The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1882. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 9426, 4 July 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1882. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ebba'tuh. —ln our report of the gift auction held in connection with St. Saviour's Church, we slated that the owner of the piano that was in the hall refused to allow dance music to be played upon it and that that was the reason no danoe was held after the auction sale was over. It turns out now that Mr Job Brown was the owner of the piano, that he had no objection to dance music or dancing, and that ke never raised such a question. We hasten therefore to make the correction necessarj to put things right, and express our regret that we ever published the matter, as wej feel confident it must have pained Mr Brown to have it circulatad that he should condemn dancing. While expressing our regret, however, we n?ay be permitted to state how vie foil into th« error. It appears that when Mr Brown granted the use of tho piano for the occasion, he stipulated that it should be used only under certain condition?, the exact nature of which me have not been able to find out. That there were conditions we have from Mr Brown's own lips, but he denies that they included that there should be no dance music played, When the time for the dance arrived, and those who wero i anxious to participate in it inquired why it was not beginning, somehow the rumor gained currency that Mr Brown would not allow dance music to be played on his piano. This was the impression that was left on the minds of those pi'esent, and there are even some people obstinate enongli to assert that they heard Mr Brown objecting, and that in consequence the young lady who was playing r 039 from the instrument. We are now in a position to state that it was a snistake In publishing this news' we did so believing it to be true, and that consequently it could not offend Mr Brown, as if he had been so strict in his religion he could not be annoyed at it appearing in public print. We did not mean it to annoy Mr Brown, and we think that in publishing it we have done him a good turn, as this correction, which it has evoked, will re. move the impression that was left on the minds of the people. We do not think it was necessaryf or him to go to the extent of stopping his paper ; of throwing in the face of the proprietor of this paper that he was a poor man or of threatening to annihilate this paper; altogether. It was not good taste of Mr Brown to attack a man in the public street and taunt him with being a poor man. The proprietor of this paper knows he is a poor man, and it was indelicate of Mr Brown to hurt his feelings by reminding him of it. More is the pity that he is poor, foi if he were as rich as Mr Brown he would not set a bad example by supporting outside institutions instead o" b'j.il imp*. He would do all be could to advance the town, instead of being a stumbling block in the path of progress. Mr Brown went a little out of his way there, but of course to reply to him would do nobody good. We have done a good turn for Mr Brown. Only for that we published that item of news, and hereby correct it, 99 per cent of our townpeople would, while they lived, be under the impression that he did refuse to allow the piano to be played. It is thus a newspaper can be made useful, and we have no doubt that after Mr Brown's nervous excitement has cooled down he will see that it would be to his interest to keep this paper alive, and that ho will not only become a subscriber again, but will give us a column advertisement. In conclusion we have to thank Mr Brown for the liberal support he lias given this paper since we took possession of it, and he would probably have continued to support it at that liberal rate only for that unfortunate piano business. Henceforth we shall have a down on pianos ; we shall never again let the word piano appear in our columns —except when it suits us. But after all, perhaps, it is not the piano business did it so much as that Mr Brown does not caro to support local institutions. If he did so their proprietors might get ricn, and then Mr Brown would not have the felicity of throwing their poverty in their faces. Poverty is a very inconvenient thing, and to keep people poor is a 'very good way to keep them down. Looking at ..his matter from every point of view, we have no hesitation in saying we came off second best, and hinc ill© lachrymae. The Last Of His Rack.—On the 24th May (says the Inverell, N.S.W., Examiner), only one solitary aborigine, in the person of Mr George Brown, put in an appearance for the annual State dole of » blanket! In a carefully arranged toilet—the cleanly nature of which furnished a lesson for some of his wkito brothers—George tramped many weary leagues, and presenting himself before the Temple of Justice partook of the Government's munificence with a grateful countenance. Bu'- what a lasting stain on the eeoutcheon of our nation the history of his race must for ever remain! Thirty years ago the saes of the soil were reckoned by the score, and now, owing to State negligenc» ? there ia but one lonely chief tan left. ■ 'Edmonds's Gxkb Club.—On next Friday evening Mr Edmonds's Glee Club will appear for the first time, and we venture to think that their concert will be tho best ever held in this town. A reference to the programme which appears in our advertising columns will show that the best talent in Temuka will take part in it, and certainly we have in this town amateurs equal, if not superior, to any in the colony. The programme is a long and varied one, and as Mr Edmonds has been training those who will take part in it assiduously for the past month we venture to predict for it a success such as was never experienced in Temuka. Besides, the cause for which the concert is to be held is well deserving of support. It is to be in aid of the Timaru Belief Fund, and we hope to see the house crowded to excess.

