Local and General News.

Mt Benger Mail, Volume I, Issue 50, 13 April 1881, Page 4

Local and General News.

Mr Burton (Town Clerk, Roxburgh) notifies that the burgess list and defaulters' list are open for inspection at the Town Clerk's, Office until the 15th instant, inclusive. We hear that St. Tames Chutch Committeewill meet this evening to consider a proposal from the Bishop re Clergyman for Roxburgh, and Tapanui jointly,

Letters of naturalisation have been granted I to Fuh Ah You, of Bald Hill Flat. Lawrence gaol has been closed, and the j prisoners (three in numbei) have beea transierred to Dunedin.

The Marquis of Normanby, Governor of Victoria, is suffering from fever a»d ague. 77 millions of pounds sterling is held by the Paymaster of the Court -of Chancery in England, on behalf of the suitors. The same official is also about to become the custodier of all the moneys paid iuto the Common Law Courts.

Since the close of the harvest season in this district, threshing operations have been making rapid and sati fictoiy progress. Mr Waugh's threshing mill has found steady work, and the j results of the yitlds, as communicated to us, j have been of a gratifying character. 1 The following misprint in the first" Passing . Note "in last issue escaped correction:— " 20,000 cattle at 3s 6d would total It should read, " 2000 cattle at 3s 6d would total £350." On the occasion of the Queen's visit to Killarney in 1861, Lord Castlerosse's tenants wore hats with the landlord's name branded on them, just (said Mr Sullivan M. P. in a, recent debate in the House of Commons) as dogs wear collars. The "Oamaru Mail" mentions that the Immigration Department have intimated that under no circumstances will any further nomination papers for free immigration be entertained, until the decision of Parliament has been given on the subject of future immigration.

The gazetted statement of affairs of the Wetherstones Cement Goldmining Company «hows the capital to be divided into 1000 shares, all taken, total subscribed capital £ISOO, dividends declared £3750, and number of shareholders 34. A public meeting was convened in Port Chalmers on Thursday last, to adopt measures for securing a Resident Magistrate for that Borough, but the attendance was so small that the meeting did not take place, Mr Isaac Newton Watt, R.M., Dunedin, has been appointed to Oamaru, where he will succeed Mr Parker, R.M., who retires on pension and returns to England. Mr Simpson. R.M., will in future preside twice a week in the Dunedin City Police Court.

Mr M'Culloch R.M, Invercargill has decided that a market gardener hawkiig; vegetables in the streets is not a hawker within the meaning of the Ly-laws, and even if he were, the corporation could not sue until they have established a public market in the town. Mr Finn, who appeared for the, gardener contended also tha£ a kawktr T'Tone who sell«^«nds,ijjjj?i£tfg tlit min a public place. Tiie information was dismissal. m The annual meeting of subscribers to the Benevolent Institution has been held in Dunedin, when the Directors' report was adopted. The report says the chaiyes made by W. Martin and D. Walsh agaimt the management had been investigated and disproved. The sum of £I SOO has been placed on deposit in the Colonial Bank and carried forward to next account.

The death of Sir Charles Reed, Chairman of the London School Board is announced. Sir Charles was at the head of an eminent type-founding firm in London, and was actively interested in the charitable institutions founded by bis father, the late Rev. Dr Andrew Reed. He was bom on 20th June, 1810 and was the author of several educational works, besides a life of his father.

• From the report in another column of the meeting of ratepayers of Roxburgh, held )a<* Thuisday evening, it will be seen that they are to have an opportunity of expressing their wishes as to the waterworks scheme, on Tuesday, the 19th instant. An advertisement mentions that the poll will be open at the Town Clerk's office on that day at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m., and we may remind the ratepayers that there must be a majority of onefifth in favor of the scheme before the loan will be sanctioned by Government. The supporters of the movement will require to bhow --ome activity in bringing ratepayers to the poll.

A meeting of the Dunedm Jockey Club took place there on Tuesday, the sth instant, to consider the explanations sent by the Hon. W. Robinson re the scratching of the horse Natator at the recent Dunedin meeting. Letters were read from Mr Robinson and also bom Mr H. P. Lance, who has charge of the business arrangements connected with Mr Robinson's horses, and after some discussion consideration of the whole question was adjourned for a week, in consequence of the small attendance of members at the meeting. The general opinion of those present was in favor of disqualify ng Natator from again running on Dunedin race course. Mr James Smith (of Greenfield) Chairman of the Balmoral Road Board, sends a letter to the " Bruce Herald " re Mr Walter Miller's charge of unfairness against the Board. Ac coraing to the Chairman's statement, Mr Miller has paid only ,£96, one-half of which was subsidy, and that the Board vo:ed £2O for the repair of a road running through Mr Miller's property, but the Mount Stuart Boards Inspector reported the road to be in good repair. The letter is lengthy, and concludes by saying that Mr Miller has reason to thank the Balmoral Board in place of maligning i».—The complexion of matters on which we commented does not appear materially altered. The fact remains that, however good the intentions of the Balmoral Board may have been, they have done little or nothing for Mr Miller, and so far as that gentleman is concerned they might at once wind up their affairs.

