TOWN & COUNTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13273, 30 April 1907, Page 4

TOWN & COUNTRY.

The members of the Timaru City Kifle.s , are reminded that, the annual distribution of .prizes takes place this evening at 7.30 in the drill shed. Tha .shooting season opens to-morrow, and sportsmen are reminded that pukaki, kaka, native pigeons, and Paradise ducks* ■ire protected this year. Yesterday Captain Edwin advised as follows : —"Moderate to strong' easterly winds; glass little movement; tides poor; • sea moderate ; probably frost at night." j A conversazione in connection with the . parochial district of Otaio aad Blue Cliffs, will be held in the Library Hall, iSt. Andrews, this evening, at S o'clock, when the election of church-officers Will take place; also t-ho election of. the officers of the ladies' guild. An excellent musical | programme has been arranged, and refreshments will bs_ provided by tho ladies of the parish. The Yen. Archdeacon . Harper will give an address. Mr (I. M. Barr, one of the best known consulting engineers in the colony died at Dunedin on Saturday; aged seventy. Mr Barr came to Dunedin frOm Scotland in 1862 as surveyor -to the Provincial Govern- : inent of Otago.' He was chief engineer of ( tie Public Works 1 Department from 1869 till 1872, and ten years later was appointed I engineer to the Dunedin Harbour Board, occupying that position till 1888, since when he was engaged in private practice in Dunedin. The contents of the South Canterbury Court were brought down to- J. Mill and j Cti.'s store last week ' and are being' re- j turned to the owners, this week. The contents of the Technical School exhibits Trere : sent to the school on Saturday. The ar- ' tides have coma back with -very little breakage, though they were unavoidably packed in a hurry. The walls of the grain lriosk, which was so much admired, have been returned in good order, but- the roof of oats came to pieces on being taken down. Mr P. Kippenberger, a well-known Christchurcli solicitor, .who died on Saturday evening, was a native) bf; Bavaria, Having be-:n born at. Kindenheim in 1858. He was educated at Timaru, and was for some time employed in ■ the "Timaru Herald" of lice. He was articled to Mr J. W. j White, Crown Prosecutor, at Timaru, when \ twenty years of age, and later joined Messrs Joynt and Perceval as common law clerk. After passing his examinations with honours lie was admitted to the bar in 1883. Pour years later lie joined Mr W. Acton-Adams, With whom lie remained till 1800, wheal the firm . Was dissolved, : had been German Consul for Canterbury since 1895. Mr Kippenberger has left a widow and several children. I ... " -'u / A. paragraph in yesterday's issue,, copied j iiom the "Lyttelton Timcis," stated that ( the South Canterbury Court authorities had been surprised to receive from the iExhibi-' ] lion managers fin account for packing and f delivering good.?, almost equal l . :to 'ilia J amount of the prizei : mbney awarded to 'Mm Court. Mr Orbell informs:-us that this is , incorrect. The charges were £lO 'each for receiving arid handling the exhibits inward and outward, or . £2O altogether, arid he paid this under protest in. order to , &et thsJ goods away. As of fact Mi-d-bell did nearly all the work himself ivith liia own paid assistants,- arid it did not cost £lO in each case..- He had tliC stuff . nearly all packed aiid tnicked before the ™ Exhibition :men turned np at all. The I demand was paid under protest-, and he will I claim a refund. 1

Nothing is quite so good in bronchitis and chronic cough as Stearns' Wine. Its delicious taste makes its "regular use a 'pleasure, and it acts as a matchless tonic and body builder. ...

'"Fagged Out."—Tliat feeling of tiredness and utter weariness from which you suffer, shows that you are not so well •as you used to be. You want to sit down and rest, and you feel that everything is "tbo much trouble."' Yo.ur appetite is poor, and you probably have a touch of indigestion. There is no need for you to suffer. There is a remedy within your reach, a remedy which is .safe, sure and certain. That's Baxter's Orange Quinine Wine, the ideal tonic ond nerve food. It feeds che nerves arid gives you freedom from weariness and prostration. One bottle will convince you of its strengthening properties. Price, 2s 6d, only from J. Barter, Prescription Chemist, Theatre Buildings, Timaru. ... - ,

The Empire series of dresses made ta order complete for 50s is offered to Timaru people. this week. It is recommended to all who want the most they can get for ■ . their money; for no- range of bespoke dresses- of equal value to the Empire series iii in sight anywhere else than at Penrose's. Choice, black < ropoline dress complete for 50s. Come and get one of tlia smartest of .brown Venetian cloth dresses, all complete for 50s. C4ood quality dark cardinal all wool coating. This material is pirls finished, which ' is a great consideration, as a costume looks spoilt if spotted by rain; costume complete for sps. One of the neat and useful sorts is a grey .and white check tweed : complete fov 50s. Unshrinkable navy blue line estamene coating, gives every satisfaction for coat and skirt costume, only 50s complete. < Dark green all wool Venetian cloth costume, complete for 60s.—Penrose's Drapery Establishment. —(Advt.

