The Western Star. (PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY.) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1885.

Western Star, Issue 988, 7 October 1885, Page 2

The Western Star. (PUBLISHED 81-WEEKLY.) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1885.

Our leading article on the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act is unavoidably held over. Mr 11. Hirst, M.H.R., returned home yesterday. He has been enjoying a holiday in Auckland since the prorogation of Parliament.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the County Council takes place to-morrow.

A paltry and malicious theft of a number of trees from the R. C. Presbytery garden, South Riverton, has been perpetrated within the last week. Since the departure of the llev. Father Kehoe the place has been unoccupied, and taking advantage of this fact the grouuds have been denuded of some valuablo shrubs and flowers. A reward of £lO is offered for the conviction of the offender. The annual meeting|of shareholders in the Western District Building Society will be held this evening in the Town Hall, at 7.30 p.m.,for the purpose of receiving report and statement, election of office-bearers, &c. Shareholders residing within one mile of the Society's office are reminded that they render themselves liable to a fine of 2s 6d for nonattendance.

A correspondent writes :Mr J. Dodd, who has been on Woodlands station for the last two and a-half years, is leaving for Wvndhnm, where he has taken up a farm. Durin« his short sojourn in Waiau district, he has won the esteem of all with whom he has come into contact by his good qualities and agreeable manner. Everyone of his numerous acquaintances will bo g'ad to hear it is an advancement, although we are sorry to lose him from our midst, and wish him and his family success in his new venture. Wo dtp also losing Mr R. S. Patton from Wairaki station, who has become lnndlord of the Junction Hot"l, Invercargill. Both c .ntlcmen are well and favorably known in Western D : striet.

The now scale of railway charges provide for daily return tickets on suburban lines. A new feature in passenger fares is tho int-o-duction of market tickets. The tickets will be issuod to all passengers to towns in which there is a weekly market, and on the same terms as Saturday return tickets.

A uiecii'isj: of creditors in tlio e-*tul« of Mr W. T. Birehall. farmer, of Wairio, wis held B . | on Monday. The D"p'»fyA< ■i:ni"\ Mr &• McLeocl, occupied I he chair, an . Mr L. E. Reside appeared oh behalf of the bankrupt. The chairman said all the available assets wen 1 ino"tg<tged, and there was not, a cent to w> 'o unsecured creditors, lo whom £3OO wm due. The debtor in reply to u creditor s-ai 1 that after lie bought oaf tie from him (ihc creditor) at a three months bill, fulling due on :he 11th Sept, an I still unpaid, he purchased fhreo or four head from Mr White, of Wairio. The latter he hid paid for, partly in eash, and the balance with a (rip lie hid purchased from Eeid and Gray, and on wh ch no pivmont had been made. He killed five of the cattle purchased from Air Baskin, sold the remaining six to Mr liellenger, for ihe sum of £ls. Part of that amount v.-.'ut to pay an awount, auj the rumdiudw L>

clear the co»ts of bankruptcy. Me had no property outside of that mentioned in the statement. He had been farming in the Wairio and Wrey's Bash districts for the past five or six years, und, during the present year also carried on business a? a butcher. Mr Batkin announced it as his intention to oppose the bankrupt's application for discharge, and said he was of epinioH that the debtor premeditated filing, and that his bankruptcy was fraudulent. —The Chairman remarked that it was decidedly wrong of any bankrupt to part with goods in his pos«B.»mti shortly before filing. The meeting wai then adjourned. — "Nows."

Our Orepuki correspondent writes : —The Orepuki Cricket Club held their first meeting for the season at the Courthouse on Thursday evening last; Mr Charles Forbes acting as chairman. Tho subscription was fixed at 10s Od, and the following Committee was elected :—Messrs Guy, John Wilson, Neil McLean, W. Tilly, Charles Forbes, and H. Stewart; the captain to be selected by tho team ; Mr C. Forbes to act as Treasurer and Secretary.—On Saturday the Committee of the Public Library met at Mr W. Simpsou's. The Secretary reported the safe arrival of about 170 volumes of books from Messrs Bell aud Bradfute, Edinburgh, at the same time remarking on the despatch which had been shown by tiiat firm in tho execution of the order, which was only posted inltiverton Bth April last. It was agreed that the Secretary be instructed to get up the annual concert in aid of the Library at an early date. —I am desired to mention that Mr William Simpson will commence, this week, his annual canvass of the district for funds in aid of tho Wallace Hospital, Riverton. As we have this year so many new arrivals in the district, it is to 1.-e hoped this notice will prepare them to receivo Mr Simpson's call with a liberal spirit. The older residents, who have always given annually, scarcely need reminding th-it the support of the Hospital is not only a matter of charity but of absolute necessity.

The special parade of the Southland Voluuteers at luvorcargill on Saturday was a most unqualified success, and fairly warranted the the complimentary remarks applied to it by the commanding officer of the New Zealand Volunteers, Colonel Sir George Whitmore. Exclusive of the Staff, which numbered six, there were 215 men on parade, as follows : G. Battery Artillery, 63 men (full muster) ; Invercargill Rifles, 61; Bluff Navals, 46 ; Riverton Rifles, 44 ; Hussars, 81. The battalion movements were well executed. A special t*ain conveyed the local corps, starting at 1 o'clock and covering the distance in an hour and &■ quarter, performing the same feat on the return trip. Colonel Whitmore complimented Capt. Acheson on the excellent muster of his corps and on their proficiency in drill. The compliment was endorsed by many competent witnesses, who expressed the opinion that they never saw the Riverton Rifles to better advantage, and that they were equal in steadiness, promptitude, and precision to the Garrison corps. A correspondent desires us ti draw uttantion to the concert that takes place in the Public Hall, Oiautau, on Thur.-d.iy exeni:,g, under the auspices of the Apnrima Oddfellows Lodge, the proceeds of which are to be devoted to tho assistance of a sick brother A hand of Ethiops (true sons of their great ancfs'or Ham) nave been rehearsing jokes that, should m:ike the audience weep—whether because of their affeetin? nature or a baulked desire for signal vepgeanco on the perpetrators, the correspondent wisely enyeth not. Anyhow the object is a good one, and should draw a full ho"'**.

