Local and General Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1022, 8 March 1884, Page 2

Local and General Intelligence.

There were 14 male patients (including one Chinaman) in the Hospital last night.

The rest of the R.M. Court proceedings of Monday last, and some telegraphic items will be found on our fourth page.

A HESOLUTION has been passed by all four licensing Committees in Invercargill that all hotels under their jurisdiction shall be dosed at 10 p.m.

The Education Boaid, at a special meeting held on W ednesday last, resolved to declare the recent election of the Beaumont School Committee null and [void. A fresh election was fixed to take place on Saturday, sth April.

The shaft for the automatic pump in the Otago Company's claim, Blue Spur, is now down, and the tunnel to communicate therewith is also in about 20 feet from the mouth, the distance required being about 115 feet, which is expected to be got through and the pump erected in about three weeks' time.

At the Tapanui races on Thursday, the principal event— viz , the Tapanui Handicap, of 30aov8. — was won by Mr D. H. Mervyn'a Blackboy, with Prospero second, and Warwick third. Eight horses started and a capital race ensued, the finish being very close. Yesterday the Jockey Ulub Handicap (30dovs ) was won by Warwick, Prdspero being second. Roderick named off the Hurdle Race, Cuddy coming in second, and Tui third.

We desire to draw the attention of farmers and others interested, to the notices of the meetings to be held at Tuapeka Hotel am] in the schoolhouse at Tuapeka West on Monday evening next, 10th instant ; also to the meeting to be held the Bame evening in the Tuapeka Hotel to take into consideration the best measures to adopt with the view of getting certain repairs effected on the Tuapeka Flat road, to meet the coming winter. As both questions are of great importance to the farming interests, we expect to see large meetings to discuss the questions fully. Let our farmers bear in mind that in unity strength lies,

The County Clerk has received intimation from the Department of Justbe (Wellington) stating that, in consequence of the ratepayer! of the licensing districts within the County of Tuapeka having failed to elect Licensing Committees, His Excellency the Governor will be advised to appoint the Committees in terms of section 7 of "The Licensing Act, 1881." Some dissatisfaction has been expressed by Connty ratepayers that this alternative should require to be resorted to ; and this is the second year the same course has had to be followed. The ratepayers have not had a chance of hold* ing an election for the lasfc_ two years, as the necessary notice of an election to be held was never published.

The further charges of embezzlement against Joseph Mackay were heard at Geraldine on Wednesday last, when accused was committed f>r trial, bail being allowed— himself in LIOO and two sureties of LSO. The money ac« cused was charged with embezzling was three sums of LI 61 6il, L 2 2s 4d, and LI 12$, respectively, the property of the Government Insurance Department. Accused it would appear, gave his counsel— Dr Foster, who resides at Geraldine -the cold shoulder, and conducted hi; own defence, deluging the propeedings with iry relevant questions, talking against time and narrowly escaping committal for contempt, incarceration being averted through the consideration of the convenience of others. The depositions fill some 25 pages of foolscap, only about one-fourth being pertinent.

A cobbespondent writes :-r" Through your columns, might I bo permitted to remind the member for Waipori Biding in the Tuapeka County Council, of the necessity of "keeping his weather-eye open " at next Friday's sitting of the Council ; for the reason that the Chairman promised the deputation that waited upon the Council lately that teodprs wpuld be palled, afc the March meeting for a further portion of tl)a road Lawrence to Waipori via Bungtown. It is a matter of great importance to the residents of Waipori that this particular piece of roadformation should be completed as early as practicable, and the opportunity of calling fi p tenders during this month should not be ove'looked by the proper authorities. The Chair man of the County Council is a man of his word, and as he has given a promise that tenders will be called for one or two sections of the unlet pnrtiou of the road, it is only necessary for Mr Qotton to remind him that that time has now arrived." We learn from an Auckland exchange that a rock-drill was successfully starred in tfje Cale ; (lonian Low Leyel mine at the Thames a feiy days ago, and from the facility with which if; can be worked.it must form a serviceable adjunct to the company's appliances. Three men are required to work it, while by uninterrupted operations the sandstone can be broken faster than it can be trucked away. The motive power is compressed air, accumulated by machinery, and stored in a reservoir at the surface, whence it is conducted to the scene of operations by iron pipes, and finally to the drilling apparatus by flexible tubing. The drill is secured to an adjustable pillar, which only needs removal when the holes are exploded. A three-feet hole can be prepared for blasting in about five minutes, the " borings " being washed away by means of a continuous jet of water. As many as six or seven charges are exploded simultaneously, thus tearing away a large face of ground. > •

