Peninsula News.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 683, 30 January 1883, Page 2

Peninsula News.

Bobooqh Council.—The usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council takes place to-morrow evening. Lyttelton Harbor Board.—As will be seen by advertisement, Messrs W. B. 'losswill and B. C. Latter are candidates for the honor of the seat on.the Lyttelton Harbor Board for Akaroa. Carriage for the Fruit.—Mr Henning announces elsewhere that there will be a steamer for Dunedin every Thursday, on and after February Ist, for the convenience of fruitgrowers. Congregational.—At the. annual session of the Congregational Union, held last week, Mr W. Barnett made application for a grant to relieve'the trustees of the debt oi>the Church at Akaroa; also, that the Church property bo vested in the Union Trust. The application was referred to a select committee, <vhich recommended the granting of £100 towards the debt on the Church, providing the balance (about £52) can be locally raised. Mr Barnett informed the Council that the present trustees had agreed to sell a small portion of the land to the Akaroa Borough-Coun-cil, which engagement they hoped ehortly to complete. It was agreed that the present trustees should complete the arrangement, and devote the proceeds of sale to the reduction of the £52. Murder at Kaikoura.—At 12.15 p.m. on Friday, Ratima, a Native, brutally rnur-. dered his wife at the Mangamanu pah, Kaikoura, stabbing her repeatedly in the neck and breast and killing her almost immediately. It appears that he arrived home from Waipapa just previous, and deliberately sharpened the weapon, with which he committed thV'dee'd. Jealousy is supposed to be the causo of the crime., Constable Smart promptly arrested the' murderer, who was broaght to Kaikoura, and lodged in the lockup a few hours afterwards. The inurc'er was one of the most cold-blooded and deliberate imaginable, jealousy being the cause, The brother of the murderer, it is alleged, had inti.nacy with the deceased a few days previous to the committal of the deed, and 'also on previous occasions. Tho murderer, Ratima. arrived here from Waipapa, eight miles from Mangamanu, about mid-day yesterdiy, and at once, ; ground, and sharpened* a large sheath He had made all arrangements for eifecting his escape after despatching his wit?, knowing th it nearly all the Maorios reeling at Paho ware engaged cutting gnss some miles distant. Ratima, after trying in vain to induce his wife to enter the dwelling, seized her, and after a struggle, during which he made several ineffectual attempts to stab her, at length succeeded in doing so, the knife (a butcher's large knife) passing right through her neck from side to side, cutting through ttie jugular viena and windpipe. The murderer is now very unconcerned, and uays he knows that he will be hanged The Maories of tho pah would have iynched him had they not been dissuaded by the Native teacher, Mr Dinaher. At the inquest on the body of tiie woman liatima, a verdict, was returned of: «' Wilful murder " against Jacob Ilatiina, .fche husband of the deceased.

Plejmington Cheese Factory. — The daily supply of milk at this factory has increased from 400 to 800 gallons a day. At present Mr Harding and his three assistants are turning out two tons of Cheddar cheese per week, and the total amount In stock on Friday last was eighteen" tons, of suitable weights and chapes for both the London and Colonial markets,. A little of the cheese ha 3 already found its way into the local market, and the qualify and condition has been favorably commented upon by several acknowledged judges of cheese. There is a small consignment ready for the London market, but it is not yet finally decided when it shall be shipped. ■ Ligurian 3kes.—The successful rearing of Ligurian qu -ens in Mr Dawber's apiary, Gorman Bay, has been accomplished by Mr C. Chaplin, bee expert, Of CWstchurch, he having' brought with him a small quan • tityof com!) containing newly laid eggs •froitf a The pieces of coin-b with' eggs were fitted into the comba of <a black stock, from which the queen had been previously removed, with the result that a number of queen cells were raised, from which the first queen hatched on Saturday, 20th instant. She, being of a bright gold color, showed to great contrast as she moved over --the combs among her black subject*. .Although of pure Ligurian blood, the progeny o£ these queena, will be hybrids, as they can only mate with black drones ; but it is generally allowed by scientific apiarians that hybrid workers are the most active of any,' and consequently the most profitable to keep. A Brutal Deed.—A daetardly act was perpetrated recently (says the New Zealand Times.) Some person entered the stable of Sir James Prendergast, and deliberately cut out nearly the whole of the tongue of one of the ponies standing in it. The animal is 'one of the most docile and inoffensive of its kind, and the injury is therefore likely to have been inflicted for the purpose of causing loss to its owner. There is as yet no clue to the perpetrator, but it is to be hoped that he will not escape the severe punishment which he so richly deserves. The real facts of the case had been kept quiet fur a time, in the hope that the' perpetrator of the outrage might be i discovered. The facts, which we are now At , liberty to relate, are these : The pony, a chestnut gelding, used for saddle purposes, I was turned out in the paddock between 6.30 and 7 p.m. The paddock, it may be mentioned, is some 100 yards distant from the stable, and entrance thereto is through an iron gate, whicb is not readily swung open except by those who know the way. On the morning after the pony had been turned out to graze, the groom (W. ftaunders), on getting up found- the pony, not in the paddock, as he expected, but standing close up to the stable door, having evidently been driven up there. He saw at once that there was something peculiar about the animal, and On inspection found that its mouth was full of blood. Putting his finger in behind the teeth, he found a mass of clotted blood, and, alarmed at thia he madejfurther inspection, find found that the tongue of the pony had been cut out, close to the root. , On this discovery being made instant search was made for traces of the culprit; but none were discoverable, A few drpps of blood werejound about sve yards from the gnte, but the most diligent search failed to discover the 'missing tongue. It was evident.Jiowever, that no single individual could have done the deed. The pony is of lively disposition, eomewhat difficult to catch, except by those to whom it is well accustomed, and the inference is that-two or more individuals bailed the pony up and committed the outrage, for what reason none can yet tell, except as eunnined in a fit of petty revenge against Sir James Prendergast for some duty performed in his high . judicial capacity. The pony, , wo may. ac}d, is still alive and thriving. Mr Beaton, the wellknown vet, of LanibtonQuay, has it under his care, and is in-hopes that his patient will pull through;