The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Dec. 9. General News

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 37, 9 December 1893, Page 8

The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Dec. 9. General News

Our special reporter’s notes on the Otautau show, orrr Gaelic column, and several other articles have had to be held over to make room for late news and advertisements.

The Garrison Band played the contest pieces at the rotunda on Thursday evening, to delight of a large number of townspeople. Train arrangements on Wednesday, 13th inst., in connection with the second day of the Southland A. ana P. Society’s show are advertised.

The next ordinary meeting of the Southland County Council will be held on Thursday, December 14 th.

Dr Hanan, having decided to leave for the North, his practice has been secured by Dr Eullarton. This gentleman left Southland some years ago to study for the medical profession, so that he does not come here as a st'-anger.

Everything promises well for the Southland A. and P. Society’s show, opening on Tuesday next. There will as usual be a lot to see, and criticise, and we understand that there will be an unprecedented display in the dairy produce department. The annual church parade of the 1.0.0. P., M.U., takes placemen Sunday, when the mem bers attend the evening service in St. John’s church. It is to be hoped that members will roll up in force. A small, straggling procession is worse than none. At the last meeting ot the Land Board consideration of a protest from a number of settlers against the taking of land for a sheep dip site on the North Road, near Winton, was held over.

A mail for the United Kingdom closes at Invercargill at 10.15 a.m. to-day.

Mr W. H. Hall has been elected chairman of the Southland H. and 0. A. Board for the ensuing year, Mr Roche, whose services were the subject of complimentary remark, declining renomination. The Railway Department notify the arrangements made re Christmas and New Year excursion tickets.

The first of an interesting series of sketches on “ Singing ” will be given in our issue of 23rd inst. They will be written by a professional gentleman with an intimate knowledge of the subject. It is desirable, in view of the licensing elections next March, that every person over the age of twenty-one should see that his or her name is on the electoral rolls. Under the present law the name of every person who failed to vote at the general elections has been struck off the existing rolls, and they will have to apply to be reinstated. Mr Gladstone has declined to agree to a temporary introduction of the eight-hour principle in Government departments in the interests of the unemployed. He says it is impossible to have a uniform rate of working hours in the Government service.

At the Supreme Court, Wellington, on Thursday, Ellen Blake, charged with attempting to poison her husband, was sentenced to imprisonment for life. The woman appeared to be dazed by the sentence. Handel’s noble oratorio, “ The Messiah,” will be given by the Invercargill Choral Union on the evenings of Wednesday and Thursday, 13th and 14th December. No efforts are being spared to give a first-class rendition of the work, in proof of which it may be mentioned that the committee have secured the services of Mr H. Weir, the wellknown tenor, of Christchurch, for the occasion.

The second prize at the forthcoming Art Union organised in connection with St. Mary’s Church will he a buggy from the establishment of Messrs Widdowson and Fogarty. It has just been completed, and will be on view on the show grounds next week. A lot of first-class work has been put into it, as well as the best of material, and the result is a vehicle that for neatness, style, and finish would be hard to beat. .

Messrs Tothill, Watson and Co. have sold the Aparima Factory’s output of cheese (about 35 tons) to a Home firm at a satisfactory figure.

The Boanerges Brooklyn, the Kev. De Witt Talmage, has accepted an offer from Mr R S,. Smythe for an Australian tour, and will leave San Francisco for the colonies about the end of May. The Southland High Schools Board received 21 applications for the position of Mathematical and Science Master. It was decided to appoint Mr J. E. Yernon, M.A., B.Sc., of Edinburgh University, and presently first assistant in the Palmerston District High School.

The first wool sale of the season was held! at Timaru on Dec. 5, when 3,00 J bales were submitted and most of them sold. Fifteen buyers operated, and there was good competition, the prices obtained being about equal to> last year’s opening rates for fleecy, but as the wool is distinctly lighter this means a reduc-' tion in values. Halfbreds brought 7d to 9d threequarterbreds, bjd to 8 jd; crossbreds,, 6d to 6£d ; locks, IJd to 3|d.

A general meeting of the Southland Cooperative Society was held on Tuesday. Mr B. F. Cuthbertsou w’as voted to the chair. The meeting was called to ajipoiut auditors, and there being only two nominated —Messrs George Patterson and Thos. Bell —they were elected. The Treasurer announced that the Society was in a flourishing condition, and that the shareholders had every reason to be gratified with the way the business is going on.

A chance for the ladies. Section 6of the. Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act, 1893,., provides that “ any duly registered elector residing in any district shall be_ qualified t& be elected for such district, except brewers, wine merchants, maltsters, distillers, importers for sale of any spirituous liquors, or any partners of such.” It would appear that women are qualified to be elected on the licensing committees.

At an extraordinary meeting of the Southland Frozen Meat Company, on Wednesday,, it was decided to increase the capital from. £40,( 00, the present amount, to £IOO,OOO, by the issue of 12,000 new £5 shares. The N.Z. Shipping Company and Messrs Turnbull, Martin, and Co., have agreed to take £20,000 worth of new r shares, and the New' Zealand Shipping Company’s steamers will in future call at the Bluff.

