LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1593, 25 June 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We are requested to call speoial attention to an important eale of Japanese art productions, manufactures, and curios, to be held at the auction rooms 4 of Messrs Friedlander Bros,, on the 7th pros. Thegoodß will be on exhibition for two days prior to the sale.

The " Canterbury Times " says that Mr Mas Friedlander, who recently purchased the American trotting stallion, BlaokwoodjAbdaU lab. at the sale of the late Mr Robert WiMn'B stock, has been offered 250 guineas for his purchase by a North Island owner. This is a rise of 90 guineas on the price at which Mr Friedlander bought him. Unfortunately, Mr Friedlander cannot accept the offer, as he has promised to retain the horse m the distriot, and on the strength of the promise so given, two of the trotting mares bought at the same sale have been left m the district for service by tho stallion, and some score or so of dams that would otherwise haveibeen sent else* where to meet sires, will be kept m the Ashbarton distriot. Under these ciroumstanoes, Mr Friedlander has been compelled to decline the offer made to him, and the stallion will remain, for this season at least, m Canterbury.

The illuminations for the Queen's Jubilee m Sydney are expected to cost the Government £3,500. •

By an overwhelming majority reoently, the N.B.W. Assembly resolved that provision should be made for the issue of free passes for children (ravelling by railway to school.

Seventy per cent of the inhabitants of the Pnnjaub use the left hand m preference to the right, as do many of the Hottentots and Bushmen of South Africa, but no purely left* handed race has ever been discovered,

In these hard times it is gratifying to heat the evidence of a Lawrence auctioneer m the Supreme Court, Dunedin, on Thursday* He stated that the farmers of the Lawrence difl. triot were m a very favorable condition, add denied that it was a fact that some of them were m a bad way.

Among the list of recipients of Jubilee honors is the name of Sir Charles Clifford, who was the first Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives and so gained th e honor of knighthood. He has now been raised to the baronetage. ."

On May 6th the following were the prices that were being realised for frozen and other mutton :— New Zealand mutton, per Elderslie. 3fd to 4fd for sheep, and 4d to 6d for lambs ; per Tainui, 4d to 4§d for sheep, and 4£ to 6d for lambs; per Buapehu, 3Jd to 4Jd for sheep, 4d to s£d for lambs, and 4df to 4£d for beef. English mutton, 4s to 4s 83 per stone of 81b3 ; Scotch, 4? 4d to 4s 101 j New Zealand^ 9cl to 3s ; Melbourne, 2a 7d to 2s 9d ; Rivo»TPlater23 Gd to 23 7d. —

It is very doubtful if the new French explosive,' melanite, whioh has been adopted m Franoe, is not likely to be more dangerous to themselves than to their enemies. The disastrous explosion of a charged shell, wbioh ooourred at Belfort, is said to have been oooasioned br ohemioal action being set up m. aide the Bhell, owing to the interior of the shell not having been thoroughly dried. The order has sinoo gone foith for the destruction of all shells oharged with melanite.

A Oaloutta paper says that on the Seeks Tea Estate, South Sjlhel, there is growing a banyan tree, the branches of which cover seven and a quarter acres.

. A blue book just issued Bhows that the total property of the life asauranoe companies of the United Kingdom amounts to the enormous sum ot £164,000,000, ox nearly double the entire national income.

A Roekhampton telegram states that the Rothschilds have offered £5,000,000 for the Mount Morgan mine. The- shares are now selling at £4 eaoh, at which figure a parcel of 250 changed hands.

The " Post" expresses surprise that no Jnbilee honors have been awarded to this colony. It says : — " It was expected and hoped that Major Atkinson, and possibly the Hon Mr Waterhouse, would be inoluded."

Id an electoral address m Dunedin a day Or two ago Mr Dooraio Stewart remarked that it often happened that people who had been for a long time m the publio service here on receiving pensions left the colony and spent their money m England ; and as a pension Was oontinued pay without service being required for it, he thought it would be perfectly fair to say that only half -pay should be granted to persons who are entitled to pensions if they lived out of the colony.

The firm which John Bright is or was Connected with has a branoh m Amerioa. The Mundellas have hosiery works m Saxony, where they obtain labor at one penny an hoar. Can it be wondered at that gentleman like the Jacobys, Brights, and Mundellas, who pose as friends of the working men, are Free* traders? Manifeatly, import duties would not suit them.

