LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2263, 6 October 1891, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Stock Sale.—The fortnightly sale of stock at Temuka takes place to-day. Drunkenness.—Clampett was fined 5s and 26s costs or four days imprisonment, in Wellington. Board Meetings.—The monthly meeting of the Temuka Road Board will be held to-day, that of the Geraldine Town Board to-night, and that of the Temuka Town Board to-morrow night. Libel. —The jury in the libel action Dr. Mirback v. the Waipawa Mail failed to agree and were discharged. Three.fourths were in favour of a verdict for paintiff, but could not agaee for damages, most of the majority being for only a nominal sum.

The Late Suicide.—The will of the late William Thompson, who committed suicide at Dunedin, leaves everything to the benevolent institution, which benefits family are cut out to the general surprise, as his declared intentions were in the contrary direction. Libelling Footballers.—The Rugby Union of Dunedin have communicated with the proprietors of the Marlborough Press, demanding an apology for the publication of a charge against the Otago team of having attempted to sell the match against Canterbury, and asking for the name of their Wellington correspondent who was responsible for the allegation. .

Honoring the Dead. —The foundation stone of the monument to the late Eev. Dr Burns, one of the founders of the Otago settlement, was laid with considerable ceremony in the presence of a large gathering of old residents, in Dunedin last Sajnir.day. Mr Robert Chapman, wh'p was for many years Registrar pi the ' Supreme Court, has given &1000 for the monument, and the foundation stone was laid by his son, Mr C, Chapman,

A Mean Action. -~ Ear|y on Sunday morning two of Mr E. C. Danh's carrier pigeons (cock birds) were shot by some mean-spirited individual, who is now doubtless realising what a cowardly action he has committed. The birds—which were very valuable ones, and purchased solely in the interests of she district, that is, as a means"of conveying news from outlying places—were evidently while resting upon the roof of his shop at Temuka. Both were found riddled with small shot, presumably fir-ed from a. fowling piecs.

Drowned. John Bain was drowned in the Auckland Harbour on Friday. He was seen on Thursday evening at.the Pier Hotel. He was a gum-digger and came to town on Monday, and was once in the navy. He was unmarried, and had no relatives in the colony. In Gisbourne the one-year-old son of Mr A. W. Harris accidently fell into a six-gallon iron boiler containing a small quantity of water and was drowned.

Fire.—A building at Eoss, West Coast and occupied by Mr Travers, was destroyed by fire on Friday. It was formerly used as a hotel, but the license was allowed to lapse in June. The only occupant in the buildiug at the time—the family were away—states that he got up to make coffee. The lamp burst, and he could not extinguish the flames. The place was insured for £2OO, and on the furniture £IOO in the South British. The inquiry resulted in the man's story being believed. The Picturesque Atlas,—The first of the Picturesque Atlas cases occupied the Resident Magistrate's Court Wellington for two days, and has been adjourned until Thursday next, when Counsel will address the Bench. Mr Bowerman, attorney in New Zealand for the company, stated in his evidence that the cost of producing the atlas was £170,000 but whether it would result in loss or profit he was at present unable to say. There were 500 regular subscribers in Wellington, and 580 others who refused to carry out their contracts. The present market value was perhaps 1 about £3 or £4.

An Advertising Case.—A singular action in which the proprietor of the Wairarapa Star claimed £9 6e from T. C. Williams, of Wellington, for an advertisement alleged to have been inserted by order of the latter came before Court. The advertisement appeared in the New Zealand Times with a footnote, " Wairarapa Star and other papers " please copy. For the defence evidence was called that it was not customary to copy advertisements without an express order, and that the footnote was similar to those at tlie bottom of births, and deaths. Plaintiff's counsel urges that the question of custom does not affect the present case as it was an expressed contract.

Water Supply for Rangitata Island. —A meeting of farmers in the Rangitata Island district took place on Monday, the 28th insfc., in the Rangitata Island school, for the purpose of taking into consideration the advisability of procuring a water supply permanently for the island. Mr Grainger was voted to the chair, and laid the matter before the meeting very clearly. After the subject was thoroughly discussed it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Page —"That a deputation wait upon the County Council at its first meeting to lay the whole matter before them to see what could be done." The following gentlemen were deputed to do so, viz.; Messrs Grainger, Page, and Kennedy, and to report at a future meeting of the farmers.

