Local and General Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVI, Issue 954, 11 July 1883, Page 2

Local and General Intelligence.

Our correspondent informs us that there were 78 children on the attendance-roll of Moa Flat school on 30th June'

Wb understand that " Messrs Buchanan and Dewar intend to start their contract of the sludge channel formation this morning.

The Court, which was to have been held on Monday last, for the purpose of hearing the claims and objections of voters to the Countyroll was adjourned till to-morrow.

Our Dunedin letter, which is published in the supplement, contains some particulars of the late dreadful case of murder and suicide in Moray Place last Friday evening.

Work is progressing very satisfactorily in the Victory mine, Waipori, which now gives promise of turning out well. A number of additional hands have been engaged by the company.

We are given to understand that Mr Logan (Inspector of Telegraphs) will visit this district in a few days for the purpose of reporting to Government upon the advisability or otherwise of placing Waipori in telephonic communication with Lawrence.

The Wetherstones Cement Goldmining Com pany washed-up on Monday last. The result was fairly satisfactory, but hardly up to the previous wash-up, there being now fewer men at work in the claim, and consequently less stuff was put through the battery.

. Messrs Joyce and Pabtt are getting ou with their contract of the formation of part of the sludge channel. The work of excavation will be well-nigh finished this week, when the work of carting the stone and building the walls of the channel will commence. A toono man named George Mackie, from Greenfield Station, was admitted into the Hos< pital on Sunday last, suffering from a serious injury t<> the abdominal region, caused by a kick fruin a horse ou Friday last. Mackie had been passing behind the horse, which was standing in an open stable, when he received the kick. An inquest will be held to-morrow at Waita> huua, touching the origin of the late fire at the Extended Co's battery shed there. Mr John Moen writes us, stating that it was on the Tuesday prior to the fire occurring that he was in the shed, and contradicts the statement that the doors were unlocked when he left the shed. • The dredge Excelsior (Henderson and party's) which was lately removed from the Beaumont to M'Cunn's beach, is reported to be doing very well at present. It is gratifying to hear that the party, after a run of ill-luck, are now earning good wages. A share in this dredge is in the market, and would certainly prove a firstrate investment to a workinsman.

A nasty accident, which might have terminated fatally, happened' last Monday afternoon to Mr James Pitchers, merchant, of Roxburgh. Whilst returning home from Banger Burn, the horse he was riding suddenly fell, and rolled over him, dislocating: his shoulder and bruising his body. Dr Maclachlan, who se skilful services were promptly secured, reduced the dislocation, and the patient is now making fair progress towards recovery.

Amongst the smartest instances of newspaper work in this Colony is one which occurred lately at the " Star " office, Dunedin, on the evening of the late dreadful tragedy. Mr Albert Cohen (of the reporting staff) was in the Supreme Court on that evening, when at about a quarter to 7 o'clock, hearing that something dreadful had happened outside, he rushed to the scene of the tragedy, gathered his information, waß in the " Star " office at a quarter past 7, and in less than half-an-hour lengthy extras, giving details of the shocking murder and suicide, were circulated throughout the town.

