Local and General.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume X, Issue 902, 18 April 1891, Page 2

Local and General.

SoME reading matter will bs found «n the fourth page. Mr W. Stocks has a business announce merit m this issue. Mr Rowney, Lakeside, alvortises a stray raiw lamb. , Messrs Matson advertise a forthcoming j sale of land at Leeston. The Southbridge Town Board invite applications for the post of pound Keeper. Mb. Mumby, general storekeeper, has a business announcement of interest to the housekeeping public. The time and place of the annual meeting of thf Ratepayers of the Kllesmert District is advertised. • Mr L. B. Wood. M. A,, Inspector of schools for North Canterbury, visited the Rakaia school on Tuesday, and the Southbridge school on Wednesday, on his yearly visit of inspection. A railway porter, named Veltch, wan injured at Teuiuka on Tuenday evening lust, when engaged m shunting trucks. Uis injuries, though sevwie, are, happily, not thought to be serious He is a &on of Mr. Veitch, late o Sou hb. dg\ A MATCH nt luvvn-tennis has been arranged between thelSouthbrid^i! ahd Asliburton flwbs», and will be played at Rakatu on th« 25th. in-t. The S -iitlibridgo r pre.snnta-iivt-H will probably bo choaen fnvn "the following :— Rev. E. Whilehouse, Doctor Withers, Messrs Gates, Sorter ami 0. 11. Wilh>. A MAN named AVilliam Aiken, living at Doyleston, met witii a painful accident on Thursday. He was working wild Mr J. Rennie's chuff-cutter, and by some ru< an* got his loft ikuiub entungled m the g3ar, witli the result that it was badly crushed and torn. Dr. Gosset, who was culled m, found it necessary to amputate the thumb which t poration was successfully performed, the patient being placed Uuder the influence of chloroform. The report of the Churchwardens of St. James' for the past year a; paars m another column. Whilst we neartily congratulate the church officars on the subxtantial reduction on the debt of the Oliurcli— son.e fifty per cent they have succeeded m accompliHbing, we can hard I, extend those congratulations to the parishioners. That a Churoh, of all thingp, should be m deot is unseemly. And m a wealthy and a prosperous district Mich as thif, it" is mutter for wonder and regret thaj the entire debt has not been extinguished lon« a«jo. Among the parishioners are many well-To-do people. The debit hal.mce i" now on* a trifle over twenty pounds. These two fact*, taken m proper conjunction, should speedily result m the extinction of the encumbrance. The annual meeting of the members of the Routhbridge Quadrille assembly was held m the Royal Hotel on Thursday evening, Mr. S. Moore m the chair. There was a good attendance. The honorary secretary, Mr 13. Cowan, read the rep >rt and balance-sheet. The latter showed the receipts to have been £23 14s. 61., and the expenditure £22 13*. 6d., leavinsr a credit balance of £1 Is. The report an * balance-sheet wore adopted. A a'ronar committee was appointed, Mr. E. Cowan being re-electocJ secretary. It was decided to open the season with a ball on the Bth. proximo The memberi*' subscription was fixed at 12s. fid., and it was resolved o have membershio tick«t3 print', d. A. v- rv hearty vote of thanks to the secretary for his exertions during the past yeur, brought the proceedings to a close. In the Supreme Court, Christchurch, on Thursday the cose of Richards v. Lawrence came on for hearing. The case is of some local interest, the parties residing, and being well known m this district. Mr Stringer appeared for the plaintiff, Robert Richards, who sought to recover £250 ns damages for an alleged libel from W. D. Lawrence, who was represented by Mr. H>nper. The libel complained of was contained m a letter written by defendant to Mes j w Campbell and Murdoch, wherein he was desciibed as ' a bad character.' He Further complained that defendant had maliciously caused a warrant t@ he issued unde r which plaintiff had been arrested on '« charge °f obiaißin* three grass-strip >ers by fa'«e pretencflp, which charge was dismissed by tho justices wfco heard the evidence. The circumstances aro familiar to our readers Lengthy evidence was taken and the judge summed up strongly m favour of tha defendant. Ho said that the evidence adduced was such that he should nut huve bien surprised had the justices sent tho case referred to for trial, instead of dismt-slng it. Mr. Lawr nee had done nothing more m prosecuting plaintiff than heroHHonabl' plmnld havo ilpno. Hehnd arpirently taken every reasonable procautioo before laying the information, as was shown by the evidence of Mr Murdoch itnd Constable Warrinff, and he was fully ju-iififlri m »!io pteps he took. Tb« jary