LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 356, 24 February 1881, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Messrs Maclean and Stewart will hold their monthly sale of stock at Pleasant Point on Friday next (to-morrow). Messrs Wildie, Allan and Stumbled will sell, at Pleasant Point, to-morrow, at 1 p.m., 50 head store cattle. Also, at 2 o'clock to morrow, at .Roberts' boardinghouse, Plensant Point, household, furniture and effects. A rumour has been going ihe rounds for the last few days to the effect that a gentleman recently settled amongst us, having become enamoured of a fair young bidy of this town, determined to know his fate without loss of time, and with this end in view sought out the young lady in her home. Having obtained a few minutes private conversation with the lady, he "popped the question," and received the heartless reply, "That when she did many, it would ho to a man without Mights.'" Rumour does not say whether he went on his knees, hut we presume if he did, that after receiving the above reply, he was not long in regaining his feet, and making himself scarce. We understand a cricket match will be played on Saturday next between eleven of the RiHe Volunteers and a like numher of civilhns. Now that the evenings nre drawing in we would suggest to the ratepayers the advisability of-agitating that our streets be lighted. More seats are required in our Park, and a stricter attention to the walks would | be beneficing j The new Catholic Church is rapidly | j drawing to completion. The plastering is exp cted to be finished in the ponrjse of. two weeks. A correspondent wants to know why some animals straying at large are impounded, while others are allowed to wander with impunity. Drunkenness, judging from our Police Court reports, is becoming rare in Temuka A sign of the times. We understand that Harvest Thanksgiving Services will be conducted in St. Saviour's Church on Sunday next. The present season has not been a good fruit, one. In the early spring sharp, frosty winds cut off th* ftnwpra from the pen dies, apples and cherries. This K« Q been followed k by a very dry summer, leaving scarcely any moisture in the land, and peaches, in particular, are not very plentiful. We have a specimen just now before us, however, of the Golden Yellow sort, the largest we have seen in almost any season. They were grown in Mr Myers's garden, where a remarkably good crop is to be seen in that well-watered, sheltered little paradise. Attention is drawn to an advertisement in another column to the effect that the bridge over the Opihi River, Main South Itoad, is stopped for traffic till fuither noiice. The first meeting of the session of the TVmuka Mutual Improvement Society was held in the Templars' Hall on Monday evening last. The Rev. J. Chaffers-Welsh (Vice-President) occupied the chair. After a few introductory remarks from the Chairman, the President (Rev. D. Gordon) gave a most eloquent and interesting address, which was attentively listened to. At the conclusion of the address, the rev. gentleman was vociferously applauded. The Rev. Mr Welsh and Mr Lawrence also addressed the meeting. Messrs Rutland (song), Ashwell (recitation), Adams (song and recitation), and Burrows (concertina solo), also contributed to the evening's amusement. Mr Burrows' playing on the concertina was much admired. Th i J following subject was then chosen for debate at next meeting :—" Which is the better form of Government, Limited Monarchy or Republic." The former side to be upheld by Messrs Lawrence. Diddams, and Cooper, and the latter by Messrs Mackay, Hayhurst, and MeCann. A hearty vote of thanks to Mr Gordon for his able address, and a vote of thanks to the Chairmm, brought the meeting to a conclusion. There were 44 people present, including six ladies. The next meeting of the Association will be on Monday, March 7. All over the "colony, says the Wairarapa Standard, it will be seen that the Government are forcing land into the market in order to create means to fill the void in the public accounts between the income and the expenditure. Money by any means and at any price. The estimated yield of wheat in South Australia is about t-ix bushels per acre, which would leave 175,000 tons for export. Rewi has gone to Hikurangi, to meet Tawhato. The stranded ship Hydrabad, at Horowhenua, Otaki, caught fire early on Tuesday, and was completely gutted out. A number of peopleleft Wellington for Terawhiti on Tuesday for the purpose of thoroughly prospecting the district. James Coutts Crawford, formerly Resident Magistrate at Wellington, was as-

saulted in the street in Wellington on Tuesday morning by a man named George Styles, who struck him, with a whip. Messrs Fabian Bros', large store at Greytown was burned to the ground on Monday night. Theophilus V. Whitmore, l»ie Secretary to the Working Mens' Club, Christchurch, was sentenced to six months' hard labor for embezzling various sums of money, the property of the Club. The Admiralty hayo sent for information regardi'g the facilities offered in Lyttelton to ••' vessels belonging to the Royal Navy. In opposition to a meeting held in Christchurch on Monday, a counter-peti-tion favoring the opening of the Public Library on Sundays will be presented to the Board of Governors. At a meeting of ministers held in Dunedin on Monday a resolution was passed in favor of the Education Act being amended so as to afford facilities for religious instruction to be imparted to scholars for an hour each day during ordinary shool hours. The resolution is to bo embodied in a petition, and forwarded to Parliament. At an open air meeting in Duneciin the other evening, Captain Barry repeated the statement of his intention to stand at next general election for. the Assembly, aa.di said also that he intended to apply for a hearing at the bar of the House next session, in order to f idly vent his grievance against the present Government, in regard to his treatment as an immigration agent. An illustration (says the Southland. News) was given at the County Council on. the 14th, of how a man may cause to a community a considerable amount of expense, no end of bother and stand in the way of improvements. It has been found by several surveys that the best, if not the only practicable route for a road in a certain district vas through a particular settler's iroperty. It was thought that, as he would reap the most benefit, he would offer no objection, but he did though on the ground that the road would destroy his "orchard." It turned out that the "orchard " had enly one solitary tree, and to save it a large number of people have to traverse swamps, etc., as all negotiations for the greund it stands on have failed. It is said that the property left by Geo. North, in Wellington, will be sufficient to pay a fair dividend on all his ordinary trade debts.