TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1862, 7 March 1889, Page 4

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

The District Grand Lodge of Freemasons, E.C., Auckland, have rejected the proposal to form a United Grand Lodge for the colony. Miss Ackerman, lectures on behalf of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, who arrived from America by the Alameda, was publ cly welcomed at Auckland on Wednesday night by tbe various temperance bodies.

A curious circumstance has arisen in connection with the forthcoming licensing elections at Archhill. Fifteen names of persons favorable to opening another hotel in the district were recently placed upon the roll, notwithstanding the appeals of a number of ratepayers, who wished their leases to be shown by the applicants. The opponents of the licenses, hearing that another effort would be made to place more such names on, secured the lease of about ten acres of land, and prepared a number of applications for placing the lessees on the rol l . Nominations for the licensing committees were to be received yesterday, and on the previous night the board received another 100 applications for admission to the roll from parties favourable to or opposed to the granting of another license. The board decided to postpone consideration of the applications for a month. The Governor paid a farewell visit to St. Patrick’s College, Wellington, on Wednesday. An address from rector, the faculty, and the students, was presented to him, His Excellency made a suitable reply. At the eighth annual meeting at Christchurch of (he Co-operative Freehold Land Society Association of men without large capital for the purpose of acquiring land on deferred payments, the report showed remarkable progress. The annual income was £IBOO, against £9OO two years ago. The ;society has acquired 500 acres in various parts of the district, and disposed of moat of it in sections varying from a quarter of an acre to an acre. An inquest on the body of an infant, which was found on Sunday on the outskirts of Invercargill, was held on Tuesday, and adjourned to give the police an opportunity to make further enquiries. The medical evidence went lo show that although the child probably was ailve when born, it had never breathed nor swallowed. There was a depressed fracture of the skull, but that might have been the result of a blow within two hours of death. The body was much decomposed, and was found in a swampy place difficult of access. The police are of opinion that a woman is not likely to have made her way to the spot.

At Wellington, Hamilton, defendant in a case of infraction of the Beer Duty Act, on Saturday, through his solicitor, paid into the R.M. Court the sum of £2OO on a fine of £250 which had been inflicted upon him, It is understood that the Commissioner of Customs remitted the balance of the penolty, and has also waived the forfeiture of defendant’s brewery plant, which was one of the penalties under conviction. [The penalty has since been reduced to £loo]. A Pahiatua settler named Reviex, and another, are reported as having been lost in the bush. They wont out cattle hunting on Thursday and have not been heard of, tiaarch parties sent out failed to find ■traces of them.

At Invercargill on Tuasday Charles Kidd was committed for trial at the Supreme Court on a charge of stealing a cow and calf, belonging to a neighbor named Laing. Accused is brother of Sophia Kidd, who was convicted at the Supreme Court last year for a similar offence. Counsel for accused said that the prosecution was a conspiracy to drive the family out of the district. Kidd was once before charged with theft of sheep, but was acquitted.

A funny story is related of a juryman who outwitted a judge, and that without lying. He came breathlessly into the Court—“ Oh, my Lord, if you can excuse me, pray do, I don’t know which will die first—my wife or my daughter.” “ Dear me, that’s sad,” said the innocent judge. “ Certainly, you are excused.” The next day the juryman was met by another juryman, who, in a sympathetic voice, asked, “ How’s your wife P ” “ &he’s all right, thank you.” “And your doughtor F ” “ She’s all right, too. Why do you ask ? ” “ Why, yesterday you said you did not know which would die first.” “ Nor do I. That is the problem which time alone can solve,”