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Western Star, Issue 283, 8 February 1879, Page 5

A public meeting will be held at the G-renfc "Western Hotel on Monday,, 10th inat., at 4, p.m., to take into consideration the refusal of the County Council to make bridges over the Aparima or assist the settlers in getting access to the railway.

On Monday last Messrs Stout and Ballanco visited the locsl hospital, and expressed themselves greatly pleased with all they saw. Mr •Baflunce described it as one of the beet arranged asd best managed institutions of its kind in the colony and reflected great credit on the place and on the resident surgeon, Dr Monckton.

A Statutory Meeting' of the Householders of the Gummie's Bush School District was held in the school House on Monday, 27th of January 1879, at 7.30. p.m. to elect seven members of committee for the ensuing year, and to dispose of the report and" balance sheet, for the past year. Thero was not ft very large attendance, Mr William Hopcroft was voted to the chair. The statement of assets and liabilities showed a credit balance of :£l2 Is 3*d. The nmnber of children on the roll, is 47, average attendance between 30 and 35. The want of a sewing mistress has Ion" been felt, and the Committee made application to the Board, for Mrs Ingpen to be appointed, but without success, tko average attendance not being up »o the number required by the rules of the Board, viz. between 50 aud 75. This is rather detrimental to the school. After reading the retiring Committee's report., a number of householtlers were nominated as members of committee, the following being elected, W. Hopcroft, D. Mckay, Capt. Stevens, George Officer, R. McW.illiauis, J. Willis, John Stuart. At a subsequent meeting of new Committee held on 31st, January Cupt. Stevens was unanimously, elected Chairman for ensuing year, and Mr George officer (appointed and Treasurer. ;■ ....:•■.. , ■,,,

The Rev. Mr Evans, agent for the British; and. Foreign Bible Society, will deliver a lecture in tlie Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evening, with a view to stimulate interest in the work of that Society.

A meeting of settlers was held at Mr M'Konzie's house, Limestone Plums, on Thursday .evening, to lake steps to pre rout the flooding of the Waimatuku. Mr W. A. Lyon was voted to the chair. It was suggested that the services of a competent engineer be retained to make a survey of tlie course of the river, with a view to ascertaining the cost of straightening the channel, erect in™ tvmks, &>:. it was-pointed out that the "proposal to"oi.npU>y an. e igineer would- entail a considerable, expenditure before it was ascertained whether the work was within the means of settlers. Jt was therefore resolved : .to. appoint Messrs Lyon, Mollison, ' Lindsay, Tevioidale, Walker, and M'Hardy, a committee to personally «o over the ground and ascertain as near as possible the probable cost of the works. Committee to report at a futuie^ineeting. Honor Solomon, Kershaw' or o'Neil>'was on Saturday last sentenced to three month*' imprisonment in Invercargill gaol for vagrancy. Mr Daniel, J.P., was the presiding justice. An exhibition of a very interesting description to farliirrs will take place on Monday at noon at Mr Vaughau's paddock, near Jacob's Kiver Bridge. On that date the local agents (Messrs Whittingaamßros. and lnstone; aunounco that a trial ot one of W. A. Wood's reaping and binding machines will take place. The machine to be exhibited is one of the largest sizes,- specially built lor the heavy crops to he met with in Southland. The exhibition should Dc of special interest to farmers just now,, as harvest operations wiil very shortly be commenced. Farmers in the old country are generally creditrd • .with being a very cjnserviitive class of men, but whether it is owing to climatic influences, or ttiat they have left behind them the'rooted prejudice against-in-novations iii the mode of agriculture, their-jeora-peers iii the colony are not so slow to recognise ihe advantage of suitable machinery, as is evidenced by large nuniberof these uia•cliiues disposed of in New Zealand..

a gloom has been cast over the town during the week at tlie fatal issue of »n. accident wtiioh happened in her own home to the- wife of Mr John Wilson, late storekeeper,in Kiverton. On Saturday afternoon last Mrs Wilson had occasion to takedown some trilling object from a shelf,'-to reach which she had to stand upon a chair. In coining down she fell off tlie chair and received severe internal injuries. She lay on the floor some considerable time before anyune came to her assistance. On her situation becoming known Dr Monckton was very quickly in attendance, and having ascertained the nature of her injuries lie had very little hope of .her recovery. She lingered ot in great pain until 9 o'clock on Monday evening, when death put.&n end to her suffering. Tae accident evoked the most profound sorrow and sympathy for the bereaved relatives. The funeral took place on Thursday, and was attended by a large concourse of people, the Kev. Mr Ross .officiating, ut the grave, in a most impressive manner. The deceased lady was only 34 years of age, and leaves her husband and a family of eight children to mourn her untimely demise. a^*""

A meeting of the Town Council, was convened yesterday at 3 p.m., to consider a protest lodged by Or. Horr against the legality of the meeting held the previous Tuesday, at which the resignation of Mayor was accepted. The basis of Cr. Horr's protest wa.« that the meeting had not been legally convened, inasmuch a 9 all the councillors did not receive! notice of the meeting. Only Ci's. Danitl and Hoit put in an Appearance at ihe meeting yesterday, and on the suggestion of the former gentleman it was agreed to adjourn .the meeting till Monday evening, the date on which the'usual fortnightly meeting of the Council is to take place. The Key. father Iliggins will celebrate MaSs at St. Columbkille on a.unday, 16th inst.

