THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1893. LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2450, 12 January 1893, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1893. LOCAL & GENERAL.

Presentation. —At Wellington on Tuesday, Inspector Thomson was presented with a purine of £2OO. Wool for America. The first woo: shipped from Wellington to America was taken by the barque Star of the E,Bt, which sailed for New York on Monday. Central Otago Runs. The Ministei of Lands is at present inspecting the runs in Ceutral Otago, with a view, it is understood, of selecting land for settlemerit. Hot Weather. The weather experienced during the last few days has beer very hot and dry. On Tuesday it was particularly so, and at one time is saiu tc have reached 134 deg. in the sun. Escape and Capture.—A young mar named Harry Tompkinson was sentenced to four months' imprisonment at Mastertor for larceny. He escaped the same day, anc gave the police a four-mile run before he was captured in a woolshed. Blindfold Chess. —Siedeberg, the chess champion, gave an exhibition of blindfold play at Wellington on Tuesday night, when he met four strong players simultaneously He won two games, drew one, and the other was abandoned. It is considered a marvellous performance. A Natural Enemy to the Bot-fly.— Mr William Harding, of Ashburton, writes —" This morning I observed the accompanying dragon fly pounce on the bot fly enclosed, and kill it. I secured the twc flies, thinking you may be glad to know that the bot-fly has a natural enemy.' The fly sent by Mr Harding has been pronounced by Professor Hutton to be Asilut varius, one of the Robber flies. It is a native of New Zealand, and attacks a! kinds of insects.—Lyttelton Times. Cricket.—The following will represenl Geraldine in the match with Timaru today at Geraldine :F. Bethune, Albert Erskine, F. W. Fish, J. P. Kalaugher H. W. Moore, W. K. Macdonald, B. R Macdonald, R. Morrison. R. H. Pearpoint W. P. Studholine, and F. Wilson Smith. Play will commence at 10.80 a.m. sharp.— The following team will play against the Colonials at Temuka on Saturday; there will be a practice this afternoon at 3.80 : J. Anderson, Brown, Cayley, Cutten, Cox Dignan, Dann, Early, Gillespie, Hayhurst McLean. Emergencies, Goldstone, Buxton, Findlay. Binder Trial. A trial of the "Mercer " Non-Canvas Reaper and Bindei took place on Tuesday last at the farm oi Mr Andrew Gibson, Arowhenua. The attendance of farmers and others was verj good, the fortnightly stock sale at Temuka having drawn a good many settlers to the township. The great feature of the Mercer is that in it " canvasses " are dispensed with, and the way it did the wort required of it in a crop of oats varying ir parts from light to heavy and tangled elicited remarks of satisfaction from the onlookers. The machine was in charge oi Mr Hamia, an expert sent out by tht manufacturers. In the course of the daj a testimonial certifying that the Mercei had done its work in a satisfactory lnannei was signed by Messrs Gibson, Cumming ham, Edgar, Seaton, Pearse, Marshall Clarke, and others was given to Mr Drys dale, the Timaru representative, of Messrs Reid & Gray, the New Zealand agents fen the machines. Somnambulism. — A case of sornnam bulism, which miraculously escaped fata: consequences, occurred in Temuka during last Monday night. A recent arrival ir Temuka went into one of the hotels late al night, and asked to be accommodated witl a bed. His request having been compliec with, he went to bed in the usual way, anc r.t the usual time, without attracting anj notice whatsoever. Next morning a mar called at the hotel and asked for his clothes and the landlord found them hanging up in the room, and the bed apparently un disturbed. Further inquiries discovered that the servant went into the room in the morning, found the clothes on the floor, anc the bed disturbed. She made the bed, anc hung up the clothes, and then a new light wai thrown on the affair. It was discovered bj subsequent inquiries, that the man jumped out of an upper-storey window, and fell or the hard concrete footpath, and as he was covered all over with blood, it is surmisec thai; h§ hied a lot and rolled in it At about 4..<39 a.m. he called at anothei hotel and asked to h§ .admitted. The landlord declined to do go, aw.d &dyjsed him tc walk to where he was staying, fie proceeded to do so, and reached there some simg afterwards in a terrible condition, bul •was £msied;#t.ely taken in hand and care- ' Aiiiy ja£"feed#fj;ej?. The whole secret is thai I ■ h - , ««oi['e%>es.e(ii^.dsv r ent out through the window i, * 16 feet or 18 feet, an . he was not killed. Ab it is, we . .J^ doctor says there are no bones broken, a. the man has obtained no permanent injury, but he is very much bruised, and it will be some time before he is perfectly recovered. Some years ago a similar incident happened in the adjoining room. A perfectly healthy, sober man, fell in the same way out of the window in the next room while asleep, and narrowly escaped death. The Educational Institute. The tenth annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational nstitute was opened at Wellington on Tuesday. The presiient (Mr K. Watson, 8.A., Wellington) was in the chair, and the following were among the representatives of branches present North Canterbury. T. S Foster, M. A, T. Hughes, am! J. Vos.s; South Canterbury, C. A. Strack. The president in his annual address said that the past year had been one of fair progress in the growth of the institute. As to the concerns of the national education it was admitted on all sides that excellent work was being done. Few were now found bold enough to declare that our state education was a failure. In two directions immediate improvement could and ought to be made —in that of irregular attendance, and the considerable number of neglected children who escape education altogether. All that part of the Education Act which dealt with compulsion was bad and useless, and the time was ripe for a change. The duty of enforcing attendance should be handed over to the police, ae the committees could not and would not see to it; and in every ! large town there should be a special school for neglected children. A change ought to be made in the system of annual examination for pass or failure in standards, as the circumstances under which the system came into being had passed away. In his opinion the teachers should be given more freedom in classifying and teaching their schools. He deplored the small number of males among the teachers. The causes that deterred young- men from entering and remaining in the service were the poor pay, the few good positions, the insecurity of positions, the constant critiand the frequent vexations and humiliations that came upon most teachers. A vote of thanks was passed to the prefor his address. After various committees had been set up the meeting adjourned till next day,

