LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1367, 18 July 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Outgoing ’Frisco Mail.—The outgoing mail via San Francisco closes to-day. Resident Magistrate’s Court, Geraldine. —A sitting of this Court will take place on Monday at half-past twelve. Land Saxes in New Zealand. —Since its foundation the colony has sold 12,558,507 acres of land, realising £12,511,220. In addition there has been an area of 5,151,519 aores granted or reserved under various Acts. There are still 12,055,339 acres of land open for selection. Another Excuse. —It is known, of course, that the service of summonses for debt are delayed according to law in certain cases—for instance, against M.P.’s during the session of Parliament, and also, it is presumed, against soldiers in active service, but the latest excuse for this delay in service of a summons comes from Oxford, where it is said a bailiff of another Magistrate’s Court had been unable to effect service of a summons for rates of five years’ standing against a defendant fo- the reason that he could not be found as he had joined the Salvation Army '.—Press Immigration Returns.— The immigration returns laid on the table of tha House of Representatives on Thursday show that from Ist July 1884 to 31st May 1885 £17,07110s was the total passage money for immigrants, of which £2004 was paid in th» colony. 1262 immigrants arrived in the colony during that period, their nationalities being English 565, Irish 546, Scotch 141, tt e balance being Q-eunans, Danes, Swede-, and Norwegians. Since the initiation of the scheme 31,388 immigrants have been nominated, and 28,673 arrived^

Auction Sales.—Messrs J. Mundell and Co., hold a sale of household furniture and fruit and forest trees at their rooms, Geraldine, to-day. Found Dead.— A shepherd named Couller was found dead at the foot of a precipice on the Uakateramea Station, on Wednesday. He is supposed to have slipped on the snow above. Accident in a Hunting Field.—Dr Ross, of Ashburton, met with an accident in the bun ting Hold on Thursday. Ho was thrown from a horse and dislocated his thumb and broke one of his ribs. Strange Place for a Watou.—The following curious “find” is recorded in the Ashburton Guardian:—“ On Thursday a farmer well known in the locality purchased a coat fmm a shop in Ashburton, and on reaching home he discovered a watch of some value in one of the pockets of the new garment !” The Pauuoqukt Nuisance. —We notice that correspondents in a northern contemporary are suggesting that a war of extermination should be at once commenced against the parroquets. It appears certain that they will not migrate this winter, and if they are not got rid of they will do immense damage in the spring. In some places they are already destroying the buds of the currant bushes. Owners of orchards in this district should bestir themselves. Evidence oj Pkospebitt.—Marriage it seems (says the Press) is sometimes taken by magistrates material prosperity. In a recent case in Court a creditor sought a judgment summons against a debtor. It was first necessary, however, for him to show that the debtor was m a position to pay. He urged that the fact of tho debtor having recently entered the matrimonial state should be taken as proof of this. The Bench concurred, and gave judgment in the usual terms, wliich include the imprisonment alternative.

Bad Roads. —The recent wet weather has had a very ill effect on some of the roads in the Temuka Road District—notably on the roads leading into and through the Arowhenua Village Settlement. There is a great deal of traffic on these roads ami they require seeing to at once. During tho last day or two the railway hands have been filling up with gravel and large stones some of lhe low places near the railway station, Temuka—a work greatly needed.

