LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2490, 15 April 1893, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The oamaru Magistracy.— Mr C. A. Wray has been gazetted Resident Magistrate at Oamaru. Wesleyan Church, Temuka.— The services for to-morrow will be found in our advertising columns. Paying.— The Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company have declared a dividend of 9 cent for the half year ending March :51st. Primitive Methodist Church.— The services for to-morrow in connection with this Church will be found in our advertising columns. Butter and Cheese Brands. One hundred and twelve applications to regLter butter and cheese brands under the Act of last session have been received up to date. Burglary. —A buroiary was committed at New Plymouth on Wednesday night at the shop of Mr Furlong, a hair >re-ser. 230 cigars were stolen, and about £3 in silver. 'Chrysanthemum Show. About 1300 flowers were shown at the Auckland Chrysanthemum show on Thursday . There was a large attendance, including the Governor. Arrivals and Departures. The Registrar-General’s returns for March show tiie arrivals in the colony during that period to have been 27-15, and departures 271 ii. Timaru Licensing Committee. The "npointmeut of the Rev. William Gillies —'mber of the Timaru Licensing as a m. *'•» Rev, W- J. Williams Committee, vx„. resigned, is gazetted. T ackScdden Death. — Mrs Mary Ann „ son, aged 31, wife of afarmeratßiccarton, dropped dead suddenly on Wednesday afternoon. It is supposed that death was caused by heart disease. Damage by Floods, — The damage by the recent floods in the Hutt (Wellington) county cost £121(5 to repair, besides the expense of forming an entirely new section of the road in one place. Suicide. —A fish-hawker named Francis Tehum cut his throat at Aueklud on Wednesday. He was taken to the hospital and would have recovered, but on Thursday morning he jumped out of a window, opening the wound and death resulted. Personal. —At the Dunedin City Council, Mr H. B. Courtis, who has been for 18 years with the Timaru Gas Company, was appointed gas engineer for ; Dunedin. There was a large number of applicants. Crown Lands Sale. —A sale of pastoral leases will be held at the Land OJfl.ce, ■ Timaru, on Wednesday next. Two small grazing runs, part of the Ashwiek Station, and one on the Pareora Station will be open for application on the 20th. Particulars will be found in our advertising columns,

State Farm. —The Minister of Labour expects to take over the State farm at Waverley in June. The House will be asked to vote a sum for extending the buildings, and for necessary plant, etc. Opening of Tattersal'ls.— To-day the Canterbury Farmers’ Co-operative Association (Mr J. Mundell, auctioneer) open their new horse yards at Timaru with a sale of about 100 head of draught, light harness and hackney horses. The saie will start at 11 o’clock.

The Southland Railways.— Replying to a complaint about the irregularity of the train services on the Southland lines, owing to pressure of the grain traffic, Mr Whitcombe, the manager, writes stating that in addition to the ordinary trains he had despatched thirty-three special trains during the last nine days. Railway Returns.— The cash returns from the railways during the financial year show about £1,174,000 revenue and £7152,000 expenditure, inclusive of the vote for the Commissioners. The net profit is about £442,000. These figures will not tally exactly with the balanced accounts, but are approximately correct. The Commissioners estimated the net revenue at £423,000. The surplus would have been larger but for the unusual number of heavy landslips which had to be dealt with.

Sale of Work and Social.— On Thursday evening next a sale of work, gift auction, and social will be held in the Sunday school room, Winchester, in connection with St. John’s Church. The members of this congregation have always gone iatb gatherings of this kind with great heartiness, and made them great successes, and we have no doubt that the gifts to be disposed of' on Thursday next will be as numerous and valuable as usual, and that buyers will not be backward. The social should be very enjoyable.

New Zealand and River Plate Company. A meeting of shareholders of the New Zealand and River Plate Land and Mortgage Company was held jn the hall of the Chamber of Commerce, Christchurch, on April 12th. Over Kj.OOO shares were represented. A committee was appointed for the purpose of obtaining information with a view to united action with shareholders in other provincial districts respecting the proposed call and other matters in connection with the management of the Company. Shareholders are desired to forward name and number of shares held to Investigation Committee, Box 11, Christchurch, with, a stamp for reply.