Hessian Fly. _ The le^a7ly~Ta7 Lovells Flat district, Otago and one farmer is said to have had 25 acres of standing corn destroyed.

Donations -Bishop Luck has given a donation of £SOO to St Patrick's Cathedral funds, and another of £2OO to the Marist Brothers schools, Wellington, from the money which he collected on his European

Inspector Pender.- At Christchurch on Monday evening Inspector Pender was presented with a handsome inkstand and address bearing 104 signatures by the civil servants of Canterbury. Mr J. WA. Marchant, Commissioner of Crown Lands, presided and Mr R. Beetham R.M., made the presentation. Mr Pender left for Wellington on Thursday night. Temuka Road Board.—At the monthly meeting of the Temuka Road Board on Tuesday, only Messrs Talbot (chairman), and Woodheal, were present. Accounts to the amount of £57 were passed for payment, and the other business being of an unimportant character was held over until the next ordinary meeting. Fatalities.—Mr James Geddes, manager of Mrs McLean's property at Albany, North Canterbury, died suddenly on Tuesday morning. He was 55 years old.—A boy named Ivan Sinclair, (i years old, died at Oamaru on Tuesday night, from eating poisoned berries of the daturo stramoniom, commonly known as thorn apples.

Death from Exhaustion.—A labourer named Thomas Freeman, working at Turanganui, on the East Coast, N. 1., was missed on Monday and found on Wednesday in an exhausted condition. He lingered till Friday, when he succumbed. The jwst mortem showed that death resulted from abcess on the lungs, accelerated by exposure. A verdict was given accordingly.

Prohibition in North Dakota.—The American correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says that the Rev. John Shanley, Bishop of the Catholic diocese of North Dakota, has created a stir in prohibition circles, by his declaration that " our unique brand of prohibition is doing incalculable harm to the State and its many inhabitants, and making us the laughing-stock of all observant visitors," &c, &c. The Bishop concludes by stating he refrains from approval or disapproval of prohibition as a theory, but asserts prohibition as a fact is a rank failure in North Dakota.

Religious Gathering.—A Chatagua or camp meeting was formally opened at the Grampians, Victoria, on the 4th inst. There was a moderate attendance. A large marquee had been erected to accommodate over 500 people. There was also 45 tents for sleeping accommodation. Religious meeetings were held in the marquee. Parties during the day visited places of interest, There are about 80 permanent guests and numerous casual vistors. A number of ministers were present. The gathering was to be continued for a fortnight. The site selected is in the midst of beautiful mountain scenery. Impending Failure.—The Wellington correspondent of the Auckland Herald telegraphs:—" Rumours that have reached Wellington from the South of the failure of an eminent legal firm for a sum of nearly £IOO,OOO have been supplemented by apprehensions of interested clients, who are involved in the fate of the firm as representing trust money to very large amounts. It is said that trustees have been pressing for a long time for explanations, and they have been anything but satisfied when the explanations were vouchsafed. At present it would be premature to indicate by name the firm of which such rumours are current." The Otago Daily Times says it is understood that a firm in a neighbouring province is referred to in the above paragraph.

