LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1938, 3 September 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Beer Duty.—The beer duly for August was £4,096 agaiuaj £3,623 for the same month last year. Temur a Monthly Sale.— Messrs Gray and Montgomery hold tboir monthly sal® of stock, etc,, at Tetauka to-day. Geraldine Stock Sale.— The regular fortniahtly sale of stock at Geraldine lakes place to-morrow. Numerous entries are advertised by Messrs S. Mundell and Co. and Messrs Webster and Macdonald.

Board Meetings.— The monthly meeting of the Tepauka Road Board will be held to-day; that of the Geraldine Town Board this evening, and that of the Tenluka Town Board to-morrow evening.

Town Districts Amendment Act.— Mr Gaze has received the following telegram from Mr A, E. G. Rhodes, M.H.R., under data August 31st:—“Town Districts Amendment Act received His Excellency the Governor’s assent this morning,” This is interesting in view of the approaching election at Arowhenua.

Satisfactory.— The committee of the Manufacturers’Association and the Tailoresses’ Union met at Dunedin on Saturday night to consider the log prepared by the latter body, and which is, allround, an advance of about 12| per cent, on that submitted by the manufacturers. After

full consideration it was agreed to by the manufacturers to accept the log with the exception of about half a dozsn items. These are now to be settled by the joint committee. There are now 760 members in the union. Polls rk Trbi*atio».— Ratepayers ore reminded that a poll of the ratepayers in the Geraldine Fiat Water Supply District on the proposal of the County Council to raise a loan to cwy out irrigation, works in the district will be taken at Mr Alex. McKenzie’s residence, Geraldine Road, to-day, between the hours of 9a,m, and 6 p.m. A poll for a similar purpose will he taken 1 in the Orari-Waihi District tomorrow, the polling place being the Orari Bridge School. Evety settler in favour of the proposal should taka care to record his vote. Our Volunteers.—Accompanying the

report of Colonel Hurafrey on the de-

fence of the colony is a report from Lieut,-Colonel Hume, the inspecting officsr. Colonel Hume reports very favorably on the rank and file, but indifferently as to the capacity of the officers of the force., Capitation, he says, must be increased. Of the corps inspected there wore present on parade 4127, and 1037 were absent. The corps which from their drill, physique,cleanliness and general smartness dewrved special mention include the Waimate Rifles, The mounted sword drill in the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry and Otago Hussars was very indifforout, and had evidently boon neglected. Masonic.— The meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the Masonic Union held at Wellington on Friday sight was fully attended. It was announced that a majority of lodges of each constitution in the colony bad resolved in favour of the establishment of a United Grand Lodge. A resolution was unanimously carried that a convention of delegates of the lodges meet in Wellington on Wednesday, Septemberlltb, to constitute the Grand Lodge. This date was decided on as it has from *he first been understood that the convention should be held during th® present session of Parliament, and it is the latest possible certain date. A large numbar of members of Parliament, belonging to the craft, have already been nomiaated us lodge delegates.

Customs .Revenue. The Optoma revenue collected at the port of Tirauru during August amounted to £1519 7a 7d, The CustouiH revenue for the colony for August amounted to £142,686, against £136,625 for the game month last year, and £126,015 for July last.

Sudden Death at Temuka.— We regret to learn that Mrs S'ophen Clinch died very suddenly lost evening, about 9 o’clock. She had bsea idling for a few days, but was not so bad as to take to her bed. About the time above mentioned Dr Hayes was called in, and she died suddenly while he was present. She was the mother of nine children, one of whom died in Blenheim a few months ago, leaving eight others to mourn her loss. They are all grown up. He Wanted His Expenses.— At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Temuka, yesterday, a witness in a civil case nude a very determined stand against giving his evidence unless his expenses were paid. Entering the box he announced bis intention of not saying a word about the matter in question unless he got his, expenses, and, although advised by ths bench that since he had appeared he would have to give evidence, he resolutely declined to do so. The presiding magistrate intimated that tho witness was rendering himself liable to baeommitted for contempt of court, but for a long time it was of no avail. Just as matters were beginning to look serious he thought belter of it, and consented to be sworn. The witness expressed his mind very freely, indeed, upon the manners and customs of Courts of Justice generally, and it was a fortunate thing for him that it was justices’ clay.

The Course op Truk Love.—A somewhat interesting case is likely to occupy the attention of tho E.M. shortly. It appears (says the Pahiatua Star) that a certa ; n young man obtained permission from the father of a family to pay his respects to the daughter (or aunt or grandmother, we are not quite sure; which). The courting has been going on" for some time now and a large number ofi meals have been consumed by the ardent lover whilst engaged in the pleasing occupation. In the Meantime the lover performed work at bushfelling for the head of the family to. tho tuna of about £5. The courting proceeded, and meals were still consumed. By-and-by the gay. young lover sent in his account to the head of the family for the £6 ; but lo and behold, a contra, account was immediately produced for meals, etc. The eourting is now suspended. What the Magistrate will think of the cases when they come before him we should not like to say, but there should be some fun over the affair.

