The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1983. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1063, 3 February 1883, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1983. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Vital Statistics.—The following aro the vital statistics for the Temuka district for the month ending January 31st: —Births 11; marriages, 1 ; and deaths 3. Entebpbising Natives.—Sixty of the natives who were arrested at Parihaka hare arrived at Auckland, and aro giving performances at the Theatre Royal. Mobb Diamonds. —Another alleged discovery of diamonds is reported at Pokeno> 40 miles from Auckland. The exact places are undisclosed, but specimens are exhibited.

Timaeu Harbor Board Election.— The nominations for the Temuka, Geraldine, and Mount Cook districts takes place tomorrow, and for the Mount Peel district on Mo*day.

The Bacon Industry. —Mr David Mackeller, of Tapanui, is importing from America a complete plant for a pork-packing industry, similar to those in use in Chicago, etc. The scraping machine will put through eight pigs per minute. Commuted. -At a meeting of the Executive Council held on Thursday afternoon, the case of Crowley, recently convicted of murder, was considered, and the sentence of death was commuted to penal servitude for life.

The Comet. —Mr Arthur Beverley, who is well known as taking a great interest in astronomy, has recently made two very successful observations of the comet. He has been able to ascertain beyond doubt, that it is moving in as nearly as possible a parabola and not an ellipse, and it will consequently not return to the sun’s sphere, but in the course ■ f time will pass into that, of Sirius. This confirms the opinion held by Mr Beverley throughout that this comet is a stranger.

No. 1 Company, Temuma Rifles.— Any person not enrolled iu the above Company having any arms or accoutrements belonging to the Company are requested to deliver the same to Color-Sergeant Coira or Private Gt. J. Mason. Anyone not complying with this request will be prosecuted. Delayed Tbain. —The express train from the north was an hour late yesterday, owing to some accident which occurred to the engine. The delay was caused by having to wait until another engine was procured.

Wellington Races. —At the above Races last Thursday the following events took place : —Plying Stakes, of 5 sots. : Minerva, 1; Amulet, 2. Handicap Hurdle Race of 60sovs.: New Year,l, Hack Hurdle Race, of 15 sovs,: Grey Douglas 1. Wellington Cup, of 500 sovs.; Mischief, 1 ; Louie, 2. Selling Race, of 60 sovs.: Amulet, 1; Diosnm 2. His Excellency the Governor was present. Nearly £2500 passed through the totalisator.

Impobtant Salh— Messrs Matson, Cox and Co., Auctioneers, of Ashburton, announce a mo*t important sale of live and dead stock on the Dinder Farm, Temuka. Dinder Farm was until recently occupied by Mr Marcroft, so well known at a successful breeder of stock, and the tale should cammand the attention of farmers and speculators. The sale tabes place on February 23rd.

A Juet With an Opinion.— At the civil sitting of the Auckland Supreme Court last Wednesday, the case of Hammond r. Edward Wayte was heard. This was an action to recover £SOO, for damages sustained by plaintiff in consequence of a malicious prosecution by defendant. The jury found for plaintiff, damages £IOO. Judge Gillies said : The verdict of the jury is in the teeth of my express direction, and cannot have any effect. This verdict cannot possibly stand. Gentle men, your verdict is of no avail, and I am afraid you have put the parties to the trouble and expense of a new trial.

A Mean Man.— The meanest man in Europe lives at Berlin. He wooed and won a Jewish maiden who possessed considerable property. A marriage contract was drawn up, in which was a proviso stipulating that should any impediment arise to prevent the marriage, the sum of 90,000 marks should be forfeited to the injured party. The lady, intending to give her future husband a pleasant surprise, secretly renounced Judaism and entered the Lutheran Church. Meanwhile, the man had discovered a richer woman willing to marry him. He not only made the lady’s change of religion to his own an excuse for refusing to marry her, but actually sued her for the 90 000 marks, and has recovered them in a court of law.

Federation. —‘The question of federation,’ the Morning Post observes, ‘ is now engaging public attention in Australia, under conditions which invest its discussion with more than ordinary significance. For the first time the native born population are evincing a decided interest in the subject. Their sympathies appear to have been warmly enlisted in the success of the movement, and their imagination fired by the g'an.! results which can only be secured by united action. Should this interest prove to be'sustained and widespread as it is represented to be, its importance as a factor in the solution of the difficult problem of federation cannot be over estimated. Political power in the colonies is fast falling into the hands of the native born population, and their wishes will very soon strike the key-note of all future legislative action.’

Nationalising the Land.—A>Mr W. G. Jenkins, writing to the Globe on immigration to New South Wales and New Zealand, refers as follows to the recent legislation in favor of leasing a part of the lands of the Crown on a perpetual tenure : —* I venture to think that the time will come when the New Zealand Government will receive some credit for being the first in the world to fairly discuss in Parliament this question of State land versus private property in land, and as the result of their deliberations passing a law that at least one fifth of the land shall be reserved and let, the profits going towards reducing unwise taxation on industry. Emigrants can now rent from the New Zealand Government land at a very low rental for thirty years, with repayments for all improvements made during that time if at the expiration they arc removed, or in case of a continuance of occupancy by payment of so much more rent as represents the rise, not oh their improvements, but on the original unimproved ground.

