LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 96, 21 April 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

This ’Frisco Mail. —The outward 'Frisco mail doses at the Temuka Pose Office to day, Bank Holiday.— Monday nexc being 3t George’s Uay, will bo observed by the Bank of New Zealand, Temuka, as a holiday.

Temuka Wesleyan Church —The Rev P. Wills will conduct the morning and evening services in the above Church to morrow.

Political Address —Mr Wynn Williams addressed his constituents at Woolston, near Christchurch, last Thursday evening. There was a good attendance, and a unanimous vote of confidence in him was carried.

Tbmpeenace.— A public meeting under the auspices of the Independent Order of Oddfellows will be held nest Monday even ing in the Templar Hall, Temuka Addresses on Temperance will be delivered by the Revs Gordon, Hamilton and Wills. Songs, duets and recitations will also be given. Honors in Stork.—A meeting at New Plymouth, at which the Mayor preside I, was held last Wednesday night, when it was decided to give Mr Bryce a banquet on his arrival there from the King Country, and to present him with an illuminated address of congratulation. Cricket. —At a meeting of the Committee of the Canterbury Cricket Association, the following resolution was agreed to—“ That a communication be sent to the New South V 1 ales Association, asking if a team can be sent during the ensuinu season to play in Canterbury, on the undemanding this Association contributes to their expenses and that a similar cmnmunicatior. be sent to tbs Southern Tasmanian Association.”

Fortunate Institutions —An Auckland telegram stales that the late Edmond CoMeilu’s estates, es imated at £135,000, are divided among the following public institu-tions:-The Hospital, Free Library, Children’s Training School, Parnell Orphan-ge Auckland Institute, Old Men’s Home and Sailor’s Home. Endeavors will be made to get the legacy duty of over £IO,OOO revoked, as the amounts are going to public institutions. He only made his will two nights before his death.

Struck bt Lightning.—lntelligence was received last Ihnrsday afternoon in Welling: ton from I enui, that the telegraph offi e in t at township was struck by lightning about eight o’clock on Saturday night and set fire to. The operator was fortunately on the premises at the time, and succeeded in extin gui hing the flames before much damage was done. All the wires in the office were broken by the lightning, and no fewer than eleven poles on Black Hill were shattered by the electr 3 discharge.

Train Accident.—When the 6 p.m Onehunga tra : n was between Tepapa Station and Onehunga, in rounding a curve, the cow catcher knocked a woman off the line. On the train being stopped to pick her up it was found that her skul was fraotured, her right arm broken and one foot partly cut off. Dr Scott was soon in attendance. He gave no hope for her, and she was removed to her house. She was identified as Mrs Lee, who gave evidence in the trial of Priestley and Mrs Hamilton for the murder of Hami’ton It is ’ not known how she same to be on the line.

Divorce.—T here will be a sitting under the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act before Mr Justice Williams, at Dunedin, on the 3rd prox. 1 awlor v. Lawlor is a petition for judicial separation on the grounds of bigamy and adultery. The petition of Anne Lawlor states that she was married to Edward Lawlor at the Roman Caholic Church in Adelaide in 1866; that they lived together for ten years, and that she had four children by him; that in August, 1876, the respondent came to Auckland, when on June Bth, 1877, he married Jane Cogon, and that he had since lived wiih her. In the other case, McGuire v. McGuire, the petition is for a dissolution of the marriage.

Fatal Accident.—A fatal accident happened on Tuesday night to a man named George Brien, a very old resident of Timaru. The deceased had been engaged that evening by a tanner named Cromie to work on his farm at Kingsdown. r i he two started from Timaru about 6 o’clock with one horse between Ihem. Tluy made a s'ay at the Saltwater Creek Ho'el for some time, and shortly beforej 10 o’clock went again on their way* Brien, who was then riding, startled the horse, which bolted and threw him. When found by his companion he was insens bis and remained so up to his death.

The Flax Industry.—The following item of news taken from the Christchurch Press’ report of the proceedings of the Industrial Association will be interesting to our readers :—The sub-committee appointed to enquire as to advising the Government re binding twine, reported that as vetted flax fit for making such twine was selling at from £6O to £IOO del vered in London, it was unlikely it would be used in large quantities j further, *hat a Russian hemp was imported to New Zea'and, and could be sold for less than £BO per ton. It, had been proved that twine could bo made from phormium t-nax of a suitable quality, and at a much cheaper rate, and as the committee understood that several firms would' be in a position to supply this twine by next season, they recommended tint the Government be requested to offer a bonus of not less than £SOO, for the first fifty tons of suitable binding twine made from fibre grown in this colony.

Annexation of New Guinea.—An Aus tralian telegram states that the Victorian Parliament was prorogued to-day by His Excellency the Governor, . who in a speech on the occasion, said that the proposed annixati n of New Guinea had given great satisfaction to !h« people of Victoria, and his Advisers I ad taken prompt action to urge the approval of the Imperial Government. The Conference whi h bad been arranged to consider the question of entering into a Postal Union, would doubtless avail itself of the opportunity to consider other matters, His Excellency’s Advisers being anxious to promote collective action on colonial questions. Parliament stands prorogued till May 30tb. The Victorian Government has invited the New South Wales and’ South Australia,, Governments to join in instructing their Agents-General in London to communicate with the Imperial authorities in support of the annexation of New Guinea, Mr James Service has already telegraphed to Mr Murray Smith, the Victorian representative in Lon don, requesting him to favor the annexation. A Ceuel/ Stepmother.—A charge of man slaughter against Frederick and Margare' Wain has occupied the Dunedin R.M. Court two days. It appears that Mrs Wain, treated . her stepchild very cruelD, res Ring in hi.death. One of the witnesses was Martha McEachern, wife of Wm. McEachetn, of South Dunedin. She gave evidence as to seeing the deceased standing on the ledge of a window in his father’s house. Witness was in her own backyard at tin time. The boy beckoned her to him and she spoke to him. He was trembling, and seemed to b raring to get out for a drink. He was with out shoes or stockings. He had a cut on his forehead and a black eye. She gave him some bread which he ate ravenously. She was unable to raise the window to give him a drink. The child looked cold, hungry and frightened. On the 2nd March she saw the boy get out of this window. He tried to chub over the witness’ fence. He was cold and shivering, as when she had first seen him, and she gave him something to eat. The witness then detailed the statements made by the child to her as to the injuries on his ■ ociy, which he said had been caused by Ij;b mother’s treatment. <

