TOWN & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2890, 15 December 1898, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

■♦ Mr Paul Roach, Timaru, farmer, is an applicant for a New Zealand patent for an improved wire fence standard. Notice has been given in the South Australian Assembly of a Bill to allow women to become mayors and town councillors. The protection cf the southern bank of the Orari river from Hewson's road to the south-eastern boundary of Reserve 2488 has been proclaimed a "public work," to be further extended under the authority of the Public Works Act. The most familiar sight in Wai mate just now, says the Times, is that of wagon loads of strawberry crates, full of strawberries, passipg along the streets to the railway station, to be conveyed by the express to Christchurch and Dunedin. The yield of strawberries,, this season Is expected to equal thai of previous years.

Another use has been found for cyanide of potassium, which is so largely used on the northern goldfields. An Auckland chemist applies for a patent for the use of this chemical in the treatment of New Zealand flax. We are informed that a good many tourists are finding their way to Mount Cook Hermitage, and we are glad to hear that Messrs Kerr and Frayne are providing first-rate coach teams, and in this important respect giving every satisfaction. The Hermitage has also been progressively improved till it is now a quite up-to-date hostelry. There was another good house at the Theatre Royal, when the entertainment in aid of the Convent girls' school was repeated. The items of the programme were again very much appreciated, and the performance as a whole was even more successful than on the first evening. We were glad to hear that the financial results were very satisfactory, and that the promoters are well pleased with the success of the eutertainments. Our Home buyer has sent us twolurge cases of white lace curtains, a manufacturer's stock bought at specially low prices. We can now offer curtains worth 4ssrt for2s9d, ss6d for3s9d, 63 6d for 4s 9d, 8s 6d for 6a 6d, 10s 6d for 7s lid ; also, a line of cheap wadded quilts rather out of season, but price will sell them ; cheap rugs, 4s 9d, 5a 6d ; odd pieces of curtains lace 3d, 61. 9d, Is, Is 6d each, and other end of season lines, very cheap.— Penrose's Drapery Establishment.- [Advt.] Mr Gunnion (brother of Mr T. Gunnion ofTemuka), who has been four years in Western Australia, is visiting his friends here just now. He has brought over with him some unusually rich "specimens " of reef gold from the Norseman, which he kindly showed us. They are specially rich specimens, worth perhaps £1000 an ounce to a mine-selling prospector. We had never seen anything like them before for richness. The stone is spotted with pieces that run into pennyweights, and one chip of a few ounces is nearly all gold. At Court yesterday, before Mr C. A. Wray, S M., judgment was given by default in the following cases:— R. S. Reid v. P. Hoare, claim £3 ; same v. E. Wilson, £1 Bs«t3d; Same v. E. Dunn, £5 6s ; Talbot v. Hayward, £5 17s6d; Harris v. Blair, £2 18s 7d ; same v. Grant, £3 163 3d ; same v. Gibson, £10 14s sd; Cooper v. Powell, £6 55; Macintosh v. Allßopp, £7 178 6d. In the case R. Macdonaldv. Bell, claim £1, Mr Raymond explained that as the plaintiff was not present the^arties had agreed to aßk for a week's adjournment. His Worship granted the application. The United Sports in aid of the pavilion fund which take place at the Geraldine Domain to-morrow will no doubt be largely attended. The pavilion will be formally; opened by Mr F. R. Flatman, M.H.R,, in the presence of members of various local bodies, and a splendid sports programme will be gone through, consisting of running, wrestling, bicycling, and other events, all of which have filled up extremely well as regards entries. Some of the best cycle riders will be present from Christen ureh, Ashburton, Timaru, and other places. At night a concert will be held in the Volunteer Hall, to be followed by a dance. The Wellington fire brigade consists of forty men, with two stations, maintained by the municipality at a cost of over £1800 a year. The men are paid— twenty-three at £12 a year, the officers £20 and £30, and the superintendent, who livea at a station, £225. Twelve men live at the stations. The plant is not by any means adequate to the requirements of the city. It consists of two hose reels and a couple of wagons for taking the men and gear to fires. They have a small fire escape and several common ladders, none of which are capable of being used effectively at afire in a tall building. The alarm system is very defective ; the brigade depends, to a large extent, upon telephone messages. The members of the brigade are of a good stamp, brave, active and willing, but they are handicapped for want of proper appliances, and as the captain of the brigade has said, some day they will have to stand by powerless and watch Bome of the finest buildings in Wellington destroyed for want of a little additional water pressure, and more modern plant generally. The Comaiittee of the South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club held a meeting on Tuesday, and decided to hold an afternoon's sports meeting on the Thursday before entries close for the New Zealand Championship* Meeting— that is either on the 19th or 26th of January. The championship meeting, which is held under the auspices of the New Zealand Amateur Athlectic Association, takes place in Dunedin this year on the 4th February, and it is pleasing to know that should the afternoon's sports meeting the B.U.A. A.C. intends holding prove successful, the club will be represented by a team of athletes at the championships. As it is some considerable *&ime since the local Athletic Club was represented at the principal athletic meeting of the year, we trust that the members will respond to the invitation the club has made, and make the meeting a decided success. The actual team will be chosen by the Committee on the day of the sports meeting, and in the meantime several memberß have been asked and signified their intention of training for special events. The Colonial Inventor for the month has a leading article on the scheme for providing Chriatchurch with electricity for light and power purposes. The editor concludes that there is not enough demand for electric power to justify the undertaking at present. An interesting article is given oa InvercargUl's water supply, with photo of the handsome water-tower. Of interest to the general reader is a reproduqtion, with illustrations, from Pearson's, of an article on liquid air, by a very successful laboratory experimenter, Mr C. E. Tippler, an American who has devised a simple plant for the production of this marvel, and even with his experimental plant can turn out 30 to 40 gallons a day. He suggests that such apparatus as he uses would be very useful in hotels and other places for providing cool air. (He Bhould give up experimenting then, and start a factory of such machines.) Of local interest are figures and short descriptions of Californian harvesters, cutting, threshing and bagging a swathe of 28ft, anil mention is made of another cutting 52ft.* There are a good many of these giant harvesters at work by horse power, teams of 30 to 40 horses being employed. The Inventor contains also a number of lesser selected items. A meeting of the committee of the Timaru Floral Society was held last evening. Mr F. Smith presided, and there was a good attendance. The judges for the villa and cottage gardens presented a preliminary report which was adopted. The judges were accorded the thanks of the committee for their very instructive and exhaustive report. Mr Orwin reported thatsCaptain Bowling of the ship Invercargill had kindly consented to loan a number of flags for hall decoration. Thanks were accorded for his kind offer. A number of gifts were handed in. The entertainment committee reported that the following items would be perfoimed by the children of the various schools : — Skipping rope song, flower girls march, floral hoop drill, etc. At 8.30 on Friday the award of prizes of the judges in villa and cottage gardens and for the dinner table floral decoration will be declared. Final details of arrangements by the several committees were made. The chairman thanked the members for such a full attendance, and for the very great energy all had displayed in endeavouring to make the exhibition an unprecedented success. The committee meet at the Garrison Drill Shed at 6 p.m. this evening to receive entries for the show and make the final arrangements.