Vital Statistics.—The vital statistics for June last were: —Births, 8 ; Marriages, 4 ; Deaths, 1. For the quarter ended 31»t June —Births, 39 ; Marriages, 10 ; Deaths, 4. Accident.—We regret to learn that Mr S. Mcßratney dislocated his shoulder by a fall from a young horse he was riding. Dr Hayes attended to his injuries which it is hoped will not inconvience him long. Tawhiao.—The "Wellington correspondent of the Taranaki Herald says : —Since the Native meeting at Whatiwhatihoe, Tawhiao has applied to ths Government for a supply of grog, and has also asked the Government to pay the debt he has contracted for liquor. Mr Bryce declined to sanction an expenditure for such a purpose. Tawhiao has stated that he w.ll abandon his drunken habits. Native News. —The natives at Parihaka are now idle and indolent. They say they expect to see Te Whiti coming in the clouds from the South Island. Winiata's people threaten to clear all the half-castes out of the King Country. It has transpired that a party of Natives were concealed nearTe Awamutu for the purpose of waylaying Barlow, and would have done so but for the escort.

Railway Accident. —A serious acciden t occurred on the Wairarapa railway, Kaitoke, last Saturday, to the train coming into town. Two timber laden trucks ran off the rails and were precipitated over a deep embankment, i'he passenger carriages and engine fortunately kept on the railways until the couplings connecting them with the trucks gave way. No one was hurt, but the escape was wonderful. No cause is yet known for the accident. An Aged Frog.—A correspondent writes to the Glasgow Weekly Mail -.—Perhaps it may interest some of your readers to learn that one of the workmen in Heathery Knowe Colliery, made a discovery of a living frog in the course of his operations; The position in which it ,wa3 found is 83 fathoms from the surface, and in what is known as the Kiltongue seam of coal. The frog only lived about an hour after being released from its prison. Recovered Treasure. —It is very rarely that treasures lost in mid-ocean is ever recovered, but the following is an instance of such a case having occurred. The smack Nelson, of Yarmouth, arrived recently at that port with a leathern bag, which the crew hat! dredged up in the North Sea, and which was found to contain cheques and documents representing a value of £6OOO. The ba£, which was identified as belonging to the steamer Annie Arbit, lost m the North Sea in November last, has been handed over to the authorities. A Pauper Baronet. —The death is announced of Sir He.nry Wraxall, the fourth baronet, in his 50th year. He was a grandson of Sir Nathaniel William Maxwell, M.P., the author of "Memoirs of My Own Time," and a brother of the late Sir Lascelles Wraxall. The title passes to his brother, who is married and has a youthful family. The late baronet had for come time been chargeable as a pauper on the Southwark "Union, and he died in the Wandsworth Asylum. He at one time followed the profession of a betting man. A Shocking Murder. —A policeman walked along the road with a girl near a small town in Germany to protect her from robbery, she having saved her wages and become possessed of a considerable sum. As she was nearing home he left her, but scarsely was his back turned when he heard a pieraing shriek. Eunning back to her, he found that her. head had been cut off. Eecollecting something she had told him the policeman ran to a butcher's house in the village whence she came. In about half an hour the butcher came in, having a bag. On being questioned as to its contents, he Baid it held a sheep's head. On being opened it was found to contain the girl's head- She had shown the butcher her money and he advised her to | wrap it up and hide it in her hair, which she did.

A Dutch Attotion. —An interesting case on prohibition was recently decidsd by the Supreme Court at Sydney. Mr Hamilton a clerk of Mr Alexander, auctioneer, had ) (states the Echo) ' been fined at the Central Police Court for a sale after sunset, by the process known as ' a Dutch auction,' that is by reducing the price until a buyer was found. This had been treated as a genuine auction, and a breach of the Auctioneers' Act, and Hamilton was fined accordingly, But the Supreme Court, consisting of Sir James Martin, Justice Windeyer, and Sir G-eorge Lanes, unanimously held that the essence of an 'auction' was the increasing of the bids, and that Hamilton had not committed any breach of the Act; and the rule absolute for a prohibition was made accord-

ingly. A Peculiar Hack. —In the interior of Australia camels haTe for some timo past been used as beasts of burden. The Australian, however, is not only a good man cf business> but a keen sportsman as well, and especially fond of a race meetings. Thus it came about the other clay that on the arrival at Thargomindah of a troop of . eighteen camels laden with merchandise some of the enterprising townsmen arranged for a race between fire Of the fleetest of the " ships of the desert.'' They were riden by light weights—two of them being iockeys well-known to the sporting public in the neighbouring township of Wilcaunia —and the only stipulation made was that the prize of £ls should . be handed over by the winner to the trustees of the fund for fencing the cemetery .', A level start was effected, but the camel ridden by one Bond made all the running, and won in a " canter '> by four lenghts. One of the ,c ships "is said to have laid down at the back of the course, and, "his steering gear out of order,'' he could not be piloted straight forward. Thus not only is Thargomindah entitled to the credit, if any, of having promoted the first camel race in Australia, but also to the exceptional credit of having devoted racing stakes to a praiseworthy object. — The .Colonies and India.

