LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 925, 9 March 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Band.—The Brass Band will give, an open-air performance this evening.

Resident Magistbate's Court.— It the above Court yesterday, before Julius Mendelson, Esq., J.P., Frederick "Wellsman was. brought up, charged with having on the 9th day of December, 1881, being than employed in the capacity of groom by ope Charles Storey, received £1 Is on account of the said Charles Storey his master, and £1 Is on the 4th of January, 1882, which ha feloniously embezzled. On the application of the police the case was remanded till the 13th inst. New Gold Field.—An Invercargill telegram says: —Professor Ulnch's party, which started for Pegasus Bay, Stewart'slsland, last week, has returned to Invercargill. The Professor's report is said to be of the most highly favorable description. He declares that ha has seen nothing so promising as the Bagasus country for gold since he left Ballarat. It is beleved there are thousands of acres of auriferous ground on the south-west portion of the island. Ettmoes o,f "Wab.—A feeling is still very general throughout Europe that war will break out before long, and military preparations continue to be uade by nearly all the Powers. The kingdom of Roumania is making great efforts to increase its armaments, wiijh the evident intention of taking part in the approaching struggle. The Russian Government has prohibited all public discussion as to, its policy at the present junotion, and the. Press has been warned to abstain from all criticism, on the actions of the. Government, threatening tha,t any violation of this prohibition will he. rigorously dealt with. Pleasant Point. Two deaths have occurred in the family of Mr E. Worthington of Pleasant Point, within tha last few days which ought to prove a warning to our Local Board, of Health. It appears that in the. vicinity of Mr Worthingtom's house, in a culTerfc on, a. public, road, where, his children have, been in the habit of playing, some putrid animal remains have, been left exposed, and to this is attributed the deaths whioh have, occurred. The children were struck down suddenly with a disease, which resembled cholera, from which one died within 24 hours' of the. first symptoms. The second one has since succumbed, and other members of the family are suffering from it. Complaints were made to the local authorities, and this obpoxious nuisance has been removed, but the amount of mischief it has done is not; yet known, as thediaeasts may spread. This ought to prove a warning to all of our readers to beware of allowing nuisances to exist even for a day in the vicinity of their Jiouße?, and we hope they will take a lesson from the sad result of the negligence of the people at Pleasant Point who are responsible for allowing this nuisance to exist.

Attempted Rape.—Patrick Butler, alias Denis McGrath, an old offender, has been committed for trial on a charge of attempted rape on a girl 4J- years old at Lawrence. LO.GkT.—The weekly meeting of the above lodge was held last Monday evening, Bro. J. Brown in the absence of the W.C.T. presiding. After the mnutes of the previous meeting had been read and confirmed, and a lady initiated, Bro Harrop reported having written .Mr Postlethwaite, M.H.R. re Har- . monium Fund, and that gentleman had responded with a. donation of £2. It wa a unanimously resolved —"That the best thanks of the Lodge are due and are duly tendered to Mr Postlethwaite for his liberal donation.'' The concert Committee reported that they had decided to hold the concert on the 27th March. The Lodge then closed in the usval manner. The Pbemieb Fined. A Wellington telegram says :—The 10 per cent penalty' is being strictly enforced, as indeed by law it must be, it being made a debt to the Crown > the officers being left no option as to its enforcement. There is rather a joke in connection with this penalty, which, as no secret is made of it, I may mention without indiscre- ;.. tion. On his return the Premier suddenly discovered to his chagrin that he was one lof the victims of this penalty. He had written his cheque before he left Wellington, Ibufc j feeling certain of being back before the Ist he did not send it to the tax office. He prevented by public business from getting back in time, and only recollected when -too - late that his cheque had never gone in. How- ' ever, he of course paid the penalty and looked pleasant, only expressing a hope that all taxpayers who were behindhand would go and do likewise. The Pbopeety Tax. —It is estimated that the total property tax now paid amounts to about £200,000. The exact figures cannot . be ascertained, as advices have not been received from Post offices throughout Ihe colony, On Monday the remittances received at the property tax office, Wellington, amounted to nearly £20,000. The 10 per cent penalty to which persons in arrears become subject, is imposed under Clause-77 cf the Property Assessment Act 1879, which was amended by the Act of last session, and reads as follows:—"If the person liable t to pay the tax fails to pay the amount thereof, for the space of 14 days after the due dajfe ten per cent on the amount unpaid shall ■> added thereto, and suoh tax, together wii|i such addition, shall be recoverable in any Court of competent jurisdiction by the Deputy Commissioner on behalf of tjj© Crown in suit by his own name." Tra"makes the ten per cant a debt to the and it must be. collected, no person having the power to strike it off, or to permit it.t'a remain unpaid. The fourteen days after the due date of the first instalment was the Ist March ; the fourteen days after the due date of the second instalment will expire on tna 15th instant. v

