LOCAL AND GENERAL

Temuka Leader, Issue 1084, 17 March 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Temuka Wesleyan Chtjech— My W. Maslin will conduct the morning and evening services in the above church, to-morrow.

Bank Holiday.—To-day being St. Patrick’s Day and a Bank holiday, the local branch of the Bank of New Zealand will be closed, H.M.S. Pinafoee. —The performance of this piece by the Glee Club, comes off next Thursday. It promises to bo a great success. A. full rehearsal takes place on Tuesday night at half past seven. ' ' V.

The Dunedin Haeboe Board.—-It has been demonstrated that nothing (hut sand exists on the bar, at any rate to a depth of 34 feet, and the Board’s Engineer holds out expectations that with training walls, the tidal scour will clear it all out.

Awkward foe the Inspector.— When Mr Bryce arrived at the Thames a crowd assembled to hoot him. They were nicely sold, however, for they mistook their man, and followed Mr John Murray, Inspector of the Bank of New Zealand, hooting him through the streets. In the Breakers. —A meeting of Mr J. Oram Sheppard’s creditors was held in Christchurch on Wednesday, at which the liabilities were stated to be £50,000, and the assets £50,500. Of the liabilities £40,000 ate secured by £50,000 of the estimated value of the assets. Messrs StokdJ Soper, and A, C. Wilson were appointed a committee to investigate the position of the estate on behalf of the creditors. The English Premier’s PEcraiibiTiES. —An English paper says it is sincerley glad to hear that the Premier’s slight attack of lumbago has greatly diminished ; but in the case of anyone else than a great financier and political genius, ‘should we not be justifieS*in asking what else a gentleman of his age could expect from loitering about oh the wet grass in December chopping nood P’ :

Thb Scot Abboad.— A noteworthy featur* in a recent issue of the Weekly Scotsman, which contains numerous reports of Ecclesiastical squabbles about organs, and other matters of Church government and doctrine, is the following simple announcement: —‘ The Scot Abroad.—The Presbytery of Dunedin (New Zealand) has sanctioned the use of instrumental music in Knox Church. Otago is the Scotch province of New Zealand.

Mobb Native Obstruction. —GS-evern-merit lias received the following telegram *Mr Hurstbouse was sent by Mr Bryce to explore the country between Alexandra and Mokau with a view to find a line of railway. He was warned by the Maoris not to go on but he did go and got as far as Otorbwhaugii. v when the Maoris refused to let him proceed, as Tawhiao was absent. The natives weri perfectly friendly, and very hospitable, but very positive in not allowing the exploration. It is believed that the obstruction is only temporary.’ ~

Lost his Pocket-Book —A son. of a wellknown American millionare and railway king has been slaying at Monte Carlo, ! and his adventures have been quite amusing. Thi other night he lost, at trente-et-quarante, all the money he had with him, whereon he telegraphed to his mother for more, telling her ‘he had lost his pocket-book. Then a friend lent him some money, with which he won back his losses, when he again telegraphed, * Don’t send money; pocket-book found.’ After this, he, on the next day, once more lost all he had, and, in desperation, sent a third telegram, saying, ‘Do send some money. Pocket-book found as stated, but with nothing in it.’

Unlucky Discoverers.—A sum of £12,000 was found : last April by Joubin, a joiner, while taking down the. pannelling of an old house in Dijon, France. The coin was put up in rolls and wrapped in pieces of the Moniteur published during the Reign of - Terror. With the money were certain scrap* of manuscript, showing it to belong to one who was the Mayor of Dijon af that period. His descendants on hearing of the discovery brought an action against the owner of the house and M. Jobin to recover the, treasure g and the Court, 1 after, duly investigating the claim, gave judgment in favor of the puintiffs. What is evermore galling to the finder of the treasher and to the proprietor of the house where it had remained for nearly a century is that they were mulcted in the costs of the trial. Interesting to Bee-Keepers.—All bee* keepers have adopted the traditional habit of drumming on tin pans and kettles when bees are swarming, but, from some experiments . which Sir John Lubbock has been making, and which were communicated some time ago to the Limeau Society, it is very doubtful if these sagacious insects hear any but the high overtones which are outside our own range of hearing. Ho trained some bees to come to honey placed on a musical box on his lawn, close to the window of his house, and the box was kept p’ayiug several hours a day for a fortnight; It was then together with the honey, brought into the house, and placed out of sight, but at the open window and only about seven yards from where it had stood before. The bees, however, failed to find the honey, though when they had been taken to it they came again readily enough. From this Sir John thinks the sounds of the musical box were not heard by the bees, for it failed to guide them to where the honey, had been removed. * v

