The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 336, 4 January 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Messrs Maclean and Stewart will hold their usual monthly sale at Winchester on Wednesday. Mr K. F. Gray will sell, at Winchester, mi Wednesday, one 8-horse Engine and Combine, 8 fat bullocks, sheep, cattle, and horses. We would remind those interested that to-day is the last day for receiving nominations for the three vacant seats in the Temuka Road Board. The annual soiree and concert in connection with the Presbyterian Church, takes place in the Volunteer Hall on Thursday evening. Tea on the table at 6 o’clock

Mr Marcroft, the well known sheep breeder ) has just shipped for the Chatham Islands, to a gentleman engaged in farming there, four Lincoln and two Leicester rams. One of the latter took the second prize at the Dunedin Show last month.

1880 his passed away, and 1881 made its appearance on Saturday last. To usher in the new year our local musicians were early astir on Friday evening. The Brass and Di urn and Fife Bands enlivened onr little, town by parading the principal streets in full force, playing music appropriate to the occasion. On New Year’s Day a large number of persons wended their way to the Railway Station en route for the Caledonian Sports. Carriages were soon crowded, and trucks brought into requisition, big wigs and small wigs taking their seats togethor on the ready Yankee level style. A good many of our citizens also hired buggies and other available conveyances to take them to the interior, where the soft and invigorating winds blow, in order to more fully fit them for the arduous duties of the year now entered upon. The weather being mild, a most enjoyable day was passed by one and all, and as night came on, little groups of fathers and mothers, with their little ones toddling behind them, could be seen passing along the highways and byways towards theh homes Let us hope to pass a year of peace and plenty, which 1880 to many was not

We would draw the attention of oar readers to an advertisement in to-day’s issue from Mr Joseph Leary intimating that he will open a High School in Temnka township on Monday, 17th inst We have read some of Mr Leary’s testimonials, which show very fully not only that he is a classical scholar and capable of doing what he professes, but they also ex. pressed regret at Mr .Leary leaving his former field of laber The prospect of shortly Laving to pay at least a household rate to uphold the Government schools will open a way for private schools being well supported in fairly populated districts We can only hail with pleasure the opening of a High School in our midst Mr and Mrs Tombs, the genial host and hostess of the Crown Hotel, Temuka, held an evening party in the Assembly Rooms on Friday evening last, a most select company being present Dancing commenced about 8 o’clock, and was kept up with great spirit until about half-past five Messrs Burrows, Levees, Hadfield and

Heap supplied the music, and, judging from the number of dancers with tluir smiling faces, gave great satisfaction Tire whole affair was a great success A correspondent sends us the following • —“ With the ‘ Raike’s Centenary ’ fresh in our minds, it is to be expected that a more than ordinary interest should be awakened in the progress of Sabbath Schools. Such an interest, however, rarely evidences itself in the practical manner in which it was manifested last Thursday, when an old and esteemed settler —Mr George Woodhead with characteristic kindness and liberality entertained the children of the Milford Sabbath School, at his farm, on the occasion of their anniversary. Headed by the Temuka Drum and Fife Band, and accompanied by their teachers and parents, the children marched from the mill to the farm, where a large marquee was erected, with a great display of bunting outside, and a si ill greater profusion of good things inside. After a light refreshment sports commenced. Space would fail were I to enumerate all the events of the day ; the racing iu sacks and out of sacks with the martial accompaniment of the “ spirit-stirring drum and ear-piercing fife,” until youngsters having raced off with a large number of handsome prizes kindly given by their host, they retired for a while to make way for their seniors• Shall 1 tell how a celebrated bachelor, witli a military physique, strove with an ardour worthy of the Olympic wreath, for an article almost equally perishable but infinitely more useful, i.e. an infant's feeding bottle ; or of an equally distinguished lady pedestrian who ran so fast that she seemed glad to clasp with panting fervour a passive lady chat awaited her at the goal, and whose only charms (unlike all other women) consisted in her dress, of which she was subsequently denuded, leaving her a charmless, harmless bag of shavings. Suffice it to say that all seemed determined to “ wisely merry be,” and to prove their appreciation of the hearty welcome accorded them by as heartily enjoying themselves. Addresses having been given by the Revs Gordon, Barclay, and Harper, and the prizes having been distributed by Mrs

Barclay :md Ihe Rev D. Gordon, a smup :

tuous tea was served in the marquee, and when the Rev. G. Barclay subsequently rose to propose l< Our Host and Hostess,” the enthusiastic acclamations with which the toast was received fully testified the high estimation in which Mr and Mr s Woadhead are held by young and old. May they long live to enjoy the “ luxury of doing good.”

A correspondent at Opunake writes to the Hawera Star as follows “ Bitter complaints have been made by the witnesses in the late rnnrdcr case in the very unjust manner our liberal Government has awarded expenses, the sum of £3 14s per man being so ridiculously low that nearly all, including the native witnesses, refused to sign for it. A deputation of the European portion waited on the Minister of Justice, without any good resulting ; and I believe another deputation, composed of natives, waited on the Native Minister, which apparently had very good effect although not receiving in cash more than the Europeans, it is whispered that the trunks and boxes full of clothing, which the Hinemou lauded here, were presents.

