LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2037, 24 April 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Gekaldine Road Board. —Messrs J. Kelland and A. Metcalf, the retiring members, were the only candidates nominated yesterday to fill the ordinary vacancies on this Board. They were therefore declared duly elected. Tbiictka Rifles.—A government inspfciion pirade of the above corps was held li:8t night. Twenty-six rank and file paraded under the command of Lieutenant Gotten, Colonel Bailey b n ing tho inspecting officer. After inspection the men were exercised in the manual and company movements and dismissed, Football,—A scratch match took place in the IVmuka park yesterday, bstween teams chosen from the C atholic school and the Ten)uka District High School. The latter had the heavier team, and after about an hour’s smait play won by seven points to nil. Some of the lads showed capital form and will eventua'ly give a good account of themselves. Don Poisoning,— Mr J. fileman had a valuable St. Bernard pup poisoned at Temuka on Monday evening last, and on the following evening a favorite terrier belonging to Mrs Frwood was destroyed in a similar f ishion. The act is looked upon as a malicious one, as the dogs in question were quiet and inoffensive, and never left their owners’ premises. Seeing Up.—The selilmg up of the South Canterbury Jogkey Club took place at the Grosvenor Hotel, Tim«ru, last Monday evening, when cheques were drawn for the following amounts :—Mr Hugh Craig, £l9O ; Mr D. Rutherford, IQs ; Mr J. Poole, £BS -10.; Mr T. Daly, £6l : l§a ; Mr L. Pophnm, £3B; Messrs M. and 0. Hohb's £sß; Mr M, Scott, £33 5s ; Mr A. .Feisty, £2B 10s ; Mr T. Alexander, £2B 10s; Hon. G, McKean, £l9; Mr H. Hammond, £l9; Mr H. Coulter, £l4 6s; Mr J. Meikle, £9 10s; Mr J. Gibson, £9 IQs; Mr S. Binney, £9 10s. The total amount paid over was £745 15s. j

KpNATVAy Horses.— The North Otago Times says “ A rather effectual method of slopping runaway horses was practised in Tyne street tho other day. Three horses that had been waiting for some time in front of a store took it into their heads lo bolt, and although several persons rpado attempts to stop them they continued along tftf? road till a pedestrian, who was carrying an umbrella, boldly stood in the road, and as the leading horso came near him opened his umbralla with a suddenness that brought the runaways up witli a je r k, the horses not caring to facoj such an up-and-down arrangement as an umbrella.

A Disclaimer. —The Early Closing Association of Christchurch passed a resolution disclaiming any connection with the recent disturbance in the streets on Saturday night. Recreation. —A meeting in the Christchurch City Council Chamber presided over by the mayor, decided to prepare a scheme for Saturday evening entertainments, in order to keep people from walking the streets at night as at present. Town Board Election. —Electors are reminded that the polling for a member to supply the vacancy caused by Mr Gray’s resignation of his seat upon the Temuka Town Board takes place to-day. The cmdidatijs nominated are Mr A. R. Allan and Mr J. Brown." 1

Mischievous Sailors.— Orpin, Page, and Menzies, sailors of the barque Ivanhoe, were charged at the Lyttelton Resident Magistrate’s Court last Monday with rolling a stone down tne hill, whereby the gasometer was injured and an explosion occurred. They were remanded till April 30th. Bail was allowed each in one surety of £lO. The stone has been got out of the gasometer. It weighs about 4cwt. Men worked night and day repairing the,damage. The Floods at Bourse.— Cable messages from Sydney, dated April 21st, state :—Bourka is the scene of absolute desolation and ruin* The Government is sending a fcjpscial Bommissioner to report on the position of affairs, and relieving funds are being opened throughout the colony.—lt is believed kh«t 300,000 sheep have been drowned in the Walgett district.—The town of Louth, on the Dar ling, 60 miles below Bourke, is surrounded by water. The residents have erected embankments.