Tenders, —Tenders for the diversion of the Rangitata river near the main road, close to-day. Clerk of Works.— The Board of Education invite applications for the office of Clerk of Works at the new school buildings. Astonishing. —The Wanganui Yeoman sayss—‘The Timaru breakwater has been extended 17,000 feet, and is a success in every way.’ What a difference a figure may make

Cheap Railway Pares. Excursion tickets to Dunedin will be issued on 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 26th March. The return fares from Timaru, to Dunedin, will be first, class 20s, and second class 15s. The tickets are available for return up to the 9th April. Tb Whiti’s Adviob.— The correspondent of the Taranaki Herald at Parihaka writes that the natives there seem pleased at Te Whiti and Tohu’s return. He hears Te Wbiti has sent word to them not to visit Parihaka, or else trouble would again rise in the land.

The Intkepbovincial Boat Race.— The interprovincial race was rowed at Wellington on Thuriday afternoon. The Union Club, Christchurch, and the Star Club, Wellington, were the only competitors, and the Wellington Club won easily by five length. The distance was two miles, and the race was won m llmin 43secs.

Public Meeting. —Mr John Talbot, Chairman of the Temuka Road Board, notifies by an advertisement in another column that a public meeting will be held next Monday evening, in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka, for the purpose of considering the advisability of bringing this town under the provisions of the __ Municipal Corporation Act, or the Town Districts Act.

Peculiar Case.— At the Police Court, Dunedin, on Thursday, a tradesman was •barged with drunkenness. He had been arrested at about 2 p.m. in one of the prinoipal streets, and he asserted the constable beckoned him across the street to arrest him. Two respectable witnesses, one of whom had a glass of wine with him a quarter of an hour before the arrest, declared he was sober beyond question, and <the Bench discharged him.

Rumored Libel Action.— The Post of Thursday night slates:—‘We understand that instructions have been given by Mr Eustace Brandon for the commencement of a criminal prosecution against the proprietors of the Timaru Herald, for libel contained in a leading article which appeared in that paper on the 10th inst., commenting on Mr Brandon’s action in connection with the re ; cent proceedings in Dunedin under the Copyright Act.’

Hard up fob a Wife. —There is a man ia Christchurch who is very hard up for a wife. At a debating class meeting held in Christchurch recently, a report of which appears in the Tablet, the question of immigration was discussed. In the course of the debate a Mr Gregan said that the supply of marriageable young women were not equal to the demand, and in proof of, this assertion, instanced a case which came before the Court in which a man swore he had" proposed to four young ladies in the course of one month and yet failed to secure a wife. There must b e something wrong with that man. He must not be a man after whom the fair sex cast longing looks, for if there is anything more plentiful than another in this colony it is young women ready to say ‘ Yes ’to an eligible suitor.

District Court, Timaru. —The criminal sessions of the above Court commenced yesterday. The first case called was James Moyles, charged with an indecent assault on a little girl named Violet Karton, about 4£ years old. The accused pleaded not guilty, and after the evidence for th# prosecution made a statement. The jury retired for half an hour, and on returning into Court found the prisoner not guilty. The trial of the Ryans commenced but had not concluded when the train left. Before the case commenced Mr C. Perry, for the accused, asked that the case should bo adjourned pending an appeal to the Supreme Court. His Honor held that public convenience ought to be considered, and he suggested that the case should be tried, and sentence deferred. This course was adopted.

