TOWN & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2888, 13 December 1898, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

♦ . — At a committee meeting of the Plea sant Point Saleyards Company helc yesterday, the tender of Mr J. Dore waf accepted for, the refreshment booth foi the ensuing year. We are informed by the auctioneers that notwithstanding the holiday, the usual stock sale at Waimate will b( held on Friday next. Mr O. E. Hugo delivered his fifth lee ture last evening m the Barnard streel hall on "foreheads and chins." Tht last lecture will be on Wednesday evening, when " hands, hair, and necks " will be the subject. Thanks to the favourable season the Caledonian grounds are looking theii best, and promise to be m the finest oi order for the annual gathering. Men will be busy this week patting m the finishing touches to the tracks and attending to minor arrangements.

The Geraldine School Committee met on Saturday night, all members present, and agreed to close the school for six weeks holidays from Monday, December 12th, and distribute the prizes when the school re-assembles on January 23rd. In the absence of the chairman, Mr J. J. McOaskey addressed the children yesterday morning at the breaking up, and the school was afterwards dismissed. The Timaru Mechanics' Institute have just received a shipment of new books from Home, including a number of the best works of fiction and travel. There are also a few of the bound volumes of magazines. The books will be ready for distributien after 10.30 a.m. to-morrow. In the meantime subscribers can bespeak any of the books on payment of the usual fee of 3d. A list of the books is posted up at the library. The Battalion Band will play m the Hospital Grounds on Hunday next, and oa the following Sunday, Christmas Day, will play a special u'ogramme of carols at Caroline Bay. If the surroundingß are suitable it is also likely that on that day, the band will give an exhibition of the quickstep contest piece. The band will not canvass the town on Christmas morning, aa they desire to reserve themselves as much as possible for the contest, which is sure to put a heavy strain on them. The business man who takes his commercial candle and places it under the old bushel of fogeyism will be left completely behind m these days of keen competition. We think for modern methods, cleanest stock, best variety, and lowest cash prices Penrose's Drapery Establishment will be difficult to excel. The vari«ty of goods now being shown for the Xmas season is almost bewildering m its vastness. Each department is full of excellent fabrics at lowest cash prices. We are instructed to mention a stock of pink and blue ginghams has arrived. These are scarce goods. — [Adti.] Preparatory to the Christmas holidays the three schools m the Albury district have arranged for the vacation^ and treats for the children. The Albury school breaks up on the 16th inst., but the usnal treat has been postponed till Boxing Day. TheTengawai school closes on the 22nd, and holds its treat and picnic on the following day, as doen the Oricklewood school. This school, since it has been open under the charge of Miss Fifield, has not been able to maintain as high an attendance aa wag expected when the district first agitated for a school, but no doubt an improvement will take place after the holidays, and more settlers get on their holdings. A meeting of those interested m holding sports m Fairlie on Boxing Day was held at the Public Hall on Saturday evening. There was a good attendance-, Mr J. Binney being m the chair. After a number had spoken m favour of the movement, a committee consisting of Messrs J. King, D. Sheehan, W, Binney, J. E. Goodwin, W. Watts, J. D. Hamilton, H. G. Smith, J. Doyle, A. O. Gilmour,' and C. Talbot was elected to carry out the matter. Mr W. Binney was elected secretary. It was decided to hold the sports on the same lines as thoee held last year, with several additional events, amongst these being a slow bicycle race and a ladies' bicycle race. From the amount of interest taken an unusually enjoyable day's sports may be confidently looked for. The largest line of freezing lambs ever seen at the saleyards was entered last week by the Heslerton Estate, Rakaia. They comprised 450 by Shropshire ramß out of half and three-quarter bred English Leicester ewes, and 250 by English Leicester rams out