TOWN & COUNTRY

Timaru Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 5353, 4 February 1892, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY

Another hot and calm day yesterday favoured tbo farmers harvesting. Wo understand that the wooden post office at Waimato, for tho erection of whioh tenders have beon invited, ie regarded with great dissatisfaction by tho residents. It is said that tho building will be supremoly ugly, and tbat it is open to other objections. The Borough by-lawa prohibit the use of wood for any structure within the "inner area," aotbat it will bo illegal to use that material for the poßt office. The Waimate Borough Council may ha7o oomething to say on tho eubjeot at their next meeting. Tho weekly meeting of the Crystal Spring Lodge, No. 54, waß held m tho Forester*' Hall, George street, last evening, the Chief Templar, Bro. W. 0. Silverton, presiding. Thore was a fair attondanoo of members and visitors. Correspondence from the G"*and Lodge, juvenile concert, and picnic committoe, and from Mr Meyenberg, reßpeoting tho formation of a Sons of Temper-tnoo Benefit Sooiety was received and dealt with. The lodge was adjourned to allow the quarterly meeting and installation of officers for -the present quarter, to be held. Sißter Gunnell, L.D.5.0.T., . assisted by Bro. W. Coe (Lifeboat), and Sißter Grant (Point), as marshal aud deputy, installed the following who were elected to fill the various offices for tbe quarter :— -0.T., Bro. G. Ellis j V.T., Sister Freeman; secretary, Bro. Anderson (reelected) ; F. 8., Bro. Gunnell (re-elected) ; G., Bro. Snushall ; C, Sister Peake ; M.i Bro. Torrance; D.M., Bro. W. Peake; 1.G., Bro, Finoh; S., Bro. F. Silverton ; S.G.T., Sister Anderson ; librarian, Sister Anderson ; P.C.T., Bro. W. 0- Silverton. The various report b taken as a whole show that satisfactory progress had been made during the quarter just ended considering the number of members that have left the district. It has been very gratifying to sco the amount of good feeling shown by the members to make the meetings both pleasant and profitable to one ond all. During the evening several songs wore rendered and were well received. Votes of thanks were tendered to the m. tailing and retiring officers, and fraternal greetings were received from and sent to the Wai Lodge. The lodge was closed by tho chief-elect at 10 p.m.