Mysterious Murder L’ne fo lo ing further.particul rs are to hand of the murder of Ah Chin, a Chinaman, near Teviot. Otajro. The deceased and the informant, Win Kie, were in a cave on the banks of the Clutha Hirer. They were smoking opium about 7 p.m. on the 16th instant. Wan Kie fell asleep and was aroused bv the report of a gun, when deceased caTea out “I am shot; I am dying.” Footsteps were heard outside the cave, but the informant was af aid to go out for some time. ~ On going but be saw no one. On the police visiting the scene they found the deceased deal, with small shot wounds on his- right:breast and head. The place was not disturberi, and and a watch were found on deceased’s person. No motive can >be assigned. Some suppose the deed to have bean'committed through wantonness. A miner named Henry Coulter, known to have monev in his possession, hal also mysteriously disappeared in the same place.

Thb Timaru Herald’s Grammar.—This is a nice little bit of grammar from the organ of the ‘men of culehaw Hitherto, and for some lime p it at any ra’e, there has boon no one among the teachers of music in Titnaru whoso attention was chiefly devoted to the t. aching of singing, but now those who wish io cultivate their voices or those of their children have the opportunity afforded them." In the same issue of the Herald we notice that it quotes prices as follows: “Australian flour con'inues firm at 44s for beef and 46 * for mutton ” In the same issue we notice that Mr Green, M.H.R , announces his int ntion of lecturing in Timaru on the demon ‘Drink.’ Evidently there is a good field there after what we have seen in the above blunder! of our high and migh'y contemporary. The Timaru H raid might well write better grammar than is shown in the above quotation, and bo able to distinguish the difference between flour, beef and mutton. An Interesting Report —Mr Scott’s supplementary report on the history of the land reform in Saxe-Coburg says the Pall Mall Gazets, must prove as full of interest to the English reader as lie anticipates. It deals with two subjects—the redemption of the diaries to which the soil was subject and the registration of the ownership of the land. The maximum compensation payable to the andlurd for the purchase of hii dues was fixed gt 18 years’ puichaso of their annual value, towards which the Slate contributed in Saxe-Coburg two yean’ purchase, and in other districts, such as Baden, a third of the total commutation money. As many of the tenants were una'de to find the money for the abolition of these charges, a land bank was insli u ed, wuh power to issue bonds, bearing £4 per cent interest, which the landlords were bound to accept as the consideration for the transfer of their right. The tenant, on his part, was required to pay interest on the redemption money at the rate of £4| per cent, of which £4 per cent was in payment of the interest on the bonds, and the balance less expenses, formed a sinking fund for the redemption of his debt. The few bonds still in circulation are quoted at a slight premium.

Native Affairs—lt is stated that the native meeting at Te Kniti have passed a resolution that Mr Bryce should be allowed to go through the country, but that he was not to be allowed to make a surrey until they were quite clear how tbeir lands were to be dealt with. Tawl mo will soon bo present at. the meeting. The Native Reserves Act, which Mr Bryce passed 1 st session, and which he was very anxious to bring into operation over lands in the King Country, was brought up, but the natives would have nothing to do with it, as they were afraid that if they gave apieci to Government to deal wi h Ministers would issue a proclamation tying up a large district, as they have done with the land between Rotorua and Waikato. Mr Bryce and party arrived at Olorangii on Tuesday, A railway can bo cheaply constructed to that point. Wi Pere and otho s met Mr Bryce as uelega'ea from the Te Kuiti meeting. They stated that the meeting had decided to petition Parliament to amend the law dealing with native lands. The na'ivcs did not seem clear about what they want el, but the mo ive of the proposals is as follows I- - The chiefs finding they are losing influence as <he lands are sold, wish to prevent those willing to sell from so doing. They would have it that lands should bo held in common, and the mojorily should hare power to prevent individualisation of the title. Tawhiao, with 200 followers, h. • arrived at Cambridge. Mr Sheehan made a speech of welcome, saying to the King that he lud seen Europeans and natives living in harmony at Wanganui and elsewhere, and recommended him to do likewise. Tawhiao made no reply.

Attention is directed to the advertisement of the enterprising proprietor of the Crown Hotel, Geraldine, which appears in another column.

Mr W. E. 'Andrews, Geraldine, notifies by odvertisement that he is ready to supply all kinds of head stones and stone-work at the shortest p ssible no he, and at very reasonable rates We have seen some of Mr Andrews’ workmanship, and must say that ii is really admirable. Messrs E. H. Pratt and Co, house painters, Gera dine call attention, by advertisement, to their stock of paints and paporhangings. and notify their readiness to execute or ers in town or country. Many buildings in the town would undoubtedly look to better advantage if passed under an operation by this firm.