Rather a gloomy view of the prospects of fanners in Blacks district is taken by the correspondent of the Mount Ida Chronicle. He says : —“ The crops are looking very bad. The rain came a fortnight too late The wheat especially is almost worse than bad, as it will just pay for harvesting, threshing, and carting to the mill lam quite certain that in the whole district of Blacks, including Ida Yalley, there will be nothing like half a crop, and at the beginning of the season I never saw anything look better than some of the wheat paddocks. The most, of the crop is already out in ear, and in a great many instances one third of the ear is a complete blank. Most of our farmers have gone in extensively for wheat this year, so that there is comparatively little under oats, which will be very short, but not so bad at the wheat. I opine oats must rive in this district. Theie is not much barley sown, but being a later crop it has had a better chance. Not being so forward, the dry weather did not affect it. It is a blue look-out fur the farmers in this district, as there is but little money amongst them, although they as a rule, are well to do, having their land, horses, cattle, &c. There is no turning anything into cash in the shape of horses or cattle. Pigs appear to be the only things that are saleable in the fanning stockv and there are but few here.”

Apropos of the great matvh\ between England and Australia, the Sporting Times says:—“The fielding of the Australians was nothing short of marvellous. Whilst the Hon. A. Lyttelton was at the wickets h? hit a ball very hard to mid-on, and started to run. He had just time to get back ’ere his middle stump was broken in two by a well-directed shot from Bannerman (some sixty yards away), whose fielding and return of the ball would have put greased lightning to shame. The wicket, keeping of Black ham, too, was unapproachable. Nothing like it has ever been seen in this country. He actually caught Mr Lucas at the wicket off a leg hit.” A Frensh chemist is said to have condensed the body of his wife into the space of an ordinary seal, and had her roughly polished and set in a ring. He made a nice income by betting with lapidaries and others that they could not tell the material of the set in three guesses, and, after pocketing the money, would burst into tears, and say, “It is ray dear, dear wife. I wear her on my finger to keep alive pleasant remembrances of her.”

A terrific hailstorm is reported from Hayland Station, near Mount Thomas, Ashley County. The stones averaged an inch and a half in length, and broke every thing fragile in their way, but luckily the storm was confined to a very narrow limit. Nearly every pane of glass in the homestead was broken. A number of ewes just turned out from the shearing-shed were killed, and also a number of turkeys. A 200 acre paddock of oats was cut off at the roots. So distinctly marked was the edge of the storm that the paddock af wheat adjacent was untouched, while a shed on on one side was battered by the stones which lay in heaps under the wall. The damage done is very serious. The New Zealand Herald, referring to the failure of the late overtures to Te Whiti, says “Wo think it is to be regretted for more reasons than one that any attempt should have been made to entice Te Whiti from his lair. The method adopted is not new, and open to very grave objections, and specially so in this instance. It must bo deemed an infelicitous step to have thus early mixed up with the Native question a gentleman whose supposed proclivity for exalting the coloured man at the expense of (he white and whose office of High Commissioner and autocratic power as Governor of Fiji has been the cause of anticipations of {the intrusion of his personal will and opinion in affairs of this Colony, and notably with regard to the Native race. It is impossible to lose sight of the fact that the imprudence of the Gov eminent has laid it open to a charge of endeavoring to establish itself in bis Excellency’s good grace by adapting itself to his presumed personal inclinations. pu other and broader grounds, the intervention of the representative of the Crown in most objectionable.

been customary, will not mend natters, if the principle is bad. The lolonists should object absolutely to the governor exceeding his functions by one Ha, and it is the boundon duty of the Ministry resolutely to resist any attempi of the kind. There is an absence of dijnily in these appeals to Te Whiti to consot to be reasonable, and in the rebuff the Rvernor has suffered. The position of lie Government is also weakened, becase the Governor’s failure is theirs also.” s

As showing what a farce somtof the applications—and solemnly swon declarations—for deferred payment laii have been, we (Hawera Star) might iention that one of the successful appliints at Wednesday’s drawing applied fori transfer the same evening. An alteiion is needed in the Land Act—if the jersons for whom the Act intended the tferred payment land to be given sboulcget it. A large number of most desirable |rsons, who came to the district from tl goldfields.of Otago and Westland, ha! gone away disgusted, whilst the land si apart for their use has fallen into the bids of speculators. When this was commuted a separate land district, special lowers ought to have been given to the Cmmissioner of Crown Lands. We sli have more to say on the subject in a fevlays.

A man named Long Ims been rested at Napier, charged with using tlinening language. He will probably be larged with setting the Albion Hotel on b. it appears he went into the hotel a the previous day, when the proprietorfused to serve him, as he was drunk, a ex claimed it was the last time a majvould be refused drink in that house, as livould stop it effectually. He was seen alit the house by the police shortly beforee fire broke out. Two nights after he s refused drina; in another house, wu he said he would burn it, as he had da the Albion.