LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1564, 21 May 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We have been requested to mention that the Queen's Birthday Volunteer parade will count as a " daylight inspection " for those corps having two-thirds of their strength present. Tuesday next being the anniversary oi Her Majesty's Birthday will be observed aß a postal holiday. Tho Post and Telegraph Office will, however, be open to the publio from 9 till 10 m the morning and from 7 till 8 m the evening. Mails will be received and despatched by the early morning trains only. The entertainment given by Mr Boss m the Oddfellows' Hall last evening was well attended, the house being comfortably fi'.lsd m all parts. A number of competitions tool; plaoe, prizes being awarded as follows:— Best baby, Mrs Brown; dancing, Mr Smith; singing, Mr Brown; recitation, Mr Minnie. In addition, several members of the Surprise Party assisted, the most noteworthy item being several oleverly-executed postures on the Roman Rings by Harry and Ted Roselle, the whole concluding with a screaming Ethiopian sketch, entitled "The Barber's Block." characters m whioh were ably sustained by Messrs Vinten, Sadler and Arthur Roselle. At the R.M. Court this morning, before Mr R. Aleorn, J.P., and [Mr D. Williamson, J.P., a first offender for drunkenness was disaliased with a caution.— A youth named Samuel Clisby was [fined 5s without oosts, w^th tbe alternative of 24 hours' imprison* ment, tot having been drunk m tbe Oddfellows' HaU on the previous evening*, fer having made' use of profane language he was ordered to be imprisoned for 14 days with hard labor; a similar sentence was imposed m regard to a oharge of resisting Constable Beddek while m the execution of his duty, both terms of imprisonment to run conourrently. "My mother drove the paralysis and neuralgia all out of her system with Amerioan Bopßittere/'-ED, "OgwegoSuo." Bog

V $dessrß Friedlander BroB: wish to call the attention of the publio to the alteration m , the time of their sales by auotion on Saturdays of farm produoe and furniture. They ' will always start at 12 o'olook, instead of 11 o'olook. The Wellington correspondent" of the " Star " says :— Since Otago became infested , with rabbits 1,346,554 aores have been , surrendered, and the loss of revenue up to : Maroh 31st last amounted to £32,803. Of the area stated the greater portion has been re-let at considerably reduced rentals. Only 20 runs, containing about 414,000 acres, are lying unoccupied at the present time, exclusive of the West Coast runs, whioh are unoooupied on acoount of elevation and inaccessibility, and not beoause of the rabbits. In Southland alone the loss to the Government through the runs being infested with rabbits has been not Uaa than £15,000 since 1883. The loss to the individual runholders and to the country generally has been enormous. An extraordinary ease of sleep-walking has opourred m Auckland. The " Star " reports that several evenings ago a young man who resides m Ring Terrace, off Hackett street, Ponsonby, retired to rest about 10 o'olook. Two hours later (midnight) he found himself iv Hobson street, and walking hurriedly m the direotion of his plaoe of business m town. He was fully dressed, and carried with him his lunch, whioh he takes with him to town every morning, and whioh he must have prepared while asleep. He had walked fully two miles while asleep, and though addioted to somnambulism, this -recent exploit astonished him. The faots are vouohed tor. Recently Captain Mandeville, Viotorian Inspector of Fisheries, to test the truth of the wonderful yarns told with regard to the immense quantities of sharks caught m Oorio Bay, Geelong, went out one day fully equipped and prepared to catoh some, but the result of the very first haul was almost miraculous. When the first net was hauled > m it was found to contain 3540 sharks, i Altogether, five boats which were out that > day captured 8310 sharks, 2050 soldiers, and 100 leather jackets. The counting, whioh [ was done by three men, oooupied three . hours. The sharks were only about a foot • long and quite young. One of the cleverest practical jokes, worthy . of Theodore Hook, was recently played upon a respeotable member of the cloth at Sand* * hurst. The minister received an intimation ' from his daughter that there was a couple m the ohuroh who were very anxious to get j " hitched up " at onoe. Hurrying from the : manse, which was next to the kirk, ho found 1 m the ohuttth an "iatereetiag pair," fully attired m " bridal array." There were two ' other persons with them, who were to aot as witnesses. The rev gentleman soon got over the regulation formula, and then asked the * bridegroom for the usual fee. Judge of his astonishment when he saw tbe bride divest herself of her wedding garments, and m the plaoe of a newly-married wife there stood before him his only son, who, of course, when : his father discovered tbe trick, made himself "mighty scarce." The bridegroom the i minister knew not, and of oourse he oould only ," give ;him a pieoe of his mind $ " but when the son returned to the family residence i his father, himself, and a strap retired to the > wood shed, and from that building there issued forth "lamentations of,woe" fornearly . a whole day. , Last year 558 men and 112 women were expelled from Austria. Among them were one \ nobleman, many pseudo-aristocrats, several schoolmasters, and a large number of merohants. We have been requested to state that the . New Zealand Association, whose headquarters > are at Auckland, will open an exhibition of | looal and oolonial industries m that oity on I the 21st of June next, the Queen's Jubilee. » The Committee will have over 3000 feet of . space available for exhibition purposes, exr elusive of corridors, passages, eto., and wil | make a aximum charge of 10s on eaoh 5 exhibitor, irrespective of space oooupied or r the number of exhibits. If small spaoe is | required the charge will be modified. The i Committee is anxious to seoure exhibits from [ all parts of the colony. Notice of entries ; should be Bent as soon as possible to the i Seoretary of the Association, Wyndham : street, Auokland. ' Lieut Zalinsky's dynamite gun and sub- ; marine torpedo boat will be 230 feet m length, i 26 feet m breadth, and of 7£ feet m depth. i It is building m Philadelphia, and will be ! completed m five months. A speed of twenty I knots au hour is guaranteed. Lieut Zaliusky '■ is making experiments.that indicate that iron ' cooled while a strong ourrent of electricity is • paßßing through it is increased fully one-half m tensile strength and durability.