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Mataura Ensign, Volume VI, Issue 288, 11 September 1883, Page 2

"We have received Lola Montes' card giving some very valuable information to sporting men.

• The electoral rolls of tho various ridings of Southland county will be on view at the places named in an advertisement in another column till the 25th inafc.

The inquest on the body of the child found at Woodlands was continued yesterday Detectiye Ede stated that he had made strict inquiries since the inquest was adjourned, but could ofier no evidence as to the identity of the child. At the instance of the Coroner the .jury returned the following verdict — " That the body of the said male child was on the 18th of August found in some water at Woodlands aforesaid, with marks of violence thereon, but how or by what means said male child came to its death is to the jurors unknown."

/ " Farmer," Waikaia, sends us the follownotice some omissions made in your reptrt of the Waikaia ploughing match, which I think should be published, as they redound taA'ne credit of a local manufacturer. The advertise•ment stated l< Plain ploughing " "was to be the rule, and Mr J. P. Hill with Gardiner's plough was disqualified, because he had a medium cut, although all present admitted the work done was the best on the ground. Further, Mr Gardiner's plough won the prize for the best seed furrow, showing that the local article can hold its own against anything. It is only justice that these facts should be made known, as the meagre report your correspondent furnished would leave a false impression on the public mind."

Our Mataura correspondent, writing yesterday, says :— The weather, which has caused some delay in farming operations, has now much improved, and sowing has been prosecuted with vigor. A large quantity of land is under wheat this year.— -The gift auction in aid of the Church building fund takes place on Friday next, and is the subject engaging public attention at present. — Commodious additions are to ba made to the church in order to accommodate the large and increasing Sabbath school. It ia gratifying to observe (in these days of secular education) the interast taken in this matter.— The establishment of an Athenaeum is spoken of, and in connection therewith a literary and debating society might prove a boon to the youth of our locality; for what is most of all wanted in our age is the cultivation of the thinking power with the corresponding suppression of colonial "blow."— Mr Rdss^of Invercargill, haa recently executed some vary good views of the bridge and waterfall, as well as of the various buildings of the township.

A meeting of the creditors of Peter Hughes, Menzies- Ferry, was held in the Eesident Magistrate'sCourthouße,lnvercargil,yesterday Mr J. Templeton in the chair.— Bankrupt's statement set down his liabilities 'at £61 10s, the claims being all under £10, except that of Templeton and Co., Wyndham, £24. The assets, consisting of household furniture and wearing apparel, were valued at £15. Mr I. W. Raymond was appointed trustee. In reply to questions, bankrupt stated that he had filed because he was pushed by one of his creditors for £1 Iss. V& no* consult the other creditors, because he was " too far in." —A creditor said bankrupt ought to think shame of himself. There were plenty; of creditors willing to help him, and to file because he was pushed for £1 los was shameful Bankrupt had better make tome proposal instead of going through. — Bankrupt did not see that time could do him any good— it ;took all he earned to pay his way. Creditors expressed themselves as much dissatisfied.!

The seventeenth annual meeting of ihe Southland A. and P. Association was held; at Invercargill on Saturday last. The report showed, inter alia, that the New Zealand L. and M. A. Co., recognising the vast importance to the district of the newly established frozen meat trade, has announced its intention of offering for competition at the forthcoming show a special cup of the value of £15 155, with a view of encouraging the production of the class of sheep most suitable for exportation to the London market. The finances were not in a very satisfactory condition, and an urgent appeal was made to the country settlers to come forward and put these on a satisfactory basis, it being pointed out that in the past the fanners had not exerted themselves as they should have done. Mr James Fleming was elected President for

The annual Walking Show of the .Southland A. and P. Association has been fixed for Saturday, 29th inst.

Judge Ward has benefited considerably in health by his holiday, and will resume his duties forthwith.

Mass was n«t celebrated at Wyndham on Sunday last owing to the illness of Rev. Father FitzGerald. We are sorry to hear that the gentleman's health is not good.

The Rev. Lindsay Mackie, pastor of the Presbyterian First Church, Dunedin, died on Monday evening; aged 39. He leaves a widow and three children.

Seven sections, each containing 320 acres, and one of 208 ( 'acres, in the Waikaia district, are declared in the Gazette as open for leasing under the " Land Act, 1877, Amendment Act, 1882."

jJTke deer on Mr M'Kellar's run near Tapanui would appear to be of late increasing rapidly. A gentleman informs us that he saw the other morning a herd of no less than 34. We understand the number on the estate has. now reached about 150.