An ordinary meeting of the Lawrence Branch of the Otago Educational Institute was held in the High School on Saturday last. Present : Messrs Anderson (Chairman), Macandrew, Neill, and Bryant. A letter from the Secretary of the Banks Peninsula Teachers' Association re pension-fund was read to the meeting ', and received.— The Secretary was instructed to reply on ' behalf of those present, expressing sympathy with the object, and offeriug their hearty support to the movement. — Mr Anderson promised to read his paper at next meetng. —A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings. A SHALL matter we should wish to direct the attention of the County Council to is the state of disrepair of a part of the bridge crossing Gabriels Creek. The hand-rails at the far side have got worn off, and the descent from the bridge being pretty steep, pedestrians experience some trepidation in descending without these supports, especially when the boards are rendered slippery with, frost or otherwise ; and they run a certain amount of ri3k to their ' limbs. If a few 'batons were put on as steps and the hand-rails replaced, those travelling this road on foot would travel with more confidence, and would feel grateful for the improvement. A meeting of the Beaumont Church Committee was held last Friday evening. There were present— Messrs Henderson (in the chair), Maiu, Stevenson, M'KeDzie (Treasurer) and Cowan (Secretary).— The meeting was held for the purpose of settling up the accounts for the past quarter. The following items appeared on the balance-sheet— viz., Church door collections, £4 17* 7<i ; sustentatwa fund, £6 7s 6d —total, £11 53. The^local expenditure for the quarter amounted to £1 15h, thus leaving a credit balance of £9 10a Id.— Mr D. M'Kenzie was appointed to represent' the Committee at the half-yearly 'meeting of the Church Extension Mission, to be held at Mr Taylor's residence, Tuapeka West, on Friday evening. A meeting of shareholders in the Caledonian Prospecting Co., Blue Spur, was held in Beaton's Hotel on Monday evening ; Mr John Robertson in the chair. After the business of the meeting had been fully explained, it was resolved to hold a similar meeting on the following Monday evening to consider the advisability of winding-up the affairs of the Company. It was stated that the Compauy's tunnel was in a distance of 170 feet ; that the ground all along had proved very hard ; and that the cost of driving had averaged about 10s per foot. Many of the shareholders were inclined to the belief that, if operations could be carried on for an additional 50 or 100 feet, the Company would probably drop upon stone that would give a handsome yield.

A PETrtTON is being largely signed on Millar's Flat, praying Government to proclaim the road from Beaumont to Millers Flat, on the east side iif river, a main road.

George Moran, who was charged at the Supreme Court sittings on a second indictment wUh having set fire to a house at Roslyn, has been acquitted, the jury having returned a ver* diet of "not guilty."

The day-labourers employed under the snper* vision of Mr John Young are making good pro* gress with the completion of Casey's contract on the road along the east bank of Clutha from Beaumont to Millars Flat. Oub travelling reporter informs us that the main road as far as the Beaumont is in a wretched state, caused no doubt by the heavy traffic and the late rains. From the Beau, mont to Raes Junction it is in very fair order j but from Raes Junction to Evans Pinch, it is very bad indeed. From the Pinch to Roxburgh, it is, however, in very passable order. Skvibal lobby rumours in circulation on Monday in Wellington are reported by the "Daily Times" correspondent. One is that Mr Oliver is to go Home to take the position of Agent-general; another that Mr Johnston, Minister of Public Works, will go to England after the session, and hold the appointment temporarily until Mr Oliver is free to take it ; and a third that Mr J. C. Richmond will take the portfolio of Native Minister while Mr Bryce goes Home to prosecute Mr Rusden.

It is rather to be regretted that the honour intended to be conferred upon certain deserving persons for their services in aid of the Hospital (at the meeting on Friday evening last) should turn out to be of no effect. No doubt the Committee meant well, but theycould'nt confer such an honour a non hdbente poUstatem, The Tuapeka Goldfields Hospital rules dis. tinctly state : " Every person who .shall have contributed, or shall hereinafter contribute, £10 sterling or more in one sum, and every other person elected at a general meeting of contributors, at the recommendation of the Committee of Management, in consideration of special services rendered to the institution,^ shall be a Life Governor of the insiituMon, and shall be entitled to the same rights as an annual contributor of £2 sterling." It id thus evident that the resolutions arrived at ou Fri day evening last can only rank as recommendations. We have no doubt, however, that a meeting of subscribers would entertain the recommendations favorably, considering the value of the Services rendered.