The usual monthly meeting of the Board of Managomentof the Wallaceand Fiord Hospital was hold on Saturday last, when there wore present Messrs J. Petchell, sen. (Chairman), Daniel, Hayes, G. O. Cassols (Secretary and Treasurer), and Dr Young. The SurgeonSuperiuten hint's report for the month, as follows, was read : —" Gentlemen,—l have to report that eight in-door patients wcro admitted (hiring the past month, and two additional out-pati nts were under treatment. Six in-patients wero discharged during the samo time either cured or in the fair way of recovery. Two patients since the beginning of this month have also been discharged cured. At present there remain ten males and one female in th" wards, two of whom are unlikely to recover; the rest are doing fairly well. As usual I have to complain of want of room From these data you will observe that the numbers claiming our assisImoejsiiot diminishing—indued, they hivo been increasing steadily, a fact to be carefully noted in connection with the present quest ion of hospital legislation. During the last nine months the number of in-door patients excesds the total of any previous year.—l am, &(?., J.YMfis Younu."—The following accounts were passed fur payment :—O. Campbell, .C 5 03 10d ; M. Fallow, £4 Os Id ; Aria Clark, M2 ' 13s Id; Petchell Bros., £7 10s 3d ; \V hitting. ham Bros, and Instone, £3 7s Gd ; Xeill and Co. (1 dozen hand grenades), £2 lis. The contributions in goods for the month comprised :—Fruit by Mrs Twine ; feather pillow, Mrs Robert Millar; mutton birds, Mrs F, Gray; vegetables, Mr W. ,T. Collins, seed potatoes, Mr Henry Wood ; load manure, Mr Fox; do, Mr J. Steel.— \ discussion tool: place on the Hospital ami Charitable Tnstitu. tions Act (a eopy of which the Board were indebted to the Borough Council for, the GuVtfruujenL iiut having supplied thorn with

one). On perusal of the clauses which had a bearing on the case of the Wallace Hospital, it was pointed out that the first thing to bo done was to notify the Board of the district on or before 15th Nov. next whether or not they propose to petition the Governor for the incorporation of tho Hospital as a neparate institution under the Act. Tho manner of petitioning was mentioned in clause 38, which provides that "At any time within four months of the passing of this Act the Committee may petition the Governor praying that the institution under their control may bo incorporated as a separato institution under this Act, and shall annex to suoh petition a verified list of the names of not leas than one hundred persons who shall have signified thoir intention to contribute in yoarly sums of not less than five shillings an amount of uot less than £IOO to such institution, and who shall have paid one year's subscription in advance, or a donation in one sum of not less than £10." It was thought that no difficulty whatever would be experienced in getting tho petitioa signed, that steps should bo taken in the matter of having the hospital incorporated as a separate institution without delay, and that meetings should be held for the purpose at all the centros of population throughout the county. Mr Port moved, That the necessary steps be taken to get the hospital appointed a separate institution. Seconded by Mr Daniel and carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr Port it was agreed that the Mayor should be requestod to call a public meeting to consider the above matter.—Mr Thomson was authorised to employ Mr Nichol Millar as assistant wardsman when his services were required.— The Board then adjourned-

We wero in error in stating that Dr. Hodgkinson is about to depart for the North. Although he has leased his property at Fairfax it is not his intention to leave Southland, and ho will probably take up his residence at Invercargill. He still retains his interest in the Fairfax township, and, we are ploaaed to say, will continue to take the same lively interest in the affairs of tho district that he has hitherto done. Mr Meek (the lessee of the property) has been a dairy farmer for years, and was one of the promoters of the Waireku D.jiry Factory. He has great faith in the success of dairy factories, and it is expected he will supply a largo quantity of milk to the Fairfax Factory. He enters into possession of the farm on Ist January.

As evidence of the valuable auriferous deposits at Round Hill, a new discovery of importance has been made and proved during the past few weeks. Tho ground is situated on a spur in the midst of the workings, which has hitherto been deemed unworthy of notice, but Asiatic enterprise has proved that it contains payable gold. Ten claims have been taken up, three of which have bottomed on payable gold at an average depth of 4 ft.; the others are still sinking, with equal prospects of success. Each of these claims will employ six mon, bo that the discovery will give an impetus to mining at the Hill, and will also probably lead to further fresh ground being opened up.

D. McFarlane —Entire horse Extinguisher. The Wrey's Bush Jockey Club meet on 10th inst. The Maid of Otago will sail for Riverton direct on Saturday. Wilson. Taints, and Co. —Additions to Thornbury sale The W. D. A. and P. Association invite applications for Hie office of Secretary; also tenders for hurdles and gates. Lord Heaconsflcld is announced to travel in the Western District. Additions are made to Messrs J. E. Mills and Co's Thornbury sale. A reward is offered for the recovery of a gold brooch. M. H:iy;-s~£lo reward. John Miller has seed potatoes for sale. The Clydesdale entire horse Roderick Dim will travel this season. Church of Kngland—-Services. The annual meeting of the Wairio Cricket Club will b« held on Friday. George Thomson, Otautau, invites tenders for fencing. Young Wallace will travel this season. Mr J. Lindsay announces that Farmers' Pride will travel thi:i season. Mngill and Co. will close for a day or two.