The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10,1898. TOWN & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2886, 10 December 1898, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1898. TOWN & COUNTRY.

The " Canterbury and Otago Almanac " for 1899 (the twenty-fourth issue), compiled and published at the Timaru Herald office, is now being distributed. It is compiled on the same lines as for years past, which have madp it so useful jn office and household. It contains the usual calpndar and diary for the coming year; full official 'and business directories of Timaru and other towns of Snuth Canterbury; foreign mail timetables; railway, postal, telegraph, and port charges ; the Customs tariff and schedules of legal charges ; garden and farm calendars ; summaries of laws of local application ; useful arithmetical tables, etc., itineraries, etc., all corrected to date, and a variety of useful information on miscellaneous eyery day subjects, lhe almanac maintains its longestablished* character of usefulness, and the price, Is, places it within the reach of everyone. It is always a pleasure to learn when virtue finds its due reward. This has been strikingly exemplified m the extraordinary success of that popular drink The Tiger Blend Teas. Now obtainable everywhere m New Zealand. — [Advt.] At the Congregational Church to-mor-row the Rev. George Burgess, F.R.A.S., will preach morning and evening, his evening subject being "A Recovered; Ideal." Strangers will bfe cordially welcomed. There was a good attendance at Mr Hugo's fourth lecture m the Barnard street Hall last evening, The next lecture will be o» Monday evening, and the subject will be " Foreheads and Chins." The Rev. J. N. Buttle will preach at the Wesleyan Church to-morrow. The subject m the morning will be |S Prayer" and m the evening " Dissipated ImpresBions." In the afternoon Mr Buttle conducts service at the Fairview schoolroom. - Fourteen hundred pounds seems a large sum of money to give for a violin. The Duke of Saxe-Coburg gave that amount the other day for a genuine 11 Strad," not many of our readers we think have that amount to spend on articles of pleasure, but much enjoyment may be derived by a trifling outlay at the fancy bazaar of Xmas novelties now opened at Penrose's drapery establishment.— [Advt.] __ Mr Alexander Don , Chinese missionary m Otago, writes to the Otago Daily Times to correct some errors. published regarding the "Dowager Empress," the "mistress of the situation." He says there were two dowager Empresses, but one of them died m 1881. The present one is Tsi-Tshi, mother of the last Emperor and aunt of the present one, Kwang-su. Mr Don denies that the dowager is either greedy or cruel. During the great Shansi famine m 1876 both the dowagers went without flesh food, sending money thus saved, about 75 dollars a day, to the relief fund— a story which suggests the possession of expensive tastes m eating, and a moderate sentiment of charity. A very cunning trick, worthy of the Heathen Chinee, was tried on the railway authorities m a certain country district m Otago (says the Taieri Advocate). It appears that a good business is done m gravel, which is obtained m large quantities at the country town m question. Now, from what we can learn, the railage rate is a great deal cheaper for gravel than for ordinary merchandise. The consignor of the gravel was sending m several trucks last week, and they were all rpady to leave the yard, when an over-officious railway servant, making a tour of the trucks, discovered m one of them an article, which, on being removed, was found to be a plough. Of i course, on having his little game spotted there was nothing for it but to rail the j plough separately at the higher rate ; but J it is said that the Chinaman ;s not as sure of his own smartness as he was $i week or two ago. . ! A good deal of interest was taken m a case heard at the Supreme Court at Blenheim last week,C. H. Mills, M.H R. v. Rogers and Sinclair, solicitors, Blenheim. The case arose out of an agreement made between the three men, to prosecute newspapers for libelling Mr Mills. Mr Mills' CBse was that the lawyers agreed to undertake the suits against the newspapers, they to pay all expenses and he to receive 34 per cent of all "damages" gained. The lawyers say that was the agreement so far as successful cases went, but that Mr Mills was to pay the costs of actions lost; and they said he was quite willing to agree to that because he was so sure of winning. Two suits were entered upon, one gained and one lost. The lawyers refused to pay the costs m the latter case, £151, and Mr Mills had to pay them. He sued the lawyers for this amount under the agreement and for £250 damages for having advised him that he could legally -make such an agreement with them, and for acting negligently and improperly. The