LOCAL & GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2639, 29 March 1894, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Ram and Ewe Fair.—A ram, ewe, and lamb fair takes place at the Geraldine saleyards to-day. Found Dead.—Walter Whitman, son of an old settler at Wanganui, was found dead in Rotorua baths. Wishes to Retire.—Colonel Fox has requested the Premier to relieve him from his engagement as Commandant of the Forces on April Ist.

The Weather, The nor’-wester of Monday last was followed by rain on Tuesday, and the weather has confined cold and showery since.

Prohibition. Prohibition has been carried in Clutha, but the pubhcans intend to fight it out to the law courts. A temperance committee has been elected by overwhelming majorities. Fire. —The reflection of a large fire, in the direction of Seadown, illumed the sky for some time last evening. Some large stacks were probably being burnt.

Paeeoba Licensing Election.—ln our advertising columns Mr F. W. Stubbs, returning officer, officially announces the result of the Pareora Licensing Election. Challenge.—ln our advertising columns M. Kennedy challenges J. Cope to wrestle him for £5. Mr Kennedy considers he did not get fair play at Temuka on Easter Monday. The Natives and Surveys. Heri Henatae, who stopped the survey of land acquired under the Taiarua Land Act at Puketui, has, after explanations by the police, consented to trig stations being erected on his land.

The Licensing Elections—The validity of the Prohibition poll at Dunedin is to be contested. The Wellington Suburbs Returning Officer declines to count in the informal votes, and intends to declare the poll inoperative. Good Yield. Mr J. R. Brodie, of Rangitata Island, is reported to have obtained a yield of 32 bushels of wheat to the acre off a six-acre paddock. This is one of the best yields reported for the season up to the present. Fatal Accident.—Margaret Elizabeth Gault, aged 13, daughter of Mr Gault, proprietor of the Settlers’ Hotel, Gisborne, was killed at Murewai on Monday by falling over a cliff, 70 feet high, on to a rock beneath. The Ashburton Returning Officer has taken a similar stand. Stabbing Case.—A coloured man named Wix was arrested at Wellington on Monday for stabbing Gustav Gulbraudson. The Utter, according to Wix, had been annoying him for some time and eventually they had a struggle. The cook had a knife in his hand at the time, and Gulbrandson got it in his stomach, making a nasty bat not apparently dangerous wound.

Sales at Geraldine.—Messrs H. B. Webster & Co, sell a quantity of surplus household furniture and effects, horses, cattle, waggonette, harness, etc., at Geraldine to-morrow, on account of Mr N. Dunlop. To-morrow, at Geraldine, Mr W. S. Maslin will also sell a valuable freehold property of !) acres, formerly known as the Burnside Nursery, Particulars will be found in our advertising columns.

West Australian Goldfields. —Melbourne telegrams state that good news continues to be received from the West Australian goldfields. The wet season has now set in, and it is fully expected that there will be a bigger rush from the Eastern colonies than ever. Two steamers leave Melbourne weekly now and are always filled. The lunamincka on Tuesday last had over 200 steerage passengers. The latest news from Coolgardie is that a splendid reef with gold quite equal to the surface show has been struck at 225 feet, which shows that the reef is permanent. There are numbers of good discoveries being made on all sides, both alluvial and quartz, and once the water difficulty is at an eud things will be brisk. ' The Cintra, which left Western Australia last week, brought 8257 ounces of. gold, and the Flinders 2706-ounces, or a total equal to about £24,000. Championship Regatta.— At Picton on Monday the annual Championship Regatta under the auspices of the N.Z. Amateur Rowing Association was commenced. The Junior Batswing Fours (£8 and £2), was won by the Blenheim Club, with the Star Club second; Junior Sculls (£5), by C. Paul (Wellington); Maiden Fours (stump outriggers, £8 and £2), Nelson 1, Star (Wellington) 2; Senior Batswing Fours (£ls and £4), Blenheim 1, Auckland 2. On Tuesday the Champion Fours of New Zealand was won by Lyttelton, with Auckland second, and Wanganui third; the Junior Outrigger Fours was won by Nelson, with Canterbury second; the Champion Double Sculls and the Champion Pairs were won by W. F. Samuels and li. F. Crosbie (of the Star, Wellington, Club); ill. Keefe, of Auckland, won the Amateur Sculling Championshij) of New Zealand by six lengths, McGrath, of Dunedin, being second.

