The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1880 LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 284, 21 August 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1880 LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The express from Chdstchurch was thirty five minutes late in arriving at the Temuka station yesterday, the delay in arrival being caused by the north-west gale. We have been informed by a resident of Temukst (who is an old miner) that he has received information from a friend at tire Okarito goldfields advising him (f in a steady billet,) not to go there ; but at the same time stating that men were averaging L 3 a week. It it wUat is knorn as a poor man'p goldfield. He also stated that a great many men were arriving there from Christchureh and elsewhere. During the last two days a fierce northwester has been blowing in our midst, sending in front its numerous army of stones, concealed by dense clouds of dnst. Several little sentry boxes have been overturned, and shaky block houses unroofed, and sent off their perpendiculir ; while gates unhinges have been to Jerieo or farther. Newly planted shrubs have got a terrible twisiii.g, and chimney stalks have been proving their elasticity, Suoh a north-west burster at this early period, is very. rare. Two years ago we had such, only a week or so later, when it will be remembered it was followed by other* not long after ; and a very dry season throughout. Thislook3 as if it were inclined to follow in its wake. Last Rummer was unprecedented for fine genial balmy weather, and crops, that never were matched, while pastures could not be kept •down. - It ia hot unlikely tbe coming

pue may be cf a Gqntrary character, L 4 et us hope-it will not fly to the opposite extreme.

Little improvement in trade has yet takeji plnce amongst us. The low price of grain made the mo ey scarce, and many who had been sore pushed to claims had determined rather to do without many things than haVe tlif* merchants and store keepers dunning them continually. Thi-*, although it may have toM against the storekeepers for a time, A-ill in tlie end redound to the hem fit of all. Wisely oui storekeepers have determined to well cheap for cash. The cash principle is the right principle after al. If it were m t for the great f.ciliii'B offered for getting into debit, much, misery that has been ex f erienced by many families would been avoided. It is a weakness in human nature to dieam upon the future, like the highlanun.an, when he stole; when warned that he would have to render an account at the last day, said lie would take another —it was j} very long credit. Long credit has been a misfortune to inany. It would be well for dealers to cut it short

Qne of our townsmen (says the Bruce Herald) paid a visit t- 1 the Boundry Creek diggins (Mount Mi-erv) find say 3 that he was surprised to see the result of a prospect tried hap-hazard. He expresses the ophion that if the ground was properly worked sma'l wages could .be-madiv. The gentleman ifi question is an old Victorian as well as New Zealand digger, and there, fore we think his opinion worth publish ing.

The following is an extract of a letter, dated July 1, received by Mr Conway from James Lilly white, who is agent in England, for the Australian team, and has been umpiring for them throughout their to.tr:—'Now for the Australian team. They are a very good lot, but in my opinion not as good as the team you brought here. They have played Eighteens where yours played Twenty-twos, and they have not met such men as yours did. They have not played a match in which their howling has been collared, th>; wickets always having been wet, and Spofforth is very awkward ihen, as you know. Palmer makes the ba Ido a lot, but he is as yet very short in the pitch. Boyle has bowldd v e iy well at times. Though the team have not yet been licked they have not yot played against anything strong. They beat Yorkshire without Ulyett, but the victory was won thanks to Yorkshire's bad missing of catches. They have not yet met a gentlemen's team, and there is no doubt that that Sydney affair was a bad thing for cricket in both England and Australia ; though in my opinion the affair was made too much of."

The Riverton correspondent of the Southland *~ews writes . —"lam informed on reliable authority that M'L n od and piuty, who have been prospecting for some time at the edge of the bush near Petcliell'a fence, have found a reef of solid quartz t« of. jet thi<-k showing gold through the stone. Several holes have been putdown for the purpose of tracing the re.-f. It appears to run nearly nor.h and south, and will apparently run through the Qolcondaand Dilston claim?. Some very fair prospects have been shown, jaid to he taken from the reef. As thn reef is not far from Lynch's acco 'unodation-house, several persons interested in reefing milters intend paying the locality an early visit" Riley Brothers, drapers of Sydney (remarks an Australian paper), have spent £37,000 in advertising in six years. Commencing in a snnll way, they now employ 200 hands, and have many branches. The firm commenced advertising largely in 1874. In May of that year their receipts wera L4O a month. By Apiil of the foil wing year they had risen to £lOl7 a month, l'iiey increased the'r advertising with th- j ir business, arid in May 1875, the receipts had risen to £2OO a mouth. In 1879 the business was close upon £150,000.

The Benalla Standard states that Mr Reardon, of Glenrowan, has applied to the Government for £SOO compensation for injuries received through being shot by the police while in Jones' hotel at Glenrowan during the capture of the Kelly*. A remarkable coincidence (says the Tuapeka Times) has bjeu reported to us aa having occurred at VVetherstones recently. It will be remembered a brilliant metor was reported as having beon witnessed at vanous parts of the ptoviuce, here and elsewhere. A young lad named Samuel Gare, residing at Weatherstones was going a message between 7 and 8 o'clock, when he- was suddenly surrounded by a dazzling blaze of fire which sever«ly scorched one side of his face. The details of the circumstances as related to us ie so extraordinary that we withold them for the present, but the fact remains that the lad was burnt, and bore a black mark on the side of his face for some days afterwards

From the Cape Times of July Ist we extract the following :—That Austra'ia should contribute towards populating South Africa is u Binglar episode in the history of our Colony. The Northumberland, which arrived in Tablo Bay yesterday, brings over 100 passengurH who have crme from Australia to try their fortunes at the Cape. They am mostly gold diggers who, findinggold digging in Australia

vql 80 to, poor man as, in fjaya f\f pld, have been Jed, tq pome to the Pape by the news gftjdfields have been discovered here. s<* do not know on what representations they Pre induced to come to South Africa, but a passenger by the Northumberland azures us tha* they are of a class who niakeiapitai colonisjs, for they are prepared to do other work beside gold digging. We trust tint this is so, for if these people were go'd diggers, and nothing ehe th< y are likely to be dissappor ted on their arrival. We may tell them up to th r present time the goldfields of South Africa have not been a success A few persons have managed to live at Pilgrim's Kest, in the Transvaal, and is a confident belief of paying goldfi -Ids existing in this land ; but thev have yet to be disoov< red There is, however, the satisfaction of knowing that any man of indutrious and steady habils can at a 1 times make more than his living at the Cape of Good Hope.