LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 350, 5 February 1881, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We hear that the peal of bells for the Temuka Roman Catholic Church, ordered some time ago, are. now on the way from San Francisco, and may shortly be expected to arrive in Temuka, The bells

come from the Mesneely Bell Foundery, West Trov, New York. The main bell weighs 1100 lbs, and the two smaller ones 500 and 300 lbs respectively. The Zealandia, with the London mails of December 30th, left San Francisco tor Auckland on the 18th ult, three days later than time table date. The City of Sydney, with the January Colonial mails, arrived at San Francisco on the 29th ult., two days later than time-table date.

The Australian cricketers left Christ church, per Arawata fur Wellington, on Thursday. Mr J. L. Coster, on the occasion of his retirement from the management of the Bank of New Zealand, Christchurch, was on Thursday presented with a silver tazza, an address, and a purse of £500;

A correspondent of the Otago Daily Times reports the discovery of a reef in Long Valley, Serpentine district, the stone of which is thickly impregnated with gold. In the Supreme Court at Dunedin on Thursday Judge Johnston and Judge Williams ruled that a trustee in bankruptcy was personally responsible for costs in sneing or being sued as trustee.

Our readers tire aware that the Property Tax is due and payable in two half-yearly instalments. As the Wellington correspondent of a contemporary points out, one of these ought to have been paid some months ago ; but owing to successive delays, occasioned by the objections raised, the first instalment cannot be collected until the other is nearly due. This is very severe upon the taxpayers, the date of payment cf the first instalment being fixed for the Bth of March, and the second for the 22nd of ihe same mouth, which means an interval of a fortnight. For all practical purposes the two instalments might just as well have been collected simultaneously without perpetrating the farce of such an absurdly' short interval.

Numerous robberies are reported from verious parts of the district, some of them of a most glaring character. This calls for vigilance on the part of the police. The number of swaggers that are at present perambulating through South Canterbury, and the reckless conduct of some of them in removing gates and pulling up posts and burning them, warns us that if no public w r orks are provided great depredations will take place. The reapers and binders have wrought a revolution in respect to harvest work ; men will not accept the wages offered ; farmers find they can go on without them ; and the consequence is that the harvest season is speedily passing avyay, and winter will soon bo here with the prospect of little being laid up to meet it. People will need to be careful to lock their doors. The town and outlying districts arc just now being canvassed by Mrs Rowe for subscriptions to help to provide a treat for the Temuka Schoolchildren. The superb harvest weather will surely open the liberal pursestrings for so good a cause, as those acquainted with children will know that it takes no trifling amount to satisfy between 300 and 400 children. Where money cannot be given, bread, butter, tea, sugar, cake, jam, milk, or anything suited to the palates of the young will be most thankfully received. To aid the above, an entertainment will be held in the Volunteer Hall on Thursday evening, fered their assistance, and we expect to Feb. 10th. Many kind friends have profhave the pleasure of introducing some" fresh talent to Temuka. The programme will appear in our next issue, and ip strengthen the hands of the lady who lias taken the matter in hand, let all Temuka roll up with their sisters, cousins, and aunts, and show a bumper house. —-(Communicated). The past fortnight has been all that could be desired for the harvest—bright sunshine, and a complete absence of the destructive North-Wester. A good deal of grain is cut down and the thrasher is already at work. This year, barring accident, the sample will be the best for years. The yield is on the whole not up to the average, but the expense of harvesting has been considerably reduced. A fair price for the various cereals is also likely to rule. Prime samples of wheat are readily bought up at 3s 6d, while 4s is expected soon to be the ruling price. Lttle prime barley is to be found m the district; 3s 3d to 3s 6d is likely to rule for prime lots. Oats have not yet steadied themselves.

The Timpel* a Times says “We are informed that Mr Conyers (late < Commissioner of Railways), who was on a visit to Dawrence recently, has purchased a share in the Richmond Hill Company’s mine at Waitahuna.”

The latest thing in retrenchment (says the Otago Daily Times) is that the members of the Laud Board have had 10 per cent, deducted from their weekly fee for attending meetings, This means a trifle over 2s a week taken off their guinea. The Government are understood to be, firm on the point, notwithstanding vigorous remonstrances from the gentlemen concerned.

A Sydney paper says “ Sir James Palmer, baronet, is now, and has for many years been a constable in the Victorian force, notwithstanding that he has a private income of at least five or six times his poor ‘ official screw.’ Another baronet, Sir Kenneth ——— , was, when last heard of, getting an honed living by packing between the Hodgkinson (N.Q.) and the coast.”

The proceedings at the Brighton County Court recently were diversified by an unusual incident —namely, the cooking of some potatoes in Court by direction of

the judge. A wholesale potato merchant was sued for the recovery of money which had been paid for potatoes which were alleged to be of a different kind from those ordered, The judge, after examining some of both samples, as well as the potatoes supplied, felt that, in ordir to enable him to give a correct judgment m the matter, it would be necessary to cook specimens of each, This was accordingly done while other cafes were being heard. Tiie cooked potatoes were then produced in Court and eaten, the result being that the judge was satisfied as to the quality of the condemned potatoes, but not so satisfied as to the skill of the plaintiff in the art of cooking. The verdict was accordingly given for the defendant.