Milner Stephen in Court. —In the Eesident Magistrate’s Court Christchurch, on Thursday, George Collier, hotelkeeper, sued Mr Milner Stephen to recover two guineas, fee paid for the alleged healing of his daughter from a contracted leg. The plaintiff stated that Mr Stephen, after laying on of hands, said * Your daughter is perfectly cured,’ and asked him to sign a book of printed forms. He also said the fee was two guineas. The plaintiff signed the book and paid the fee. He noticed as they left the room that his daughter did not walk any better, and called Mr Stephen’s attention to it. His reply was that she was perfectly cured, and instructions were given to rub her joints with magnetised oil and bandage the limb with bandages dipped in magnetised water. She was to have bananas to eat. The plaintiff carried out these instructions, except that he could not get bananas. He measured the girl’s contracted leg and found it the same as ever. She went again to Mr Stephen, but no improvement took place. Other witnesses confirmed the plaintiff’s statement, The case lasted all day and was adjourned to Tuesday next, when three more witnesses for plaintiff will be called. Mr Stephen said he would not call witnesses from Christchurch, but applied for six week’s adjournment, to him to hare evidence taken in other colonies as to the efficacy of his cures.

S.C. Industrial Association.— A • meeting of the Committee of . the above Association took place in Timaru last Wednesday evening. After the reading of the minutes of the last meeting, Mr B, J. Lane was appointed secretary. Messrs R. and T. Turnbull were unanimously elected life members of the Association. After this, Mr T. Turnbull said he had an industry to bring forward, which might prove a gold mine. He referred to the curing of fish. He said it was stated that there was any quantity of groper

to be caught outside in the roadstead, and if they could be caught and dried at a small cost, employment would be afforded to a large number of hands, and a population of the most desirable kind-the ‘fisher folk,’ from whom are recruited the best sailors, — would be encouraged. He believed ling to be about the coarsest fish eaten, and yet it sold, dried, in the London markets at 42s to 44s per ewt, and groper being so much finer a fish it ought to sell at a good price there. They might also be canned, and he had two 21b tins now on the table which had been prepared by Mr Balfour at the Wash dyke, put up about a month ago for the Committee to test. He suggested that the Committee should canvass for special subscriptions, say to the amount of £SO, in order to get a quantity of groper put up in tins, the tins to be sent to storekeepers in Westlahd, the North Island, and elsewhere, as specimens for trial, and to ascertain what prices could be got for the fish. One of the tins was then opened, and, in taste, appearance, and smell pronounced to bs very superior, Messrs Watkins, Goodall, Turnbull, and O’Bryan were appointed a sub Committee to make enquiries and report on the subject as soon as possible, Mr Watkins produced some speci mens of wheat products prepared by him—(l) a sample of wheaten ‘cornflour,’ intended to replace the maizena or ordinary ‘corn flour,’ which is made from maize or Indian corn. This sample was very nice looking indeed. (2) A dish of blanc mange, for the table, made from (1), similar in taste to cornflour blanc mange, but much smoother to the palate. (3) Comparative samples of (1) and of imported maizena, cooked with milk. The wheaten cornflour had had 20 per cent more milk used in its preparation, and yet showed greater consistence or firmness. (4) Comparative samples of starch, made from New Zealand wheat, and of ordinary ' Coleman’s’ starch, which is made from Indian corn. The former, Mr Watkins stated, requires, weight for weight, 25 per cent more water to make a starch for use of equal consistence with Coleman’s starch ; in other words, 16 ounces of wheat starch are equal to 20 ounces of Indian corn starch. There were no d'fficulties in the manufacture of either cornflour or starch, and this was a peculiarly opportune time for starting a starch factory, there being so much sprouted wheat in the district, which was perfectly suitable for the manufacture of starch. It would be necessary to get up a company, and probably a number of farmers who had sprouted wheat on their hands, would take shares if a company were started. Wheat yielded about 60 per cent of starch, and wheat starch was much superior to the common starch, articles to which it had been a y r-’l regaining their stiffness for any period, while Indian corn starch softened in -ime, for which reason manufacturers were obliged to use wheat starch for stiffening goods that might have to lie in stock. Wheat yielded about 57£ per cent of cornflour, and it would pay well if sold at the price of maizena, whilst it was 25 per cent better, the difference in fact between wheat and maize. Very little machinery was required, £l5O would buy all that was wanted. A Sub-Committee consisting of Messrs Watkins, Loyegrovo, Noble, and Haggott, was appointed to obtain information and prepare a paper on cornflour and starch. A number of other subjects were then briefly discussed, and the meeting terminated. Messrs Maclean and Stewart will hold their usual sale of horses, drays and harness, etc., in their Horse Bazaar, Timaru, to-day. Messrs R. Wilkin and Co. will hold a sale of horses at their Yards, Timaru, to-dav.