LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 3013, 30 June 1893, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

I ♦ _ The South Australian railways are to be extended to tactile Queensland trade. An artesian water supply has been struck atFernlee, Queensland, yielding 4,000,000 gallons a day. I Twenty schools in the Auckland Education District are at present closed on account of the measles epidemic. The Hawke's Bay district still manage^ to keep a well filled gaol. There are 41 in that nstitution at present. The cost of printing the New South Wales Parliamentary debates last year, at the Government Printing Office, was £5322 10s 9d. The Customs revenue of Melbourne for the last month is the lowest yet collected, the amount being only £130,000, just enough to pay the civil service salaries. The child of Mr Fayman, Willowby, who was severely burned on Tuesday died al out ten o'clock last night from the effects oi the sad accident. His parents' are utterly prostrated by their loss. While a young man named Mcßae on horseback was endeavouring to escape from some snowballers at Masterton on Saturday, June 10, he was thrown trom his horse. He was dragged some . distance, but escaped with a broken leg* A stone gatherer and rut filling machine patented by Mr G. Anderson, of Rangiora, which has been ordered by the Coldstream Road Board has been brought to Ashburton, and may be seen to-morrow in the Arcade.. It will be shown at work at the Hinds (Sale yards on Monday next: The country districts of Otago are just now infested with men out of work. They are^ to be met in shoals in every direction going they know not where, as the pro3pect of obtaining employment is just as likely, or rather as hopeless and dismal, in one direction as another. The citizens' committee appointed in Adelaide to grapple with the unemployed difficulty has opened a subscription list. One gentleman has given five acrea of land, valued-at £50, accompanied by a cheque for £20. It is suggested that those in employment should contribute Is a week f™ two orthree months. A special meeting of the Elgin School Committee was held on Thursday evening. Present — Messrs . Hoatten (chairman), Letham, Kennedy, Cavill, Protheroe, and Clemens. The Concert Committee reported having been promised the services of fully twenty performers from Ashburton and Wakanui. It was agreed to hold a dance after the concert, and some minor business having been discussed, the usual monthly meeting was held. The Master reported the average attendance to be 48-5. A letter was read from Mr Broad, asking for the use of the school for a -concert—granted. It was resolved to procure*:a new cylinder for the pump. Accounts amounting to €21 12s 9d were passed for payment and the meeting adjourned. A correspondent in the Catlins distric writes to the " Otoga Daily Times" that the village settlement of Huipapa was partly under water on the night of Sunday, June 11. The water in the river was seen to be rising, and as the settlement is built on low-lying ground, the settlers decided to take refuge in the new schoolhouse, where Miss Wilson treated all most kindly. At midnight there was over eighteen inches of water on the roadline. The water then slowly receded. The flood was caused by the melting of snow on the high ground at the source of the Catlin. !Nofcmuoh damae;o wan-dune." One enterprising settler—hod—builfrn pigsty c with an attic to it. He and his wife failed to cross the river before the floating timber was brought down by the flood water and made it dangerous to attempt it, so the poor woman had to take refuge for the whole night in the upper story of this novel pigstye. Victorians, says an exchange, have long been celebrated for their smart tricks in trade, but if our informant is to be fully trusted, they have displayed in respect to the butter industry a form of enterprise which eclipses all previous efforts in this direction. It is well known that tor several years past the Government of Victoria have been giving to exporters of butter produced in that colony a bonus out of the public purse. By this means the export of butter has been largely extended. Latterly, it seems that butter has been finding its way from New Zealand to Melbourne, and, according to our informant, on the arrival of a quantity recently it was noticed that the brand upon the New Zealand kegs was at once planed off and a Victorian brand substituted. For what purpose was this butter from New Zealand intended? If for use in Victoria, a wrong was done to the Jsew Zealand manufacturer; and if intended aa ultimate export to London as Victorian butter a double wrong was done—the New Zealand maker was injured, and the Victorian Government would fee made to pay for the export of that which was* not Victorian produce. Truly we live in a peculiar world.