THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, FEB. 15, 1909 DISTRICT PARS,

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 131, 15 February 1909, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, FEB. 15, 1909 DISTRICT PARS,

A rider named J r Osborne put up a fine performance at. the Ohura race meeting. He rode four winners, onee placed second, and once fourth out of six mounts. At Taumarunui on Friday a charge of < hOrse-stealing preferred against T. Kawe was dismissed. The Bench thought the police were justified in bringing the charge, but the facts had been misrepresented to them. For stealing a bridle, F. Holloway, who did not appear, was fined £1 or three days' imprisonment. Messrs Miotley and Cl&ridge were the presiding justices.

A well attended meeting of the Masonic fraternity was held at Taumarunui on Wednesday night, when the question of forming a local lodge was considered. Another meeting will be held when information written for has come to hand.

Scarcity of money has been followed by cheaper timber, an average reduction of aboiit Is 6d per hundred. Builders cannot, however, generally take full advantage of the '■ut in price for want o: the financial facilities which were available when timber was higher, say from six to eight months ago. The Merchant's Association has not yet issued a revised list, it being left to members to make the best arrangements they can for certain lines; in short, more latitude has been given in regard to prices. The utmost care is being taken in regard to credits. Millers themselveas are keeping prices as low as possible, it is said, in order to keep the mills from being idle. —Wellington Post. A reply has been received from the Hon. A. W. Hogg, Minister for Roads and Bridges, intimating that he will be glad to accept the invitation to visit the district. The Minister is unable to definitely fix a date at present, but will forward the information as soon as the necessary arrangements have been made. A similar reply has been received fi'om the Hon. R. McKenzie, Minister for Public Works. With the starting of the through train service between Auckland and Wellington, although Te Kuiti is to be a stopping place for trains, there will be much less activity at the railway . station during the day. The crowded passenger trains will be running through in the small hours of the morning, and the daily express from Taumarunui to Auckland- and vice versa, will carry chiefly local passengers. The new time-table has necessitated the appointment of an assistant stationmaster at Te Kuiti, and Mr Carter, of Dunedin, arrived last week in order to take up the position. With the night service to attend to the officials will be on duty for practically 20 hours, and the work is divided into shifts between the station-master and the assistant station-master.

The grand Military Gymkana to be held at Otorohanga on Saturday next promises to be a huge success, and should attract large numbers of visitors form all quarters. Seldom is it possible in the King Country to witness sports of such a character, and with fine weather there should be a record gathering at Otorohanga on Saturday.

A concert is to be held in Hetet's Hall on Wednesday evening under the auspices of the Te Kuiti Young Men's Social Institute. An excellent programme is to be presented, and an enjoyable evening is assured. With regard to the forthcoming elections for the licensing bench at Auckland, it is stated that in respect to the City, where reduction was carried at the last local option poll, the sitting members are pledged to reduce the number of licensed houses to the full extent allowed by law. As the present members of the bench received the support of the trade at the last election, there is every probability of their re-election in view of the fact, so it is stated, that they are to receive the support of the no-license people. A handsome silver cup, presented by Messrs Albrechtsen and Chilcott for competition the forthcoming Te Kuiti Sports, is now on view in Mr Chilcott's window, Rora Street. The trophy is to go to the competitor who scores the highest number of points in the various events. Several other prizes have been donated to the Sports Club, including a sewing machine for the guessing competition by the Werthjim Company, and special prizes by Messrs Blackman and Cobb. It is not every day that a man, under the hallucination that he has to go to gaol, goes there of his own accord, and behaves as though he had been placed there by the strong arm of the law. Yet such a case happened in Timaru the other day, says the Timaru Herald. A man went to the lockup voltuntarily, ;lept there, and waited the following morning, expecting to be taken before Court at 11 o'clock. But no one was more surprised than the police to find him in the cells, and the only explanation he could give as to how he got there was that he had dreamt he had been run in, and had himself turnedjthe delusion into a reality by voluntarily walking in. _ Afer making sure that he was awake, the self-imprisoned individual went to his home. A statement to the effect that the Government's legal adviser has expressed the opinion that selling wine within a no-license district appeared to be illegal is discounted by an Auckland viticulturalist. Seen on Tuesday last, this gentlemen, according to a Press Association telegram, said that under the original Act the New Zealand wine industry was not affected at all. There was, he declared, a clause in that Act providing that such wine can be made and sold in a no-license area. He was certain on the point, having taken three legal opinions on it. The clause in question had never been repealed in any way. This fact seemed to have been overlooked by people generally, including the Government's legal adviser. In any case, he said, it would not affect the growers. If the manufacture and sale of win'! was prohibited in such districts the bulk of the grapes grown would always be sold as table grapes, which paid better. If the wine industry was shut down all the growers had to do was to grow un fermented wipe for sale to temperance people.