LOCAL AND GENERAL,

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8247, 21 February 1905, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL,-

• ♦ — ■ .. .-■:.■ The estate of Frederick William Robjohiis, of Napier, lodged for probate, amounts to- £53,777. ' David Berrie, cook of the 'steamer Maiiaroa, was charged at Wellington, to-day, with assaulting a seaman named William Matthews, with a meat cleaver, and was committed for trial. Some of the residents and ratepayers, of New Brighton are dissatisfied with • the Borough Council's decision to abolish The office of foreman of works. Steps are being taken to bring the matter before the Council at^ts next meeting. ' '■;-.. Two Chinamen, at Palmerston North, ' . were charged with offences under the Opium Act. One was iined £20, and the second, against whom there were two charges, was fined £30 in all. The - .Magistrate said he would communicate with, the Department, urging a reduction of the latter amount. The Union Steamship Company, as agent for the Orient Pacific line, haa been advised that the steamers of that line will commence a monthly service from London on March 10, and from Sydney on April 19. The present fort- v nightly services of the company will be discontinued from those dates. A Masonic ceremony, which was expected to be most imposing, and*, also the performance of "The Messiah" / by the ,Choral Society, in _St Matthew's ' new church, Auckland," have been abandoned, Bishop Neligan having intimated that the first ceremony in anunconsecrated church must be ed by a Bishop. At the Christchurch Magnetic Obser- ; vatory the readings at 9.30 a.m. to-day\ -were :— Barometer 30.265, and steady, maximum temperature during thepre- • ceding twenty-four hours bB, minimum during the same period 56.7 ; wet bulb 58.1, dry bulb 56,4, humidity per cent 89, minimum thermometer on the grass 55. Cloud (0-10) 10; The wind i was north-east, and the rainfall Jiad I been .OOlin. . In regard to a sample of potatoes from the Levels Estate sent by the . local Department of Agriculture to, Wellington for analysis, advice has been received from Mr T. W. Kirk, - Government Biologist, that tha tubers were badly attacked by Irisir potato blight, and that the owner of the crop \ has been, sent the necessary, instructions for the proper course^to take in order to save as ..far as possible the remainder of his potato harvest. The following are the chief .Canterbury estates lodged for probate during the month ended February" 18 :--Philip H. B. Luseombe £1275; Maren Jensen, £627; Duncan M'Phedian, £1942; • Ruth /Rastrick, £1521 ; Samuel Sewell, £2298; Joseph H. Kelcher, £2387'; George Barker, £5844;. William Cook, £1126; Patrick Duffy, £1081; John George L. Scott, £1199; Elizabeth Adams, £1079; James Bennett,. £11,486; Jesse Prestige, £3136; Thpmas Menzies, £1149; .'Margaret B. , C. Ddds, £1340 ; Robert Henry Bird4ihg, £8448; Thomas Parke, £8430; and Campbell Brown, £11,068. . * The work being carried out at Trsntham^in' connection with the coming championship riSfe meeting wa» inspected by Lieutenant-Colonel Collins and Captaia Turner on Saturday afterr noon. The mounds for the long-range shooting are being ■constructed, the •' overhead screens in the southern end or „ the trench are being erected, and various minor details are being attended to. The targets are beiag re-scriinmed and papered. The paper is in two sizes (4ft square and 6ft square). The target* can therefore be covered mo/c expedite . ously and in a neater • manner than y heretofore. The paper is dull-coloured, f. and will not be so glaring on tht markers' eyes as that formerly used- • ■ The Government Apiarist, Mr Isaa« \ Hopkins, gave his firsts lecture; as Gov vernmeht expert at Hastings (Hawke s Bay) last ' Thursday] He said- he had „ already visited nineteen apiaries, con- - taming 713 hives. ,At these places i he ..= had seen many defects, and a good deal of mismanagement, j Apiarists made the mistake of trying"lio control too many hives, not realising -that half the number; properly looked after, would give .», mxich moi-e * profitable retnrn. In hisdpinioiij before any action would j pc taken by the GovernTnent in regard to controllincT; and protecting theindustry, the firfcfc duty shoiild be to find out how ; bee-keeping was supported generally in the colony, and how the industry #as carried on." After thaty steps^could.be :t£k«sn' to combat any diseaßO-^er^ ' njfeM be Among the bees, H^badbe^i . ■ .., asked to give, an estimate of tte cost of oarrying on bee-keepmg. \He j ha* worked out an estimate of laying down. plant, purchasing hives, etc., as follows : _lnitiaV expanses- of- .purchasing, • 100 three-storey hives, honey house t etc £145 4s fid. Annual return from 100 hives at 80lb honey per hive, £133 6s Bd. Annual expenditure— Labour, freight, etc., £33 4s 10d; 10 per cent for interest and repairs, £14 11*. L©ating a net profit of £85 .10s lOd, or 17» ; , , lid per .hive. . '■■/., • :: \y •'.■'-■■- i'yO^~i&-t "■■ ' : ' '■ •'■ ; -•■-"■ •■■■■,;■ ■"■ ■:' ;/ '*?#s£ ■'■-: •■• ■■■-:/• ■-^■> i v:'. :: ;: :-#J/€i

