LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2901, 17 February 1893, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The prospectus has been issued of a company to take over the "Catholic Times " newspaper, owned by Archbishop' Redwood —£500 in £1 shares, the paper to be conducted on the same lines. An old Victorian resident gives us the following in explanation of the boundary dispute between Victoria and South Aur. tralia:—The boundary was fixed by the imperial authorities as at 141 east longitude, and the surveys were made accordingly. It ia now founds and nob disputed by Viotoria, that the original poiut on the coast defined as the exact division of the two colonies, was nearly correct; but the line, instead of being carried through to the Murray River in a true direction, was taken at a very slight angle to the eastward, In the stretch of 300 miles this gives an error on the river of about two piles, so that the s>.i) of country now in Victoria belonging to South Australia is two miles' in width at the northern and river boundary, and runs to a point on the coast. I have seen the place, about twelve miles from the coast, where the surveyera marked the boundary I at cross roads by driving in a number of I blue gum pegs, forming the broad arrow, I and the letters " S.A. and " V." South ! Australia would have had the matter closed long ago but Victoria won't allow the case to bo to the Imperial authorities.

Tne Wellington cot respondent of the, "Otago Daily Times" says:— Ministers' intelligence from the Premier states that he continues to improve in health. The Minister's report states that there are 11,090 girlß who are not taught sewing, and 8639 pupils who do not receive drawing lessons. At the annual meeting en Thursday of the Timaru Tourists' Cycling Omb Mr R. F. Curtis, Ashburton, was third in the half mile; second in the ladies' bracelet (mile and a h%lf); and tiird in the consolation". The " Advocate" states that the Hessian fly appears to be increasing in the Taieri, and , the " T ttpeka Times " announces that it has ' made its appearance in the luapeka district .'.joth at Evans Fiat and Tuapeka West, having been discovered on four or five farina at the places named. Orders have been given for the immediate survey of the Cheviot Estate. The Minister for Lands, who is at present on his way to Nelson and Marlborougu. will accompany the surveyors over the ground and give perdonal directions as to the manner of laying off the land for settlement, etc. The illustrious American electrician, Edison, is now studying the subject of baldheadedness," Sifting* " says. He maintains thct baldpated people die young, while people who are well roofed with hair live long, and he believes that, as he himself has a fertile scalp, he will live to a ripe old age. Another interruption in telegraptuo communication occured on Thursday afternoon through a large pole, situated between Rakaia and Chertsey, succumbing to ihe gale. The break was a bad one, and the wires so much damaged that the necessary {repairs could not be effected. No messages were sent south of Rakaia last night* Before Mr J. W. Sawlc, J.P., this morning, Hugh Molntosh was fined 20s or seven days in each case for having been drunk and disorderly and resisting the police. He paid the fines. James Gall, disorderly while drunk, and guilty of using obscene language, was sent to gaol for seven days with hard labor, Mr Stephens, captain of the Ashburton Amateur Athletic Club, has reveived a letter from AC. Wilraot, the North Canterbury crack, stating, among other things, that he and three or four of his Clubmates have commenced training in earnest to meet the Christchurch and {Southern flyers who are expected to compete at the Cycling Club's meeting in the Domain on Easter Monday. Mr D. J, Mclntyre, of the Forks, informs vi that he has been in the habit for the last four years of securing his sticks in the way mentioned in a local paragraph in our Thursday's issue, and his stacks, so secured, successfully withstood Monday's gale. Mr Mclntyre, runs his hoop of wire round the top of the stack about four feet from the ap«x, and weights four dropping wires from the hoop. ' It may not be generally known by owners that they are liable to a tin* of £5 for having collars on their dogs with the date 1592, or for any previous year.; also that they are liable to a fine ot £5 f> • having unregistered dogs in ther possession, in view of ihe fact of the large number of sheep worried by dogs last year it is clearly the duty of the settlers to see that the tax is paid, so that the district may be rid of the many worthless curs with which the district is infested. Mr A. Brown, secretary to the Wanganui education Board, has been served (says the " Chronicle ") with a writ by Mr Jellicoe, solicitor, Wellington, at the instance of Mr H. yon Blaremberg, of Palmerston North, claiming £600 for damages