cadzow was again successful, in his singing, rendoriog songs that are vory popular in a spirited manner. Miss Akarman, Miss Beaumont, Billy Akarmsn and'Tom Thumb, tho other mombors of tho company, wero also vory successful j and a flrst-rato funny skotoh wound up what was on tbe whole a enpitsl but longtby bill of faro. Thiß evening \ there will bo anothor change of programme whon tho various mombors of tho company will introduce novelties in their respective linos whioh are' suro to please. As it is the farewell performance it is to bo hoped that tho audionco will be much larger than on the previous occasions,

We ramind owners that acceptances for i tho Timaru trotting meetiDg fall due on 1 i Friday. 1 The loaso of Haldon Station, Waimato ' County, the property of Canterbury College, ' 19,238 acres, is to bo sold by auction shortly. ' We refor you to another column for the list, and to W. Penrose, Commerce House, for tho epocial value offered in ladies' jackets, millinery, and costumes mode to order. — [Advt.] ( Mr Rolleston wilt address his constituents j at Halawoll on Friday noxt, The fact of his ocoupying tho position of loader of the Opposition will givo increased importance to a opeech whioh in any case would no doubt have beon well worthy of attention. Mr Charles Hugo and bia company arrived in tawn yesterday, in readiness for the oponing of their Tiuiaru soaaon to-morrow evening. The company havo beon mooh strengthened einoe thoir last performances in Timaru, and on thoir opening night will put on a procrammo which at million prices is bound to draw a crowded audience. It is announoed thut tho Timara High Pchool will hold their annual sports on the South Canterbury Amateur Alhletio Club's ground to-morrow, starting at 10.30 a.m. From a look ovor tho programme wo con safely say that the sports will bo well worth witneosing. Parents of pupils and their friends are cordially invitod to bo present. On Monday evening svma capital baskots were taken bath with minnow and fly ia the Tomuka and Opihi rivers. The recent freßhos have improved the conditions of tbe rivers, and undor tbo ■ gonial influence of summer weather fiah a-e taking freely. Messrs Bruce, D. Taylor, Cruickshank, Nicholas, Grant, and Findlay, each landed over the dozen. The Press says: — Tho following oxtract from a loiter recoived by the mail from a wholesale house in tho iron trado by a retail firm bore. speaks for itself. It Bays — "Your ordor of the 24th Fobruavy is not yet delivered, nor will the firm to whom it was given give any definite promise. Wo aro iu the Bame position with our Australian orders booked months beforo yours. The firm says — 'We cannot deliver, because drink, idloneas, and Trades Unions hare the complete moßtory.' " Poundkeepiug is a business in whioh the proprietor cither lives on his losses, or baa to do a good deal of balancing to maintain , his footing. Tho accounts of the Pleasant i Point pound, laid before tho Levels Road I Board yesterday, showed the poundkooper ; £11 odd out of pocket, — and he pays also so much a year for tho privilege of losing money • that way. On one item, 14 shoep, the ro--1 ceipts were £4 2s 2d, aod ths costs £5 2s 8dAnolher item was a oow, recaiptß from salo 10s, expenses, £3 Bs 6d. The session of the Garaldim Literary and Debating Society closed on Monday evoning last with a social in the Litorary Institute. There was a large attendance of ladies and members. Songs were sung by Mrs Bmith, j Mias Fish, Messrs H. W. Moore, Radcliffe, and Wilkinson ; pianoforte solos by Mrs Herdmun, and Misses Todd and Orbell; pianoforte duet by Misses Fish ; and a recitat tion by Mr Thomas. Refreshments were , hauded round during tho evoning. The Rev. , A. B, Todd, president of the society, gave a : very interesting acoount of the work of tho session, which shortly afterwards oloeed. The bicyolo race notified to tako place on ■ Monday evening from Temuka to Wincheetsr and back wa? witnesoed by quite a crowd of people. Mr E. C. Dacn acted as starter and despatched the following from the post-offi-e at about 6 o'clock, The mon started in tho order named :— W. Fenton (4inin 30seo), F. Storey (Smin 15sec), R. Kennedy (3min), J. McLean (Smin), J. Henry (2min ISsoc), J Gillespie (Imin), X. McCarthy (scratch). There was a Btiffish breeze from the north whioh made the outward journey hard work, but this subsided before tho close of the race. Gillespie finished first in 29min 15aec, Fenton 20see later, and Mcleau 15soo behind the second man. Storey waß 65500 behind MoLean and MoCarthy ssec behind Storey. The win was a popular one, ulthough whon tho race was first proposed MoCarthy was installed favourito. He appeared somewhat out of form, Fenton rode a strong race, never being caught until about a mile from home. The handioappors wore Messrs B. Smith and J. Whelm. The cricketers of Timaru win do uot belong to one or two leading clubs, are very ill off for practising grounds. Rußsell