One of the most, important points in. ' buying a motor car is to pick upon one in which you have a good asset or in other words one that you can sell readily and at a good price should you want to sell it after 2 or 3 years use. This has been proved within the last few months to the following owners of Da.Tra.cq and De Dion oars: Simon Mackenzie, Esti., after using his Darracq for nearly eighteen months most successfully, without a hitch had no troucrble in getting an almost new price for his car when- lie decided in buying his magnificient 20/32 p. of same make. R. Allen, Esq., of Cliristchurch, who has just left for Paris, where lie will take delivery of a 30/40 h.n., 6 cylinder Darracq, which he ordered through the local agents, had several buyers for his old 15 Da-rracn which had done years of exceptional <?ood touring work all over the colony. He also got a good cheque for this favourite old Darracq. Andrew Martin, Esq., Who was one of Ilie pioneer motorists of Timaru, and who. used his little 6 h.p.. De Dion for over 3 years was oifered a reasonable good price for it when he decided to buy a large 15 h.p. of same make. This little car can be seen at Skeate', Bockaert, and Co.'s, they defy any engineer to shn-w auy sign of mechanical wear. D. Thomas, Esq., of Ashburton, who used a. second-hand 112 h.p. Darracq for over 27,000 (twenty-seven thousand) miles also had a. ready purchaser for it when he bought a larger Darracq. -This car is now being overhauled and the insnection of it proved that in a Darracq the same as in a De Dion, you have honest value for your money and a good n.srat. Another point to which we would draw the intending purchasers attention: Tf you want +o know the upkeep of a Darracq or a, De Dion, ask the local agents who will prove to you by actual figures, tliev do not employ ignorant agents, who are looking for underhand commissions -and make rash statements, which they could not prove....

The grass was white yesterday looming with a fairly sharp frost—s degrees of frost Mr b'teriefe'ir's thermometer registered.

Tlie quarterly meeting of tly* Timarxi Licensino- Committee- will be* ut the Courthouse on June Ist, at 10.30 a.m.

The annual roe-ting of the chamber of Commerce will be held at the Borough Council Chambers this evening.

A concert will bo given at the new Church of England Sunday School at Waimataitai thi3 evening. A good programme has been arranged, and the proceeds trill be in aid of the building fund.

A promenade concert and sale of work to dispose of the goods left over from the Mounted Rifles' b;zaar will be held in the Assembly Rooms on Thursday afternoon and evening. \

The Hon. Geo. Fowlds has presented to the Auckland Art Gallery the oil painting of his father,, the late Matth°w Fowlds. which was hung in the Art Gallery at the late Exhibition. The picture represents the late Mr Fowlds: in his hundredth year engaged in weaving blankets.

At. the National Mortgage and- Agency Company's Dunedin office on Friday. Mr Thomas Turnbull was presented with a travelling bag and a pair of pipe> bv the staff on the occasion of hi* transfer to Timaru : as assistant auctioneer at the company's branch here.

The retaining wall along the Perth street frontage of St. Mary's Church section is vow about- completed, save for some plastering, and it promises to look Terr well wheiTthe dwarf iron railing is erected upon it. The mason? are busy every day shaping stones for the building. 1

Mr T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., speaking at' Wyndham on the Land Bill, sent his audienceinto roars of laughter in descanting on ancient law-givers, such as Lycurgus and Solon, and the manner in whieh these laws- were? revived or found to be in existence in modern times. "In Rarotonga," said Mr Mackenzie, "no young man and young woman are allowed to walk together of an evening without each carrying a lighted torch. If they do they get six months on road-making, and the reads I walked on at Ranttonga were the finest I ever walked upon."