The members of the Kaikorai Band passed through Christchurch this morning on their return from the Auckland contest. A requisition is being signed in Ashburton- asking the present Mayor, Mr H. Davis, to allow himself to be nomin-' ated for another term. At the Masterton Magistrate's Court ♦o-day Peter Jackson was fined £5, in default one month's imprisonment, for having liquor in his. possession during the currency of a prohibition order. "My experience of men who leave $his colony to escape the payment of • maintenance orders," said ji solicitor »t the Magistrate's Court this morning, " is that they very soon return to look for work." ♦ ,' Many large drafts of sheep have been recently purchased in, the Waitakt district for consignment to Ashburton County. 'A line of 'stove lambs^from this district was purchased by an Ashburton pastoralist 1 at 15s 6d. Af couple of anglers, fishing on the Ashburton River, near the rifle butts, on Saturday, landed catches of nineteen and fifteen trqut respectively. In the first case fly was used, and in the other minnow bait. The following candidates have passed the dental examination :— John Adam, Dunediu ; Sydney Ashton, Wanganui ; Roy Dimant, Invercargiil ; George Graliain, Dunedin; Leonard Horrocks and John Alfred Nelson, . Wellington" ; and Thomas Noel Ussher, Nelson. -* -A Bitting of the Lyttelton Police 1 (Court was held this morning before Mr C. Ferrier, J.P. Two men who had -been arrested for drunkenness on Monday and who made their -first appearance before the Court were convicted : - and discharged with a caution. The weather experienced in Ashburton County during the past few weeks, together with the present condition of wheat, is decidedly unfavourable to stook thresmngy and as a result millers in Ashburton and elsewhere are somewhat chary in dealing with wheat thus harvested. In view of the approaching visit cf the athletes Shrubb and Duffey to ' Christchurch,. /the Pioneer Amateur .. Bicycle and Athletic Club will hold one of its series of evening meetings at Lancaster Park to-day, beginning at 6.30 p.m. A '22oyds handicap and a ■' mile 'handicap will be rim. As a result of the departmental inquiry concerning tlie firing at Ocean . Beach, Dunedin, on January 14, which almost resulted in the trawler Express baing sunk, it has , been decided to disrate Corporal Binclair, of No. 2 Company Garrison Artillery, and. his layer's certificate has been cancelled. The South Canterbury Hospital Board passed a resolution to-day agreeing to support the "Southland Board in an attempt to obtain legislation giving Hospital Boards a first claim, under ordinary circumstances, on accident insurances due to patients. It was mentioned that such' legislation was wanted, .chiefly on account of single men, who can, but will riot pay, and that if the Boards had the power suggested they would riot exercise it when likely to inflict hardship.* . Derry's Private Bajdd will play the following programme on the Rotunda, Sydenham Park, to-morrow evening: — Overture, " Bohemian Girl " (Balfe)" schottische, " Cynthia " (Scholes) j . yalse, "Irene" (L. Raymond); selection, "Faust" (Gounod); piccolo solo, ,- "La Belle France " (Cox), Bandsman Hutton; quadrille, "Merriment" (L. Raymond) ; cake walk, "Princess Pocahontas" (HovtV; march, "Preciosa" . (Devery) ; and " God Save the King." Harvest is now ■•' well advanced in Dromore, and the--yield promises to be above the average; Mr J. Allen is cutting a 117 acre paddock of wheat, •■• which is expected to thresh out thirty •bushels to the acre, a decided advance oil the ten to twenty bushels some years ago,, though not up to the district record of thirty-seven bushels, obtained 'by Mr Jamieson two years ago. The , oat crop is expected to return good results, up to sixt^ and in some^places even seventy, bushels to the acre. Mr J. M'Lachlan, M.H.R. for Ash- ■ burton) has received a communication , from Sir J. G. Ward regretting that > the Railway Department is unable to comply with the request of the Ashburton Borough Council that the latrines at the local railway station should be shifted to some less prominent position than they at present occupy. Sir J. ,G. Ward states that his subordinates report that the condition of the latrines has been much exaggerated, and that the present position is most conrenient. f . . . ToNi number of ladies (says the r"New Zealand. 