TSb Gabriels Tiulinifs Co. had a very satisfactory wash-up on Saturday last. The " European Mail " says that the country must be prepared for the early retirement of Mr Gladstone iv favor of his friend an&protigi, Lord Har ting ton. As showing the early propensity to crime in the Australian colonies, an instance has lately occurredjOf one boy, aged 11, and two younger boys, scaling 300 sheep and driving them to market. They were overtaken before they disposed of their plunder. At the quarterly meeting of the Lawrence Licensing Committee, held on Wednesday last, when there were present— Messrs Miller (in the chair), Harrop, and Walker— the application of J. N. Storry for permanent transfer of license to Robert Hume, was granted. This was all the business.

The Lake Wanaka correspondent of the Cromwell Argus " writes :— " A resident here caught several rabbits nearly full grown which had tubercules in the liver. * They were caught several miles apart. Another person caught a rabbit in a different direction which was a mass of corruption. The flesh was like sour milk and had a bad odour."

The newly-established Choral Society held its first meetingtfor practice in the Town Hall on Wednesday evening last. There was a very good attendance for a start, the fair sex especially mustering in strong force. After preliminaries hsd been arranged, a start was made by the Society, under the conductorship of Mr Towsey ; Mrs Foster playing the accompaniments. Taking into consideration the various stages of musical advancement of the Society, it made a very creditable debut, and will no doubt ere long be able to report wonderful progress.

THE^election of three candidates to fill the vacancies on the Education Board resulted in the return of Messrs Shand, Macgregor, and Begg. One hundred and fifty School Committees voted, and the numbers polled by the seven candidates seeking election were as follow :— Professor Shand, 120; Rev. Dr Macgregor, 90 ; Mr A. C. Begg, 87 ; Mr W. Elder, 79 ; Mr A. D. Johnston, 49 ; Mr T. Proctor, 12 ; and Mr Griffen, 3. The Oamaru people are said to be jubilant over Dr Macgregor's return. The " Mail " says :— " With Dr Macgregor and Mr Mackenzie on the Board, we shall have at least two members who will be vigilant in the true interests of education, and opposed to bureaucratic rule. With such safeguards, we shall surely be more wisely, justly, aud efficiently served in the future than we have been in the past."

A meeting of the Deep Stream Licensing Committee was held in the Courthouse, Wai?)ri, yesterday afternoon. Present: Messrs illing (Chairmao), Caudwell, Knight, and Cotton. The application of Mr J. Barclay (of the Prince of Wales Hotel) to transfer bis publican's license to Mr James Olive (of StrathTaieri), who had been in possession of a temporary transfer of same, was granted. A further application for permission to transfer the license from the Prince of Wales Hotel, Waipori, to Mr Olive's new premises at Strath' Taieri, was also granted;— With regard to the transference of the midnight license, Constable Green drew the attention of the Committee to the fact that there was no police officer stationed at Strath-Taieri, and as the Chain man objected to the transfer being granted on that ground, Mr Olive said he would waive his right to the midnight license formerly held by the licensee of the Prince of Wales Hotel, as he considered ten o'clock p.m. was a more suitable time to close.— This was all the business.

The farmers in various parts of the country have been holding meetings lately to protest against the recent action of the Dunedin merchants in resolving not to make the usual allowance for grain-bagsi The following resolutions were unanimously carried at a largely-at-tended meeting held at Milton on Thursday evening :— (1) " That in the opinion of this meeting, the resolutions of the grainmerchants of Dunedin are unjust, oppressive, and manifestly unfair, inasmuch as at the present price of grain they retain a profit of 6d on the sack, and that this meeting take steps to solicit the co-operation of other districts in re* sisting the arrangement entered into by the Duaedin merchants." (2) " That ifc is desirable that a conference of farmers residing within the Counties of Bruce, Clutha, Tuapeka, and Taieri should be held, with a view of taking united and combined action to resist the effects of the resolution agreed to by the Dunedin grain-merchants, and that this meeting appoint three delegates to attend the proposed confer ence, and that the grain-merchants be requested to attend."