said to have been sustained through the alleged falsification of correspondence. The matter complained ot occurred whilst Mr yon Blaremberg was teacuer at the Matarawa School some years ago. To show the efforts made to get the crop in safely, the "North Otago Times' mentions that Mr Donald Borrie, who had 50J acres of oats nearly all ripe at the same tima, started work on Wednesday morning at 4 o'clock, and went on continually with all available strength till 12 o'clock on Saturday night. Of course, there were relays of horses and men, but at the hour mentioned there was no inclination on the part of the men or horaes to trespass on the Sunday to complete the cutting. Even the simplest transaction Beems to be beyond the comprehension of some people (says a, Queensland paper). An old tanner went into a grocer's shop a short time ago, ordered a sovereign's worth of goods, and when they were ready for delivery, laid j. five Blnlliug piece in payment thereof. Ihe shopkeeper called out, "Here, this isn't right!" as the customer started to leave. ''Oh, yes j that's all right !" replied the man; " I've gob permission from the Judge to pay 5s in the pound." A heated discussion revealed that the man had lately settle I an insolvency upon this basis, and expected to continue his method indefinitely. When he was shown his mistake he was very indignant, and he evidently considered himself a much abused man. A destitute blind man asked rations from the Wellington Benevolent Society on Wednesday morning to enable him to be with his sister, who is also destitute and an invalid. His father was the first waterman and lighterman in Wellington, and he himself was waterman and lighterman in Wellington for many years. He was known to the members, one of whom said the man had at one time saved money and became possessed of considerable property, but he married and made everything over to his wife, who eloped with another man, haying turned all the property into money, which of course she took with her. The poor old fellow said that if he and his sister had rations they might be able to have a few fowls, and keep themselves in chat way. ' ' - The astounding wastefulness of American representatives is strongly illustrated (says the London "Spectator 1') by the annual report of the Pension Commissioner just presented to Congress. He claims credit for economy in his department, saying that the pensions for this fiscal year will only be £31,080,000 sterling, and next year only £33,003,000. Indeed, though there are 780,003 claims registered in the office for future settlement, he does not think that the total expenditure on pensions will ever exceed 440,000,000 per year—or, say, £310s taken from every household in the Union ! And then they tell us that democracy is always cheap ! - It adds a little, perhaps, to the shamefulness of this was ■.■ tutit is in no way dictated by kindness to the poor— an inurense proportion of the pensioners being —but it is intended to deplete the Treasury, and so protect, great manufacturers at the expense of the wLuiu' body of consumers. Willing workers have been busy all day fixing up the staging for the Flower Show to be held in the Arcade to-morrow, and decorating the bays with, evergreens, etc. The space devoted to the show includes 156 feet ot the length of the Arcade, and its i whole width. The staging is erected on the tan, and the asphalt side paths will afford comfortable footing for visitors. Both ends of the show part of the Arcade have been closed, with corrugated iron barricades, and at the lower end a platform for the band has been erected. The whole of the traps, etc., have been cleared out from the trap and hone stand, which will afford an excellent promenade and lounging ground, and: but little labor would clear the floor of it for a danee —there is plenty of room at anyrate. The ; two sunlights of the Arcade will be supplemented by a combination of five fiftycandle burners, hung in the centre of the building, and six of the largest Rochester lamps wi 1 also be hung at intervals along the staging, so that light shbuld.be as abundant as the room, and the comfort of patrons perfect. The entries, notwithstanding the gale of Monday, which ruined so many fine plants and fruit prospects, have reachei four hundred, so that a high claw show is assured. Messrs Colemane and Sons' Eucalypti Extract (manufactured at Mittagong and Cootamunrtra, New South Wales) has attained a reputation as a specific for affections of the chest, lungs, consumptions asthma, diphtheria, and a variety of other complaints. It numbers anjong its patrons Earl Jersey, the present, and Lord Carrington, late, Governor of New South', Wales, while in Great Britain during the influenza epedimic scarcely a house or office was witlj out it. Messrs Colemane and Sons' wholesale depot is in Ghribtchurch. Sharland and Co. are wholesale agent* for the^orth, bland,