LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2298, 10 December 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A field trial of tha Brantford Mower takes place to-morrow at 1.30 p.m. m a heavy crop of grass on Mr O. Digby's farm.

In connection with the Anniversary holiday (16th inst.) Saturday railway return tiakets will be issued from any station to any station ou the 14th and 16th available for return until the 18 eh.

Mr Philip Tisoh is now running a mail coaah from Forest Hotel to Springburn Railway Station daily, leaving the Forest at seven a.m. and arriving at Springburn m time for the train to Ashburton,

Two ladies contended for precedence at the Court of Charles V. They appealed to the Monarch, who, like Solomon, awarded, "Let the elder go first." Suob a dispute was never known afterwards.

The annual meeting of the Oamaru Woollen Factory Company took place on Monday. The report showed that the revenue of the year hid exceeded the expenditure by about £8000. No dividend was deolared.l

Diphtheria has broken out m Sydenham. Six cases were reported to the Borough Oounoil at Monday's meeting, due m some instances, according* to jtUo report of the Inspector, to the insanitary state of the premises m which the infected persons resides,

Mistress (to waitress) : " How is this, Jane ? We have but two chops 1 " Jane : "If you please, ma'am, Bridget Bays as how you didn't order enough meat for both tables, and it gives her tbe headaobe to do with less than three chops for her lunoh.''

A team of 15 men from HM.fi. Opal visited Oamaru on Thursday and fired a matoh against the Oamaru Navals. Tho raDgea were 200 and 500 yarda ; bqvoq shots at eaoh ; the Oamaru Nuvals using the Martini- Henry rifles of the Opal team. The Oamaru team won by 40 points. The visitors were afterwards entertained at dinner.

A pair of ostriohes on Mr J. T. Matson's ostrich farm, Springfield, Papanui road, Ohrißtchuroti, have a brood of thirteen ohioks, whioh the " Press " Pays were " hutched out; " on Monday. From this it is to bo Inferred, we presume, that ostriohes sit, like other well-oonduoted fowl, m this oountry, instead of leaving the work of hatobing to the sun as they are supposed to do m Afrios.

4.U the way between Ashburton and Dunedin the crops are looking exceedingly well and promise, so far, an abundant harvest, with the single exoeption of about Otepopo and thence towards Hampden where the wheat looks biokly and thin, the land having evidently been cropped cut. Just South of Oamaru ihere is an immense breadth of potatoes, one padAfiok alona conta;ntpf< a thousand aores, and a heavy yield i? looked for,;

The " North Otago Times " mentions tbft a gentleman who previously resided m South Canterbury, but who is now farming m England on a large scale, has Bent out to a firm m the colonies for a double-furrow plpygh and a farm dray. He wishes to let the pcopfo at Home see how far we are ahead of lilC.m m euoh articles as these. This m a high oomplimoSt to the manufacturers m Now Zealand of ploughs and drays'-

A millionaire, who has just died at Vienna, bad euoh an antipathy to darkness that be has actually left instructions m his will for the illumination of bis last resting placo. An electric light is to be kept burning m the vault during a whole year, and even the interior of the coffin is to be eleotrioally lighted. The expenses are to be defrayed by a special bequest of 30,000 marks. This is one way of brightentog (ho " dark road to eternity."

Very probably, says the Luoerne correspondent of "The Titnec," the Simplon tunnel Bobeme will now be carried out, einoe a powerful company of German oapitalista bave succeeded m securing the amalgamation of two Swiss railways, running from Luoerne to the foot of the mountain, and guaranteo to provide 30,000,000 of franos, Italy under the proposed scheme will possess one end of the tunnel and provide 15,000,000. Sir Julius Yogel is said to be relying for a big Btroke on the euooesa of this affair,

Although tenders for the ereotion of a tower for its reception were invited the other day, it appears that the jubilee town olook is not to be erected jußt yet. The Borough Council does not at present see iia way to accept aDy of the tenders, beoause ahboueh the amounts were not allowed to transpire it is understood that thoy are considerably m ejqeeßß of the estimate. The Counoil considered the matter at some length m Committee last night, finally postponing' it till next meeting wsen something definite may be exported,

A orioket matoh will be played to-morrow afternoon between the Oameron Street Olub and an eleven of the Ashburton Olub. The eleven to represent the Ashburton Olub will be ohosen from the following :— L. F. Andrewes, S. Boyle, J. O, Boyle, B. DavJß, W, Davis, Flower, O. Grubb, J. Groves, Dixon, W. Kidd, Knight, J. Sawle, T. Sawle, and MoFarlane. Play will oommenoe at two o'olook.

