LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1014, 7 October 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Property Tax. —Mr Wills has been appointed assessor, under the Property Tax Act for this district. The New Licbnsikg Act.— Under the new Licensing Act 11 o'clock licensei may be granted on payment of £5 extra; Ivo Bligh's CIUCKETEns. The Times of the 27th September de-lares that the Hon Ivo Bligh's cricketers for Australia is the finest eleven ever collected in England to uphold the cicketing reputation of the Mother Country in tho colonies. lIoBlfS PAEADK3.—TIi3 annual horse parade under the auspices of the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association takes place on their grounds, Wai-iti road, near Timaru, to-day. Entries for the parade under the auspices of the Temuka and G-eraldine Agricultural and Pastoral Association close at 9.30 on Tuesday morning, the day of tin parade.

WjesliEXAn Church.—The Rev. T. Fee will conduct the services at the above hurch, Teuiuka, tomorrow, morning and ere ning.

Legislative Language.—ln the Victorian Assembly during the discussion on the Rail« way Bill, exciting scenes took place, in the course of which Mr Bent said to Mr Forrichane : " The public hare branded you as an unmitigated liar." An apology followed. Heavy Fine. —At R.M, Court at Hamilton last Thursday.J. A.Douglas, proprietor of the Brunswick station, was fined £2OO, including costs, for assaulting James Camp, proprietor of the Tamahere Hotel, and bound over to keep the peace fer six months, with sureties of £2O.

Licensed Victuallers. —The Ließnsed Victuallers' Committee have decided to rerecommend to the Association the keeping of a register of all hired servants with the reasoa of their discharge, etc., also of all defaulting boarders, to be open for the inspection of members ; also to ask Government to appoint proper excise officers with power to j obtain samples of liquor from hotelkeepers, False Pretexcbs.—At the City Police Court, Dunedin, last Thursday, Louis and Solomon Cohen were charged with selling goods on false pretences. They went to Aloysius College, and represented having been sont there by Bishop Moran and the Mother Superior G-abriel, of Timaru. On the faith of these and other representations j which proved to be untrue, Father O'Mally purchased their goods. The Bench dedecided that there was no case for a jury, and dismissed the information; A TiiAix Let Loohe. —An accident occurred on tli6 Westport Coal Company's incline last Tuesday, through the. wire rope part ing at a splice. This released the loaded trucks, which flew down the incline line i tearing up a few sleepers, twisting the rails, injuring the office at the foot of the line, and doing other damage. One of the men at the bottom received some nasty cuts about the head and face from the flying debris. The damage was quickly repaired and traffic resumed.

Death pkoh Deo-wxikg. Archibald Macintyre, well-known in this town when in the employ of Messrs McCaskill and Booney, was found drowned last Tkursday in a creek near the Meat Preserving Company's Works, at the Washdyke. The deceased was employed by Mr McCaskill in the new place he has establiihed at the Washdyke, and was last seen leaving the Doncaster Arms Hotel last Monday evening. Nothing having been heard of him during the next few days, the matter was reported to the police in Timaru and on search being instituted his body was found as stated above. A Clergyman in Tbotjrle.—At a meeting of the Auckland Presbytery, a letter was read from the Victorian Insurance Company in relation to the claims made upon the Company by the Eev. Moses Breach, of the Church of St Andrews, New Plymouth, stating their belief that the Eev. Mr Breach had no legal claim, as the Church was burned down maliciously during the disquietude which then existed in connection with the Church and congregation ; nor in their opinion had the trustees any legal or moral claim, as they had failed in their duty. The matter would be laid before the Directors ei gratio for their consideration. A motion wai carried that the Rev. MoseS Breach of Taranaki, be informed that it is the intention ef the Presbytery to investigate certain charges to be brought against him that day month.