The>" new reservoir for the borough nf Geraldine, -which was finished yesterday should place the borough beyond all possible chance of a 'water famine in future. The reservoir has a depth of 12 feet- and in- nearly 60 feet in diameter, its holding capacity of 150.000 gallons bringing the total -water storage of the borough up to a ' quarter million, gallons. The waH. which is 8 inches in thickness, is built o£ concrete reinforced with nine half-inch steel wire ropes placed at regular interv;Js and passing through steel standards 6 feet by 2 inches by £ inch, placed 4 feet apart. Altogether the structure is a splendid piece of work reflecting great credit on all who hare had a shire in its construction-

One of the most successful concerns given at the Point was held in the Oddfellows' Hall on Thursday evening, when the Library Committee gave their annual ■entertainment to an appreciative audience. As all the performers were new to the Point, and had a good reputation, the hall was Med with an audience expecting a musical treat, and they were; not disappointed, judging by the way they demanded encores, each - performer having to respond to repeated recalls. At the close of the concert Messrs R. J. McKeown and McKibbin proposed a hearty. vote of thanks to the I performers for giving them such a treat. I The Library Committee wish to specially II thank Mr Chapman for organising the con- ' f cert. .

f A Press Association message says:— j An examination of Invert ax gill Customs figures discloses the- interesting face- that the duty paid on liquors of all descriptions, ! including locally brewed beer, decreased by £2369 in the nine months of no-licer.j?. In general goods other than liquors, a record | year was experienced, the amount collected 1 being mors than £6CCO in excess of that { for the previous year. While admitting \ that these -facts are favourable to the conf tsption that morn merchandise and Jess liquor has been sold under no-license the Temperance Party do not admit- thai- th:- : figures of'"the duty paid in Invercargill are [ «ny criterion of the consumption there, 1 as the duty is paid at Invercargßl for the whole of Southland, which includes three licensed areas, Awarua, Wallace, and pari &f Wakatipu. All the liquor sold by -th? travellers of two InvercargSl wholesale spirit merchants wherever consumed, nn< , the beer manufactured at Gore brewery 4) miles away, pay duty at Invercargill. HeTemperance Party contend that it is en- / fair to judge the consumption for the tosTi from the figures for the- whole area. An Invercargitl no-license advocate states that cbnsiderable misconception exists in nor- ' them towns regarding the amount of liiaor duty collected at Invercargill during ihe nine months preceding no-license, an J the t same period following. He gives fgnrer? • showing a reduction of £2319 in fav>ur of ' the prohibition period. -

A sitting of the Magistrate's Court was held yesterday afternoon before M.- C. A. Wray, S3L, when the young nun Eric Braithwaite appeared for sentence. The Sav. A. E. Axelsen. of the Presbyterian Social Service Association. Duifdin, appeared (it behalf of the accused, whom he had known in Duncdin. Accused was charged on six counts with stealing money and goods of a total value of £-<3 from the levels, and pleaded guilty. The Rev. Axelsen said that the lad hud been beyond the control of his parents for several yeans, but Tie had had him in his own house for about a week and had had no difficulty with' him. The lad had gone to Invercargill, and lacking any restraining influence, had gone back to his old habits, and was there convicted of theft. The young fellow was incapable of looking after himself, and he (Mr x Axelsen) thought the bast thing for him would be to commit him to an industrial school. If the Magistrate would give him permission, he would take accused to his own home in order to- give him another chance. If this proved of no avail, he wonld have to be committed to an industrial school. His Wons-hip said he would be sorry to have to send accused to gaol, but ha was too old to b? committed to an indrstrial school." An Act recently made, however, gave him power to petition the Governor to have him placed in a school. His Worship said ho would impose a sentence of one month's imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to rim concurrently, and would petition the Governor to have him committed to one of the industrial schools. His Worship advised the lad to endeavour to reform, and to leave- the school a better man.

Everyone knows that if corns are neglected. become' more painful and much more difficult to cure. There i* no need to experiment now. no need to doubt the results—if you use Roby Corn Cure. Corns of many" yeans standing have born cured by tin* "marvellous preparation. It acts promptly and painlessly, causing no inconvenience whatever. If you are troubled with corns Baxter's Ruby Corn Cure will completely remove them. One shilling, post free, only from J. Baxter. Chemist, Ximarn. ...

Mr Martin Ttvior has sold a local sportsman a greyhomd pup by Betters Days; — Housegirl.

The Timaw Marine Band will give an open-air in the Alexandra Square rotunda on -Thursday evening at 8 o'clock.

The anitial meeting oi the W aitaki Licensing Committee will be held at \V aimao on .cue 4th. Applications mt'Si. be lodsed wth the clerk on or before May 15 th.

