Local and General Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XIII, Issue 636, 29 May 1880, Page 2

Local and General Intelligence.

The Tuapeka Hospital last evening contained twenty-one patients— viz., sixteen males (in* eluding one Chinaman) and five females. Thk Crookston settlers have resolved, in public meeting, to ask ,a vote from Tuapeka County Council to construct the maiu road from Crookston to Tapanui. Intimation is given in the" Gazette " that Letters of Naturalisation have been issued in favor of Sam Yick Mong, storekeeper, Tuapeka ; and Wilhelm Braun, dairyman, DunstanFlat. The Rev. Mr Menzies desires us to acknowledge, on his behalf, receipt of £7, being the net result of the entertainment held at Tuapeka Mouth, on the 21st inst., in aid of the former teacher, Mr D. M. Scott. Mr Patrick White, of Tuapeka Plat, is engaged 'in the construction of a wagonette for Mr Thomas Monaghan. Blue gum and kauri timber are the principal materials used, and from all appearances, the machine will be a strong and useful one. At the Tapanui races on Monday the Birthday Handicap was won by Mr D. Corsan's Merrybird, Atlantic second, and Captain Douglas third. In the Hurdle Race Sultan was first, Toryboy second. Mountain Boy 1 carried off the Novel Race. The weather was fine, but the attendance small. The Beaumont Station, the property of P. C. Neill, Esq., consisting of 70,000 acres leasehold, with 20,000 sheep, sundry horses and cattle, and all plant and improvements, has been sold by Messrs Maclean Brothers, Auctioneer*, Dunedin, to Alexander Brown, Esq., Green Island. The price is not stated. To intending tourists and to valetudinarians in search of health (says the "Lyttleton Times ' ) a record of the sojourning and travels of Royal Commissions would be an invaluable 'guide to pleasant places. Whenever there is a good hotel, and nice society, or picturesque scenery, there two or three Commissioners are sure to be gathered together. A great many calculations have been made recently respecting the debt of New Zealand, and it may be interesting (says the " Star ") to try another way in which to look at it. A few. figures shew that every morning the colonists of New Zealand rise out of their beds, Sundays included, they have to pay to the English capitalist £4,153 18s ljd for interest on the Colonial debt, which interest now amounts to £1,516,176 per annum. The jury empannelled to inquire into the origin of the fire at Milton Courthouse, before Mr Carew, District Coroner, returned a verdict to the effect that there was no evidence to shew how it originated. They added a rider to the effect that if the bailiff of the Court (Hughes) had exercised some presence of mind, on the discovery of the fire, a large portion of the contents of the building would have been saved. A parcel of stone from the Conroy's reef near Alexandra has been crushed at the works of Messrs Kincaid, M'Queen, and Co., Dunedin, with their small battery of stampers. The stone yielded equal to nearly 3|oz. to the ton. The richness of this reef is well-known to the district. The prospectors, Messrs Bennet and party, have spent a large sum of money prospecting the reef, and have now about 100 tons of stone to grass ready for crushing. Steps are being taken by the County Council to open up the old road at the Big Hill, so that teamsters may have the option of taking either the old or new road. The new road is in a deplorable state— axle deep in mud. Of course nothing else could be expected of it, seeing it has neither been pitched nor gravelled. The Council has been somewhat remiss in its duty in regard to this road. The sum required to open up the old road would have gone far to make the new one passable during the winter months had it been expended at the proper time. The influx of Chinese into the gold and tin mining district of Tasmania is exciting alarm, and it has been suggested that reatructive measures should be adopted, There are from 3000 to 3000 Celestials scattered over the mines, and in some instances European miners have been discharged in order to make room for them. One case is mentioned in which a company have let their mine on tribute to a party of 70 Chinese, and the 40 Europeans previously employed have had to go elsewhere, Writing to one of the papers on the subject, a correspondent says that if something is not done at once Tasmanians will "in a few years find to their sorrow that their little island is full of pigtails and half-castes." A MEETING of ratepayers of the Tuapeka Road Board district, called by advertisement, was held in the Borough Council Chambers, Lawrence on Thursday. Present— Messrs A. Fraser, M.C.C. (chair), Walker, French, and Brunton. Mr Walker proposed— ' That the road shewn on the plan produced should be closed." It is the line of road from the south boundary of block V , Tuapeka East, through the lands of Mr French and others. The motion was seconded by Mr French and carried.— Mr Brunton moved, and Mr Walker seconded— " That the road be closed leading from the main road through his and Mr Borton's land, block 11., Tuapeka East." Carried.— The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair. The Education Board met in D,unedin on Thursday.— Tlje 8,0a>4 refused tq t{ear several deputations ; and granted the foilqwing §vms for completion of school buildings -.—Manuka Creek, t's, Waitahuna, £6. 105.— They resolved that the application from Macraes for new school teacher's house, and all applications for nev buildings, be deferred till it be known what sum will be at the (Jisposa}. qf the IJducation Board in the current year.— H. Mitchell was appointed head-master at Crookston school, and William Hewston, pupil-teacher at Clyde. —Considerable discussion arose on Mr Fraer s motion for fortnightly meetings of the Board, and some recrimination occurred between the mover and Mr Begg. The motion was lost.— Shand, PrSer and tb.e Chairman fa foe Appointments Committee." Mr B.egg mqve.d as an amendment— 'That the ponjmjttee Re tlje Chairman, and Messrs Ttaiftsay, Elder an 4 Shand." The amendment was earned, anfl Mr Clark gave notice that he would njove the addition of Mr Fraer'a name.