New Australia.—la Sydney Mr Whelan has arrived as a delegate from the settlement, and has been entertained at a harbour picnic. He addressed those present at some length, and a vote of confidence was carried iu Mr Lane, the leader. Mr Whelan makes light of the split in the camp. He refers to Brictlebanks statements usabsurd. With reference to the expulsion of three members—Wh te and Symon, of Queensland, and Westwood, of Adelaide,—they openly broke the rqlos. Inquiries had proved the charges made against certain members of immorality with native women unfounded. Mr Lane did not expel the three members mentioned till after an i quiry, though other members wished to act more summarily. Twenty-scvr a members left afterwards, and with them 17 women and 31 children. There were principally from Queensland and South Australia. Mr Whelau status that they were simply dissatisfied with life at the settlement, and disinclined to obey the rules. There was of course some bitterness and sqiuu words passed, bqb it was not true that the scecdcrs'wope subjected to violoqeu, throats, or insults at the Laqda of the remainder,

Social at Winchestbb.— To-morrow evening a social will be held in the Winchester Public Hall to raise funds to erect a dressing-room on the football ground. The admission charge is only Is. COBBECXION. —We have to correct an error in the report of the Athletic Club ball. Mr W. Fenton’s name should have appeared as pianist in place of that of Mr Davidson. The latter gentleman relieved Mr Fenton for one or two dances, hence the error.

Business Change. —ln out advertising columns Messrs W. G. Aspinall and J. S. Hayes, trading as “ Apinall & C 0.,” millers, etc., announce that they have dissolved partnership, as from the 22nd March, and that the business will in future be carried on by Mr Aspinall alone, but the name of the firm will not be altered. Mr Aspinall will receive all moneys due to the late firm and pay all debts owing by it.

Cantata. —The Winchester Choral Society intend giving a concert this evening. The piece chosen is Boot’s beautiful cantata entitled “Phyllis.” During the past twelve months the Eev. Mr Butterfield has acted as honorary conductor of the society, and this will be the last opportunity of hearing a concert conducted by him. Mr Butterfield leaves for Lumsden at the end of this week, and he will carry with him the best wishes of a large number of friends. The Volunteeb Encampment.— At the encampment at Okair, N.C., on Sunday night an alarm of fire was given by the bugles about 11 o’clock, and companies formed up on the parade ground, some of the more impetuous making a dash for the fire. It was in a thick scrub around the canteen, and that tent had to be pulled down and its contents removed and placed under a guard of the Raugiora Rifles. Among the companies which displayed well-directed energy were the Timaru Navals and Engineers. In an hour all was rendered safe, and the men returned to their tents. The South Canterbury volunteers returned home on Monday by special train. Embezzlement. George William Young, secretary to Michaelis Hallenstein, and Go. (Limited), tanners, of Melbourne, has confessed to the embezzlement of £I4OU of the company’s money. His method of theft was very simple. The company’s tannery is at Footscray, and the manager of the tannery frequently telephoned to the office in Melbourne for somewhat large sums to make cash purchases of hides, skins, etc. Young would, steal, say, £IOO, and represent to the firm that the money had gone to the tannery. He had been in the company’s employ for 10 years and was greatly trusted. The cause of his downfall was racing and gambling. A Sydney Tragedy. —A horrible tragedy took place at Balmain, a suburb of Sydney, involving the murder by Sarah Bailey, a widow, of her youngest daughter. Mrs Bailey has been keeping a boarding house, and that morning she remarked that she felt extremely miserable. Influenced by this feeling, she kept her two daughters— Edith nine and Emily five years of age—from school, allowing them to play in the yard. Shortly after 9 o’clock, however, she deliberately walked into the yard, and with a small axe which she carried in her hand struck the girl five blows on the head. The cries of the child brought several men on the scene, and they pinioned the woman, who by this time had developed into a raging maniac. She was removed to the police station, and the child taken to the the hospital, where she died in a few hours.