We learn that the ease Official Assignee of Douglas v. A. H. Anderson, has been settled by the withdrawal of the appeal by Mr Anderson against the judgment of His Honour Judge Ward, delivered on the 13th day of July last, and the payment to Messrs Perry, Pfrry and Kinnerney on behalf of the Official Assignee, of the sum of £155, Mr Anderson also undertaking not to prove against the estate. The adjourned meeting of the canvassing committee re the visit of the Battalion Band to Dunedin was held in the Council Chambers last evening. Mr J. S. Keith presided, an apology being sent by Mr Grandi. The hon. treasurer reported that £20 had been received up to date, among the contributors being Begg <fe Co.. Mr E. Elworthy, and Mr J. Bnrrie £1 Is each, a Friend £1, Major Jowsey, and Messrs A. Moore, T. Thomson 10a each Licensed Victuallers'Association £5 ss ; small amounts totalling £2 15s. It was proposed and carried that the town be canvassed by Lieutenants Foden and Mohr and Mr W. Hole. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman. SYNOPSIS OF NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. T. and J. Thomson— List of presentation goods, prices for tailoring, etc J. S. Turiibull— Calls tenders for concrete work. The Mayor of Tiniaru— Declares Friday a pnblie holiday. P. Cairns' dairy— Certificate by Neil Marquis. V.B. J. O; Cowan— Hot weather underclothing for ge»tleraen. Holiday arrangements— Notice by the drapery and clothing firms. Tyrrell, King and Co.— Prices at Stafford street tea warehouse. Wanteds— Five notices.