Local Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XI, Issue 751, 27 February 1878, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

The San Francisco mail closes in Dunedin on Thursday morning, at 11.30 ; and in Lawrence this (Wednesday) evening, at 9 o'clock. ' • In reply to " Justitia," who forwards us* a letter referring to the late Presbyterian soiree, we have to inform him that as the • statements he calls in question were made in another journal, we would recommend him to send bis) communication ! to that journal. Hia Honor Judge Harvey will be installed as Provincial Grand-master, S.,C., r vice Mr John Hislop, on the J 15th of March: The ceremony will be .performed at the Masonic Hall, and it will be followed by a banquet a$ the Criterion Hotel, Dunedin. From the last issue of the " Wakatip Mail " WO clip the following :— So far as the harvest has progressed it is amply repaying the husbandmen. The wheat crop will probably average forty bushels to the acre and in numerous cases it is of course much heavier than this— from 50 to 60 bushels. The grain' is plump, hard, and dry, and we hear few complaints of sudden ripening anb shedding of the grain. " ; % "'[/^ .'\ /I We direet"attentiWl;o Mr P. Aitken'B advertisement which, appe^rs.qn the first page of this issue of the Tcapeka Times. From the announcement it, will] be Jearnt th"at ja, every" department of Mr Aitken's extensive drapery ■ establishment new goods of superior description can be obtained. Inspection and comparison ; are invited,

THE following figures show the value of rateable property within the City of Dunedin for the past five years : 1874, £158,531 10s J ! 1875, f £187,089 ; 1876, £209,649 10a ; 1877, £227,034 ; 1878, £249,171. The celebrated racehorse Barwon, belonging to Mr George Coombe, of Milton, while feedin? on Friday last in a small paddock attached to the stables, from some unknown cause (says the "Times"), slipped his near hind foot at the fetlock joint, the bone of the leg protruding quite six inches through the skin. The poor animal was shot shortly after the accident. Mr Coombe seems to have a fatality connected "with his' horses^ as this is the third valuable animal he has lost within three years. An inquest was held by Mr Carew, District on Saturday, on the body of Mrs Kelly, found at the bottom of her well in Fanfax, Tokomairiro. Several witnesses were examined, among them being Mr Kelly, husband of deceased, who deposed that he left home between 2 and 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon. When he 1 returned (about six o'clock) he missed his wife, and, after searching the house unsuccessfully, he went to the well where he saw the body of deceased. By means of a rope he descended the well, which was about 40ft deep, and with assistance brought the body to the surface. Deceased was quite dead at the time. A verdict of " Found drowned " wa3 returned by the jiiry. We are informed that Mr George L. Pratt, who has occupied the responsible position of guard on the Tuapeka railway since it was opened, and has occupied a similar position on the New Zealand railways ever since they were constructed, has sent in his resignation to the department. .As we intimated on a former occasion, Mr Pratt has become the landlord of the Commercial Hotel, and in order to devote his time solely to his business, he has taken the step mentioned. We wish him all the success that he can desire in his new venture. From what we have known of Mr Pratt in his capacity of guard, we should say that he is j admirably suited for the business he has gone ] into. He is affable and obliging, and possessed of the many qualities requisite to make a good host. A public meeting of the settlers of the Heriot Hundred was held in the schoolhouse on Friday, February 22nd, with respect to making arrangements with David M'Kellar, Esq., for a road into the Wooded Hill, the inhabitants of the Hundred wishing to exchange the present surveyed road for a shorter and easier one through Mr M'Kellar's ground. Mr Herbert was called to the chair. Mr M'Kellar was expected to be present at the meeting, but circumstances prevented his attendance. It was proposed and seconded, " That a deputation of three gentlemen be appointed to wait on Mr M'Kellar with respect to making arrangements for the opening up of a road." The following gentlemen were appointed a deputation : — Messrs John Robertson, T. M'Kenzie, and William M'K!ay. There was a large muster of settlers present, and if the road is obtained it will be a great boon to the district. A vote of thanks to the Chairman brought the meeting to a close. Mb Grant (Railway Manager), with the usual desire to accommadate the public, for which he is noted, has kindly agreed, at the request of his Worship the Mayor, to put on a special train from Dunedin for Saturday night, for the convenience of those country residents who will be visiting Dunedin during the races. The train will leave Dunedin at 11 o'clock on Saturday night, arriving in Lawrence about 3in the morning. This will be very convenient to a large number of Tuapeka and Waitahuna people, who will be glad to get to their own homes on Sunday, and yet who desire to see the last of the races. Another advantage will be derived from this train, namely— it will make the census papers more correctly represent the population of the towns and district. There is every probability of a large number of residents going from Lere to see the Dunedin races, who, without the concession of a late train, kindly granted, might be shut up in Dunedin to swell the already overgrown population of that town. We have received a letter from " Committeeman," who mentions that he has been completely "flabbergasted" in the endeavor to master the provisions of the new Education Act. " For the life of me," he says, " I cannot make out whether School Committees have the power to record two or more votes in favor of one candidate, and by that means record nine votes, instead of selecting nine names from the list that will be presented to the various Committees shortly. To speak the truth — the whole truth and nothing but the truth — I am in a complete fog, and to make matters worse, one individual, who has had the good fortune to be nominated for the Board, is perpetually telling me that I should endeavor to get the Committee I have the honor to be associated with to vote for Mr So-&nd-So, and then record the remainder of our votes for him. Undoubtedly that is a very good line for one seeking election; 'but theni" if such a course'is notin accordance with the Act, it follows that we would be showing our stupidity, and ignorance by recording our votes in an illegal manner. Please, Mr Editor, give us your opinion, and then our Committee will be satisfied." — Subsection 2, of Section 13 of th,e Act, reads :— " On or before the last day of February in the same year; the Committee in each district shall send to the Secretary of the Board a list in writing, setting forth the full names of not more than nine of the persons whose names have been publicly notified as aforesaid." This is all we can find in the Act bearing upon the matter. As it states not more than nine, it is evident that cumulative voting does not apply to the election : of members of the Board, and if a Committee votes for any number of candidates less than nine, only one vote will be recorded for each candidate. A meeting' of the Heriot Hundred School Committee was held in the Schoolhouse on Friday, 22nd February. Present : Messrs Edie (in the chair), Robertson, M'Kenzie, M'Kay, .Barron, and M'Carthy. A vote, of thanks was recorded to Mr Mooney for getting the school buildings insured without giving any trouble to, the Committee. A communication was read from Mr M. Fraer, asking the Committee to nominate him as a member of the Education Board. The Secretary was instructed to acknowledge the letter. Messrs Bastings and Fraer were then nominated as members of the Education Board. It was decided to call for tenders for the cleaning of the school — tenders to be lodged by Tuesday, sth March. Resolved—That the Committee, in future, meet on the first Tuesday* in each month. Resolved —That a vote of, £1 be given for prizes to children attending school. A vote of thanks to the chair closed the proceedings. A gloom was cast over the Arrow (so says the" Observer") on Friday morning last when the! news arrived that Mr John' Peter Miller (better known as Peter, Miller) had been found dead on the floor of his hut in Swiper's Gully. It, appeared that Mr Miller waslast^ seen on Friday evening, when he was in this, usual health and spirits. From the appearance ofhis claim he bad continued at workuiitil the afternoon of Thursday, when, it is supposed, feeling unwell, he went to his hut for the purpose of lying down (a% his belt was at the hut door and his clothes partially unfastened) but, being* seized -with a fit of apoplexy, became giddy, striking his head in falling either against the lintel of the door or the table. He must have lain at the least eight hours in an uucoit scious state before death ensued,

