LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1371, 28 July 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sir Julius Yogel’s Petition. — Sir Julius Yogel’s petition will come before the Public Petitions Committee on Wednesday next. Banos ax Pleasant Yallet.— On Friday evening next a dance will be held in the Pleasant Yalley schoolroom commencing at 8 p.m. Cheap Bread.— lnouradvertising columns the bakers of Pemuka announce that on and after the Ist August they will lower the price of 4lb. loaves to sd. Geraldine School Committee. The regular monthly meeting of this Committee will be held to-morrow evening in the schoolroom at half-past seven. Eetuenbd |Home, —We notice that Mr and Mrs W. Wheelband. of Temuka, and Mr T. Farrell, of Geraldine, have returned home, after paying a visit to the Old Country. Temuka Parliamentary Union, —Members are reminded that the Speaker will take the chair to-nighi at 7.30 sharp. Besides the ordinary business, it is understood that Mr E. Lee, member for Egmont, will more a “noconfidence ” motion. The Band Contest at the N.Z. Exhibition. —The Oamaru Gaarison Band at a meeting last Friday night made all arrangements to go to Wellington for tho band contest, and will leave on Tuesday week. They will give concerts at Titnam and Christchurch on their way. Clearing Sale at Waitohi.— Mr W. Walker, of Waitohi, having determined to relinquish farming, has instructed the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, to dispose of his,live and dead stock. The sale takes place on Friday next on the farm, is an unreserved one, and luncheon will be provided. Full particulars wil 1 be found in our advertising columns. Damage to Asphalte. —Owners of property in Geraldine who have had the footpath in front of their premises asphalted, have been considerably annoyed by finding holes made in it. The mischief is generally done in tho night time, so that it is not easy to detect the culprit. It is a pity that the perpetrator of such acts of wanton mischief —it can be nothing else —cannot be caught and made an example of, for the practice wants certainly putting a slop to. An Unlucky Oat.—A correspondent informed us yesterday that a neighbor of his lost a cat. It was missing for fourteen days, and the poor animal was then found caught in a snare which had been set for hares. It is surmised that it had been there the whole time it had been away from home. The poor thing was alive but the snare had cut deeply into its flesh, owing to the efforts it had made to get away, and it was of course very emaciated and weak from want of food. Tin; Timaru Hospital.— According to a Government return just published, the expenditure for the Timaru Hospital during 1884 was as follows Provisions, £551 2s 6d ; wine, ale, &c,, £IOB IGs 9d ; drugs and instruments, £319 19s 9d ; fuel nod light, £lsl 7s lid ; bedding and clothing, £37 7s 6d ; furniture, crockery, &c., £42 0s 4d ; washing, £22 7s ; salaries and wages, £845 5s ; water supply, £5 ; funerals, £2O Is'; repairs, £175 5s 4d ; printing and advertising, £24 10s 7d ; other expenses, £72 16s 9d. Total, £2,376 0s sd. The Quarter’s Returns.— The HurunuiBluff line is responsible for the whole of the falling off in the railway returns for the June quarter. Indeed the loss on this section is more by some £3OOO than that for the whole colony, but the profits on the Auckland and Wellington section make up this much. The New Zealand exports for the June quarter show a large increase in coal, £27,162 against £1854. There is a decrease in gold of £171,695, instead of £179,250; a fair increase in timber and kauri gum, salt beef, butter, hides, live stock, preserved meat, flour, malt and leather; a large increase in frozen meat (value £145,993, against £106,005) ; a very large decrease in wheat (£65,202, against £223,393); bacon and hams, rabbit and sheepskins, tallow (£61,366, against £80,405) ; wool (£488,901, against £526,121); oats (£75,586, against £114,983), etc. These figures are very suggestive.

The Kakahtt Coal.—Mr Binna, Government Inspector of Mines, arrived in Terauka yesterday by express train from Dunedin for the purpose of reporting on the mineral prospects of Kakahu. He proceeded to Orari by the evening train, and it is bis intention to visit the district to-day. We submitted specimens of the coal to Mr Binns, and he spoke very well of it. We may add also that we have tried a full fire of it, wit.li the most satisfactory results. It burns brightly, lighting up much like wood, and throws out a great deal of heat. The fire of it which was put down about 7 o’clock in the evening, kept red until 7 o’clock the following morning, when ol course there was very little left except ashes. It loaves no cinders, but burns to ashes completely. Without doubt it is as good, if not better, than Shag Point coal, and it would be a great boon to the district if it could be worked. MrK. F. Gray has informed us that it is one of the best siearaproducing coals he ever met with. To all appearances it is in unlimited quantities in the district, and wo feel convinced that the day is not far distant when it will be giving employment to a large number of men. Tomorrow afternoon, at 3 o’clock, a meeting will be held in Mr Ash well’s office, Temuka, to consider what steps should be taken to test the plac' p'operly, and we trust all those who take an interest in it will attend,