During January 37 births, 6 doathfl and 2 mariiogoa were registered at tho Timaru office. Mr A. Boyle has resigned his position of Btarter to the Canterbury Jockey Olub. The committee of the club passed a resolution, thanking Mr Boyle for his services, and [ recognising his abilities as a Btarter. U'he reverends Meeers Gillies (limaru),and Clarke (Fairlie Creek), and Mr P. W. Hulton, delegates o£ tho Ximaru Presbytery to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Ohuroh, left by last night'e express oa route for Auokland, where the Aaßombly sits this year. ,A man named Hearin, wanted at Manaift on a charge of assaulting a neighbour, is missing. He left letters to hie wifo and brothers saving that he was going to meet his death, and leaving a signed cheque for bis balance m the Bank. Search parties have found no traco of him. Thore are three vacancies on the Oamaru Harbour Board, but there is a difficulty m filling the positions owing to what haa lately arisen m reapoot to financial matters. !fhe North Otago Times understands that the falling off m the Board's revenue at the port iast year aa oompared with the previous year is something over £3000. The concert to-night, m aid of the fund of tha Juvenile Templars' pionio, promises to be a success. From the programme published m another columu it will be seen tbtst the committee have Bpared no pains to oecure the best local talent. Among tha various items we notice one of which mention wao aide m tinrsocolumus yesterday, viz., " The Scottish Emigrant," which bsing an entirely local production is sure to attract attention. We hope tho financial result will bo such as the splendid programmo is really worthy of. The Hatvcra Star says : — Persons whose appte trees are suffering from tho American blight or woolly aphis may be pleased to learn that one orchard m the Ngaire district has been freed from the peat by painting cream , on the branches m the winter time. One application almost abolishes the blight and a second ono completes the euro. If this remedy proves to bo as certain as it is repro eented to be, we may again sco Bibston Pippins and Blenheim Orange apples m the | market before long ; apples which are both , first-class, but are much subject to the i woolly blight. ' The Nelson Colonist says that a natural enemy to the pear and plum loech haa been i discovered. Mr H. Bait, a fruitgrower, residing at Wakofiold, has been fortunate enough to discover an enemy to the looch : blight, which ia proving so destructive to the 1 foliage of pear and plum trees, as well aa to hawthorn hedges. The ' onomy ia a small ladybird, having a trunk which it thrusts into tho body of tlio leech. Tn Mr Bait's garden 1 several plum trees had been completely cleared of the leech, and it is to be hoped that m a short time the ladybirds will keep them down altogothor. Tho Wollington eorraapoudent of the Press ; says ; — Tho now telegraphic charge gives ; much dissatisfaction. It is condemned as tbo ! reverse of a concession, because to ensure safe '■ delivery an address containing more than the 1 allotted numbor of words will often be essen- ' tial, and so the two extra words thrown into ' the message allowance will be neutralised by an additional charge on the address j besides, 1 the total number of worda (including message 1 acd address) is aotuallr reduced by two. It 's suggested as a preferable course that twenty words m all should allowed, leaving tbe sender to allocate them to address or message as ho may choose. Efforts will be made to obtain the adoption of aome suoh '. amendment. The present change ia as nnj popular qb tbe wretched paper and awkward ehapo of the telegraph forms. Both theee , experiments- have gono m a wholly retrograde direction and m opposition to the public Convenience. '. The quarterly meotiDg'of tha Wai Lodge. No. 68, 1.0.0. G.T., was held on Tuesday at the Presbyterian Church, Oullmantown, Bro, ' R. W. Marshall. P.C.T., presiding. After | tho usual business had been transacted and quartorly reports read, the election of officers 1 took plaoe with the following result :— O.T., ' Bro. Arthur Wittiams ; V.T., Sis. J. Miller ; ' P.C.T., Bro. B. W. Marshall; Chaplain, 8i B , ' S. MoOnllough j Secretary, Bro. A. Mills ; F. Secretary, Bie. Travis ; Treasurer, Bro. W. J. MoOullough ; Marshall, Bro. B. W. Mar- ' shall, junr. ; Guard, Bro. Kichards. Bro. A. Mills, L.D., installed the officers, Bro. Finch assisting as J.M., and Sis. Peake as J.D.M. The lodge then went into, harmony, when Sit. McOullough, Peake and Gardner contributed several items, as did also Bros. A. Williams and Finch. Communications roapecting the juvenile concert and " Sone > and Daughters of Temperance" wore dealt with i after which a vote of thanks to the installing officers and visitors was passed, and being responded to, the lodge was closed by the now O.T. at 10 p.m. The annual meeting of tha Ancient Order of Foresters, Court. Southern Cross, Ho. 3123, was held .at tho Foresters' Hall on Tuesday) evening, Bro. J. D. Loohore, Chief Banger, preekliag. The balance sheet and auditor' report were presented, und considered very satisfactory, notwithstanding the heavy charge's made on the fnnda during the past 12 months. The amount of sick pay to members had been £268 3a 4d, and funeral pay £76, two members and three members' wives having died during the year. After paying all expenses, inoluding improvements to the hall, there waa a gain of £200 to tho funds. Seventeen members joined during the year and the same number left, leaving the present membership as follows:— 287 benefit mombere, 20 honorary members, 10 members of other . courts, 9 members' widows, and 46 members' daughters, a total of 372 on the roll. Tho total days' oicknoss was 2222, numberof members eiok 45, average amount each £5 19s 2d, and the average for the whole of the members 18s Bd. Tho total value of the funds an Beoember 3Ut was £5573 4s 6d; inoluding £1491 at fixed deposit and £695 on loan to members. A epooial committee reported re the proposed incidental i and benevolent fund, and it was resolved to i start it at once, a small additional sum being charged members to meet it. The delei gates appointed to interview the doctora reported that a satisfactory arrangement 1 had been come to, and the court confirmed ■ their report. A oircular was received from i theaecretary of tho Friendly Soeintie»' Con? 1 ference, Ohristchuroh, re interchange of i medical benefits, and the court deoided to i join the association, aa the proposed arrangei meat will be to the advantage of all tlio i societies. During the evening one member . was initiated, the ceremony being performed 1 by the 0.R., Bro. Lochore, assisted by Bro. J.S. Bennett, P.D.0.8.. One candidate was ; proposed, and tbo Court was closed at a late hour by tho CR. m duo form.

'ihe sea. was very culm yesterday nnd divor Collis was down examining tho bottom along the MooGy wharf. Thu Taniwha was at work on the same side, making very slow work m digging up the hard-Bet red gravel that underlies the sea sand. The following particulars of the new poisoning sensation at Pahiatua, m which two dogs are said to have died from eating biscuits meant for human consumption, are given by the Woadville Examiner :—" The bisouitß were baked about January 12tb| and on tasting fclae dough Mrs Marsh found there was an extremely bitter taste. After cooking tbo biscuits Bha asked Mr Marah to taste them, intimating that she had found a bitterness m the taste. Mr Marsh found the same taste, and decided there was something wrong. He then gave a Bmall piece to his dog, and it coon becamo ill, but did not die. It wag given the same quantity three times, on different occasions ; and each time the dog was ill m the same manner, but had not got sufficient of the poison to be fatal. On Bunday, however, Mr Page fed his dogs freely on the bißOuite ridiculing the idea of poison, but, luckily for him, ho did not cirry out his intention of eating them himself, for one dog died m half an hour while the other lingered for some aix hours, dying m the night. Mr Marsh and his wife tasted all the ingredients that were used m the composition of the bieouits — flour, ginger, brown sugar, and treacle — and found a bitter taato m the ginger. (They made a cake of the articles, leaving out the ginger, and gave it to their dogs without any ill effect. Thny hrousht some bioouita and portions of the ingredients to Mr Bidd, whoi it is understood, pronounced the poison, which was found m tho ginger, to be strychnine. The ginger was procured from Sir Crawford, of Woodville, who believed he was out of that article when Mr Marßh's order was received, and procured a quantity olsewbere. Mra Marsh, it is understood, had used some portion of the same ginger previously, and found no ill effect. The bag of flour was just opened. Mr Cooper took away the whole of the giDger, and a sample of the sugar and flour. What remained m the bottom of the treacle tin had already been sent to Mr Bidd, Theartioles mentioned will be carefully examined, when it will be positively ascertained what the poison is, and m whnt portion of the food it was contained.