LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1743, 29 May 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ball at Waitohi.—A ball will take place in the Waitohi schoolroom on Thursday evening next. ■ San Fbanoisoo Mail.—The mails for this district via San Francisco came to hand at midday yesterday.

The Dohio.—The s.s. Doric sailed from Wellington for London at one o’clock on Sunday, afternoon, having a full complement of passengers and a large cargo.

Bible iitFohools.— Mr Joyce is urging the Government to 'introduce a Bill next 3 ssionj allowing the Bible to be read m schools, with a conscience clause. Tub Rabbit ; Pest.— Southern m'embera are urging the Government to immediat} action in regard to the rabbit peetj and soma mode of coping with the evil is likely l to bV proposed this Session. Concert at Pleasant Point.—A very successful concert in aid of the funds of Si.: Albans Church, Pleasant 1 Point, took place on Friday evening. • Some first-rate vocal and instrumental si lections flrere given. . Geraldine County Electoral Bolls,— Applications for alterations or amendment of the Geraldine County Electoral Bolls will be dealt with at the Resident Magistrate’s Courthouse, Timaru, on the sth Junei | .» ■' A Protest.— Mr R. M. Taylor, lias i returned his gold medallion free railway pass.to the Minister for Public Works, with a statement that htr does not feel justified in accepting the bauble in the present financial condition of the colony. -

The Chinese . Bill. —lt is very confidently “asserted in the/ lobbies that ~the, Chinese Bill will be thrown out the Legislative Counoil, -and probablyj by a majority of two, the ea:me as that by which the motion for adjournment was earned.; 1 The Saltation Army.—A report'gained credence in Gcruldi&e yesterday that- the Salvation Army was about (o make an 1 attack upon the township. 1 Scouts, it''is-asserted, have been sent out, and the site for a base of operations for a prolonged seige has been almost decided upon, bo fiat in all probability l war will be declared at an early date. ; Shooting. —A match is being arranged, to come off on Thursday next, if possible, between teams of seven a side from' the Geraldine Rifles and Timaru Navals. Should the negotiations be successful the match will be fired in Timaru. It is now a long time- sincethe Geraldine corps had a match', andione or two such competitions ' would arouse an interest in rifle shooting. \

SPOBTiN&. The following nominations were received at Christchurch on Saturday for the N.Z. Grand National 'Steeplechase Handicap of 400 sots,, second horse, to receive 50 bovb, and the third 25 bovs out; of the stake, about four miles Moody, Shillelagh, Allegro,' Monteagle,”lrish*; King, l i Daddy Longlegs, Pre.mieivildaac, Orient, BVugh-i& Ballagh, Raven, Panic, Waitangi,. Orlando, Chance, Haka, Chemist, Mangaoho.ne,, Kangaroo, rind, Master Agnes., 'j '' The CAMFOEistA l i!f the debate on, the Californian Thistle Bill, Mr FitjSj herbert, the* 'member for the Hutt, I haying denied the existence of the 'weed in jhis dia■triqr, one of ' the members ef. the. House, Mr! Duncan, and procured‘a splendid specimen, the roots pf_ which are! alleged to be 10ft long, and it is iidw on view in the lobby of the House, pit W said' that the thistle was accidentally, introduced into the colony 40 years ago by Mr Fitzherbert, father of the pifessat Speaker of the Legislative Council. . S

Wholesale Matrimonial Scheme.-- The followima advertisement recently appeared' iil a 1 French newipaperWanted, for an island, lying in the vicinity of. Noumea, which is peopled by French emigrants, .100! young woman who wish to enter into the stats of matrimony.” It was further notified that the’ intended’brides would not only be provided with a free passage, but also receive 100 francs each. The, Parisian marriage market being particularly flat, it is not altogether surprising that responses to. the alluring notification were rather plentiful, the requisite number of willing brides being obtained. Among . those who have offered themselves, most of' whom are said to be highly respectable girl?, are teachers, dressmakers, ■ milliners, cooks, batmaids, and laundresses; and they will' before long be despatched to the scene of their connubial adventure. It is doubtful, however, whether the- young girls are being fairly, treated, for the “emigrants” to whom it. is. proposed to marry them are probably released .convicts, as it is scarcely , credible that, free men would bs parties to such a wholesale matrimonial arrangement. ■ ’ ; RM. Court, Timaru. —At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Timaru, yesterday, three offenders Were fined 5s each for drunkenness. Edwin Blackmore was fined 5* for fighting in a public place. A sailor named .Wright, one of the crow of the Annie Bow, was fined' f s ,i and sentenced to 48 hours’ imprisonment, for being illegally on the premises of Thos. Ryan, a tailor, on Saturday night. On Ryan going home on the night in question, he found the back door of his house had been broken open., and the prisoner ( was asleep in his bed. William McSweenoy, charged with forging and uttering a cheque for £9 oa December 16tb, was remanded till Friday.. William Percy Smith, charged with assaulting his mother-in-law, Saran Downes, at the Point, on April 20th, was fined 5s and costs, and bound over to keep the roacefor six months. The complainant said she went to see her daughter, who was ill, and an altercation having arisen in consequence of the crying, of the baby, the defendant struck her and blackened one of her eyeii. The defendant said the complainant was always interfering with the management of his children. He denied having struck her, but said he pushed tier on to the sofa, as she tore his whiskers out by handfuls. Thos. Cummings was charged with having on May Isc unlawfully removed timber from Crown lands in the Pareora Bush. Defendant was ordered to pay £2, thu value of the timber taken, and £t> 4s 2d costs.] '