Winchester School Committee.—-The monthly meeting of the above committee was held on Monday, Sept. 29th. PresentMessrs Carston, Jones, Bishop, Haar, and Baillie. The minutes of the previous meeting were read, but their passing was postponed, having received a letter from the chairman. Mr W. Carston was voted to the chair. It was resolved that the consideration of the inspector's report on his half-yearly visit should be deferred till after the results of the annual examination had been received. The master's report was read, and considered satisfactory. He asked for some necessary stationery, which was granted. It was decided that a special meeting should be held on Monday, Oct. sth, to inquire into the financial position of the committee, and to consider the secretaryship. Messrs Haar and Jones were appointed visitors for the month, and the meeting then terminated.

Electeopathic Society. —On last Saturday evening a meeting of "those who recently took lessons from Professor Mason in the use of electricity as applied to the cure of diseases was held in the Social Hall, Temuka, for the purpose of forming an Electropathic Society. On the motion of Mr King, seconded by Mr O'Grady, Mr J. M. Twomey took the chair, and read the rules which had been prepared. The rules provided that the society should consist of the members of the class, and also such other persons as may, from time to time, be elected members. The subscription fee was fixed at 2s 6d per half year, but persons desiring to join, so as to learn the use of electrictrical appliances, will have to pay an entrance fee of £l. The society is to meet periodically for mutual instruction, when members will give their experiences and discuss the modes of treating certain complaints. Two members on last Saturday reported they had cured a toothache in less than half a minute. The members pledged themselves not to give any information to outsiders as ,to the uses of electrical appliances, but would give all information to persons becoming members. The rules were adopted, and the meeting then proceeded to elect officers with the follewing results: President, Mr J. M. Twomey; vice-president, Mr A. Gibson; secretary, Mr R. J. Love; treasurer, Mr F. R. Oldfield; committee, Messrs G. Preddy, J. H. Walksr, R.* Kennedy, J. M. Morrissey, andW. Bowman. After transacting some business of a private nature some members gave some peculiar information with regard to the effects of electricity and the meeting closed. Another meeting will be held this evening.

Salvation Army Notes. General Booth, is in his sixty-third year.—The Governor of Cape Colony and several of his staff, together with the Chief Justice, tae Speaker, and a number of members o,f both Houses of Parliament, were present at one of General Booth's meetings in Capetown, presided qver by Sir J. Gordon Sprigg.— The Ministers' Associations of Kimberley and Beaconsfield, comprising members of the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Dutch Reformed, Wesleyan, Baptist, and Congregational Churches, presented an address of welcome to General Booth on his arrival at the Diamond Field Metropolis.—One of General Booth's ambitions in life is to be a brewer. His idea is to provide a substitute for colonial and other beer, something like the intoxicant, but not intoxicating, to be called " Booth's Beer."—The Hon. 0. P. Fysh, Premier of Tasmania, the Hon. Stafford Bird, Colonial Treasurer, and otjher prominent citizens, welcomed ijhe General to Tasmania on his arrival at per s.s. of the Salvation Army took part in the I prqcessipn which welcomed General Booth to Melbourne. Close upon 5000 people patiently waited in the Exhibition Building, Melbourne, between and five hours for the coming pi General Booth.-—General Jioßth is expected to. leave Sydney on ! Thursday, Oct. 15th, and arrive at Welling, ton on Tuesday, Oct. 20th, when, a great reception march and meeting will be organised. The General proposes to conduct meetings throughout the colony as follows i —Wellington, Tuesday, "Wednesday, and Thursday, Oct. 20, 21, and 22 ; Auckland, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, Oct. 24, 25, and 26; Christchurch, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Oct. 29, 30, and 31, and Nov. 1; Oamaru, Monday, Nov. 2 ; Dunedin, Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 3 and 4 s and Invercargill, Thursday, '|