Temuka Literary Society. —A meeting of tho committee of the above society was hold on Monday evening, when the Rev. J. Dickson presided.. It was resolved to procure the Oddfellows' Hall ns a place of meeting. It was decided to hold the meetings on alternate Tuesdays, and open the session with a conversazione on M»y 6th. A sub-committee consisting of Messrs Bryars, P. McOiakill, J. Sim, J. McCaskll 1 , and W. Cooper were appointed to arrsnge details in connection therewith. Rules were then drawn up, and will be submitted for confirmation at a future meeting. Gift Auction at Winchester.—Tomorrow evening a gift auction, preceded by a tea, will be held in the new schoolroom litely presented by Mr H. J. Gladstone to the Church of England at Winchester. The contractors, Messrs Comer and Lircorabe, although they have not quite completed their work, have kindly granted permission to the vestry to use the room. The ladies connected with the Church have worked energetically, and, although short notice has been given them, they have managed to have everything in capital order, A liberal response has been made to the appeal for donations, and there will be submitted some good lines of live stock and a lot of wheat, oats, potatoes, etc,, together with miscellaneous articles. The proceeds will be devoted to further improvaments of the church grounds. La Grippe. That was a strange sentence in a Paris letter which stated, from observing that those addicted to alcohol did not take influenza, the physicians advised the use of warm a coholic dsinks, says the London Lancet, In three days no less than 1500 people were taken up for drunkenness in the streets of Paris, of whom 1200 said they were simply following the treatment prescribed for infloenz ■ ! The origin of the word “grippe "has been traced back to the year 1743. In an old number of the Journal de Medicine there is an account of the winter of 1743, during which apoplexy and catarrhs were very common. The colds are described as similar to what were called folotte the preceding year ; but in 1743 they werecilled grippe. Few persons escaped the malady, and it readily attacked the weak-chested. The Corpus Callosum. ——The corpus callosum is a small spongy body situated just at the base of the b r «io, The object and functions of this portion of the human anatomy has long puzzled the minds of our most learned physicians. There is a certain class of spiritualistic to .chers wiio have made the human anatomy a special study, who hold that this organ is a separate but as yet undeveloped brain, which will granually develop with (be mental and spiritual development of the race, and that finally it will be tho ruling organ of mental and moral activity that f w iG at some future time become the 'medium through which man will become perfectly familiar with what are now sometimes called the “ occult sciences,” or those sciences upon which depsnd’the pyenomena of mesmerism, modern spiritualiam, clairvoyance, foretelling of future events, etc, Quite recently, according to a late articil in the Electrical World, Dr A. H, Stevens, of Fhilade'phia, a gentleman of some considerable note as a medical student, has put forth the idea that this organ constitutes the special location of the soul or mind of man, Re says : “ The corpus callosum is the seat of the imperishable mind, and is the great ressr? voir and storehouse of electricity, which is abstracted from the blood of the arteries and conveyed through the nerves, up the spinal cord to the corpus callosum.” Reduction of Postage.— Mr Goschen’s proposal to reduce the postaga.rate between the colonies and England is not likely to meet with favor. Mr Gray, Secretary to the Post Office, has drawn up an estimate of the in which Mr Gosohen’a proposal to reduce Die postage to 2JH will affect New Zealand. Mr Gray catenates that it will cause a loss to the San Fran, cisco service bf £24,355 per year, and on the direct service of £5403. Soma small amounts bring the total to £31,244. It ig supposed, moreover, that the reduction of the sea rates to 2£d wiji involve an alteration in the inland and intercolonial 0/3 I * t •11 .

rate, which will cause further losa The redaction to Id would mean a further i decrease to the reyetnje to the extent of m'iking a total Joss of £BB 127 per annum, ]VXc Goschen's project will probably lead to the colony joining the foatal Union, which would enable it to reap the advantage of lower rates to all parts of tho world, and not lo England only. Government haye not yet considered the matter, and have no information beyond the Press cables on the subject. It is supposed that the English Government will be hardly likely to moye in the matter until the views of the colonies are ascertained. It is alleged that tho loss to (he revenue of New South Wales and "Victoria will be about £150,000 each. Aljf the colonies seem disposed against the ccheuje, ' (

