LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1069, 13 February 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Harbor Board Eikcti n.—The resu’t of Ihe elect ion in Timaru yesterday was as follows : —Mr J. S. Gibson, 173 ; AirJ. .11 Sutter, 122 ;Mr M. Jonas 95. We have m ascertained how many votes the other candi dates got. Fire.—At Otipua, near Timaru, yesterday, a 5-roomed cottage occupied by Mr Bussell, and owned by Mr J. H. Sutter was burned down. It was insured for £l5O in the Koval, and the furniture was insured for £BO in th“ Standard. The loss over and above these suras were £SO, and £4O respectively.

The Fatal Fike at Auckland.—At the inquest on George White and Mary O’Real, burnt to death at the Wakefield street fire,a verdict of accidental death was returned. It cune out in the evidence that the woman had been enticed away from her husband in Melbourne by a man in Auckland, and her husband’s name was Hodges. The supposed cause of the fire is a defectively constructed hearth. Important to Patentees. —A case was heard in the Supreme Court last Friday of importance to patentees. The action was for damages for breach of patent, but the defence pleaded that the plaintiff, the patentee, had worked his plan in his own workshop before he applied and obtained the patent for it, and the plaintiff practically admitted the plea was unanswerable by withdrawing his action.

An Unusual Application.—At the Dunedin City Police Court last week ‘ Jock ’ Graham sued lii* daughter Catherine for maintenance. Tlie defendant is schoolunstrC'S at Hillend, and is receiving £IOO a year, and has the use of 10 acres of poor land. In giving his evidence, the plaintiff admitted that he had been separated from his family for 15 years, and during that period had contributed nothing towards their support. Of course the case was dismissed. Not Sure op Himself.—There are manv stories Hying about connected with the army of occupation in Egypt. A colonel, saunter ing outside his camp near the Ghezireh Palace, was hailed by a sentry. “You must not go there, sir.” “Do you see who! am— Colonel ?” “ Yes, sir, I know. But the ‘ har’m ladies 1 are living in that house, and the orders are from Sir Garnet that he is not to bo let go in there himself if he wants to.” Smuggling Watches.—A man named Cryer, who arrived at Lyttehon from London in the Firth of Forth on sth February, was suspected by the Customs officials of having smuggled a number of watches ashore. He and his family were followed by the police to Christchurch, where he was traced to the house of a milkman named Briggs, living at Shirley, near town. Here a quantity of watches, chains and jewellery, said to be worth £3OO, were seized on Friday night. Fatal Accident.—A lad named Wilfiam Malian, aged about 15, while endeavoring to swim across the Saltwater Creek (some two mile* south of Timaru) about three o’clock last Sin.day afternoon, was drowned. Two of his companions made strenuous endeavors to save the unfortunate lad, but without avail. The body was recovered about six o’clock and taken to the residence of Mr A. Mahan, the uncle of the deceased, on the West Town Belt. The deceased was the son of Mr Mahan, lato master of the Waitohi Public School, and now of Otaio. The Timaru Steam Collier. —The Homo agent (Mr W. Taplin) of the Timaru Steam Collier Comany, has acceplod the tender of Messrs Thompson and Sons, the celebrated shipbuilders at Sunderland, for the construction of the iron steam collier “Timaru” for the above-named Company. The vessel is to carry 530 tons on a draught of ton feet, and is to be fitted with engines of 80 horsepower. The contract price is £IO,OOO, so that the vessel will have cost someilung like £l3 000 by the time she readies Timaru, Siio is to be delivered in August next, or possibly two or three months earlier. The Liberty op the Subject —At Emerald Hill lately J. Oppendiandeek, a young German, caused some excitement by divesting himself of his clothing on the beach and swimming rapidly out to sea. When about a mile away he commenced to dive, each time of disappearance the spectators thinking ho had sunk from exhaustion, or been seized by a shark. A constable. took a boat, and with some difficulty got him on board ; but he again jumped into the water. When asked the reason of his action, he said the baths were not large enough to enjoy a swim in. Ho was very indignant at being looked up. {

This Auckland Press.— ln an Article oa Sir Arthur Gordon’s despatches on Native ffairs, the Auckland Herald calls our late Governor a ‘ measureless liar,’ and declines to call him a gentleman, so refers to him as ‘that official.’

The Auckland DiAMONDS.—Mrjßollestcn, Minister of Lands, was waited upon by Archibald (Douglas last Friday, who asked for a prospecting license for himself and two others to search for diamonds m the Kag an County. Permission was granted.

Pedestrianibm.—Mr Alfred Austin has accepted on behalf of ‘ Young Scott’ the challenge of Daniel O’Leary to walk anyone in the Australasian colonies. The great American pedestrian has just arrived in Melbourne, and Mr Austin has written to him backing Srott to walk him a 24-hour match for £IOO ir £2OO a side, the match to take p ace in Dunedin.

Mbs Langtbt.— Referring to tbs quarrel b tween Mrs Labouchere and Mrs. Langtry, tli 3 San Franchco correspondent of the New Zealand Herald says : —A New York paper telegraphed to Mrs Langtry that their columns were open to her for self-justification, and she, with surpassing naivebl and apparent * innocence, answered back, ‘ What has been said since I came to America ? I have not read the papers. Signed, Lily Langtry.’ She is a smart woman, and what does she care ? Mr. Q-ebhardt has taken his teams and his horses to Boston, and escorts the Lily every* where. Society has closed its doors against her, but here again she n perfectly indifferent. She comes here to make money, and she is succeeding beyond her fondest wish, and that is sufficient for her. She behaves like a lady, at any rate, > nd-vows that there never was a q.iairel between her and Mrs Labouchere. ■ No one can accuse her of a wrong act, and she certainly has tact enough to keep her mouth shut a rather wonderful thing for a being who wears skirts. The lady has my sympa'hy and admiration.’

