LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 355, 17 February 1881, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We would remind our town readers of the meeting called for Saturday evening for the purpose of electing a School Committee for the current year. At the last nineting called for the purpose the householders fuled to elect a Commitee till the Board and the old Committee were on better terms. The Board has appointed Saturday first, 19th instant, nt 7 p.m., in the schoolroom, as a second chance given to the householders to do so. Notwithstanding all the Board's shortcomings we do not see any good that could be gained by looger refusing to elect a Committee, If they fail this, time it will appoint a Commission the same as it did in Timaru, and handle the school altogether as they choose. It is to be hoped, therefore, that a good muster will take place, and as the old hands have had a long spell of it, it would be. nothing but fair for some newmen to try their hands. The interests of the schools are too important to be lightly overlooked, The education of the young must not be neglected or the consequences will be serious.

The concert got up by Mrs Howe, and presided over by Mr John Hayhurst, for the enjoyment of the school children on Monday evening, was not, we regret to say, an unqualified success. The attendance of adults was but moderate,, and although all the. parts were gone through well', it could not be but heartless work for Mrs Rowe and Mr Hayhurst to see such a poor attendance. Mr Hayhurst, in his opening speech, referred to some quarrel with the School Committee. We are in a position to state that for the many years that most of the same committee have been together they never quarrelled- Mr Hayhurt is here laboring under a mistake. Grounds for n quarrel with the Board of Education there undoubtedly was, but the latter could throw back the blame upon the Government. Children's, entertainments we. have every sympathy with, and cannot but feel sorry that all the time and trouble spent should be so poorly rewarded.

It'will be seen from our advertising column that Mr Pattison has commenced practice as a solicitor both in Temuka and Geraldine. Mr Pattison will be found at his office at the hours named in the.adver. tisement. This gentleman also advertises money to lend on mortgage on freehold property.

An accident, by which a man named T. Burke had his collar bone broken and his. body severely bruised, occurred on Tuesday afternoon last, at Waitohi, It appears the horse attached to the dray Burke, was driving took fright and bolted. The dray capsized, and the man. unfortunately falling underneath received the. injuries above mentioned. He was taken to his home in Sodtown, and immediately placed undor medical care.

At a special meeting of the Temuka Road Board on Monday, Mr K. F. Gray was elected to represent the Board on the Timaru Harbor Board. Some little excitement was caused on Tuesday morning by a runaway butcher's

horse and trap. The man in in the act of serving a customer when the horse, took fright and bolted up the Main South Boad, leaving, the contents of the trap—meat and bread—scattered in the street. Though there were a good many persons along, the route taken by the horse, strange to relate no attempt; was made to stop, his career until be reached the Star Hotel, the portly proprietor of which made strenuous efforts to capture the runaway. Shortly after, passing- the hotel he ffas brought to a standstill none the worse for the spurt.

Complaints-have, reached us that kitchen gardens in the township have been, visited and the vegetables abstracted therefrom. The Mail states that there, are in, Oarnaru no less, than thirty-two sly grog houses, twelve houses of ill fame, and twenty houses licensed to sell intoxicating liquors.

" frank Fudge" in the Saturday Advertiser, sarcastically remarks. :• Only fancy, gentle reader, here you' can be supplied witli the Addisonian brilliancy of the Daily Times, the sparkling pungency ot the Morning Herald, and the abstruse philosophy of the Evening Star, for the small sum of threepence. Running a newspaper must indeed be a profitable game when the result cf such a quantity of brain power can be disposed of for eightteenpence per week.

The property tax reviewers in Auckland have decided that the Building Society must pay the tax on the cash value of their shares, less £SOO exemption.

The management of (he Auckland Industrial Home is again evoking comment. The head teacher of the school is about to resign, and complaints are made as to the maoagement of the new master, Dr Harvey, one o? which the City School Committee will investigate.

Mary Stun, aged four years, was accidentally burnt to death at Pukekohe while pi'tying with matches. ' Robert Bellairs, formerly an officer in the New Zealand Militia, fell off a stump in the Auckland Domain, and severed an artery in his arm. He was found after lying 24 hour?, unconscious, having nearly bled to death. Mrs Hampson, revivalist, is said to have converted 327 persons at Grahamstown. The extensive wager of £3OO to £IOO was ©n Monday laid on Native Cat against Our Pony in the approaching contest in Dimedin between these two crack trotters.

