The Southern Cross PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Nov. 3. General News.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 32, 3 November 1894, Page 8

The Southern Cross PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Nov. 3. General News.

The Czar is dead, and while the news has moved the crowds in the streets of St. Petersburg to tears, the Nihilists issued a manifesto from Switzerland rejoicing at news and stating that his successor will have to face “ the inflexible will of a revolution.”

A leading article, “ A Wheen Thochts ” by Scotch Thistle and several other contributions are crowded out of this issue. The settlers at Otatara have been busy duiing the past few weeks clearing and breaking up their ground. A good area has been sown in oats and grass, and the crops generally are coming on well, the moisture beneath the soil promoting growth in spite of the exceptionally long spell of dry weather experienced. The school conducted by Mr Kilburn is attended by between 40 and 50 children, not a few of them coming long distances, and some of them walking three or four miles. On Weednesday afternoons a number ol townspeople drive from Invercargill, andjmany express surprise at the beauty of the scenery, especially when they see the IS o'.v River, which flows down at the back of (ha settlement. There are some good trout to be had in it a few chains from the road a fact not unknown to some of the more ardent knights of the rod. A post office has been established this w'eek at Mrs,Campbell’s store, and mails will be received and despatched on Tuesdays and Fridays. Ackers’ mill, which has not been working very steadily of late, has been cutting sleepers, which are lightered down to the Invercargill Jetty.

A tender has been accepted by the Southland County Council for laying about 20 chains of corduroy on the softest parts of the Tisbury to Waimatua Road. The contractors are Messrs Nicholand Allan, of Waimatua, who are well acquainted with the locality and will soon put the work through.

The Invercargill Borough Council on Thursday evening adopted a report from the Works Committee recommending that the suburban boroughs and County Council be invited to appoint delegates to confer with the Invercargill Council with the view of adopting a system of drainage for the combined boroughs. —Cr. Sinclair remarked that this would be the first step towards the amalgamation of the boroughs. Tbe pretty little church recently erected at Eakahouka for the use of the Roman Catholic settlers will be formally opened and dedicated to-morrow under the name of St. Patrick’s. Bather Walsh, of Riverton, and Father Burke, of Queenstown, will conduct the services, the latter preaching the opening sermon. Drags for the conveyance of the choir and orchestra will leave St. Mary’s, Invercargill, at 9 a.m. to-morrow.

So there is to be no toll-Dar at the Waihopai after all. It appears that while excitement ran high in Invercargill, and the County Council was busy dealing with petitions and deputations, someone in the big talking shop in Wellington got a little alteration made in the Public Works Act which made it impossible for the council to give effect to their resolution.

At the last meeting of the Shamrock, Rose and Thistle Lodge I. O. O. F., M. IL, Bro. A. Carnahan was the recipient of a handsome P. G. M’s sash. The presentation was made by P. P. G. M. Ero. T Findlay, who referred complimentary terms to the interest taken in the work of the lodge by Ero. Carnahan.