Sunken Treasure.— Some ninety years ago a French ship containing treasure f o the amount of about £1,090,000 was sunk by Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nila in tho Bay of Aboukir. A company has been formed, with a concession from the Egyptian Government, to recover the treasure for the benefit of tho shareholders, and will shortly commence operations with every prospect of success. What will be the title of the company to the treasure if they recover it 1 The open sea, of couro, including its bottom, is not oapable of being used as private property, but, says the Law Times, wo presume that the concessionaries have satisfied themselves that the Bay of Aboukir comes within the rule that “ the navigable waters included in bays and between headlands and arms of the sea belong to the sovereign of the adjoining territory, as being necessary to tho safety of the nation, and to the undisturbed use of tho neighboring shores.” The right to search, therefore, is probably well derived, and we think it also reasonably clear that any claim of the present French Government as representing the original owners of the treasure, or (he English Government as representing the rights of those entitled to the treasure as a prize of war, would be barred in international law by lapse of time.

AILMED PKKjrffRT BY THE POLICE.— The evidence for the prosecufion io (he charge of perjury against Detective Benjamin concluded on Saturday, and Mr Jellicoa addressed the court in the afternoon, contending that ample evidence had been adduced to send the case for trial. His address occupied two hours. The R.M. said he should exclude from the case all evidence relating to the discovery of the knife and pouch on the 25th, and on Monday would intimate whether the defence should show cause why the case should not be sent for trial. Yesterday (Monday) Mr Graham, Assistant Resident Magistrate, dismissed the charge of perjury against Detective Benjamin without calling on Mr Bell for a defence. He said he considered the evidence, tendered as it was by the convict Ohemis, his wife, and relatives, was such that no jury would convict. Mr Jellicoa said it was no use going on with the case against Detective Campbell, however strong the evidence might be, after what Mr Graham had said. This case was accordingly also dismissed. In answer to Mr Bell, the Resident Magistrate said the defendants came out of the charges without any slur on their character. At Mr Jelliobe’s request. Mrs Ohemis was bound over, under the Vexa-. tius Indictments Act, to prosecute Benjamin before the Grand Jury.

A j)AK«EROtrs Custom.— Quite a little bustle baa been made by the newspapers because a certain physician, who was recently summoned to appear io a Court in New Jersey, refused to kiss a very dirty looking Bible which was presented to bis lips io the administration of the oatb. The episode occasioned a stir in the Court, and the physician was obliged to set aside his feelings to comp'y with the legal requirements. It was not, however, without a protest which we fully endorse. The biasing of the Bible, in any case, is a form which might easily, without the sacrifice of solemnity or the strictness of an oath, bo set aside in favor of simply touching the Book with the band or recognition of it. The person who biases a Bible in Court has not the least surety that his lips do not come Into some direct contact with the pollution left by a predecessor who was suffering from some foul skin disease or taint, not to speak of the germs of eruptive feyera and the like. A very simple way of getting around the matter would be to have ft Bible bound m some waterproof material, which could and should be sedulously washed clean after eyory use. This is a precaution which is due to public health, and which could easily bo instituted by eyery Court. If the lawyers who insist so strenuously on these flue points of the law bad more Biblo-kiasieg to do themselves they might better realise the pertinence of what wo siy.—Medical Register,

Timaru Hospital, —The Tunaru Hospital returns for the month of August show that during that period 11 male and 6 female patients were admitted. The total number treated was 26 males and 15 females. Six males and 7 females were discharged as cured, and 2 males and 2 females as relieved. One patient, Alex. Greaves, died. Seventeen males and 6 females remain under treatment. Eleven males and 6 females were treated as out patients.