Squaro is yet unfit for play, both for its roughness and its narrowness. A pitch was mado in the Domain a year or two ago, but, badly made, , This is a Biiitablo spot, and we are informed ; that a moderate amount of work would mike tho pitoh fit for practice. The Borough went to a good deal of expense, if wo remember right, to form it j and tho city fathers should favourably cousider tho needs of the city boys, and srond a fow moro pounds in completing the work. Tho claim of the young and unclubbed orioketers, however, reminds ub of tho habit Now Zealandorß have too generally fallen into, of " looking to tho Government " for ovorythiDg tbat two or throo gathered together may wißh for. In the old days, beforo this habit had come to life, a few orioketers — much fewer than thoao who wish to play on tho domain — thought nothing of putting off a few games, aud putting in tho timo iu making a ground for thom selves, chipping off the tussocks, even mowing down thistlos, and so forth. We recommend tho young follows to help themselves in thiß mattor, , The Ashburton A. aud P. Association having determined to offer prizes for crossbred rams, Mr D. Oliver writes to the Guardian condemning tho idea. He asserts, and quotas brooders and naturalists in support, that erossbreds have not sufficient fixity of typo, and consequently continued breeding upon thom will produce only worso and wo/so mongrels. Darwin, bo says, studied tho laws of hybridising and crossing more carefully and scientifically, ho believes, thaa any othor man bolonging to the English raoe, and he further says on this subject i — " Tho possibility of making distinot races by arossing bas beon greatly exaggerated. Many cases aro on record, showing that a raoe may be modified by occasional crosses, if aided by oarcful selection of tbo individuals which presont tho deßired characteristic but te obtain a race intermediate between two distinct races would bo vory difiioult. Sir J; Sebright exprosely experimented with this object and failoi. The offspring from the ('first cross botweon two purobrods is tolorablo, and sometimes (as I have found with pigeons) quito uniform in charaotor,. and everything sooins simple enough ; but when theso moagrole are oroseod ono with another for several generations, hardly two of tbom are aliko, and then the difficulty of tho task beoomes manifest."

A lottor receivod at the Thames, Auckland, from Mount Zsehan slates that tho labour market is over-stocked Numbers of idle men aro walking about cooking employ- i ment. As soon as machinery can be got on Iho ground there will be field for work, but that will not be for some months yet. Notwithstanding counter-attractions tha Government parades on Monday and yesterday evenings were well attended. On Monday tho Nuvals, under Lieutenant Thomas, and Bifles, under Oaptain Jowsey, paraded and were inapected by Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey. Lieutonant-Colonel Gordon, district adjutant, was on parade, and Lieutonant-Colonel Hume, Acting Under-Secretary for Defence, who was on his way to Dunedin, was prosent in mufti. After inapection Acting-Lieutenants Whitehead (Temuka Rifles) end Foden (Kmaru Rifles) wont through the practical portion of thoir examination before tho Board of Examiners, namely, Lieutenant-Colonel Bailoy and Captainß Jockson and Jowsey. This occupied nearly all tho evening, aud after a few movements in battalion drill the parade was dismissed. Yesterday evening the C Battery paraded under Captain Jackson and had as ÜBuala very good muster. Tho arms and nocoutretnentß wero inspeoted by the captain, and the manual and firing exercises wore performed under Sergeants Turnbull and Rogers, respectively. The men were then exercised in volloy and independent firing by subdivisions, after which tbe guns were manned and half an-hour's gun drill concluded the eveniDg's work. Before diei missal Captain Jackson announced that there was a possibility of the North and South ' Canterbury volunteers being roviowed at , Christohurch by His Excellency the Govornor oa tho Prince of Wales' Birthday, and asked tno men not to make other engagements for that day until they heard whether the review , would take place or not, i First in the field end still the favourite [ Jumbo Baking Powder ia admitted to be the , purest and best Jor making wholesome and digestive bread, sconce, &c. Sold by all store- ' keepers at 6d, la, le 6d, 2s fid per tin.— i [Abvs.l SYNOPSIS OF NEW ADVEKTJSKMENTr. Moss Jonas — Sells stook at tho Washdyke on 15th inst ; timbor and firewood on 19th , inst. Gracie.Maclean and Co — Sell show privileges on Saturday. High School Sports —At the Athletic Grounds to-moftow. ' G. E. Warburton — Has freßh supply of i "Meleuoa" to hand. L Smithson and Raymond— Call for tendors for lease of the Hibernian Hotel. ; J. M. Batham — Land Transfer Act notice. 1 Theatre Royal— Particulars of last night of , performance. Wanted— Two notices.