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Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 81, 25 September 1878, Page 2

The Postal Department i.ivite tenders for the conveyance of inland mails for 1879-80. An advertisement appears in another column. The meeting called for last night for the purpose of discussing the advisability of winding up the Temuka Choral Society, was adjourned till Monday next, the 30th inst. at 7.30 p.m. We beg to remind owners of horses that all nominations for the handicaps at the Temuka Uaces must be sent in to the Secretary before 8 p.m. to-morrow evening. At the adjourned meeting of the Winchester Cricket Club, held last Saturday evening, in the Library, Mr R. Smith was elected secretary and treasure?', and Messrs Deßenzy, Young, Smith, Dunnett, and Christmas to act as a working committee. It was resolved to re-sow the wdeket, and to invite tenders for fixing a pump on the ground. The committee will collect the apparatus, and report this evening what articles are required by the Club. We beg to call the attention of breeders to the advertisement of the stud horse parade to be held in Temuka a fortnight hence. It is very w r ell worth anyone's while who requires the services of a horse, and has not already made arrangements, to attend such local parades, as, on seeing all the local horses together, a much truer comparison of their quality can be made, and the better horse chosen. We hopefto see a good string of horses on the ground, and a good attendance of interested persons. The liberality of the gentlemen who offer private prizes is much to be commended, and is worthy of emulation. The performance of the Irish comedy, " On his Last Legs," by the Star Dramatic Company in the Volunteer Hall last night •was much superior in character to anything of the kind we have seen in Temuka for a long time, and was deserving of a better support than it received. The boisterous weather, probably, prevented the attendance of many. The company appear again in Temuka this evening, and on Thursday and Friday nights at Geraldine.

Sixteen to eighteen players turned out on Saturday afternoon, to open the cricketseason at Temuka, and a couple of hours were spent in a pleasant game. At a committee meeting held on the ground it was resolved to have the wicket beaten and rolled as soon as possible. Willi a little labour a very good wicket can be made. At a meeting of the Fair Committee, held in the Crown Hotel on Friday last, it was unanimously resolved to hold the first Fair for the sale of stock on the Bth of Oct. This is a step in the right direction. We wonder that a Fair was not held here long ago, Temuka being so central for farmers gathering stock together. The Winchester people deserve great credit for the pluck and perseverance they have shown in this business, and it pleases us to learn that their efforts have been crowned with success. We are informed that the Winchester Fair is now self-sup-porting, and we have no doubt but that the Temuka Fair will be also self-support-ing, and be a great convenience to farmers besides. We often wondered how farmers could submit to drive their stock to Timaru for sale, especially as stock, when sold, had to be driven back again to pasture in this district This will now be put an end to. Besides, the Fair being on a Tuesday, stock not sold can be pushed on to Timaru for next day's sales at the Timaru yards, thus giving sellers two chances. In connection with this we think the time has arrived when periodical auction sales could be held. We feel assured that any enterprising person with a moderate balance to his credit at the Bank, could now do a roaring business in this district. We have heard mention made of several gentlemen who contemplate making a start. The one who occupies the field first, has, of course, the best chance.

The population of New Zealand, including Chatham Island, at the beginning of the year was.— European males, 230,998 ; females, 183,413 ; Chinese males, 4,424; females, 9 ; half-castes, males, 968; females, 979; total, 420,791. There were 79,857 houses and huts inhabited, and 5,296 uninhabited, and 2,941 were enumerated.

Another of the hitherto neglected resources of the district is now being utilised, and promises to add very considerably to the wealth of the country. The allusion is to the Blue Quarry, at Coal Creek, Opawa, about thirty miles from Timaru, towards the Mackenzie Country. This quarry is the property of Peter and Co., who are working it to great advantage. The stone is a beautiful Avhite freestone, very similar to the white Bath stone of England, and it is stated to be much easier to work than the latter, or than the famous Oamaru stone. It is also claimed for it that its durability is quite equal to the stone from Oamaru, although of course this has not yet been fairly tested. Dming the last few months this stone has been gradually coming into the market, and a good deal of it is being used at Timaru and Ashburton, principally for facings. It is also being very largely used just at present in the Cathredal, and two firms in town have given orders for 5000 ft of it, for new buildings which they intend erecting. In quantity it is unlimited, and as the quarry is within five miles -of a railway station, and easy of access, it can be supplied at a little over 2s a foot. There have been some large blocks taken out of over 50ft in size.— < Press/

