LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1374, 4 August 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Road Boahd.—The monthly meeting of this Board takes place to-day. Geraldine Towk Boahd.—The monthly meeting of this Board will be held this evening at half-past seven. The Weatheb, —The weather during the last clay or two has been exceedingly cold and several slight falls of snow have occurred. Temuka Town Board.—The monthly meeting of the Temuka Town Board takes place in the office of the Board to-morrow evening. Vital Statistics.— The following are the Vital statistics for the Temuka district for the month ended 31st July —Births, 13; marriages, 3 ; deaths, 3. Tenders. The Geraldine Road Board invite tenders for building a footbridge, Kakahu ; broken metal, Baukapuka Bush ; and for formation, etc., Donkin's Road, Waibi Bush. Tub Rimutaka.— The New Zealand Shipping Company’s R.M.S. Rimutaka left Wellington at 4 p.m. on Sunday for London, via Rio do Janeiro and Madeira. She took a full cargo, including about 16,000 carcases of mutton. South Canterbury Hunt Club.—At a meeting of the South Canterbury Hunt Club yesterday, in Timaru, it was decided to hold a Steeplechase meeting on the 3rd September and a hound show ou the following day, September 4th. Monthly Stock Sale.— Messrs J. Mundell and Co., hold their monthly stock sale at Geraldine to-day. In our advertising columns will be found entries to date, and further entries will be received up to hour of sale. On account of Mr L. Walker, of Pour Peaks, the auctioneers will sell 6 Rouen ducks and 3 Rouen drakes. The Ashburton Woollen Factory.— According to the Guardian, work at the Ashburton Woollen Factory is progressing favorably, and we are pleased to learn that a large number of additional shares hare been subscribed. Ten workmen are now employed within the building, and a recent trial of the machinery was perfectly satisfactor}’. Manufacturing operations will be commenced immediately the next wool clip comes to band. Good Farming— Mr Grigg, of Ashburton* has 1,400 pigs in one paddock ; the whole of which are fed by one man, and lias lately received a cheque for £SOOO in payment of pigs which he sold. He has a total of 15,000 acres of land, a large proportion of which was in crops of various kinds this year, and his last crops of wheal and oats averaged 46 bushels and 51 bushels per acre respectively. Mr Grigg’s is evidently a model farm and its proprietor a model farmer.

Defbehed Payment Land. —Those interested are reminded that applications for the purchase on deferred-payment system of part of Eoserye 1486, containing 46 acres 1 rood, situate south of and near the mouth of the Rangitata, must be made at the Land Office, Christchurch or Timaru, to-morrow. The upset price of the land is £7 10s per acre, and should there be more than one applicant the block will be put iip to auction, bidders being limited to applicants. R. CotJET, Gkealdine.—At this Court, yesterday, before H. C. S. Baddeley, Esq., E.M., F. W. Donkin charged A. Best with having trespassed on his property in pursuit of game. Defendant pleaded not guilty, and stated he was not aware he was on Mr Donkin’s land. After hearing the evidence, His Worship ordered defendant to pay the costs, but did not inflict a fine. A civil case R. H. Pearpoint y. J. Woodman, claim £7 12s 2d (judgment summons) was called, but there was no appearance of defendant. No order was made, as defendant bad filed a few days ago. Football. —The match Temuka High School v. Timaru Public School, was played in the Temuka Park on last Saturday afternoon, The game was inclined to be fast, and ended rather one-sidedly, Temuka scoring 21 points against nil. D. McOaskill captained the home boys and 0, Smith the visitors. Tries were obtained for Temuka by Connolly (3), D. McCaekill (1), M. McLeod (2), Brewer (1), Franks (1), and Storey, who by a neat kick converted his own try into a goal. For Timaru Smith, Turnbull, and Wilson, played well. The Temuka boys were much heavier and faster than their opponents, hence the cause of such a defeat. Messrs Heap and J. McCaskill gave every eatisfacas umpires. S. Educational Institute. At the quarterly meeting of this Institute on Saturday last, the proposed rules of the Association were discussed, slightly amended, and adopted. Mr John Wood, was elected President ; Mr Janies Grant, M.A., Vice-President ; and Mr F. W. Wake, Secretary and Treasurer ; Permanent Committee Messrs Bryars, Macintosh, Walker, Hughes, Cooke and Thomson. The scholarship regulations were then discussed, the general opinion being that the inducements now offered by the Board were not sufficient to attract many competitors. The opinion was also expressed that the scholarship examinations should immediately follow the standard examinations. Railway Reform. —Mr Samuel Yaile of Auckland, the well-known railway reformer* writes as under “ Some friend has posted to me a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle of the Ift June last, which contains an account of a lecture delivered in that city by a W. D. Seulhworth. He advocates the taking over of the railways by the American Government, and that they should work them at low fares. He states that at the rate of a dollar per head for the whole journey across the continent, the profit made would be so great that it would pay the entire cost of purchasing the railroads in one year ; and he quotes figures to show that the cost of carrying a passenger ought not to bo more than two and a-half cents, per 100 miles, or, in our money, one penny farthing per 100 miles. What will my critics —who think Ido not know what I am talking about, when I put the cost at 4jfd—say to this ? To show that Mr Southworth is not so very far out in his calculation, and to prove that mioe is a very safe one, I may mention that it is everyday work on one of the principal lines in Great Britain to carry goods at an average minimum rate of one-eighth of a penny (|d) per ton per mile. This, in weight, is equal to carrying a passenger one mile for the one hundred and twentieth (]-20th) part of a penny. The prices we pay for transit is simply ridiculous. The mor« I study this question, and the more information I gather from all parts of the worll, the more I am convinced that we could make enormous reductions in our charges, and at the same time add at least half a million per annum to our revenue. I believe that by a wise adiM'»tration of our railways we could speedily |Jfiig buck to this country such an era of prSperity as has not dawned on it for many a day.”