A Paeora. Freezing Works hand, who had to be carted away from me railway station on Saturday afternoon, helplessly intoxicated, was fined 25.. and 2;- cab cab lire.

CaV-e advice huS been received that Miss Lily Ballinger, aged 21 years, a_ daughter of \W Thomas Ballinger, of Wellington, who was touring Europe with her parents, kaddied at Lucerne from typhoid fever.

Tlie skating rn.k was opened for the coning winter on Saturday night, when th-re "ware about 200 present. The floor w;s in socd order, and the skates have all bsn overhauled, and a new stock will rxiveshorilv. so that the needs of every pt:ron will "be suited. The management d?sire; it to be known that season tickets vil' be issued, and that the rink will be open every Thursday and Saturday during tie winter from 7to 10 p.m. East skating is to be strictly prohibited except between 9.45 and 10 'p.m.

The third annual hall and social of the Cricklewood Cricket Club were held in the railwav goods shed on Friday evening last. There "were a large number of guests and the function proved a inost enyojable one. The music of Mr Cooper's band was thoroughly appreciated anc. during the evening several of those present assisted with contributions of songs, i'.c. Mr John Bain as usual proved invaluable as M.C. The catering was successfully carried out by Mr J. O'Bowd, of Fairlie.

The adjourned meeting of the Pleasant Point District High School Committee was held on Friday evening last; when all the members were present. The committee made arrangements to meet, sitbcommi'tss from the. Botrd of Education .to look into the matter of new site, and also appointed a sub-commitec to make arrangements for the annual concert and dance, which i-> to be held on May 24th. The visitor for the ersuing month is Mr Butcher. An account was passed for payment for £1 18s.

There are quite a ntmber of coals on the market, but.'the clairrs of Taratu coal are such as to merit its being used both for household and for steam purposes. Not only does it give a splendid heat, but the proprietors claim thrt its lasting qualities as well as its low price combine to make it the most- fconomiea • coal on the market-. From an advertisement in this issue it will bo seen that- housewives can obtain this finscoal from all coal merchants in Timaru, while country people can get trucks of it sent io the station nearest them. The company guarantee to supply orders promptly, which is often a great convenience.

A meeting of the committee of the Timaru Floral and Horticultural Society was held on Saturday last. The annual report and balance sheel; as prepared by the subcommittee, were laid on the table, and on the motion of Messrs Howard and Wallace were adopted. The balance sheet showed that after all expenses had been paid a good credit balance is carried forward. The Society having now seen its 36th year of tseful work, it is to be hoped that a large nunibfr of intending members and old members will attend the annual meeting on the 15th May, and all those members vdio have any new rules or any new suggestions to bring forward would do well t« let the secretary have them at once so that they can be put forward in proper form at the annual meeting. The usual wte of thanks to the chairman closed the larfc meeting of the old committee

A committee meeting of the Rowing Glut bazaar was held last -evening, the capfein, Mr H. Collins, presiding. The qntsiion of a suitable building centrally sitaated for holding tlio bazaar was. fully discussed, and it was finally decided to hjld it in the Assembly Boom*. It wnarreed that it be opened at 2.30 p.m. on Chnrsday. .Tune 27th. Arrangements were made for forming an orchestra in connection with the clnb, which will give musical item* at the baazar. The secretary stated that there would be ten stall." and that the ladies'; committee were making good process with the work entrusted to th m. la was intended to hold a competition in connection with each stall, particulars of which will be announced shortly. The sale of the art nnion tickets is going off well, and qnifc? a large number of club members are nightlv busy at the boatmaking various articles of woodwork. The club possesses a good number of carpenters'.

Tha Assessment Court for Ashburton (Mr V. # Cx. Day, S.M., chairman), dealt on Friday last with an objection lodged by Mr • John Studholme to the valuation of 1480 acres of Coldstream : Capital value £6570, unimproved £4995, improvements- £750. Mr S?ttidholm° stated the capital valuation was £3134, or £? 2s p?r acre, before 1903, in that y6ar it was raised to £4CQS, or £2 14s per acre which he considered reasonablo and fair. Xow it wns raised to £4 3s per acre. He edmittcd ihafc lie had sold .similar land at still higher prices, but these were special cas;s. and long terms were given. In onf case lie got £163 down out of £2168. in another, £25 out- of £1174. Re had also sold similar land at- a good deal less than th valuation objected to —at £2 10s and £2 15s. He argued that the proper bnsi of valuation was productive value, but the judgs said the Act directed that the bnsirwas to be iho selling prices in the neighbourhood. The Court reduced, the ujiimo proved valuation irom £4995 to £4360.