A deputation waited upon the Minister for Education last week, to ask for an increase of Government aid for the Westland educational district. Mr Ballance replied to the effect that he could hold out no hope of any exceptional aid being granted to West land. Last year it received a total of L 5927, in excess of its proper grant of L 9342, and they were still in debt, and had largely anticipated the building grant of this year. If special aid were granton to them, every Board in a similar position in the Colony would have equal claims to consideration. The 'West Coast Times,' says:— -t A novel, and at the same time interestingcase, will come before the law courts shortly. It is a prosecution for illegally marrying a deceased wife's sister. We believe that for the first of these offences this will be the first instance where the law has been set in motion, and how the police will sheet home an indictable offence in it remains to be proved." A letter was read on Thurday last at the Board of Education. Christchnrch, from the master of the Kowai Bush School, in which he protested against the school being let by the committee for dancing purposes, and stigmatised that body as a set of "nincompoops." The letter was referred to the Committee. The two prisoners in the Waiapu murder case are committed for tiial at Wellington. While a man named Percy Geeves was driving a load of firewood from the Molyneux Bush, his dray went over the embankment into the river, carrying with it his team. The three horses were drowned. The Taupiri coal miners have struck for 2s 9d. a ton, an advance of Gd on present rate. Fifty Maoris danced a war dance in •the Imperial Opera House, Wellington. The place was crammed. The proceeds go to charitable institutions. The firm of Edwin Streeter, Bond-street, London, the introducers of 18-carat machine-made jewellry, has, for many years spent upwards of £IO,OOO a-year in advertising. John Murray, and Chapman and Hall, two publishing firms, each spend from L 5,000 to LIO,OOO a-year, and Professor Holloway L 30,000 a-year in advertising. It is said that the" slightest earthquake shocks felt in New Zealand, are nearly always recorded by the tide gauges in Sydney and Newcastle.

During the. 12. months ending June 30th, 368 immigrants arrived in Timaru. 276 persons were nominated during the same period. The above were an increase over the previous year. They have a curious way of desiding lawsuits in Shun. Both parlies are put under cold mater, and the one staying longest wins the suit. In this country botli parties are got into hot water and kept there as long as possible. The result is the same. The latest sensation in Paris is a velocipede wedding—some twenty couples going to one on double velocipedes. They went to the Bois de Boulonge headed by a mounted fiddler, and, after enjoying themselves, filed away to a restaurant, and wheeled home at night, the leader replacing his fiddle by a lamp. The steamer Ino, a small vessel of 28 tons, was wrecked last week at Kakanui. On coming out of the harbour she was thrown upon the beach, and could not be got off again. The rainfall last year at Hokitika was 136 in., at Christchurch only 24in., and at Cape Campbell but 16in. At a meteorological station in Fiji, the rainfall for the year was 80.5 inches, of which 42 inches fell in the month of January. The average rainfall in Fiji is 113 inches. Wo dwellers in Canterbury would think Fiji and Hokitika somewhat too moist. Fancy an annual rainfall of lift 4in. ! In the year 1877, for tie first time in the last six vcars, tlie marriages in England fell below 200,000 in number. The number of marriages in Scotland in 1877, namely, 25,790—is the lowest registered in any year since 1872. The through railway is doing wonders in Oamaru for the Oamaru district. It needs only to see the timber, freestone, and produce being carried to feel convinced that a brighter and prosperous future for the district is gradxially and surely being developed by the aid of the iron road. The immense quarries of splendid stone, suitable for the construction of the residence of royalty or the stores of merchants, only await capital and energy to open them out, now that we have such fa< ilities for transit. Extra goods trains are to be laid on to meet the demand for carriage from Oamaru.— ' Morning Herald.' The following account of the Waikawa murder is condensed from the ' Bruce Herald': —"It would seem the unfortunate couple have only married two months, and that they were to be classed with those unfortunates who marry in a dreadful haste and repent not at leisure, but likewise, too, in a great hurry. On the 16th July Walsh engaged himself as ploughman to Mr Anderson, Wyndham station, but he proved an unsatisfactory servant. Most of his time was spent in bed or loafing aboul in a reckless mariner round the house. His excuse for this was that he felt unwell, and never seemed better. A necessary dissatisfaction arose on conduct such as this, and after a fortnight's stay, a month's notice to quit was was received. During this short pen'od he already gave signs of a melancholy, restless disposition, which clearly showed the man was eccentric, if not something else. Joined to this peculiarity, there existed a groundless jealousy of his youngwife, who showed a totallv different disposition, being as active ss he was lazy, and in fact his reverse in everything Before the month's notice was expired his employer allowed him to leave the station to take another situation, where ho was to act as ploughman and his wife as cook. He, howevel, always seemed flush of money, and this perhaps tended to foster his lazy and listless habits. Their new employers wore so dissatisfied with the husband that notice to quit was also served here, and whether this circumstance, joined to the jealousy, preyed on his mind, and led up to the final catastrophe, will likely remain for ever a mystery. Deceased was found at an early hour on Sunday forenoon, tying under the table, with her throat cut from ear to ear, and with the blood still trickling from the wound. She was quite dead, but evidently only recently so. The mystery is how so terrible a struggle, as it was clear had taken place, did not attract attention whilst it was in progress. The body of the woman and her limbs show severe bruises. She must have struggled frightfully. When the horrible discovery was made all on the station were completely unnerved, and the speediest method of discovering the murderer was not taken. The murdered woman's maiden name was Bridget Louisa Richardson. She was a native of Castle Dawson, County Derry, Ireland. The ' Dunedin Star' says that the murder was committed with a carving knife, which was driven through the woman's neck from side to side. The murderer has confessed his guilt. He was never more than half a mile away from the house, and came to it at night for food. At the sale of the Whitstone estate, near Oamaru, last Wednesday, 81 township sections, mostly of a quarter-acre each, sold for L 1421. The larger blocks fetched from L2O to L2B per acre. One two-acre lot, L 43 per acre. The total amount of land sold, including the town-