Tbmuka Parliamentary Union. —Members are reminder! that the Speaker wi 1 take the chair at 7.30 to-ni"ht. Amongst other subjects the debate on the Finall Birds Destruction motion will be continued, and the Premier will move for the committal of the Laborers’ Homes Bill.

Extravagant Living.— At Patea, a few days ago, His Honor District Judge Rtuvson sentenced a bankrnct to two months’ hard labor under section 171 of tlie Bankruptcy Act, as it was His Honoi’s opinion that itie bankruptcy was attributable to unjustifiable extravagance in living. The bankrupt, named Riclurds, was lately a publican at Patea. From the evidence, it appeared that he allowed his wife to run up extravagant drapery bills without paying them. Just before filing his wife obtained a 35s bonnet and a six guinea brocaded velvet dress. But the worst feature of his extravagance was calling in all his customers and “shouting” away his entire stock-in-trade. The bankrupt admitted being drunk on this occasion, and said that while ho was incapable soma one picked his pocket of bis keys, and stole £143 from the safe. The Court he'd that a publican who treated his customers at the expense of his creditors, and allowed his wife to run up drapery bills without paying for them, clearly came within the meaning of “.extravagant” living according to the Act. Timaeu Improvements. —Notwithstanding the depressed condition of trade, great improvements are being made year after year in the main streets of Titnaru. Pew towns in New Zealand can compare with it as regards the substantial character of its buildings, but it;must be admitted that they lack architectural beauty. Amongst the most recent improvements must be classed the drapery establishment of Messrs J. Ballantyne and Co., which, without doubt, is the handsomest of its kind in Titnaru, and we doubt if there are many equal to it in the colony. We have been positively assured by commercial travellers that its front windows are without exception the finest m New Zsaland. The premises are those in which Messrs Q-abites and Plante until recently carried on business, with the old premises of the Bank of New South Wales and the photographic studio formerly occupied by the late Mr Coxhead added. It has a frontage of 66ft. and runs back to a depth of 708, The front may be said to be altogether glass. It is made up of magnificent sheets of glass half an inch thick and Bft. 6in. high by lift, in width. These are said to be the largest sheets of glass in New Zealand. The front is supported by columns of burnished brass, each of which cost £IOO, and are said to be the only ones of the kind in New Zealand. When the house is lib up at night the effect is splendid. This is shaded by a half dome glass verandah supported by cast-iron Corinthian column?, and the whole front resembles much Messrs Ballantyne and Co.’s establishment in Christchurch. The interior is in keeping with the exterior. Everything is got up first-class. Spacious rooms, finely-curved counters, wellfinished fittings of all kinds, indicate that the establishment is a substantial and prosperous one. The ground floor is partitioned off as follows ; Clothing department, 34ft. x 26ft; drapery department, 52ft. x 36ft; mantle depariment, 26ft. x 20ft.; millinery department, 26ft, x 13ft.; staircase hall, 18ft. x Bft. The millinery and mantle departments are got up handsomely, The upstairs rooms are as follow : Work room, 26ft. x 17ft.; fitting room, 18ft. x 12ft.; milliners’ work room, 17ft. x I4ft.; storeroom, 19ft. x 14ft.; carpet room, 26ft. x 20ft. The whole establishment is lighted from the roof by sky-lights. In the floor of the second storey are two ceiling lights, one 22ft, 1 12 ft, and the other 16ft. x 12ft. The glass m these is frosted, and allows a mild, subdued light to reach the lower stoiey. On the whole the establishment is a credit to the town, and we trust the enterprising proprietors will meet with the reward their enterprise deserves. Benefactors. —“ When a board of eminent pbysicans gnd chemists announced the discovery that by combining some well-known valuable remedies a most wonderful medicine was produced, which would cure such a wide range of diseases that most all other remedies could be dispensed with, many were skeptical, but proof of its merits by actual trial has dispil I all doubt, and to-day the discover i s of that great medicine, Dr. foule’s American Go’s Hop Bitters, are honored and blessed by all as benefactors.” —Read Advt.

SYNOPSIS OP ADVERTISEMENTS

Respectable Young Man. —Wants situation. Thos. Powel'j Temuka—Coal and firewood notice. R. A. Barker, Ohapi, Orari —Poisen and trespass notice. J. Ashwell, or Geo. Phillips—Six-roomed house and 1 acre land to let. Geraldine Town Board —Tenders for lease of reserves close to-morrow. Temuka Road Board. —Tenders for cleaning canal drain close at 10 a.m. to-day. Geraldine Road Board—lnvite tenders for footbridge, b r oken metal, formation, drains, etc. Temuka Town Board. —Tenders for kerbing, channelling, and lighting lamps, close to-morrow, W. P. Turton, Waiht Bush. —Has accepted Mr Goodwin’s tender for ploughing and cropping. J. Mundell and Co., Geraldine. Hold monthly stock sale to-morrow; also sell Rouen ducks and drakes.