LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1818, 20 November 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

THB TIMABU MArOBAMT.- ilr D. M. Ross was yesterday elected mayor of Timaru. s Ti&iABU High School Boabd Messrs J. F. Lovegrove and J". W. B.Zieelerhavebeen ebcted members of tbe Timiru Higb Sohooi Board.

Pbopbety Tax.—Returns received up to tins present show that the amount of property tax paid throughout the colony amounts to £IOO,OOO. It is expected that heavy payments are being reserved for the hat day. Kanoitata Racing Club. —A meeting of tha (Jomtnittie of this Club to deal with important business tikes place in Deuoo'j's Rangitata Hotel on Saturday evening next.

Sale os" Cheese,—Tbe Wyndham JJiiry Faooiy sul'i twenty ions of cheese, delivemd iu Dauedin. at fivepeoce per lb, and it is expected thai the rest of the season's in.kj will be taken at the same price. • Conobbx AtWaitohi Flat.—A conoert will be given in the Waitohi Flat schoolroom this evening in aid of the prize fund of tha school. A first-rate programme has been compiled, and those who attend ought to -thoroughly enjoy themsejlves. The lt»r. Mr Dickson will preside,

Bank of New Zealand.—The total number of Bank of New new iswue sharp 1 } >ipp jid for in Ne* Zealand and Australia is '35,23 Q. The allotment of the 35,000 shares avi.ilnble ha* been made, ami the usual not oos lo applicants will bu poaloU uarly this week.

"On the Ball." —The firat annual concert in aid of the funds of the Waihi Football Club, and to celebrate the winding up of the season, takes plaoe in the Oddfellows' Hall, Geraldiae on Friday evening uext. Those in whose hands the ••rrangemants for the conoert have been left have spared no efforts to make this first concert in connection with the Club a decided success. The services of the beet arnalour performers in the district have been secured, and the public may rely upon a good and enjoyable evening's onlertdnment.

N.Z. Frozen Mbat Tbadk.—The following extract from a letter by an ex-Dunedinite, now resident in England, speaks for itself : "It miijht interest Dunedin people to know that their splendid mutton and lamb is sold here as English. The rubbish sold as New Zealand is River Plate mutton, etc Is it not time New Zealand people were aware how their interests are sacrificed f River Plate mutton is never offered. The writer haß tried in vain to get some, yet thousands of carcases are landed weekly, with an everincreasing importation. A leading butcher here Md the writer the other day—' Your New Zealand mutton and lamb is ait good or better than the primest English ; the toughness ii caused by the carcases being frozen too eoon, sometimes before cold.' This suggestion, coming from a practical man, may be of value, New Zealand mutton would realise s|d to 6d per lb, if it had fair play, in wholeg sale quantity."

