LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 354, 15 February 1881, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We would again draw attention to K. F Gray’s monthly sale of live and dead stock, to take place at his sale yards, Temuka, to-morrow, at 1 o’clock. We were shown yesterday a chicken with four legs, and another with one eye aiid two beaks, the latter projecting from each side of the head. As freaks of nature, they are a curiosity, and we im-

dorst'.ml it is intruded to preserve tiiem in spirits of wine.

On Saturday afternoon mi tin; in rival of the express from Timaru at the Tennika station, information was given to tlie police by the railway guard that a man had fallen off the train about 500 yards from the station, ft was thought the man was killed. Constable Durke lost no time in reaching the spot, when it Was asci.rtained the supposed min was a roll of carpet thrown out of the train by a woman passenger. It appears the woman lives near the pi me where the parcel was thrown out, and seeing the children looking out for her, and no doubt a'so to save the trouble ul carrying it horn- from the station, threw it out. The parcel struck the side of a cutting and rebounded, striking the carriage with considerable force ; so much so that a window of the carriage was broken to pieces. The carpet was found to be cu clean through in two plates. The praciice of throwing articles from a train wlnm in motion is a reprehensible one, and we trust the loss sustained will act as a warning to the woman as well as others.

Mr Proud foot is advertising in Dunedin fo’* 1200 men for railway works in New South Wales. In reference to this the Penny Post has the following : —“An impression appears to prevail that the climate where these works are is one of oppressive hear; but we have been shown a letter from a gentleman located near the works, which says that the climate is one of the finest he ever experienced . He says also that living is considerably cheaper there than in Dunedin ; that the late of wages ruling ou the railway works is from 5s to to 8s per day, according to ability of the men. The writer is of opinion that brilliant piosj cots are in store fur New South Wales, as some very large contracts, giving work to largo numbers of men, will shortly be let—among others, being 1700 miles of railway, ami a drainage scheme, estimated to cost £5,000,000. The fare to Newcastle is, by steamer (steerage) £6 ; by sailing vessel, £4.

The following arrangement has been made in regard lo the payment of the property tax In any town in which there is an office of a deputy-commissioner, the tax .mat be paid at that office ; but with this exception the payment may bo made to the postmaster at any post-office connected with which there is a telegraph station or money older office, and in any such case the postmaster will give an interim receipt, which will be followul hy a complete official receipt from the deputycommissioner of the district Still further it has been arranged that any taxpayer may forward the amount due hy him to the deputy-commissioner in a registered letrer by P. 0.0, cheque, bank draft, or in c;sh.

A strange story of credulity and fraud .vas told at the Bow-street Police Court the other day. MrslLirt-Davis, a 1 idy oi fortune and large expectations, made the acquaintance of a married couple named Pletcher, who persuaded her that in trances they received messages from her deceased mother. One of these messages was that Mrs Davis should give all her valuables to the Fletchers, which she did, thus disposing of diamonds, sapphires, pearls, p’ate, and lace, worth about £4OOO. The Fletchers took her with them to Amer.ca, where Mrs Davis found she had been duped. Mrs Fletcher was apprehended at Greenock, brought before Mr Flowers, and remanded for a week

While the whole country is nuking "ith remarks as to the manner in which Taranaki is being pampered at '.he expense of the rest of the colony, the residents of that favored spot do not seem to be permeated with gratitude, to judge by the following extract from a local paper, in which the writer says : —At “The Corner” we heard the following dialogue the other day : “ I say, Jim, the Government are to be changed, I hoar.” “Oh, 1 should not be surprised,” was Jim’s reply, •'* but if you dropped the ‘ c’ it would be no more than they deserved.”

Says the liberty The politeness of soma ladies is really entertaining. It w.-. a particularly observable at the cricket match last Saturday and in the early p rt of this week. The dear creatures made their way to the front and opened their parasols with the most charming unconcern, and looked as if they didn’t know that they were obscuring the vision of half-a-dozen gentlemen at' the back ; while they swayed their skin protectors about in a manner calculated to give glasseye polishing a grand impetus. One old lady caused a regular stampede by opening a three-acre gingham, which cast quite a gloom over the oval.

The reports which have appeared in the Lyttelton Times anent the cricket matche 8 played by the Australian team are really excellent, but one cannot help smiling at the sarcasm contained in the following letter addressed to the editor of that journal:— “ Sir, —I am dying to know all about the cricket match ; but how can a woman understand the following ; ‘ Corfe got a single off the Demon’s second, and poked Palmer’s, third to short leg. Watson broke his duck for a square leg nit, and then drove the long bowler for a similar number, but was run out in attempting a short one next ball. 1—4 —2. Corfe snicked Spoffiorth for one, and hit all round a curly one,’ etc,, etc. Do tell, and oblige —Only A Woman.”