The tdepbouic system, says an Adelaide telegram, ia about 'n be introduced into South Australia, for une throughout the Colony. The English Derby was run on Wednesday. The Stakes were won by the Duke of •Westminster's Beud Or, Robert-the-Devil second, Mask third. Mr M'Donam), Crookston, has tent to the Tapanui Farmers' Club (aavs the " Courier ") a sample of his potatoes. They are described m of extremely large site,- and yielded eleren tont per acre. , Labor in the Longwood is now evidently settling down to a moderate level, says the '; Western Star " (Riverton). The Australasian Co. accepted a tender last Saturday for a 100 ft drive at 5s per foot * A statement is being compiled by order of the Government, and will be presented to Farliamant, showing the comparative extent and value of the endowments, rates, and property of the various municipalities in New Zealand. The Borough Council of Lawrence will meet ■ for the despatch of business on Monday next the 31st inst.— We may note here that on Friday next, being the first Friday of the month of June, the usual weekly meeting of the Warden's Court will not take plaoe. » The monthly gold escort left Lawrence for Duuedin on Thursday afternoon, carrying with them upwards of 4000oz. of gold.' This includes the parcels of the precious metal received at the various halting places between Queenstown and Lawrence. < The tender of our townsman, Mr' A. G. Moore, for the new school at' Blue Spur, was accepted by the Board of Education in Dunedin at their meeting on Thursday.' Ths amount is £593 175. There were eleven tendon M .lodged —Mr S. A. Miller's was £595 l(h; w Messrs Reid and Davis' £597 105. ' The remaining eight ranged from that sum up to £780. About fifteen sections in the pastoral de-ferred-payment districts of Table Hill, Wai* pori, Tuapeka, East Clarendon, and. ,B*nger were put up at auction at the Land* Office, Dunedin on Thursday. Only two sections were sold, and these at the upset price, viz. — Section 16, block XI., Table Hill district, containing about 952 acres, to Mr James 'Philip, 'at t*ie upset price of 20s per -acre; and' section 15, block x., Teviot district, 1528 acres, "ito Mr Robert, Tubman, at the upset price .of 20s per acre. \,~ » • - "We bear many a growl about the,' wretched state of up-country roads, but anyone taking a turn down Tuapeka Flat as far as 1 thVschool* ' house will find that impassable roads are not confined to up-country. So long as the County has to make and maintain close upon seventy miles of main road, the district roads will never receive the attention they require. If Government withdraw the subsidies, it is to be hoped they will take over the arterial roads of the Counties, otherwise it will be a sorry day for the Counties. The winter evening classes in Lawrence, which we have advocated so earnestly and so long, are now an. accomplished fact^ A pre* liminary meeting was held in the 1 old school on Tuesday evening, when eight piipife were entered. The terms are Is per week'to defray expenses. The teachers for the present are the Rev. G. P. Beaumont, M.A. (Church of England), and Mr Stenhouse (Rector) and Mr T. Johnston, second master, of the local High School The class is to meet each Tuesday and Friday. The number enrolled up to last evenwas eleven. The "Tablet" published yesterday, has ft number of well-written editorials on subjects likely to interest the readers of that ably-con* ducted periodical. The subjects are the dignity of labor,— a theme- which is Cntholic; in the broadest sense of the word ; an address br Wendall Phillips on the wrongs of Ireland, delivered in Boston, TJ. S. ; and .other^ matteis of current interest. Roman and Dublin letters and a leader condemnatory of Mr Stout's position at Sir George Grey's Dunedin meeting, in proposing that the Property tax is impolitic, inquisitorial, and unnecessary, are amongst the m >st interesting items of the latest issue of ft periodical, which even its enemies must praise for the excellence of the sub-editing and pub* lishing departments. The "Christi-m Record" for the' current week is to hand. It is unusually full of matter. Amongst the local items -we no.a that the Rev. Geo. B. Inglis has been unani* mously elected miuister of the congregation at Warepa.