Medical. —Quinolineparamethenylbenzenylazoximeparaoarboxylic Acid is the ne* acid, prepared by melting quinolineparamethenyluramidoxine with phthalic anhydride. If the process of preparation is ns lengthy as the name we do not envy the operator. But is u, absolutely necessary that our chemists Miou'd indulge in such jiw-brenking word- 1 It is wi h things like this doctors kill.

Belfield School Committee.— The monthly meeting of this committee washeld in the schoolroom on Saturday evening last. Present ~ Messrs Newport, Ford, Sngrue, and Bennett. in the absence of the chairman, Mr Ford was requested to tuke the chair. Mr Griffiths forwarded h ; s resignation as chairman of the committee. The resignation was accepted with regret. Mr Newport reported having yisited the school, and finding a very poor attendance. The inspector’s report upon the school was read, and two accounts passed for payment. This being all the business, the meeting terminated.

Fxhibition Prizes.—The drawing of the Exhibition Art Union took place last Monday. As omy about 20,000 tickets had been sold, the prizes were readjusted. The highest was one of £IOO, th*n came one of £75, four of £SO, two of £4O, two of £3O, four of £25, eight of £2O, fifteen of £lO, and fifteen of £2, and thirty £2, m king 62 priz a of the value of £IO6O. Mr J. J. Kinsey and Mr H. O. Forbes, boih of Christchurch, had charge of the barrels. The fifiy-second ticket diawn received a £SO prize ; the seventy-fourth ticket drawn secured the principal prize, and, singularly enough, the one before it won a £SO priz', and the one after it the second of £75. The winning Nos. are 41482, £IOO ; 25721. £75 ; 35893, £SO ; 31542, £5Ol 6546, £SO; 41890, £SO. Splendid Yields. —As the threshing mills go their rounds m the Tokomairiro district (says the Glutha Leader) heavy returns are in all cases reported, while phenomenal yields are instanced on many farms. Mr J. Finch, at the north end of the plain, threshed wheat running 70 bushels to the acre, while Messrs Brennan Bros, had paddocks of wheat yieldin g 60 bushels. Although wheat is not so largely grown at the south end, yet ho>vy crops have been threshed this year. A 13-acre field of whes.t belonging to Mr W. Lochart, of Southbridge, yielded 60 bushels to the acre ; while Messrs W. Dunn, R. Murray, and Allison Bros’, wheat crop averaged from 45 to 50 bushels. In oats, of those threshed many fields have run 90 bushels to 'he acre, while an average of from 69 to 75 bushels to the acre is the general rule. As an instance of the large bulk of straw grown this year, a 14-acre field of oats (reaped green) of Mr E. Reid’s sear Milton, when cut into chaffyielded 4£ tons to ihe acre.

An IdetL Hotel. —A writer in the National Review makes soma suggestions which may be interesting to cite in full in reply to Dr Jayne’s question on the public house of the future. Hero are the con-, ditious laid down —(1) the bar jo be removed altogether and orders for meat and drink to be given to waiters, (2) The part in public use must consist of not less than three rooms, namely, a dining-room, a smoking aoom, and a non smoking-room. Ai least three daily papers, at least two weekly papers, and at least two magazines to b* found both in the smoking and the non-smoking-room. (3) A library of not les than 100 books to bo provided. (4) Tea coffee, cocoa, and pure beer (English and Genmo) to be sold on the premises. Wines and spirits strictly prohibited, and no beer to be sold before 1 p.m, (5) Any person by paying 41 a week, Is a month or 9s a year, to be allowed to use the premises freely without being expected either to eat or drink anything for the good of the house ; and the same membership to enable him to use auy other rooms such as billiard-rooms, recreation rooms, etc., etc,, as may from time to time be added.