At an inquest concerning the death of Alexander Thomas Stuart (son of the Rev. Dr Stuart,) a verdict to the effect that deceased met his death by accidentally swallowing a quantity of cyanide of potassium was returned. Deceased's father gave evidence to the effect that deceased, who was 27 years of ag«>, a native of Northumberland, England, and a surveyor by occupation, had made up his mind to go to New South Wales, and was in good spirits on the night previous to his being fnund dead. He had been Buffering from congestion of the lunes, but was memlin^ very quickly. Dr Millen Coughrrey said deceased had told him his toii r :ue and throat were sore, and said he wan Skin.; Wax, Witness made a. pott mortem examination and found such a quantity of cyanide of potassium in the stomach as would cause death. In deceased's room, witness found phials of borax and cyanide of potassium, which were exactly alike, and he had no doubt that deceased in taking his medicine had made a mistake with the bottles.

A public meeting was held in the Athenaum, Waitahuna Gully, on the 7th instant, for the purpose of electing a new Committee and -to hear report for the past twelve months. Mr Ferris was called to 'the chair.— The minutes of former public meeting were read and confirmed. —The Secretary was requested to read the balanceisheet, of which the following are the totals:— To balance June 30th, 1882, £36 17s lOd ; receipts from that date to June 30th, 1883, £73 15) Id ; disbursements for same period, £34 6s 6d : Credit balance £76 6s sd, of which £75 9s 2d was in bank and 17s 3d in the hands of the Treasurer.— lt was proposed and seconded that the balance-sheet be received and adopted as read. Carried.— The following gentlemen were elected as a Committee for the ensuing twelve months, three to form a quorum — viz., Messrs Ferris, Han sen, Johnson, Nass, Bjomgaard, Fuldseth and Borthwick. — A vote of thanks to the chair closed the meeeiog. — A meeting of Committee was held the same evening, when the following officers were elected— Mr Ferris, Chairman ; Mr Hansen, Treasurer ; and Mr Borthwick, Secretary. Messrs Nass and Fuldseth were elected auditors : books to be audited quarterly. , A special meeting of the Roxburgh School Committee was held in Mr Burton's office on Monday evening. The following members were present— Messrs Hough ton (Chairman), Burton, Hiscock, Burgess, Michell, and Smith (Secretary).— The Chairman said the meeting had been convened for the purpose of making definite arrangements for holding the gift auction on behalf of the school funds, which takes place in the Athenaeum on Thursday (to* morrow).— lt was intimated that the local Brass Band had volunteered their services for the occasion. — Some discussion arose as to the advisability of having a refreshment-stall on the premises in connection with the bazaar. Mr Burton stated that Mrs Andrew and Miss Oudaille had expressed their willingness to superintend the tables in the event of a stall for refreshments being arranged. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Smith, seconded by Mr Hiscock, that a refreshment-stall be provided.— The bazaar (comprising a miscellaneous issortment of goods of all descriptions, in addition to live stock and farm-produce) will open on Thursday morning and be continued throughout the afternoon ; and in the evening, all articles remaining unsold will be submitted to auction by Mr Burton. The Committee expect to net about £40 by the concern, 'as little or no expense has been incurred. The Committee meet again this evening to complete arrangements.

The representatives of the Skeleton Army, William Riordan, Adolphus Cuins, John Craigh, and William Beath, who had 4i|ffi ringleaders in an attack upon a " Salvation m Army Captain " in Dunedin on Sunday evening last, were charged at the Police Court on the following morning with attempting to provoke a breach of the peace in Moray Place, Dnnediu. It was stated at the trial that 1,500 people blocked the street at the time of the row, bo that it was impossible for anyone to pass. The accused acted as ringleaders, and when th« P>lice interfered there were cries of " Who stole the ducks " and " Let us go for the Police." The Police had to get out their batons to keep the larrikins back. " Captain Wright," of the Salvation Army, had to be escorted home on 'account of the threatening attitude of the crowd towards him. Mr Fiichett, who defended one of the prisoners, said that the Salvation Army were responsible for what took place. He would prove that yesterday a captain offered to fight half-a-dozen people, and thai a lad was thrown down the stairs of the Temperance Hall by him. Riordan, who it appears is not unknown to the Police' having been previously convicted, was sentenced to the full penalty under the Vagrant Act— £lo or six months' imprisonment, with hard labour ; Cuiss and Craigh were ' each amerced in the Bum of £5, or, in default,. six weeks' imprisonment ; and Be&th (who" was thought to have been not so bad as the others) was sentenced to pay a fine of £2 10s, or suffer one month's imprisonment.

