LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1519, 29 March 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual ram and ewe fair, under the auspices of the County Stock and Saleyards Company, will be held at the Tinwald Yards on Thursday next.

The usual monthly meeting of the Upper ABhburton Road Board was held at Tinwald yesterday, when Messrs McLean (chairman), Harper, Sargeant, and Stitt were present. There waa no correspondence. The Surveyor's report was read and considered. Resolved that a rate ot $d m the pound be struok and levied on the Forks River Pistriot. The Olerk reported on the maintenance, stating that when the work m hand was finished the oontraotor's time would expire. It was resolved to let the maintenance question stand over for a month, and that meanwhile the Olerk prepare specification of works and submit the ' same at next meeting. It was deoided to fenoc off road at Dromore at once, tenders to be called for by Saturday next. The Olerk was dircoted to put m fords on all Maronan road creeks. The Clerk was direoted to find out upon what looting the Borough Counoil was allowed to use the road for a water race ohannel ; and it was resolved to allow no Bilt to be deposited on the road side. It wa deoided to pay outstanding small birds' egg and head acoount. The Olerk was direoted to write to the County Counoil calling attention to the very defective ford crossing Race Course road. It was deoided to begin to sue for all rates unpaid. The pay sheet was passed, and the Board adjourned to April 25.

A vooal and instrumental concert, m aid of the prize fund of the Flemington school, is announoed to be given on the evening of Friday next, commencing at a quarter to eight O'clock.

The largest steam hammer m the woild has _ recently been made at Pittsburg. It is used for forging ateelplates of enormous thickness and Bizo, ia ten feet square, and strikes a blow of 200 tons. The anvil blook upon whioh its fearful impact decends ia a solid cube of twelve feet, and weighs 180 tons. It was cast upon the foundation it now rests on, and it took the moltan contents of six cupolas to make the block. When it waa oast the Pittsburg Fire Department Bent aix steam engines to the soene and kept them there for a week, or until all danger that the fearful mass of molten iron might burst its bonds or by its exploding gaasos tire the neighbourhood had ended. It took- nearly aix months for the anvil to cool bo that the Band mould might be dug away, and even then workmen could not touoh it with their hands.

It will be ob«erved that tenders (closing on Friday, April 1) are inyited bj the County Counoil for the supply of 9000 black biroh sleepers for the Mount Somers Tramway. For the information of intending tenderers it may be well to say that eplft sleepers are required, and that the lungthig 4ft 6in. Some doubt has been expressed as to the possibility of getting the quantity wanted' out of Alford Forest, but we are informed, on inquiry, that there is plenty of blaok biroh thera to "fill the bill" if the local bush.fallera will only bestir themselves. If they do not, m all probability the order for tho timber will be scoured by more, energotio people about Oxford, or aome other locality beyond our own distriot.

A cable speoial from London aays : After the marriage of Mareohalo Catherine, General Booth's daughter, to Colonel Olibborn at the Saltation Army Barracks on Tuesday was over, the young woman, who is tall and exciteable, as well as a rather oomely creature, sang a Bong of which one line waß not very encouraging to the newly married husband. The lino was " We'll Fight and Never Tire," and to illustrate her meaning m worldly faßhion, she squared off at her husband m true pugilistic Bhape, dodging her head, and shifting her ground, while with much spirit she battered him about considerably. The immense crowd acreamed and shouted. It was too much for the irasoible nature of General Booth. He dragged out his vonerable spouse and they sparred right merrily at eaoh othor. When that tired them the oouplea began a frenzied breakdown, hanging on to eaoh other's waist.

The gift of the French people to the Amerioan people is likely to prove a " white elep. hant," if not worse. New Yorkere were startled reoently by a report made by Major D. P. Heap, engineer, Secretary of the Lighthouse Board, on the Bartholdi statue. In tn opinion of Major Heap, the future of the goddess Is very dark, and he expresses the gravest fears concerning her immortality. He especially dwells upon the structural weaknesßof the toroh.arm, which he considers altogether unsafo, and prophesies a catastrophe if measures are not taken to prevent visitors ascending it. The reason he gives m support of this view is that, standing on the platform around the toroh with a friend, the latter shook the arm so violently that he thought both of them would bo thrown to the ground. Another charge Brought against the Statue of Liberty by Major Heap was that the plates of which it is composed bad already suffered from corrosion, and that before long it would be necessary to patoh it up with new sheet?.

Another attempt is being made from Auckland to test the cheese market at Bio de Janeiro. By the Euapehu some eighty oases of cheese were shipped, and should the present shipment prove remunerative, further and larger parcels will bo sent. A trial Bhipment of oanned mullet has also bean Bent to the same port. To London another trial shipment of apples has been made iv the shape of twenty-two oases.

A thousand years ago nearly all the working men of England wero slaves. There was a regular Blave market at Bristol for hundreds of years. The slaves were sometimes sold *nto foreign parts, but m general they wero kept on the land on which they were born.

The Board of Canterbury College Governors have decided to reduoe the subscription to the Public Library to 10a per annum, and to abolish the rule requiring new subscribers to be recommended by two persons. One member, Mr Spaokman, Btated that the number of subscribers last year was only 232, nearly 700 less than m 1880. A sub-corn-mitteo of the Board of Governors recommended the est nt of a ohair of technioal science, and the adoption of a Bohemo for a three yeara' course of technical Btudy during which studentß are to practice m workshops. A apooial meeting of the Board will be held next week to oonßider tho snbjeot.

Hop Bitters does not exhaust and destroy, but restores, cures, and makes new. Get the genuine Amerioan Co.'s. Look up.

Holloway'h Pills and Ointment. — Soldiers and Sailors.— Theße well-known and easily used remedies are especially serviceable and convenient for those who, like soldiers and sailors, are exposed to great changes of climate, and the harJshipß inseparable from their oaHing. Many of the diseases engen. dered m the system from theao and other untoward causes can be checked and controlled by attention at thoir onset, and m Holloway's remedies will be found a roady means of re* lief, without hindrance from duty. Many a mania invalided and rendered more or less a burden to himself and friends from negleoting the early symptoms of his oomplaint, which calamity might be averted by timely resort to Mac o the Holloway'e fills and Ointment,