LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1529, 11 April 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

St. Stephen's Anglican Church was, as ifl customary, decorated on Easter Sunday ; the lectern, choir stalls, and the columns of the nave being wreathed with evergreens, interspersed with chrysanthemums, dahlias, sunflowers, and other bright blossoms, and crosses of soarlet berri. aon a background of dark green foliage were disposed on either side of the chancel aroh and m front of the ; reading desk with good effoot. Aroud the i opening of the arch, which was surmounted ' [with a very tasteful cross of the blossoms of . lilium, lancieolium, were the words ! " Thou art the King of Glory, 0 Christ " m soarlet letters edged with white. There were large congregations and the serTioes were eonduoted by the incumbent the Rev. E. A. Soott. To-day has been observed as a close holiday m town, and the streets wore a deserted appearance. A large number of people went to Christohuroh by the early train, some made their way to Chertsey to attend the sports there, while others, whose tastes were that way inolined, left for Longbeaoh where ( a coursing gathering was held. The bazaar at linwald also attracted its quota. The quarterly meeting of the Mount Somers Sohool Committee waa held on April 6th. Present: Messrs D. Maofarlane (chairman), J. Hood, and R. Jones. The Master's reports for January, February, and March were reoeived. — The Chairman asked the com* mittee to confirm his aotion m leasing the small paddook to Mr T. Hix. He also in* formed the Committee that all salaries were paid.— lt waß resolved " That holidays be given from Friday, April Bth, to Monday, April 18th. . That outstanding accounts be paid* That requisites required by the Master be obtained." The Chairman waß empowered to make application to the Board for a pupil teaoher.— The Chairman stated that he had visited the sohool on various occasions while work was m progress, and he had been glad to notice that the work was going on smoothly, and that 'the attendance waß good. The " giant baby " which has been exhibited for some months past at Home died m January laßt m the oity of Gloucester from an attaok of bronohites. This prodigious infant (fifteen months old) weighed no less than 98lbs. Herr Erupp has intered into an agreement with the Japanese Government to erect a branch establishment m tbat country which will furnish all the large ordnance whioh Japan may require. The Canterbury Coursing Club's first meeting of the seaßon was held on Friday and < Saturday. The All Aged Stakes of 20 subs at £3 3s, resulted m a division between A. McCaußland's Nassau, D. M. Ross's Mararoa, KDd D. O'Brien's O'Sullivan. The Puppy Stakes of 20 at two guineas was divided between H. Wharton's Jugurtha, Glen 2nd, and J. R. Sewell's Sea Hook. On Saturday evening last Mr Ivess addressed a meeting ofjthe Wakanui electors at t_e Sohoolbouse, Kyle. Mr H. Parsons waa fjted to tbe chair, and m introducing Mr Ive3B, said that he had always opposed that gentleman at previous eleotions, but he was now prepared to admit that he had proved himself a better member than he expected, and he was determined to support him against all oomers at the next election. Mr Ivess then delivered his address, at the olose of whioh, is reply to questions, he said that he would endeavour to Beoure an amendment m tha , Looal Bodieß Loans Act to enable money to be borrowed from the Government for irrigation purposes. He would do his boat to obtain payment of all claims under the Forest Trees Plantation Act. The Government laßt session introduced a clause m the Powers and Contraots [Bill to enable a num. ber of claimß to be met with money m accordance with a provision m the Forest Aot, 1885, but the clause was rejected m the Oounoil. He would support the abolition of the Upper House. He did not think that the Hare syßtem could be advantageously adopted m New Zealand. There being no further questions, Mr R Mulligan moved " That a vote of thanks be tendered to Mr Ivess foi. his interesting address, and that this meeting desires to express its renewed confidence m him as member for Wakanui." This wa seconded Jby Mr Lambie and carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to the Chairman dosed the meeting. A valuable library has just been disposed of by «« art union," that is to Bay by lottery, m Oamaru, and the "Mail" notes as a curious series of coinoidents that a book intituled " Modern Judea " was drawn by the Hon Mr Shrimeki, the "History of Freethought " by Sir Robert Stout, and a volume intituled " Where are the dead ? " Mr Sidon, a local undertaker. As showing the rapid strides which have been made m eleotrio lighting, the " Electrical World " says that m 1885 there had been established 96,000 aro lights under the Brush system and 181,403 under the Edison or iocandescentjjsystem. The grand total of capital invested m the eleotrioal business and its related industries is given as 150,750,000 dollara, or say, roundly, £50,000,000. An Auokland paper Bays tbat Mr Maurioe Kelly, of the Wade, is exceedingly ill. He is 101 years of age. Tho fastest vessel m the world is the Frenoh torpedo boat Ouragan. She has made about twenty nine miles an honr. America is a big customer for tho wool m England, Scotland, and Ireland, taking m 1386 rather more than half of the total dip — twenty-one millions of pounds; Some idea of the immensity of the glass trade and manufaoture m the United States may had from the faot that a Bingle order just delivered by a Pittsburg faotory to a Now York house inoluded 5,000 barrels ef glass tumblers a'l of the same pattern, each barrel containing twenty dozen, making m all 1,200,000 tumblers. The artifical honey now mado m New York is so olose to the genuine that only the experts can detect the difference. It is m racks, the same as the natural product, aod now and then tbe wings and legs of a few dead bees are to be found to further the deoeption. It can be sold at a profit for ten cents per pound, and the honey bee may go. A floating dock, capable of accommodating the biggest war Bhip, and of propelling itself from port to port where its services may be required, is to -be constructed as an experiment for the British Government. It is to , cost £100,000. For a day of ten hours, a woman m Germany working m tho fields gets Gd to Is 3d, a man lOd to 2s. Seamstresses get 10 J to 2s, machinists and carpenters 2s Gd to 'Is, and masons 4s. As a feat of engineering tho tunnels of the St. Gothard and Mount Cenis have been surpassed by a tunnel near Sohe_a_it_, m Hungary. It is 10J miles long, about 10 feet high, and 5 broad. It has taken nearly a century to oomplete, and coat #5,000,000 and its purpose ia to oarry off the water from the mines. The work haa suffered long intervals of stoppage, onco for 30 and again for 20 years, and is estimated to effeot an annual wvie 8 °t ..50,000-