Local Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 358, 23 May 1874, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

Monday next will he observed as a holiday by the Banks and leading business houses in Lawrence. The Mayor E. Herbert, Esq., and J. 0. Brown, Esq., M.H.R, waited upon the Government this week with reference to several district works of importance, and received promises from them that the following Bums would be placed on the estimates :— £soo for the road to Waipori via Bungtown ; £250 for the darks Flat road ; and £200 for the extension of the road down the Tuaptka lliver. Mr. W. Hatts reports having sold on Friday afternoon, under the verandah, Peel-street, the following sections in the town of Lawrence: — Section 11, block 6- Mr. F. Nicoll. Lll 10s ; section 12. block 6-Mr. F. Nicoll, Lll 10s ; sections 1, 2. 3. i»nd 20, block 9- Mr F. Nicoll. L 14") ; section 9, block 25— Mr. TV. Quin, L3O 10 ; sections 3, 4, and 5, block 23 -Mr. F. Nicoll, L 29 ; section 11, block 22 -T. Arthur, Ll4 , sections 4 and 5. block 30— T. Arthur, L2O ; section 6 (leasehold), block 30— T. Arthur, L 5 10s , section 7, blo6k 30— Mr. Waldie,' LlO 10s ; section 8, block 30— Mr. Marshall. LlO 10s ; section 9, block 30— Mr. J. Michael, L 9 10s ; section 10, block 30— Mr. J. Michael. L 9 JOs ; sections 5, 6, 10, Jl, and 12, block 29- E. Herbert, L4B 10s ; section IS, block 11— Mr. W. F. Downes, L6O. After the sale, Mr. Hayes resold privately, sections 1, 2, 3, and 20, block 9, for Ll6O. The Umber for the Town Hall, which has caused some delay in the progress of the work, havir.gr arrived, the cont'ractois nre pushing forward the wor.k wi ; th.£reiqt energy. •Fkom advertisement it will be observed that H. L. Squires has resigned his position as manager of the Beaumont, and Tuapeka Water Kace Company, and Mr. .G.> B. King has been ap- ■ 'Sections 7, 8, 9, 10,-12, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 18, situated in block XXII., Town of Lawrence, nnd having frontages to Maryport, Thurso, and Whiteha'ven-streets, Were sold this morning by Mr. Wr-T. Johnstone'to Mr. George Walker, for the sum of £128. The sections are fenced and laid down in English grass. The performance by the Amateur Press Dramatic Club, for the benefit of Mr. Eastwood, place in the Princess' Theatre on Wednesday night. The house was crowded in every part. The pieces- performed were " Still wateis . run deep," and *' Who stole the Pocket-book. 1 ' A very handsome sum was realised by the entertainment, which is supplemented by subscriptions. ' ..,- Alb.- Sheath opened his new premis.es on Thursday last. The building, which has been 'erected on, the, site of the one destroyed by fire some few'months ago, is a fine structure, and adapted in every way for a butcher's shop, with sufficient convenience for doing an extensive business. The building was designed by Mr. S. A. Miller, of Lawrence, and built by Mr; l A~. Humphrey, and is of brick on a stone foundation, with ah iron roof. : The shop is lofty and well ventilated, and great' oafe has been exorcised in fttting it to- facilitate cleanliness. ■ Adjoining the' shop is an office fronting the street, and at the l 'rear, on the same floor,are rooms for-the- manager ; on the lower floor, fronting' the yard, is the small goods depart- " menib,; which is fitted with a hydraulic engine and sslu'sage machine, and detached is Jthe ham and bacon drying house- a bvick building 'vfell adapted for that purpose. Altogether, the building is the most complete in the district. And is a 'pattern well worth being imitated. IN Tuesday's proceedings of the Provincial Council, Mr. Gumming' moved that the Government be requested to" cause the Thistle Ordinance to be put in force in the Southland district. The- Provincial Secretary observed that were such a proposal made regarding Otago. he would oppose it. He could not see why any private parties should be called upon to clear their lands'of thistles, while the Crown lands were allowed to remain actual nursery-beds of the seed, which was" distributed/over private as well as Crown ibjnds. ,It is also well-known that where attpmpts were made yearly to extirpate thistles they grew again vigorously, but that, if left alone, the ground ultimately sickened of them/and they were thrown out of of it. The motion was withdrawn.— For some considerable tim.e. the' thistle nuisance has gained strong hold on Wetherstones and Tuapeka Flats artd also in Gabriels Gully. A month or two ago, during the windy weather, thousands of seeds were wafted over the length and breadth of the district, and resembled in appearance a fall of snow-.' la the coarse of another year this noxious plant will have usurped all the cultivated and uncultivated land in Tuapeka, unless some energetic and systematic means are devised to eradicate" it. We imagine that the New Zealand soil takes too kindly to the thistle to get soon sick of it. The occasion of the opening of the new organ in the Congregational Church, Duneuin, drew 1 a pleasant party together on Wednesday evening. The performances were .ably gone through, by Mr. -AI: J., T6wsey, organist of St. Pauls Church. The choir sang various anthems in a highly satisfactory manner — the soloists were Miss .Tago, Miss Somprville, and Mr. Afarsden. There wafc but one opinion expressed of the organ, which wag, that it was eminently suitable for the congregational requirements of the Church. Me. W. Hayes reports that the mob of cattle advertised by him for aale at Shumate's yards on Thursday was withdrawn from auction sale, 'as the bidding- was slack. He afterwards disposed of them by private treaty to Mr. James Wright, of Waipori,

