LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1730, 3 January 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The English team of footballers sail for the ooloniesth Maroh. The Standard Insurance Company have an advertisement m another column to which attention is directed. The excursion train from Ashburton to Tiraaru this morniDg took 270 passengers. That from Christchurch to Timaru carried 250. On Friday next, being the feast of the Epiphany, Mbbb will be oelebrated at Ashbur* ion at 10 a.m. by the Ray Father Chastagnon. The weather during the past three days has been unußually hot, particularly on Saturday and Sunday. On the afternoon of Saturday the highoßt reading of the thermometer ia given as 137 m too sun and 87 m the shade. The following is a list of lettora received j at the Ashburton Poet Oflioe, from places beyond the colony during the month of , November, and remaining unclaimed on January 1, 1888 :— Patriok Kelly and Mrs John Tait. Quite phenomenal dividends were paid by the totalisators at Ohristohurch yesterday, m the Midsummer Handicap, Springston, who was looked upon as quite an outsider, paying his backers £47 17a 6d and £38 8s at the inside and outside machines respectively. It is notiGed m the " Gazette " of December 22nd, that tho Grown lands situate m the Mackenzie Country and Hakateramea Valley, formerly excluded from sale by the Govern* ment, m view of proposed railway extensions will be open for application on the 2 ( Jth February next. There was a serious fire on Lambton <juay, Wellington, early on New Year's morning, by ; which the City Buffet Hotel and two adjoining shops, one of which was occupied by Nelson, Moate and Co., were razed to the ground. There were seventy lodgers m the hotel at the time who esoaped with but few artioles of wearing apparel. Tho cereal crops throughout the district are looking raagnifioent and give promise of a bountiful haavest. A few showers would do g iod by filling the grain m the ear, and if rain come coon, and not too much, of it tho yield will be greatly improved. Without this, such fierce heat we havo had during tho past few days will, if it continue, bring about a premature ripening to the loss of the farmers. Some of the larrikins, little or big, of Ashburton were up to their usual senseless and mischievous pranks on JShw Year's Eve, the taking down of signboards, tho overturning of certain inelegant but useful structures, and other mischief being the way m whioh they signalised their own idiocy. We understand that a few of these have reoeived pressing invitations to an interview with Mr Ollivier. Among the many handbooks whioh are, as usual, making their appearance with tho new year not tho least noticeablo is the very usoful Almanao and Commercial Handbook for 1888, just issued by the Now Zealand Mutual Creditors' Association. It is a business directory for all tho chief centres of population, and contains a large variety of usoful information upon matters of daily intorest to business men. Tho comploto Buccoss n of the harbor works at Oamaru ia converting what was once a dangerous open roadstead, into a safo and commodious port for vessels of the first-class, ja demonstrated by the fact chroaioled by tho '■ Mail," that tho ship Orari recently sailed m and out of port without any assistance, drawing on her outward trip 17ft Jin, and yot having 7ft of water under her keej. The Fifeehire, 5000 tons, is now announoed to visit the port, and the " Mail " says that Oamaru is to be a port of oall for the I£ai« koura and the Dorio, The^e are facts upon which we heartily congratulate our North Otago friends. The anniversary tea and concert m connection with 'he church of Sts. Philip and James, Waterton, was held m tho schoolroom on Friday, December 30ib. There was a good attendance), onrl tho ladies who provided tho bountiful trayo wero Mesdamos A. Dawson, §tandieh, Misses Grigg and Pawson. The bttohoiur : s tablo was presided over by Misses Smith and Asbton. At the conclusion of the tea the Rev Garbett, on behalf of tho vestry, thanked the ladies who providod the tea, and the audience for thoir attendance, after whioh a moat successful ooucert took place. Bongs wero given by Mesdames Cobb, Luscombe, Williams, Misses Gates and Barrett, Messrs Stephenaon, Williams, Luscombo, and Fareny. A glee party from St. Stephen's ohoir, Ashburton, consisting of Mrs H. Gates, Misses Gates and Barrett, Messrs Stephenson and H. Gates, added muoh to the success of the concert. Mrs Standisb, Miss Permato, and Mr H. Gates presided at the piano. Tbo Ashtua glee party brought a very pleasant evening to a oiobo,' with one of their pieoes well rendered. " Rouoh on Rats." — Clears out rats mice roaohes, flies, anls ,bed bugs, beetles, insects, skunks, jack-rabbits sparrows gophe At ohemusts^nij druggists 1 Wo know that there is nothing oo eaith equal to Araerioan 'Co.'c Hop Bjttiri as"i family medicine, fyopk for ' fi

