LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1132, 9 August 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Suicide. —A man named Robert Mayne committed suicide at Murtinborough, Wellington, last Tuesday morning, by cutting his throat.

Hunt t Gordon. —lt is understood that an application for a aew trial has been made by counsel for the defence in the case of Huntr. Gordon. The application will shortly be argued in the Supreme Court.

Frozen Meat.— The New Zealand Grain Agency Company have received a telegram from their London office that 617 sheep ex the British Queen hare been sold on behalf of Duncan Cameron, of Clunes, at an average of 7i per Ibd. A Profitable Industry.—At a meeting of the Auckland Timber Company, the report showed the net profit for the yew to bo £13,560 A dividend was declared at the rate of 15 per cent. The ameunt carried forward to the new account vras £18.535.

Professor Sample.—We would remind our readers that Profe sor Sample, the celebrated American horse trainer, will giv c a free lecture in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka, to morrow night, on * The Horse.’ At the conclusion of the lecture he will form a class from among those present and will impart to the members the method by which be obtains such astonishing results in Ihe way of horse training.

An Unfortunate Company.— At a meeting of the Southland Farmers’ Co-operative Association, a long discussion took place as to the losses sustained, which [were said to amount to £IO,OOO, and it was agreed that someone was to blame, also that the money had not been honestly lost. One member declared that the sooner legal proceedings were taken the better. It was finally resolved, in the first instance, to employ an accountant to examine the books, and submit a statement to the shareholders.

Plain Speaking.—Preaching at St. Marks, Wellington, last Sunday, the Rev. R. Coffey said he had been requested to ask hi* congregation to sign a petition in opposition to the Catholic claims in regard to education. He would not do so for the Catholic claims were for the g'ory of God—Religion v. so-called Secularism, and were in principle the same as those made by the representatiros of the Church of England and of various other denominations. So far these claims had been successfully opposed by the supporters of Godless education, partly on the plea that they wore afraid of the Roman Catholics. It could not be said of him that he had any leaning towards Romanish doctrines, but he would rather have a good Catholic to deal with than an agnostic, a materialist, or an atheist, which were the denominations now monopolising the schools.

Fxbe in Dunedin.—A fire occurred last Tuesday evening in Manse street, Dunedin,in a large wooden building occupied by Maclean and Co., auctioneers, and the upper storey of which is occupied by various offices. It occurred through one of the occupiers of the upper rooms letting fall a kerosene lamp with which he was looking if all was safe for The night. The upper storey was pretty throroughly gutted, and the wheat on the lower ,fl ror was damaged by water. The insurances are as follows the building (the

property of Messrs D. Proudfoot and W. J. M. Larnich), £IOOO in the National, the probable loss being ;£400; on Mr Isaac’s stork, £2OO in the National Office, probable loss £3OO ; on the grain, £IOO in the National Office, probable loss £2OO ; on Mr Har’oorow’s stock, £IOO in the London and Lancashire Office, probable loss £SOO. Besides these fosses there are various amounts lost by office holders who were uninsured.

Important Decision. —A somewhat important -judgment was given in Dunedin last Monday bj Mr Carew, Resident Magistrate, in a case in regard to the property tax. The person sued-* he Commissioner proved that about two years ago he became inaolyeih;||md had no pr opsrty rinca then. Jponseqdlatly the properiy on which the tax levied did not belong to him. The contention for the Crown was to the effect that if, when an assessment is made, and that is once in three years, a person has property, real or personal, although he may meet with misfortune and lose all his property in say the first year after the assessment roll is made, be neverthe* less continues liable to pay a tax for the whole of the three years upon the same amount of assessment. The defendant admitted that the assessment roll was correct when made, but he lost his property after the lime for objecting had passed. The Resident Magistrate said he saw nothing in the Property Assessment Act to support the contention for the Crown. The defendant had proved he had no taxable property for the year from the Ist April, 1882, and judgment would therefore go in his behalf. ; . Grain Dressing. • The following de scription of a grain dresser published in the North Otago Times will be found interesting! just now:—lt is worked by a three horse power water motor. Grain is delivered from the each into a shoot, whence it is elevated by an endless leather bund with cups attache 1 , into a conveyor crossing the top of the machine A worm w irking along this conveyor distributes the grain into a shaker fitted with sieves which may be arranged according to the quality of the grain. From the sieves the grain is shaken into a shaft, and thence into double “trunks" through which ti strong current of air draws up any but the heaviest grains and deposits them in the seconds chamber ; there, again, a further separation takes place by a still powerful current of air, and the refuse gram is finally deposited in a hopper, while the dust, &o , is blown off into a dust chamber. If not required for seed or other purposes the seconds may ho re elevated from the seconds chamber and put through the process a second time, and provision is made for the regulation of,the draught according to (he sample required. The work done by the machine appears lb be as ne £ perfection as is possible the grain turned out of it, whether firsts or seconds , being absolutely free from any impurity,