The unsightly gap caused- by the late fire at Wyndham is already beginning to be filled up. Mr J. Eankin has in process of erection a store on the site of the old, and will make another start about the end of the week.

The first portion of the «ontract for the formation of the Riversdale-Switzers line is making satisfactory progress. The contractor, U r Anderson, has already reached the river Mataura, a distance of about two miles from Kiversdale. The nature of the country admits of the extensive use of scoops, and to this fact may be attributed the large show already made.

We regret to hear that a fatal accident occurred at Mandeville yesterday morning. It seems a daughter of Mr David Mills, a surfaceman on the line, was playing near the Waimea stream and somehow not yet explained fell in and was drowned. She was about seven years old. The body was recovered during the morning.

"We call attention to the special services announced in our columns in connection with the Wesleyan Ohurcb. These services will be held in Mackay'a Hall, Gordon, the use of which has been obtained for the occasion, and which will (provide greater accommodation than the Courthouse. On Sunday next, the Rev. J. Berry will preach at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and on Monday the same ! gentleman will deliver a lecture. The subject of the lecture affords scope for abundance of interesting matter and Jo. the hands of an I experienced platform speaker like Mr Berry* will no doubt receive full justice. A tea meeting also takes place on Monday evening, and we anticipate large gatherings on. each occasion.

It is now quite time that the post and telegraph master at Wyndham should Tecaive some help in the discharge of his multifarious duties. At present when a telegram comes to a resident, Mr Hollywood has to stop whatever he may be doing and run off and deliver it! It is not fair to any man nor to the public that such an antiquated state of things should continue. A cadet might surely be appointed. The cost would be trilling, and might be made up in some other way. At present the arrangement cannot be satisfactory t« the gentleman in charge, and we know it is not to the public.

The second session of tbc eighth Parliament of New Zealand came to a close on Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock, when the prorogation took place. Sir George Grey t'reatcfi a peculiar kind of scene when the Lower Houtft assembled by insisting on giving a notice of motion for the opening day of next seiaiori, but noboiy would receive it, in spite of his protests. The motion waa to bring in a bill dealing with &« claims of sailors and soldiers engaged in New Zealand wars to blocks of land— a subject of scarcely sufficient importance, it may well be thought, to have caused a scene about.

At Thursday's meetiug of the Southland Land Board, Margaret Sloan applied for a transfer of section U, block 4, Menzies Ferry to Margaret Ferguson. The rent was in arrears, and the residential, conditions had not been complied with. Consideration of the application was postponed for three months to enable the applicant to fulfil the residence condition, and make payment of rent.— The Clerk of the County Council submitted a list of lands on which amounts had accrued for expenditure on roads to open the deferred payment blocks in which the sections were situated ; also plans showing the roads proposed to be made. He recommended that future sums accruing in like manner should be expended on the same road, as it would require all the available money to carry out the work to any beneficial extent. The following are the districts .-—Forest Hills, Limehilte, Hokonui, New River, Taringatura, Fernhills and Lintley.— lt wasraeolved that the list be dealt with on the 27th inst.

The Southland Education Board met on Friday. The following appointments were made :— Mr F. C. McLure, temporary teacher, Mimihau ; Miss Janet McLeod, sewing misiress, Wyndham.— lt was agreed that the inspector be requested to visit the distriota of Glenkenich, Kaiwera (Otaria), and Mandeville, and report on the applications for new schools in these districts.— The inspector's report on tha application for a new school at Otara was approved of, a meeting of the settlers of that locality to be convened to define the boundaries of a new school district and recommend a suitable aite for a school. — The application for a suitable site for a school in the Tuturau district was referred back to the settlers for additional information. — A meeting of the settlers in the Longridge district was ordered to be convened for the purpose of electing a school committee and defining the boundaries of a new school district. — The Inspector's report on the curriculum and regulations of pupil teachers' examination was read. The report pointed out the de» f ects in the present mode of examining pupil teachers, and suggested many improvements in the curriculum. The Board deferred the consideration of the report till' next meeting. Mr Lumsden, having given notice at last meeting of the BoaTd, moved '< That the at* tention of 'the Government be directed to the fact that, on many occasion's, the Board experiences a difficulty in securiug school rites ia newly-settled districts, owing to, the fact that an insufficient number of reserves have been made for futur* public sohools and other purposes." The motion was put and carried.