A mine was sprung on a number of New Plymouth shopkeepers last Thursday morning, by a circular from the Labour Department, notifying that the privilege o; closin" certain shops on Thursdays instead of Saturdays was to be withdrav.ll. '-•Xhu circular was signed: "J. Mackay. Cbici Inspector." It was dated at Wellington on April 21st (Sunday). The edict- on the face of it, only compels factories to give their employees the Saturday half-liolidaj ; but " factories" include, hardware shops i*.' which repairs are carried out. bakehouses, butchers' -shops in which sausage machines are used .and such like. Naturally, Kays the Taranaki "Herald, there \tas con sicLerabk- consternation at this prospect, particularly amoug those who do much trade with" country people on Saturdays. Employers called on one another and compared tluir grievances. At length some one conceived the happy idea of forming a deputation to wait on the Hon. J. Carroll. Native Minister, who happened to be in town, and the Mayor headed a deputatioi. .'of bntchr-rs, bakers, drapers employing 1 divsKmakers. saddkrs. plumbers, coach- ! builder.*. painters, bootmaker:-, ar.d printers, all of whom said they would be injuriously affected by the order if carried out. Mr Carroll said there must be a mistake samewherr—it might- be in an overlapping of the Acts —and he would at or.ee attend to the matter.

The Stipendiary Magistrate was occupied for some tim® yesterday morning in hearing some new aplicaticns tor old age pensions.

For breach of a prohibition order a young man named Milne was lined yester"dav. ° He had been found drinking, m the Queen's Hotel. Defendant offered the excuse that the order was only served; the day before, and lie did ma think he was liable. The Magistrate warned defendant that h 9 had better not make toe same mistake again.

Two new lines of steamers ti'ading to Australia have been announced, one the Alliance S.S. Company, with a steamer once a month from London to Adelaide, _Vlel-

bourne and Sydney, and the other, a combination of ihe Tyser, Germainn Harsa, and German-Australian lines, with a service of a setamer every three months from New York to Australian ports.

An Australian paper says that all reports go to show that wool-packs and corrisacks will continue to be dear. Manufacturers are well booked ahead with orders. Another factor in the situation is thai, although the jute crop last year was a good one, much of the jute was damaged by floods, and a limit was placed on the supply. Large demands are being made for bags for the new Indian grain crops, which are turning out well, and orders from Soul) America .have been very large. The grain traffic to date on the Southland railways this season has been much greater than in the same .period of last year-lowing to the completion of farming operations this year being much earlic-r: The returns for" the period ended April 20th amount to 228,195 (socks, as against 48,761 sacks to the samo date in 1906, or moro than four times the quantity. There has been a considerable demand on rolling stock in consequence, but the exceptional situation has been well met. by the authorities. An affiliation case, Foley v. Houlihan, which is being heard in the Magistrate's Court, bv instalments, was aovanced. a little yesterday, two more witnesses being examined. Mr Raymond for complainant; Mr Alpers for defendant. One, the uncle of the girl, testified that he went to see the defendant at Ids place of employment, a' wool store in town, and asked Jum to marry the girl. Defendant replied that there-: were others concerned ; they . could put him in gaol if they liked, but he would not marry her. Witness denied that he had made other statements, and denied that be was intoxicated when he spoke to defendant. Mr Alpers called a fellowworkman to testify that the previous witness was intoxicated when he called at the store. Tlie case was then further, adjourned for a week to await evidence that was to have been taken at Invercargill yesterday.

The Taranaki County Council lias furnished a, valuable object lesson for oilier public bodies by adopting ferro-concrete a? the material used in the construction of a number of its bridges. At the instance-of the County Engineer. Mr John Skinner, under liir. superintendence, and from plans prepared by him, the Council has already had .erected several bridges of this material, as welT as a number of culverts of eightfeet span. Over the Waiongona 'ja bridge with a 45ft arch has been completed; over the Piakan one with a 30ft- arch; over the Maketehinau and the Werekino -bridges, with. 14ft arches; while others with larger spans are in course of erection. The Manganui bridge has one 60ft an- 1 two 24ft spans; the Oakura has. a 62ft span of ribbed plate, and the new bridge over the Waiwakaiho at Filizroy will have two 60ft. and two 30ft arches. The, bridges which have be-on complete, the Taranaki " Herald" says, have turned out very well, and are cheap and durable as compared with' any £ther material.

