Local Intelligene.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 425, 13 January 1875, Page 2

Local Intelligene.

THE warm rains of last week have wonderfully improved the pastures, and there is now every prospect of good summer and winter feed for stock. Mr. Gordon's contract for the cutting between the Beaumont Ferry and the Junction Hotel is drawing rapidly towards completion. This road will not be available for winter traffic unless it is metalled as soon as the formation is completed. Shearing is now being rapidly proceeded with at Moa Flat Station, and with fine weather will be completed in about three weeks. Tenders for the Clyde bridge will close on the 25th inst. T HEBE will he no summer race meeting held at Clyde this season, but the Jockey Club purpose offering some good prizes for competition at the next spring meeting. Harvest has commenced in the Teviot and Speargrass Flat districts. The crops will be up to the average of former years. We notice two or three fields of selfsown oats in the Tuapeka district being cut for horse feed. A field of My. John Hogg's, Evan's Flat, looks very well; Mr. David Evans, we believe, has purchased this crop, which lie intends threshing. A meftino of the Committee of the Mount Benger Jockey Club was held at Nicholson's Hotel, Ettrick, on Saturday evening. Present : Mr. W. Waugh (in the chair) and Messrs. M'Leod, AJ'Carthy, Nicholson, Gordon, and Cornish. The orders for payments for amounts due by the Club weie handed to the Treasurer, and. after some other detail business having been finished, it was proposed and carried unanimously that the mare Mabel and the lad Mitchelson be disqualified from running at Mount Benger during the pleasure of the Club. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the officers of the Club for their efficient services at the late meeting, and to the chairman. Mr. Sauilie, road engineer, intends putting on & staff of men at the elbow between Roxburgh and Moa Flat, for the purpose of filling in the dangerous hollow there. Other bad places on the road will receive immediate attention, and the greater portion of the uninetalled road between Lawrence and the Beaumont will be pitched and gravelled before winter sets in. A man named Frnnk Murphy employed at Mauuherikia Brewery, 114.J his leg fractured by a fall from a horse at Clyde on Thursday last. Dr. Thomson was immediately in attendance on the sufferer, who is in a fair way of recovery. The inhabitants of Havelock bave for the past few days had a visit from a black swan. The bird has taken up its abode on the lagoon close to the town, and seems highly pleased with its quarters. It is quite tame, and some of the inhabitants treat it kindly in the hopes of inducing it to remain. It is not known from what direction it came, but probably it may have come from the neighborhood of Tuapeka Mouth, where these birds have been seen on several occasions. It is supposed its mate must have been killed. On returning from the Beaumont on Satur. day we flushed a fine covey of partridges, numbering from 12 to 15, a short distance from Bellamy station. They appeared fine strong birds. It is to be hoped they will remain undisturbed for two or three years, after which time there will be lots of game for the fowler. The Switzers races, we understand, will be I held this year on the 4th and sth of March. j Mr. Woodhouse's claim, at the Horseshoe Bend is yielding splendid gold, as many as 12 ozs. having been obtained for a few hours work lately. The claim is worked with a tramway and trucks, drawn by a horse ; and as the dirt is drawn from the claim, it is tipped into a sluice, which is a great saving of labor from the primitive plan of wheeling it in barrows. The owners of the adjoining claim —Messrs. Lundy and Sullivan— expect to be on equally good ground shortly. They have been engaged for some time opening out their claim. There is a considerable area of ground iv the two claims, which will give the proprietors work for a length of time ; and should the ground prove as good as that at present being worked by Mr. Woodhouse, the claim holders will be rewarded for their enterprise and energy in opening out the ground. Mr. Ulrich, who left, Lawrence last week on a visit to the Northern goldfield in company with the Goldfields Secretary, arrived iv Clyde on Monday, the 7th instant, and on the followday^visitod the Conroys Gully Reef, which he pronounced a true lode and of a gold-bearing character. He also saw the prospecting claim at Butchers, which he thought was not a quartz reef, and was unworthy the attention of miners. Several other objects of interest were visited,- Mr. Ulrich expressing himself confident that the abutting terraces of the Dunstan Range were likely to be auriferous. W. L. Simpson, Esq , R. M. .and Mr, Poole, accompanied Mr. Ulrich, and pointed out the different objects of interest. The Carrick and Bendigo Reefs are at present receiving tbe attention of this eminent geologist, A cricket match between the Switaers and Tapanui clubs is to be played at Switaers on Thursday ('to-morrow) and a return match at Tapanui< on "the 27th instant, the day before the Tapanui Race Meeting,