An ITXTRAORDINART Storv.—A Bavarian naturalist, named Professor Schelwisch, who accompanied Mr H. M. Stanley through Africa, gives an extraordinary story of a metal plant. It grew, had leaves like ivj, and all the properties of iron. The natives regarded the plant as sacred, and would not allow it to be touched. The professor gave a handful of coppers, which they threw into the hole dug around the roots of the plant, and next morning the plant possessed the color and properties of copper. The professor says :—“ Instead of being a beauliful steel color, Hie stem, leaves, and what was exposed of the roots presented the appearance of newly-coined copper coin®, and glittered in the morning sunlight like polished gold. Upon examination it was ascertained that during the night the strange plant had absorbed nearly all the copper coins, with the result of completely changing its color. VI hat was left of the coins in the hole showed that they were more than half eaten away or absorbed by the roots of the melal plant. Not only was tho color changed, but the texture of the plant had undergone a simiV transformalioa. It was found that the thin ivy-shaped leaves were now easily bent around the fingers, would retain any shape given them, and cou*d be readily out with an ordinary pair of scissors.” Crown Lands. —Tho Grown laud transactions of the year ending 31st Match last show that 628 persona took up 51,087 acres for cast) ; 303 persons 41,235 acres on deferred payment ; 756 parsons took up 236,904 acres on perpetual lease ; i person f o ok up 53 acres on agricultural lease; 158 persons tqok up (pjl acrps of village settlement lands for cash ; 75 persons took up 810 acres village settlement lands on deferred payment; 76 persons took up 1729 acres village settlement lands on perpetual lease; 20 persons took up 270 acres of forfeited homestead special settlement lands; 45 persons look up 4873 acres special settlement association lands ; IS> persons took up 1751 acres undcp the homestead system ; 207 persons took up 3,731,258 acres as pastoral runs, and 35 persons took up 60,340 acres under the small grassing runs svstem, The approximate revenue is—for cish lands, £55,361 ; deferred pavmeds £47.092 ; perpetual lease, £19,076 ; a</ch cultural lease, £803; village settlement cas.i, -62348 ; village settlement perpetual lease, £173 ;; village homestead special settlement, £2482; special settlement association, £10,652; homestead, £244pascal runs, £152.526 ; small grazing runs, £10,046 ; miscellaneous (incl.Hinw rents, royalties, licenses, etc.), £26 The approximate total is £333,776. ' The DQtTnnn rown lauJa revenue was

Government Life Insurance. —Mr If. W. brankland, the Government Life Insurance actuary, has resigned his position, and is leaving for England, where he takes a position in the Atlas Life and Fire Insurance Company’s office. Ho ban the reputation of being a very able man Domestic Murder. _ Some sensation hss now been earned at San Fianc'Soo by a tragedy which has taken pU C e in the dome-tic circle of Judge Clark, of Tehama. Ca'iforma. Bis two sons liart a bitter quarrel on family matters, and during the altercation one lifted a chair to attack his brother. The latter instantly drew hia revolver and shot hia brother dead on the spot. At the inquest‘the coroner’s jury held that the shooting was justifiible, and dir oted that the survivor of the fray should be released from custody. Grain Prospects. The Melbourne Argus, in commenting on tbs agricultural s'a'isiics for Canterbury and Otago says • “Considering that the yield of oats‘for the whole of New Zealand, exclusive of Auckland, for the season 1888-89 tvsS estimated at 10,637,134 bushels, it i«

pretty certain that the exp .stable surplus this ya .r will be greater by at least two. million bushels. The prospect is tharffore free shipments to Anatra ian pore, and low prices. The Victorian crop is pretty nearly large enough for Victorian-require, ments, but the danger is that the demind which will arise for the stout New Zealand kinds at low prices will thrnst inferior Victorian descriptions into the background. At moderate prices wb eat : mats the local maiket value of the four crops of oats, wheat, barley, and potatoes at about two millions and a qu ir er sterling for 725,748 acres, or slightly over £3 per acre all round.”