At last meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation''Society the depredations of deer on crops in the IRanklelmrn (lapanui) were considered. Mr R- Chisholm said the only remedy was the erection of a deer-proof fence, which would require to be 6ft in height- It was proposed by Ijj executive that if the Government paid half the Society would contribute the other half (about- £400) of the cost of the fence. The executive thought it was policy to spend £4OO with a view to getting £2OO annually from license?. It was stated that there were only two alternatives, either killing the deer" or the erection of a fence. The' executive's recommendation, which was confirmed, rfead—" That the Government be strongly recommended to declare the area in question a deer forest, and that to protect; adjacent settlers on the Clutlui side of t*K' said area a fence bo. erected, the Government, to be asked to contribute -half the cost, the Society and settlers to provide the other half."

The well-known firm of Randrup Bros, may still be found in the same place, but not wish the same machine?. They are just now preparing to receive a large shipment, 1907 models, of Randrup Popular, Centaur, and Premier machines. H would pay yon to drop in for a chafc. ...

Mr Whit taker wishes us to notify our readers that the last- of his indents have arrived, and all the new goods must be sold at cost ns- he in tends to sell out the '-hole of his stock, which is about £2OOO. The goods are well known to be of the verv highest grade, nnd the public, have now the chance of buying them at the lowest possible! prices. Spp, the hirer runs in windows for yourself; inspection invited. ...

SYNOPSIS OF NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. D. Rsid and Co.—Taieri annual hor:;C' -ale, May 2nd. C.F.C.A.—Good ploughman wanted ; sal" of farm. May 25th. Guinness ancl LeCr-en, Ltd.—Geraldine sale, to-morrow. N.M. and A. Coy.—Stud holms .sale, Friday ; Waihao, Wednesday. G. P. Gerrie and Co.—Clearing sale, today ; sale of greyhounds, to-morrow. "C. Jonas and Co. —Clearing sales on Thursday, and Friday; furs on private sale. At Bowie's—Pure goods at low prices. Jaxon—Wants servants of all kinds. Webb'- and Kempthorne—Want to rent 1:017S?. M. J. Knubley—House to let. S.C. Charitable Aid Board —Wimt honfe for elderly man. Taratu coal—.Sold by all merchants. G. Bowker—House to let Timn.ru Harbour Board—Cails tenders' for supplies. L. B. James—Electric liniment for aclie;; and pains. Raymond's Registry—List of. vacancies. Waitaki Licensing Committee —Meets June 4tli, at Waimate. S.C.M.R.—SaIe, of work and concert. May 2nd. Licensing Committee—Quarterly meeting, •June Ist. Waimataitai Sunday School —Concert this evening. J. H. Coomb.-.—String Band open for engagement. Mrs J. Mcßea.th—Wants housekeeper for country. South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce —Annual meeting, this evening. Lost—Cable bangle reward to tinder. Wanteds—-Tv--y no'icfs.

The Acting~Pi'emier has consented to open the new bandroom of the' t>arrison Band on Thursday next.

The open - concrete' drain at. tJxe abattoirs, for the. construction of which the Council recently gave orders, is now. approaching completion. Tlie new drain starts at a spot just- above tihe opening, of the old pipe drain and runs towards the sea southward of tho present drain. Concrete lias been laid for the full length, and the drain is plastered for about three quarters of -..its length so that it will soon be ready for use.

The South Canterbury Woollen Coin'pany have a curio at the mill, which, though it has cost them about £5, is quite unmarketable. The company imported-by the s.s. Waimato the other day a; case-of 500 shuttle "pickers," small articles, : 4-x 3 x 14 inches, made of compressed buffalo hide over a quarter of an inch thick,-'shap-ed and fixed together by means-of numerous iron rivets. Rata got at the articles on the voyage, and destroyed 86 of them by gnawing them. The hide not- quite as hard as horn, but. is., -harder • than most, hard woods, and the marks of the rats' teeth in the, pickers showed bv'their , close lining that found, them a: very, tough sort of "biltong." They hare .even, scored some of ths iron rivets,[as if .there wa ; < not much difference-in' the' feel of. the.'metal and -tlie hide. The goods ..'-we're'"insured.-' but a " vermin" clause saves the insurance company from the loss. The obvious pre : caution against future losses of the kind is a zinc lining' for the packing caec. •