A Corpse Narrowly Escaped Burning. —A very strange occurrence is reported to have taken place in Mosgiel about 1 a. m. on Tuesday. Mrs Burnett, the wife of a constable, feeling restless, awoke her husband and asked him to take a look through tho house, as she felt rather uneasy. Mr Burnett rose and looked into the different rooms and finally into the room where lay the corpse of the late Constable O'Neil. As he opened the door he saw a blaze, and quickly perceived the room to be on fire. He procured some buckets of water and soon quenched the fire. How it originated is a mystery. A candle had been left burning in the room, but it was on the table, while the fire was on the floor, in a corner of the room. A portmanteau was burned, and the flames from it had charred the table underneath, but the top of the table showed no signs of fire' There was a sheet over the coffin, but the flames had not reached it.

Tea and Entbrtainmbnt. —A tea and entertainment in aid of the Temuka Primitive Methodiit Church was held last Thursday evening, in the Tolunteer Hall. The promoters neither advertised it nor sent us any intimation that it was to be held, consequently we have only the programme handed to us ;by the Bev. Mr la;cook to write from. The attendance, no doubt owing to no publicity having been given to it, w s very small, being compo?ed principally of Geraldine people, who came down in traps to attend the concert. Hid the promoters advertised it, there is no doubt that, as the price of admission was only one shilling, the attendance would have boen large, but i e could not be expected that there would be n large attendance when nobody knew anything about it. The tea was provided by the ladies of the congregation, and after the gool things provided had been done full justice to by those present, and the tables cleared away, the Rev. Mr Lsycock took the chair, when tho following programme was gone through satisfactorily :—Mr Harrison playe 1 an overture on the piano, and accompanied the singers. Songs were sung by Misses : Brown, Dunlop, Tajlor, and Boaswell; Messrs T, Sherratt, 0. E. Sherratt, Edmonds, Turner, snd Clinch. A piano forte duet was giveD by Misses Dunlop and McLean, and a reading by Mr T. Sherratt, which brought the programme to an end about half-past ten o'clock. A vote of thanks to the ladies who provided the tea, and to the ladies and gentlemen who assisted at the entertainment, termin»ted the proceedings.

Phbenologt.—Attention is directed t© the announcement published elsewhere that Professor Lio Medo will lecture on phrenology in Teruuka. He is to be here on Monday, and will be ready to ' read bumps' at the hotel he will stay at. He has named neither hotel nor date of leeture yet: The professor is h'ghly spoken of as not only possessing profound phrenological knowledge, but also much histrionic ability, and, as he spices phrenological lectures with Shaksperian readings, we hare little doubt that his entertainment will be most interesting. The Timam papers speak very highly of him.

Napibb. A. and P. Shcvw. —The Agricultural and Pastoral Association's show, held last "Wednesday and Thursday, was fairly successful, but it was blowing a hurricane, and clouds of dust made it very unpleaaant. In merinos the chief honors were carried off by Douglas, McLean, Boys* and Anderson, and D. Mollan. Locally bred sheep in nearly every case beat the imported exhibits, which were numerous. In longwools the ram prizes were divided between A. McHardy and "W. Dolbet, but A. Tanner carried off every ewe prize, chiefly with sheep from Mr P. Russell's Otipua flock, South Canterbury. In cattle, honor-takera were the Rev. S. Williams, A. McHardy, and J. D. Ormond. Both sheep and cattle were of remarkably high quality. Some good horses, thoroughbreds and draughts, were also exhibited. Of implements, etc., there was a very indifferent show, save in locallymade buggies and carriages. Poultry and dogs were poorly represented. One exhibit which received mueh attention comprised samples of farinaceous food, white and colored starch, British gum, glucose, syrup, and grape sugar, all made from potatoes unfit for human food and bad grain, by MrLiddell of Riverslea station.