of similar ewes. They were grass fed and finished off on rape, and for primeness oi quality and evennesß of weight they represented the perfection of what is required for the Home market. The 450 lambs which attracted the most attention were specially photographed for one of our weekly contemporaries. The whole of the lambs were bought by Mr L. W. Tosswill at 13s Id, who will send them Home under one brand, so as to ascertain precisely how they turn out. Mr Jas Balfour, the manager of the Heslerton Estate, is to be complimented on placing such a grand line of fat lambs upon the market .' at so early a period of the season. On Saturday Messrs F. R. Gillingham and A. H. McLean, on behalf of the Mackenzie County Council, dealt with thß following tenders : — Supply of 2200 lin. feet of drain pipes m three sizes, 12 inch, 7 inch, and 6 inch diameter : Sieger t and Rerr, Fairlie, Is 7d, Is o£d, 9d ; J. B. Kirk, Cbrißtchurch, Is 6d, lid, 6d ; J. Deans, Christchurch, Is 4d, lid, 6£d; Canterbury Farmers' Association, Timaru, Is 4d, lOd, 5Jd ; Springfield Pottery Company, Is 3±d, 9|d, s£d ; J. Mcc, Timaru, Is 3£d, 9Jd, s£d ; McSkimming and Sons, Stirling, Is 2d, 9d. 4sd ; J. Jackson, Timaru, Is 2d, Bd, 5d (accepted). Formation of portion of Laverty's Road, Albury Settlement : W. Magin, £30 9s ; H. Ptruthers, £29 7s 9d ; M. O'Reilly and Co., £22 19s ; John Connor, £22 (accepted). Construction of flumings and culverts m Three Spring's — Fairlie water races : Mclnnes and* Butler, Pleasant Point, £189 7s 6d ; D. Gregan, Geraldine, £165 15s ; T. Foden, Fairlie, £136 7s lid (accepted). At the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch on Thursday, a lady m the witness box, describing the preliminaries of an assault, came to a full stop with " Then he," (the defendant) " made use of a word— a word." "Go on," said her lawyer, encouragingly, ♦• go on." •• I cannot speak it," she said, and her hesitation continued. " But you must, you know," said counsel, " tell us exactly what he said." The lady began again,' " Indeed I cannot repeat it," and she seempd painfully embarrassed. " Oh, don't be afraid," said his Worship, " Out with it, we hear plenty of bad language here, we are used to it." She tried again. " Well.it was something like ' laminated ' or ♦ haminated. 1 " A happy thought here struck the other legal gentleman engaged m the case, and he said, " Perhaps the lady means 'contaminated." "That's it," joyfully exclaimed the witness, " That's the word, ' contaminated,' sure enough." " Pshaw ! " said His Worship,. " that's not such a very bad word, we often hear worse than that ! " Counsel was of opinion— without prejudicethat it was really a good word, and after that, the lady's yarn reeled off quite smoothly. Claims to participate m the Parliamentary grant of £2000 for distribution to public libraries must be sent* in due form to the Secretary for Education so as to be received by him on or before the 31st January next. The conditions of participation are as follow :— " A library to be entitled to a subsidy must be public m the sense of belonging to the public, and of not being controlled by an association, society, or club, whose membership is composed of a section of the community only, and if within a borough it must be open to the public free of charge. The receipts for thR year must not have been less than £2, exclusive of moneys received from the Government, or from borough or county councils, or for special building purposes, or as rent, hire, or consideration for the use of any room, or building, or land belonging to the institution, m respect of none of which will subsidy be allowed. The net proceeds of concerts, lectures, or other entertainments on behalf of the current expenses of the library will be regarded as voluntary contributions. A subsidy will not be given to more than one library m the same town." Application for a Bhare of the grant must be made on a printed form (copies of which may be had from the secretary of any Education Board), and must be accompanied by a statement of the receipts and expenditure of the institution for the year ending on the 3lßt day of December, 1898, and the form contains a "statutory declaration " that the statement of accounts is correct, and— if the library is m a borough— that " by the rales of the institution admission to the reading-room is open to the public, free of charge."