Our readers are specially reminded of the following public announcements which appear in our advertising columns this day :—Good Friday, the 15th instant. Soiree, Concert and Ball at Mackay Brothers' (late M'Cunn's) -. Saturday the 16th, at one o'clock p.m., sharp, at Nicholson's Hotel (Ettrick), lease of Ettrick Reserve, for one or more years ; Wednesday the 20th, at eleven o'clock a.m ; R.M. and Warden's Court, Roxburgh. A nke point was raised in the R.M. Court, Alexandra, before Major Keddell, on 29th March. A minor sued for damages through his next friend (his father). Mr Wilson (Clyde) objected that in such a case the only competent Court was the Supreme Court. The case was adjourned till the 13th instant, to enable the Court to consider the point. " Reform" in Friday's u Morning Herald," recurs to the expenditure on the Goldfields' Courts. He contends that the work done by the whole of the jhree Wardens could be done by one, holding a Court in each township once iu six weeks. The routine work would be done by the Clerks, and minor Court business by two J. P.'sand a weekly Court. •' Reform " claims to know what he writes about, having lived many in a goldfields' township, and says the work ia greatly less than it was at one time. He also objects to the Wardens hiring out their horses to the Government.

Mr Maclennan's furniture and effects are to be exposed for sale by auction at Mr Burton's sale-room on Tuesday the 26th instant at one o'clock p.m.—The furniture is of a very superior class, and the other effects include a breech loader and revolver, two hives of bees, two horses with saddles, whips, and spurs, &c—Three valuable sections in Roxburgh Town will be sold at the same time.—Catalogues are in preparation and may be had of the auctioneer.

The Rev. J. A. Luxford (formerly of the Wesleyan Church Lawrence), has removed from Marton, Rangitikei, to Patea. Before leaving Marton he was presented, at a public meeting, with a beautiful mot her-of pearl album, in which the portraits of a number of his Sunday school scholars are to be inserted, and a set of silver butter- knires for Mrs Luxford. The meeting was attended by members of the various denominations in the district, and was very enthusiastic. Mr Dow, special Commissioner of the '•-Melbourne Leader," has been on a tour through this Colony, and addressed a meeting at Dunedin, last Thursday. He said after a two months' tour his impressions were most favorable. Ile was surprised at the production Vof the soil, the high yields of grain, and the luxuriance of the artificial grasses, and jffiii Australia, and in some places three times is great. With our ciimate and nearness to the c -ast, New Zealand had nothing to fear from American competition.

Mr Manuel, Chairman of the Mount Benger Mining Association, mentioned at the School Committee meeting, last Friday evening, thaf he had, on behalf of the Association, addressed a remonstrance to the Minister of Mines against depriving this district of the services of a resident Clerk and Receiver of Gold Revenue, &o, but as yet he had received no reply.—Mr Manuel deserves the thanks of the miners and settlers It is to be regretted that this was not done before the change actually occurred. Dr Douglas, of Tapanui, the health officer of that Borough is knowu as a skilful physician, and seems equally to shine as a letter-writer —lf he wields the lancet as vigorously as the pen he will prove an unquestionable success. This is how he scarifies a correspondent who had the temerity of writing to the Dunedin " Herald" touching medical matters in Tapanui:—ln the items sent by your Tapanui correspondent in to-day's issue he mentions that "there are two cases of German measles in the town," The cases he terms German measles are cases of true measks; In a former communication to you he mentioned that typhoid fever had almost disappeared from Tapanui, while the fact is that at the date his item appeared I had three cases of that disease under treatment. It is not for me to say whether medical matters are of interest to your many readers, but it would be as well that your correspondent should confine himself strictly to truth in his medical news.

Little business of local interest was transacted at last week's meeting of the Land Board of Otago—The Board considered the conditions upon which licenses to quarry marble shall be held by Messrs Malcolm, Wade, Manro and M'Rae, at Caswell Sound, and annual fee to be charged for the same. The license fee was fixed at per year for each license, conditional that quarrying operation? be befeun bona fide within six months from date of license, and continued regularly thereafter during currency of license—otherwise license to be withdrawn.—An application by Mr Angus MThail to purchase section 31, block I, Benger district, was ap« proved.