Special Rate. —ln another column a notification will be found declaring the County Council’s intention to levy a special rate in the Forks district, for pay ment of the protective woi'ks latety erected there. Promotion. —We hear that Mr. S. G. Maddison, master of the Old Men’s Home, Ashburton, is to be removed at the end of the present month to the Orphan Asylumn at Burnham. Short op Trucks Already. —Although the grain season can as yet hardly be said to have commenced there is already a scarcity of trucks. Yesterday evening there was not a single waggon at the Ashburton station, and a dozen loaded drays were in attendance to discharge their freight, which had to be taken into store. At Chertsey 28 loaded drays were at_ the station at an early hour in the morning, but not a truck was to be had, and the goods shed is piled to the rafters and the grain is being stacked outside. What the upshot will be in a month, when carting is in full swing, is more than we can undertake to say, probably a scarcity of tarpaulins. Flower Show. —The Horticultural Show take 3 place in the Town Hall to morrow. Although most of our floricul turists have not had time to get up any very extensive gardens here yet, we un derstand the show will not be a despicable one by any means. The Timaru Boxing Day Riots. —Six of the Timaru rioters were convicted be fore Judge Ward this week at Timaru, but sentence was deferred by the Judge in response to an application by Mr. Stout, counsel for the prisoners, who contended that the Judge had admitted evidence irrelevant to the case, and calculated to prejudice the case against the prisoner's, inasmuch as his Honor had asked whether at any previous time religious processions had marched through Timaru, and had been replied to by a witness that Father Hennebery’s procession had marched with green colors, and had been unmolested. There were other points on which Mr. Stout founded his application, which was for a new trial, and the Judge decided to submit them to the Supreme Court, mean while to admit the prisoners to bail in L2OO each, with two sureties for each pri soner of LIOO each.
