LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2234, 30 July 1891, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Quuaumnu R.M. Court.— There was a clean charge-sheet at the Geraldine R.M. Court on Tuesday last,

A Correction. Connolly’s Hanlon that will run at the Geraldine Races, as stated by us in our last issue, but foals got by Hanlan. Tier Exodus. —We direct attention to apt article from the Auckland Herald which appears in another column, and which contains the views qf Sir Robert Stout on the exodus. It will W spen that Sir Robert’s views are exactly the same as those very frequently put forth in this paper. The Stonewall. On last Friday eyeing tlie Opposition proceeded to. stonewall Ministerial measures, and it is said that they ape 'determine to stonewall everything except the ' estimates. In that ease Parliament can do' nothing. If the Tory party want to rule’ by means of stonewalling they will lja ve to be kept out of Parliament altogether. !

Social at Temuka. —To-night a social will be given by the young ladies of the Wesleyan congregation in the Social Hall. • Tea will be on the tables at half-past six o’clock, and there' should be a good attendance, more particularly as the charge for admission* is only Is. The young ladies are sure to see that all present shall enjoy themselves. Arbitration.—A long standing dispute is about to be settled. A couple of years ago Mr Henry Nicholson, of Waithoi, placed a large quantity of grain in the hands of the Farmers’ Co-operative Society for sale. It was forwarded to Sydney and sold their at less than reserve price, and a dispute over the matter has been going on ever since. The matter has now, however, been referred to arbitration, and it will be settled before long. Ministerial Salaries. —At present the Premier is paid at the rate of £IOOO a year, and the other Ministers get £BOO a year. Until rehently the Premier used to get £1750, and all the Ministers £1250. It is alleged that Ministerial salaries will be increased so that the Premier shall receive £1250 a year, and the other Ministers £IOOO a year. This is certainly not too much. The work is very hard and the expenses are tremendous.

New Shorthand. —In our advertising columns Mr A. Knutzen advertises that he is prepared to give lessons in the “ New Shorthand ” said to be an improvement of Everitt’s system. He also gives lessons in business styles of writing, etc. Mr Knutzen holds a large number of testimonials from former pupils testifying to the simplicity of the system and his skill as a teacher. His address is at Mr Tombs’ Restaurant, Temtika. Fighting Members. —The other day the Honorable (?) Thomas Fergus, late Minister of Public Works, assaulted Mr Eamshaw in the lobby of the House. Mr Fergus is a. very big man, and Mr Eamshaw is a small one, but it is said that the Hon. Tom, would not tackle a man of his own inches. Both the correspondents of the Christchurch Press and the Lyttelton Times say that “ another shindy occurred last evening at Bellamy’s, where a wellknown Oppositionist indulged in free langdage and provoked one of the Dunedin members, who, in this case, proved too many for his opponent, and administered a pretty little punishment.” The names of those blackguards ought to be given. The Tories were gentlemen until they found themselves in a minority, when they have developed into public house brawlers. School Committees Election. —The Hon. W. P. Reeves’ Bill to make better provision for the election to School Committes provides in its interpretation clause ; that householder shall mean and include adult, male or female, person who resides in any dwelling-house within the school district as owner thereof, or if there be no such resident owner then the resident tenant of any such dwelling-house; and (2), if not qualified under the previous subsection, includes the father wherever resident, or, if he be dead or absent from the colony, the guardian or other person, wherever resident, who has actual custody of any child attending any State school situated within such district; and (3) in school districts situated within a proclaimed mining district means and includes every resident holder of a miner’s right not being an alien. “ Resident householder means a householder resident in the district. Disputes as to validity of elections are to be settled by the Board of the district, whose decision will be final. Three months’ absence from Committee shall disqualfy Committeemen from holding office. To this Bill thus briefly outlined, Mr Reeves intends to add certain amendments, the principal of which are the following:—(1) Three months’ residence to be a householder’s qualification. (2) A Committee may vary in number from five to nine, the decision being left to the Board. (3) Nominations made before an annual meeting may be supplemented at the meeting.

A Remarkable Fish. —An extraordinary marine curiosity in the form of a large fish was, it is supposed, killed by . the propeller blade of the Takapuna at the breakwater on Tuesday (says the Taranaki Herald). The blade broke the back of the fish in two places. On Tuesday afternoon the curio was brought into town. In length it is exactly 14 feet. It is like a board in appearance, ranging in breadth on the side from 13 to 16 inches. The head is small, and much resembles a Johnny Dory. There is a slight dorsal fin, but none on the sides. The color is grey. Mr Granville, to whose shop it was taken, is of opinion that it belongs to the class known as Ribbon fish, and that, in the absence of swimming fins it lives in the bed of the sea. No one in the place, so far as can be learned, ever saw such a fish in these waters before. When one looks at the monster as it lies stretched out, the many stories of the sea serpent come back to memory, and one wonders if this can be a specimen of that wonder.