The Customs revonue oolleoted m the Colony last month was £107,073 as against £109,325 for the corresponding jear m 1886. Aooording to an exohange, it is common „ gossip m Ohristohuroh that two of the Canterbury papers lost £4000 and £6000 m the year previous to this. As a specimen of Parliamentary amenities m New South Wales it may be mentioned that Mr Walker, a member of the Legislative Assembly, was so polite as to inform Sir Henry Parkeß that ho (Sir Henry ) was " a cross between an Egyptain mummy and a 1 baboon, a jumping-jaok politician, and a I turncoat." * Sir Goorgo Grey has m his possession an interesting relio of Bartholomew Diaz, the t Portuguese navigator who lived m the 15th I century, and who discovered the Oape of • | Good Hope. It is m the shape of a pillar . ereoted b.v Diaz on what is now known as Diaz Point. Sir Joorge intends to present it J to the Anckland Library. I At the opening of the season Lord Tolle. ' maohe, wrote to each tenant on his estate, Baying he would present every oheeeo prizo ' winner with £50 worth of bone manure, and . every farmer reooiving a highly oommendod card with £25 worth. At the London Dairy Show his 'ordsbip's tenantry took five out of six prizes offered for Cheshire choeße, and to eaoh of the five winners will bo presented £50 worth of manure. Romarking upon the faot that there are evdry year frequont. complaints of the turnip crop, m consequence of the seed not germinating, the " Bruoe Herald " adviaes farmers to follow the example of Mr Hewiteon, of Lovellß Flat, who has hit upon the plan of sowing the seed by night. He has just done this now for the third year; the last' two seasons he had magnificent crops, m striking contrast to his neighbors. He thinks tha reason is that there is more moisture m the ground at night, and tho seed gets a hotter ohance of a start. The Stook and Pedigree Company, Auokland, have just had (so an exohange informs us) a very costly and unpleasant experience. The Company had imported from England two of tho best Leioester rams obtainable, for wbioh they paid £300. By some means these rams got into an outside paddock one night where their fat and well-proportioned sides exoitedthe admiration of some hungry Maoris passing that way to a native meeting. They took the two costly rams along wiih them ; and when the police arrived at the soene of ttie gathering they were just m time to Bee the thievoß picking their teeth after a most delightful dinner, which 3ost tho provides £800 m hard cash. On Sunday morning last a floral service was held at the Wesleyan Church, when the Rev. D. MoNicoll proaohed a sormon on " Beligion m its relation to the beautiful," the main design being to prove that the Creator had implanted m all men a oapaoity to enjoy and appreciate that which was pleasing to the sight, and within proper limits this inßtinot should be gratified. The ohuroh was prettily decorated jwith choice flowers, and afforded the preacher an opportunity o aptly illustrate hia subject from the immediate surroundings. As largo expenditure is being incurred by the Colonial Government to fence the rabbits out of Canterbury it may be worth noting that experiments oonduoted by the New South Wales stook department with rabbits have shown that young rabbits six weeks old can get through netting with 1£ mash with the greatest ease, and made it perfectly clear ! that any netting of a larger mesh than l£in would be ineffective for fencing out rabbits. In the course of the experiments three full, grown rabbits managed, by climbing or jumping, to get over netting 3ft 6in high, with Gin nuun m mv a . A ,,_a. Yesterday the teachers and scholars of the Ashburton Wesleyan Sunday Sohool held their annual treat In paddooks at Tinwald kindly placed at their disposal by Mr A. M> Pearson. The weather wob simply perfeot for the enjoymentß participated m, orioket, rounders, lawn tennis and the many Other healthful pastimes which on these facoasiona are indulged m. A nioe grove of trees afforded some alight shelter during the hottar hours of tho day, while some of the largest trees were useful for erecting a number of swings for the smaller scholars. The Rev. D. MoNicoll and a large number of parents and others interested m the sohool wera present, and appeared to enjoy themselves quite as much as those of younger age, while the assistance rendered by some of tho friends was muoh appreciated by the officers and teaohers of the institution. If wo are to believe what we read the pursuit of rabbiting is the high road to wealth m New South Waleß. There we are told the bonus paid per scalp ranges from 3d to Is, and tho men earn from £3 to £10 per week at the game. The rabbiters grow rioh as the squatters grow poor. It is a oommon experience to meet a rabbitor driving to his work m his own buggy and pair ; m fact, tho most of the carriage folk m that part are rabbiters. At Wilcannia recently a rabbiter entored an hotel and called for a sixpenny drink. In liquidation thoreof ho planked down a cheque for £1070 odd and demanded the ohange. The man also gave tho most gorgeous champagne supper Wilcannia has witnessed this season. Many men m Now B South Wales thus bless the rabbit as heartily a as hundreds curse it. j The " Wairarapa Star "is responsible for 1( the following amusing paragraph: Masterton's a most inveterate angler had a curious oxr, porionoe the other evening. It seems he has |( lately been studying tho manufacture of fly hooka. On this occasion he tried his hand a at an artificial minnow, the result being that j he oaqght a salmon weighing ljowt. He had j. juat qompleted the minnow with sevoral „ hooks m front, when m trying to bite the j string fastenings, a hook oaught fast on the t top of bjs nose. Tho acojdont ooourrod at night, and the angler's, wife tried to hold the candle while he out the hook out, but Booing tho blood she almost fainted. The big fish 1 under the ciroumstancos, had to rush through t the town with the minnows attaobod to the front of his nose m quest of Dr Honking's surgery. Tho dootor speedily released him, ' but the kind enquiries of his many friends about his wounded probosois is causing excFUoiatjng agopy.