Proposed Central Dairy Factory.— Mr Crawford, Government dairy expert, will address meetings at Geraldine, Temuka, Pleasant Point, Timaru, and other places, next week for the purpose of giving any information that those present may wish for with reference to the proposal to start a central dairy factory at Timaru, with branches in the country districts. Mr Crawford • will at the same time ascertain what support may be expected from each centre. Further particulars will be found in our advertising columns, and the subject being one of great importance to farmers, in fact the whole district, it is to to be hoped the meetings will be largely attended. Totara Valley Band of Hope.—The opening meeting of the winter season was held on Friday evening, April 7th. The chair was taken by the president, the llev. J. White. After the usual opening with hymn and prayer, speeches were given by the chairman and Mr S. Buxton, readings by Misses Mitchell and S. Campbell, and recitations by Misses Balfour and Campbell, A humorous dialogue, “ Miss Diddle’s Lodgings,” was given by six of the members. Several hymns were sung during the evening, Miss Callender presiding at the organ. After taking of pledges the chairman pronounced the Benediction, which brought a very pleasant evening to a close. A Will Case. —The Supreme Court at Dunedin was occupied three days with the case Nelson v. Murray, in which the second wife of the late William Nelson, of Waipahi, contested his will, under which he left his property among the children of his first marriage. He married plaintiff early in 1800, when over eighty. Plaintiff alleged that he was of unsound mind when he executed the will. On Wednesday Mrs Nelson apparently turned sulky in cross-examination and returned the answer “ I don’t know ” to every question. As another witness was about to be called Mr Justice Ward asked plaintiff’s solicitor if he intended to go on after such an exhibition. After discussion counsel decided to give up, and judgment was entered up for defendant. The Soctoh Thistle. Says the Christian Leader of Nov. 10.1887: —Hitherto no one but donkeys—and Scotsmen—have made much of this prickly plant, though children know how soft and silky are the white tubes beneath the purple, and blow about its seeds with infantile delight, Fern and furze have been brought into profitable use as food; and even the waste acres of bracken that were covered by the eruption in New Zealand might have been utilised by ensilage; but though acres of.good land have been lost to cultivation by this beautiful and desolating plant, and though it was known to be good food for asses, it is only lately that an enterprising farmer at the Antipodes has seized the idea that in spite of its spikes a thistle in silo might be palatable food for horse or ox. He has tried it on two acres, and the cattle have taken it with avidity. There is something of the donkey about us all, and donkeys are not such asses as we think. Dummyism Cases.—The Crown having sued J. R. Scott for another instalment of rent for the run which formed the subject of the case Scott v. Ritchie and others, a special case was stated by con ent, and Mr Justice Ward has made an order removing it into the Court of Appeal. The question for decision is in effect whether the Government, having sued for penalties, is bound to proceed to forfeit the run if the rent is not paid.—At New Plymouth on Thursday the case of Hendry for the alleged making of a false declaration respecting the quantity of land owue i by him when he applied for more was dealt with. Evidence for the prosecution having been given, for the defence R O. Hendry swore that he obtained a Land Guide from the Land Office two months previous to making the declaration. The Lau 1 Guide misled him as to the amount of land he could hold, and he made the declaration believing that it was true. The j ury, after an hour’s deliberation, returned a verdict of “ Not Guilty,” on the ground that there was a possibility that the defendant had been misled by the Crown Lands Guide. Gekae,dine County Acclimatisation Society. —The monthly meeting of the council of this Association was held ou Thursday last. Present—Me srs A. M. Clark (President, in the chair), Murray, Hawkins, and the Secretary. Aider routine, it was decided to advertise inv ting anyone to write to the Secretary suggestany plants, seeds, or insectivorous ■‘•■hey think suitable for imbirds whion - -aerl ) 3J jj r As . portation. It was propopiuall seconded by Mr Murray, andean* —That circulars' 1 be printed and forwarded to all Acclimatisation Wqoi.Qfcips, Agricultural and Pastoral Associations, Roa ■ Boards, etc., asking them to support phis society in their recommendation to the Government that poisoning be made compulsory, and a certain week (»?t apart for laying the poison. Tt was resolved to write to Mr Bills (Duuediu) re terms, &c., for importing hedge-sparrows and other insectivorous birds. A committee (consisting of the members present) was formed to inspect the water in the park, with the view of having it preserved and made useful for the purposes of the Acclimatisation Society. Accounts amounting to £2 IBs 3d were passed for payment and the meeting terminated. Rod hailstones fell at Amsterdam in 1720, at London in 1603 (during .the time of the great plague), and at (fivers places in Ireland and France in the early part of the present century.