The Herald. Alexandra, Thursday, Jan. 22, 1903.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 350, 22 January 1903, Page 4

The Herald. Alexandra, Thursday, Jan. 22, 1903.

The court sits at Ophir on Thursday next, I The Vincent County Council meets at I Clyde on Wednesday next. Shearing was finished at Galloway Station at the end of last week. The butchers of Alexandra intend to rej duce the price of mutton Id per pound al round, at the end of the present month. Mb J. J. O'Kane, dentist, may be consulted at Dr M'llroy's surgery, Ophir, tomorrow (Friday)., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mr M'Carthy, S.M., in granting an old age pension to a Cingalese, held that the Act applied to Asiatics who have been born British subjects. Ax Fortrose, on Sunday evening, two men, named Joseph M'Kenzie and A. R. Daplyn, were drowned by the capsizing of a boat. Mr George Faohe holds an important auction sale of freehold property, furniture, &c, at Clyde to-day, on account of Mr Bobert Gilkiuon. Since Sunday the weather throughout the district has been fine and warm. At Alexandra on Monday the thermometer registered 83deg. in the shade. Cr Pitches has given notice to move at next week's meeting of the County Council that the sum of £75 be voted for widening portion of the Alexandra Springvale road.

The clerk of the court will be in attendance at the Courthouse, Alexandra, on Friday 23rd inst. at 2 p.m., for the purpose of receiving applications and issuing summonses for hearing next court-day. At the Dunedin Police Court last week, John Cairns was sentenced to one month's imprisonment for stealing a portmanteau, valued at £l, the property of Mr.John Shanaban, at Alexandra on January 2nd. Accused pleaded " guilty." We have to acknowledge receipt, from Messrs Mills, Dick and Co., of & copy of their Almanac and Directory for'l9o3. This useful annual contains, as usual, a vast amount of information for all classes of the community, and its low price (Is 6d) brings it within the reach of all. A MEETING was held in the Bendig Hotel last evening whenit was decided toform an Operatic Society in Alexandra. Another 'meeting is to be held next, Wednesday, 28th inst at the Bendigo Hotel, at 8 p.m., when everyone interested in the foiaaationof sach a roeiety ate£6v£tedi@«ittcttti,

Diphtheria has made its appearance in Invercargill. While Scotland has 158 whisky distilleries there are only 27 in Ireland and 9 in England. England spends £8,400,000 a year on paupers; Scotland, £900,000; Ireland, £1,400,000; France spends altogether less than £1,500,000. The Alexandra Borough Council invite tenders for the cartage of pipes from Ida Valley, and also for the laying of the pipes through the town. There is great activity at the poultry export depots of the colony, and the output for the past eight month exceeds the output for the whole of the previous year. Eltham " Argus," referring to pilfering at races, says:—" All sorts and conditions of men patronise race meetings, and some sort of men who go there would rob a blind hen of a worm." Mr R Kerb notifies that he has taken over the old-established shoeing forge in Alexandra, for many years carried on by MrWFraser, and solicits a continuance of patronage. The new regulations under the Old Age Pensions Act are now in force. Under these regulations, the investigation into a claim for a pension will be more searching than has hitherto been the case.

The Alexandra Orchestral Society wil* (weather permitting) give an open air concert on the Bendigo Hotel balcony on Friday evening at 8 pm. Mr A. G. Murphy will sing * Motherland " and " Fiona The *• North Otago Times " notes that the price of flour, which was rapidly rising a short time ago is now, if we are to judge by advertisements in our columns, as rapidly falling. There seems to be a daily drop in prices. Gen, Sir Elliot W00d,K.E..K.08., to whom the initiation of the blockhouse system in South Africa was due, says that some 8,000 blockhouses were erected during the war and that the barbed wire used covered about 50,000 miles. Messrs Callaghan and Wilson have re. oently made considerable additions to their wheel Wright's shop and smithy, and are now turning out a lot of first-class work. The blacksmith's business (under Mr Callaghan) has lately been transferred to the new shop, adjoining the courthouse. Victoria is appaiently desirous of drawing inspiration from New Zealand upon the Education question, as Mr Tait, the new Director of Education in that State, is expected to visit this colony shortly in order to investigate some of our educational conditions.