Auction Sales. —On Saturday next, at Geraldine, Messrs J. Mundell and 00. sell 53a. Ir. of bush land, at Waihi Bush, tho property of C. W. Tancred, Esq. On Monday next they will sell 25,000 bricks at Kennirigton’a brickyard, Geraldine. Full particulars will bo found in our advertising columns. Geraldine Town Board. —A special meeting of this Board was held yesterday. Present—Messrs li. H. Pearpoint (Chairman), N. Dunlop, J. Huffey, W. S. Maslin, and J. Mundell. The Chairman explained that the meeting had been called for the purpose of considering what was to be done with the reserves recently vested in the Board. Mr Maslin moved that tenders be called for leasing the suburban sections and the gravel reserve opposite Williams' for a term of 21 years under the same conditions as the other reserves were let, with the exception that the fencing should be left to the option of tho lessee. This was seconded by Mr Huffey and carried. Mr Maslin thought they should leave oyer the town sections, as there was no demand for them just now. The Board should look to the future. They would no doubt be much more valuable in time to come. Mr Mundell then proposed that the small sections be not dealt with at present. Seconded by Mr Huffey end carried. This being all the businers, the Board adjourned. Winchester. —Our correspondent writes; —Many of your readers will be pleased to hear that our host, Mr Young, of the Wolseley Hotel, last week liberated some 300 brook trout in the Winchester stream. The fish are one year old. The creeks about here should be particularly favorable to this kind of fish, which will doubtless prove a great acquisition to the district. The weather so far has been favorable to “ spawning,” and anglers may expect a good basket in the coming season.— A meeting of the Committee of the Mechanics’ Institute was held last week when Mr Carston was appointed Librarian. It was decided to open the reading room daily, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the library from 7 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays.—The children attending our schools were reassembled on Tuesday last, the repairs to the seboolhouse and grounds having; been completed. The attendance was much better than before, the health of the children having much improved. —Evening service is now held regularly every Sunday and is much appreciated, though the congregation is not so large as could be desired. It is hoped, however, that the attendance will improve as the days get longer. The services are conducted by the incumbent, Mr Hamilton, and in his absence, by the lay readers, Messrs In wood and Eobt. Smith,— The weather for the past fortnight has been all that could be desired, and farmers hare taken advantage of it to get their ploughing through, though the present low prices give little encouragement. But let us hope that better times ai’e in store for them, for unless they are able to secure a fair return for their labor and capital the whole of the country must suffer.

Sx. Mary’s Church.— A meeting of the vestry of St. Mary’s Church, Geraldine, whs held in the Literary Institute yesterday. Present—The Rev. Jas. Preston (in the chair), Dr Fish, and Messrs T. Hughes, W. E. Barker, R. *S. Cook, W. Coltman, E. Hardcaatle, E. J. S. Eckford, and W. Hawke. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Mr Hughes stated that the leak in the church was not yet altogether stopped. After considering the matter it was left to the Churchwardens to get done. The rev. Chairman stated that the chief business cf the meeting was to consider the question of repairs to the parsonage. A report on the building was furnished by Mr A. White, who was appointed by the Churchwardens to inspect the building. As the, work was most necessary, and the only question was one of ways and means, a discussion took place as to the best way to raise a fund for the purpose; Mr Cook proposed—“ That subscription lists be sent round to all the leading places in the parish parochial district, with a letter of explanation, asking for contributions.” — Agreed to. It was proposed—“ That the work be let to Mr A. Whit# far the amount of his estimate, the repairs to the roof and the interior to be done at once, and the painting of the outside to be left till the weather is favorable ; the Churchwardens to have power to call for tenders in the event of Mr White not taking up the work.”—Agreed to. A vote of thanks was p issed to Mr Tripp for his gift of trees for the church ground, and to Mr Sluers for his donation towards the cost of cleaning the grounds. This being all the business, a vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting. Lovely Clime. —There are lovely climes and places in which the evening zephyrs are loaded with malaria and tie poison of fever and epidemic’. To dwell there in health is impossible, without a supply of n°P Bitters at hand. These American Co’s Bitters impart an equalizing strength to the system and prevent the accumulation of deadly spores of contagion. Be sure and see Advt.

Siegert and Fauvel, Temuka—Space reserve! for advertisement. Mr M. Ghiffaney, Arowhenua, has for sale (on bis farm) hay at £2 per lon. Mr H, Nicholson, Waitohi Downs, Temuka, adrertises for 100,000 bushels of good feed oats at Is 3J per bushel. Mrs M. A. Swinton, Winchester notifies that a bay hack mare, now running in her paddocks, will be sold to defray expenses if not claimed within seven days. Creditors in the estate of P. Sinclair, late of Temuku, Road Overseer, a bankrupt, are reminded that their claims must be proved prior to Friday next or they will not be allowed to participate in the first and final dividend payable after Monday next.