The Winchester Hotel.—The enterprising proprietor of the above well-known hotel, Mr T. Swinton, has been laying oufc money on effecting improvements in it lately. He has added to it about 18 feet, which he has divided into several large bed rooms upstairs, and bed-rooms and sitting-rooms down* stairs, together with making the dining-room 35 feet long a*d capable of seating 80 persons together. The hotel now can accommodate 30 peoplo, and has besides several sittingrooms, some of which open out on the lawn, and have no connection with the hotel at all. The hotel is a first-class one for a country district, and its surroundings are most beautiful, in fact we do not know a more beaubi* ful hotel, or a nicer place for any one desiring a quiet and picturesque retreat to spend a holiday. The lawn and gardens are done A up with great taste, with rustic seats beneath wide spreading trees, rare flowers growing in abundance, mounds made of concrete blocks, with a variety of flowers growing in the crevices between these blocks, and a piece of ground laid oufc specially for quoit playing. Behind the lawn runs a clear river, teaming with trout. Mr Swinton has also a large kennel of greyhounds, and something like 18 rabbits and hares, so that there is many interesting things to be seen in the place. The grea'est taste and neatness is displayed throughout.

Church oe England Parish o? Thmtjka.—A special meeting of the Parishioners was held in St Saviour's Church oa Tuesday evening, 3rd inst. The weather was very unfavorable, and the attendance small. The Incumbent wa» in the chair. The Chai'man announced that he had appointed Mr S. D. Barker as Minister's Warden in place of Mr A. Cox, who had resigned en his leaving the district. The meeting then proceeded to select vestrymen to fill vacancies which had occurred through resignations, with the result that Mr Eichard Austin and Mr William Smith were elected unanimously. The Chairman spoke of the great loss siutainwd by the parish, and himself personally f through being deprived of the services of Mr Cox as lay reader and churchwarden. Mr Benbow proposed, and Mr Lee seconded—- " That the Parishioners desire to record their sense of the loss the parish has sustained through the departure of Mr Alfred Cox from the district, and to express their heartfelt thanks for the very many services he has so cheerfully rendered as lay reader and churchwarden, and in various other ways in connection with the Church." Mr Pilbro* (parishioners' warden) drew the attention of the meeting to the insufficiency of the weekly offertory to meet the working expenses of the Church. He thought that it could not be generally known that in addition to ordinary expenses the Churchwardens had to pay a sum of £ls yearly towai'ds the liquidation of a loan obtained from the Church ' Property Trustees to aid in buildinjj the Parsonage. The Chairman remarked that the financial condition of the Church had considerably improved recently. The Parsonage Buildiug debt, owing to the bank had been reduced by the late gift auction from £l5O to £6O and a sum of about £l6O would "J suffice to clear off this liability aid the reremainder of the loan still owing to the Church Property Trustees, leaving the Church free from all debt. Mr Lee proposed, Mr Bsnbow seconded, and it was carried—" That the Yestry be recommended 'o take steps to hold a Grift Auction far the purpose of clearing off all remaining liabili" ties, some time during the month of April next." The Chairman informed the meeting that the Pleasant Point and Albury districts having applied to the bishop to be formed into a Parochial district, the Vestry had decided not to offer any objection for the following reasous : 1. The great area of the present parish stretching from the Rangitata to the Mackonzie Pass. 2. The possession of endowments by the Pleasant Point Church which are unavailable without a resident clergyman. 3. The very small subscriptions made to the Church funds by |the Pleasant Point and Albury districts, and the great amount of labour and time-that has to be spent upon them. 4, The small proportion of Church of E nglancl families resident in what will be the reduced parish of. Temuka who hitherto have mbscribed, leading to the hop» -^

that more frequent ministrations wi 1 improve this. The usual monthly meeting of the Vestry was held at the clos» of th« Parishioners' meeting, but nothing was transacted, but the ordinary routine business. Messrs Maclean and Stewart will hold an extensive sale of draught and thorough bred stallions immediately after the horse parade to day ; at their Timaru Horse Bazaar they ■will sell horses, drays and harness, and freehold property at Scotston.