The following nominations have been reoeived and handicaps deolared for the three miles trot at Rukaia on Boxing Day : — Mr B. Harrison's g g Tarn O'Shantor, Mr Buohanan's oh g Roy, Mr Welsh's b g Ballykilley, Mr Ruasell'd b m lolanthe, Mr Shellook'a Tommy Dodd, Mr W. Oakley's Maid of Athens, Mr J. Watson's Bluoher, ana Mr Primmer a Faugh, all start from soratob ; Mr W. Hood's Folly and Mr Herron's Wild Boy, £0 yards behind soratob, and Mr D. Wilson's blk m Gipsy, 200 yards behind. As will be Been from advertisement acceptances close at eight o'clock on Saturday, the 14th inst. ; also entries for the Hurdles, Farmers' Plate, Flying Stakes, Ladies' Purse, and Leaping Matoh, with fees, colors of riders, etc The following athletic events, entranoe 2s 6d. olose at the same hour : — Men's 100 yards, mile, quarter mile, hurdle, and obstaole race.

The admirable little Kerry and Dexter Kerry cattle are oomiug into fashion iv England, At the sale of a capital selection from the Aylesbury Dairy Company's herd, at their farm near Hotham, the other day, several of the cows sold at 20 to 27 guineas, the average being higher than that of the Jeraoys sold on the same occasion. That suoh small beaßts realised prices so high shows how useful they are for the butcher when they are done with as miloh cows, m whioh respeot they are admirable, probably giving more milk m proportion to the food they consume than cows of any other breed. The Queen was so much pleased with the Kernes she saw at the Windsor Show that some of the breed have been bought for the Windsor Royal Farm.

Capfc Marryatt reoords the strong affeotion exhibited by a oat for two pupgies. She wbb mourning the loss of her kittens, when a little blaok spaniel suddenly added five puppies to the animal stook of the establishment, These were considered too many for her to nurse, and two of them were bestowed upon the disconsolate oat, who thereupon regained her oheerfulnesa, and nursed them with motherly care. They beo&me as aotive and playful as kittens, and m a short time, being considered fit to be removed, were restored to their natural parent; Tho oat, on this seoond deprivation, wandered about apparently heartbroken, until, m the course of her melancholy perambulations, Bhe en-; oountered the spaniel surrounded by her happy family, and immediately recognised her fosterohilglren. A fieroe combat ensued, resulting m the defeat of the spaniel, and the departure of puss, carrying off one of the puppies by the neck.

It will be remembered that a few months ago the oontrol of the Domain was handed over to the Borough Oounoil, by the then Domain Board. Sinoe that time the Oounoil has been working away m the grounds, m an unobtrusive manner ceitiinly, but still doing work whioh will not only enhance the future beauty of the Domain, but add to its present at raotivenese. Besides this an exoellent running track has been formed on a portion of the ground set aside for athletic purposes and the work of constructing Bwimming baths ia proceeding apaos. The general publio will be afforded an opportunity of seeing what has been accomplished on Boxing Day, the' occasion on whioh the Caledonian Sooiety hold their sports gathering. Every effort is to be made to have the work now going on completed by that time, and it is probable: that the Counoil will arrange with the Caledonian Sooiety for a formal ceremony. A Committee has been ' appointed to make arrangements, and the Engineer, Mr O. E. Fook&, who has already worked wonders with the limited means at his disposal, has been given authority to employ the labor he finds neoeesary to oomplete the work now m progress by the requisite date. The vexed question as to whether or not intoxicating liquors are to be allowed to ba Bold at sports gatherings held m the Domain, oamo before the Borough Oounoil last night, m the form of an. application by the Galedonian Sooioty, for permission to dispose of the privilege m oonneotion with a publican's booth at their gathering on Boxing Day. Some time ago, shortly after the Oounoil took m hand the formation of a sports ground m the Domain, a petition was got up, and was i largely signod, asking it to prohibit once and ' for all, the sale of any intoxioant on any! part of the grounds under its oontrol. This petition, backed up by a deputation, was presented to the Oounoil at one of its meet' ings, but it was then deoided that as tbo Oounoil, m its capacity as the corporate body having control of the Domain, had adopted a by-law, whioh absolutely vested m it the power to authorise or to decline the right to sail liquors, should a lioenße be granted by | the proper authority, it was inadvisable to accede to the request of the petitioners. The result of tho application made last night will be of interest to many, beoauae it was the first instance m which the Borough Oounoil was asked to give its consent to the sale of liquors m the Domain. It was deoided by . four to three to give the Caledonian Sooiety the permission they- applied for. The three dieeentients were uncomproimsing opponents of the sale of liquor m the Domain, but the other Councillors maintained that as this question had not been raised wheu the agreement as tp the übo of the ground had been made with tho Caledonian Society it would be tantamount to a broaob of faith with them to bow refuse them permission to have a booth. The supporters all disclaimed any Intention of regarding this oase as a preoedent, and the { Mayor, though giving bis vote m favor of this application, said that next year he would oppose, as far as he was able, the granting of any If If o privileges.