The weather appears now to have taken a change for the better, and it is to be fervently hoped it will laat for some time, bo as to enable the farmers to carry on the work of harvest, which is now becoming general. The past week or so has been anything but propitious for harvesting, and with the occasional sunshine mixed with the dull, foggy, showery weather that prevailed for a few dayß, wheat in the stook must have run a risk of sprouting. Owing to the lateness of the harvest here, however, very little wheat is yet exposed to the risk. By the beginning of next week, the greater number of settlers will have made a •tart, and should we be favored with only a few weeks of good weather, with the appliances the district can command, a bountiful harvest will be secured, notwithstanding the apparent unpropitiousneaa of the season. On Thursday night we had a touch of pretty keen frost; and snow has also been showing pretty freely on the Ijlue Mountains lately. Yesterday, however, the barometer was as high as 29.1)8— a height not attained since the end of November,

The following jottings are from JE}vans Flat ' —The balk of the crop is ready for cutting. Several of the farmers around here have cut and stooked much of the grain.— The ruts which long proved so formidable to drivers on the Cockleshell road haye of late been somewhat improved. Attention has been bestowed upon this road not before it was needed. But we must learn to be thankful for small mercies. —Landholders are having a bad time of it in these progressive times. The rabbits seem to be more progressive than anything else : One ■ettlerjnforms me that he spent £2 on poison, paid a" man to lay it on his ground, built a hut costing £15 for the man to live in, and was brought before the Court for neglecting to take measures to clear his ground to the satisfaction of the inspectors (cost of defence £3) and fined. He has now engaged a man with seventeen dogs, and expects to be fined again shortly in a heavy penalty for second offence. In consideration of the above, he has made up his mind that he will hand over the groaod, for a figure below its original cost, to anyone who will keep down the rabbits.— The district School Com. mittee met on Monday evening. The business transacted was principally of a routine nature. On Tuesday afternoon, the school was closed for one month, as harvest holidays. — The Sabbath School was on Sunday last visited by Mr Inglis (of the Dunedin " Morning Herald.") He gave a short and interesting address to the scholars.

A fabewbll soiree was given to the Rev. Mr Law (who will be taking his departure from this district towards the end of the month) at WaiporJ, on Wednesday evening last, in the local schoolhouse. The spread was prepared by th,e Messrs J^night 8r05... who performed tfieir part very creditably indeed. About 100 people (old and young) partook of the good things pro vided.the tables being presided over by Mrs Cotton, and Misses Lean, Lewis, and Hill, whose smiling faces and happy manners tended to make matters pleasant and agreeable, even to the most exacting. After full justice had been done to the eatables, &c, the room was cleared, and the Rev. Mr Law favored the audience with an address, which was much appreciated. The choir at intervals throughout the evening enlivened the proceedings with selections from " Sankey's Hymns," being ably assisted by Mr 3£err on the cornet, aud Miss Cotton on the fiarmonium. Mr E. W. Knight presided, and. at tfte cidob of the adqress," presented Mr Law [on behalf of the Committee) w.ith a purse qf sovereigns, the proceeds of the soiree, wish-, ing him God-speed and a blessing in hiß new sphere of labour. . He also spoke of the many rough journeys Mr Law had had to Waipori, and said he was the only minister who had visited them regularly during the past three years, and had taken an interest in the spiritual welfare of the district. Mr Law acknowledged the presentation " in suitable terms, thanking those present for their expression of ebteem and practical generosity; and after votes of thanks had been passed to the chair, the ladies, and the choir, the meeting closed with the singing of the National Anthem by the choir. A well deserved word of praise is due to Miss Cotton and Miss Lean for the indefatigable efforts displayed by them to make the meeting a success.