The Maoris at Purihaka have harvested the whole of their wheat, and almost all of it has been saved in good eondilion. They are now about to thresh it out as quickly as possible, and will employ five separate horse-power machines for the purpose. A large number are now returning from Parihaka, and intend retraining .at their settlements for some little time to come. They have been Warned that they had better dispose of their pigs on the Plains as soon as possible, otherwise they will probably lose them, and seem inclined to take the hint. They report that Te Whiti predicts that Major Parris will not retain his present office for another year. He also declared that Mr Bryce undertook to take all the land within a year, but pointed out that lie has not got it, but, on the contrary, has lost his position as Native Minister.— Hawera Star.

‘QRgles,” the ■well-known contributor to the Australasian, says:—“Sir Arthur Kennedy is not mealy-mouthed, and I imagine that the Queensland Governor's salary must be upon some schedule Q. Z. which places it beyond the reach of honorable members. In a speech to the boys at the breaking up of the Ipswich Grammar School, his Excellency bad the audacity to say : — £ You boys will all have a voice in the affairs of the Colony, and I hope you will make a better use of that privilege than some constituencies have done, and trust that you will not, like them, assist in returning drunken bankrupts to Parliament.—(Applause). I can say some things that other people could not, and I do not care whether they please or not ; but 1 think every rightminded person in the Colony will agree with me in what I have now said.’ Sir Arthur is a brave man.”

The Rockhampton Daily Northern Argus speaks thus of the prospects of trade between New Zealand and Queensland ; “we have on several occasions lately drawn attention to the advisability of opening up a trade between Central Queensland and New Zealand. The latter would gladly take from us our sugir, instead of importing it from the Mauritius while we on our part could obtain iu return very much of that produce we now procure second-hand from the south. The matter is worthy of consideration, and if our merchants and shippers were a little more cnei’getic and pushing, we are of opinion that an active and lucrative trade might beset on foot and .flourish,, We notice by a late issue of the Otago Daily Times that the barque Gabrielle Alice had arrived at Otago from Mauritius, having on board 350 tons of sugar. Surelj’ it must be worth our while to make a dash for supplying at least a portion of the sugar shipped to New Zealand.” A fatal accident (says the Otago Daily Times) occurred at Guthrie and LarnaclTs factory on Thursday afternoon. About a quarter past 4 o’clock the attention of somu of the workmen on the first floor of the ruain building was attracted by three sharp knocks against the roof next the shafting. On looking up they discovered the mangled remains of a human body, and the signal for the stoppage of the engine was immediately given. The body, which was that of a young man named Thomas Jeffrey, a steam binder, was found to be entangled round the shaft by one of the bands, and was injured to a fearful extent, his brains being dashed out, and one of his legs being completely detached from the trunk. No one witnessed the accident, which could not have occupied more than a minute, but it is supposed to have taken place in this way :—The deceased was occupied in undoing an old band which was banging loosely from the shaft. This must have by some means got entangled and drawn poor Jeffrey up to the shaft and knocked him against the roof. Death must have been instantaneous. Deceased was 18 or J 9 years of age, and was the only support of his widowed mother, who residea at Barrficld, Moruington.

Eureka ! We have found it at last. Parents have often complained with justice of, the want of a real “ Family Hotel” where they and their olive branches would receive proper attention. This desideratum has been at last provided and the venture will no doubt prove so successful as to provoke numerous imitations. The following is an extract from the circular of an American Hotel located somewhere “ out West,” and no doubt the noble principles there laid down will be adopted by all hotelkeepers who desire to merit a share of parental patronage :—“ Children are welcomed with delight, and are requested to bring hoop-sticks haw-keys to bang the carved rosewood furniture especially provided for that purpose, and peg-

tops to spin on the velvet carpets ; they will be allowed to bang' at the piano at all hours, yell in the halls, slide down the bannisters, fall down stairs, carry away dessert enough for a small family io their pockets at dinner, and make themselves as disagreeable as the fondest mother can desire.” The editor o,f the World is rather seyere on Earl Beacon sfield’s, latest literary production. It says “It is written throughout in the peculiar English of Lord Beacoastield—stilted, slipshod, sesquipedalian, with much affectation of correctness, and abounding in grammatical looseness and inaccuracy,” The World further writes of the novel as a silly book, a vulgar and a tedious one,” and a book written for snobs by one of their number.”

The Fiji Times says:—“The Premier of his defunct Samoan Majesty is fast becoming a man of mark. On Sunday last H.M.S. Cormorant unexpectedly appeared in port, and general curiosity was aroused to know the nature of her errand. During the next day it transpired that when his Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon, High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, became aware that W. J. Hunt had left Auckland in the s.s. Clyde, with the avowed intention of proceeding to Samoa, in defiance of his order of prohibition, be telegraphed to the Commodore on the Australian station, requesting him to despatch a vessel for the purpose of removing him thence and deporting him to Sydney. This the Commodore declined to do, and the High Commissioner then telegraphed Home, with the result that the Cormorant was directed to proceed upon the important and hazardous service. Upon arrival at Levuka it was found that Hunt was resident in this town, and her Majesty’s cruiser started on her return voyage from her wild-goose chase yesterday morning. This is truly a dignified record for all parties concerned. While the active interposition of English rnen-of-war is required for the protection of British lives in the Western Pacific their anchors remain down in Sydney harbor, but when a British subject presumes even to threaten to disregard the action of the High Commissioner relative to his residence in one island or another, all the springs of the High Commissioner and Admiralty are at once set in motion. Sir A. Gordon is certainly to be congratulated upon the dignified position in which he has placed himself. He has hurled a thunderbolt, and has not even crushed a butterfly, and by his injudicious action he has made himself and Captain Bruce the laughing-stock of the Southern Hemisphere.”