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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 416, 29 March 1877, Page 2

The Freemasons of England support, three charities, one of which pays annuities to aged masons and -widows, while the other two are schools for the children of Masons, one for boys and the other for girls. The sum contributed for their support last year was over £195,000. Thb railways areconveying great quantities of grain into Oamaru from the Waitaki Valley, and also from South Canterbury. A great slice of land between Duntroon and Maerewhenua is broken up ready for cropping next year. Nearer Oamaru the bulk of the cultivated land is in pasture, the grass this year being of the finest possible nature. In every way it will be a finagraziers year. The farmers who have depended upon grain will also be fortunate. At the time of the heavy rain and wind the crops were not sufficiently rip* to be much injured, so that the bulk "of the crops has been well saved throughout the Waitaki district. The Oamaru mills, not deterred by the Dunedin combination, are sending about a large quantity of flour by the steamers. The Waiareka railway is to be opened on Thursday, the 29th, for public traffic. The line is one of the Provincial branch railways running from Oamaru for fifteen miles up the Cave Valley, terminating about seven miles from the township of Livingstone, better known as the Maerewhenua. The rai's on this, as on the parallel line up the Waitaki to Duntroon, are of a light description, weighing only 281t>s. It is proposed to place BOlb rails ou all portions of the main line as yet unfinished, and to lift some of the lighter 401b rails, placing them as needed on the branch lines. It is said that it has been found very difficult to ballast the light lines, and get them fit for traffic, on account of the tendency of the 281b rails to give. The lines are not popular with either engineers or contractors. It may therefore be the case that they are condemned without fair trial.

Saturday, 31st March, ia the last day on Which claims for registration on the Electoral Roll can be received. Tuk banks will nc closed on Good Friday, Saturday, and fainter Monday, 30th and 3lßt insfc, and 2ud prox . Thk . opening hour of tho Loyal • Nnseby Lodge has been changed from eight to half past seven during tho winter xn'bnths: Hku Majjjsty the Queen baa conferred the title of K.Q.M.G. on Mr. Fit/.herbert, Speaker of tho House of Representatives;.-' '•■ • ■ A mektinu of tho Naseby School Committee will take place at tho Schoolhouso on Saturday evening,; At eight. Tub Home mail* via San Francisco, clow at the District P-isi Office, on Monday 2nd April, at tho usual hour. The Meat Preserving Works at Kakanui imd Oamaru are idle th's year, the price of stock being too high to offer any profit to the boiler down and meat preserver. The new Civil Mervice regulations abolish tho luncheon half-hour, and forbid civil servants to leave the Government buildings without special leave between 9.30 and 4.30, and absolutely prohibit smoking during office hours.

A proclamation by his Excellency the Governor, under the Goldfields Act, 1866, suspending section 5 of Regulation IV., section 5 of Regulation XIII., and section 2 of Regulation XXV., having special reference to this Goldtield, will be found in our advertising columns. The barque Gloucester, from Hong Kong, with 120 Chinamen on board, arrived inside the Heads on Sunday last. Fifteen eases of smallpox broke out, during the voyage, three of which terminated fatally. Four cases are still under treatment, but they have reached tho convalescent stage. The vessel is under close quarantine regulations. A lkctuiie on " Insanity, intermittent and chronic," is announced to bo delivered by tho Rev. E. Royer in St. Patrick's, School, fit. Bathans, on Monday evening, April Oth.f Tho school after most praiseworthy exertions hj the Committee, has been rebuilt, and wo expect tho effort now being made to reduce the debt will bo a most successful one.' The subject of the lecture, in tho hands of the jrev. gentleman, will prove most interesting. An English magazine saya :—Scattered about tho earth- thero are supposed to be 10,000,000 or 11,000,000 Jews alivo. Thousands of tlioao persona are rich, some of them •own colossal fortunes. Rothschild'could buy up tb<s feo simple of Palestine, G-oldsmid might rebuild the temple of Herod, Montefier has monoy onongh to cast a golden statue of King Solomon. But of these wealthy Hebrows not one is willing to go back, Tenders are called, in another column, for ■construction of about two miles of distributing raco. Tho Resident Engineer will be on tho ground on Saturday 31at to point out to intending contractors tho course of race. As the Government are anxious now to finish the works, and to utilise tho water as soon as possible, an opportunity is afforded miners interested in claims in tho Main Gully, to tender for tho cutting of this raco, aa we understand tenders for short sections of from ten to twenty chains will bo accepted. Dcntroon is now a thriving little township. A large amount of grain and wool has been arriving there for despatch by the train to Oamaru. Mr. G rant is about to sell his valuable property there, cutting up acres into five sections, and expect a good round sum for each. Mr. E. C. Smith, formerly of Naseby, is the busy man of the place, supplying stores to jiartics at Oamaru prices. .Tho great requirement to the place is the ex- - tension of the railway across tho river. This no doubt will be effected before Ion". A.GOOD dog is often worth as much as the flock of 'ihccp he drives. Tho following, the 'Scientific American' Bays, is said to bo a Texan practice for training sheep dogs:—A dog is taken from its mother before its eyes are opened, and put to a ewe to sucklo. After a few times tho ewe becomes reconciled to the pup, which follows her like a lamb, grows up among and remains with the flock, and no wolf, man, or strange dog, can come noar the sheep, and tho dog will bring tho flock to the fold regularly at half-past seven o'clock if ho is habitually fed at that hour. The Rev. Mr. Bannerman is still wrathful over his defeat on tho Barrier Act at the last session of tho Presbyterian Synod. At the quarterly meeting of tho Clutha Presbytery on Wednesday ho gavo notice of two overtures, ono nuking for the recision of the Act ; tho other calling upon tho Synod to take steps to counteract tho effects of tho " onesided, and to a large eitont erroneous views " of the Church's action, which ore obtained through the misleading communications furnished to tho ' Free Church Record' by Dr. Copland.1 here wno quite a commotion in Hokitika last week among the lucky shareholders in the Kumara Water Raco Company when it was known that the Government had determined upon concluding tho purchase of tie raco. One shareholder is said to have netted £IOOO by the transaction, another nearly £6OO and half'u dozen others from £2OO to £3OO each. Tho speculation has been ono of the most fortunate recorded in connection with mining ou tho Coast. ♦_ Tkndkiih are culled for Urn supply of fuel, farriery, anil forage for the various police station* iu tho JNorUi-wuittoni Goldllulds. Mkssiih. I.vdi'.r and fißonoK will snll by public auction oti Saturday next, in tho Victoria Hull, tho interest in wutur right, tail race, and clum of the late W. G'loury.