LOCAL AND GENERAL

Western Star, 28 March 1911, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The proceeds of the Carljv'i which terminated a t Tliatapere Monday, week last, resulted in the guru cf £2lO being obtained. An o ld identity of the Waiau pass d away at las whuro rin the person of Rdchai'd Ryan- The deceased gentle/nan was a native of tlio North lshiiid and in his early days served on board a British- Man-o:-war. Tlis de-) uiise will be regrettod by a large number oi" friends, Messrs J. R. Mills and Sou sell the- privileges of the FUvertV>n racing club at their mart on Wednesday. A social wi,l be h)ld in "the Methodist Church (hiss evening £«t ■eight o'clock, when a number of musical items will ho rendered by the chihlnyt and adult a. \ . i,

A well-known sawmilier stales thai native pigeons are plentiful in the Longwood forests at present. Ha considers that the season which opens on Ist May is too early, as the birds at present art" only sitting. The opening season, dn his opinion, should not take plac? until the ilst June.

Wo are pleaaed tfo chronicle that two old pupils o? the Biverfcpn liist rict Higlv School, viz,, Misses .U. Tweedio and Ivy Forsyth, have gain.'d their I) certificates in the .recent 'examination held. Another old pupil, Mr Jas. Leniban, has lately been appointed as fifth assistant to tho -Normal School, Dunedin.

The Gaming Commission visited the ftivevton racecourse on Friday afternoon and were met by I>r Trotter, Vice-president of the Club, and Messrs ,J. Lyle, A, E. Ward, J McKay, E. K. Smythies, E, J, Stevens, .1. B. Sutton (committee) and tnc secretary. They were shown over tho buildings aod enclosures, and inspected the course Sir Geo- Clifford. l h c chairman, appeared highly pleas :d wittu the fine property owned by the club. He and his colleagues were greatly interested in the steeplechase course, when Dr Trotter pointed out the line of natural country. The new fence being erected round the track, which, by the way, is the third of its in 'the Dominion, met with their approval-

Nominations lor ull handicap events lor the Hiverton Hating Club's Easter meeting, close with the secretary at eight, q clock to-morrow evening-

Saturday's issue of the Southland News took the form of a jubilee nuiu ber of Southland Province, and i>hu proprietors once more have shown their enterprise inline production of excellent b»rief histories of the main towns of the province- The subject matter is most interesting.

A general meeting of shareholders of the Piverton Hall Coy,' Ltd., takes place on Thursday evening tin the Town Hall, when the notice ol motion re the disposal .of the Victoria Hall will be considered.

The finul mutch of the Bowling season will .take place on . Wednesday and in Uhe evening, the annual meeting will be held, and social and presentation of .trophies. Opporiuudty will also be taken to. say good-bye to Mr A. T. Cavell, secretory, an enthusiastic member oi the Club,

Reports of the potato crops in, parts! are not very bright. Tiie . Oamaru and TimarU crops have been at ta Aid by a small white grub that eats into the centre of the .tuber, in New South Wales the blight is doing considerable damage. A sharp rise may be effpected in .the price.

Lord Skiborne, speaking at Glasgow aaid that Unionists earnestly de sired reform of the Lords; but their left and right wings urged the right wing to remember that inequality in representation of parties was a !ibri ' otis evil engendering a sense of injustice. jy.oreg.ver, without reconstruction, it would be impossible to place the crown outside party politics. The Opposition intended to propose, in conjunction with two more, the following methods.; .Election by County Council, qualification by officer, selee lion by hereditary peers, nominuijj.i by the Prime Minister. Unionists pro posed that the Lords definitely renounce concern an iinauce and thai stnict provision, be made ugatinst tack in£. They were ready to refer the decision to a committee composed of an equal number of members oi both Houses, the speaker presiding.

On Thursday afternoon (says the Wyndham Herald) word was received of a dreadfful occurrence at Pxogcns Valley, Niagara. The particulars to hand are meagre, the messenger who brought in the word! being unable to give definite information beyond stat ing that a mother and her child were burned to death the house being destroyed. The- victims were Mrs Daniel Blackburn (ne« Mijss AnnijaDpbUe, member of a .well-known L*-tl- a-

dale family) and her three-year-old son. It is understood that some benzine exploded, setting fire to the p M !n<-'e It is surmised that the child! was playing with the explosive wh n '-h accident happened- A man named 'McLean, the nearest neighbour, heard the explosion, and went to the scene of the occurrence, and subsequently conveyed the news to Niagara, from whence lit was communicated, to Con. stable Bogue by telephone.

The Rev. Bates predicts & very heavy storm from the west, with a short period. It will be accompanied with ruin and snow in the high country. The glass is fal'ing and is expected to drop low.

The Taylor-Cnrrington Company wall visit Riverton on Ith April with two light musical comedies entitled 'The Girl from Chicago,' and " 'Arry and 'Arriet."

Manapouri Snation i y reported to be sold as a going concern to a! Mr Saunders, a recent arrival from the Old Country"

Mr T- Cochran is to be eongratu-> lated lor the way he* lias wrought his 'Spear Grass' property' The rape and turnip crops on this JL'illbum pro perty vreiv of a high standard. The Gist draft of fat -amtos ever sent off ihia property since the first day it was taken up was sent away this week. Out of 890 lambs 090 were taken. Considering a season 1 in everyway detrimental to successful fattening oi stock, the above numbers are more than satisfactory, and prove con- ! clusdvely the resources of the river flat lauds of the fertile UUburn V'al ley. Mr Cochran ''oniplaiins Wtferly Unit owing to no bridge over the Waiau and inefficient transport owing to the river being low, he 'had to travel his fat lambs to Otautau, a distance of twenty-six miles, instead of going to Tliatapere a distance of nine mile?. Mr Cochran is not the otily one who has just grounds for complaint) for others ipi the neighborhood have nad to acco l )i (he inevitable and ttravel to Otautau.

Mr R. TT. Bissett, who intends subdividing "his well-known Avondalo property, and placing same on the market) will dispose of all his sheep, ltof*& and plant at an early tfat*s • •

On account of the second Friday in April being Good Friday, 'the Otaulau stock sale will be held on Wednesday, April 12th. The annual ram Fair of the Wallace A. and jP. Association is fixed for tho following day (Thursday);,

A meeting of those willing to assist n the Hospital Saturday ia.es place ;n the Tow.i Flail on t r»c -id k . at half-past three-

The ketch, Endor returned U'om the Titi Islands 0 n Friday, alter land lag the natives' The mutton-birds ate reported as being plentiful, and in excellent condition, and there is every likelihood of a large "catch' being obtained.

The Valdares and Garrison's .•niertuiiners appeared in the Victoria Hall on Monday evening and were greeted with a goud house. The entertainment is both varied and entertaining and that it was appreciated was amply demonstrated by the hearty applause which followed each The exhibition of Reggiardo, the famous juggler, was above the ordinary, the manner in which he juggled with light and heavy balls gaining .tho plaudits of the audience. In tlhe first part of the programme he introduced bis trick dog which could do anything but talk. Another feature of the evening was the trick bicycle niiding of the Valdarcs. Taken altogether the company is above the ordinary thai has yet visKed this part of the district.