Local Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 330, 14 February 1874, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

The right to erect booths in connection with the Tuapeka Jockey Club annual meeting was sold by Mr. Matthew Hay, at the Commercial Hotel, on Thursday last as advertised. The following, weie the purchasers and prices: — Grand Stand booth, No. 1, K. Williams, £22 ; No. 2, Mr. Chalmers. £18 ; No. 3, Mr. C, Long. £13; refreshment booth. No. 1, Dr. Halley (for the Good Templars), £1 ; No. 2, Mr, Wotton, £1 ; No. 3, withdrawn at sale, but afterwards sold privately. There was a good attendance, and considerable spirit exhibited. The sum realised was a few pounds in excess of last year. A SPECIAL MKETINO of the LawrenoG Grammar School (Committee was held in the Schoolhouse, on Thursday evening. The object of the meetwas the consideration ot a circular received from the Education Board, inviting suggestions from tbe Committee on the subject of school fees. There were prpsent -Mr. M'Coy (President) and the following members of Committee, viz., Messrs. Abel. Thompson, Jeffery, Squires, Menzies, and Harrop. Mr, Stenhouse, rector, wps also prebent. Before the subject was brought forward, Mr. M'Coy stated that he wished to resign tbe position of President, as he believed (hore were other monbeis of the Committee moie entitled to the honor than he was. The Committee would not agree to receive the resignation, so Mr. M'Coy consented to continue in office. The circular, which it was the object of the meeting to consider, was very vague, and consequently gave rise to a very desultory conversation. Mr. Stenhouse supplied the meeting with some school statistics as a basis of uc Linn, Had all the school fees been paid during last year, the revenue from that source would have been £338 ; whereas, £225 was the actual amount received, and of that amount some, £nO wad for arrears due on the pi evious year's fees. It transpired during the conversation that the sum of £220 yearly requiied to be raised by fees, to cover salaries and sundry expenses in connection with the school, The Rev. Mr. Menzies moved a motion to the effect that a reduction of 10 per cent, be allowed to those who paid their fees regularly and ill advance. Mr. Thompson quite agreed with the spirit of Mr. Menzies 1 motion, but thought the per centre named so small that tbe object iv view would not be gained by it. Mr. Meuzies replied that he was not wedded to the per centage mentioned, but would agree to any other. Mi. Abel leiuurked that the nor.ice of meeting had only bc»n received by him on the previous d/iy, and he had come to the meeting not knowing the subject to be brought under consideration, He therefore thought they should adjourn for a few days to allow time to think the matter over. After some conversation. Mr. Abel moved, "That the subject be adjourned till Monday evening." .The motion was seconded and carried. After some other unimportant discussion, the meeting adjourned. The accident which happened at Ayling"s contract, Horseshoe Bend, to a man of the name of Laurenson, has unfortunately termi- j nated fatally. Tho poor man expired on Thurs- j day night in the Tuapeka Hospital. The date for eiitiics for tho Switzers and Waikaia Handicaps has been altered from the 12th to 20fch insfc .

The first of Yeend and Pope's southern line of coaches tarived in Lawrenco last evening about 7 o'clock, Mr. Pope driving. The coach wtt's a good one, and had aboard a good compliment of passengers. The turn -out was excellent. ON Wednesday last, Mr Vincent Pyke, Mr, J. B. Bradshaw, and Mr. J. C. Brown, members of the House of Representatives, waited upon his Honor the Superintendent to ascertain thepiogress made with legard to the establishment of an Assay Office in Dunedin, in connection with the Melbourne Mint. The Superintendent said that nothing fresh had been done in the matter; but he had received a letter from Mr. "Yogel, in answer to enquiries made, which was to the effect that he had not yet received a reply from the Victorian Government, but that the object the deputation hud in view would be Wcirinly supported by Ma Government. A correspondent writing of the Switzers races to the " Western Star," says : " The funds are coming in handsomely. The Secretary announced at the first meeting of the Club that £80 was already forthcoming, which will, by this time, be largely increased. We can always offer good prizes for competition, but seldom get horses worth their oats to compete. Last year, when nearly £200 was given away, with *he exception of Lyndon, the rest were, in truth, a motley crowd of low-born beggars." By advertisement it will be observed that Mr. Jeffery, of Koss Place, has obtained the services of a professional hairdresser of great experience in some of the largest establishments at home. He is therefore now prepared to excute all the biancbes of the business, special attention being devoted to ladies' hairdressing. At the special meeting of subscribers to the Dunedin Athenaeum, held on Wednesday evening, there were present about 500 persons. Mr, Tj. B. Cargill moved, " That the Athenoeuin be not opal-ed on the Sunday." Mr. M'Gres;or seconded the motion, after which the following amendment was inovod by Mr. Robert Gillies and seconded by the Rev. E. L. Stanford : - "That as some members of the Athenseum living in hotels, and others, are greatly inconvenienced for want of a qniet reading-room, where on Sundays they can read without interruption, the Committee ore authorised to open the reading voom for four hours each Sunday