LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 919, 18 February 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wesleyan Church Services.—The list of services to be hold in the various Weseyan Ohuiches in the circuit, will be foundin another column. Licensing Committee. —A public notification appears elsewhere stating that the new Licensing Committee will hold their first sitting in the Court-house, Temnka, on the 10th day of March next. Meat Freezing.—Mr John Chambers, the proprietor of a large sheep run in Napier, who is now in England, has perfected and patented a new meat freezing machine, which he. Relieves will result in great economy. Juvenile Criminal. —The girl Duncan, alias Glassett, 14 years old, charged with forgery at Palmerston, made an attempt to cut her throat with a pen-knife in the police cell there. She was prevented from doing so and only inflic'cd a scratch. She, has been committed for trial. Slaughtering Licenses.—We remind our readers that the new bye-lav/ passed by the Geraldine. County CoupciL relative tp Slaughtering Licenses, will come into force on Tuesday next. Persons interested-- would do well not to be caught napping, and comply with the law at once, to avoid, the,danger, of being mulcted in expenses. The Late Fire at Napier.—A telegram says the recent fire resulted- in an open verdict, there being absolutely no evidence to account for it. Detective Grace, referring to a common rumor that Mr Cohen said he helped a woman out of Fair’s office window a minute before the fire, stated that he had questioned Mr Cohep, who at first said it was true, but subsequently he said that, on con sideration, he did not think he helped any woman through any window, in fact he was sure he did not. The International Exhibition.—At the half-yearly meeting of the Timaru Chamber of Commerce, held last Thursday, it was resolved—“ That the following gentlemen be requested to act in conjunction with the Timavu, Chamber of Commerce in securing exhibits for the Exhibition in Christchurch . —Messrs. J, Brown and J. Mendelsou, Temuka ; Messrs John Manchester and L. Price, Waimate; Mr C. G. Tripp, Orari’; Mr Pearpoint, Geraldine,; Mr Flatman, Woodbury and Mr Walker, Kakahu.” The Smallpox at an End.—An official telegram received from Sydney states that there have been no cases of smallpox since the 22nd January, and there are not any cases in quarantine, and that so far as is known, New South Wales is free from the disease, with the exception of the cases in quarantine and sanatorium, which are progressing favorably. The Government of New Zealand therefore have under considerate propriety of withdrawing the proclama. tion by which Sydney is declared an infected port.

Leniency With the Natives, —Six Natives were charged on last Wednesday, at Helensvile, near Auckland with damaging the stranded schooner Eona, by setting fire to it and removing copper, &o. It was urged that by Maori Laws everything washed ashore became the property of, the natives, on whose land it was and on this plea the case was dismissed. If such a thing occurs again, of course, the natives will not be afraid of doing what they did in this instance. Would it not be as well to teach the Natives that they must obey. European laws now. More Labor. —Mr Saunders, the wellknown contractor, has sent to Sydney for a large number of laboring men, and they are expected to arrive here by the next trip of the. Wakatipu, The wages he has offered are higher than those ip Sydney, and the hours less- If is also stated that several other coni ractors are sending to New South Wales for men. It is just about twelve months since a large number of men from this district wejjt to Sydney in the hopes of bettering their position, but evidently they have not done so. It will be found after all that few places are better than New Zealand for working men.

Pisoatqexal. —A trout weighing 28£lbs TTas exhibited in the bar by Mr A. Stening of. the Crown Hotel on Thursday. The trout ■was cgaght in the Winchester river, and was a magnificent fish. ■ Death of a H’ohbs.- —The horse which the man Allan, who has been arrested for larceny as a bailee, left in Mr Storey’s stables has died. The horse was being taken home from the stable, but it got from its driver, and went adrift, stupidly going where the vigilant Lawson did not approve, and he locked it up in durance vile in his pound thinking, no doubt, to make an honest penny out of it. Enterprising man that Mr Lawson. Starvation or some other complaint, which did not agree with the poor beast, however, spoilt Mr Lawson’s little game, for it took the horses breath away, and it departed this life without leaving anything in its will to pay the pound fees. Try the hide, John. Have your pound of flesh somehow.