Temuka . Ceicket Club. —The annual meeting of the Temuka Cricket Club will be held this evening. Moke Impbovements..—ln spite of the dull times there are continual signs of improvements in Temuka. The latest we note are the extensive alterations to Mr J. W. Miles's premises. The building at at the back of his shop haß undergone a complete transformation. The whole of it has been neatly lined, lighted with large shaded skylights, and divided into bays, forming as a whole a very handsome showroom. It measures Mft. x3oft., and at the back will be another large room for the convenience of storing surplus stock. The fittings are neat, and on Saturday last, when it was opened for the first time, its appearance was very attractive. The alteration has enabled the proprietor to display his goods to marked advantage, and it has also relieved the front shops of unavoidable accumulations. The premises in their present form would be considered a credit to a much larger town. Hope Fob The Deaf.—lt is confidently stated that Monsignor Verr ier, vicar-general of Sidon, after many experiments, has succeeded in inventing an ear trumpet, which enables even those who have been born deaf and dumb to hear perfectly, and in time, to speak! M. 0. Claveau, inspector-general of deaf and dumb asylums in Pr&nce, ' pronounces it to be "an unexpected and astonishing discovery. " During the last six months Mgr. "Verrier has been visiting one asylum after another selecting 50 inmates at random, fitting both their ears with his apparatus, educating those organs, and finishing by enabling them to hear every, sound, to converse, and even to sing. His success is not only attested by Mi Claveau in his official report, but by many menbers of the medical faculty in France. • With a noble unselfishness, Mgr* Verrier refuses to make any profit out of his invention. Licensing.—A meeting of the Temuka Licensing Committee was held in the courthouse yesterday; at which all the members were present. Mr Salmond applied, under clause 95 of the Licensing Act, for an order to transfer the - license of the Temuka Hotel from Mr McGuire to Mr Bowles. Mr McGuire, had deserted the hotel, he said, and both Mr. Robert Fenton, the owner, and Messrs. Scarlett:* Co., who were also interested in it, had consented to Mr Bowles being placed, in charge of it. Evidence was taken, from which it appeared that Mr McGuire had telegraphed to Messrs Scarlett & Co., stating that he could not carry on the house at the rent, and warning them to put someone in charge of it. Mr Bowles came on behalf of Messrs Scarlett & Co. and took charge, and a short time afterwards Mr McGuire left. After some further questions were answered an order was made giving Mr Bowles the license for one month.. Mr Bowleß promised that in the meantime a suitable tenant would be obtained.

Professor Mason.—On Friday evening: last Professor Mason had a .large audience at the Volunteer Hall. Geraldine, when he delivered his lecture on the "Throat and Lungs " and on Saturday evening the hall was more than half-full when the Professor lectured .on the " Skin in Health and. Disease." Ai the conclusion of this lecture a paper was handed round to be signed by anyone wishing to join the class for the study of electropathy. The lecturer explained that.he not only give oral, but , also written instructions so that the members of the class could not forget what they had learned.* Five persons signed the paper and others signified there intention of joining. Judging from the amount of interest taken in the Professor's lectures we think he should experience very little difficulty in. getting the required number of signatures. - Mr Morris on both occasions delighted the? audience with his comic singing. MrsMason gives <her private lecture to ladies this afternoon. , To-morrow evening the Professor lootnres on " Love, Courtship andMarriage." < Taxation.—Sir Robert Stout- has contributed to the Melbourne Age. a lengthy article explaining the scope and probable effect of the new land and income tax of this colony. He contends that save in graduation and exempting improvements it" is practically the mode of taxatiou that the "Conservative" Government in office in 1877 recommended. He emphasises the statement that it is not proposed to get more money than the people are now paying under the property tax, only the incidence is changed. A good deal, he writes, may be said onboth sides.as to taxing large landowners and persons in receipt of incomes from personal exertion. -In. conclusion Sir Robert says■':—" I think I have' shown sufficient to prove that the taxation can have no injurious effect, bo far as capital is concerned. Capital is not taxed more than it has been for the past 12 years. In fact, it is taxed less, and to make up for the loss the Act introduces two new schemes of taxation—the graduated land tax and the income tax on incomes derived from mere personal exertion. Obviously the graduated land tax cannot drive capital out of the colony, for the land must always remain. The liquid movable capital is not taxed more severely. On the contrary, as I have said, mivSh. capital that was taxed is now exempted." The Condition of the Maoris.—-Re-ports from the native district of Wuiapua dra.v a fr'ghtful picture of the condition of the Maoris of that locality* Their health is very poor; in s*ll quaste*!*" there is an increase in sickness, numerous deaths are reported; fever, is very- prevalent, and it is very saddening to see'how the Maoris neglect %a use the most ordinary pery : , cautions for the isolation of fever. They]' will persist in sitting in their close whares ill a stifling atinospiiera in t:io presence of both deal and dying. In many settlements the population seem to have become fatalists—are resorting to old superstitions and using incantations and a ridiculous travesty of spirit rapping. These influences are most depressing, and no comfort or consolidation is offered the sick people, who are sadly neglected, preparations for adeath. feast often taking place before the eyes of the dying persons. A correspondent gives three instances of neglect which occurred, during the past few weeks* Haniaterai,. an old man, ill with fever, was allowed to wander. He fall into a swamp, lay there some time* and had to eat earth worms to satisfy his hunger; he actually bit a piece out of his own arm; sucked Ms blood; crawled into his own whare ; fell into the fire and soon died. Mita„ a schoolboy, recovering from fever» was allowed to wander in the swampaaddiedintwo days of a relapse. He was buried without a medical certificate, and Heatu, a schoolgirl, also died of neglect after fever; and in another case a European neighbour went to see a' schoolgirl recovering' from fever, and found her convalescent. The natives were having a big feast, and Mary Ann was allowed to gorge her delicate stomach to repletion. Despite the warning of the Pakeha, Mary Ann gorged till she began to feel uneasy, and died thirty hours after this gorging, of inflammation of the intestines. Some Maoris fishing on the sands took Peeku, a small delicate boy, by the feet and dragged him over the sand, whether in anger or aa a lnrk, is not stated. The boy got a mouthful of sand, was pretty well suffocated, died in a few days, and wag. buried without registration or coroner'! certificate.