The new post-office at Roxburgh now shows signs of being completed, the greater portion of the material being on the ground. The contractor—Mr. R. M, Smith— has been delayed with the work, owing to the scarcity of timber. The new building for the Bank of New Zealand is also being pushed on rapidly by Messrs. Bailey and Bees. These two buildings are directly opposite each other, and their completion will no doubt induoe many of the business people of Roxburgh to erect new premises, as the growing importance of tbe Municipality requires. This is what the " Dunstan Times" says about Dunedin editors and the contributors to their journals :— " The Carrick v. Pyke affair we deem to be a climax to the rubbish that Dunedin editors delight to serve up to us. We have hitherto held our tongue, but we have long decreed that the bunging up of " Titnon " in his tub, followed by its conveyance to tbe Ocean Beach, and there committed, both it and its tenant to the "vasty deep," as food for the salmon trout, would prove a public gain. Added to this that Inspector of Nuisances, known as Policeman X might with advantage have his beat limited to the precincts of the gaol, while Passing Notes, and Currency Fappra. could very advantageously be spared to keep them company. Considering the limited field of operations at the disposal of the country journalist, he is considerably in advance of his town contemporaries ; the one out of nothing produces much, in contra-distinction to the other, who, out of much produces nothing." On Monday Mr. M. Hay sold by public auction the right to erect grand stand and publicans booths on the racecourse for the ensuing race meeting , also refreshment booths, and the right to print the correct oards of the races. The right to erect the booths fell to Mr, J. Bell of the Masonic Hotel, and the refreshment booths to Mr. Jeffery. Mr. Wooton, and Mr. Monaghan respectively. The prices realized for the booths were considerably under those of former years. The Mount Ida races are fixed for the 4th and sth March. At the last meeting of Court Star of Tuapeka A.O.F held on the sth instant, the following office I>eai-er3 were duly elected :— Bro. M. Fraer, C.R.; Bro. J. M'Taggert, S.C,R.;Bro. J. Thompson, Secretary , Bro. J. Crow, Treasurer; Bro. D. M'ftae, S.W.; Bro. W. Craig, J.W.; Bro. D. Cochrane, 5.8.; Bro. J. O'Leary, J.B. A. pafctmastev's certificate and ribbon together with an Order to have name placed on the rebut board was accorded to the retiring C.R. Bro. S. A. Miller. One membeJ was initiated, and several candidates proposed for initiation. The Court was never in a more prosperous condition than it is at present. Accidents at the Blue Spur nearly always come in a batch. In our last issue, we recorded one to John M'Laren, who had his leg fractured; and in this issue we have to record one ti> Peter May, who, while at woik in Morrison and Co.'s claim, had one of his legs very badly nut by a fall of cement. It was first thought tbe leg *ra3 bioken, but o.i being examined by Dr. Halley. it was found to be a severe flesh wound ; —bad enough, certainly, although not so bad as a break would have been. The friends of Mr. Wm ATBeath will no doubt be glad to hear that he is again on his way to these shores, and will most likely arrive next month from iifelbourne,as he is coming by the Suez route. Tea following telegram from Winton appears in Monday's " Daily Times " ; - "The Kingston and Invercargill coach, with part of the American Transit of Venus Expedition, and Messrs. Malaghan, Mnnders, Powell, and others, missed the opposite ford in crossing the Mataura and floated down the river. The passengers.escaped by a miracle. The coach upset afterwards. All owe their escape to Mr. Powell. The river is flooded." A correspondent in .Monday's " Guardian " writing with reference to the death of Daniel Campbell, particulars of which appeared in our last issue, says that :—" Three weeks ago he left Clydevale station with a cheque for £110 in his pocket, and returned with £9 2s. He died through the pffeets of hard drinking. It is to be hoped the police will make inquiry as to how this man spent his time. If his money vcas all knocked down in drink, it is time some inquirywas made as to the Sjjpess of those who permit such tilings in their houses to hold licenses." We would again remind our Tuaneka readers of {the drawing-room entertainment of jlfr. and Mrs. St. Vincent, which comes off tomorrow evening in the Assembly Room. THE