Missing.—Grave fears are entertained at Lake Te Anau for the safety of Mr Quentin McKinnon, the well-known guide and explorer, who first discovered the track from Milford Sound to Te Anau. He left the foot of the lake on the 30th November, and was last seen at the station half way up on the same day. His intention was to go to Milford and return immediately, which would not have occupied more than eight to ten days. A search party left Te Anau on the 28th December, and have just returned without finding any trace, though they went right through to Milford, the chief camping places being all visited. Another party go to search the upper reaches of the lake.— Dr Mclnerney, L.L.D., of Melbourne, who with several others, unsuccessfully searched last week for traces of Mr Quentin McKinnon, imagines that the explorer's boat upset on Lake Te Anau, and that McKinnon was drowned. He says that the first thing is to search the lake carefully, and the next is to sift McKinnon's intention of exploring, and the places he intended to explore should be searched. There is almost a duty devolving upon the Government to endeavor to finally settle what is the destiny of this man, who has been a pioneer of this new land. A Mother's Union.—A meeting convened by Lady Glasgow to discuss the desirability of establishing a New Zealand Mother's Union was held at Wellington on Tuesday night and was very largely attended by members of all denominations. The Rev. T. H. Sprott (St Paul's, presided. Lady Glasgow delivered an address explaining the objects of the union. Mrs Coliington (Christchurch) also addressed the meeting in favour of the union, and pointed out the great responsibility of mothers in training their children. The Rev. J. Patterson also* spoke. Lady Glasgow invited each congregation to nominate a lady po a general committee, and the iatte}:' me . e J a $ Government House to

G1 t tap a v alley-.-We. have £o record ?\ -Tap <w r V ' asaaii opting;-! hi the another or those \,. v ~ . .P --l • , Totaraßand of Hope, ~: ,d w '& 5? £ room on Friday, January Gth! - n * ciwJT was occupied by Mr S. Buxton. The meeting was opened in the usual manner with hymn and prayer, after which the following programme was gone through : —Solo, Mrs Wills ; recitation, Miss K. Balfour; solo, Miss McGowaa. A dialogue, entitled " Wanted, a Youug Slan," was given by Messrs J. Cleland, A. Botherway, aud R. Buxton, and Master A Mcßeath, which took very well. The next item on the programme was a duet from Mrs Hay ana Miss McGowan, followed by a musical selection on the zither, given by Miss Pilliet, which, being uncommon, was highlv appreciated by the audience. A reading by Miss Cleland, and a song by Miss McGowan, brought the programme to a close. Several musical items were sung by the choir during the evening. This being the last meeting before harvest, a coffee supper was provided by Mesdames Buxton and Cleland, which was done every justice to. The meetiag closed with a hymn and the benediction, bringing a most enjoyable evening to a close. I'our pledges were taken, which now makes a total of fifty-two. |

Wellington Hospital.—At a meeting of the Wellington Hospital trustees it was stated that, owing to overcrowding, patients had been refused admission. The Rev. Mr Van Staveren said that the Government had been repeatedly applied to to provide additional accommodation, but so far nothing had been done. The Medical Superintendent informed him that if the present condition continued, it would lead to a pulic scandal. Three female patients had been aleady refused admission, and unless extra accommodation was provided he would prefer to be relieved of responsibility. Mr Fraser (chairman) thought that the best course to adopt would be for the trustees to resign and throw the responsibility on the Govern-: ment. It was suggested that the Govern- j ment be asked to grant the use of the new j police barracks, Tory street, for additional wards until the hospital was enlarged. The Government will be again approached ozi the matter,

Sale at Temuka.—The C.F.C. Association will sell live and dead farm stock on account of Mr Daniel Day at Temuka yards to-day. New Government Library. —At the instance of the General Assembly Library Committee the Premier has promised to put £7OOO on the estimates next session for a new library building at Wellington on the present site. A Photographer in Trouble. —Atthe Lyttelton Police Court on Monday, George Wilson, an amateur photographer, was charged, on the information of Major Sir A. Douglas with having taken photographs of Fort Jervois, Ripa Island, contrary to sub-section 1. section 7 of the official and Colonial Defence Secrets Act. Defendant stated that he had been merely taking views of the harbour. The case was adjourned to January the 17th. A Deadlock. —Soon after the present Major of Christchurch, Mr Eden George, took office he investigated the number of workmen employed under the City Surveyor, owing to complaints having been made as to inattenion to the side channels. The Mayor, after consultation with the City Surveyor, decided that in the Interests of the city it was necessary to discharge one of the men, and gave instructions accordingly. The man appealed to the Works Committee, and they reinstated him, although the Mayor again wrote to the Surveyor ordering him not to reinstate the man until he heard further from him. Following this meeting a meeting of the Departmental Committee was held, when they passed a resolution to the effect that the City Surveyor was to disregard the letter of the Mayor and to reinstate the workman. The Mayor also handed in a protest against the Departmental Committee interfering with the instructions he had already given to the Surveyor. The Mayor states that he is determined to uphold the position he has taken, and, if necessary, to appeal to the ratepayers. SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS James Paterson—Wants tenders for harvesting. Temuka Town Board—Wants tenders for scouring out drain. J. Norton, Rangitira Valley Wants a young girl for housework. Robert Wood—Caution re grass seed on roads in the Temuka Road District.