Milfoed Shcool. —The usual monthly meeting of the above was held last Monday. Present—Messrs Co? (Chairman), Maze and Cain. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Correspondence, was read from the Board of Education notifying the payment of £ls lis salaries for th,© month of February ; and acknowledging receipt of names submitted for election to the * vacancy on the Board of Education. A report from the head teacher called attention to a falling off in the attendance, owing probably to the protracted harvest, and stating that it had not yet recovered its normal proportions, in consequence of which, there would he serious decrease in the quarterly average. From the head teacher, enclosing a list of names of children attendingthe school entitled to prizes, awarded on the; basis of the examination! made by himself, and intimating the probability of his retiring, from the position of head teacher and being appointed to a school in the North Canterbury district. It was resolved not to give an. entertainment for the purpose of raisiug funds for the prize fund uutil the completion of the proposed additions to, the school- [ buildings. | AGKBICtriiTITBAIi AND. PASTORAL ASSOCIA- [ tion. —A meeting of the above body was held last Tuesday evening in the Star Hotel. Present ■ —Messrs R. A. Barker (Chairman), Buckle, Paterson, Gray, Talbot, Wills and Q.uinnTwo copies of the Ifew Zealand Q-azette. were laid on the table. In the one dated Sept. 29,18.81, was a notification incorporating the Temuka, and Q-eraldine Agricultural and. Pastoral Association under " The Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Act 1877." In the other, dated October 1881, appeared a notification vesting the land on which the Association had previously held their shows in tha Temuka and Geraldine Agricultural and Pastoral Association. It was resolved to lay down the grounds in grass and rapa as soon, as possible after the Earn Fair, and that tenders be called for the necessary work, tenders, to be in on the 18th inst., Messrs Quinn and Paterson to act as a sub-committee to draw up specifications for th 9 work, and also to accept tenders and arrange for the grass seed. On the motion of Mr Quinn, seconded by Mr Talbot, it was decided -" That a Ewe. and Ram Fair be held on the Society's ground on the 21st instant, fees to be. charged as last year; Secretary and Treasurer to arrange the scale accordingly." It wan resolved —" That Mr Gray be empowered to sell on Saturday next the right of a licensed booth, to include luncheon and fruit stall." Mechanics' Institute. The usual monthly meeting of the Committee of the above was held last Tuesday night. Present —Mr O'Halloran (yice-President in the chair), Mendelson, Lee, Lavr3on. Bell, Twomey, Pitt. McS. Grentlemun, and Ashwell. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Accounts to the amount of £9 having been passed Jfor payment it was decided to defer the question of selling the paper until the Secretary had ascertained the highest price to be obtained for it. It was decided to sell the Agriculturist news-, paper to Mr Woodham at half-price, Tha,

question of fencing the Institute ground was then discussed and it was decided —" That Messrs Lee and Pitt, be appointed a committee to report at next meeting as to whether any fencing is necessary,and to what .extent j also the probable cost of such fencing." Mr Twomey asked whether any eteps had been taken to increase the number of members as suggested at the last meetingThe vice-President said he did not know of anything having been dope. He thought it would be better to defer consideration of the subject until Mr Mackay, who took great interest in the matter, would be present. Mr Twomey did not think they ought to delay the matter. He had seen that entertainments had proved very successful here and thought if one was got up it would assist. Mr Mendelson did not think an entertainment would be a success. There was an entertainment to be got up for the purpose of giving the school children prizes and it was bound to be more popular than an eutertainmant in aid of the Institute. Mr Twomey said that the fact that an entertainment in aid of the school children treat would be more popular, did not prove that an entertainment in aid of the Mechanics' Institute would not pay, and moved —" That the President, vicePresident and Messrs Gray and Mackay be appointed a committee to consider the desirability of making a personal canvass and of getting up an entertainment in aid of tho Institute." The motion was s3conded by Mr Pitt and agreed to. The meeting then adjourned.