— The Rev. Mr Niven (Rothesay) is in course of delivering a series of lectures entitled " Social Christianity." This is a field which in hitherto almost unexplored, although we 1 worth exploration. — The Rev. J. Upton Da via deserves the very warmest thanks of the Christian public for his efforts at popularising themes of perpetual importance. — Amongst the religious intelligence may be noted^ with' special approbation the report of a Union Sunday* School annual meeting, which exhibits true Catholicity in its truest form ; the pupil?, comprising Episcopalians, Presbyterians, ana Methodists, all dwelling together in.' unity. Our readers are referred to the " Record" for further information as to its contents. , The monthly meeting of Committee of the Lawrence Athenaeum was held in the chew* room on Thursday evening. Present— J. O» Brown, Esq. (President), in the chair, and Messrs D. Johnston, M'Coy, Roger, Stenhouse, and Tolcber. The minutes of last meeting being confirmed, and the correspondence being dealt with in the usual way, an account due to Deßeer and Co. (Dunedin), for £4 8<» 6d was referred to the Finance Committee. — Resolved — " That the President be authorised to super* vise a transfer of the lease of Dales Flat Reserve, under legal advice."— The Secretary (Mr Love) read the monthly statement, which shewed the membership to date to be 120, of whom six had joined since last meeting. A vote of thanks was recorded to Mr Love for his continued attention to the interests of the institution, and his exertions in procuring additional members.— Satisfaction was also ex* pressed at the gradual diminution of the balance due on the bank account, and after some further routine business, the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the Chairman for presiding. Dunedin, if we may judge by sundry letters which have lately appeared in the newspapers of that city, at present labors under an inflic* tion of the " Shanghai," and the implement in question Ins penetrated to Lawrence. One of the placeß of worship in our township, we are told, had some panes of glass broken a levf days ago, which cost 15s for repairs.— Othey correspondents loudly complain to us of the increasing nuisance at the local Railway Sta* tion, especially on the arrival of the latest train from town. Night after night, wet or dry, the platform is swarmed with boys and half-grown lads, the bulk of whom have no earthly business there, but who shove and push people about with the total absence of manners which, amongst the uneducated, passes for manly independence. A fence should be erected, a warning issued forbidding all to enter the enolosure except on business; and the Policeman (who is always on band but might as well be elsewhere, for all he seems to do or care) should be instructed to clear the platform of the larrikins. Ladies alighting from th« train are frequently pushed and bandied aboufc in a highly unbecoming way. The Mayor and Council, who ought to look after the interests of the burgesses, ought really to take up this and cognate matters, without being continually goaded on by writers or correspondents in the press. ' The ordinary weekly meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held in Dunedin on Wednes* day. Present— J. P. Maitland, Esq. (Chair* man), Messrs Reeves, Bastings, Green, and Clark. The following business of local importance was transacted :— The Chairman, YincA County Council, requested that the southern 35 acres of section 20 and 23, block in., Lauder district be reserved for grayel purposes.— The. Board suggested that the Cquipl" selept a. smaller area, ab,out 1Q or' 43 apreg in each'section, and furnish plans of survey, when the reserve will be recommended. — The Hanger baring repqrted satisfactorily, the following apj plications to lease and purchase sections, under, tjhe deferredrpayinent Bys.tenj were, ajjnroVed j rrTo purchase, John, Lamas, section 4, block viii., Crookston, and John Brown, section 44, block vi., Glenkenich, To lease, George Ranger, section 15, block IX., Green vale, and James Crawford, section 50, block vi., Glenkenich. — The application of Mr •' Thomas Higgs to purchase an acre of section 3, block Xiv., Benger district, for a Pound Bite, was referred, to the District Land Officer to report. •& Ranger Oampbdl rgD Q £te.d fta} the licflMa/qf deferred-payjne.nt sectiqn $2, block ?., Glen : kenioh district, had not occupied the land or fulfilled the conditions, of lease, and recommeuded the ljpetjse,, to, bg pancellod.— Tsn license to be forfeited, and the land re^p^ng^ for application.' " * '