On Thursday afternoon' last the ° Secretary, to tlie Western District Farmers' .Association, Mr Murchie, took advantage of the presence in town on that day of the President of the Association, Mr W. A. Lyon, to hand over to Mr A. Hall on behalf of his son the silver cup won by the latter at the late ploughing match. The delay in the cup coming to hand arose through a difficulty in getting inscribed oh it the requisite subscription. The rup is a very beautiful one, and ia a trophy of *hich any one might well be proud.

Shareholders in the Wallace Q. M. Company are notified that a'general ineotiug will be held on Wednesday next, at 8 p.m., in the Oddfellows' Hall

A meeting of the Aparima Road Board will be held at the Great Western Hotel at 11 a.m. on Monday. Mr W. Hamlyn is the successful teaderer for contract No. 33,' culvert, formation, and gravelling Riverton and Waimatuku road, at £62 6s; Mr G-. Howell for contract 34, gravelling, &c., on Limestone Plains road, at £IOOO. These works are let by the County Council. The attendance at the Main School during the past seven days has been respectively 205, 207, 210, 213, 218, 221, 224. The number on the roll is 245. The average attendance for last quarter was 179. >

Nomination of candidates for the office of Mayor takes place at .the Courthouse Monday, at noon, and a poll, if necessary, on the following Friday, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., at Mr Roberts' store and the Council Chambers. The election is rendered necessary by the resignation of the present occupant of the civic chair, Mr D. Murchie. An emergency meeting' of the Town Council was held on Tuesday evening. Present—Crs. Mills (cnair), Simpson, Locke, and Young. The meeting was called to consider the resignation of Mayor, and appoint some one to sign debentures, &e. A letter was read from the Mayor tendering his resignation. It was resolved to remit the fine which is within the power of Council to inflict in such cases. Monday next, 10th inst., at the Courthouse, was appointed as the day on which to receive nominations for the office of Mayor, and in the event of an election being necessary, a poll, would be taken on Friday, 14th insl., at Mr Robert's store, South Ward, and the Council Chambers for North Ward. Or. Locke was appointed Returning Officer. Cr. Mills was appointed to sign cheques, &c, until election of Mayor. Intending objectors against either the County Council, Road iioard, or Municipal valuation are reminded that all objections thereto must be left at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Riverton, in writing on or before the 15th day of February, 1879, addresse.l to the Assessment Court, and a copy of every such objection must be left at the office of. the body against whose valuation it is intended to appeal not later, than seven clear days bef»re the next sitting of the said Court.

The Government did not rereive any tenders for the supply of 320 telegraph poles for the extension of the line to Otautau. The Government communicated with Mr T. Daniel with respect to the matter, requesting to be informed of the reason why no tenders had been lodged, and asking his advice as to whether he would recommend, that fresli tenders be called for. Mr Daniel replied that the. difficulty of obtaining tenders lay in the fact that a royalty of 15s per tree had to be 'paid the Waste Lands Board for timber on land not leased to sawmillers, and the saw.mill reserves in the district were strippedof the suitable totara; also that if the (>epuki railway was pushed .on, access would then be given to the vast quantities of magnificent timber with which tho forests on the Orepuki line abounds.

■ The following gentlemen were elected a School Committee for the Otautau School District: — Messrs J?. A. Price, M'lv'or, I). Ferguson, Witherby, J. Mackintosh, senr., Campbell, and Walker. A the first meeting of the new Committee Mr J. Mackintosh was re-elected Chairman, and Mr W. Walker Secretary. The Committee have n6t succeeded in getting any offer for the labour of erecting new school. . . . *. A meeting of the. School Committee was held on Tuesday evening. Tenders for the new school were received froni-Rekl and Soils, >W. Gunn, G. Eo*les, and J?;>rd and Walker. Mr Gunn's tender being the lowest, it was resolved to recommend the Hoard to. accept it. At a subsequent meeiihg held on Thursday' evening, a letter was read from Mr Gunn stating that he had made an error in 1 ' his calculations with respect to his fonder, and asking the Committee either to allow him to withdraw his tender, or amend it by'adding £(>2 to the. amount. The Committee rev solved to recommend that Mr Gunn be allowed to withdraw his tender, and that he be refunded the amount of his deposit. On a ballot being taken, Messrs Lumsden, Fullarton, and M'Arleli had the highest number of rotes for election to a seat, at the Eiluea*ion Board. ?'. . •