i Treatment op Women. —Mr Downie Stewart asserts that the tendency of modem legislation is to emancipate women from a law by which man can treat his wife as a chattel. At the present time judicial separation can be obtained in New Zealand for adultery, cruelty, and separation for a period of not less than two years. The Legislative Council have now affirmed the desirability of adding habitual cruelty to the list of causes. New Zealanders are in advance of the Home country, according to Mr Downie Stewart, in giving protection orders for cruelty, desertion, adultery, and habitual drunkenness. He thinks it an unfortunate thing that so many husbands and wives are living from each other for mutual protection and are yet unable to marry again. The opinion was expressed by several Legislative Councillors that unless women are granted reasonable rights the extension of the franchise will be hastened* aud wdj bP n S about sweeping reforms in favor of the fair sex. It was stated by the Hon. Mr Barron, that Mi’s Maybrick was found guilty, ; not because her crime had been proved, but because there was an opinion amongst the jurymen that there was a great deal more pojsoning of husbands than the world knew of. Another hon. member retorted that there would prqbab|y be less poisoning oi husbands if justice fairly meted out'to'their wives.

The Hayhurst Affair.—The Wellington Correspondent of the Lyttelton Times says : —I wish to give your readers one item of information that may be of use in preventing the circulation of ridiculous rumours. lam informed by Ministers that absolutely no information will be given on this subject until it is made generally public. Until you get authoritative word, therefore, you may set down everything that is said as absolute and baseless rumour. It was stated in Temuka last evening that news came to the effect that no poison had had been found, but we cannot vouch for the accuracy of the report. The System of Nomination. —ln Sydney Mr O’Connor, PostmasierGeneral, tried to get elected for three constituences after one another, and all rejected him. This proves Mr O’Connor to be unpopular. The Government, however, appointed him to the Upper House, where he retains the portfolio of Post-master - General still. This is enough to turn people against the system of nomination. There is a man who could not get any constituency to elect him foisted on the people as a Minister of the Crown.

Petty Larceny. Complaints have reached us that a good deal of mein pilfering has been going on in the Waitohi district lately. Bags of oats, chaff, and so forth have been stolen, and even fowls have vanished from farm yards. “Waitohi is,” said our informant, “ the honestest place on earth, but a new element has arrived there lately, and if anyone is caught it will be made pretty hot for him. Yesterday morning I was aroused by the barking of my dogs and I ran out, and if I had caught anyone stealing my oats I would have cleaved him to the ground with a gorse knife I had in my hand.” Our f riend swore he would do it, and as he is one possessed of sufficient bone . and muscle to carry out hi 3 threat we should advise, the pilferers not to be caught. If they steal at all let them not allow themselves to be caught. Our advice to them is not to steal at all. Oats are cheap enough, and mutton will do them just as well as fowl. The thing is not worth the risk of being touched up with the gorse knife. It is no use to remind these people of the Commandment which says “ Thou shalt not steal.” The gorse knife is the only thing that could righten them, and we warn them that if caught they will get it. Prohibition. —At a meeting held in Timaru last Monday evening, at which the Rev. Mr Gillies presided, the following resolutions were carried—“ That this meeting approves of the Licensing Act Amendment Bill introduced by Mr Joyce and now before the House of Representatives, and at the same time condemns the Bill introduced by Mr George Hutchison, and that an urgent request be sent to the Premier, in the name of this meeting, in favor of passing the local option clauses of Mr Joyce ? s Bill this session;” “ That the recent action of the Timaru Licensing Committee in renewing all the .licenses in the borough in face of the largely-expressed opinion of the public through the ballot-box and the leading articles of the Timaru Herald that reduction in number was desirable; and the granting to them all an extension to 11 o’clock, together with the leniency shown in regard to the bar question, etc., meets with the strong disapproval of this meeting, and shows a need for a more direct and effective control of the traffic by the people, as provided for in Mr Joyce’s Bill“ That this meeting expresses the hope that the licensing committee will follow up its strong condemnation of the Sabbath traffic by strong measures for the detection and punishment of that traffic.” The actions of the licensing committee were strongly condemned, with regard to the way they had acted generally and more especially in compelling Mr Moore to rebuild the Clarendon Hotel.

SYNOPSIS OP ADVERTISEMENTS.

Temuka Wesleyan Church—Social tonight. People’s Draper—ls showing bargains in Geraldine.

James Cross—Notice re seven strayed Lincoln ewes.

X.Y.Z., Guardian Office, Geraldine— Wants to lease small farm.

A. Knutzen, Tombs’ Restaurant, Temuka—ls prepared to teach shorthand and writing.

W. Fletcher—lnvites tenders for carting timber from Orari railway station to Orari traffic bridge. E. Whitehead—ls agent for Temuka and district for the Liverpool, London, and Globe Insurance Co., publishes abstract from report for 1891.