NEWS OF THE DAY,

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7065, 10 February 1893, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY,

The weather at Waimate is now all that could bo desired for harvest, and farmers are pushing ahead with the work. The Timaru Eowicg Club made a star on the double sculling races late yesterday afternoon, Waite and Cooper going out to meet Barnes and Johnston iu the first heat. Waite’s rowlock broke at the start, however, and the racing came to an abrupt close.

A man named William Barry, recently from Dunedin with a record of 24 previous convictions, was b “ought before Captain Butter, J.P., yesterday morning, charged with being drunk at Pleasant Point. Prisoner admitted the charge, but Sergeant-Major McDonald asked His Worship to hear some evidence. Constable Stanley said that Barry had taken possession of the billiard room at one of the hotels on Tuesday night, and had generally been very disorderly. Constable Crawford stated that he had known prisoner for the last ten years. Beoently his conduct at Timaru had been very bad, and business people bad complained of his soliciting alms. His Worship gave Barry a severe lecture, and sentenced him to seven days’ hard labour, The Regular monthly meeting of the Arowhenua Town Board was held on Wednesday evening. There were present Messrs J, Ashwell (chairman), A. Frew, ®, Brown, and E. Carr, Correspondence was read from the Lands Department, relative to the expenditure of 11 thirds ” accrued, and to the effect that it was unlikely that the Government would contribute towards the expense of cleaning the creek. It was resolved that the overseer invite tenders for cleaning the creek ; the same to be considered at a special meeting to be held on Wednesday, February 22nd. He was also instructed to notify by advertisement that all rates and rents unpaid within fourteen days would be sued for. Mr A. W. Gaze, overseer to the Board, was appointed registrar of dogs for the Arowhenua Town District. Sundry accounts having been passed for payment, the Board rose.

Lord and Lady Hopetoun, Lard Northcek, Mr Ralston (private secretary) and Mr Brydone, passed through Waimate at noon on Thursday. They were the guests of Mrs gtudholmo on Wednesday evening, and called at the Pareora estate on their way north. The party arrived at Timaru yesterday by the express train from the south, and were met by Mr Charles ST. Orbell, of the Levels estate, who was introduced by Mr Brydone,

of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, whose estates the party are visiting daring their journey through the South Island. Lady Hopetoun broke the journey here, driving out to the Levels with Mr Orbell, but Lord Hopetoun went on by the express as far as Winslow. Here be left the train last night to be the guest of Mr John Grigg, Longbeach. To-day Lord Hopetoun will return by special train to ths Levels station, and will spend a few hours on tho estate previous to going on to Christchurch. The Southland News, referring to the abandonment of the prosecution against the man M’Rae; mho was committed for trial in connection with the Lora Gorge murder, mentions that the missing link in the evidence, without which it was felt to be useless to proceed, was the want of testimony that would establish the identity of tho gun with which the crime was committed. This, says our contemporary, was an all-important piece of evidence, but, despite the efforts of the police, no one can be found who will speak positively to having ever seen the weapon in anyone’s possession before tho murder. Various rumours were circulated from lime to time reparding it, but on inquiry they proved baseless. One, which seemed to have the elements of truth in it, was (hat a hawker who had since gone to the Old Country on business had sold a gun answering the un common description of the one found, and it was chiefly with the object of securing this individual’s evidence that the adjournment at the last Supreme Court sittings was granted. However, when he ret urned to the colony and was shown the gun, he stated that ha had never sold one of (he kind in bis life, and so the ends of justice wore again baffled.

The Auckland correspondent of the Otago Dailg Times sends tho following:—A new way of paying old debts has not come as a revelation peculiar to the nineteenth century. An enterprising Aucklander, however, has hit upon a new way of collecting them. His method is to issue a notice printed on an invitation of official blue paper, surmounted by the royal arms, and reading as follows: — •• Notice before proceeding under the Small Debts Recovery Act. —To Mr Blank: Your attention is called to the statement of account below, and you are informed that unless some arrangement be made for payment on or before ——, immediate proceedings will be taken against you in the Police Court, according to the new act, for the recovery of the same without further notice.” Then follows the amount of the account. The unblushing effrontry of tho document is the more glaring in that there is no such statute, either new or otherwise, as tho Small Debts Recovery Act, and tho police court magistrates have nothing to do with the recovery of debts. The officials of the Resident ■;;gi:trato’s Court have obtained possession one of these notices, and it is possible Ir.at it will be brought under the attention of :.he Law Society. From subsequent icq'i’Ha* raa.de it seems (.uhs a pvriors representing himself os being from the south has been hawking the notices amongst tradesmen, who. thinking them a good means of getting in their money, have issued them At a meeting of tho directors of the Temuka Caledonian Society, held at the Wallingford Hotel, Temuka, on Monday evening, a very satisfactory statement of the financial position of ths society was presented by the secretary. Tho president, Mr A. M. Clark congratulated the members upon the continued success of the society’s gatherings. In spite of all sorts of opposition this year’s proceedings showed a credit balance of £l7O, together with assets valued at about £SO. He urged tho society to continue to use their exertions in tho direction of increasing tho number of members, and held out a hope that tho society would shortly be able to materially assist many worthy objects. Correspondence was read from the secretary of the Temuka District High School, expressing thanks for a donation of two guineas towards the prize fund. The secretary of the Temuka Mechanics’ Institute asked for a donation towards tl e library funds, and the sum of two guineas was voted. Mr G. H. Mogridge, Iho secretary, tendered his resignation as he was about to leave the district. The chairman and members spoke in high terms of Mr Mogridge’s forviccs, and it was unanimously resolved to vote him a bonus of £2O aa a small mark of the directors’ appreciation of him. Several minor matters were attended to, and the meeting terminated. MEDICAL OPINION. Ask your doctor what soap he recommends for the skin and he will uphold the opinion of the highest medical authorities on the skin, viz., Dr Redwood, Ph:D., F. 0.8., F. 1.0 , the late Professor Sir Erasmus Wilson, Mr John L. Milton, and Professor J. Attfield, &%, that Peaks’ Soap is the best — [Adtt.l