LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1937, 6 September 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

o Mr J. W. Joynt has been appointed Prinoipal of Nelson College. A man named James Groves died at Otahuhu, Auokland, Buddenly, and a bottle of strychnine was found on him. A man named Alexander Moffat, from Dunedin, died on board the Tarawera as the steamer left for Sydney. An elderly man named : Matthew Buokley was found dead m his bed m Dunedin on Wednesday. Faint ahooka of earthquake continue to be felt daily at Hokitika, and thirty.five have been reoorded sinoe Saturday morning. Mails for the United Kingdom, etc., viaSwx Franoißoo, will close at the Aahburton Poet Office on Friday next at 5 p.m. Money Orders will be issued up to 10 a.m. It has been suggested m Christohuroh that an offioial oablegram be Bent Home to allay the absurd (fears whioh have arisen through exaggerated reports oabled Home. The Jewish new year 5649 commences to-day and is being observed pretty generally as a holiday with members of the Hebrew persuasion. In out columns to-day we give some useful hints to amateurs m gardening from the ex» perienoe of Mr J. Scaly, whioh should be of considerable looal interest. Exoepting along the coast line there has been little or no rain near Adelaide, and the northern crops are reported as likely to be failures. A contraot has been made for the supply of 150,000 ieet oi red pine per month from Southland for the Broken Hill Company m South Australia, and other orders are likely to follow. The Dunedin Presbytery have adopted an overture to the Synod, requesting that as doubts have arisen regarding the meaning of certain parts of the Confession, the Synod should deolare the|view taken of the teaching of Soripture m regard to some difficult and disputed passages. At a meeting of bus proprietors held m Ohristohuroh on Wednesday night it was decided to form a Ohristohuroh omnibus company to take up all individual plant and work m combination. One individual alone ia prepared to supply one fourth of the neoesaary oapital if the proposal is aooepted by all owners. We have received a oircular from the Union Steamship Company announcing a rise m freights after Sept 4th to Sydney, and further intimating that cargo would not be booked for any port beyond Sydney until the difficulty with the coal miners ia settled. The following ia the present rate of freight :— Potatoes, oata, and flour, 1b 6d per sack ; wheat, malt, barley, oatmeal, turnips, carrots, peaa, and beans, 2a per sack ; cheese, hams, bacon, butter, and general cargo, 30a per ton meutsuremunt, -, bran, pollard, aud sharps, Q9s 1 6s per ton of 14 four-bushel sacks of 1401bs saoks (minimum of 1b 6d per sack). The Bink de Paris will be opened this evening. The Ashburton Brasa Band has been engaged to play, and the Hall is entirely ohanged m its aßpeot. Ladies' rooms have been fitted up. The skate room has been altered and many oonvenienoes arranged for. Mr Elston is evidently bent upon surprising the people who think there ia nothing new m rinking. With an entirely new Btook of skates of the latest pattern, a carefully prepared floor, and generally complete arrange* menta, success should wait upon his efforts. The doors will be open at 7.30 this evening, and the first thing will be the grand march at 8 o'olook. Praotioal sermons are the rage m Christ* ohuroh just now, and the clergymen there are not oontent to preach the plain Gospel. To arouse interest m their hearers they deal with the praotioal aide of religion. The Rev Mr Lewis preaohed reoently on. the "Man trapa of Ohristohuroh," the Rev Mr Williams took the " Miner's Btrike " as a subject for a discourse. In faot the tendenoy of the pulpit seems to be towards leaving the discussion of abstruse theological questions alone, and putting all the strength of mind into the questions whioh affeot our daily life. The move is a moat commendable one. At the R.M. Court this morning, the Bench waa oooupied by Mr D. Williamson, J.P., and Mr H. Friedlander, J.P. Robert Woods was brought up on remand charged with endeavoring to obtain goods and money from Mrs W. Lookhead, by means of a letter of menaoe. Mr Purnell appeared for the aoouaed. The polioe applied for a further remand for a week whioh was granted. Mr Purnell aßked that bail might be fixed lower than last Court day, but Sergeant Felton airongly opposed the application. After argument, the Benoh said that it did not see its way to reduce the bail, the charge being a serious one. Bail was accordingly fixed at the same amount as previously, viz., aooused m £200 and one Burety of £200, or two sureties of £100 each.— A case under the Industrial Schools Act was adjourned for a week. The earthquake of Saturday morning shook up the Aahburton Borough School somewhat severely. At firßt it waa thought the'damage was confined to the oraaking and shaking of some of the plaster, but an investigation by the Vißiting Committee yesterday afternoon revealed the faot that two portions of the building had parted company. At the point where the original sohool building joined the new atruoture tho roof was opened up, the shingleß being torn aaunder, and the opening at the top being about four inches wide. The swaying of the ohimneys m the various rooms has oraoked and shattered the plaster m their immediate vioinity, but as far as oan be seen the ohimneys are themselves intact, an examination having revealed nothing wrong with them. The Visiting Committee obtained the services of Mr Galloway to inapeot the building, and he estimates that it will take from £15 to £20 to put the Bohool into thorough repair.