During the month of May 020 persons arrived m tho oolony and 1283 persons left it. The largest number of arirvala was from Victoria— 316. From the United Kingdom 229 persons arrived, and from New South Wales, 256. Of the departures, 813 were for the United Kingdom, 489 for New South Wales, and 354 for Victoria. Of the arrivals, 358 wore at Invercargill, 330 at Wellington, and 210 at Auckland. Of the departures, 449 were from Auckland, 308* from Wellington, 142 from Ly Melton, and 377 from Inveroargill.

Speoial services are announced for tomorrow at the Salvation Army barraoks under, the oonduotof Staff-offioer Fisher, of Christ* church.

The meeting of the HampsteadTcwn Board called for last evening lapsed for lack of a quorum, and stands adjourned till Thursday: evening next.

The Viotorian Government has deolined to release any prisoner m honor of Her Majesty's Jubilee. ;

The offertory at the speoial Masonio Jubilee Servioe held Jast Sunday at St Stephen's Church amounetd to *8 Is 4d, whioh is m the hands of the Rev E, A. Soott to be applied to the relief of worthy oases of distress m the district.

Messrs Friedlander Bros.' new Auction Mart, consisting of the (building foftnaly known as the Town Hall, with extensive additions thereto, and whioh nave already been desoribed m our columns, was formerly opened to-day with a lunoheon, to which (ally 150 guests sat down. The viands (whioh were, it is needless to say, abundant m quantity and excellent jn quality) were set oat on two long tables m the upper room of the Hall, and after these had been fully disposed of, His Worship the Mayor proposed the toast of " Success to the firm of Fried, lander Brothers m their new undertaking." ' In well chosen sentences Mr Scaly congratulated the district upon possessing men of suoh energy and enterprise, and upon the fact thereby, evidenced that, notwithstanding the general depression whioh had been experienced, there wer« yet those who had suchfirm confidence m the future of Ashburton. He hoped that their enterprise would be rewarded with success, and said that if was .•an advantage to the farmers of the distriofc to be afforded the further facilities now pro. vided for the disposal of produce by auction. The toast having been drunk with enthusiasm, Mr Hugo Friedlander responding for the firm, thanking the proposer and the company for the manner m whioh the toast had been proposed and received. The condu'ot of sales by auction was not a new branch of the business of the firm, but it was because, they felt that if this branch was to be carried on successfully it mußt be gone into thoroughly that they had fitted up and opened the' premises m which they were now assembled. They did not wish to monopolise the whole auction business of the district, but hoped to get their share of it, and he Could promise clients that their interest would be carefully studied. The health of the contractor, Mr W. L, Brown, waV proposed by Mr Steward m a few complimentary remarks, and was acknowledged by that gentleman, and those present then adjourned to the auction room for the business of the day.

The annual installation [of the W.M. and investiture of offiaera of St John's Lodge, No. 1858, E.G. took place at the Masonio Hall last evening. The ceremony waa ably performed by P.M. Bro. Braddell of the Somerset Lodge, and Bros. Crisp and Fooke. The following offioers were installed for the ensning year : Bro Charlea Hawson, W.M., Bro. B. Friedlander I P.M. ; Bro. H, M Jones, 8.W. ; Bro. A. Orr J.W. j Bto. 0* o*. Fooka, Treasurer ; Bro^ CP. H. Japhson, Secretary; Bro. John Oar tisS.D. ; Bro. W. J. Hayes J.D. ; Bro. H. A. Gates organist i Bro. T. M. Jones, 1.G. ; Bro. Oallen, Tyler. The musical portion of the ceremony was contributed by the Masonio choir, and a solo was rendered by Bro A. Harmon. After the Lodge was closed the brethren adjourned to the banquet hall 'where a Bumptuons repast had . been prepared by the wi-res pt \ the memborß. The usual Masonio toaßts were honored, interspersed by songs by Bros Kneen, Jephson, Dimant, Piokforcl, and Pattman.

A Company to work the opal mines of Queensland, with . a capital of £100,000, is announced m London. Half the capital will be raised immediately.

Samuel Raplee; who lives near Cincinnati, olaima to be .115 years old, and some of his neighbors, who have known him fbraeventy years, say there oan be no doubt about his being at least 108 years old. For years he has not failed to attend churoh every Sunday until a few weeks ago, when he became too feeble. He was born m Burlington, N.J., and was a soldier m tlje war of 1812.

If Mr Sputgoon has a grown-up daughter, the following story will apply. It was intended to tell it about General Booth, but there are enough stories told about the General already. Mr Spurgeon came down stairs one morning, when he met his daughter with a yellowcovered novel m her hand; "Good morning, daughter of Satan," e&id Mr Spurgeon with severity, as /he glanced at the book. " Good morning, jpapa," replied the young lady sweetly, as she brushed past. , •