LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 2618, 17 March 1892, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The excursion train this morning carried a fair number of passengers from Timaru, and despite the unfortunate weather a large number joined at Ashburton. There was steady rain m South Canterbury all night, and the Waimate races and Geraldine sports to-day were postponed. At ing was postponed, and various picnics anil other fixtures abandoned. At Wellington the Hibernian gathering was postponed. Mr Benjamin Willianson, brother of Mr Donald Willianson, died at his residence at Elgin to-day at eleven o'clock. Mr Williamson was one of the oldest settlers, and for many years his was a well-known figure m Ashburton, although he took no part m public business. He had reached the gre.it age of 81. The evangelistic services that have been held this week m the Presbyterian Church have not been well attended, owing no .doubt to the many counter attractions that have claimed public attention this week. The ter vices have been conducted by the Rev D. D. Roger, of Oust, a preacher admirably suited for evangelistic work, and a very pleasing speaker. The services will be continued to-night, and the last of the series will be held on Friday. The following sales of Ashburton Counfy stock were made at this week's Addingtou market: —Fat lambs—for the Lauriseon estate, 228 at 12a 7d ; for the Selma estate, 50 at 10s 6dj and 8-1 at 9s 6d; for the Lowclifte estate 210 at 10s 8d to 10 10(1; for Mr- W. McMillan, 35 at lls lid; for Mr J. 0. Wason 35 afc 12s. Fat sheep—for the Lowciiffe estate, 336 crossbred ewes and wethers at 16s; 30 orossbreds for Mr W. McMillan, at 16s 6d; for the Chatmoss estate 198 crossbred wethers at 17s, and 122 crossbred maiden ewes, at Ids lid; for the Selma estate crossbred ewes at lls lOd ; for the Lauriston estate, crossbred ewes, at lls lOd ; for Mr H. W. Parsons, 67 merino wethers, at 13s lid; for the Lyndhurst estate, two-tooth crossbred wethers and maiden ewes at 12s lid to 16s ; for M ssrs D. Henderson and Son 71 crossbred wethers at 14s 2d to 15s sd, 20 merino wethers at 13s 7d, and 27 crossbred ewes at 13s 4d. A meeting of delegates of the South 1 Island Acclimatisation Societies took place at Oamaru, yesterday, when it was decided that the societies do not amalgamate. It was resolved than the fishing season m the South Island open on the Ist of October m each year and close on the 15th April. It was decided that the Government be called upon to gazette uniform regulations for all Societies, and request the Government to draft regulations for netting m the various lakes, to be submitted to the Societies interested. It was also resolved that the Government be asked to place a sum on th ' Estimates this year for the introduction of salmon ova. and that the vote be continued each year till sure of successor failure. Messrs Crisp and Shury represented the Ashburton Society. The property Assessment Department is determined to disallow " houses " on country properties as improvements, flic Otekaike case is not singular. The Napier ''Telegraph " has ascertained fchafc the action of the Assessor m Otago is similar to n'hab is held to be the rule m Hawke's Bay This rule applies to country properties, and not to residences, stores, or shops m town. It is held that if on a country estate an expensive mansion has been erected, the value of that building cannot be regarded as an improvement to the land. For instance, there is a certain estate m Hawke's Bay provincial district which has not been very highly improved, but upon it there is a mansion that cost several thousand pounds to build. Is that house an improvement to the land? Does if add to the value of the property? The answer is that it is not a» improvement to the estate, and m the event of sale would be regarded if anything as a drawback. The Land and Income Assessment Act, however, distinctly asserts that improvements include houses and buildings, etc., the benefit of which is unexhausted at the time of valuation. Our contemporary maintains that, whether instructed from head quarters or not, the law does not allow of an assessor to exercise his judgment on thequestion, " When is a house not a house?'' The world is ever moving on toward perfection, but seldom attains it, Constant mprovement is being made m every | bra ich of industry, but, m Baking j Povde.rs Perfection has been reached iv I W n-bai-tuft's 0m t Be Beat, •

Messrs Miles and Co. (per Mr George ■ Jameson) advertise special entries ot about ten thousand sheep and Lvnba tor sale at Ashburton Yards next Tues.Uy. The sura of £160 has been collected m Wellington for the athletic team, lne Kew Zealand Shipping Company granted a considerable reduction m the tares. The "Carltcn Independent" (Melbourne) caleulates'that should suiciding increase m Victoria at the same rate as during *he past few months, the population will be wiped j :\)\\t m 5900 years. At Fairlie Creek, on Tuesday, James ' Grieve was sentenced to six months imprisonment for obtaining £4 2s from Julius 1 Siegert by means of a valueless cheque. The Timaru Harbor Board resolved to obtain a new plant, for the combined work? of shingle shifting and ordinary dredging. The cost is estimated at only £000 or ibUUa year more than the present dredging plantA man named Hardman got two monthimprisonment at Wellington yesterday lor raiding Sir Harry Atkinson's poultry yard. The ex-Premier appeared m the box and indentified his chickens. A message has been received 