Steam was got up on Thursday morning (says the "Herald") at the Milton Pottery Works for the first time under the new proprietory. Clay is being supplied by Messrs Allison, from their land at Southbridge, for pipemaking purposes, operations at present' being confined to this branch of the trade and the manufacture of fire-b: iclcs. We gladly learn that employment will be at once given to half a dozen hands to begin with. Mr R. W. Caj) stick informs us that he has received minute instructions from Bishop Nevill as to tlie course to be adopted in the man -gement of the works in his absence. It is deserving of public notice that at Roxburgh there resides one of those men who, in a 'thrivingnew colony, arefoundto l.c of such great advantage, owing to the ease with which they are able to adapt themselves to the circumstances in which they—for the time— are placed. The gentleman in question, in addition to various other branches of handicraft which he occasionally pursues, has been requested by the Borough Council to make a survey of the Main Road leading through the Municipality, and, although not possessing tho appliances considered indispensible by professional surveyors and engineers, he has undertaken the work,- and this week might have been, observed taking levels with an instrument of a most ingenious construction (which he calls a Kaledoniascope), being three broom handles secured in the form of a tripod, on the top of which he has fixed a piece of wood with a spirit level inserted in it, and at each end of the wood a piece of tin fastened with a small sight hole in each piece ; and in. order to take more accurate levels an ordinary opera glass is sometimes attached to it. The apparatus— like all other inventions of any importance — requires time to properly test and perfect it, as onn of our local business men observed when taking a look through the holes in the tin, he discovered one to be about J of inch higher than the others, so took his penknife and regulated the holes to the one level. Our amateur surveyor (who boasts of experience elsewhere) was somewhat puzzled to ascertain how a piece of road, about 100 yards long and apparently level, should— when looked at through his apparatus— be found to be about 6 feet out of level. After going into the most elaborate calculations and still failing to discover any error 5 his friend of the penknife pointed out that he had forgotten to allow in his measurements for the height of the broom handles forming the legs of the tripod. This is a truly wonderful world — new discoveries are being made every day. Roxburgh may be a noted place before long.