Correction. —In our local about the conveyance of stock to the Canterbury Sale Yards we stated that stock must be consigned to the Secretary or some accredited ngent. It should have been " all stock sent by rail must be consigned to the owner, or to an acredited agent, or the carriage prepaid." Law Again,—During the hearing of th« furious driving case yesterday one of the defendants said that his horse only trotted. Mr Mendelson said that if that was the case the defendant had not broken the law. Constable Morton said the law did not allow persons to drive horses through the public street at a faster rale than six milts an hour, and that a hor3e could trot 15 miles an hour, consequently if a horsa trotted faster than at the prescribed pace its owner " would be liable to a fine. It is rather hard on a Justice of the Peace to find a policeman teaching him law. Fire at Dunedik.—A fire broke out in - a thirteen-roomed house in Leith Ward Dunedin, shortly after midnight last Friday night in which three children were burned to death: The house was occupied by Captain Kitchener, a gentleman who served in Jamaica, his wife and Bix children, a boarder, named W. H. Ash, and their servant, Bridget' .Mullms. The fire is supposed to have originated in the kitchen by some cloth* B /. which were left near it igniting. Mn ' Kitchener and her children were rescued by a policeman, who broke in the door. Captain Kitchener dropped his two eldest boys ont of '■n upper storey widow, but was -unable to save the third boy. He then dropped himdown, and was fearfully burned and bruised, so much so £that doubts are enter* tained of his recovery. Ash and the servant also • , escaped through an upper storey window. , L The three children who lost their .lives were ; > Susan Kitchener, aged 11 years, Sydney l Kitchener, aged 8 years, and Edith Kit- ( chener, aged 6 years. Captain and Mrs . Kitehener are in a very precarious state, bat . hopes of their recovery are entertained. The I house was insured for £7 00, but the furnii ture was totally uninsured, so the family lose everything they had. The N.Z. "Upper House.—Speaking of ; * . the New Zealand Upper House the Dunodia t Star says : —The late Premier, in his speech at Leeston immediately before the general t election, indicated the deiirability of one im- ! portant constitutional reform which wo : 3 hardly fancy will be taken up by his sue- v j 3 cessor. Mr Hall stated very plainly that the" nomination of members for the Legislative 3 Council was a mistake, and that the elective' ':"':]'. i system was far preferable. The Victorian j Radicals, it may be recollected, were vigorous at the instigation of Mr Berry, in endeavor- ' ' ing to ab&hsh the elective basis of the Upper j Chamber and revert to nomination. There is much to be said in favor of and against either system ; but as regards New Zealand - ' > there is no manner of doubt that the appoint- , ment being for life lias saddled the Legislature with a number of impracticable elderly k gentlemen, who are a drag on liberal legisla- , tion, and not infrequently embarass the i Government, and impede the action of the representatives of the people by obstinate prejudices and irreconcilable opposition to to anything they are unable to com- • ! prehend, We are not prepared to commit [ ourselves to the advocacy of reconstitution on an elective basis ; but we do think that there should be a reasonable limit to the , } tenure of office by the nominees, so that 5 when arrived at the age of irrational obstruction they might be relegated to private life. ,{ __-_ c Mr W. Postlethwaite has 20 tons potatoes » for sale. 1 The friends of the late J, Northam are in- ' formed that his funeral leaves the Royal Hotel to-morrow. L Messrs E. Wilkin and Co. will sell at their ' rooms, Timaru, to day, a splendid lot of fruit and forest pvces. To-morrow, wool skins, etc. ! On Thursday next, at Winchester Fair, fat and store d'atfcle, and sheep, etc. Messrs iMaclean and Stewart will sell by auction at ißruce's Mill, Timaru, to-morrow, one portable engine, one stationery do, iron tanks, timber, and a lot of other material. At Winchester Fair, on Thursday, they will dispose of some fat cattle and sheep. Mr K. Gray will sell at Winchester Fair, to morrow, some fat "and store cattle, sheep, etc. On Wednesday, 12th July he will hold a clearing sale of live and dead stock on t!h« Down's Farm, Waitohi.