Says a recent cable message ; —“ It hasbeen ascertained that the statement as to an impending collapse in the London buttermarket has been circulated by a ring of importers. The effect has .been that Melbourne exporters have frightened producers into accepting their terms.” This is a. rascally piece of business, and it is a thousands pities that its perpetrators cannot be punished.

At the Smithfield Cattle Show the Queen’s. exhibits were awarded six first prizes, including the cup for Shorthorns. Mr John Kingsland, senr., who has dona good service in the past as Mayor and councillor, and who recently returned from a visit to the Old Country, will probably be among the candidates nominated for the Second Ward. Messrs J, S. Goldie and W. Smith arc already announced, so that the ratepayers will have plenty of material from which to choose.

Widespread devastation has been wrought by floods in the Hawke’s Bay and Thames districts. Several lives have been lost, and crops and stock have suffered heavily, many farmers being ruined.

The Gazette contains a notification that 55 tin-mining leases at Pegasus, Stewart Island, have been cancelled, and with them, the great expectations once entertained regarding that locality. Another old colonist has gone down beforethe great Reaper. We refer to Mr T. Gumming, cf Avenal, who died on Mondaylast while on a visit to the farm of Mr Gr. Young, of West Plains. He had been suffer ing for a number of years from heart disease, and fell dead while aiding Mr A. Dunlop with some veterinary work. Mr Gumming, who leaves a widow, took a keen interest in all matters pertaining to stock and agriculture, had done good service at the periodical shows of the Southland A. and P. Society, and was well known and esteemed throughout the district. He arrived in the colony in 1862, and was engaged for a good number of years as a waggoner, travelling to and from town to a number of the larger stations. The life was a hard one, but Mr Gumming was a man of exceptional strength of limb and frame', and “ roughed it ” well. He was of kindly disposition, and a great favourite with children —the last time the writer saw him he was standing on the road near his house with a little toddler clinging to each hand. The funeral took place on Thursday, and was. very largely attended.

“ When in Eome, you must do as the Homans do,” is an old saying. Mr Samuel Yaile, the well-known railway reformer of Auckland, was a candidate at the recent elections. He employed neither cabs nor canvassers, and was low down on the poll. Others did, and were successful. Sir Geo. Grey is about the only manTn New Zealand who can afford to dispense with both, more’s the pity. The chief officer of the Auckland Telephone Exchange, Miss Stuart, was the recipient of a purse of 50 sovereigns on her retirement after 17 years of service, owing to her approaching marriage. In making the presentation the Mayor (Mr Orowther) happily remarked that the lady’s voice had travelled thousands of miles over the wires, and her voice had always been pleasant.

A terrible accident happened at Crookwell CN .S.W.) on NoTember 21. A farmer named John Bromley Savage, after finishing ploughing, went to a creek for a cask of water on a slide. While unfastening the horse from the slide the animal made a move forward sharply, •and the chain became fastened round Savage’s left ankle. The horse then bolted, dragging Savage behind him over stumps, logs, and scrub for three-quarters of a mile. When the horse was stopped it was found that Savage was dead, his neck being broken. His libs, on both sides and his chest were broken. His right thigh was fractured, and also his left leg above the ankle. The deceased was terribly mutilated. He was 33 years of age, a native of Woodend, and had been married two years. His wife, who is in a delicate state of health, witnessed the accident.

Captain Fernandez, who vainly sought to •win the suffrages of the Auckland electors, declared in one of his speeches that some •children are naturally vicious aud some arc naturally good. The good ones do not require religious training, and the bad ones cannot be made good by any amount of a’digious instruction ; it will only make them hypocrites. It is evident (remarks the Star) that if Captain Fernandez’s new theory is correct, our system of education, secular as well as education, has been a huge mistake. An old soldier named St. Clair, who recently appeared in the Sydney Water Police Court on a charge of obtaining money under false pretences, was unexpectedly bowled out by the magistrate (Mr Addison). In pleading guilty the accused admitted that he was not in the Iniskilling Dragoons, but said he had

served with the 2nd Dragoon Guards, Scots ■Greys. “What!” exclaimed Mr Addison. St. Clair: “ I say I served with the 2nd -Dragoon Guards, Scots Greys. His Worship —“ I don’t think you know anything about them. Perhaps I had better tell you that the 2nd Dragoons are the Queen’s Bays, and not the Scots Greys. I was born in the regiment and ought to know.” St. Clair .was too staggered to say anything, and was then sentenced to six months’ hard labour, Mr Addison remarking that he was a fine impostor.

Some amusement was occasioned in one of the Sydney courts lately by the surprising amount of ignorance shown by a leading counsel on the subject of dressmaking. Counsel, although a married man, admitted that he knew nothing about the question. A witness under examination in the box stated that his wife took some dress material from the house, and that he could not say what she had done with it. “Oh,” said the counsel appearing for the wife, “she admitted that she took three yards and made a dress for herself.” Counsel on the opposite side, who appeared to be better up in the dressmaking business, said, “ Oh, she did, did she—made a dress for herself out of three yards of stuff ?” The court saw the difficulty that the first counsel had got himself into and laughed, and he endeavoured to struggle out by stating," Oh, but it was double width, your Honour.” The court laughed again, as that would only make six yards, and the counsel gave in by stating that the mystery was one which he did not understand.