Mb Labnaoh. —lt is stated that- Mr Larnaoh; has entered into partnership with Mr Montagurf Pym, and that the ] firm v intend to commence business in Melbourne. It is believed that Mr Larnach has decided’to selfcle in Melbourne, and that he will shortly resign his seat in the House ®f Representatives. An Interesting Exhibit,— New Zealand will bo represented at the International Exhibition of Newspapers to be held shortly at Aix-la-Ohapelle. Mr Fisher, the; Minister} for Education, has forwarded? ah, exhibit} consisting of 175 publications issued in snd circulating in various parts of the colony-? consisting of journals of all kinds, from the metropolitan daily to the small country’ weekly or religious monthly.

Lepeost.—The Government, T have received ‘ " the opinion of the Ebyal College of Surgeons on the subject of whether leprosy is contagious.; The College believes leprosy is-sot contagion'sin the conventional sense of tile' term,l but If ’ 1 ,atf all, is 'only.so in a low degree, and under exceptional s circumstances. 7lt;/recommends that the Government,should .institute such an’ investigation as'the College might direct and report 'whe'h’HOmpleted. ’ 11 / rii 1 \ T£b Customs *—pPHe Seqretary dflOustoms ' reports that the cost 6f cMlectiog fh’4 Customs rovenuelast year: ranged-from? £2l Is 3d at Wellington up. to £26 ls 9d atJToXtpn. /The latter port was dosed at the. end.of the lAefc' , financial year. The cost was £2’ 81 lid per henfc'i a't f; Auckland, £2 As at .Lyttelton, and £2 Ik 7d'at Dunedin. ; The averag* net’ cost for the colony was £2 15s 6d.'’ Inline, United' Kingdom it wa,s.£4,6i Bd. ; 1 * The Bipbnihg.pp.Fbhit,—Jt has come to the knowledge of Mr Hobbs .that M. Pasteur has given Sir j; Thtfritori, ‘Governor 1 of Fiji; a recipe for a process by which the ripening of fruit may be retarded and its shipment to a - foreign market, Therefore, made , more feasible. He has brought the matter under the notice of the Premier, whopromises'to oommuiiicute with Sir J. Thuw? tomon the subject, and endeavor to I obtain the recipe.—Press., i .... Distilleries.— The Tokpmairiro Farmers’ Club hare petitioned Parliament the rempval of the restrictions’’ preventing tho.i establishment of distilleries, bn Ah'#’grounds-’ ftlipt-an inferior sample (of ; grain answers'Ahe, purpose of diitiilttion as well as tbe.best, the establishment of distilleries would ibe of enormous behefifc'tb farmers,’ and-that a Ipart of the largo amount now sent out bf'fche’ cqlpny.for the' products’6£ n distillation 1 would be retained in the colony. , r , ; A Losing. J ( ok0. ; ! fl A prominent physjoian ! 'of Pittsburg said jdkingly-tb a lady patient who was bbmplaic-' jug of her continued illhealth, and; of hii inability to cure her, “Try Dr Soule’s ,American Hop Bitters !” The; lady topk it in earnest, phd used the Bitten, from which she-obtained permanent hbalth. She ! now -laughs at the doctor for. his-joke; (but ho.'u not »o well pleased, with - it, ,aa‘it cost him:a good patient Patriot.,, .

.SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISE MEN PS. - R. H. Pearpeint, Geraldine—Offers .£1 /reward for recovery of bay yearling gelding. , iWV JJ.jSlaok,- Woodsido,iGeraldine—lnvites tenders for. cropping, 180 acres, in one or two ims. v : '"": ', !

Temuka’Road Board—lnvite applications for post of clerk ; Also 'tenders fdr cartingshingle. ii'. «• •i . lc «•>*• WN

, : J. Mundell and Co., auctioneers, Geraldine —Sell freehold properly in Woodbury township on Saturday next. ~ I ‘ C. A.- Wray, Resident Magistrate’—Notice ireiapplicatipn's for alteration or nmendnfehfc of Geraldine County: Electoral Rolls: ■,