LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1146, 1 March 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Justice or the Peace. —Among (he list of the New Justices of the Peace just gazetted, appears the name of Wm. Barker Howell, of I'otara Valley, County Geraldine. Monthly Stock Salk.— The monthly stock Sale at the Geraldine sale yards will be held by Messrs J. Mundell and Co. on Wednesday next. A list of the entries up to the present time appeal’s elsewhere. The N.Z. Unitebsitt. —The New Zealand University Senate commenced its annual session on Wednesday. Including a Government grant of £3OOO, the revenue of the year had been £3713, and expenditure £3434. Town Boabd foe Abowhenua. A meeting of the ratepayers in the township of Arowhenua will be held this evening in the Good Templars’ Hall, to take into consider ation the advisability of bringing the township under the Town Districts Act. The Dunedin Grain Ring.—The farmers in the country districts, of Otago, are taking steps to oppose the decision of the grain merchants and millers to make no allowance, except in weight, for eacks when buying grain. The various Agricultural Societies will be asked to move in the matter. Local Option. The Albertlanders, Auckland, who have consistently opposed the liquor traffic for nearly a quarter of a century, have returned the temperance ticket by a majority of 10 to 1. Mangawai, which has recently been added to their licensing district, will now have its hotel shut up. The N.Z. Shipping Co’s Line. The N.Z.S. Go’s Ruapehu has arrived at Auckland after a passage of 45 days 15 hours, out of which 31 hours have to be taken for detention at Teneriffe and Hobart. The voyage was remarkably fine throughout. The capfain was not at all surprised at sailing vessels making long passages. She brings 188 passengers of whom 109 are Immigrants, Land Sales. —The sale of Crown lands in Timaru on Tuesday was successful. Reserve 640 on the Pareora river-bed was all sold, on oash ternt, except three lots, in most cases the upset prices being considerably exceeded. Reserve 641 on the South bank of the Otaio, most of which was offered on deferred payment terms, sold well, the lowest price being £8 per acre and the highest £l6. A couple of sections in the river-bed, offered for cash, did not find a purchaser, nor did the section on which the old Otaio Inn had stood. The section was offered “with the house,” but the latter had disappeared with the exception of a few stud*. The Rangitata land sold fairly well. The cash sales amounted to over £ISOO, and the deferred payment sales to about £llOO.

Mohmon Women’s Superstition.— A ghastly burial ceremony that is practiced by tbe Mormons rivets the hold poly-gamy has 'on the superstition of these creatures. Every wife that is buried has a black cloth laid on her face, and the Mormon women are taught to balieve that on the resurrection day, when the righteous are called into the joy of their Lord, no hand but that of a husband can remove the cloth, and that unless the cloth is lifted by his hand she must remain in outer darkness for ever. A woman that believes that—and the Mormon women believe it cant help behaving herself,no matter how many wives her husband takes. She has to keep on the right side of the only man who can taka off that cloth. Fatal Fihk at Auckland.—A fire broke out at one o’clock on Wednesday morning in a two storey building, at Parnell, Auckland. The lower portion was occupied by Biggs, bootmaker, and the upper storey as a boardinghouse by Curbin. The fire spread with great rapidity, the building being a wooden one. All the inmates succeeded in effecting their escape with the exception of one young man named Michael Hogan. Daniel Ready, one of the boarders, says he was awakened by cries of “Fire,” and jumping out of bed opened the door of bis bedroom, bat was met with such a suffocating volume of smoke that he was compelled to retreat, He heard Hogan, who occupied an adjoining room, cal] out, but he was unable to render aid. Beady’s opinion is that the man lost his presence of mind, and instead of attempting to get out of the window strove to make his way down stairs, and was suffocated by the smoke. Beady tied a blanket to the bed-post, and by this means reached the street. After the fire was partially got under, the skeleton of Hogan, horribly burned, was found amid the burning debris. The deceased man, Hogan, arrived in the s.s. Doric, and was employed at the gasworks. It has transpired that during the fire Hogan threw his box out of the window and evidently made an attempt, to descend the stairs. The fire spread up the street to Mrs Revitt’s house, which was speedily destroyed, and Neall’s house adjoining was gutted. Slater's residence below the boarding house was also gutted. The total damage is stated to bo £ISOO.

The Outgoing Mail.— The mails via San Francisco will close at the Post Office, Geraldine, at 2.45 p.m. to day, and at Temuka at 3 p.m. Vital Statistics. —The following are the vital statistics registered at the office, Geraldine, for the month ended February 29st 1884: —Births, 5 ; marriages, 1 ; deaths, 3. Rewabd.— Mr Hellier Fauvel offers a reward of £SO for any one giving such information a* will lead to the conviction of the person who at first spread a false report about him. We are given to understand that there is not a particle of truth in the report, and that it never had the slightest foundation in fact so far as Mr Fauvel and the other party mentioned are concerned. This rumor has been spread evidently by some mischievous person, and it is to be hoped the author of it will be found out and punished, for a more unwarrantable, cowardly, and villainous method of injuring innocent people never was heard of.

Beet Sugab.— The beet-sugar factory at Lavenham, Suffolk, which Mr James Duncan established some years ago, but was obliged to discontinue, is about to be re-opened by a company who have acquired a new patent process for making beet sugar on an improved principle. Mr F. Engelhardt states that in Germany there are grown about 8,701,000 tons annually; and in France, by planting the rows sufficiently close, namely, 15 to 18 inches apart, and hoeing out the plants at 12-inch spaces in the rows, the farmers obtain what is wanted in the form of a great number of medium or small roots, yielding 18 to 20 tons per acre. Taking 18 tons as a fair crop, and a fair price as 18s per ton, the return would be £l6 4s. Tuberculosis, —Tuberculosis of the most pronounced type has been discovered amongst some cattle in Victoria. The Argus of the 21st ult, has the following reference to the matter ;—“ A startling discovery was made yesterday by the officers of the Central Board of Health. Mr J. Warne, a salesman in the meat market, reported that be had bought 25 head of cattle from Messrs Peek, Hudson, and Raynor, at the cattle yards, for the small sum of 29s a head. Eight were sent to the city abattoirs, and 17 to Heller’s slaughterhouse, Brunswick. Two of the latter were killed, and on examination were found to have been in the last stage of tuberculosis, a disease believed to be communicable to the human subject. Mr J. J. Shillinglaw called together a number of gentlemen representing the Central Board of Health and the Tuberculosis Board, and with them and two health officers proceeded to the slaughter house, where Drs Allen and Jamieson found the most indubitable proofs of the existence of tuberculosis in the carcases of the slaughtered animals. The remaining 15 were inspected as they stood in a pen, and their lean aud bony appearance, and their coughing, indicated that they also were diseased. The beasts will be killed to-morrow morning, and care will be taken that none of the flesh finds its way into consumption.”

Mr Ludwig Buss, Temuka, has a secondhand double seated buggy for sale cheap, Messrs J. Mundell and Co. have a superior piano for sale, by Brinsmead, London. Mr John Lawson, Temuka, wants the owner of a black sheep dog. Tenders are invited for repairs to the Waitohi school and master’s house. Tenders close on Tuesday. The Geraldine Road Board invite tenders for several contracts. For particulars we lefer our readers to our advertising columns. Autumn Display.—Mr John W. Miles, of The Hall, Temuka, draws the attention of the public to his splendid display of new and seasonable goods which he is now opening up. With our present issue is published a further list of goods to be secured at Messrs Gabxtes and Plante’s great sale in consequence of dissolution of partnership. The drawing for the prizes in the art union will take place on the 12th March, so the sale will only continue till that date.