Blue Ribbon. — Fu'lv 3000 persons, young and old, are expected to don the blue ribbon

at the result of the crusade now being carried on in Dunedin

An Unpleasant Mistake.—A good story comes from Genera concerning a lady and gentlem n who recently arrived there, and found ad the hotels so full that they ithi mately were accommodated with a bat.li-room turned into a bed chamber. During the night the husband, wishing to call for a light, pulled a cord attached to the wa’l, under the impression that he had got hold of the bell-rope. The immediate response was a deluge of cold wa'er Monsieur and Madame jelled for help, bringing out a crowd of guests and waiters in all sorts of light and airy costumes.

A Narrow Escape. —On Tuesday afternoon, as a loaded dny was proceeding down the Geraldine road, a trap containing two ladies was being driven in the oppose direction, but on the wrong side of the road. The driver of the dray, naturally ihinK ng no doubt ihat on his appro ching the trap the ladies would turn off to their proper side, still allowed his horse to proceed, until the wheels of the two vehicles were almost in contact ’• with each other, when iust at the last moment the occupants, of the trap succeeded in turning their bo’se, moat luckily for them, as a serious collision would have been inevitable.

A Levanting Tradesman.— Yesterday morning the blind not being withdrawn from the shop-window of a certain tradesman in Geraldine, anxious enquiries were made by all and sundry creditors as to the meaning of it, resulting in a search being made of the premises. Net thor the tradesman in question nor any of his family were found, and as the place was empty, tho real situation was at once taken in. Those creditors are now lamenting h’s absence. Two little pigs and a few fowls are all that he has left behind him, to remind his friends of their loss. Ought not to have been at Large.—A strange case of suicide occurred in Melbourne on July 19. A young man named Edward Greenfield, 22 years of age, who had been for some little time living in a large temperance hotel in Melbourne, proposed to a young lady residing in the same house. As ho had only b en staying there a short while, tho lady refused his offer, which affected Greenfield to such an extent that shortly afterwards he entered a room in which the lady was sitting with a revolver in his hand The young lady, in terror, ran out of the room. Greenfield then placed the revolver to his head, fired, and killed himself He is said to be respectably conneeted, » nd was in easy circumstances.

JcTEifiLß Highwatsibk.— A couple of juvenile Jack Sheppard* named John Scott and Henvj Poppleton. who were recently committed to the Dunedin Industrial School, made their escape from the Institution on Thursday last, and were •not captured un'.l Sat^rdaf; f wnen tiny had got as far as Palmerston. They state that they left the ichool about six o’clock in the morning, and on getting to the NorthEast Valley, took two horsesout of Fergusson’s paddock, near the L wrr Junction Hotel, and rode then* along the Main Road. After passing’ Waitati, they took a saddle and bridle from a stable and went on to Eransdale where they stopped for the night. On the next moaning a hawker who also stayed therei and who had a horse and cart, offered to buy one of the horses for £3, and they asked the local blacksmith to draw out a receipt, but after making inquiries be declined to do so, and they pirted with the horse to the hawker for 10*. They then left for Waikouaiti, both riding the same horse, and took a pah of ducks from Kilmog, the property of Robert Francis, and sold th?m a short distance further on. At Wnikouaili they stayed at the Royal Hotel, and m the morning took the blankets off their bed away with them and proceeded to T’almerston. A short distance north of Waikouaiti they found a horse on the road, which they took with them, and on getting to Pleasant Valley they got a bridle out of a stable belonging to Mr Kennedy and put it on the animal. When near Palmerston they met a man riding a horse, who gave them 5s and & rery old worthless saddle for the one they had stolen One boy is over 14 years old and the other 12.

St Saviour’s Church, Temuka.—A special meeting of Parishioners was held on 1 Monday night in the St Saviour’s Church, Temuka, for the purpose of electing a Parishoners’ Church-warden, vice Mr R. H. Pearpoint, who had tendered his resignation in consequence; of removal from the district. The Rev. T. A. Hamilton .occupied the chair, and opened the meeting with prayer. The rev. Chairman expressed his sincere regret that the congregation had lost the services of such an able and energetic member, and trusted that a warm acknowledgement of Mr Pearpoint’s services would he expressed by the meeting, as it was entirely owing to his indefatigable efforts that the Church was now out of debt. The following resolution, proposed by Mr O’Haliorau and seconded by Mr Wills, was carried unanimously—‘Thai a hearty vote of thanks be accorded to Mr Pearpoint for the able manner in which he has performed the arduous duties of Parishioners’ Church-warden, and recognise with thanks the giatifying position in which he has placed the finances of (he Church, ’ The election of a Parishioners’ Church warden was then proceeded with, resulting in the unanimous election of Mr O’Halloran. Mr B-nbow Nyas chosen to fill the vacancy on ll\c vestry, caused by Mr 0 Halloran s election ns 'Church-warden. At a vestry meeting held subsequently, it was re solved to- procure punted plans of the services, for distribution in the outlying districts.