as an experiment ; but should they find, after fdir trial, that only a small number of those for whose benefit it is designed avail themselves of it, or that otheiwise it proves in any way injurious to the institution, they are- authorised in their own discretion to abandon the experiment. In any case, however, it is hereby declared that on no account me any of the employes to be forced or induced to give their attendance on Sunday, nor are the hours of opening to be such ns will inteifere in any way with the usual hours of public worship." On being put to the vote, theie were the for amendment 252, against it 342. The amendment was therefore declared carried by a majority of 10 votes. Mr. M. ITay reports having sold Mr. Charles Redditn's property for the sum of £255. Mr. Fitzgerald, of Tuapeka Flat, was the purchaser. The crops, cattle, and household furniture brought very satisfactory prices. Tun modkil ship Samuel PHnisoll, designed and built by Captain Welch, i 3 now being exhibited at the Tuappka. Athenfumn. It is indeo.l a little wonder, and f.ir exceeds any tieI sciiption gi\Pii of it by the Dunedin Press. When we state that the construction of this model occupied Captain Welch thirteen years, it will »t once be granted that be must be possussed of extraordinary perseverance ; but an inspection of it will piove that the Captain is h!.->o jmsspssed of a wonderful amount of skill. I The Samuel Plhnsoli is not only complete in all j its parts, but embodies many itapiorements in the liggitig and other parts of the ship, which Cripltiin Welch is veiy hopeful will yet be adopted l>y leading shipbuilder?. To day will be th*» last opportunity offeiedto witness this little monument tsf sMll ami perseverance, ns it will be exhibited at Rilclutha on Monday-. The licensed victuallers of Dunedin, not being satisfied with the judgment given against Mr. lUchinond a few days ago, sent a deputation, on Wednesday last, to his Honor the Superintendent to ast him to undertake, on behalf of the Provincial Government, the cost of au appeal to the Supreme Court from the decision by the Licensing iJpnch in Richmond's case. His Honor, in t!>e course of the conversation, s.iiil he was surprised at the action taken in the matter, as tlffe Provincial Ordinance, being repealed, was still in force, and will remain . in force until the new Act comes into operation. The Provircial Executhe took legal advice as to the couisd taken by them, every step being in accordance with it, and, so far as he was concerned, lie had done nothing without the consent and sanction of the Executive. He recommended those interested to subscribe the necessary amount, as the Government had nc power to entertain the question. In our advertising columns, the Treasurer of the Tuapska Hospital acknowledges the receipt of the following handsome subscriptions to the funds of the institution ;- Mr. David Hunter, contractor, £G ; Captain Mackenzie, of Tap-in vi, £20. The shop and premises of Mr. Hutchins, chemist, B.ilclutha, had a narrow escape from being burned down on Thursday last. Mr. Hutching was ia the act of extinguishing his lamps, when one of the brackets broke, upsetting a kerosene lamp ou the floor, the flamps from which rose three feet, nearly setting fire to a stack of paper, A person who was in the shop smothered tbe fl.unes as best he could till Mr. Hutchin's obtained water, when they were easily SHbdued. Thk grand, stand on the Forbury racecourse is to be improved this season to the extent of £200, and will then afford accommodation for 300 more persons than at present. IN desciiVing the Thunder storm which visited Tuapeka on Monday last, we stated that we had not heard of any damage resulting from the storm in Lawrence or its neighborhood. We are now informed that several stooks in the ' middle of a field of Mr. Cumming's, Tuapeka Flat, were discovered by Mrs. Roughan to be on fire when the storm was at its worst, and when the rain was pouring down in torrents. As there was no human being within a considerable di«>tance or the stooks, it is naturally inferred that they were ignited by the lightning. From tbe report read at the anniversary of the Wallacelown Lodge of Good Templais, we extract the following :—" Notwithstanding, the evil wishes of its enemies, and their prophecies of an inglorious life aud speedy death, the cause baa been steadily itioreasing. and our Lodge now numbers 40 members iv goo'l standing. Thrpe of tbe fair sisters are elected, to office for the ensuing quarter, the special duty of one" being, on direction of the Worthy Chief, to give new members the Good Templar grip— a process apt to produce palpitation of the heart. We may also mention that it is definitely fixed that initiation shall only take place at every alternate meeting of our Lodge, so as to allow the devoting of one evening in the month to reading, singing, and occasionally to debating questions of interest." A man named Drien was charged at the R.:Vl.'s Court yesterday with comtnittiug a felonious assault upon a girl 8 years of age, on the Wai tahuna road. The evidence was token with closed doors. The accused was remanded for 7 days, to enable the police to procure further evidence,