'Times'?) the visit of the 1905 Australian cricket team 1 to Wellington .will be indissolubly associated with tar. When the seats in • „, front of the grand stand on Saturday filled the asphalt steps that . had been softening in hot sun were occupied by a number of ladies. It was not until they attempted to rise that ;they discovered themselves unable # tdo so without effort, which lifted urr [slabs of the molten asphalt as well aB i the unwilling skirt. More than one > -Jekirt was spoiled in this manner. The recent announcement by fhe Pre- . , j inier that the Government intended to ■ organise scientific prospecting parties to ' v i ascertain the localities where gold would probably be found will bW welcomed by settlers from one end or New Zealand \. to the other, says the " Pelorus Guar- ':'.. dian.'.^ Old residents, who are thorr ;■.-•• . oughly experienced in all kinds of goldTninink, assert that the Wakamarina has only been " scratched "—that there :,., . is fifty times more gold there than was /ever got out. There are reefs there-low-grade, perhaps, but of a character every bit as good as i;eefs that in other • parts of the colony are paying good dividends. ■-, Some interesting evidence was given by Dr Fox. at the Supreme Court to- 1 day concerning the final result of neivous affections arising from accident. The case before the Court was that of » man who had been said by Dr Thaler to have had his nervous sys•tem.so injured that a successful issue „ 'to his claim for £500 damages would .not necessarily restore him to health. , Dr Fox said that he was decidedly of # opinion that the end of the litigation would have a. marked effect on the plaintiff's health. "But>" said «oungel for the plaintiff, "is riot the latest authority opposed to your view?" ! .(j don't know what authority you are quoting}" replied the witness, " but £ can give you the results of experience. I had an opportunity of following, up some of th« cases in the Rakaia .railway accident." At this point'counsel interrupted the witness, saying that the Rakaia accident would not help the case, but His Honor interposed, explaining that he would like to hear something about the Rakaia compensation cases, which had interested i-im greatly. "I managed to follow up most of the 'cases,'' said the witness, "having had to deal with the patients' .when /hey were brought to CHrist- •■' ■ -'efcnrch after ■. the accident. I have lound that only one case resulted in permanent injury. The others all got •veriiheir nervous trouWes asioaaaa their claims were setfclea. The jjlaihtiff in one case involving a very large claim was carried into Court on a ; stretcher, and ten days after the verdict was given left w on a. trip to Sydney. MyJ experience of rierv.e troubles/ concluded Dr Fox, "is that litigation tery quickly ends them." His Honor remarked that he was very glad to know that Dr Fox's observations led v to ■xsonclusions similar to those ' he had [held jiinee the hearing of some of the ~- lß»kai* cases.jsisr.'-

Entries for the Wanganui Rifle Association's meeting on Thursday and Friday constitute a record. Marksmen from all parts of the North Island will compete, and the new range at Putiki, recently acquired, 'will be used for the first time. It is understood that an Ashburton man, who was before the Court recently on a charge of sly grog-selling, will be further charged with adulterating liquor. Some of the whisky seized has ; been analysed, and gives evidence of' being a ' : home-made " production, quite innocent of malt, and kuown as the " Ashburton," or " chain lightning," variety. The 12.10 p.m. train from Christchurch to Lyttelton was delayed to-day by a slight mishap in the tunnel. A coupling in the goods train which left Lyttelton at ten minutes to twelve broke in the tunnel, and several of tfie trucks, the rear portion of $he train, rau back down the incline to Lyttelton. In order to ascertain that the line was clear, that no stray truck had been left in the. tunnel, a couple of men were sent from Lyttelton to make an examination. They arrived at Heathcote and reported all clear. The waiting train went through, arriving at Lyttelton at 1.10 p.m. According to a private letter dated February 16, received on Friday in Wanganui, .the people of Raetihi have been, experiencing a perilous time. On the day previous (Wednesday last) the township was surrounded by bush fires, and the inhabitants had to work hard to beat back the flames. "- So serious was the danger that' the people of the settlement considered it necessary to bury all their valuables and documents. One settler up the Valley -Road was burned out. Apparently at the time, the letter was written the fires had somewhat abated, and the worst of the danger was over. The writer, however, stated that neighbouring/ settlements had been similarly endangered.