sale of Mr. M. ilf'Carthy's valuable property at Dumbarton Rock, will take place on Afonday, the 25th instant, and nob on Thursday, 28th, as previously advertised. By an error on the part of (the Club "Unknown " was omitted from amongst the nominations of the Tapanui Handicap published in our last issue. According to the alvertisemenfc of the Tapauui raoe programme, the weights for the handicaps should have appeared in this issue, but owing to neglect on the part of* the handicapper or some one else, ire did not receive the list up to the time of going to press this morning. Fbom advertisement it will be observed the Royal English Opera Company will perform in the Commercial Assembly Boom on Thursday and Friday evenings, this week. The gardens and orchards in the up country districts are this year laden with fruit. At Mr. Feraud's Monte Chris to farm, the trees are yielding fruit in great abundance. Mr. Feraud is making wine on a larger scale than ever this year ; the demand, owing to the excellent quality of last year'a- vintage' Bavfng largelj- increased. A short but very stormy sitting of the "Waste Lands Boai'd was held on Monday, a special meeting having been called to consider an application on behalf of Mr. James Logan, that the Board should give a decision on that gentleman's application for the purchase of certain lands in the Waikoikoi Hundred. The land in the Waikoikoi Hundred was withdrawn from sale at £1 per acre — according to a memo written by the Superintendent — on the 15th December last, and decided to be sold by public auction under the 85th section of the Waste Lands Act. Some of the land was so sold a few days ago, but it appears that on the 7th of January, Mr. James Logan, the local runholder applied to purchase about 6,133 acres of land in the Hundred at the usual price of £1 per acre. At the meeting of the Board yesterday, Mr. D. Reid denounced this application as an underhand attempt to steal a march on the public, and moved a resolution, which was agreed to, declining to entertain Mr. Logan's application, inasmuch as, when the latter was lodged, the land in question was not open for application. Mr. Connell (of the firm of Messrs. Connell and Moodie), who appeared for' Mr. Logan, seemed very much incensed at the action of the Board, who ruled that he had no locus standi, and would not hear his argument 'in support of the application. An altercation took place, which was certainly not very edifying : and the Board might have preserved its 'own dignity much better by peremptorily terminating the -proceedings immediately after passing the resolution, referred to above. A full report of the meeting will be found in another column. — " Daily Times." We quite endorse the following remarks .of the "Daily Times" with regard to the necessity for special trains being put on when mails of importance arrive at Port Chalmers after the departure of the last regular train : — •' If ever legitimate occasion for the running of a special train between Dunedin and the Port presented itself since the railway between the two places was opened, that occasion was last evening, when the steamer Wellington^ with the San Francisco mails on board arrived an hour or so too late to catch the last train, which, the day being Sunday, left at 5 o'clock. The Wellington had been expected at a very much earlier hour, and preparations to receive the mail had been made both at Dunedin and the Port. The Post office officials were on the alert ; and, when the fact of the Wellington being late was patented, the Port Station-master telegraphed to Dunedin, to, we understand, inquire about a special train. ' Seeing that English mails and many passengers were wait-

ing, it was naturally assumed that a special <-, train would be run ; but no, not only was th# train not run but no reply was Youcbjafeato the Port Station-master's telegram. W« ' can only stigmatise such action as jniseraoM - parsimony, as tantamount to a gross slight ,- upon the commercial community ,of this Province, especially that section of it in the country districts. Had tVe mail been - forwarded to town by special train, the more - important letters would have been in the hands of those to whom the^ were addressed - last night, whilst the letters for country districts would have been in time to hare been forwarded by the outgoing mails tbi» morning. As the case stands, the country letters will not be forwarded until to-morrow, and it is more than p/obable that the needless delay thus incurred yillpreventadviees of great importance being replied to by the outgoing mail - on the Isth. W<* sincerely hope that such a lamentable blunder will not occur again, but that permanent arrangements for running a special train under special circumstance* will be made by the Post office authorities' and those of tbe railway.