PRIMITIVE MKTEODIBT CHUBOK, GSKALdini. —The anniversary services in connection with the above Church were held on Sunday last. The Rev. B. S. Bunn, of the Wetleyan Church, Temuka, preached both morning and evening to a crowded congregation. The Church was prettily decorated by the young people with considerable taste and skill. In the afternoon a children's floral service was held, when the church was paoked to its utmost oapaoity, the veatry and pulpit also being utilised for seating accommod*tion. Of the very large number of children present the majority brought bunches of flowers, and these were gathered and arranged is vases, etc., on and around the pulpit, giving the church a very bright and cheerful appearance. The Bev. Mr Bunn addressed the children. During each service the choir, under the leadership of Mr C. E. Sherratt assisted by members of other choirs, rendered some new and enjoyable anthems. The annual tea meeting, was bald last night, when the building was again paoked. A report of the gathering will appear in our next issue. Thb Fancy Fair,—The attendance at the fancy fair at Temuka last Saturday was small, but at night the place was crowded to excess, and good business was done. During the three days the gross takings imounted to about £IBO, and it is anticipated will not fall far short of £3OO when everything is wound up. In compiling our report the name of Miss Stewart was placed amongst Miss Matthews' assistants, whereas she ought to have ranked amongst the principals. Miss Stewart was the first to take charge of the stall, and ought to have been so placed, but we must say it was not our fault that she was net, as wo had to go by the information supplied to us. We find also that Mr Philips was amongst those who had charge of the shooting gallery, which he conducted with much enerjy. It was not our fault that his name was omitted. Last evening the hall was again opened, when the goods which remained over from the previous days were offered for sale by auction by Mr E. F. Gray. There was a large attendance, the bidding was spirited, and the articles realised good prices, Shortly after 9 o'clock all the articles were sold, and then Mr Gray asked those preseat to nominate five gentlemen to act in conjunction with the two secretaries, Messrs H. Cross and F. K. Gray, to draw the tickets for the famous quilt. Messrs J. M, Twomey, J. Brown, B. Pinckney, A. Montgomery, and E. Waddell were appointed, and these retired to one of the rooms to perform their duties. After an absence of a little over half an hour they returned, and it was then announced that the quilt had been won by Mr D. Scott, the number of whose ticket was 451. This brought the proceedings to a olose. Temuka Caledonian Society. A meeting of the Committee of the Temuka Caledonian Society was held at the Temuka Hotel laatnight. Present—Messrs A, M. Clark (in the chair), D. Henry, W, Bayne, M. Scanuell, A. K. Allan, J. Lawson, W. McLeod, J. Murray, and M. Quinn. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The question of the condition of the running track and the arrangements therewith were discussed at some length. It was suggested that an application be made to the Park Boark for aßsislaoce in fencing in the track, and Messrs Henry and Alltui were appointed a sub-Committee to make nil trr sngements. Mr A, M. Clark offered to provide strong willow posts if required. Correspondence was read from the Traffic Manager, Ohristchurch, stating that a special excursion train would run from Ohristchurch to Timaru and Temuka on Boxing Day. The master of the Burnhum Industr nl School giving information as to the strength of their school band, but regretting that a previous engagement wou'd prevent their attendance on the sports day. The secretary of the AlexandrovnaLodge, 1.0.0. F., wrcte asking peimission to have the Oddfellows' annual race included in the programme. This was agreed to. The programme wa« considered in detail and agreed to* It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Allan, that the sum of £l6 be offered as a prize for a buyonet competition, three squads from different corps to compete. The secretary was instructed to arrange for tho services of a band, and also to communicate with the Committee of the Catholic Baziar with the view of procur- | ing a Bpecial train from Timaru on the ' sports day. The folio wing officers were appointed : Starter,': Mr A, W. Manof Handicupper: Mr T. MoAaliffe. Judges : Running, Messrs Fraser (Waitohi), John Maze, E. S. Smith, W. Bayne, A. R. Allan, M. Scannell, and G. McS. Gentlemun ; wrestling, throwing hammer, and putting stone, Mpssrs 'D, Henry, W. Mason (Orari), R. Wilson, und Jackson ; I music, dancing, and costume (Scotch), Messrs A. M. Clark, J. Murray, R. tfergusson, W. McLeod, and J. McDonald (Washdyke) ; Irish dancing and hornpipe, Messrs T. Connolly (Winchester), M. Spillane, and M. Quinn ; bayonet exercise, Mr Sydney Davies ; jumping and vaulting, Messrs Bisset, Guild, and Hayes. Messrs Allan, Henry, and Quinn were appointed a conimittee, with power to add to their number, to make arrangements for gatekeepers and qther. officers. The rneotiDg fcheu adjourned. The body of the boy Okrke, washed out to sea at Ooromandel, has been found on the baaoh 15 miles from where ha was drowned. I

