Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

ALEXANDRA. Monday.
At the police court the following persons were
fined for not destroying rabbits on their respec
tive lands in the shire of Alexandra : — J.
Rowan, J. Dawson, J. Hewlett, J. Goodear,
£2 each ; Thos. Noonan, John Killeen,
£3 each; Thos. Killeen, £4. Costs ranging
from £1 16s. to £2 11s. were awarded. The
police magistrate remarked at the conclusion of
the cases that should any of the defendants be
again brought before the court for a similar
offence they would be liable to a penalty of not
less than £10.
BACCHUS MARSH, Monday.
Mr. Neil Burt, a farmer resident here for
nearly 40 years, died last night, after a short
illness, from colic. He was aged 67 years, and
was a native of Fifeshire, Scotland. In his
early days he had followed a seafaring life.
BALLARAT, Monday.
The receipts from passenger traffic at the
Ballarat railway station during the Christmas
holidays (Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
totalled £1100, or £100 more than the takings
for the corresponding days of last year.
BEAUFORT, Monday.
On Boxing day a fancy fair was held here in
aid of the mechanics' institute. Between £50
and £60 will be netted.
CASTLEMAINE, Monday.
The Rev. Father Allen, O.S.A., who was
parish priest for the Castlemaine district from
1870 to 1888, paid a visit to his old parishoners
to-day, and was welcomed by many old friends
of his own and other denominations.
CRESWICK, Monday.
Great regret was expressed when the news
spread this evening that the only daughter of
Mr. S. Fiddian, M.A., principal of the local
grammar school, had been drowned while spend
ing her holidays with her parents at Ocean
grove.
ECHUCA, Monday.
A well-known local identity, named Bella
Ah Kew, was this morning sentenced to three
months' imprisonment for inflicting a wound on
Patrick James Higgins with a tomahawk. She
struck him on the back of the head during a
quarrel.
GEELONG, Monday.
At the police court to-day a man named
John Detty was fined £10, with the alterna
tive of three months' imprisonment, for the
careless use of fire near the railway line at
South Geelong.
LOCH, Monday.
A lad, 15 years of age, named John
Bladen, received injuries on Thursday evening
in Loch through his horse falling with him, and
he died on Friday night.
NAVARRE, Monday.
The average yield per acre of oats in this dis
trict will be about 5 bags. Little wheat was
sown, and what was put in will not average
more than 2 bags per acre.
PYRAMID HILL, Monday.
Though the grain yields are fair, many
failures are reported, particularly among
farmers who last season had to take advantage
of the Government scheme to provide seed.
Not 20 per cent. of them will be able to refund
this season. One reason assigned is that the
seed was supplied too late, the successful crops
being the early sown ones.
The Tragowel trust's first account from the
Water Supply department for supplies from
the Loddon amounts to £3227 ; the period
covered is between 1st October 1895, and 30th
June, 1896.
ST. ARNAUD, Monday.
The Lord Nelson dams are failing fast, and
two-thirds of the miners have been discharged
for want of water. The borough supply is low,
and is available only at certain hours of the
day. Besides, the local water has been con
demned by the health officer, and by leading
medicos here as a menace to the public
health.
STRATFORD, Monday.
Harvesting of oats, hay and wheat is nearly
finished, and in some cases the wheat crops are
thrashed with good results. Up to 40 bushels
to the acre is recorded, and it is estimated that
the wheat crops throughout these districts will
average 30 bushels to the acre. The oats will
not yield more than 15 or 20 bushels owing to
the caterpillars having destroyed over 50 per
cent. of the crops. The hay crops in oats are
very heavy, being from 4 foot 6 inches to 7 feet
high. There will be a large surplus of oaten
hay this year for exportation from these dis
tricts.
WERRIBEE, Monday.
A fire occurred at about 3 this morning
at the farm of Samuel Cobbledick, about seven
miles from Werribee, which is supposed to be
the work of an incendiary. An outhouse, con
taining about £100 worth of property, was
totally destroyed.
A young man namod Dan Stewart, of Wer
ribee, was severely injured through being
thrown from a horse on Saturday at sports held
here. He was riding in the hack race, when
the horse stumbled and threw him, rendering
him unconscious.
$