case occupied two or three days, and the jury found that the lawyers had been negligent, and awarded damages to the amount paid by the plaintiff as costs m the action lost. The Wellington papers have been advo^ eating the " raising of the school age "at the later end, and the compulsory standard of attainment. The Lyttelton Times concurs, saying : — " The present compulsory age .limit is fourteen, and we are satisfied from our own observation that quite a third of the children who are entitled to leave school, if not of the children who actually do leave, -are practically illiterate, and m course of a few years will .be able to do little more than scratch their own names m more or less illegible fashion. But the age limit is not the worst feature The Fourth Standard is regarded as a sufficiently high limit for all children, and we have known several who have passed it at the conspicuously mature age of eight or nine ! Comment is needless on a state of affairs which permits a child of nine to escape from all school tuition for the rest of his days. We would, therefore, strongly urge the raising of the compulsory limit by at least two years and two standards. If that were done our primary school teachers would look more favourably upon the proposal to modify the syllabus for the purpose of introducing some measure of technical insirßctiooV'

Mr W. Sprott, of Oatnaru, was attacked the other day by the entire horse he was leading m the Waimate district, and had his thumb bitten off and was injured about the ribs. The horse was considered quiet and tractable. Mr H. 8. Roberts, a Maori linguist, writes to the North Otago Times an^nt the word " Pukaki." He says that if this is used as the Maori name of the swamp hen it is wrong. The Maori name for the bird is pukeko (with accent on the v, the e short as m "bent";. "Pnkaki" has very different meanings. It is a wen, a goitre, a scrofulous swelling on the neck, or if speaking of a river it refers to its source." How is all this to be applied to Lake "Pukaki"? An Oamaru contemporary calculates that if the present harvest prospects are realised New Zealand will nave about four million bushels of wheat to export this year, and this means that prices will be fixed by the London market. New Zealand's wheat crop varies very much. The area went up to a little over 400,000 acres, and the yield to 10£ million bushels m 1892. It went down to 148,600 acres and 3£ million bushels m 1895, and m subsequent years increased ; but has not regained the area or the estimated yield of '92. The Newtown Wellington School Committee wished the Board to promote- the first assistant to the head-mastership, vacant by the suicide of Mr Hulke. The Board appointed a West Coast master, and the Committee objected. The Times says : " The Committee was anxious that Mr Barry should get the position, but we understand that it is now willing to accept the nominee of the Board, if Mr Barry is promoted to the charge of a school m another part of the district." In ordering a man on Thursday to pay £20 damages and costs for assaulting n woman with a stick, Mr Beetham remarked that v something had been said about the terror inspired m the mind of the defendant by the Amazonian proportions of the plaintiff, but his experience was that the small, wiry woman was the one most to De feared." Plaintiff said he used his stick because the woman rushed at him and he remembered that she had thrashed two men previously. Captain Edwin advises : -Wind gale with rain from between E. tnd N. and N.W. after 20 hours at all places northward of Tauranga and Raglan ; strong E. to 8. and S.E. winds on the coast between Napier and East Cape ; moderate northerly winds m other parts of the •North Island, and moderate to fresh westerly winds m the South Island. Barometer fall northward of Tauranga and Raglan, rise everywhere else. Sea heavy on the coast between East Cape and Gastlepoint, increase on the West Coast north of Cape Egmont, moderate elsewhere. The Geraldine Public School annual concert was held m the Volunteer Hall on Thursday, when there was a large attendance. The chair was taken by Mr T. Sherratt. The programme, a long and varied one, was most successfully gone through, aud highly gratified the audience. The first part consisted of gramaphone selections, action songs by infants under Miss Pearson : ,physical drill and club exercises by boys of Standards IV., V. and VI., under Mr J. R. Montgomery, headmaster; rounds, songs, etc., by the children under Mr W. Gore, assistant master, and also under Mr Montgomery. The eecond part was taken up with violin solo, recitations, songs, step-dancing, etc. The proceeds of the entertainment were m aid of the prize fund of the school. At a special meeting of the Fairlie School Committee the treasurer reported that the proceeds from the concert were very satisfactory, and