LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2145, 3 January 1891, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Life Insurance. --Mr Murray Aston ■has been appointed lecturing agent for the Government Life Insurance Department. ; Furniture Sale. —Messrs Graoie, Maclean & Co. hold a clearing sale of furniture, etc., at Pleasant Point, on account of the Rev. W. White, immediately after the stock sale on Monday. Impromptu Dance. ■ — A number of young people determined to wind up New Year’s Day in ah enjoyable fashion, engaged the Volunteer Hall at Temuka and indulged in a dance, which was well attended and much enjoyed.

Concert at Gapes’ Valley.— One of those pleasant little concerts so popular at Gapes’ Valley takes place in the schoolroom there on Friday evening next. A dance will follow the oonceri. The proceeds are id aid of the school funds. Dunedin Caledonian Sports.— At the Dunedin Caledonian Sports oh ! New Year’s Day the Caledonian Handicap of 120 yards was won by J. Duncan, and the 350 yards distance by Scrimshaw. The walking race of two miles was won in fine style from scratch by Howen, in 14min Isec. Duncan Ross competed in the weightiputting events, and gave an exhibition of swordsmanship. A splendid race for the mile handicap resulted in Murdoch winning from scratch in 4min 40sec. (

Laborers’ Homes. Mr Bullock, of Ashburton, thinks it would be an advantage to the large landholders—such as the owners of the Longbeach and Messrs Gould and Cameron's estates—to provide for their laborers holdings of from five to twenty acres, or even fifty acres ; and that if the large landholders would not do this, then it would become the duty of the Government to acquire land for the purpose, under some such scheme of Labor Settlements as had been advocated by Major Steward. Timaru Hospital. —The following is a return of patients in the Timaru Hospital for'the month ended December Slat, 1890 :—Patients under treatment at date of last return : Males 16* females.B, total 24; admitted during month : Males 8, females 4, total 12 ; totals treated : Males 24, females 12, total 36. Discharged during month : — Cured : Males 7, females 3, total 10 ; relieved : Males 2, females 3, total;s; dead : 1, (John Green) ; totals discharged : Males 10, females 6, total 16. Remaining under treatment: Males 14, females 6, total 20. Out-patients treated during the month : Males 21, females 15 ; total 36.

Accident to the Rkt. G. Barclay.— The Otago Daily Times says ;—We regret to state that on Saturday last a somewhat serious accident happened to the Rev. George Barclay, late of Geraldine, but now resident in Dunedin. As the rev. gentleman was inspecting the bookshelves in a well-known bookseller’s shop, he foil down a trap-door in the floor, which had been carelessly opened behind him, and, besides some bruises, be sustained a fracture of his left leg just above tha ankle. He was promptly removed to bis residence, where hia injuries were attended to by Dr Elocken, and we are pleased to learn that he is now progressing as favorably as could be expected, considering the serious nature of his injuries.

Pale of Thoroughbreds. —The first of tha yearling sales was held at Mr Thos. Memo's stud farm, Auckland, on Wednesday. Ten of Mr Morrin's yearlings were offered, and for one of them, a colt by Nordenfeldt from Frailty, the dam of Trenton, realised 2025 guineas, the highest price paid for a yearling in the colonies. The purchaser was Mr S. H. Qollan, of Napier. A cols by Nordenfeldt from Albatross was sold to Mr P. Butler for 330 guineas, and for a sister to Crackshot, a filly by Nordenfeldt from Puugawerewere, Mr J. Marshall, of Auckland, paid 200 guineas. Mr G. G, Stead bought a. plly by Nordenfeldt from Ouida for 375 guineas. The total for the three yearlings was 3700 guineas. Of three Middle Park youngsters the only one sold was the two-year-old Eros, by St. George —lda ia, bought by Mr R: Mason for 120 guineas.

The Melbourne Cup. —They were on the Melbourne grandstand on Cup day. Ha stood just in front of her on tha tier belqw, and both watched with trembling, feverish anxiety the race, which for them meant bliss unspeakable, or tha hope deferred that maketh the heart sick. The lady was most excited, and as she watched the black and white jacket draw out of tha ruck, go to tha front, and race a winner down the straight, she could contain her joy and excitement in silence no longer, but waving her hands wildly she shouted ‘‘Carbine! Carbine! He wine! He wins ! Ha wins ! Oh Jack ! £I2OO and wo can be married next week I ” Throwing her arms round Jack’s neck, she impulsively kissed him again and again. There was a considerable titter as the cheering died away, which increased to a roar of laughter as a red-faced, coarsevoiced woman drily remarked, “ I’ll trouble you, miss, to pass my husband this way when you’ve done with him.” Horror j Jack had shifted daring the race, and his fiance had been hugging the wrong man,— Melbourne Sun. Lime as a Manure. —Mr E. F. Wright ia this season (says the Christchurch Press) carrying out a number of experiments with a view to practically demonstrating the value of litre as a fertiliser. About 18 months ago a portion,of a small grass paddock on the Wakanui road, near Ashburton, was treated to a dressing of lime, the quantity used being at the rate of two and a-balf tons to the acre. Every part of the paddock had been fed down very bare till tha first week in October, when it was shut up, and the grass left to grow till the 11th insi. Two plots of a fifth of an acre each were then accurately laid off, and the grass carefully mown, put np in drays, and carted away to a weighbridge. The grass from the milimed piece of land weighed 7i«wt,, while that from the adjoining piece that h«d been dressed with a coating of lime weighed just 14|awt. All parts of the paddock were treated alike when last laid down to grass. The soil is of a uniform nature all through, and the result of ten weeks’ growth, even in an unusually dry season, has proved to be more than 100 per cent, in favor of the str'p that had been limed. The measurement of (he two strips was made by an anhorised surveyor, and equal care was tnk'n in mowing, gathering up, and weighing; each lot of grass. Other experiments are being made in various parts of (he district, and the results are expected to prove thO it will pay handsomely to use lime as a fertiliser.

