TOWn & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1660, 14 January 1895, Page 2

TOWn & COUNTRY.

Balclutha reports a dry thunderstorm of several hours duration last Sunday week. The regular monthly meeting of the Lodge of St, John will be held this evening at 8 o'clock. A bicycle was stolen from the verandah of Mr W. Beckingham's house at Attenborough during Friday night, The theft was reported to the police, who at once took steps to check the thief's progress through surrounding centres as well as seeking for him about the town. This is, we believe, the first theft of the kind m Timaru. • A description of the machine is advertised. The Timaru larrikins are gentle destroyers compared with the hoodlums of Sydney. On New Year's morning the Oddfellows' Hall at Newtown was broken into, and the walls, which had been beautifully painted recently, were disfigured by hlotches of paint being smudged over them. A new 60-guinea piano was smashed to atoms, while the costly drop scene was ripped from top to bottom. A quantity of scenery and other stage accessories were so damaged as to be rendered comparatively uselesn. The caretaker left the hall at 4 o'clock that morning, and when he returned he found it m a state of indescribable confusion, the floor being littered with wreckage. The special report m the Christchurch Press on the result of no license m the Clutha district has angered the people down there. Are they, one of them asks, to " sit quietly and listen to the scoffs and jeers of the liquor party throughout the colony ?" He says, " The sly grog sellers, no one can deny, are numerous, more numerous perhaps than licensed houses were, and are pursuing their illegitimate and nefarious trade with an effrontery and openness. that leaves no doubt m the minds of even casual observers that they are not very much afraid of being caught." But they will not be caught because, he also says, it is not their business as private individuals to expose this class of criminals. The few police cannot do it. A few days ago we stated (on authority of a telegram to Christchurch from one of the party) t Mr Fitzgerald's climbing party had had a rough journey m reaching the Hermitage, after five days hard travelling and having to walk from Pukaki, through horses jibbing, harness breaking, and axle snapping. We were assured on Saturday by Mr Young, who took the party up from Fairlie, that this is a mountainous exaggeration. They started from Fairlie on Tuesday, and reached Pukaki that night. Wednesday the party stayed at Pukaki of their own motion, fishing, etc. On Thursday the journey was resumed and 15 miles from Pukaki an axle broke, and that was the beginning of the real difficulty. The party had to walk on then to Glentanner that night, and to the Hermitage next day. This statement reduces the five days' hard travelling and a series of mishaps to one serious accident to the coach, and 26 miles of walking. We may look for a glowing account of the ascent of Mount Cook from the same pen. A curious incident occurred m the Magistrate's Court at Wellington a few days ago. During the trial of a man named John Idle, who had already been sentenced for stealing a kit of carpenter's tools, the propejty of a Mr Poole, a second charge of stealing carpenter's tools the property of a person unknown, which had been found m the possession of Idle at the time of his arrest, was about being preferred by Detective Campbell. The stolen property was being exhibited by the detective, when Mr James Lockie, J.P,, one of the sitting Magistrates, detected that the tools belonged to him. "Why those are my tools," ejaculated Mr Lockie, who im- ! mediately descended from the bench, entered the witness-box, and proved that the tools were his, and that he last, saw them m a kit hanging m an obscure tool-house m his garden m Majoribanksstreet, four or five days ago.' This evidence was deemed sufficient, and Idle was summarily convicted and received three months' additional hard labour. Thursday's Oamaru Mail says : — It is gratifying to know that the incoming harvest is likely to be one of the best that has been seen m the district for several years. The early sown wheat, which has not suffered to a notable extent from the want of moisture, promises to give a good yield, but the general average will tp some extent be pulled down by the late sown crop, which has been affected by the dry season. Unless something untoward occurs between now and the garnering of the grain, the new crop will be all round of excellent quality. One who speaks with a knowledge of the subject, assures us that the breadth of land under crop this year is much less than even the diminished area of last Beason, so that, though the yield per acre will be much higher this harvest than that of its predecessor, the quantity available will not be veiy much m excess Df last season's. We are told, too, that the quantity of old wheat m granaries md stores is considerably below the iverage, farmers who have held wheat )ver two and m some cases three seasons laving lately quitted the bulk of their 3tocks. The market of the new season's jrain should, therefore, open under conlitions favourable to growers, but, of jourse, so many things conspire to deternine prices that it would be unwise to speculate as to what may happen. Most )f the wheat is m a very forward state, md it is expected that within a fortnight mvesting will be pretty general throughmt the district.

An important notice affecting Miles and Co. (Ld.) will be found m another column. The Christchurch office notifies that the London branch " having presented a petition for the voluntary winding up of the company the business hitherto carried on by them m Canterbury will be continued m liquidation from this date, and all clients' moneys that may be received will be placed m a special trust account." The people of Geraldine are showing a lively interest m the forthcoming harbour election. We are informed that there are a few citizens of Timaru too, not connected with the Harbour Board, who are talking about arranging for a public meeting to discuss the situation. Commencing to-day, the 14th instant, the telegraph office, Timaru, will cease closing between 5 and 7 p.m., and remain open for the transaction of business daily— except Sundays and holidays — from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m. The Sunday hours are 5 to 5.30 p.m., and holidays 9 to 10 a.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. The annual parish and Sunday school festival m connection with St. Mary's Anglican Church, Geraldine, was held m the park on Friday last. It had been postponed from the previous day owing to the wet weather. There was a large gathering. The Eev. J. Preston, the vicar, Mrs Preston, superintendent of the Sunday school, and a host of willing helpers, were kept busily employed throughout the afternoon and evening. The races were keenly contested by the younger ones, and at dusk those present separated after having most thoroughly enjoyed themselves.