Messra Friedlander Bros, have ohartered Mr O. W. Turner'a ship Cingalese at 37a 6i to load wheat at Lyttelton for the London market. Messra Jamas Keir, D. MoFarlane, Charles Beid, and D. Williamson have been nominated for the three vaoant aeats on the Borough Counoil. A poll will be taken on Thursday next. A large paroel of Ashburton wheat, half Tuscan and hard wheat, favoring the buyer, has been sold out of Mr Thomas' stores to an Auckland miller at a satisfactory price. An Ashburton firm has also offered 40a for wheat freights Home to fill orders, and generally trade is extremely brisk. Beat on reoordl (saya the "Wanganui Herald.") The Borough Counoil sitting on Tuesday night lasted only 5 minutes, and of this 3} minuteg were ocoupied m desultory conversation. When will Ashburton reach thia millenial stage ? Amerioa can now boast of the highest prioed thoroughbred yearling the world has ever Been. Some years baok 4110 guineas was paid for Maximillian, but the £7600 paid reoently m Amerioa for the colt by King Ban puts the former reoord entirely m the shade. #;Ths"St. James* Gazette speaking of the coming visit of the New Zealand football team, says :— •• After their experience of play. iDg together m She colony, the Maoris are likely to arrive here 'm form,' and those who know them seem to think they will prove a difficult team even against the Bugby Fifteen m this country." A novelty m the way of dubs has just been started at Haloombe, viz., a young ladies' reading and reoreation Club. All the members bind themselves to read from .some good author at least fifteen minutes every day, and periodioal meetings are held, at whioh readings, reoitations, and songs are given. We believe the president has underi takento give the members a oourae of instruotion m calisthenics, whioh no doubt, will prove highly beneficial. We may say that only single ladies are permitted to join or be present at the meetings, or we might furnish our readers with a detailed account of the proceedings. Some diversion was oaused this afternoon through the vagaries of a horse and rider at the oorner of East and Tanored streets. The dinner bell had evidently rung as the horse was led forth from the stable, as, when the rider mounted, the horse took the earliest opportunity to return to his box to indulge m his mid-day feed. The rider, who is a notable member of the fourth estate, seemed unequal to the task of persuading his charger to take the highway. Though booted and Spurred, our hero failed to Bteer his animal buofisssfully, and though the high way was eventu* ally reached from Burnett street, and all looked plain Bailing, a sudden dart was made down Tanored street, and though the helm waa put hard aport the horse would not answer and carried his rider nolens volens into Soott's stable yard. Emerging again from Burnett street it looked like fair sailing to Tinwald when again a stiok up took plaoe. Having his horse better m hand and enoouraged by the applause ot the fast gathering citizens, every effort was made to get the animal to conform to his master's will. The equine waa more Btrong than the human will, and again the horse ran into Soott's yard. Towed forth the oharger advanoed to the middle of the street, and after some diversion our worthy friend was remounted. With an application of stiok and spur the obatinatt horse was urged round Sealy's oorner and hopes that trouble was at an end rose high. They came down rapidly for the rider -and horse encountering a dog cart turned and again took his rider to the place of his affec tions in^ Soott's Repository. This wa3 not accomplished without the horse getting almost into the " Bweating room " at the Union Bank. Lublow's shop waa also m danger, and the street by tbia time waa filled with people, and every upstairs window had his use as a coign of vantage to witness a oirous performance on the oheap. A well known surveyor and " aport " took a turn on the horse to see if his luok would be any better tbftu the newspaper man's, but some "sohooling " had to be goDB through before the horse could be led into the straight. When, howevert a olear course was open the engineer and surveyor showed his horsemanship, and showed the|orowd a clean pair of heels. The excitement being over the crowd went home to cold dinners.