LATEST NEWS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 267, 18 April 1874, Page 3

LATEST NEWS.

SUPPL'EMIiNTArcY TELEGKAMS

' Dunedin, Friday, 8.30 p.m. M'lntosh's trial has been further postponed till Friday next. v D l\ Redwood's appointment to the Catholic Bishopric of Wellington has been confarmed. He is a brother of Redwood of racing celebrity. Captain Hutton reports of the Tokomairiro coal-fields that they are the largest in the Colony, and contain a thousand billion tons of coal. The best of the brown coal is quite suitable for engines and locomotives.. Ee says he feared Christchurch would take the lead before he saw this field, but is, now satisfied "that'-Dunedin- cannot' be outStripped. -- • ;-...' • '

~ _ TIMARU RACES. The various results on the first day are as under:—

The Hurdle Race was'won by Alice Grey. Theodore secured the Maiden Plate. For the District Handicap Exile was placed nrst.

• Timaru Cup.—Tamburihi, first;. Templeton, a bad second; • ■ ' • TheChristchurch portion of the census returns nlade public gives the population of Christchurch as 10,265; Timaru, 2,009; and Kaiapoi, 1,012. The increase since 1871 is—-Christchurch, 2,334; Timaru, 59; and Kaiapoi, 134. ;-;,. WELLIXGTON. . The traffic by the Hutt railway promises to be considerably greater than was anticipated. The rolling stock is insufficient for the present traffic., The ' Independent' understands that the Government has been in communication with the Agent-General and Home authorities on the subject of obtainingH.M.S. Rosario as a training ship for seamen," and says there is good reason to believe that one will be obtained;• ■ In the meantime a commencement is about to be made in Auckland, • M'Lean having, while in Australia, arranged with the Trustees for the use of the mission buildings and the schooner Southern Cross for twelvemonths. -C. „.''

Threl large stacks of wheat, belonging to Mr. E. Arrowtown, ; were destroyed by fire on Saturday last. It is. supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. The surgeon of the District Hospital at Clyde informs the 'Dunstan Times'that, during the past week, there have been twen-ty-three inmates in the institution, and that twelve of them were suffering from. fever.. Several of the cases are of a very bad type.

A .Mb. ¥.. M'Ouskea., who seems to-be troiibledv with .a number of debtors who will not pay their litllu-. accounts, publishes the names of a dozen of them, with the amocrit of their little bills, in the A Tarahakii Herald' ; and adds in a footnote:-'-' this is only a small sample; about fifty more" will go in this day week." i

It will be rememberod that the Grand Jury in Dunedin' threw out the case of Jones, committed at Naseby for, stealing a horse at Hyde, the property of Mr. T. Logan, of Cromwell. The reason, we understand, alleged for this wa3 the length of time since elapsed. The horse, we may say, was given up, by order of the Court, to Mr. Logan.

The fever (says the 'Cromwell Argus'), which has now become an epidemic in Cromwell, shows no signs of abating, as far as the number of cases is concerned. . A number of fresh cases have occurred during the week, although they do not appear to be of such a malignant type as some of the earlier ones. Medical authorities ascribe it to the impure water and defective sanitary arrangements. Some movement w afoot just now to. have, a block of 2,5 ri o acres of land on the West bank of'the Molyneu'x on Earnseleugh station, thrown open for selection-under the deferred payment system ; the opponents to a" block being thrown open /in this locality, and ol whom there are not a few, aver there-is not one hundred acres fit for agricultund' purposes. The applicants hold they do not seek opinion as to the quality ; they say, we are prepared to take up the land, and that should end all further questions. Our opinion is most decidedly on-the.side of the applicants—if they are willing to take up the land, the responsibility rests with them, and no one, from any motive, should be allowed to interfere with their choice. For agriculture or not, the land has been.applied for, and we think their request should be complied with, —'Dunstan Times.'

The Tuapeka paper is responsible for the following story :—"The local jnedico at Roxburgh was made the unfortunate victim of a most heartless hoax on the first of April. Some kind friend appears to have furnished him with a telegram i urporting to be sent to him by Mr. Macandrew from Clyde, stafng that, in company with Mr. Bastings, he would be at Ormond's Hotel, Roxburgh, that evening ati 7 o'clock,, and invited the doctor to ...dine "with them,-'and Vipreßsing'a hopelhat they would not be bothered with any deputations. The doctor,' evidently flattered with such enviable and marked distinction, was not slow in apprising his friends of bis good fortune j but 7 o'clock arriving and no Superintendent or G-oldfields Secretary putting in an appearance, our friend, who had got himself up for the occasion, was reluctantly compelled to admit that he had been made an April fool of.

.We have received the following more detailed information respecting Mr. Bastings' visit to St. Bathans:—Mr. Bastings, accompanied by Mr. Simpson, District Engineer, paid his long-promised visit to St. Bathans on Friday, the 10th inst. After inspecting the channel and the sites in dispute, Mr. Bastings was waited on by the business people and the managers of the Scandinavian and the United M. and E Water Race Companies, when a plan of the township was produced, and the objections to the sale of the allotments were heard. . After some discussion, Mr. Purton, on behalf of. the Scandinavian Water Race Company, promised to withdraw the objections to the sale of the sites at present in occupation. Mr. Bastings stated, that the allotments would. be sold within a, month.' In answer to a question as to a grant of money torepair the road between Hill's Creek and St. Bathans, Mr. Bastings stated that there were no, funds available for the pnrpose at present; he would, however, recommend that £2O should be placed at the disposal of the Progress Committee for repairing some of the worst places. After some further discussion on local matters of minor importance, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Bastings and the deputation withdrew.

, On Wednesday evening; the Bth instant, a number of gentlemen met at M'Bride's Hotel,. Queenstown, to present a testimonial of respect and a purse of sovereigns to Mr. Henry J. ..bproule, of.the Commercial Academy, who is leaving the district.—The Mayor, who cupied; the chair; said the present meeting represented the chief interests of the district, and he was therefore glad, both on account of Mr. Sproule and his own position, that he was now present. His own children had attended Mr. Sproule's.academy, and he must say, y from the care taken with them and many other children besides, that the loss of Mr. Sproule's services would not only be a loss privately, but publicly also. He was quite, disappointed that, immediately on his return from Dunedin, he should have to occupy the position he did, of assisting in bidding farewell to one who should not be allowed to leave the district. After some other 'complimentary remarks, his Worship then presented the testimonial, which was beautifully engrossed, framed in wood grown in the district, and all (except the glass) was the product of good-wishers and native industry. —Mr. Sproule, in his reply, said that he was deeply gratified at this recognition of his services, and he would assure them that it would cheer on his efforts as a,-, schoolmaster.. The schoolmaster's lot wa* somewhat thankless. ,;He was expected to increase the talent. Some .mildren had but little of this—othera more; The schoolmaster should be judged by average results of intelligence and improvement, ratherthanby anindividualcase. It was said he would teach the dogmas of his church, but. he had not done so, and Presbyterians' and other sects were represented by their chttdren in his school. He concluded by saying that he liked Queenstown and the people. He could make no promises, but he would have no-objection to return to them if circumstances allowed.