A C6min« Show.— Mr James Allison, the well-known theatrical manager, is now on a visit to New York with the object of making arrangements with ‘ Buffalo Bill ’ for the bringing out of his Wild West, Show to the colonies. Mr r Solomonj' ojt Sydney, is associated with Mr Allison in the enterprise, and a big American firm have an interest in it; It is Mr Allison’s intention to visit New Zealand with the Show, but whether this colony will be done before proceeding to Australia f or subsequently is not yet decided. Result op Notoriety. —The Belfast Northern Whig’s London correspondent says: “I hear that. Mrs Maybrick’s solicitors have received seven communications containing offers of marriage in the event of the unfortunate woman being discharged. One of the offers is said to have come from a clergyman. Madeline Smith, the heroine of the great Scottish poisoning case in 1858, accepted one of her numerous suitors, a clergyman, £ believe, and lives to this day a prosperous gentlewoman, in the immediate neighborhood of Bedford Square. Mrs AdelaideBartlott, who two years ago was charged with poisoning her husband, received 25 offers of marriage. She had the matrimonial advantages of some thousands of pounds and a most bewitching pair of eyes, but she preferred to end her life in a Belgian- convent. Mrs Maybrick has , even greater advantages, but it is early to discuss her case: ’ - '' Lime on Land.— Remarking on the beneficial effects of lime on land, the Bruce Herald has the following Mr D. McDonald, whose farm is near Milburn, says that a few years ago he had a bit of ryegrass seed from Home, which ha sowed,.and saved the seed. Last year he sowed that seed on four acres of welllimed land, and the crop threshed out 152| bushels of clean seed—3B bushels to the acre ; without the lime ha believes the yiojd would have been 20 at the outside, He also harvested 124 four-bushel bags of wheat off ten acres, while a neighbor Mr Franco, got fifty-five bushels, of first-class wheat with lime, from land which only yielded twenty-five without.” Res alts similar to these, sajat.be W a imate Times,- can be gathered in .this district by the score. In fact, it wouldi scarcely be an exaggeration to say: that the facility with which lime can here be procured, its cheapness, and the fact that farmers have discovered its real value, has doubled'the yielding capacity of the district. Or, if it Is thought that is saying rather too much, then what amounts to about the same thing, the yields are now semetbing like double what they would be, were it not that the land has been periodically sweetened.

Burmin* Water.— Says an American paper “ The Wisconsin clergyman who insists that he has invented a means by water may be utilised for fuel may thank his stars that he lives in an age* of» wonders, else he might be sent to a lunaticKasylum as a patient. His name is Rev: Mr Hall, and bis home is in the town of Phillips. His device is constructed with a retort. Out of the stove is a pipe, through which the water is fed from a small tank.' At the connection of the pipe and tank there is a simple piece of mechanism which regulates the flow of water. Connected with the retort in the stove is a cast-iron cylinder adapted in size to the stove or furnace in which it is placed. These parts comprise the whole of the mechanism of the device. The theory involved is the decomposition of the water by heat, the liberation of its component gases, and the combustion of these in an oxyhydrsgen flame. The result aimed at—and it would seem attained—is lo create through the consumption of a moderate quantity of wood or coal a great amount of heat. A Chicago writer who has seen the invention says of it i ‘ The stove used was one of the ordinary box variety of medium size.. A tire was built under and around the* retort, the fuel used being a few handfuls of hard wood and pine-wood chips. Pure water, brought directly from the pump, was poured into the tank, a stop-cock wae turned, and the water allowed to feed down into Use tank. Soon there was a low, roaring sound, and the opening of the stove door presented to view a flame of pink color and intense heat. The heat radiated from the stove was much greater than would have resulted from the burning of the light fuel alone. Stoppage of water supply by laming off the stop-cock caused the heat to quickly subside.’ This burning of water beats fire-water out of sight.” . The noted quality of the Ooffeo made ia the Oaftjß of Turkey, France, and America is chiefly due to tho fact that only Fresh Boasted Coffee is used ; so that none of the volatile oil and other essentials are lost. Ask your grocer for Anderson’s Coffee, end you will have a beverage alike refreshing and • imuloting, as it is fresh roasted and ground at the factory, Timaru.—[Advt, 2J

SyNOPBIS OP ADVERTISEMENTS.

Overseer, Raukapuka—lnvites tenders for rolling 400 acres.

Geraldine Road Beard—lnvite tenders for formation and repairs. Evangelistic Mission Services—ln Tensuka Presbyterian Church every evening this week (except Saturday) at 7.80. D. West, Architect, Timaru—lnvites lenders for erection of shop and dwelling in Temuka for Mr J. Brown j tenders close on Saturday next. J. W; White, Barrister, Solicitor 1 * snd Notary Public, Timaru and Temuka Temuka office next door to Mr 0. J, Raynor, chemist, under management ef Mr W. N. Oathro, aolicitor; money to lend. - Bull’s Head Butchery, Temuka —W. Ackroyd thanks public for past support, and intimates that he has disposed of business to W. McLeod and solicits for him a continuance of patronage- W. MeLeod announces that ho will leave nothing undone to deserve support—first-class articles supplied, together with civility and attention. u

A man named Hambling was admitted to probation for 12 months at the Supreme Court, Blenheim, on Friday, for forging a promissory note. He had actually paid the debt money on the promissory note, but did not get possession of it, and was thus discovered.