The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 349, 3 February 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We i egret that owing to sickness in oof staff, and the difficulty of obtaining extra hands in time, we were uhahl§ to bring out the Leader last Tuesday at the usual time In a country district compositors are not to be got at a moment’s notice, as in large towns We shall take care, however, that this dpes not happen agaiu We also promise that the Leader will, in a very few weeks, come out iq raf\ny ways considerably improved It will be seen from the Tatpuka Road Boord report that Messrs Thomas and Hill are the successful tenderers fop the Opihi Bridge, their tender for ing the lowest* We have only one regret connected with this work, and that is that a new bridge for the whole length was not thp plan approved of; not that we have any fault to flnd with Mr Day’s plans, but it will be remembered that a portion of the old bridge to be utilised has been in I existence fojr a gopd many years, and will

shortly, if pot Always, require repairs. The amount for which the contract is, to be carried out shows that for £2001) more or thereabouts an entire new work could be built. Now is the lime. It will not do to go to the County Council a year or two hence, and say we need a new bridge for the Opihi. Yet many believe this will be the position in which matters will be found

It will be seen that our local Road Board has resolved to continue kerbing the streets not yet under contract This is as it should be By and bye a demand for more efficient drainage will present itself for notice With ft must come a better water supply It is satisfactory therefore to find that provision is to be made for it by concrete channelling for some parts of the town In connection with the subject of street improvement, ashphelting the footpath is now an urgent necessity We pity the poor Indies, in paaticular in this dry weather who have to paddle along off one boulder on to anothei, till at length they manage to arrive at their desired destination in a cloud of pespiration, pronouncing anathemas on all and sundry whose duty it is to make crooked things straight, and rough places plain A meeting having for its object the formation of a Debating Club was held in the Templar Hall on Monday evening lust, under the presidency of the Rev. D. Gordon, There vras a large attendance. After the rev. gentleman had explained the object of these institutions, and the good accruing from them, the following gentlemen were elected a Provisional Committee to draw up rules, &c., viz. : Messrs Diddams, Smith, Barber, Cooper, and Hayhurst, jun. A motion that the Society be called the Temuka Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Society was carried by a large majority. After some important business had been gone through, the meeting adjourned to Tuesday, Feb. 8. We were much pleased to notice the presence of the new incumbent, Rev. J. Welsh

Notice is given in another column that the Valuation Roll for the South Orari River Conservators can be seen at the Temuka Road Board Office up to the 15th February, and all objections thereto must be forwarded to the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Temuka, on or before the 15th inst.

Timaru is to have a town clock, the Borough Council having voted £IOO, as its share, towards the same.

The cricket match, Australians v Fifteen of Christchurch, was concluded on Tuesday, and resulted in a victory for the former, The Australians, in one “innings, put together 323, of which Murdoch scored 111, while Christchurch only managed to put together 223 in two innings.

During January 101 birtus and 31 deaths were registered in Wellington. 18 marriage certificates were issued in the same period, The Temuka Road Board invite applies, tions for Inspector of Works for the Opihi Bridge Works, applications to be in by Tuesday. The School Committee, Auckland, will hold a Provincial conference respecting the powers under the Act, and the relations of the Education Board to the Committee.

A boat was washed ashore at the Harriett Beach, Opunake, on the 19th instant. The Natives took possession of the boat.

A party of prospectors is going out to examine the western slopes of the Ruahine (Hawke’s Bay) Ranges. Quartz, similar to Thames stone, has been brought in from time to time by surveyors. In a recent lecture in Napier, Dr Hector also expressed a belief that gold would be found there.

At the Wesleyan Conference at Nelson the report of the Committee relative to the Ecumenical Council was road, and after much discussion it was resolved that the Conference be represented by one minister and one layman, the Rev Mr Reid and Mr Ballantyne (now in London). The weather in North Canterbury is very favorable for the harvest. Crops are being harvested rapidly, in splendid condition.

As will be seen by advertisement Messrs T. Ollivier and J. Ashwell have entered into partnership as accountants and com* mission agents.

We hear that Mr William Hornbrook has suffered a serious loss through some onp.disabling his reaper and binder. No doubt it is vexing to working men, who are in quest of harvest work, to see the bread taken out of their mouths by this new invention, but it has to be remembered that not many years ago farmers had to submit to insult and injury by seeing their crops rotting in the field while harvesters were snugly knocking down their cheques, and only gave cheek when urgently asked to resume their work and save their crops. This form of punishment to the farmer by destroying the reapers and binders will end in no good to any party.

Messrs Hall and Roster, roperaakers, of Christchurch, are about to set up complete machinery for the manufacture of all kinds of twine by steam power. The prices with hand spinning are already lower than imported goods. They are offering to purchase any quantity of polo-nial-grown hemp and flax.

An old the other day, got a'note in which the writer requested- |>brief and, final interview before she left tIW Colony for’ ever, Certainly t'>ue and place were suspicious, but amor vincit, &c. He got to the trysting place and leisurely paced backward and forward, awaiting her who had fallen a victim to his fasc.nation. Suddenly two men stepped from behind the bush with the ill-omened words, “You’ve got a Watch on yer —hand it over.”— lf Surely,” he remonstrated, “ you would not rob me or use violence —of course you know me. lam no longer young.” “Come, come, none of that —we know you well enough. Turn out your pockets smart. A Word in your Marry Anne !” That worthy citizen (says returned to his home with open eyes and empty pockets.

