LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 329, 14 December 1880, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The sixth annual gathering of the South Canterbury Caledonian Society will take place on the Old Show Grounds, Tirnaru, on the Ist January next An excellent programme has been provided

Mr G. M. Reed has arranged with the New Zealand Agency to take over 120,000 acres at Poverty Bay, ceded for special settlement. Mr Bailley, for the Company, left for Gisborne on Friday to complete the negotiation.

A discovery of quartz has been made near Pokeno, three miles from the railway

station. There is a well defined reef. The range: in which this discovery was made is of a similar character to that at tuo Thames. Mr W. King, of Dunedin, has began a Hew industry in thp 'manufacture of candied orange peel. A number of bakers have trjpil it, and the general opinion is that the article is. depidedly sup,£yio,r to the imported one, the flayor \),eing o.f ably greater pungency.

Mr Wakefield, member for Geraldine, met the electors of Temuka, in the Volun leer Hall, ou Saturday last Mr Talbot occupied the chair, and, in a short speech, introduced Mr Wakefield, whp then made several attempts to, address the meeting, but was as often interrupted by sucliques tioiia as “ \vhai about our Court House ?” what about the £6OO a year job ?” After an hour spent in ineffectual efforts, the Chairman declared the meeting at qq en d, and the hall was cleared. (Subsequently Mr again endeavored to make himself heard, but the disturbance was so great that lie finally gave it up as useless about 10 pm The town remahied in a state of considerable excitement for sev eral hours afterwards.

A conceit will be given in the Volunteer Hall ou Friday, 17th inst., in aid of the prize fund of the Temuka School. We trust their will be a good attendance. Ou the last occasion the hall was rushed by a number of children, who had no connection with the sthopj whatever. Next Friday all children will only be admitted by ticket. More comfort will consequently be the result, and more room will be reserved for adqlts. The pro gramme will be carried out by volunteers outside the school A nuinlper of ladies and gentlemen of considerable musical talents, have promised to take part con sequently a great treat may be anticipated The object should also be kept prominently in mind that the committee hayo no fund for prizes, as in former times, and wish to keep up the good old custom of giving honor to whom honor is due, it appeals to the public to come forward and tender a liberal support on this occasion. . The schooner Omaha, which arrived at Lyttelton on Friday last, from the Chatham Islands, brings the news of a brutal murder committed theie on the 29th November, as well as the murderer, WiWharapa, who has been committed for trial, for the murder of his wife, at the ensuing sessions of the Supreme Court in Christchurch. The particulars to hand are : A short'time after the murder the prisoner was noticed to have a dejected appearance, and something being suspected, a search party proceeded to his house, and on entering the building, the walls, ceiling, and floor were found splashed with blood and brains, the floor being much covered with blood. A search being made for the body it was found in a gullv over the hill from where the house stood. The upper part of the bead was smashed to pieces, the features being beyond recognition. Jealousy is supposed to be the cause of the murder. The prisoner has confessed the crime in Maori. Wi Wharapa’s wife was a native of Lyttelton, and her maiden name was Susan Snoswell, niece of Mr Thomas Snoswell, of H.M. Customs. She went to the Chathams about three years ago, as a domestic servant to one of the squatters families, and married Wi Wharapa eighteen months ago., She was about 20 years of age. Wi Wharapa is about 28, aud was one of the principal men on the Island, and very well off. We learn from the Tuapeka Times that the Lawrence School Committee discussed the circular issued by the Conference of City and Suburban School Committees. The first resolution was considered unintelligible ; the second, highly objectionable ; the third, unuecessaiy j aud the fourth, a direct insult to the intelligence of any committee. The Chairman remarked that the resolutions as a whole were rather mixed and confusing, and the grimmer “ shocking bad.” One member of Committee inquired if the resolutions had been prepared after the opening celebration of the Tapanui Railway had taken place ; if so, the haziness of style and diction were easily accounted for. As an illustration of the state of feeling amongst landlords in those parts of Ireland w he?e tkfi present agitation has taken (he deepest root, the Birmingham Post mentions that a Birmingham manufacturer recently received, from the vicinity of New Ross, an order for a coat-of-mail for an Irish landlord resident in the neighborhood The letter containing the order stated that the applicant had been endeavoring to obtain the article in question in several quarters, but had failed to meet with anyone who could supply it. The local firm has accepted the order. The Premier will leave Wellington on the Wednesday before Christmas for Christchurch, with a view of spending his Christmas holidays on hjis station in Canterbury. The Colonial Secretary will leave Wellington on Friday next for Dunedin, where he will spend his Christmas holidays. The Minister for Public Works (Mr Oliver) will also pass his Christmas in Dunedin, and the Attorneygeneral (Mr Whitaker), in Auckland. The Colonial Treasurer (Major Atkinson), the Native Minister (Mr Bryce), and the Minister of Lands (Mr Rolleston), will remain in Wellington. In consequence of the tranquility now prevailing in Cuba, it is expected that th,? Minister of War will shortly order the return to Spam of 15,000 of the troops stationed in the island.