The proceeding of the Board of Review ers, Dunedin, under the Property Assessmet Act on Tuesday were kept private

Our Greytown correspondent (says the New Zealand Times) ievives the rumor some time siuce current, that Moffat, the Pakeha-Maori, is still alive. He says about a fortnight ago an old friend named Duncan M'Phee paid him a visit, and gave him information as follows : —" D. M'Phee has for the last 14 months been employed at Mr Donald M'Masfcer's run (held under Maori lease, and situated at the northern end of the Seventy-mile Bush, in the Ahuriri, some 16 miles beyond Woodville). Early last October some Maoris who had come through the gorge, from Manawatu district, were employed shearing on the run. Whilst they remained M'Phee had frequent conversations with them in reference to the then recent report of Moffatt's murder. One of them s'dd repeatedly, ' Taihoa, you see Moffatt not dead. By-and-bye you see Moffatt not dead. He all right.'" We give this as a sample of the reports still current in the up-conntry districts. The Otago Daily Times' Palmerston correspondent writes .-—" The weather for the past few weeks has been exceedingly dry and warm, and water for domestic and other purposes very scares, water carts being again in use. Still, although our house wives are-put to a slight inconuenience, the weather has proved highly propitious to our farmers for their harvest operations, and they have not been slow to take advantage of it, for most of the grain is now cut, whilst a large proportion is already stacked. The crops as a rule are not up to the usual average, as far a s regards length of straw, &0., which, by the way, is not of much consequence. I am informed that the grain, so far as regards quality, fullness, and plumpness, will bear comparison with previous years, and I believe the yield will fully come up to former average. There are individual cases in the district where the crops will bear comparison with any throughovit Otagn. ® The area under cultivation this year is not anything but a pleasant recollection of the low prices ruling last year. They have consequently gone in more for root-crops in preference to grain crops this season. I regret to say that most of the crops in the Goodwood and other parts of , the district adjacent to bush are entirely spoiled, nothing at all being left but the bare.stow. Of course l; need not inform you that the destroyers are those pests of the farmers, the sparrows and green-lin-nets."'

Apropos of' lawyers' bills of costs, the following authentic story regarding a wellknoyn New Zealand Judge has been sent to us :—His Honor, on. the. occasion now under notice, having disposed of the first case, on the list, w.as addressed, by a small, lynx-eyed money dealer of the Hebrew pirsuasion as. follows.: : —" May I address pour Honor ?"—His Honor (blandly) : ,f Certainly." —Money-dealer: "1 am trustee in two bankrupt estates. "-r-His

solicit*^ acting bankrupts have senirmufilne, as trustee}'*Jieir bill of costs."-His Honor : » ;s Sbw odd !;" —Money-dealer (ecstatically) : " % assure your Honor they have, and I want to, ask your Honor whether they are to be paid, and how."—His Honor (smiling satirically) : " Well, Mr , all I can say is that my short experience has taught me that lawyers' bills of costs are usually paid, and in cash. Mr Registrar, what is the next case on the list."—-Otago Daily Times.

The challenge thrown out to. the medical profession of Melbourne by Mr Milner Stephens, the well-known has heen accepted by Mr Gray, surgeon, who writes :—" I will take Mr Stephen to the Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. I will submit, to him, a case of cataract which 1 cannot euro without the knife, and another case which I; cannot cure with or without the knife. I will take with me medical men in whom the community will trust to verify my diagnosis of these diseases. I will request the honor of the attendance of the Bishop or Dean of Melbourne and the respected Mayor of our city ; and I promise that Mr Stephen shall have the fullest opportunity of exercising and proving his boasted powers of healing. The great genius of all good, in dispensing his mercies, does not discriminate between persons or diseases. If he can cure these two cases I will burn my diploma, hoist the ' red rag,' and dispense ' magnetised water' to the end of my existence."

A well-known 'heavy swell,' usually dressed after the style of an aristocratic groom, and who, we believe, imports his clothes, was (says the Dunedin Panny Post) recently walking by one of our leading tailoring establishments, the proprietor of which was standing at his door (which, by-the-bye, is a great habit of one of our local Sartors ; for what purpose we cannot say). The tailor gently tapped the swell on the shoulder, and politely requested him to step inside and allow him to remove some dust which had accumulated on the back of his coat. The swell indignantly refused, and with a look of ineffable contempt, walked on, remarking " sotto voce" to his companion : "Oh, dear, no; "the fellow only wants the cut of my coat."