LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1317, 19 March 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Liberal Donation.— Sir Julius Yogej has offered the Mayor of Christchurch £25 as his donation towards a fund for relieving private distress.

Gbhaldinb Town Board Offices.—The contractors for this now building are making good progress, haring been farored with fair weather lately.- : Orer four fast of the walls are now up.

Woodbubt Races,— Nomination! for the Handicap* Handles and the Woodbury Cup must be made hot later than Saturday next, with the Hon. Secretary, Mr J. Harmar, Woodbury. Cooper’s Sheep Dip, Circulars and testimonials regarding this dip, pronounced by the judges at the Napier trial to be the best in the market, may be obtained from Messrs J, Mundell and Co., agents, Geraldine,

Largest. —A man was yesterday arrested at Geraldine by Constable Willoughby, charged with stealing a number of ling fish from the back premises of the Crown Hotel, and also some articles of clothing, the property of Jas. Cole, a servant at the hotel. He will be brought up this morning.

The Volunteer Movement.—Great interest is being evinced by the young men in the formation of a rifle corps for Geraldine. Over thirty names have already been enrolled, and were it not that a number of willing recruits are away just now engaged in harvest the number »f names would be considerably larger. A Sub-Committee appointed to choose a site for a range, have fixed upon a suitable one, if the use of it can be obtained. As it is Government property this should not be a difficult matter, especially as the ground is not adapted for either building or agricultural purposes. A gentlemen who has had a military training, has kindly offerrd his esrvices as instructor of the corps, though unfortunately he is precluded from becoming an active member.

Narrow Escape.—Mr Belhune, who is well-known in this district, by hie timely aid, recently saved a family of children from an awful death iu Maeterton. “ About half-past seven last evening (says a local paper) Mr Bethune, of this town, wai passing Mr Bragg in's house near the public echool. when he heard children screaming. He entered the house, and found that in the upstairs room Mrs Braggin’e children bad accidentally set the bedding on fire. The little ones were undressed and too frightened to do anything but cry out. Mr Bethune threw the burning blankets out of the window, scorching bis hands in performing his task. Neither Mr nor Mrs Braggins were at home, and Mr appearance on the scene wai providential.”

E.M. Court, Temuka.— At the abore Court, yesterday, before S. D. Barker and J. Talbot, Esqrs., J.P.’s, Thos. Morrison, charged with having made use of insulting language with the intent to commit a broach of the peace on the public streets in Temuka on the 17th of March, pleaded guilty. Constable Morton said that at a quarter to 12 last Tuesday night the accused and two others came out of a stable on horseback and rode down towards the Road Board office. Accused jumped off, threw down his coat, and aafd he would fight any Irish—-in the place. The other two went away, but accused would not, and ha had to lock him up. Accused was fined 10s. The only civil case was W. Budd v. Thos. Housely, claipi. £4 16s. Thera was no appearance of defendant. Judgment by default for the amount claimed and coats. The Court then adjourned.

The Painless Extinction of Life.— Dr. Richardson’s process of painless killing of the lovvef animals, as elaborated by him in a lecture recently, scores for science a magnificent success. As its author said in the closing passages of his discourse, science has now given to the inferior creation a bles sing which she dare not give to man himself, a painless death. At the Dog’s Home over 9000 dogs have during the past seven months slept their final sleep, knowing as little of their deaths as of their births. The principal agent used for the narcotic action is carbonic oxide, passing, at summer heat, over a mixture of chloroform and carbon bisulphide into a lethal chamber, in which chamber as many as 100 dogs can at once receive euthanasia. This is on the large scale; but Dr Richardson described also a small apparatus which after long trials he had completed, in which from one to six animals can be painlessly killed, and which is so portable that it can be wheeled from a central station to any house or street ready for immediate use. Thus every village and town may be provided at» small cost wilh a means that will give painless death to any domestic animal without offending the most sensitive individual. By an extension of the same design the author next intends to apply it to animals of the larger kind that are used for human food, its application to the slaughtering? of sheep being already quite feasible and inexpensive.

False Pretences. A man named John W. Wentworth was arrested in Tetnuka last Tuesday charged with having obtained £55 by means of false pretences from aMr Billings, of Invercargill. He was remanded to the latter-named town.

A Chinaman in Trouble. — A peculiar case came before Judge Williams in Chambers last Tuesday in Dunedin, A Chinaman named Lo Choy is in gaol for three months for failing to comply with a Magistrate's order for the maintenance of an illegitimate child. He says that the first he heard of the affair was his summary arrest and imprisonment, the original summons having been served upon the wrong Chinaman. There are grave doubts whether there are any mean# of getting Lo Choy out of gaol, ai the possibility of such a case seems never to have been contemplated by law-makers. Railway Travelling.— The Waipawa Mail has the following eulogy on the railway ; —“Here is a hint for travellers by rail. If you miss the train at Waipawa go home to your paddock, catch your horse and overtake it at Waipukurau ; or if you should possibly miss there, you can make absolutely certain of catching it at Takapau. This statement is not made to cast any slur on the speed of Her Majesty’s trains, but it is only based on what was actually preformed quite lately, when a well-known schoolmaster missed the train at Orowharo, and cantered away to Takapau, arriving there with some seven minutes to spare. Advance New Zealand!"