The Anti-Compulsion Vaccination League of New Zealand have decided that: pulsory vaccination is the degradation of science, an offence against liberty, a scandal to the law, a disgrace to Christianity, a disturbing force in society, and an insult to the intelligence of the age." The following will represent the Alexandra Cricket Club in the match to be played against the Clyde Club, on the latter's ground next Saturday :—Burnside, Bureess, E. King, W. King, J B Cairns, W S Laidlaw, S Churchill, G Watts, J Crombie, C Daniels, G- Ormond; emergencies, Williams and Campbell. The case against Mr E. L. Macassey, secretary of the Forbury Park Racing Club, charged with causing an advertisement to be inserted in the " Evening Star " newspaper with intent to induce persons to resort to the Forbury Park racecource for the purpose of making bets on events or contingencies relating to horse-racing, was dismissed, The Miller's flat correspondent of the " Benger Mail" writes:—A strike has occurred at the Teviot Station, and as the outcome of it, the shearers are taking action against Mr Scrimgeour The cause of the strike was the refusal of the men to shear wet sheep, and in this I consider they are quite justified in the stand they have taken. " Wet Paint" we often see about, And wisely keep our distance; Advice like that is good no doubt,

And valuable assistance. But there's one thing, more precious still Of that you can make sure, By driving off your cough or chill With Wood's Great Peppermint Cure. It is understood that the election of licens- ' ing committees will take place on or about i 25th March. In the meantime notices are being sent out to all those whose names were on the roll at the general election and ! who did not exercise their vote that their | names have been struck off. The notice is accompanied by a form for reinstatement and if the receiver wishes to have a voice in the election of the Licensing Committee it is his or her duty to fill in the form, have it duly witnessed and forwarded at once to the Registrar of Electors. Says the " Cromwell Argus ":—Some days ago, some young men were shooting near the town on the other side of the Clutha. Mrs M'George was outside her bouse at the time and had the misfortune to get shot by one of these careless sportsmen. The bullet entered her shoulder and was very painful, though no serious consequences resulted. It ought to be unnecessary to point out that the practise of shooting towards or near the town is highly reprehensible. Although it must be admitted that the accident was an error of judgment, it forms one of such a kind as might lead to serious consequences for'all concerned, and should serve as a warning in time to come In view of the pest that small birds have become in New Zealand, the following paragraph, from " Cassell's Illustrated Family Paper," of October 15th, 1859, will excite some comment and provoke not a little strong language: Three hundred sparrows, carefully selected from the best hedgerows in England, have been lately sent to New Zealand. The food alone put on board for them cost £lB. The necessity of small birds to keep down the grubs that devastate the crops in that colony, has long been felt. The farmer is beset with myriad of caterpillars. Should the sparrow become acclimatised and multiply, the greatest benefit will have been conferred on the country."

Tub most ancient crown in the British Empire is now that of Scotland. When Oliver Cromwell laid his hand on England's throne he destroyed her emblem of sovereignty, and the crown which King Edward wears is of comparatively modern date. Not so that of his northern country. In Edinburgh Castle there is guarded the Regalia of Scotland, the crown dating back to the time of Robert the Bruce in 1314, a portion of it being, indeed, anterior to the days of the hero of Bannockburn. The crown is of handsome design, and is of pure gold, enriched with many precious stones, diamonds, pearls and curious enamellings. The crown is 9in in diameter, 27in in circumference and stands 6|in high from the under circle to the cross. The British crown is valued at £113,000 Miss Kate Livingstone, the cousin of the famous explorer, Dr Livingstone, has now completed her 107 th year. She is living at Fishnisb, Mull, where in the evening of her life she is under the solicitous care of Mrs Fletcher of Glenaros, Mull, with whom she had long been a very privileged servant. Site is very feeble now, and her faculties are giyaway under the strain of years. Her hearing, which was not good even seven years ago, is now completely gone. Her memory began to fail years ago. She was frequently visited by Dr Livingstone, and when she was about 35 years of age she was married to an Irish soldier named M'Queeny. Their married life only extended to about four years, and th-rfr one daughter is now an old, wan&fc ct 70s ife Qlaag**

