General News.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 21, 19 July 1900, Page 2

General News.

Mr Daakin, ihe returning Victorian delegate, snya that the GovernorGeneral comes out wikh a free hand in the inattsr of selecting a Ftidor.al Premier. His own opinion is chat Mr Barton ia fche most likely candidate. A meeting of the Waiuaate Rifles social committee was held last evening. It was decided to hold the annual social oa Thursday, August 23rd. The secretary was instructed to procure tickets. Lieut. Jackson and Sergt. Mines were appointed a committee to make arrangements for catering and music. This afternoon the Probable First EUren of the Hockey Club will piny the rest of the club. Play will start at 3.30 p.m. sharp and a good muster ia requested. The team to play Aehburton will be picked after this inatuh. In the evening a general meeting of the club will be held in the Church of England Schoolroom and all members are expected to turn up as the business is important. ■Whatever tho cause, it ia singular (obierves the Peat) that during the paat couple of months reports should coaaa to hand of a large* number of whales being found stranded on the west coast of the North Island, or sighfcod ac pea, in a very bad state of decomposition, by passing vessels. The latest report comets from the Zealandia, which passed quite cloae to an enormous whale off the Cavalli Islands, on her way from Sydnoy to Auckland. The carcase had evidently been in the w,aier for a long time. A very pretty wedding took place yesterday, when Miss A. Mehrtens, of of Waituna, became the wife of Mr F. Ratbglen, of Kapua. The Eev. J. Blight officiated at the ceremony, which took place at the residsnee of Mr W. M«yer, step-father of the brida. Thft latter lopjsed charming in a brown dress trimmed with white chiffon, and wore the customary veil and orange blossoms. Misses E. and D. Mehrtens, sisters of tho bride, act«d as bridesmaids and were dressed in blue, whila Mr H. Bafebglen was beat man. After an excellent breakfast, the happy pair drove to Studholme Junction and thence took the train for Dunedin. The exceptionally low price ruling for oats is responsible for a marked falling off in the grain traffic in Southland, farmers holding back for an improvement later in the season. Up to the end of June the number of sacks railed for store and shipment was '448,768, last year's figures for the corresponding period having been 584,026, showing a, decrease this season of * 140,257 Backs. In Maroh '27.000 were railodr April 91,055, May 158,125, and June 172;688, and for. the samo mouths last year the figures were respectively 57,000, 150,312, 181,746, .and 194,»a7, /X ;

Tha Zeabndia Football Club play the roturn match with the Morveu Club on August 2nd. at Waimate. The former olub hold a practice this afternoou, at 2.30, Major Keddell, S.M., has returned to Oatnaru and is expected to preside at Court here this morning, when, among other things, ft ease of a breach of the Borough's by-laws will be heard. Mr Thew, a member ol tho Timaru Harbour Board, has given notice that at next meeting of the Board ha will move that Parliament be asked to include Wainaate Borough in the Tinaaru Harbour District. At a meeting of tho South Canterbury Charitable Aid Board, on Tuesday, it was estimated that out of the £100 required for the Plague Hospital in Timaru, Wainaat© County Council will contribute JSB3 0a Bd, and the Boreugh Council £1 17s 6d. Apropos of the bombardment of tho Taku forts, it is worth noting that Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, Commander of the China, station, and now in charge of the international * land expedition from Tientsin to Pekin, \ took part as a youth in the attack upon the sama forts forty years Ago, ; and recaired tho medal and clasp given with respect to that engagement. : The Postal authorities report that i the Taupo appsais to be breaking up. Her deck cabin, bridge, and bulwarks \ are gone, and the deck load of timber j has broken adrift and broken small pieces of the funnol. The masts are t«tttering and the coal is working out through a break in the hull aft. Tht cc* is hearier than before. 8h« will I be sold by auction. ,j 0, lovely isle, proud Maoriland, i With sky so blu* and landscape* grand, All radiant with tho iummer'» mn, And foliage greon, when winter's gone ; That sseason with its storms and gales Brings coughs and colds, then grief and wails, Unless we do good health asouro By taking "Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. With Saturday's Advertiser will bo given away a pictorial supplement entitled " Heroes of the War." The supplement is a splendid specimen of the prin tor's art, and includes photos of Generals Roberto, Kitchener, ' Buller, French, Whitt, Methuon, B&den powell, Macdonald-, and Colonel Robin. Ordero for extra copies may j be left with Mr Franklin where a specimen copy may be seen. i In * country town recently, tho ; Bulletin is informed, the presumable dov/nfall of tha Boers was celebrated : by burning Krugcr in effigy, the senseless exhibition being allowed by a local parson to take place in tho churchyard, the church bell being solernly tolled the while, as if for a funeral. To tho credit of the townspeople in general, however, they have already * freely expiessed their disgust at tuck miserable foolery. In o letter to the Daily News, Mr A.. G. H&loa says: — "Some of the younger bloods ars thinking of the V.C. they mean to win. For myself, I cannot kelp thinking of the little splash of crimson I hare seen so often on a man's temple, of the strong bony fingers buried knuckle deep iv the soft soil, in the last death dutch, as ths soul has slipped out of she iittl« hols into the centre of the crimson splash, round with the sharp splinters of jagged bone, liko broken noadtopoints, project. Boautiful war, glorious war — a moment of mortal anguish, a hole in ths earth, and a «oul on4t» way to judgement.