Female Franchise. The Diocesan Synod of Wellington rejected a motion in favor of allowing women to vote at church ■meetings, by 23 to 17, the Primate being among the opposition. Bicycle Back.—A bicycle race has been arranged to take place on Monday evening next from the Post office corner, Temuka, to the Wolseley Hotel, Winchester, and back. A start will be made at G o'clock. In bur advertising columns will be found a list of the entries—numbering thirteen—together With the handicaps. The race will start at 6 o'clock, and should be most interesting. :The Commercial Outlook.—Speaking

off the future' commerical outlook of Australasia, the Banking Record says: "As regards the immediate future the most encouraging sign is that, according to the opinion of minorities on wool, the clip which has been commenced-will be far and away the largest on record, and a total of 2,000»000 bales is talked of, which, at a fair valuation, should produce something like 25 milling sterling: The figures have, of course, to be accepted as conjectural in some measure, but it appears to be pretty certain that the wool season will place v larger resources than usual at the disposal of the banks. The outlook for agricultural production is not quite clear at this stage of the season, but it is not unpromising. With varying local viscissitudes the mining industries are in the aggregate holding their own. on the whole the prospects of Australasian production interests and commerce for 1891-1892 may, at present, be considered as favourable." Post-sessional Address. —Mr HutchiBon addressed a, large meeting of electors at Patea. He fully explained his action last sepion, and adversely criticised the Land and Income Tax and payment of members. He had yet hope that better counsels would prevail next session with respect to the former measure. He condemned the Land Bill on account of the deletion of freehold tenure. The Government should have accepted the amendments by the Upper House, instead of abandoning the Bill. He held that the Government were far from blameless in the Bryce incident. Mr Bryce was unfairly and harshly treated. He also handled the Government severely over the estimates, and on putting on the salary for another Minister. He could not be considered a general supporter of the present Government, but declined to say that he would support the present Opposition if they entered office. His remarks on the Land Bill and payment of members were received with great applause. *•' SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS. Handicaps—For bicycle race. John Murphy—Stud notice re Texas. Henry Wright Stud notice re Fleetwood. Geraldine Road Board—Tenders invited for various works. W. G. Rutland—Has cabbage plants for sale; tomatoes to follow. Manager Hadow—Stud notices re Bonny Breast Knot and Kimberley. Professor Mason—Subjects of lectures at Geraldine on Wednesday and Friday evenings. H. B. Webster and Co.—Are now making liberal advances upon the ensuing clip of wool, and will hold regular sales of wool in Timaru during season —first sale on Dec. 3; woolpacks, sewing twine, etc., on sale.