LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2097, 11 September 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Caledonian Society. Members of this society are reminded that the annual meeting takes place at the'Star Hotel at 8 o'clock this evening, when the report of the last year’s proceedings of the society will be presented, officers for the ensuing year appointed, and other business dealt with. It is to be hoped there will be a good attendance. , Temuka Stock Sale —The fortnightly sale of stock at Temuka takes place tomorrow, and in our advertising columns will be found a long list of entries to be offered by Messrs J. Mundell and Co. Messrs A. E. Cox and E. R. Guinness announce that they have now made arrangements to se 1 at these yards, and both firms are now booking further entries. Geraldine F,, H., and I. Association. —The monthly, meeting of the Geraldine Floral, Horticultural. and Industrial Association will be held in the anterroom adjoining the Oddfellows’ Hall this evening, and as import nt business is to be transacted, amongst which will'-be the receiving of the special pn'zj list for the January show, it is to be hoped there will be;a good attendance of members, Co-operation.—At the meeting held in, Dunedin last Monday Mr Millar hinted that it was the intention of unionists to go in for running steamers oh the cioperative principle. He also aprioabced that they would adopt co-operation extensively. That >s exactly what they ought to do. If they invested their money in co-operative stores and other industrial products they wbu'd soon become a power which nothing could withstand.

Tbmdra Town Board Election.— Considerable interest is being displayed in the election of Commissioners for the Temuka Town District, no less than eigh f candidates being nominated with the .Returning Officer, Mr W. Wills, on Tuesday, viz, Messrs J. Blyth, S, Clinch, P. Coira, J, Davis, H Lee, G. J. Mason, J. W. Miles, and W. Storey. A poll, for the election of five, will bo taken on Wednesday nexL San Francisco Mail.— lt is understood that the British Government offer £19,000 as an annual subsidy if the San Francisco mail service is retained, but decline to contribute anything if only the direct service is maintained. It is believed that with this subsidy and the American subsidy of £15,000, along with postages, the Government will see their way to assuring the House that a fortnightly service, alternately by San Francisco and the direct steamers, can be arranged at a small loss. Accident, —The second mate of the Waihora, James W. Watt, who joined the vessel at Dunedin, while superintending the loading of grain at Invercargill, was struck by the slings and knocked into the hold, sustaining a compound fracture of the left leg. Dr C oas was telegraphed for, and went down in a special, and returned with the sufferer to the hospital. It was alleged the accident was due to the awkwardness of blackleg labor, but this has been denied.

On Strike.^ —The spirit of the age is, we believe, extending to the lower animals, In a certain house in Temuka there is a pat cat, which is held in great estimation by the family. The oat recently had kittens, but to everyone’s surprise she cleared out and left them. The cafe was mourned as lost, but after three days’ absence she returned home as hale and hearty as ever she was in all her born days, and the conclusion now arrived at ia that she went on strike so as to avoid having to feed her youngsters. This is carrying it too far.

The Hutchison Charoes.— The ; defence in Whitaker v. Hutchison has been filed. The first plea is a traverse of the allegation of publication ; the second raises the question whether the publication is within the Parliamentary Privileges Act ; the third alleges it was made without malice ; the fourth that it »aa made for the public benefit ; the fifth and principal defence plaids justification on the vround of the allegations being true in substance and in fact. As to the personal charges it is alleged that plaintiff and the other two Ministers were respectively liable to the Bank of New Zealand in large amounts,; which they were unable to discharge, if palled upon, to inset the same in the ordin» r y course of business. As to the public charges it is alleged that they were treated by Ministers as competent and proper for Parliament to deal with.