'from Tauran^a, to the effect that Alice Munro, who was so savagely maltreated by her father, Duncan Munro, when he killed his wife and other members of his family, has so tar recovered from her terrible injuries as to be able to run about the house. Mr W. Bayley, of Taranaki, has sent twelve quarters of beef as a gift to Dr Barnardo's Homes. The Egmont Freezing Company made no charge for freezing, the New Zealand Shipping Company sent the beef without charging freight, and Mr M'Diarmid forwarded the bill of lading, &c, free of all charges. Under the late Victorian Minister of Education, Sir F. Sargood, it was ascertained that it was cheaper to the department to carry children to a classified school than keep an unclassified one open. Already as many as twenty-two unclassified schools have been closed m that colony, and the principle is to be extended to other unclassified State houses of instruction. Mr C. M. Brooke challenges the agents for Little's and the Carbol Crystal sheep dips to a competitive trial of their respective specifics against his Perfect Dip, the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association to conduct the trial. The locally made dip is having a great run this year, large orders being sent away almost daily to all parts of the colony. At Temuka, on Tuesday, William Williams, a lad of fifteen, who had been previously before the Court, was charged with wilfully setting fire to a stack of straw at Milford/the property of Charles Story, on February 23. Accused, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court at Timaru. On Tuesday morning (says the " Canterbury Times") while exercising atßiccarton, Tom Field got away with his boy, and galloped into a fence. Some damage is done, which is hard lines on Stratford, as his colt was very well. The same morning, Mr Murphy's mare Regina met with an accident. It is presumed that she put her foot into a hole whilst galloping, as, on pulling up, it was found that she had smashed her fetlock ioint. She has since been destroyed. On Tuesday afternoon Mr W. J. S. Hayward, of Christchurch, essayed the task of reducing the fifty-mile New Zealand road record to 3hr lamin. for a prize of £5 Ps given by the Cyclists' Alliance. The previous record was 3hr 29.Jsec, made by Mr J. W. Painter. A start was made at four o'clock from the Riccarton Hotel, the halfdistance being done m Ihr 28min. The home journey from Leeston, however, took Ihr ofiitnin to accomplish, the time for the full distance thus being 3hr 24£ sec, and although Mr Hayward did not smceed m gaining the trophy, he lowered the record by 5 minutes. Mr Vincent Pyke writes to the " Syduey Bulletin": — "Sir, —An unveracious correspondent has thought fit to describe m the columns of the "Bulletin," my imaginary doings at the Mackenzie—Balclutha banquet. Permit me to embellish his fiction with a few facts. First, I did not behave m the rowdy manner ascribed to 1112 ; secondly, I was perfectly sober on that occasion; and thirdly, I was not thereat all.—Yours truly, Vincent Pyke. Dunedin, February 10, JtSJJ'i." Tiie editor says —"Somehow, all the gds'ff'siOTn^T?<^'cOTHrnOTcßOT"cniy'"'ra7-v JJBachelors with a little money of their own but not enough to live on should emigrate to Paraguay. The male population there has been so diminished by war that there are said to be eight women to every man. consequently the male creature is as highly appreciated as gold, on which the premium is 600 per cent. With his British sovereigns worth nominally some £7 10s each, and with six or seven beautiful Paraguayan damsels ready to work for him, Calebs should have an excellent tr.re. It is rather a novel idea to regard a tomb as an available asset, but Yankee creditors do not allow sentimental feelings to interfere with their monetary claims when there is anything '■ attachable." One of the most costly monuments m Greenwood Cemetery, New York, is the marble tomb erected a short time ago by Mr C. T. Yerkes. Judgment, says a telegram, was recently rendered against Mr Yerkes for .£2OO, m a lawsuit over an old goldmining speculation. As the plaintiffs could not find any other property of the dsfendant to attach, they seized his £10,000 tomb m Greenwood. When we heard that Mr Perceval s letter was published by the "Times" we realised the change which thirty years have made. Some time m the sixties, Mr Orosbie Ward was Postmaster-General—no relation he was of the present popular holder of that office, j Being m London on public business, and noticing an incorrect reference to the colony, he wrote to (( The Times " to set the matter right. To his surprise, the editor refused to publish the letter, giving him to understand that he did not feel bound to insert communications reflecting on his leading articles. The stor.ns ot thirty years' march of progress have taught " Jupiter T< n ins " better manners.--" New Zealand Times." Here is a description of Miss Eames, the primi donna, as she appeared to a newspaper reporter m Chicago, the city of pigs and porlf,:--" She has an earnest oval face, with a complexion of satin, and pomegranate lips parting over davzling teeth m a series of smiles so heavenly as t.o ninrib the beholder- from his head to his hee's. leaving him conscious of nothing but a vague impression that ho is being borne away through the clouds m a silver chariot po a land of limitless roses and wine ; soft dark eyes that change their shade with ever varying umtim; a smoc th girlish brow, with a delicious purl of dusky hair titits summit," etc.