A Babohbt in Tbotjbm.—An exchange gives the following particulars regarding the baronet who is now undergoing a sentence of 14 days' imprisonment for stealing a oouple of roses, valued at 2d, from one of the Auckland Parks: —"Sir Charles Wentwortb Burdett is the seventh Baronet of the title, and was born November 4th, 1835, and succeed nd his father in 1845. He was formerly a Lieutenant in the 64th Foot. From 1855-62 ha was Lieutenant 2nd Staffordshire Militia. He is married, and has one son and t,wo daughters living. The family is a very old one, being descended from Almericus de Burdett, who held lands at Skeltnanthorpe, Yorkshire, in the reign of Henry 111.* 1 The Defence! oi ihe Colony. Government have received a memo, from Major-General Steward, military adviser to the colony, giving an exact description of the new cruisers to prevent mistakes in future. Five are being built, three at Ellerswick and two at Giasgow. They represent a great advance on the Archer type, being larger in every way and faster. They are 265 feet loog and forty oroad. The speed is 19 knotß, and they arry 199 men. The armament is eight orty-five-pound rapid firing guns, eight three pound ditto, two Nordenfeldts and tour torpedo guns. They have steel decks 2 inches thick. Thk Banchtata Saubuh.—A couple of years ago a great sensation was oausr-d in the Auckland province by the discovery of a very large creature in one of the rivers. The Rangitata river is now, we are informed, inhabited by a tremendous monster, which has created no small amount of sensation in the neighborhood. It is said that when he wants to put on side and show himself off he stands up seven feec out of the river, and it is surmised that there must ba a great deal more of him concealed beneath the surface of Ihe water. Another phyful way he has of calling attention to his presence is to bellow loudly and make a terrible and strange noise, and this is taken by those who have seen and heard him to mean that he is hungry, beoauee there is not enough food for him in the river, lb is generally supposed that he is an alligator, but what would bring such a creature into the cold waters of the Bangitata is what we cannot understand. At any rate it is oertain that there is a strange creature uf some kind there, but we feel pretty certain that it it not an alligator. It may be a common seal that has strayed in there, if it is not an eel or a sportive porpoise, or an elderly groper. Of course it is hard for us who har not seen it to decide what it is, but there is one faot which goes a long way to throw light on the subject. A foolish old cow got into one of the marshes there, we are told, and met her death, and in all probability it is the ghost of the deceased animal that is hovering around there. This would be quite consistent with the bsllowine, for cows do bellow, and the fact that the noisa is strange aad Bomewhat different to ordinary cow bellowing may be accounted for in this way The cow perished in the swamp, and it is only quite n tural tbat her ghost would hayo u bad cold, and make a strange noise while bellowing. Another fact which goes a long way to support the gho»t theory is that one of the neighbor's went to the riverside with a gun to shoot the monster, but when he came within twenty yards of it he got bo nervous thit he was afraid to go nearer. It is said that human beings always get nervous and frightened in the presence of a ghost, and the fact that a similar feeling came over our Bangitata friend strengthens the probability that it is the old cow's ghost that is there. At any rate the particulars we have given will doubtless prove interesting to fishermen, as some of them may think it worth their while to try their luck there, If they should manage to hook the old cow s ghost their fortune will be made. Coughs, Colds, Bronchitis, &o>, are quickly cured by using Baxter's " Lung Preserver." This old-established and favorite medicine is pleasant to the palate, and highly extolled by members of the medical, legal, and clerical professions. For testimonials, see advt. Sold by all patert medicine vendors.

SYNOPSIS OF ADVEBTISEMENTS. Bangitata flaoing Club—Meeting of Committee on Saturday evening next. Waihi Football Club—Grand annual concert at G-eraldine en Friday next. N.Z. Railways—Exoursion (ares to Dunedin for Races and Agricultural Show. E. Waddell—Notifies that Mrs Mackenzie's farm has been let to Mr Arthur Airey. K. F. Gray—Holds great clearing sale of live and dead stock on farm lately occupied by Mrs Mackenzie, on sth December. Tenders—Tenders for additions and alterations to Mr P. H. McShane's residence close at 4 p.m. to-morrow ; plans and specifications no * at Temuka Lbadbb office. Webster and Macdonald, Geraldine—Have farm near Orari Bridge for sale privately ; hold first wool sale at their stores, Orari, on December, 15th ; advertise important notice to wool growers re wool sale.