Mr Oliver and Major Atkinson arrived at Invercargill. from Dunedin shortly before 10 o’clock on Friday evening. They were met at the railway station by a large crowd, part of whom cheered, while others signified their disapprobation, especially of Mr Oliver, by hooting him there, and following the Ministerial party to the Club Hotel, hooting, groaning, and hissing vigorously meanwhile. While some boys were bathing in the Aparima, Invercargill, a son of Mr Hugh Molloy, aged 10 years, was carried out by the current and drowned.

Lots of enthusiastic individuals may be met nearly every day of the week, wending their way to the Water of Leith, with fishing rods, kreels, and other paraphenalia used by anglers. Sometimes they may be seen standing on the platform of the traincars, their rods sticking out prominently like a barber’s pole. Yes, everybody sees them going ”to fish, but no one sees them coming home. The gentle fisherman manage to sneak home by the back streets after dusk ; and yet we hear exciting stories of the kills made by Brown, Joues, and Robinson. It is “one of those tilings no fellah can understand.” —Exchange.

la a recent issue of the New York Freeman’s Journal appears a very good chatty letter, under the nom-de-plume of “ Viator,” from a Dunedin correspondent. Besides giving a faithful description of that city, the writer humorously describes Sunday in Dunedin as follows : “ On that day black coats, gloves,, bell-toppers (high hats) and large prryer-booka, and women dressed in the best of Dunedin taste parade the streets to and from church. The hotels and bars (and they can be counted by the hundred) are, however, all kept open on Sundays (a private door round the corner being the convenient mode of entrance), nominally, however, for the convenience of travellers. These latter are many, as you can well imagine, being suddenly transformed from citizens, who, albeit on their “ travels " to church, generally wet one eye before devotion, aS on their return they wet the other to seal it.

The Bruce Herald says :—We have good news for our local growers of oats, and our intelligence, if we mistake not, will attract the attention of farmers in every part of New Zealand. A representative of an eminent Glasgow firm is now in New Zealand. The firm to which he is attached are large dealers in oats and oatmeal, and their usual source of supply ia now and for years has been the United States. The demand for oats is increasing, and the samples of New Zealand oats sent Home attracted the attention and admiration of deabrs in farm produce. The firm referred to require annually a supply which amounts to £160,000. Their representative has received a commission to erect oatmeal mills in the Colony, which must prove a boon to all concerned, but which will be a positive source of wealth to the whole body, not to any particular locality be compelled to supply this unexpected demand ? If they can give a practical answer in the affirmative a source of wealth will be utilised and extended, which will open up numerous avenues of employment, and a permanent industry will take root and flourish in New Zealand.”

Writing of the late Victorian Commis sioner of Police Augur,” the sporting contributor to the Australasian says :—“ Capt Standish, it is said, has accepted a position as private secretary to Sir Hercules Robinson, and I believe he will shortly leave for South Africa. It will be hard to fill the gallant captain’s place on the V.K.C. Committee, for his knowledge of racing law and customs enabled him to master the intricacies of abstruse turf questions. As chairman, too, he was the right map in the right place. With such a lover of sport as Sir Hercules Robinson for a companion, it will be strange indeed if we do not hear of their colours being represented among the Zulus and the Basutos.”

The Daily Nows of November 16th reports as follows concerning two pigmies, called the “Midgets,” who had been recently imported from America, and wer e about to be exhibited in London “ For the purpose of better representing to visitors the extraordinary diminutiveness of the ’midgets,’ Mr Ufftier, the manager of this new entertainment, contrasts them with two dwarfs who might themselves have been looked upon as prodigies in the absence of these so called midgets. These dwarfs, Miss Jennie Quigley and Commodore Foot, are respectively 3ft Sin and 3ft

4in in height, and to them the ,iso called midgets bear about the same proportion as ordinary children of five or six years to ordinary men and women. The smallest is Miss Lucia Zarate, Put in front ef a child of five years old yesterday her head just reached the child’s muff. In the child’s arms she might have been mistaken for a doll but for the fact that she is far too lively and interesting a creature to favor such a delusion. She is declared to be 18 years of age, and under 51b in weight. Those who claim to be her parents are with her. They are Mexicans of ordinary size. The young lady’s pretty manners and talk are much more those of a child exulting in the newly acquired power of speaking freelythan of a girl of 18, but are sufficiently surprising when her doll-like stature (Ift llin) is taken into account. Her carriage is ladylike. She is accompanied by “ General Mite," who is not more than an inch or so taller. Though stated to be two years younger, he comports himself with more dignity than bis companion, and is decidedly reluctant to sit in the laps of children and to allow himself to be kissed by them. He is fair, while the little lady has a dark complexion and features, quite suggestive of her Mexican descent. Both ‘midgets’ are well-proportioned and interesting, and pleasant to look upon."