LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2996, 10 June 1893, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mamari, from London, arrived ak Auckland yesterday. As soon as the manager for the State farm has been appointed, selected persona will be sent up to commence operations. The Otago Trades Council has asked for information in regard to the proposed State tailoring establishment, and declares that no swearing exists in any factory in Dunedin. Mr Hookham has made his award in the ', unfinished chess games, and gives the final resul' of the lourney played on the Queen's birthday. The figures are—Wellington 7£ games, Otago 4£. The Aahburton Caledonian Society announce the resumption of Mr Andrew MeKenzie'a dancing class for members and their families. The opening night is Wednesday, June 14, in Saunders' buildings. At the Christchurch Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday three publicans were fined £5 each, on charges of withdrawing beer from casks without destroying or defacing the stamp. Mr E. G. Wright, member for the district, will address his constituents in the Oddfellows' Hall on Tuesday evening, June 13, and in Willowby school on Thursday evening, June 15—each evening at eight oclock. The Government have acquired two large blocks of land near Tauranga, namely, the Oapamoa Block on the shores of Tauranga harbour, and the Otawa Block on the ranges around. Both blocks are to be cut up and opened for settlement. V j The Rev Mr Philips, a gentleman who ! only arrived in the colony by the Arawa, will preach in the Presbyterian churches at Asliburton and Wakanui to-morrow. Mr Philips is a minister of the Free Church of Scotland. The Monowai, with the London mails of May 13, left San Francisco for Auckland on May 25, due date. The Alameda, with the Colonial mails of May 20, arrived at San Francisco from Auckland on June 8, due date. The whole of the hotel licenses in the county of Ashburton were renewed at the sittings of the Licensing Committees, held as under: —Mount Somers, Monday, June 5; Mount Hutt, Tuesday, June 6 ; South Kakaia, Friday, Tune 9. Two further applications for licenses in Sydenham district were heard yesterday— one in respect of a house closed by the late Committee. Both were adjourned till June 19, when the decision in regard to the whole of the applications will be given. The next popular concert will be given on Wednesday. The performers from a distance are the sisters Bell, Miss Mabel Bell being one of them, and Mr Hugh Reeves, a nice baritone singer, well known in amateur athletic circles, and a brother of the Hon. W. P. Reeves. Katherine Arabella Bakewel], 24 years of age, died at Auckland on Thursday morning trom Rough-on-Rats taken by herself. Deceased was a daughter of Dr Bakewell, and had been suffering from melancholy, attributed to the iact of her having studied hard to pass the teachers' examination and failed. The Wellington L:censing Committee refused twelve o'clock extensions to all applicants, and put back consideration of four licenses for a week, as the police reported that the hotels were a resort of persons of bad character. Another license was held over because the licensee did not reside on the premises, and still another because of the intemperate habits of the licensee. In the last "Gazette" are published the resignation of the Hon John Rigg, of Wellington, and the Hon John Edward Jenkinsoe, of Christchurch, members of the Legislative Council. They are also gazetted as again appointed members of the Council, This course has been adopted to provide against their possible disqualification on account of their having been, when first appointed, in receipt or Government pay wicnin the limit of the time prescribed. At the annual meeting of the Timaru Licensing Committee, the Rev W. Gillies, who became a member of the Committee since last meeting, and is a well-known member of the temperance party, was present in Court, but took no part in the proceedings. After a previous conference in private all the licenses were renewed. Rev Mr Gillies had handed to the Chairman a strong protest against granting all the licenses without the exercise of " discretion," but not being allowed to speak in public he expressed his dissent by sitting aloof. A full page supplement of interesting reading matter, comprising tales and entertaining tea table chit chat, accompanies this issue of the Guakdiak, which will doubtless be an acceptable Saturday night number. The supplement is backed with a full page advertisement from Mr W, H. Collier, " The Corner," and housewives will find in in matter quite as interesting fto them perhaps as the matter on the front of the sheet. The fashion plates in the advertisement have been prepared to Mr Collier's order and have oeen supplied to us by him. . -*-, The " Rangitikei Advocate" says that Mr James Thompson, who, with others, was engaged in putting a cutting through a sandhill opposite Mr Tencant's property on the Main Drain road, which leads from Campbelltown to the Oroua bridge, came upon eight human skulls and other boues of three adults and fire children. Along with the bones were found clay pipes, what appeared to be a painkiller bottle, a billhook, tricopheroua bottle, and an American coin. Mr Thompson at first concluded that the skeletons were those of Moaris, but finding along Jwith the remains the things referred to, he thinks that there must have been a white man's camp there at some time—a conclusion which seems to be borne out by the fact that quantities of ashes and other indications of a camp are present.

Te Whiti, who is an undischarged bank rupt, was cited to appear at the office of the Wellington Deputy Official Assignee yesterday morniug, but he did not show up for examination. It is said the proceedings against Te Whiti are to be taken up from where they were allowed to drop some time ago. In view of the possibility of an influx of teachers from Victoria, where large numbers have been retrenched, the Minister of Education has remodelled the form of reply to applications, pointing out that the number of I teachers trained in the colony yearly is increasing, and applkuts from a distance will have little chan ;t , however good their certificates may be. Mr C. H. Mills, M.ER. for WaimeaPicton, has instructed his solicitor to write to the proprietors of the " Post," demanding an apology or retractation of the paragraph of April 24, accusing him of improper motives in connection with the purchase of the Rai Valley Tramway, and if the apology is not satisfactory, to issue a writ for £1000 for libel. The application by Mrßees fora commission to take evidence in England in the Cadman-Rees libel case has been refused and the former order, permitting the talcing of evidence by commission, was varied so as to confine it to Wellington, and the trial fixed for the original date, June 16. Mr Kees expects it will last three weeks, unless shortened by admission of fact, in which case the number of witnesses may be considerably reduced. Rear-Admiral Bowden Smith made an official landing at Wellington yesterday afternoon at three o'clock. Several of the officials from Government House were at ■ ttfe breastwork to receive him, and the permanent artillery furnished a guard of honor. The Admiral, with his flag captain and flag lieutenant will stay at Government House while the Orlando is in port. So far as the vessel's movements have been decided UDon she will remain until Monday week, then she will leave for Auckland, taking her departure from the northern port on July 2 tor Tonga, Fiji, Noumea, Brisbane, Melbourne, and thence to Sydney. It is probable that the Orlando will be joined by H.M.S. Katoomba during her stay in Wellington. An an instance of the cast iron nature of the railway tariff, the following may be cited : Messrs G. L. Beath and Co., drapers, wished to convey a stock of drapery in cases from Christchurch to this town. It was found that the cost by rail would be 33s per ton by measurement, which in this case would have amounted to about £25. Mr Malcolm, the firm's manager, interviewed the railway authorities to ascertain if he could have the goods charged as per truck load, but this was refused, and as he could not obtain any reduction on the large line he gave the order t& Messrs J. M. Hey wood and Co., whose total charge amounted to £10, so that the firm effected a saving of about £15. The goods were packed iv two waggons and the journey occupied a day and a half.