The Melbourne Y.M.C.A. in Distress. —The Young Men’s Christian Association of Melbourne, which was brought into existence in 1871, is compelled to relinquish its tenancy of the fine pile of buildings erected for its special work in Bourke street east owing to its inability to meet the interest due on the mortgage on the premises. Possession was taken of the new building in the beginning of 1891, and it was soon after this that difficulty was experienced in raising sufficient money to carry on the work and meet current liabilites, owing to the turn iuthe commercial life of Melbourne, although it was not until about eighteen months ago that serious results were anticipated. The Finance Committee was repeatedly called together and schemes were devised and tried but without any appreciable effect. Appeals were published from time to time, but owing to the general difficulties on every hand the response was far from encouraging, and now the mortgagees have foreclosed upon the buildings, and the work of the institution, in future, will have to be carried on in much smaller quarters. Shooting a Burglar.—ln spite of the coroner, Dr Youl, the jury at the inquest on the burglar May found that Mr Mackay, of Port Melbourne, was perfectly justified in shooting him. According to Dr Youl there could be no doubt that May had entered Mr Maokay’s house as a burglar, and was engaged at the time of his death in the commision of a burglary. But that fact of itself did not justify Mr Mackay in shooting him. May was merely a burglar. He had not shown any violence, and if he had been called upon to stand and surrender would very probably have done so without the slightest attempt at attack or resistance. To have shot him in the circumstances was unjustifiable. In such circumstances a man would be justified in hitting out with a stick, but he should not shoot. The jury, however, found that it was a case of justifiable homicide. The press, almost without exception, applaud the verdict, and Dr Youl’s scruples find no echo in the feelings of the community generally. Fiubb.—A fatal fire occurred at West Oxford, near Christchurch, on Monday morning, the victim being Mrs Elizabeth Marsh, 3(i years of age, who, with her two children, lived with her father-in-law, an old man of 87 years of age. At 2 a.m. a neighbour was aroused by two of Mrs Marsh’s children, who told him that their house was on fire. Mr Marsh was found lying in the garden, having got out of the window. A search was then made for Mrs Marsh, and when the flames had abated her body could be seen lying where her bedroom had been. After deluging that part with water the remains were recovered. The lower limbs, one arm, and part of the other were missing, but the face, though charred, was quite distinguishable. The origin of the fire (says the Lyttelton Times) is obscure, but from the fact of Mr Marsh, who is eighty-seven years of age, being fully dressed, and from the habit of Mrs Marsh getting up whenever she heard him about in the night, it is thought that she had lit a caudle in her own room, and possibly the wind blew the blind against it and thus started the tire. This is a feasible explanation, because the children state that when their mother awoke them her nightdress was ou fire, and she requested them to throw some bedclothes over her. This they did, and Alice (the elder) went to get another blanket and Harry to get some water, but they were unable to return and were sent for help. It is doubtful if Mr Marsh will recover, as he has received serious burns. Alice -Marsh, who is thirteen years of age, has a severe burn on her forehead.—Mr James Kerr's confectionery works at Sawyer’s Bay, Otago, were burned down on Tuesday. The building and plant are insured for £701). — Further accounts of tlic fires in Forty Mile Bush, Wellingt m, state that the residences of Messrs H. M. Peterson, Sckow, and Mrs liongood were burned at M luriecvillo West, along wii,h a largo quantity of bay and wheat stacks, fencing, etc. It is also reported that several houses at Newman, Parkvillc, and Alfrcdton, were burned. Heavy rain on Tuesday extinguished the flames.—A iive-roomed house at .Sydenham, the property of Walter Flowers, shunter on the railway, was destroyed by fire on Monday morning. The insurances are—house £IOO, and furniture £lO iu the lloynl odioo. —A lire occurred at Tarurua about o'clock ou Tuesday afternoon, which rc - suited in the total destruction of Colonel Fraser’s residence. Thu house and furniture were insured for £(.10 iu the Victoria olliec, A cousiderablc amount of valuable silverware was lust.