! Curiosity. —We liave shown the curiosity to which inference was made in our last issue to one of the Maoris, and he says it, U a sword. At one end was a tongue-shaped spear, which^-i a 4p|otirtly broken off, ami the oilier entigfc like ” boat paddle. It is in a splendid state of pres Tvation

The Geraldine Dairy and BaconCoring Company.—The Directors of the Company hare lost no time since their election in commencing work in right earnest. At a meeting on Monday afternoon last, Dr Fish was unanimously elected Chairman, and a working committees was appointed. In our issue of Tuesday last, giving the n-.mes of tho Directors appointed by the shareholders during thei” meeting last Fiiday, that of Mr R. 11. Postlef h watte was accidentally omitted.

G'ilu Mining —Tho excellent return of 26200zs of gold from the Prince Imperial untie, Thames, for the last month enabled the D rectors to declare a dividend of 5s per sitare, to pay for the whole of the new machinery, amounting to about £IOOO, and to carry forward a substantial balance. The Prince Imperial mine has paid £23,400 in dividends during tho past eight months—a total of 26s per share. The other day Dcwt of specimens were obtained, and a very rich show is being left in the roof of the stopo. As the specimens last month averaged more than loz to the lb of stone, the present haul may he regarded ns the most satisfactory that his been received from the Thames goldfields forja long period. At an auction sale of Terawhiti stock last Tuesday the prices realised showed a slight decline on previous sales. The initial retorting in connection with the crushing of quartz at Terawhiti is expected to take place towards the end of tho week. Great interest is evinced in the result. Choral Society for Geraldine.— On Tuesday evening last a meeting of those interested in the formation of a Choral Society was held in tho schoolroom, Geraldine. There was a good attendance, and Mr T. Sherratt, convener of the meeting, was voted to the chair, who opened the proceedings by reading the advertisement, whereby the meeting was called. He also read a letter he had received from Mr Edmonds, of Temuka, stating on what terms he would undertake to go to Geraldine once a week to act as instructor and conductor to the society. The question of ways and means was lengthly discussed . It was ultimately resolved—- ‘ That a society be formed to be called the Geraldine Society.’ It was also resolved—‘That Messrs Hughes, C Sherratt, Willoughby, T Sherratt, and Dr Fish form a Committee, for the purpose of making all necessary arrangements to start the society, and obtain all information as to how many members, active and .honorary, .are likely to join. On a discussion as to what the fee should be for honorary membership, it was decided to be 10s 6d per annum, which would entitle such members to two tickets for reserved seats for all concerts given by the society. Resolved—‘That a letter be sent to the Oddfellows’ Society asking how much they would'charge for the use ol the hall and piano for tho practices of the society.’ Mr Edmonds’s offer re conductoiship was held over for the present, till the report of the Committee could be discussed at the next inerting. Mr Bctlmne was appointed Secretary to the society. Resolved— ‘ That the music to be used by the Philharmonic society, be both sacred and secular.’ The subscription for the active members was decided to be 4s per month for gentlemen and 2« 6 I for indies, subject to a possible reduction, but not to be increased beyond that stated. Dr Fish, on behalf of the Misses Fish promised all aid possible in furtherance of the society. The meeting then terminated

Mr W S Maslin will hold aside of farming implements under a bill of sale, opposite •he old brewery, Geraldine on Tuesday next, 14th inst.

Farmers residing near the W&'hi Gorge would do we’l *o attend Mr Maslin’* timber sale at Fergusson’s Mills on the J6lh inst.

John Cmmai'd. of Temuka, storekeeper, ha* filed a declaration of insolvency. Mr VV. G. Aspinall is his solicitor.

Tim Gfood Templars of Geraldine invito tenders for, .tljfl erection of a hull, to bo in on Fridayj August; 17th, Gorged Livers, Bilious conditions, consipnfcion, piles, dyspepsia, headache, cured by Wells’ May Apple Pills. Sdand Is boxes at druggists, Moses. Moss and Co, Sydney. Gen. Agents for Australasia. Lidv Bonntifiers —Ladies,-you cannot make fair ekin, rosy cheeks, and sparkling eye* with all the cosmetics of France, or beautifiers of the world, while in poor health; and nothing will give ygtt such rich blood, good health, strength, and beauty as Hop Bitters. A trial is certain proof. See.