According to announcement, Mr W. Mackay, la?t Sunday evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, lectured on " Tlie destitution' of All Tilings." The lecture wus a comprehensive onj, an*i referred particularly to the restoration of tlie Jews to the Holy Land, with Christ in person to sit on the Throne of Israel and the twelve disciples sitting on lesser thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Tlie lecturer referred to the promise made by God to Abraham that Palestine should be given to him as an : inheritance, and contended that promise had not been fulfilled, instanced that when the death of Sarah, Abraham's wife, took place, he had to buy land for the purpose of her burial, and quoted passages from Scripture to show that when. Abraham himself died he owned not so much as he could set his foot upon,. The promise was also given to Isaac and Jacob. As God's promises never failed, the restoration of the Promised Land remained to be fulfilled, and from the signs of the times the date was not fair distant. He spok of the persecution of the Jews as a nation for the' last 1800 years, the destruction of the Teniple according to prophecy, mentioning the historical fact, that since its destruction and up to the present time it had remained a mass of ruins, also to the promise of our Saviour that He would himself build up the tabernacle arid restore the kingdom to Israel when the fullness of the Gentiles had come. The Jews would be restored, hbt on account of themselves, and not as most churches taught v> hen they believed, in the first advent of Bjim that was born in Bethlehem, but in fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham. He referred to the present Premier of Great Britain,.and the prominent positions held by other members of the Jewish'race as an evidence that the way was now being prepared for the restoration. The lecturer went on to say that long before there was any sjgri of the late war hi had in the same place in which be then stood predicted that tiussiu was the orduiried power to crush the Ottoman empire, but that England would step in, and that eventually, under its protectorate, the Jews would return to the Holy Land. This would bo followed by the second advent of Christ simultaneous with the rising of the righteous dead ("Blessed are the dead which did in the Lord, for they shall not see corruption "), the battle of Armageddon, then the Millennium. Speaking of the future punisoient of the. wicked, the lecturer said* that he could find no warrant in the Scripture for the Protectant belief of eternal punishment, or the Romish propaganda of purgatory, and quoted several passages to show that annihilation was the doom pronounced upon the ungodly. The Bible, he maintained, did not refer to Heaven or any other world, but solely to this earth. In conciu.-ion, Mr Mackay asked his hearers not to take anything lie said that evening for granted—it was the great eurse of the present age taking everything for granted—but to test it by the standard of Divine truth.—There was a large attendance, and the lecture was listened to with rapt attention. The householders in the school districts of Flint's Bush, Limestone Plains, an.l Wild Bush failed to elect school eommittees far tho ensuing year.

A . meeting of tiie members of St. Marj's Church will be held4n'>the Church on Tuesday next, 11th inst., at 8 p.m, to elect churchwarden and restry for 1879. : ' ■V6i.hS}

A meeting of the Harbour Board was held on Thursday afternoon, at I he- Council Chamber*. Mr Petchell presided, and Messrs. W.. A. Lyon, Horr, Young, lianiel, and Locke were present. Captain Tall reported that the receipts last month amounted to £43 2s lOd. Tiie Collector stated that certain firms had refused to pay the full amount of dues on goods shipped from the port on the ground that they were transhipments. It was resolved to test the case in Court, and the Collector was empowered to employ a barrister to plead the case. It was also resolved that iu future no goods be allowed to leave the jetty until all dues were paid theron. Eepairs to the jetty house were authorised, and the Secretary was voted £2O for the past nine months' services', the permanent sum to be left to the new Board.

The following gentlemen have been nominated by various school committees as members of the Southland Education Board : —Messrs Lumsden, Hall, Morrison, M'Ar'dell, Wilson, Kinross, Pratt, Eose, Cuthbertson, Altwood, Matheson, Cowan, and Pullarton.

Encouraging prospects still continue to be received from the Longwood. Messrs Garvey und party are reported to have struck the reef near tlie Invercargill Co.'s ground. Messrs Douglas, Port, and Co.'s reef is improving, specimens from which are highly satisfactory. The Eev. C. 'E. Ross, of Anderson's Bay, lata pastor of the Eirjrtori Presbyterian .Church, preached here on Sunday, morning and evening, and at .Flint's Bush in the afternoon. On eacu occasion there were large audiences. It is' the rev. gentleman's intention, w» understand, to remain iri the district for a week or two, during the absence of the Eev. Mr Cameron. Mr Eoss was heartily welcomed by . the members of his late flock, this being his first visit since his departure from Eiverton