TOWN & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2356, 30 March 1897, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

: ■ ■■■■ ■■:-*. „'«»■, . — t . : The Mararoa, from Melbourne and Hobart, arrived at the Bluff at 9.05 yesterday morning. A Wairarapa blacksmith is turning out aluminium horse shoes which only weigh four ounces the set. .■■•>■<■. A list of grocers and others where the Nikau washing compound can be procured, will be found m another column. Members of the 0 Battery, N.Z.A., are reminded that a trophy will be fired for to-day. Conditions: ten shots at 400 yards. At the Invercargill athletic sports a few days ago, one of the competitors m the chopping contest struck his foot alafost at the first blow, and although he chopped off the fleshy part of one of his toes, he finished third among a dozen competitors. Full particulars will be found m another column, of the large sale of the late Mr Sibbald's properties, freehold and leasehold and stock, which is to be held at Tattersall's at half past 2 o'clock on Saturday next. The sale is an important one, and should command the attention of farmers and business men The entries of rams for the ram fair to be held to-morrow m the Washdyke yards are as follows, and will be sold m the following order :— ROmney Marsh 90, Shropshire Downs 27, Border Leicesters 321, Lincolns 104, English Leicesters 305, Lincoln Leicesters 15, a total of 862 as, against 821 for last year. The sale will commence at 12 noon sharp. : At Court yesterday, before Mr C. A. Wray, S.M., a firat offender was fined 5b for a breach ol ,the peace . An application for a maintainance order by a wife was dismissed, and on the application of the police a prohibition order was issued against the husband. A man was convicted and discharged for soliciting alms m a public place. Very successful harvest thanksgiving meetings were held on Sunday by the Salvation Army, the one m the evening especially being very crowded. The meetings were led by Adjutant Bishop, and his addresses were attentively listened to. The barracks were decorated with a good variety of seasonable products. There will be a tea and special meeting to-night. A Wellington correspondent says that as our excess of exports is over a million less than seven years ago, it follows that the wages fund is reduced by that amount, except for what is expended out of borrowed money, which is the reverse of wealth, for it compels the country to work harder to pay the interest. It must be remembered with respect to loans that a State's promise to pay is a people's promise work; Referring to reckless cycling, a Wellington contemporary says :— Only a few evenings ago " a scorcher " ran into a lady who, accompanied by her husband, was walking slowly m the middle of a quiet street. In the fall the handlebar of the machine struck her head. Eiysipelis has supervened, and consequent serious illness. The cyclist, recovering his feet and the machine, rode off without tendering any assistance. Mrs Foster received by the San Franoisco mail notice from Trinity College, London, that Dr Charles Vincent (Mus. D. Oxon.) has been appointed by the Academical Board examiner for Australia and New Zealand this year, and will travel by the F. and O. steamer leaving London on July 29th. . The approximate date of the practical examination at Timaru centre will accordingly be from the end of September to the 20th October, 1897. ' The Assessment Court sat yesterday to hear and determine objections to the valuation list for the ensuing term. The Assessor, Mr C. A, Wray, presided. E. G. Kerr objected to the valuation of £150 on his property m Sophia Street, and requested a reduction to £100. — Reduced to £125. W. Manning asked for a reduction on the Club Hotel from £200 to £160— No reduction made. W. Gapes, assessed at £40, on section 389, Dee Street, and two houses, was granted a reduction by consent of £4. Two other objectors did not put m an appearance. The deaths from cancer m New Zealand during the year 1896 were 389. There were more deaths of males than of females, the numbers being males 205, females 184. The rate of mortality per 10,000 living was 5*50. The apparent increase m deaths from this disease is not believed to be an actual fact, at least to the extent represented, but partly (or, according to some opinions, wholly) the result of more careful certification of the causes of death and of improved diagnosis, m cases of what is termed inaccessible cancer. It is certain, however, that out of a total of 6432 deaths from all causes m New Zealand during 1896, 389, or 6 per cent, were caused by cancer. The ordinary meeting of the Fairlie School Committee was held on F.riday last. Present— Messrs Foden, Gilmour, Mullany, Riddle, Sheehan, and Watson. It was unanimously resolved that Mr Wallace, 8.A., of Caversham, be strongly recommended to the Board for the position of headmaster. It was also resolved that as the school will be closed for Additions and repairs from April 9th to the 26th, the Board be urged to make arrangements for Mr Wallace to take up his duties on the latter date. As this is the last meeting of the present Committee, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the hon. sec. for his services, also to the visitors for their attention to the school requirements,

Considerable amusement was occasioned m the Wanganui Police Court the other day during the hearing of a sly grog selling case by an exhibition of danaing by one of the Maori women witnesses. She was asked by defendant whether it was not a fact that one of the women was " blind drunk " when Bhe entered her (defendant's) premises', and danced •• Ta -ra -ra-boom-de-ay." The witness confessed that her dusky sister was guilty of the soft impeachment. Bh£ explained, however, that the woman m question was so overjoyed at the thought of getting a glass of beer without paying for it that she had to give vent to her feelings m some way. Suiting the action to the word the witness proceeded to give an exhibition of Lottie Collins triumph. A very pleasing ceremony took piace at the Wai-iti School at the close of work on Friday afternoon. The assistant mistress, Miss Miller, being about to sever her connection with the school^ the pupils were assembled, and the master, Mr Greaves, after referring shortly to th^suceeßß^hat had attended Miss Millet's efibrts during the past two years, and the interest she had evinced m the welfare of her charges, presented her, on behalf of the children, ; With a gold brooch, as a mark of their goodwill andeßteem. After wishing Miss Miller success m the future, the proceedings closed with marked signs of regret at the parting. A young woman of rather slatternly, appearance, an applicant for ireiief^ astonished the Wellington fienevolent Trustees last week by producing a love letter from her husband, who was m another part of the island, to show, to use her own words, "that he was not to be trusted." The letter was ncostly to the effect that he was broken-hearted, and that with that feeling uppermost he had tied one end of a string to a stone and the other round his neck and jumped into a river; but sbrrie mistaken philanthropist driving past m a butcher's cart got down' and rescued him. He regretied his ill-treatment of his wife«in the past, swore that if she would take him again to her heart he would drink no mpre, and called upon Providence to strike him' dead if his performances did 'not" prove equal to his profusion of promises couched m endearing terms, with " three " sweet darling loves" to the square inch.. But the recipient of the sugar-coated! epistle was inexorable. " Thie letter; gives him away," she said with epigrammatic scorn. " ] ■■• -at live with him again ; I can't stand i>;.s ways ; I won't put no faith m him rip more," She added; m explanation^ "Give his broken heart a show," pleaded the chairman. ; il Not me, he's said the same sort' of things before, and'he doesn't get up adohgside; me again," was the resolute replyi The Trustees thought this 1 was another case forrations. ' " ' .!