Our Roxburgh correspondent writes as follows :— On Monday last, Mr. F. Clifton and Miss Fanny Sara made their appearance here, but as they had given but a very short notice, hardly met with the success they deserved, the performance being carried oat in a moat satisfactory manner. The comicalities of Mr. F. Clifton, and the beautiful singing of Miss Sara, was thoroughly appreciated by the audience. On Tuesday evening, their fame having spread abroad, they performed to a larger bouse, and" acquitted themselves again in sucb a manner as to win the hearty applause of all present. Next week the inhabitants of Tuapeka will have a surfeit of entertainments. All tastes will have the chance of being satiated. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the ever-welcome Carandini Company will appear in the Commercial Assembly Rooms. On Thursday and Friday, the Clifton Concert Company will give one of their inimitable variety entertainments, in the Athenaeum Hall ; and on Thursday. Friday, and Saturday, Clara Stephenson's Ixion Troupe will perform some of theirexcellent pieces in the Commercial Assembly Room, It is needless for us to say anything in recommendation of any one of these entertainments. The most of the performers have already appeared before appreciative audienoes in Tuapeka, and their excellen- • cies are well known to the public. Some kind of amusement is badly wanted for the rising generation in Lawrence. It has been suggested to us that the brass band might be resuscitated with beneficial results, and we fully agree with the suggestion. Nearly all the instruments required are under the care of the Athenaeum Committee, and we have no doubt if more were needed tbe public would at once come to the rescue. In this respect, there would be no fear of failure. What is really required is a band-master ; and if a fairly qualSad man could be found, an excellent band might be speedily organised. Tub Dinner to Mr. Vopjel at Nelson was a great success. The Superintendent occupied the chair. Mr. Yogel spoke of two distinct methods of colonisation / one where a few persons settling early became jealous of others sharing their profits, and the other attaching great value to waste lands, and feeling it no hardship to tax such lands for the future inhabitants. These types represented Nelson and Canterbury. He hoped Nelson would hereafter become as prosperous as Canterbuiy. Nelson, he remarked, set a social example to the colony in education and other matters. It had been said that mon of means would realise and leave when the borrowing policy was begun, but rich men had increased their investments. Of course there must be bad times and good, and those who over-speculated might lose, but the Government policy on the whole had proved to be a success. Those who said the prosperity of the colony was due to the _rise in wool, and not to the public "work's" policy, should reflect that only those parts which carried on public works and immigration shared in the advance. A pretty little girl, barely ten years of age (says the " Otago Daily Times ") was charged in the Resident Magistrates Court on Tuesday with having vobtainr-dv obtainr-d goods by means of false pretenses. It appeared that she had induced Mr. .Reuben Hart, fancy goods dealer of George street, to give her a quantity of jevrt-llery made of what is called "gold of the period," on p* - etence that Mrs. TUnrrihy, of the Shamrock Hotel, w.is her aunt, and wished to choose a pair of earrings. The goods were afterwards sent back by the girl, who probably became frightened th.it sho would get into trouble. Mr. Hart discovered that Mrs Murphy had not been in the Colony for the last ten months, and he consequently gave information upon which the girl was arrested. The mother who is a hard working, respectable woman, appeared in Court, and seemed to be much affected, fc-he said that she had beaten the child until sha was as black as the Court cushions, and had on a previous occasion paid for goods she had ordered in a similar manner from tradesmen. She attributed the child's conduct to the effects of evil companionship. The child did not shed a tear, but bahaved with the utmost coolness. was sentenced to 48 hours imprisonment in the matrons quai-fcers at the gao\ A flock of about 30 starlings were observed on the afternoon of Tuesday flying across the Leith Valley Dunedin, in the direction of Maori Hill. A very severe earthquake shock or rather succession of earth shakes, was felt iv Kiverton last -unday evening. It commenced (says the "Western Star") at twenty minutes to 7, and was proceeded by a loud rumbling' noise. It lasted for about 30 seconds, and its direction was from b.W. to N.E. The first shock was exceedingly violent, aud the othera may be described as a series of vibrations. Mb. Devine, the well known driver, was proceeded against in the Resident Magistrate's Court, Dunedin, on Tuesday, on a summons charging hhn with having driven his six horse coach round the corner of High and Princes streets at a trot. The defendant did not appear, but Mr. Chaplain was in Court, and caused some amusement by telling the Beach that he would rather submit to a weekly fine than be compelled to have the horses pulled into a walk at the street corners. The Magistrate agreed that it would be impossible to stop a six-horse coach at that particular place and start it again, and he decided not to inflict any fine. A lad, between sixteen and seventeen years of age, loat his life by drowning in the Taieri on Wednesday. His name was Henry Rixon, and he wa3 in the employ of Mr. Bell, farmer, of Meadow Bank, J£ast Taieri. The following is a summary of the nominations made thi-ough the Immigration. ( )ffice, Duuedin, since. January 31 up to date :—: — English ; Adults, 13 males and 8 females ; children, G males, 6 females. Scotch : Adults, 18 males, 26 female 3 ; children, 17 males, 8 females. Irish ; Adults, 15 males, 8 females. Total souls, 126, equal to 100 statute adulta.