Temuka Rifles.— A church parade of this corps will take place on Sunday morning next. All members are requested to parade at the drill shed at 10.15, with side arms. Sudden Death.— William John Wilson, the chief officer of the Mararoa, died suddenly just as the vessel was nearing the wharf at Auckland. He had just concluded his watch, which lasted from i till 8. Tuberculosis and meningitis was the cause of death. Rangitata Licensing Committee.— In our advertising columns Mr John McKeague, returning officer, notifies that the meetings of the Rangitata Licensing Committee shall be held at the Geraldine Courthouse at noon on the first Wednesday in the months of June, September, De- . cetnber, and March.' The Ministbb of Lands.— A banquet was tendered to the Minister of Lands at Invercargill on Monday night, and over a handled and twenty were present, including a large number of ladies. Mr McKenzie stated that he would have to ask for extended powers for the resumption of private lands. He spoke in complimentary terms of the officers of the department throughout the colony. Witnesses’ Costs. —The new Magistrate’s Court regulations give the following as the allowances and costs allowed to witnesses:— Gentlemen, merchants, bankers, and professional men, per diem, 15s to 20s; auctioneers, accountants, farmers, tradesmen, and clerks, per diem, 8s to 15s; artisans and journeymen, per diem, 7s to 8a; labourers, per diem, 5s to 7s; female witnesses, one-half the above sums; children, a reasonable amount for expenses, to be fixed by the Court. The Licensing Act.— All over the colony there seems to have been confusion in the minds even of the retaining officers as to the meaning of the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act relating to the local option poll. The majority of the returning officers, including the official who presided over the polling in Dunedin, excluded the informal papers from the votes which they counted in ascertaining whether or not half the electors had voted, The returning officer for Waikonaiti is taking legal advice on the point, bat at Ashburton it seems that the informal votes have been counted in, and that without them the poll would be ineffective. The weight of the legal opinion in Dunedin is understood to a bo against the view taken by the returning officer at Ashburton, bat it is supported by the Evening Post, which thus refers to the action of a returning officer in the north in excluding the informal votes: “The returning officer for Napier seems to have made a curious mistake in refusing to take into account the informal voting papers in deteiminihg whether half the electors had or had not voted on the local option questions. There were 1082 informal votes. Clearly these should have been counted in making up the half. The electors had voted, although their votes were ineffective, and the Act only requires half the electors on the roll to vote. A similar difficulty seems to have arisen in the Bay of Plenty.”—Otago Daily Times. SYNOPSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS. E. A. Kelland—Trespass notice. Winchester —Social on Friday evening. Martin Kennedy—Challenge to John Cope. W. Benbow—Eighty acres of grass feed to let. Temuka Rifles Church parade on Sunday. Temuka Road Board—Tenders for cleaning drains. N. K. & J. G. Cox, Dentists—Date of visit to Temuka. Geraldine Town Board—Tenders wanted for town reserves. W. G. Aspinall & J. S. Hayes—Notice re dissolution of partnership. F. W. Stubbs, Returning Officer—Result of Pareora Licensing Election. Wm. Fawdray, Atowhenua—Tomatoes for table, sauce, or jam for sale. J. McKeague, Returning Officer a — Notice re meetings of Rangitata Licensing Committee. • Hotelkeepers of Pareora Licensing District —Sincere thanks to the electors, especially the ladies, for their support'.