Coal at Upper Waihoa. —The Waimate Times publishes the following from Mr John Hunt —ln the beginning of November last year Mr Willetts and myself went up the Waihoa to prospect for coal, and after carefully examining all the outcrops on both the north and south branches, we decided to start boring on the first bend of the south branch, pist above the Forks station. Wo accordingly did so, but were completely driven out by artesian water, which we struck at a depth of 130 feet. This water gets on the top of the coal from the south branch, where the coal crosses the river. There are two seams of coal on both rivers, but they run in the deep ground as shown in the enclosed sketch. We then tried to drive the top seam on the south branch, which is the key to all the coal in the locality, this particular situation possessing the following advantages over all others, viz., it is 15 or 20 feet above the river, into which all the refuse can be thrown ; there is a good floor, good roof, and the coal is easy to work. It is steadily thickening, and we can get to the second seam by driving. It is moroever easy to get ventilation to any part of the coal ei’her by an air shaft or drive. The pit will turn out a first-rate lignite, second to nane in the country, and is alongside of a good metalled road to Pudding Hill, and only two miles from the Forks station, It should be one of the main sources of freight to the railway, and a gre <t boon to the district, and fortunately needs but very little capital to work it.

Ceicket, —The Hon. Ivo Bligh has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged the best team Australia can produce, the match to take place in Sydney in about three weeks’ time. The English eric-ketera have gone to Queensland to play several matches in that colony.

Temuka Wesleyan Chuech.— The Rev. T. Fee will conduct the morning and evening services in the above Church to-morrow. At the Conference meeting last Thursday it was finally decided that the Rev. P. Wells should take charge of the Temuka circuit. The Rev. T, Fee has been appointed to Waitara, Wanganui District.

Conspibino to Deekaud.— At the R.M. Court. Timaru, last Thursday, Patrick Ryan, Bridget Ryan and Mary Ryan were charged, on remand, with conspiring to defraud the creditors of the former, of goods to the value of £204 10s. Mr White appeared for the prosecution, and Mr C. T, H. Perry for the accused. After taking the evidence of the two trustees, and several other witnesses, the prisoners were remanded till Monday next, Bail was allowed Patrick Ryan, himself in £IOO and one surety of £7O. Mrs Ryan and her daughter were released without bail, but ordered to report themselves at t' H o’clock eyery morning to the Sergeant of Police.

A Sating Wife. —A singular case of some importance occupied the Supreme Courl Dunedin, last Wednesday—that of Bailey r. Union Bank of Australia. The plaintiff wa* a chemist in Invercargill, and his case was that his wife had made a purse of her own from the proceeds of his business, which she had paid into the Bank in her own name, and afterwards taken out of the Bank, all without her husband’s know'edge or authority. Her relations with her husband were unsatisfactory, and it was alleged the Bank were aware of this, and were aware also that she was a married woman. The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff on all the issues. The amount involved was £641 8s lid.

DITOBCE COTJBT,— At the Supreme Court Christchurch, last Wednesday, the diroreecase J S. Poppleweli v. Popplewell and was heard. The petitioner and respondent were married in 1878 in the Amuri district, and they lived together till August 28th last, on the Culverdon Station. Petitioner’s duties on the station took him away from home a great deal, and the co-respondent, who was working as a carpenter in the district, taking advantage of it, became intimate with the respondent. The petitioner’s suspicions having been aroused, he pretended on August 28th to go away to work, but returning after dark, caught the co-respondent and respodent in bed together. He seized a shovel handle and attacked the co-respondent, but got the worst of the struggle. Next day, the respondent, left the house, and subsequently lived for a month with the co-respondent in a tent in an adjoining swamp. His Honor granted a rule nisi, co-respondent to pay costs.

Sab Accident at a Race Meeting.—At the Wellington Summer Meeting last Thursday, during the running of the Handicap Hurdle Race, at the first hurdle both Express and Nutting came to grief, unseating their jockeys. Lowry, the rider of the latter horse, was picked up insensible, and carried off the course, when he was attended by Drs Allins, Direr and Newman, It was not however, for some hours later that ho recovered consciousness, and he is now in a fair way to recovery. Express fared worse than Nutting, for when he swerved in making his jump he landed on top of a pailing fence in front of the lawn and fell insi ie, Birch, his jockey being thrown some distance away, fortunately escaping with a slight shaking, Baillie, of Wellington, who was watching the race from inside the lawn fence was struck by the horse, and received injuries which it is feared will prove fatal. Baillie is believed to have had his skull fractured, besides receiving internal injury. He remained in the Grand Stand all the afternoon, and at the close of the day’s sport his medical advisers were of opinion that he would not outlive the night. Several who were in close proximity to the scene of the accident had a very narrow escape of sustaining injury. The accidents are attributed to the pace at which the horses were coming at the hurdle. A subscription was started by Snider, the bookmaker, on behalf of those injured, and £lB was collected. A telegram from Wellington yesterday, states that Baillie dud on Friday morning. An Excited Convert.—A ‘ big revival ’ i (says the St. James’ Gazette) took place at Hebron Baptist Church, near Livingstone, Yirginia, on the evening of the 21st October, and was a great success, although the enthusiasm displayed by some of the converts was at times almost too marked. One of them, a young man named Dave Reynolds, suddenly ‘ professed religion,’ and in the intensity of his zeal jumped over the benches and through a window. As ill-luck would have it, at this moment a much-respected lady, Mrs Jane Roberts, whoso house is near the church, was returning home, accompanied by her daughter and two children. In the path leading to Hebron Church, she found herself confronted by Dave Reynolds, who seized one of the children by the hand and exclaimed, ‘ Come up to church with me, and get religion.’ Mrs Roberts objected, upon which the enthusiast boat her so severely about the head with a club that by latest accounts her life was despaired of. Reynolds urges that he was carried away by religious enthusiasm ; but the general opinion in the neighborhood is that he might have exercised more self control, and he will under any circumstances be held responsible for the damage done to the window through which lie jumped. Every pane of glass was shivered to atoms.

Mr Ackroyd notifies that five pigs strayed on to his farm. Me-ssu Maclean ard Stewart will hold their flsual aale of home, drays, ploughs, and haraoei at their Bazaar, Timaru, to day.