A ffOUNG man named William Butter* hailing from Victoria, and working on Top Valley goldfield, died in Blenheim Hospital as the result of a peculiar accident on Thursday of last week Whilst vaulting, and above 9ft from the ground, the pole broke, and he fell heavily on his shoulder, the whole of his body becoming paralysed. The settlers on the Barnego Estate, re cently acquired by the Government, and cut up for settlement, are much exercised at present owing to the fact that the Glutha river is making inroads into the top of Barnego Flat. There are a number of dairy farmers in the locality, and several of them have suffered to an extent that is most alarming, and, to make matters worse, the erosion threatens to continue and to spread into other farms than those already affected. During the incoming Parliamentary session the Assets Board will endeavour to get authority to raise eight or nine thousand pounds, for the purpose of constructing an embankment for thirteen miles along the Manawatu river, to prevent the flooding of the Moutda Estate, near Foxton. It is estimated that the work will increase thejvalue of land to £ls per acre, and enable it to be cut up into dairy farms. A seafearing man, while in the Continental Hotel at Edinburgh, discharged a revolver shot into the fireplace The barmaid was alarmed at first, but when the man handed her the firearm to put aside, she toyed with it, and, after pulling the trigger twice without effect, remarked:—" what a dreadful thing for people to commit suicide." She playfully put the revolver to her temple and pulled the trigger. The charge exploded and she fell dead. The decision of the Court of Inquiry regarding the Elingamite wreck is that the master and first officer were to blame for not having the boat properly equipped,while the certificates of the first and second officers must be returned to them. Their conduct was not commendable, either in handling the boats at the time of the wreck, or in leaving the passengers adrift on the rafts. The Court ordered Captain Atwoods' certificate to be suspended for • one year, and also ordered him to pay £SO towards the cost of the enquiry. The certificates of the other officers were returned.

A section of the Queenstown residents are up in arms against the action of the Government in advertising excursions to the head of Lake Wakatipu for the benefit of Sunday excursionists. The Rev. Wilson has obtained the signatures of over 150 of the Queenstown residents, besides a large number of visitors, to a petition protesting against the Sabbath desecration involved in the running of the steamers The petitioners affirm that these Sunday excursions have been forced upon them by the Government, for no one in the town asked for such a thing. They say that, the Government pretends that it is running the steamers on Sunday for the benefit of visitors, whereas all the visitors, when asked, have signed the peeition against the Sunday steamers. Apropos of the Speakership of the House of Representatives, the parliamentary representative of the Dunedin " Star " had a conversation on the subject with Sir William Russell last week. The member for Hawke's Bay (who will not be a candidate for the vacancy) is strongly of opinion that Mr A. R. Guinness ought, by reason of his long service as Chairman of Committees and Deputy-Speaker, to be elected to the position, though he acknowledges that many members of the Opposition will be found supporting the candidature of Mr M'Nab, if the member for Mataura is nominated. Sir William thinks, that the Cabinet ought to make an early announcement of its candidate for the position. Premier Seddon, remarks the "Spectator," has at last come to the conclusion that the Defence Department is a cumbrous and unwieldy concern which requires drastic reform, and men are being sacked wholesale. Old hands who have been in receipt of good pay for years are among those who fall out of the ranks, and it is expected that, in cases where their places are filled by others, the latter will be appointed at less screw than their predecessors received. Seddoh's new idea of retrenchment should effect a big saving to the colony. It was probably instigated by General Babington, who not long ago privately expressed the opinion that there were two many officers in the department. This is the "Oamaru Mail's" opinion:— " It does not matter who may be the Opposition's leader, or how many leaders they may have, the Government has nothing to fear for anything they can do. Whatever may happen, it is impossible that the Opposition proper—that is, the party which was represented by Sir W. Russell—can ever be trusted with the administration of the colony's affairs. But. if the Opposition wants a leader, there is no man who, by virture of his prestige and experience, could fill the position as it could be filled by Sir W. Russell. To select any other member of the Opposition would be as absurd as it would be insulting to Sir William, who, by reason of his superior knowledge, loyalty, energy, and gentlemanly tact, would have led his party on to victory if the task had not been impossible.