Bible Society. —The annual meeting of the Timaru branch was held last Monday Mr Ballantyne being in the chair--Mr R. Foster, secretary, retd the annual roport, which showed that this year £39 had been collected. The committee wera liable for £52 17s 9d worth of b >oks, and a hope was expressed that friends would assist to clear off the liability. The treasurer, Mr Cuiberl reported that £4l 2s had been rec-iyed, of which £39 4] 6d bad been seo! Home, leaving a ba! .nceof ss6d in hind, Oo the report and balance-sheet being adopted the Rev, Mr Robjohns addressed the mealing, stating that the “ Penny Testaments” had not been produced by “ sweating,” as their production cost £12,580 more than they realised. Last year £102,000 was spent on the production of works, and £147,000 on missionary work ; but this year, owing to a fal ing off in receipts the latter expenditure must drop by £34j000. The issues of books last year showed a drop of half a million, but this was made up by Continental branches issning a greater number. He appealed for more liberal assistance from New Zealand, for which the society had in the past done a'great deal, which had not nearly been repaid. The rev, gentleman then dealt with objections to the society, and delivered a capital speech, after which the officers of the past year were re-elected,- and a: collection made wh'ch realised £3 lls Id. Gasperini’s Escape.:—lt wi'l be remembered that a couple of years ago a great deal of noise was made over’ a foreigner named Gas'parini — an escapa from New Caledonia—‘who was forwarded in charge of a detective to Sydney, and who escaped on Iho voyage. Jt was then that a coantry-mnn of his killed bear he had, put him in the bears and* that thus he escaped. The tennial Magazine has recently published an article by Mr E. J, Hart, in which the whole circumstances of his escape are detailed as follows :—'Gasparini habit of conversing with a was a fireman on board the Wakatipu, and noticed one day that the bottom iron plates could be lifted. When nearing Sydney he lifted one of these and went down into the very bottom, of the vessel, where ho had not sitting room, and had

to lie doirn in filthy water. He remained there without anything to eat for 48 hours, when he came up was met by bis Genoese friend who told him the vessel was watched. After being provided by the Genoese with food, he w.-nt down again and remained there until the vessel reached Newcastle, ns the detective remained still on board. One night in Newcastle after the detective had gone to bed he was rigged out by his friend, left the vessel, went through soiaj adventures until ho reached Melbourne, where ho was employed in the kitchen of a hotel. While there the Governor of New Caledonia (from which placo he had escape i), was entertain d at dinner in the hotel, This is certaidv the moat likely story of the escape of G spirini no have yet come across, it r^ 0 ver diot of. all .who have rued the Jumbo” brand Baking Ponder is that it makes light, nutritious, an 1 digestive bread cakes, pastry, etc, As the ingredients are of the finest qualities, and no injurious eleaunt being used in the preparation, bread, etc. made with this powdsr will keep fresh and moist longer than with any other ponder. Ask for Anderson's " Jumbo" brand Baking powde/;.—fA dvt. 1.1 SYNOPSIS OF AOYJSRIISEMENTS Woodbury Gospel address on Sunday afternoon. John McGrath, Temuka— Offers reward tor return of half-bred spaniel, Mrs Angus Macdonald, Waitui, Geraldine—Wants a cook and laundry mad. Cowan’s Clothing and Outfitting House, Timaru—All sorts of Cookham boots on sale. In bmkruptcy—Tie Patrick Collins, farmer, and Isaac Uden. laborer, both of Milford. " 1 Board of Education— -Annual meeting or householders oq Monday evening l at 7 o'clock. Geraldine Road District—Annual meeting of ratepayers at Road Board Oflioe on Thursday next, at 11 a.m.