New Use for the Telephone.—The telephone is about being introduced into Tunis under very singular circumstances. A Frenchman, who was once a priest of the Premonatrants in Paris, afterward* a Trappist in Algeria, and is now a Mussulman at Kairman, has been invested with the charge of a Kouba or shrine. Though he is said to speak Arabic admirably and to preach on the Koran with great unction, he finds the offering# of believers who visit the shrine come in slowly. Accordingly a telephone is being fitted up which will convey to him in his chamber the questions put to the saint by the Arab pilgrims. By the same agency he will be able to return replies calculated to startle' and amaze the natives. This is making science the handmaid of religion in a way little contemplated by devout believers in the Koran. Divorce. —At Chriitohuroh last Monday, before his Honor Judge Johnston, (he case of Bevington r. Bavington and King wai beard. Thii wai a petition presented by W. L. Berington for a dieeolution of the marriage between himself and hie wife, Maria SBerington, on the ground of her adultery with one King, alias Wairoa Savage. There was no appearance of respondeat and co-respon-dent. Mr McConnel appeared for the petitioner. William Louden Berington, the petitioner, was called, and deposed to the fact that on October 21, 1871, be was married to reepondent at Leithfield by the Eev. 0. Turrell, and they lived together for seme eight yean. The respondent left her home in 1879, and witness traced her to a place named Waterton, near Ashburton, whera iba was living with the respondent King. About two. years after witness saw her again at Temuka. She had two children belonging to witnen with her, and one belonging to the co-respondent. Witness asked her to come home with him but she declined, and said the best thing he could do was to get a divorce. Last April ha saw her again at Temuka, living with King as bis wife. As witness went in at the front door King went out at the back door. He saw her again on October 18th of last year. She had a baby then belonging to King, Witnese told her be would take her hack with the baby if she would put the two eldest children she had by King in Burnham. The respondent declined to do this, and the petitioner then got hie own two children back. He had never lived with reepondent lines 1879. He had not instituted proceedings before because he bad no means. There was no reason why the respondent ehould have left him. The co-respondent Kihg had a wife and thirteen chiidren living. His Honor said, after considering the authorities, he was prepared to make a decree nisi, on the usual terms, viz., to take effect unless cause shown within six mouths.

Sx. Pateick’s Dat.— Tuesday, the Anniversary Day of Ireland’s Patron Saint, passed over very quietly. A number of townspeople went to the Point Races, and those who stayed at home passed the day quietly at their occupations. .Mass was eelebrated in Geraldine by the Rot. Father Kean, and in Temuka by tbo Rer. Father Faurel. Thera was a good attendance at each. In Christchurch the event wae celebrated by a grand banquet, at which the Hon. Colonel Brett presided. There was a very large attendance of all deaomibations, including all the local Members of Parliament and other celebrities. In the course of the evening Colonel Brett said the Army and Navy were composed of English, Scotch, and Irish, and there was no part more honored or more distinguished than the Irish. [Applause.] He would take the action of the Irish at Tel-cl-Kebir and those who led them ae an illustration. The Russians would never commit so suicidal an act as to try and enter Afghanistan, and the first time they made the attempt we could raise 100,000 men against 30,000 of theirs, and there was nothing to fear from any privateers. Mr Joynt said it was necessary for the Irishman to impress upon his. children that they cams from a grand old stock and grand old country. [Applause.] They should do this because the English tongue was spoken and English laws were adopted here, while the traditions of the Irish and their literature might die out unless Irishman did as ho said. The country possessed women of the fairest and most virtuous in the world— [applanse] -and from it came J

men whose names adorned the rolls of h eroes, poets, and orators. It became a duty of the fathers here to hand these facts down to their descendants. [Applause,] He was proud to see sucha band of Irish of different religions met together here without a dissentient voice. [Applause.] Mr John Holmes, M.H.R., said Ireland had once a native Parliament, and then she produced great men, and when it had that individuality again it would again raise great men also. Though that spirit whom animated the dead was not so strong now, still they could point to those of which all were proud. The greatest diplomatist of England was Lord Dufferin. In the Army General Wolseley was an Irishman, and Lord Beresford belonged to the Navy,_ [Applause.] In the law they had Lord Cairns, and by those gentlemen it was seen that Ireland could come into competition with Great Britain. [Cheers.] In Hew Zealand the Lord Chief Justice, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and three Ministers were Irishmen. Looking at those who colonised this place, there were Mr Crosbie Ward and Mr Fitz Gerald, and the Hon. Judge Gresson. [Applause.] Ha thought enough had been said to toast •‘lrishmen at Home and Abroad.” The banquet wae held in the Provincial Council Hall, and the proceedings wound up with the chorus "The dear little Shamrock " and the National Anthem,

Messrs Maclean and Stewart on the 4th April will sell the 300 acre farm lately in the occupation of Mr Jas. Flack, near Geraldine.

Mr A. Maxwell, the successor to Mr J. Crawford’s well known saddlery business, Tiraaru, notifies that he has now greatly reduced the prices of all kinds of ladies’ and gentlemen’s whips, m order to effect a clearance of these articles, with which he is greatly overstocked. He is also selling saddles and all kinds of harness at lowest prices, aud guarantees the workmanship. M- Maxwell invites inspection.