It is satisfactory to' notice from the report— published in another column — of the meeting of settlers held at Waitahuna on Saturday evening last for the purpose of dealing with the rabbit nuisance question, that such unanimity was displayed, and that there is every likelihood of that district doing its share in keeping down the rabbits. A f ATAL accident from fire-arms is reported as having occurred at Blenheim on Saturday last, a young man named John Smith having, while crowing suddenly in front of his brother, who was trying a gun, received the full contents in hia face, wounding him mortally. It would appear that the father of deceased keeps a tinsmith's shop and had received the gun to repair. The monthly meeting of the Beaumont School Committee was held in the local schoolroom on Saturday evening last ; all the members being present. Mr Snushall occupied the chair. The minutea of the former meeting having been read, were, on the motion of Mr Donaldson, duly confirmed. —An account for erection of shed was passed for payment, after a discussion had taken place upon the items for extras, and an explanation afforded by the contractor, who was present.— A letter was read by the Secretary from Mr Pryde, conveying quarterly allowance ; and after several minor matters had been discussed and disposed of, the Secretary intimated that Mr Bryant had received a quantity of quicks, and it was resolved that the planting of same should be made under the supervision of that gentleman, who was empowered to employ the necessary labour.— The finishing of shed-floor was left to the consideration of the Works Committee.— lt was arranged that the Secretary should prepare by next meeting a financial statement for the information of members. -'A vote of thanks to the Chairman brought the meeting to a close. About sixty persons attended the adjourned annual meeting of the shareholders of the Waitahuna Copper-mining Company (limited) on Monday evening last in Wain's Hotel, Dnnedin. The Directors' report, which was read and received, showed that the wages and expenses incurred at the mine since the annual meeting amounted to £418, and that the tender for putting the rock-drill in order was £152. The arrears of calls at the annual meeting, amounting to £860, had been reduced to £382, and those persons owing had all been proceeded against. It was recommended that a trial shipment of some 60 tons be Bent by the first steamer or Bailing vessel leaving Port Chalmers, the result to be cabled. It was recommended that the number, of men employed at the mine •hould be reduced to a minimum, and that they were to be employed at no other work than getting out ore. The Directors advised the ateady prosecution of the work, as from Professor Ulrich's report there was a likelihood of the mine becoming of considerable value. A motion was made and seconded that the Directors' report be adopted with the alteration that the quantity of ore to be sent Home be 100 tons instead of 50. An occasional correspondent writes :— Last Sunday, after attending morning service at Holy Trinity Church, I walked with a friend as far as Wetherstones, in order to see the working of the Union Sunday School under the superintendence of Mr Niddrie, assisted by several male and female-teachers. The idea is a very excellent one, and is carried out in a very creditable manner ; so creditably as to afford incontestable proof of the possibility of working any combination of sections of the Church in an amicable way. The Superintendent (Mr Niddrie) performs his duties in a truly catholic and unostentatious way, and his efforts are ably seconded by the class teachers. ' At the close of the school classes, a short service was conducted by the Eev. W. Jenner, at which, I was very sorry indeed to observe, was a very sparse audience, composed entirely of women and children. Have the men of Wethersfcones no interest in the truths of revelation? By attending the ministrations of a clergyman, the people would benefit not only themselves but the cause of religion and spiritual unity. Mr Jenner's sermon was entirely catholic and undenominational. It is not my intention to give a precis of the sermon I heard. The people for whom it waß intended should have been present to hear for themselves. The School Committee afford room and fire; the use of the school harmonium given gratis; and if the men do not turn out, their blood is upon their own heads.