The next meeting of the Southland County Council will be held on Saturday, ICth November, Friday being the Prince of Wales birthday. The monthly meeting of the Athenaeum Committee was held on Thurs ay evening—the President (Mr J. Feldwick) in the chair. The Library Committee reported that the new catalogue had been'completed, and was available to subscribers at one shilling per copy. Mr Wade moved that a hearty vote of thanks be passed to Messrs Sproule and Willcox (treasurer and secretary) for the time and labour they had given to the compilation of the catalogue. They had done the work admirably, and the institution was greatly indebted to them. The motion was seconded by Mr Garr.mell, warmly supported by Messrs Mair, Pasley, Smith, and J. Ward, and carried by acclamation.—Messrs Willcocks and Sproule duly acknowledged the vote, the lastnamed incidentally referring to the excellent style in which the catalogue had been printed by Messrs Craig andJJCo. At the meeting of ths Southland Education Board yesterday, A. L. Fuller was appointed head teacher of the Longridge school.—ln view of the constitution of full-time schools in the Oteramika district it was decided to ask the teacher to state which of the schools he desiacs to retain charge of.—Applications for works at Athol, Macetown, Scott’s Gap, and Waikawa were granted, and the inspector was instructed to prepare plans for a residence at Seaward Bush, and to carry out a number of minor works.—Tenders were ordered to be called for the lease of school sites at South Hillend, Mokoreta, Waikawa, and Waiau.— New school districts were ordered to be constituted at Seaward Moss 'and Waituna, and new boundaries adopted for the Clifton and Oteramika school districts. What is known as the Waimumu school case came before the Southland Education Board at its meeting yesterday. The history of the case, briefly put, is this :—The Committee recommended the appointment of Miss M. A. J. Wall, of Waihola. Before the appointment was confiriped by the Board the Committee wrote cancelling their recommendation, and the secretary,, without (it is said) the authority of the Committee, informed Miss Wall by letter that she would have a cold reception in the district owing to her religion—the lady is a Roman Catholic. Miss Wall, however, before learning that the committee had withdrawn tbeir recommendation in her favour, wrote recalling her application, she having elected to continue in the Waihola school. This was the position of matters up till yesterday, when the Board passed the following resolution :- That Miss M. A. J. Wall’s resignation of her recent appointment as teacher of the school in the Waimumu district be accepted; that intimation of this fact be communicated to the school committee ; and further that the committee be informed that the Board regrets very much that they should have considered it their duty to communicate with Miss Wall relative to her appointment in the terms set forth in their secretary’s letter of 10th October. —It was also decided to appoint Mr A. G. Lea as hea 1 teacher of the Waimumu school.

The Southern Standard reports that during a thunderstorm at Gore on Wednesday afternoon the house of Mr A. Latham was struck by lightning. Fortunately no one was in the house at the time. When Mrs Latham returned soon after she found the kitchen filled with sulphurous smoke, and in the parlour and one of the bedropms the wall paper was torn in places, and several paintings on the walls disfigured. Eedfern station, Sydney, was the scene of a terrible railway accident on the 31st ult., when the incoming Parramatta train collided with the outgoing Goulburn express. The accident was due to a signalman’s error. The trains crashed into each other with terrible results. Many passengers were injured, and ten deaths have already occurred. Joseph Tall, who fell down the hold of the s. s. Taieri at the Bluff on Monday, and sustained severe injuries, died in the Hospital on Tuesday. A boy of seven years named Percy Church was drowned at Riverton on Thursday. The annual meeting of the J. G. Ward Farmers’ Association, held on Saturday last, was attended by about 250 shareholders the Hon. J. G. Ward (chairman of directors) presiding. The chairman, in moving the adoj}tion of the report and balance-sheet, stated that the profits for the year’s working amounted to £7,777 19s Bd. The report and balance-sheet were unanimously adopted, a number of shareholders expressing satisfaction with the manner in which the business has been carried on, and it was resolved to increase the capital to £250,000. Mr J. Hayes and A. Pyper were elected directors. Something New.—Mr J. S. Baxter has just placed on the market a new blend of teas, called the *• Wonder Blend.” It is a tea of great excellence, and has the advantage of being remarkably cheap, namely, Is 9d per lb., reductions for slb and 10lb tins. —Ad. Mr J. S. Baxter makes a new departure in his business. It will be seen by his advertisement that appears in to-day’s issue that he has resolved to sell groceries at wholesale prices for ready money. It is hoped that his enterprise will receive that support which he well merits.—Ad.

Youk Spuing and Summek Clothes, which may have been laid by during the winter, months, can be scoured and pressed by our new process which extracts all dirt and greese without disturbing the shape. Suits, 5s Coats, 2s 6d; Trousers, 2s. Ladies’ Costume, Cricket, Cycling, Bknd Uniforms carefully renovated. Country parcels, carriage paid oneway. GEORGE ROSS & CO., opposite Supremo Courthouse, Tay street. —Aclvfc.