that with the addition of donations the total sum available for prizes and treat would be about £12. It was decided to give three prizes m each standard to be awarded according to the marks given by the Inspector at the standard examinations, all the children present at the date of the examination to be given a small book or some useful article. The chairman said he would give a special prize for the boy who had attended most regularly during the year from a distance exceeding two miles. It was resolved to give five other attendance prizes and also prizes for good conduct. The children are to assemble at the school at 10 o'clock on the morning of the 16th m Btant, and march from thence to the sports ground, where races and games will be held and prizes given for the same. Major ' Steward; M.H.R., for the district, haa kindly consented to present the prizes during the afternoon. The committee will provide fruit for the children, and parents are requested to ■supply refreshments for all present. The chairman was authorised to request the business people of Fairlie to keep the weekly half-holiday on the 16th instant instead of on the 15th, and to make arrangements for a supply of hot water. The Wanganui Herald gives details of a case m which an absurd anomaly m the law as to lessees is illustrated. A little over twenty-one years ago Mr David Murray, who has established a large iron foundry and engineering business m Wanganui, leased a piece of the Industrial School Estate from the trustees for 21 years, at a rental of £16 10s per annum. The lease contained no covenant that any improvements should be made further than the planting of a few gum trees. Mr Murray, however, built four cottages on the section and a large stable, costing m all about £1000. When the lease had nearly expired he applied for a renewal, which was refused, although he offered a considerable advance on the rent be had paid, but was called upon to pay' a large sum (£150) to put the houses m good and tenantable repair. The law, it happens, was against Mr Murray, as where a tenant who is under no compulsion to build does so, the conveying ordinances lay it down that there is an implied covenant to keep and give up the buildings m a state of good and tenantable repair. How many people m New Zealand are aware of this, outside the legal profes sion ? Very few we feel satisfied. The Magistrate who heard the case evidently sympathised with Mr Murray ,saying that although as far as the legal aspect of the case was concerned defendant had no defence, )ie thought that on moral grounds Mr Murray was entitled to consideration. Eventually judgment was given for less that one-third of the amount claimed. We have received a copy of the Auckland Star's Exhibition number, a very creditable effort indeed. In the largest province m the colony, with the largest gity, with all the industries and natural resources that the rest of the colony can boast, and two resources that cannot be found elsewhere, the unique kauri gum and the thermal attractions of Rotorua ; with the largest timber industry m the Southern Hemisphere, and quartz mining on an extensive and must highly specialised scale ; fruit-growing beyond all the restof the colony ; up-to-dateness generally; and two-thirds of the Maori race within the province ;— in all these Auckland had material for a large and instructive exhibition j and m these the Star has found material, and last but not least, m its own appliances has found the mean?, for turning out a handsome and valuable descriptive paper. Every one of its fifty odd pages ia illustrated with photo prints or line engravings, and there are several extra sheets of fine photographs, making over 200 pictures m all, and the whole is enclosed m a coVer which also does credit to the Star's chromo-lithograpby. The text is condensed into a "bovril" of information on a variety of subjects, and with the illustrations supplies a most comprehensive hand book of the province of Auckland, probably the most instructive that has ever been published. People who would like to go to see the Auckland exhibition and cannot manage it, may effect a good compromise between trip and no trip, by procuring a copy of the <$&?r'« Exhibition number, •