The following is a list of the quarter acre sections reclaimed from the Dnndin Harbor, rvhich were disposed of by public auction in Dunedin on Tuesday last, with the names of the purchasers^ ancL^tho amount each section, realised . -t, JaWes Smith. £JSOO T2, .Fames' 'Smith, £1425 ;*3 t/ R. Sparrow and Co., £1325 ; 4, R. Sparrow- and Co., £1175 ; ( 5, A. and T. Burt, £1370; 6, A. and T,Burt, £3376; 7» JKemptbofne, Prosser, ahd Co., £1320 ;' 8, George) P'roudfoot; £1250 -total, £10,720. X ~ ' In the Provincial Council on Tuesday, Mr. Wilson stated that he thought it a public duty of the owners of newspapers to publish the advertisements from the "Gazette" on the subjects of rewards for convictions of persons guilty of incendiarism free of cost. Mr. De Lautour, in reply to Mr. Wilson's suggestion, said he thought it just as much a matter of public duty for a tailor to furnish free of cost a pair of trousers to the first Highlander he met without them. The ''Evening Star" refers "to the same matter as follows : — The member for Makerewa, Mr. Wilson, opens his mouth very often , but it ia only when he speaks oracularly that his remarks are at all audible. In the Provincial Council yesterday, this self-constituted, authority asserted that it was a public duty for I owners of newspapers to publish from the "Gazette," free of charge, all advertisements which concerned the public good. If the hon. member would only attempt to "run '' a paper in the classical district of Makerewa, the public would be able to judge how far he practises what he preaches. During the present season it is contemplated by the Ounedin Choral Society to produce Sir M. Costa's "Naaman," Balfe's opera of " Maritana." Barnett's cantata '"Paradise and the Peri," and Sir William Sterndale Bennett's '• Woman of Samaria," of which the first has been put into practice for the next concert, and arrangement have been made on behalf of the Society to secure the other works, Mrs. Colls (says the "New Zealand Herald") keeps a select registry office, and resides in Wakefield-street, On Saturday afternoon a man and woman, smartly dressed, made their appearance at the door of Mrs. Colls' residence, and when asked their business, the man slUy replied that ** they wanted to get married." With the best countenance the lady could command, the couple were informed that it was the " Registrar's," and not a " Registry Office," they required: With a sheepish look the two departed, the man muttering, *' Ib is hurd a, man doesn't know where to get married these days." The Switzers Hospital Committee have sscured the premises lately occupied by Mr. Thomas on Carnie Hill, for their Resident Surgeon. Dr. Lake. A contract has been let to Mr. Williams to thoroughly renovate the building. The Committe deserve the thanks cf the Switzerites for the energy shown by them in matters appeitainiug to the Hospital and district generally. t Mb. A. Matheson's new store, on Waikaia Flat, is in course of erection, and would have been finished by this time, but for the fire at the Victoria Saw Mills, Mr. Mathesoa will, however, push on rapidly with the building when the remainder of the timber arrives from Tapanui. A MAN 1 named Thompson was arrested on Wednesday for attempting to communicate with one or more of the hard labor gang at Port Chalmers. Thb " Daily Times," commenting upon the destruction of sheep by ferocious dogs prowling about at right, which is now so prevalent, says : —Any owner of a dog having at all a tendency to go after shecy, should immediately destroy him, .otherwise the consequence "may tiwwp serious to the owner. A large school of whales was seen off the Otago Heads on Wednesday. Pheasants (says the *' Otago Times " of Thursday) are exceedingly numerous on Whare. Flat. Passing through there, the traveller encounters them at every turn. As many as ten were yesterdny observed flushed out of a stubble field. To the numerous bush patches and open land, undisturbed by the report of guns, the large increase is attributed. The " Daily Times " draws attention to a robbery of an unusual character which has been committed in Dunedin, being that of some four dozen bla'nksfor keys, from an inch and a half in length downwards. The theft has evidently been the work of an experienced cracksman, who means business in his line.