Me Gladstone. —A movement to do the Premier honor (says an exchange), has been stopped ip Mr Gladsone’s peculiarly effective way. Some gentlemen in London proposed to raise subscriptions throughout the country with a view to purchasing and presenting to the Premier, as a national gift, the pleasant and convenient residence and property of Manhill, at the present leased by the Earl of Aberdeen, whose guest Mr Gladstone was occssionly during the last session. The. mpyeipents had so far taken shape that one of its leaders had paid a, visit to Manhill, and been shown over it, and it was contemplated that the purchase would require £20,000. The project came to Mr Gladstone’s knowledge, however, and so decided a h,inb of disapproval has been conveyed from him that the proposal came to nothing before the general public have been asked for subscriptions. The Native Dxsteict.—A very large and influential deputation waited on Mr Bryce, on the 15th, at Opuuake, urging the great necessity of opening up the land surrouding Opunake for settlement. Mr Bryce reply-, ing said that the Surveyor-General, the Public Trustee, and Commissioner Mackay were there for the purpose, and in two months the large block Taungataro would be in the. market. It is also stated that the leases of native reserves will be, readily taken up by Europeans at good rents, and that the natives are exceedingly anxious to have the matter put in train, as the arrangement will make. them, very well off; and in fact, quite wealthy. The Maoris appear rapidly getting over their Te Whiti craze, and are eager to begin, enjoying the good things which, they are shrewd enough to see will flow towards them under the new regime. Dxsteict Couet.— There were two, Temuka cases heard at the, Tiraaru District Court last Thursday. The first was one in which J. H. Dickinson sued J- M, Greenaway for £32 11s Bd, but that was settled, out of court. D. Leach sued W. Stonyer for £22 12s The cause of action arose as follows. The plaintiff agreed to keep 800 sheep on-de-fendant’s land. They were impounded and plaintiff had to pay for them. The defence was that defendant did npt take the responsibility of minding, the sheep. His Honor in giving judgement said that the evidence was directly contradictory. It was just a question whether the defendant had taken the. sheep to graze with or without risk. The plaintiff’s evidence, coupled with the defendant’s acts, he could not but believe he did the former. As to damages sustained, beyond the impoundage of tae sheep, he had no t evidence to show anything of a permanent character, therefore he should give judgment fpr plaintiff for £lO 2s, with costs. Election Petitions.— The hearing of the petit ion against the return of Mr Pilliet for Stanmore commenced last Wednesday, in Christchurch. The reasons set forth were : That Pilliet, by his agents, had offered Mr Henry Toomer £l2, or some other large sum, to induce him to retipe from the candidature, and that Mr Toomer had in consequence retired ; that he had in like manner engaged an elector named John. Scott as clerk to the Committee ; that he had engaged a conveyance for the purpose of bringing up electors to the polling booth ; that be had had a larger number of Committee, rooms (all paid for) than the Act allowed; that electors had been treated on the polling day, either be fore, or after they had pol'ed ; that, the resoondent had offered Mr Alfred Thompson a valuable consideration, viz., that he would act gratuitously as that gentleman’s Parliamentary agent in Wellington ; that he had engaged Mr Hubert Medley as scrutineer, paying him a guinea for the day, and had not given Mr Medley’s name to the Returning Officer. The petition alleged further grounds on which it prayed that the election of Mr Pilliet might be. declared yoid A large quantity of evidence was,, taken, and the chief point established is that Mr Toomer, the candidate who withdrew in favor of Mr Pilliet, was paid his actual expenses he,had up to that time incurred. Nothing was extracted, however, to show that Mr Pilliet himself had paid the ;money.—lt has been publicly notified that the petition against the return of Captain Sutter for Gladstone has been withdrawn. The grounds on which Captain Sutter was petitioned against was that one of the polling booths was closed before the time appointed, and the reason the petitioner gives, for withdrawing ths petition is that the closing of the polling booths before the time appointed would not alter the state of the ppll. —The petition against the return of Mr Allwright for Lyttleton alleged that at the election of a member to. represent Lyttleton in the House of Representatives held on 9th December last, certain persons voted for Harry Allwright who were aliens, and not qualified to vote; that, the said Harry Allwright thereby obtained an, apparent and colorable majority over Edward Richardson, who in reality had a.majority of legal votes, and was duly elected, and ought to have been returned. The respondent, in reply, alleged that many persons voted for Edward Richardson, who, being aliens, were incapacitated from voting. The decision has been reserved till the 23rd insfc.