The Wetherstones School Committee, at a special meeting held last night, appointed Miss Annie Darton to the vacant position of mistress of that school. The names of thirteen eligible candidates were forwarded by the Education Board to the Committee for consideration. The match which was expected to be played on the local bowling green between the Dunedin and local Clubs, will not take place to 'day, a telegram having been received from the former Club, expressing regret that they could not come to-day, but promising to endeavour to come on the 15th. We (" Cromwell Argus ") have reason to believe that a storm is brewing among members of the Dunedin police force which may burst out any day. A feeling of great dissatisfaction is said to be widespread among the guardiaus of the peace, and should an enquiry result from recent complaints sent to Wellington, it is not improbable some queer disclosures will be made j not pleasing to those in authority orer the department in Otago. At a meeting of the Hospital Committee last evenin?, when there were present — Messrs Tanton (President), Pilling, Michael, Uren, S. P. Craig, Chalmers, Morrison and Miller, it was resolved that the services of the Hospital servants (excepting the Matron and Wardsman) be dispensed with on their receiving a month's notice ; and applications invited for cook and ward-server, at a salary of L6O and L 52, respectively. — Mr Burnside forwarded plans of doctor's residence for approval. It was decided to leave the matter in the hands of a subCommittee to deal with.

Eeferrin& to the rabbit case recently tried iv the Resident Magistrate's Court, Waimate, ! the local correspondent of the " Lyttelton Times " writes : " The great rabbit case, Rees (Inspector) v. the owners of Station Peak, has been the cause of much correspondence in the local papers, and has also excited sheep farmers aod > runholders. The Act says distinctly, ' not takiog steps sufficient in the opinion of the Inspector,' or words to that effect. The InBDector awpre that sufficient steps had not been taken in his opinion, to keep down the rabbits, and he also stated that he was ' horrified ' to Bee them so numerous. The Magistrate, however, dismissed the case, as he considered sufficient steps had been taken. The rabbiter employed on the station, in his evidence, said he worked with ten dogs and could not kill more than seven rabbits a day. In cross-examining the Inspector, it was elicited that Mr Rees was at one time manager of Station Peak, and that he had not taken legal proceedings against the owtietß of adjacent properties, an attempt being evidently made to show that the action wm brought from motives which should not actuate a public official.

A serious accident happened yesterday forenoon, about half-past ten or eleven o'clock, on the top of Wetherstones Hill, Walter Liston (in the employ of Messrs M'Donnell, butchers) being again the victim. It would appear thnt he aud another lad in the employ of Mr Duncan Beaton, Blue Spur, had been riding along Wetheratones Hill, and that by some means Lis ton's horse had bolted, afterwards throwing its rider, and falling and rolling upon him. He was picked up iusensible and conveyed to the Hospital, where his injuries were pronounced to be concussion of tbe brain and firobably internal injuries, the extent of tho atter not being known at the time. No external marks of injury were nhowing, with the exception of a Blight abrasion as of a gravel scratch on the side of the forehead, a little above the right eye. The case is a somewhat dangerous one, but very little can be said as to the ultimate result. The horse of the other boy, Drew, ran over a bank at the time of the accident to Liston, but the rider escaped without injury, we are informed. Liston had just lately got to work again after having been laid up in the Hospital for several months with a broken leg, and seems to be very unfortunate in meeting with accidents.

The work in connection with the sludge channel is now getting on remarkably well. Other eight or ten days, we are informed, will finish Mr P. Ahern's contract of nine chains. A very neat job indeed is being made of the paving of this part of the channel, which extends from the lower boundary to the confluence with the creek which crosses the Beaumont road at Ovens Store. The width of this portion is fourteen feet in the bottom, with eight feet sloping banks of stone. The next portion (Messrs Anderson's contract) above this creek will be ten feet wide, four feet being intended for the ordinary current of water, and six feet for an overflow. The paving is begun in this portion aUo, and will be prosecuted vigorously. As soon as the lower portion has been finished, the work of erecting a bridge to cross the creek from Sim's brickyard will be commenced. A quarry has been discovered be* hind Sim's ; over twenty men, with six drays, are employed ; and all the varieties of the work are being carried on simultaneously by Messrs Anderson, who are pushing ahead vigorously. The second bank of the channel is being formed, and the former hill at Sim's brickyard has now disappeared, operations being now carried on in blasting and removing the lower portion, which is a pretty tough rock to contend with. Messrs Whelan and Peason are also getting on well with the formation of the training dyke and excavation for Wetherstones Creek as far as the junction of the Hospital Creek.