New Zealand's Curse —The Sydney Morning Herald sums up our social and political condition thus; —The prospects of New Z'aland are brighter than they have been, trade being brisker and bankruptcies fewer, but its development is retarded by the concentration of great tracts of land in few hands and absenteeism, which Lord Ons'ow hsa denounced. About 20,000,000 acres of land have been disposed of by the colony, nod of that area nearly 18,000,000 are owned by 1615 families, of whom 1140 are permanent who draw large revenues which are spent abroad: The bulk of the agricultural population own a comparatively sinall amount of land, nearly 17,000 fami'ies occupying about 400,000 Hcres. The 1 rg • estates embrsce the'best land, and when 'be resident agriculni'ists seek to increase their holdings almost prohibitive pr ess a'p aekpl. This is the hue state of affiiirs in a nutshell. We know the details and, we don't mean to forgot them -it. the forthcoming general election. The above figures will repay a trifle of thoughtful consideration. Equitable Insurance.— A largely attended mSßting t)f ghareholders of the Equitable Insurance Company W 9? held in Hokitika, when fifteen thousand shares were represented. Resolutions were unanimously carried letters from the directors relating: to directors’ foes afe deem°d ipogt unsatisfactory j, (2) expressing surprise thalt tfje diiectors have been bo'ding meetings and illegally drawing fees for tbp same in violation of the articles of association, for six and a-half, years, the excess of such fee’s with interest amounting to about £20.00) And that having admitted their responsibility.tfie directors bo requested to re/tind,; (3) failing coropliqnce fliis meeting pledges itself, in view of tha many calls upon shareholders, to take the necessary legal steps to enforce the refund and to enlist the cc-operation of the sharehoidrrs throughout the colony • (4) that tha directors' 1 allusions to Mr Lloyd, a shareholder, are uncalled for and unnecessary, as tlip information respecting the directors' fe.es wss obliged in another w y ; (5) lh»t the foregoing resplptiona fie telegraphed to the directors requesting their Immediate attention thereto/'

Ele^iobal.—ln reply to enquiries made by the Temuka Town Board as to the status of Temuka in the newly defined Electorate Mr A. E. G. Rhodes, M.H.R., has telegraphed as fellows :—“ TheJColonial Secretary informs me that Temuka is still the head : polling place of the coast tueney.’’ Yesterday ft requisition asking that Teinukft might be made the bead polling place was largely s : gned prior to the receipt of Mr Rhodes’s telegram. It was duly forwarded to Wellington. Sudbbn Deaths.—A man named Henry Clements, aged about thirty-four, in the employ of Messrs Ward and Co.', 'CHfistcburch, fell down dead in the yard adjoining the brewery on Tuesday morning. He had been unloading bops from one of the Company’s drays. He was'a very steady man.—A man named Thss. Hussey, of weakly constitution, died suddenly at the Bealej, where the unemployed works are going on, on Monday. At the inquest a verdict of death from natural causes- Both were married i men, with families. Arowhentja Town Board.—No less than eleven candidates were nominated with tha returning officer, Mr W. Wills, yesterday, for seats on the Arowheuua Town Board, which shows that the ratepayers are taking considerable interest in the affairs of the district. The candidates are Messrs J. Ashwell, G, H. Barritt, R. Brown, W. Bryao, E. Carr, A. Frew,' J. Hooper, W. McCann, J. Moloness, A. Russell, and E. Valleoder, and a poll for the election of five will be taken on Wednesday next. Football.—The following teams will play in the trial match at Temuka on Saturday Blues ; Fu 1 back, Storey ; threequartera, Macintosh, A. C. Perry, Rhodes; halves, Moore and. Thomas; forwards, Anderson, Blissett, Bowron, Carr, Gillespie, Gooch, Fitzgerald, Uartr, LeOren, Polaschek, Stewart (2), and Stokes. Colors : Full back, Loyegrove ; threequartera. Kalaugher, W, Perry, Stewart and Yelvin ; halves, Findlay and McLeod; forwards, Brinkman, Hassell, Jameson, Maclean, Matheson (2), F. Perry, Roberts, and White. All picked are requested to attend.—A match between the White Star Club and Temuka second fifteen takes place at Temuka this afternoon.