ship, was 850 acres, and the total amount realised was L 20,281. The remarkable success which attended the sale of this estate is likely, says the ' Oamaru Mail,' to load to the cutting up and sale of other large estates in the district. The very high value which good agricultural land possesses now, and the eager manner in which land of that class is souht after, are likely to prove far more effectual in breaking np the large estates than any " bursting up" policy could possibly be. Large land-owners are discovering that by cutting np their immense tracts of country and disposing of them in lots of sufficient area to meet the requirements of persons anxious to acquire farms and homesteads they can reap greater advantages than they could expect to do by retaining possession of them, and trusting to the ever fluctuating state of the wool market for their profits. Is our strictly secular school system, the more excellent way ? Here is a glimpse of London school life : There was a large gathering of London Board school children at the Crystal Palace recently, when 4000 Bibles and Testaments, presented by Mr Francis Peek and the Religious Tract Society, were distributed to children for proficiency in Scriptural subjects. About 3000 children took part in a concert on the Handel Orchestra, and nearly 30,000 persons wero in the Palace. Sir Charles Reed, in the course of a brief address, said that 188,000 children daily heard a portion of Scripture read to them. Not one child in 4000 had been withdrawn from the Boa.rd schols on

account of the religious instruction given, with the exception of the children of Jews ; and not one complaint had readied the Board from any parent who had objected to the instruction. A vast amount of land speculation is at present, says the k Brwe Herald,' taking place throughout Southland in general, and Invercargill in particular. A section in the Crescent, Invercai'gill, which four years ago fetched LSOO, has changed hands for L4OOO. 126 acres, three miles from Invercargill, has been sold for L2O an acre, and the buyer says he would refuse LIOO an acre for it. 46 acres about as far from town fetched L 1350. 124 acres about four miles from town fetched L 2500, and the buyer has refused L 4 an acre on his bargain. L 175 an acre has been refused for property within two miles of town, and 197 acres about four miles from Invercargill sold for L3OOO. A 20-acre lot in the suburbs is under offer at LIO,OOO, and is likely to be taken at that figure. Most, or it may be said all, of these properties have been bought by Dunedin capitalists. The " Flower Mission," which the Dunedin Young Women's Christian Association intend to undertake, is not new to Dunedin, as one at least of our churches has already carried on the work for seme twelve months. The mission will resemble similar organizations in the other colonies, where the young ladies meet once a week, arrange into small bouquets such flowers as they can obtain or receive, and thereafter distribute themselves into little companies, visiting the charitable institutions, and carrying the bouquets to the bedsides of the inmates of the.institutions they visit. 'Morning Herald.' The ' Tablet,' referring to this missiyn says:—■"We would remind our readers who are interested in any way about Catholic patients in the Dunedin Hospital that the season for flowers is now commencing, and that it has been resolved to make these the medium for the dissemination of religious tracts. The tracts are as a rule even more stupid'than the moral, but a Catholic, by voluntarily accepting one, however innocuous in itsself, would compromise a principle, and therefore is bound to avoid doing so under any circumstances.