Fntries for the floral dinner table decorations close this evening. The banks m Timaru keep holiday en the 16th inst., Anniversary Day. Mr Harrison Ord. from Geelong, Victoria, will preach m the Oddfellows' Hall, to-morrow night, at half-past 6 o'clock. A cordial invitation is given to all. Hymn books will be provided. Details of the programme for the United Sports Association's meeting at Geraldine on the 16th inst., will be found m another column. A grand concert will be held m the Volunteer hall at night, and a dance will follow the concert. Horse-owners and trainers should note that nominations for all handicaps at the Ashburton County Eacing Club's summer meeting close at 9 p.m. on Tuesday next, the 13th inst. Mr C. H. Dowding, the secretary, will supply all particulars. At Court yesterday the Stipendiary Magistrate dealt with a few cases. An application for a prohibition order was struck out, neither party appearing. Two affiliation cases were settled by consent. In one case Mr Raymond appeared for the complainant and Mr C. Herry for defendant: m the other Mr Hay for complainant and Mr Raymond for defsndant. The terms of settlement were alike m each case, order made by consent, adjudging defendant to be the putative father, ordering payment of 5s per week ; and that this payment be commuted to payment for a lump sum— £4o m the first eye and £30 m the second. Attention is called to our advertising columns, where a concert is announced to take place m the theatre on next Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, 13th and 14th inst., m aid of the Sacred Heart School, West Town Belt. Judging from past experience a great treat is m store for the Timaru public who wish to pass an enjoyable evening, and at the same time feel the satisfaction that they are helping on a good and well deserving institution. The pupils, both paßt and present, are hard at work preparing a varied programme, where music, drama and comedy will combine to charm and edify. The promoters are confident that the concert will not only equal, but excel all previous ones, A very enjoyable garden party was held at Temuna on Thursday m connec- . tion with the Anglican Church, the receipts being devoted to the general • church funds. For the occasion Mr J. < T. M. Hayhurst kindly lent his pretty grounds at Green Hayes, and with Mrs, Hayhurst did everything possible to make the gathering &. success. The attendance was very large, there being visitors present not or>ly from the township, but from Geraldine, Timaru and the surrounding district, An inspection of the gardens, greenhouses, ferneries, all of which were m the most delightful qrder, was a source of pjleasure to the many visitors, but m addition facilities were afforded for enjoying tennis, croquet, boating, bowls, \etc. During the day strawberries an(H cream and fruits m season were obtainable at a very moderate cost, jand shortly after four o'clock tea \ and light refreshments were served. The principal attraction, however, proved to be a bicycle gymkana, the various events m which caused much amusement and interest. The serpentine race wat\won by Master S. Bates after a severe contest with Mr 0. Brown. The tortoise race (males) was won by Master Hug^ina of Timaru, and the ladies' tortoise rtfee by Miss Phillips. The "lancers,'\ on bicycles, was a pretty performance by members of the local Tourists' d)ub on decorated bicycles, and some cajpitar trick riding by Masters S. aQd P. Bates and Huggins was much, admired. Several other similar events served to complete a very enjoys able programme. The general ar-\ rangements were supervised by Mr Hayhurst, and Mr A. G. Campbell acted as hon. secretary, and spared no pains to make the aflair a success. He received assistance from the church officers and other friends, and the ladies of the congregation as usual undertook the dispensing of refreshments, which were supplied on a lavish scale. The weather was very favourable for such a gathering and the takings very good indeed. SYNOPSIS OF NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. New Zealand r,osm and Mercantile Agency Co.— Stock sale at Point on Monday, Washdyke Tuesday, Geraldine Wednesday. Guinnessjafd LeCren— Point sale on Monday, Washdyke Tuesday, Geraldine Wednesday; large and important sale'at Hilton on 23rd inst. Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association — Sale at Point on Monday, Washdyke on Tuesday, Guraldine on Wednesday. Farmers' Exchange Co. — Large sale of sundries this day. National Mortgage and Agency Company - Sell land at Temuka on 20th inst. Ballantyne's-Cbristmas show of blouses and ladies' fashionable shirts. Public Trustee —Notice m Thomas Roberts' estate. Ashburton County Bating Club -Nominations due on Tuesday next at 9 pin. George Pearson— lmportant notice to School ConnmitteesV Gorajaine— Sports m Domain on Anniversary Day. 0. 8. Fraser— Has house to let, property for sale. J. W, Snushall— Notice to apply for slaughtering license. F. LeCren— Wants boy for a station. Bank holiday- In Timaru on the 16th Inst. Congregational Church— Sabbath services. T. W. Leslie— Properties m town and country for sale. . • • James Craigie— Hns life-like statuary on sale. O. E. Hugo —Lectures on " foreheads and chins ", on Monday. St. John's Lodge— lnstallation of W.M. and officer* on 13tn inst. Oddfellows' Hall— Mr Harrison Ord preaches tomorrow. Theatre Royal— Grand concerts on 13th and 14th inst. Wanteds— Six notices.