The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 341, 13 January 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Vestry meeting of St. Saviour’s Church, Temuka, took place on Tuesday, 3rd of January. Present—Reverend J. Chaffers-Welsh (in the chair), Messrs S. D. Barker, Tavender, Cox, Talbot, Franks and Pilbrow. This being the first occasion of the Reverend Chairman meeting this Vestry, he touched very feelingly on the new position, or rather his acceptance of this “cure,” in which he trusted a Christian and amicable feeling would always exist. After the minutes of the last meeting were read a d confirmed, Mr Tavender (Treasurer) informed the Vestry that the sum of £l9 2s had been banded in by Mr Stntham for the purpose of purchasing a new organ, which is very badly needed. At present the money is deposited in the Bank of New Zealand as a separate account, called the “ Temuka Church Organ Fund,” which, as soon as sufficiently supplemented, will be used for the above purpose. The collecting of the above amount is entirely due to the active exertions of two young ladies ot the choir (Messrs Langridge and Toombes), to whom the Vestry give their best wishes and thanks. A little more business of a private nature closed the meeting.

Wb would remind our readears that the picnic to be given in the Park for the purpose of introducing the Rev J. ChaffersWelsh to his parishioners, takes place tomorrow. A number of sports have been arranged, viz., lawn tennis,croquet, quoits jumping, horse and foot races, and other games. The Brass and Fife and Drum Bands will be in attendance. As no pains will be spared to make the affair a success, and tfye object being a good one, we hope to see a Lfga gathering. The concert that cakes place jn the Volunteer Hall the same evening, from what wo hear, promises to be a grand success.

The Horn J. Bryce has tendered hia resignation of the offices he holds in the Government. The reason given is the refusal pf the Cabinet to agree to the immediate adoption of active measures with regard to the Parihaka natives. The Governor arrived at Auckland on Sunday morning from Wellington. He visits Sir Geovge Grey at tfya Kawau at the end of the week.

The Education Board, Auckland, haying notified to the City School Committee its intention of taking possession of fhe Vfellesley street Common School, the latter carried a resolution unanimously declining to surrender the control of the school, and a determination expressed to abide the consequences.

Major Atkinson, the Colonial Treasurer, was to, leave Wellington on a Ministerial tony through Canterbury, Otago, and Southland yesterday. The trial of Gibson, for the murder of Kerrison, at Christchurch, was, on the application of Mr Holmes, poatposed till the next session. The plea for the defence will be that of insanity.

A prisoner for debt in Addington Gaol,

named Morris, aged 80, died of appoplexy on Monday morning. A day or two ago some claimants to property in his possessiim took tlio roof off his house, and this preyed on Ms mind, it is said.

The sentence of death passed on Te Wharepa, the Chatham Islands murderer, has been commuted to imprisonment for life.

A Presbyterian congregation, not a hundred miles from North Dunedin, is just now in a state of distraction over no less a source of trouble than a strike in the choir. The young lady members, it appears, were accused of unseemly levity during service under cover of the screen surrounding their enclosure, and some one in authority, to give them a hint, probably that t eir doings had been noticed, took the screen down. This was “ the row that broke up our society,” as Bret Harte has sung ; for the choir members took umbrage, and discord now reigns where once all was harmony.

The secretary of the United Fire Brigades Association has received answers from the following brigades signifying their intention of attending the annual meeting of delegates at Wellington on the 24th inst. Oluistchnrch, 3 ; Dunedin, 2 ; Nasehy, 1 ; Rangiom, 1 ; Port Chalmers, 1 ; Waimate, 1 ; Mornington, 1 ; Caversham, 1 ; The Spit, Napier, 1. Of his early experience as a journalist, Mr Archibald Forbes says :—“ I was running the Scotchman at that time I was sent to Metz, and the paper died. I lost £IOOO, and swore I’d have nothing more to do with running a newspaper. That oat 1 1 costs me £4OOO a year. When Edmund Yates started the World on £SOO, he wanted mo to go in and put up half—£2so. I wouldn’t just on that account. To-day the World pays Edmund Yates £BOOO a year. It was successful from the very start."

In giving evidence before a committee appointed to inquire into the working of tlie totalisutor, Mr R. C. Bagot, secretary to the V.R.C., said.—“At least 200 totulis itors will be required to meet the speculative spirit on the Cup day. The introduction will be the signal for a large number of the gentlemen now metalicians to take to work a l.ttle more arduous.”

Says an English paper :— ‘‘ If we may form an opinion from recent developments of grain growing in New Zealand, that colony will shortly become a competitor with the United States and Canada in the markets of the world. It is true that it is severely handicapped by distance, but as the cost of carriage when once shipped is merely nominal, tlie imports from tlie Antipodean colony may act as a check on the rapacity of the shippers in America, who now get decidedly the best of the bargiau, the actual raiaoi's receiviug very little of the money paid for their crops.

The pigs on the Plains are being rapidly thinned. One Hawera settler has been carting away two waggon loads a day, averaging from 18 to 30 per load, during the last week. On Wednesday a party of men camped down at the In aha Creek with three horse drays, and had nearly made up a load the same evening. The shouts of the pig-hunters, the barking of their dogs, and the squealling of the pigs can be heard from daylight te dark anywhere on the land recently sold. The Maori owners are quite prepared to part with their claim to the pigs for a very low figure, as they are afraid that the new settlers will make short work of the pigs, and wiil not distinguish clearly between wild and tame or half wild and half tame porkers.—Hawera Star. As an instance of how the value of house property in Wellington has depreciated during the past two years, we may mention that the general rates were estimated to yield £12,000 for the yeaiTßßo-81 But for the ensuing year, the New Zealand Times and the Mayor do not anticipate that more than £IO,OOO will be forthcoming. The estimate is considered extravagant by the Post, which says that “ town property has depreciated in value from 30 to 60 per cent. Its selling value is less than half the rate ruling in 1879.

Early on Sunday at Invercargill, a brothel-keeper in the suburbs named W. Curran, otherwise Morris, was severely stabbed near the abdomen and in the left shoulder and right arm by a young man named William Sangster. Curran was a few months ago sentenced to imprisonment for wounding a man in a house of illfame.

At a meeting at Invercargill on Saturday a branch of the Irish National Land League was formed and office-bearers elected, o,ne speaker said that Irish colonists were not of so much benefit to the country as they might be, through having year after year to send money Home to support parents at Horae, who under proper laws would not require such aid. It is intended to hold a public meeting in connection with the League. Mr B,rowne. one o,f the engineers who recently made a flying survey of tfie rail-, way to, the West Coast, has beep *ent to Wellington to interview the Government respecting the construction of the proposed line.

Rumours are current at Wellington, that a well-known getter-up of sweeps, who recently drew one for £2OOO on the

Wellington Cup, was a passenger by the last outward mail steamer for San Francisco. It is now ascertained that George North left by the San Francisco steamer, taking with him the £4OOO subscribed for his sweep on the Wellington Cup, and some hundreds on account of another sweep on the Canterbury Cup. He had privately managed to dispose of most of his property here. At a meeting of his creditors to-day, it was resolved to take legal advice regarding the position of affairs.