A Horrible Accident.— A horrible acci dent orurred on Hie Vandalia railroad, In, diana, on Nor. 29bh. A passenger train colli led with a construction train. The latter was running tender foremost. A full supply of coal had just been taken on, and the collision throwing the tender up, the heavy weight of fuel was propelled into the car, hurling the engineer, John Cromwell, against the boiler head, and holding him im* movable against the hot iron. The stop* cocks were opened by the shock, and the escaping steam and almost red hot boiler burned ami scalded the unfortunate man in a terrible manner. He cried piteously for help, but it was impossible to extricate him. He retained consciousness for a full hour, and as the body was being literally broiled he begged in heartrending tones for his comrades to kill him if they could not release him. The cries gradually grew fainter, and death relieved him from suffering after he had endured the tortures of a thousand deaths. The wreck was finally pulled away by ano'hor engine, and the body taken to an undertaking establishment.

Tawhiao’s Latest Speech— We learn h'om the Manawatu Herald that Tawhiao made the following speech at the banquet given in his honor :—“ lam a stranger ill this land. With reference to what has been said about me, I can say it ia owing to the goodness of the Europeans that I am now hero. The Queen is first, and then I follow. We are now one. From Eauparaha, Kangihaeta, and the other great chiefs down to Potatau, all now gone, I am the representative, and now stand hero. As the representative of all those great chiefs gone, I wish unity bet ween the people. (Immense cheering) , The principal reason for mj visit hero is to see the natives of the island, and also to see the Europeans, I have now seen tho chiefs of the district, and also the Europeans, and am very much pleased with my visit to Manawatu. Had I not been well received, I shou’d have gone away sooner, but I am not now in a hurry to leave. I am very pleased with the Europeans, and also with myself for having come amongst you. I wish my relations all here to understand that I do not go further south, but go b ick north from Motuiti. I return

from here, and will make no trouble throughout the country. I have been to the principal parts of New Zealand, and now come to the tail end of it. I want you all to know fiat lam chief of the Maoris, You may not all like to hear that, but that is my boast. My heart is very much pleased.” (Great cheers.)

The A.C. Force. —‘One Who Know#’ writes to the Auckland Herald respecting the Armed Constabulary ns ’follows : —“I think the general public of New Zealand are under the impression that in the event of any difficulty arising with the natives the constabulary are ready to go into the field at a moment’s notice. There never was a greater mistake made. The constabulary ai’e at the present time, as a body, one of the most irregular, undisciplined bodies of men it is possible to meet with. Tt is a notorious fact that some of them don’t know their right foot from their left; so that it is impossible that they could act together effectually if in action, A difficulty might spring up any time with the King natives, and I should like to know where we would be then. We might bounce them but we could not fight them, as our men are not drilled. Before the ' siege ’ of Pirihaka there was not a finer or better drilled body of men in the southern hemisphere than the constabulary. But now they would be no belter in action than an armed mob. The men should receive a certain amount of drill, and not always be kop f at navvy work, which so unfits a man for a soldier.” Another Cambridge correspondent complains that though the field force has been reduced from 1,100 to 500 men, there are neirly as miny non-commissioned officers as ever; also of the tyranical conduct on the part of non commissioned officers and officers. These are matters of discipline, however, and a newspaper is scarcely the place for -theitf discussion,

Blight on Fbuit Tbebs.—Mr Scarrow. of Sandown, has informed the Eangitikei Advocate that he has found a perfect cure for blight on his fruit trees. It is very •imple, and is as follows :—Take the castor oil used as machine oil, and rub over the braches of the trees affected by the blight; in fact put it on all the branches of the trees, as it. not only kills the blight, but prevents the tree from being attacked by it. Mr Scarrow says he has not got a single fruit tree in his garden now that is affected by the blight, whilst all his neighbors' trees are more or less affected with it. Wbilsr killing the blight on trees affected by the pest, and preserving the sound ones from being attaoked, the oil also promotes very materially the growth of the trees, and causes them to bear more fruit than they otherwise would. Mr Scarrow, delighted with the success of his experiment, determined to carry it farther, so before riding on his favourite steed, the other day, he rubbed castor oil all over the animal, aud the result was that a fly never came nor it during the day. The owner of a white poodle dog is wanted. Dr Foster, solicitor, G-eraldiue, has money to lend at current rates. MrE. S. Smith, of Dinda Farm, wants tenders for hauling crop to the Temula railway station.

Mr EH Mitchell advertises that he will prosecute all persons trespassing on his property at Waitohi. Mr F.J. Wilsou, architect, Timaru, invites tenders for the erection of a hotel at Winchester. Tenders close on the 2lst. Messrs Maclean and Stewart will sell next Saturday, the leasehold farm lately in the occupation of Mr Gr. H; Wildie. The farm adjoins the Washdyke. Mr Wm. Evans, of the Atlas Grain Stores, Timaru, is a cash buyer of wheat, oats, and barley. He has storage accommodation for 10,000 tons, at lowest current rates. Mr P. MoArdle, the manager at Timaru of the Bruuner Coal Company, is prepared to eupp'y this celebrated coal for steam threshing machines, etc., at pit's mouth prices. The coaf yard i« in Barnard street. Timatu.'