Wesleyan Ohuboh, Temuka.—The Her R. S. Bunn will conduct the morning and evening services in the above church to* morrow.

Illtreatino Horses. —At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Tunaiu, on Thursday last, John and Alex. Elliott were fined £3, with £1 15s coats, for working's!* horses which were suffering from sore shoulders. The hotses were being worked in Bradshaw’s paddock, on the Levels estate. Salvation Army.— On Monday next a great field day will be held at Peel Forest, when the Army Colors are to bo unfurled on Little Mount Peel, 4500 ft. high. Attention is directed to the ad veitisemeot I regarding the same, which will be found in another column, . Chkss Gonurbss.— At the Chess Congress at Wellington on Wednesday Sexton beat Edwards, Ollivier beat Mouat, Siedeberg beat Hookham, Bolton beat Mouat, and Harnea beat Sexton. On Thursday the game between Edwards and Littlejohn resulted in a draw, Siedebetg beat Mouat, and Brown beat Sexton. A Brief Speech.— -A model of brevity for Parliamentary candidates is claimed for Tasmania. . At the appointed time for his explanatory;,and declaratory speech, a man made his bow and said;—“Gentlemen, —I’m not going to make a long speech, but if 1 haven’t the gift of the gab I’ve got it in the nut! ” (Here the candidate significantly tupped his forehand and sat down.) Attempted Escape from Noumea.— The steamer Tainais at Sydney brings particulars of an attempted escape of three French convicts from New Caledonia. The men swam to a .half-decked bout anchored off the beach, and put to sea just before nightfall. The guard boat at once went in ; pursuit, but had to return owing to darkness and a heavy storm coming on. Next day the boat was discovered wrecked on a small island, the storm having capskid her. Two of the escapees had been drowned, and the third was found in a half-dead condition on the island.' Cricket. The following team has been selected to play for Temuka against Ashburton on Tuesday next ia Victoria Park Brown, Bryars, Dann, Dignan, Farnie, dlolds'-one, Hamilton, Hayhnrst, Mendalson, McCuskill, and McLean ; emergencies, Uru and Heap. Play will begin at 11 o’clock, and the teams will take lunch together at the Crown Hotel at 1, Practice on Saturday and Monday evenings.—-On Wednesday Timaru played Ashley County at Rangiora and won on the first innings with 78 runs to spareTimaru scored 178 and Ashley 100. London and Paris.— London and Paris will be in telephonic communication early this year. The satisfaction with which the announcement of this certainty was received has, however, been damped by the further announcement of the price which will be eharged for it. A talk of five minutes is to bo charged 20 francs. Given the atmospheric difficulties of the situation; the price will probably reader the arrangement as unprofitable to the sender as unremnnerntive to the joint interests concerned. Compared with the small price of five francs charged between Paris and Marseilles, the public regards the price to be charged 7 between Paris city and London as ruinously high. A Tomato Prst. —An Auckland paper says:—Growers of tomatoes wifi be sorry to hear that a destructive insect pest has appeared in Auckland which is very destructive to the plant, A grower over at Northcote foiled many of hi# plants greatly injured, and on telling Mr Barber that gent’einan brought over a plant to Mr Cheevemas, at the Auckland museum. After examination Mr Cheessman found that the insect was aleurodes vaporarium, an insect which has been very injurious to tomatoes in the United states, but which has not hitherto been noticed hers. The insect bores ia the leaf, and (hen turns into a small white It must be dealt with by kerosene solution, applied with a syringe.

The Weather. —The downpour of rain which has been so anxiously hoped and prayed for for so many months past came in real earnest on New Year’s Eve, as if bent upon wishing everybody a “Happy New Year.” The steady downpour of water upon the roofs, its gargle in- the throats of downpipes that have been long dry and ■ parched, its plash, plash, as the hitherto scorched ground received the welcome moisture was as sweetest music to everyone who takes an interest in the country, but more especially so to the farmers, to many of whom a heavy rain meant the saving of hundreds of pounds. The rain continued in a steady downpour during the whole of Wednesday night and up to about midday on Thursday. Some good showers also tell on-.Tbursday night. The district has not been blessed with such a rain for over two ye rs. On garden soil it has penetrated to a great depth, while gras* and ploughed lands have re. ceived sufficient to enable them to hold out now till the winter rains set in. It has come too late to save many crops, but on the other hand it has come just in time to prevent many from, being entirely ruined, wbl'e some of the: late crops WlJ.j be immensely benefited by it. To al root crops it will be of the utmost benefit, while to turnips that have managed to survive the drought and to grass land it will prove of incalculable advantage.

SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS. Wesleyan Church, Temuka—Services for to-morrow. Gapes’s Valley School—Concert and dance on Friday next. Arowhenna Town Board—lnvites tenders for cutting and part formation. J. Murray, Manager Orari Station—lnvites tenders for stocking 360 acres oats.

Guinness and Cox —Pub'ish list of entries foe Geraldine Stock Sale oo Wednesday next ; have sheep for private sale. Grade, Maclean & Co. —Hold clearing aa'e of furniture on account of Rev. Wm. White st Pleasant Point on Monday next. J, Mundall & Co.—Publish list of entries for stock sale on Wednesday next ; sell 20 acres good graz’ng land, c’ose to Raogitata Traffic Bridge. A. W. Caze, Main Street, Temuka— Has for sale good 6-roomed bouse with half acre of land ; also, splendid farming properties at Palmerston North, etc. ;