Remedy for Apple Blight, —The Hon. the Minister for Lands, Mr J. Ballance, has sent us a remedy for apple blight, which we republish in tho hope that it may prove of service to many of our reader. Coming from the source we have mentioned, leaves little doubt but that the recipe is an effective one, and the owners of orchards whose apple trees are affected with blight should certainly give it a trial. The recipe and treatment are as follow “Four pounds sublimed sulphur, in an iron pot, with enough water to conveniently stir while boiling for twenty minutes; then add 11b caustic potash (Greenbauk Company’s is the beat), previously dissolved and whilst still hot, and as much colza or other vegetable oil as will make it like a thick paint. Then when warm, with a large paint-brush daub it for about the space of a foot round the butt of the stem of the tree. Rain will wash it into the roots, and oil will tend to preserve its strength for years,” Good Prospects.-— Tho Directors visited the South Pacific Petroleum Company’s works on Tuesday. They report as follows: Weaver, the contractor, h iving notified he had completed the first section of his contract of 880 feet, on arrival at the works steam was got up, and the drill worked. On its subsequently being withdrawn, the depth attained was found to be 889 feet. The hole was then cleaned out by means of a sand pump. After its being sent down five or six times the presence of oil was made clearly manifest, being brought up mixed with sand in about equal proportions. More importance is attached to the indication from the fact that Weaver’s prediction to the Board for some time regarding the depth at which he would strike sand, where ho expected to obtain the first decided indications of oil, hare been verified. Wearer considers be will strike a veritable oil rock at a further depth of from 250 to 300 feet, and the Directors have the strongest reasons for believing the prediction will prove correct. The bore is in first-class order, the pipes perfectly plumb from and to end, and the whole machine in good working order. The Drowning Case at Rakaia. —ln our last issue it was briefly mentioned that Philip Dolan had met with his death by drowning at Rakaia. The following are further particulars of the sad occurrence : On Tuesday in company with his son, a lad of seven years, he was engaged hauling firewood from the spit running between the sea and the river. About half-past four, when the last log was being hauled, the father noticed that the water was rising, and the waves washing over the spit. He ordered his little boy to go on before. This the lad did, and in a few minutes, looking round, he saw the horse struggling against a wave, and his father up to his shoulders in the lagoon. Not a sound was heard bat the roar of the sea. The boy looked away, and when he again looked round he could see no signs of his father. He says that when he saw the horse last nothing but its head and neck could be seen. The shingle was washed clean away. The horse, it was found, eventually managed to get out and went home but there was no chance for the unfortunate man. The County Council and the Government Measures. —At Thursday’s meeting of the Geraldine County Council, copies of the Counties Act Amendment Bill, Local Bodies Finance and Powers Bill, and Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill were laid before tbe members, and were gone through and shortly discussed. The following telegram was directed to be sent to tho Hon. W. Rolleston, Member for Geraldine, and Captain J. H. Sutter, Member for, Gladstone. “That this Council approves of the principle of subsidiisng money raised for local purposes, but consider that the system of subsidy should bo uniform, say JR for £ collected by either tbe Road Board or County Council ; that clause 7 of tho Property Assessment Act—that the mortgagee should pay the properly tax remain as at present; that the exemption under this Act should be reduced to £250, instead of £SOO as at present; und that the election of County Chairman and Auditors should remain as at present, Pib Julius Vogel’s Petition. —On Thursday a petition was presented to (he House from Sir Julius Vogel praying that he might be allowed compensation for his services in connection with the floating of i he £5,000,000 loan of 1879. The petition «.-ts forth that in 187 S Sir Julius Vogel was appoin'ed Agent-General for tbe colony in London, and some time afterwards aecepted the pnsiiiiin of a Director of tbe N.Z. Agricultural Land Company. This position the Udl Government deemed incompatible with > that of Agent-General and they telegraphed

asking him to resign his petition as Director of the Land Company. This the petitioner declined to do, but offered to act as AgentGeneral without a salary provided he were appointed Loan Agent at a certain percentage. The Government replied that they were considering the expediency of appointing him as Loan Agent iu cpncoi't with two others, and asked him to send further particulars per post. The petitioner alleges that he was under the impression that the arrangement would include the five million loan then pending, and urges that if it was not he was misled as lo the inducements held out. He further urges that his services were of great value in floating that loan, and humbly prays that the honorable House will take the premises into their favorable consideration, and grant the petitioner such redress as to the honorable Houeemay seem fit. The Poundkeeper sells a bay hack horse at the Geraldine Pound, to-day, if the same is not previously released. In our advertising columns will be found entries for Mr K. F. Gray’s pig sale on Tuesday next. He is still receiving entries. Clearing Sale.—Messrs J, Billantyne and Co., Victoria House, Timaru, notify that they are now holding their annual clearing sale of winter drapery. The Hall, Temuka.—Mr J. W. Miles, The Hall, announces that he is offering a special lot of Ladies’ and Children’s Ulsters at half the usual prices. Insurance,—The attention of insurers and tho public generally is drawn to the advertisement in another column of the Liverpool and London and Globe Insurance Company. Mr E. Hardcastlo has been appointed sub-agent for the Geraldine district. Lovely Clime.—There are lovely climes and places in which the evening zephyrs are loaded with malaria and the poison of fever and epidemic?. To dwell there in health is impossible, without a supply of Bitters at hand. These American Go’s Bitters impart an equalizing strength to the system and prevent the accumulation of deadly spores of contagion. Bs sure and see Advt.