Captain Edwin forecasted yesterday 3trong winds from N. E. to S. E. at all places, amounting to a gale m the North Island. Barometer fall everywhere. Rain is to be expected m all parts of the solony. The sky here was overcast all iay, with an even dullness suggestive of bad weather brewing. The Lyttelton Times says that few of the State schools m Christchurch and the vicinity are giving prizes this year, the practice of holding a picnic instead having become almost general. At most of the schools attendance certificates will be awarded, but with one or two exceptions the breaking-up for the summer holidays will be of an informal nature. At a public meeting held m Fairlie a ieputation was appointed to wait on Major Steward, member for the district, to ask him to use his influence with the Government m getting the Three Springs Estate cut up under The Lands for Settlement Act. The estate is a most suitable one for the purpose, and there is no doubt the sections would be readily taken up. The installation of the W.M. of St. John's Lodge, No. 1137, E.G., and the investiture of his officers takes place this evening at the Masonic Hall, Church Street. The ceremony will be conducted by the D.G.M., Bro. R. D. Thomas, and officers of the D.G. Lodge, assisted by the P.Ms, of Bt. John's. A large attendance of members and visitors is expected, and the W.M. requests brethren to remember that the lodge will be tyled punctually at 7 o'clock. In reporting the rinding of a perfect moa's negg. the Alexandra Herald states that as Mr Coard was at work on th« Earnscleugh No. 1 dredge, about two miles above Alexandra, he noticed the egg floating m the well-hole of the dredge. It appears that a few minutes previously a portion of the bank a few feet ahead of the dredge had fallen into the river, and an examination of the face of the bank plainly showed the cavity m which the egg had lain. The egg came down with the fall of earth, and, on being freed of the soft sand, of course, floated to the surface, and, by the luckiest of chances, found its way into the well-hole of the dredge, where it was secured. The egg measures 7£in m length its greatest diameter being s£in. It is m a perfect state of preservation.and, judging from outside appearances, might have been laid but a week ago. There is not the slightest scratch or crack visible on the surface. The cavity m the bank from which it is evident the egg came was about 15ft from the present surface. The annual entertainment m aid of the Sacred Heart School will be held m the Theatre Royal this evening. The programme as usual is a first class one, and is so arranged as to please patrons iof all classes. It will comprise the drama, "A Twofold Kevenge," the characters being " Zinda " (a Moorish princegß), Miss Kenny; "Roma" (her daughter), Miss A. McDonald ; " Yamouna," Miss E. McGuinness; English ladies, Miss O'Brien and Miss G. Hall ; Susa (a servant), Miss A. Mc^owan ; witch. Miss McGuinness. The drama is a very good one, and is pleasing to follow. In addition there will be a capital farce, " Mrs Willis's Will " — " Lady Spindle," Miss McKenna ; " Mrs Dwindley," Miss Collins; "Mrs Roberts," Miss McGowan ; " Jenny," Miss Wade ; "Rachel Robinson," Miss Sullivan. The farce is m capable hands, and is sure to be a decided success. In addition to the above two choruses will be rendered by the children of the Convent School, and Master P. Collins will give one of those recitations for which he is so well known, and which is such a special item at these entertainments. There wbs a dress rehearsal last night, and its success augurs well for tonight. The dressing and staging will be very complete, and as the performers have gone to a lot of trouble and expense, the entertainment will be repeated to-morrow evening. SYNOPSIS OF NEW , ADVERTISEMENTS. Guinness and LeCren— Sell stock at Studholmo yards on Friday. New Zealand f<oan and Mercantile Agency Co.— Sale of stock at Studhnltne on Friday, R. R. Taylor-Details of varied stock of wines, ( r»irits, liqueurs, tea, etc. (jJUjoat— Gold bangle ; reward on return to this office. •Mr Goocb and family— Personal notice. - J. Wilson, AUandale— Wants camp cook. O. E. Hugo -Lectures to-morrow evening. Floral Society— Exhibition Friday and Saturday entries due Thursday evening. Wanted— One notice.