Draughts. —The Handicap Draughts Tournament is now drawing to a conclusion;. The fifth round has .been, played, with Ihe result that Mr Sira is victor of the winners'round. He will now wait till the losers class is reduced to one player when the pair will play off for first prz'. The following is the result of the fifth round { —Wi nn e r ß v., Winners—Mr Sim (scratch) beat Mr Storey (2). Losers v. Losers : Mr Chapman (5) beat Mr H, Lavery (6), Mr Leach (6) beat Mr Bowman (6), Mr M. McAuliffe (4) beat Mr Drykdale (6), Mr J. Lee (4) beat Mr Bsck (2), The handicapping has proved very satisfactory. Close finishes have been the order of the day and some of the best players have bad to succumb. The sixth round will be played on Monday evening.

A Patent Gobsb-Cuxtbb. —At the last meeting of the Geraldine Town Board attention was directed to a large gorge fence growing on a corner section. The height of the fence made the corner dangerous, as drivers of vehicles were unable to see if other vehicles or pedestrians were approaching the corner from the opposite direction. The board ordered a notice to cut the gprse to be served on the owners of the section. Oh Monday evening, however, they were, to some extent, saved the trouble as by some means the fence caught fire and a chain or two was burnt. The fireball was rung and the brigade turned out and extinguished the flames. The fire; occurred while the Salvationists’ meeting was in full swing, and on the alarm being given a large number rushed out of the building, but moat of them went back when the nature of ths fire was known. The brigade deserve every credit for the promptness with which they turned out.

Electric Storm. —The Hokianga (Auckland) district was recently visited by a severs electric storm, which caused considerable damage to tbs telegraph hoes and instrumnets. The telephone at Kohukohu was destroyed by lightning, and communication was completely interrupted between the head office at Rowena and other stations. Two large poles at the junction of the Omanaia and One rivers were shuttered to atoms. The bead of one, eight inches equate, was shot off and carried to a distance of 100 yards. Another pole, 50 feet in height, was splintered into matchwood, and portions were carried 30 yards away. Numbers of other poles were splintered and insulators broken. There was one long span about one third of a mde, stretching from bill to hi!l, where the line crosses the Omanaia river. The whole of the wire in this span was melted and fell down in little pieces, varying from one to three inches id length. No Hireling. —At Monday evening’s meeting in Dunedin Mr Gibb, delegate of the Seaman’s Union, said there were rumours in qiroujation that the movement w"8 conducted by paid agitators. He wished any such impression to ba removed. Mr Millar was not a paid agitator, and neither was the speaker,— a'l that be did was done in the interest of his fellow seara >n and of himself,—(Applause.) He was quite prepared to go back on one of the Union Company’s steamers to-morrow if

they would let him go under honourable settlement, and so was his colleague Mr Belcher, Mr MilUar was the only paid man in the movement, and at the present time ha was taking no pay.—(Pro ongrd applause). Ho thought every soaunn would endorse his words when he said that the seamen got full value for their money paid to Mr Milliar, Since the formation of the Maritime Oounoil it had paid Mr Millar £lO for his seviers for half a year, and he thought he bad earned it times over.— (Applause.) Mr Millar, as he had said, was taking no salary at present, and would take none till this dispute was settled.— (Loud applause.)

The Albqm s«ys tLp typp setting machine will not supplant fbe com : positor.

SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS. Mount Peel Road Boasrd-*»lnvites tenders for shingling Tripp’s Road, Geraldine Domnin Board—lnvites fresh tenders for lease of reserve of 38 acres. E. M. Gordon, Rangitata BridgeWants teams for ploughing and harrowing. Yelvin & Taylor, Storekeepers, Te-mukarrr-Have Just received first shipment of fishing tackle, and invite inspection. Cowan’s Clothing and Outfitting House, Timiru—New season’s tweeds from the Kainpoi Mills, exquisite patterns, just received. W. Wiljs, Returning Officer—Names of candidates nominated for seats on the Tetpuka Town Board ; poll on lYednesqlay nest; also ro election of Arowhenua fawn Boars ?