LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1609, 14 July 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An important notice to the electors 61 Ashburton by Mr Walker, M.H.R., appears among to-day's advertisements. A public meeting is advertised to be held in the Oddfellow's Hall on Monday next, at 8 p.m , to discuss the expediency of forming a Political Beform Association for Ashburton. His Worship the Mayor has oonsented to preside. The R.M.S. Eaikoura with the incoming ' San Francisco mail arrived at Hobart on Wednesday, and left at 4 p.m. for Wellington. She has 73 passengers for New Zealand ports. The winner of the Gilchrist Scholarship this year, as mentioned in the cables, is Mr Charles George Spencer, son of Dr Spencer, of Napier. Mr Spencer was educated partly at Napier and partly at Christ's College, Ohristchurch. The scholarship is worth £100 a year for three years. At the meeting of the Bonevoient Trustees j in Dunedin, on Thursday,|the question cropped up whether paupers can vote. It was stated that the inmates of the Institution have had their names put on the roll for Gaversbam, and to settle the matter it was decided to take the opinion of a solicitor. One Trustee said a similar question was being raised with regard to the Lunatic Asylum, the names of some of the inmates being on tbe roll, it being contended that these were entitled to vote. Tbe firm of whioh the late Lord Hindlip was head is indebted to the late Peer's untiring energy and enterprise for building up the present mammoth concern, which is identified with the name of Allsopp all over the world. The brewery has been established 150 years, but the|trade was so limited about 40 yeai* l ago that the barrels of beer were carried away on hand trucks, whereas ' now it is found necessary to have nine miles of railway within and about tho brewery, and six looomotives to expedite the traffic At a recent meeting of the Paris Academy of Soiences M; Fremy read a paper describing the successful researches made by him. with M. Verneuil's assistance, for obtaining artificial rubies. Some years ago he discovered a method of produoing rubies, but all the specimens obtained were pasty, and wore away in scales. Hejadopted another process, and by letting alumina dissolve in fluoride of caloium bs obtained crystals of alumina— that is to say, perfect rnbies defying the closest scrutiny, and even higher in value than natural stones. They can be made of large Bize. Some time ago a teaoher in charge of a sobool in West Georgia County was ap. proaohedbya pupil and requested to explain the meaning of "49 8.C." The teacher read the sentence in whioh the hieroglyphics occurred, and observed that it referred to an incident that had taken place in a remote period. "Ahem I "he said, " them figures an' them letters is frsquently found in history books. You see a long time ago folks didn't know as muoh as we do, an' they sorter guessed at dates. Now, 49 B.C. means 49 'bout correct." i The Salvation Army had in training last year 939 cadets in England alone, and 473 in training at the present time ; 600 village corps, having 5000 soldiers ; 50 reacue.o-_.oen. ; 11 homes, having accommodation for 240 girls; 1085 people have passed through these homes, 618 proving satisfactory. Meals for officers and girls cost l_d each, There are 25 different " War Crys " in eight different languages, with a total circulation ("Little Soldiers," <fec, inoluded) of 29,480,000 per annum. During twelve months 203 officers had gone abroad. There were 300 corps and 656 officers in America. The total number of corps in 1886 were 1558, while in 1887 there were 2088, being an inorease of 530 corps. The increase of officers has been 1423. The damage to the South Waimakariri protective works by the flood is rather over £450. A novel and important industry has of late Bprung up in Chicago, whence it is spreading to other parts of the United States, and is now being introduced into England. This is the manufacture of paper bottles. These bottles are unbreakable, and of various shapes and sizes, They are produced very muoh more oheaply than the ordinary bottles j made of glass, stoneware, or tin. j There are in Amerioa 1000 Young Men's Christian Associations ; in Germany there are 650; in Great Britain, 570 ; in Holland, about 500 ; in France, 80; in. Russia, 8; in Australia, 14 ; in Africa, 12 ; in India 6 ; in Japan, 3; in China, 2. There are ninety association buildings in the United States and Canada, the net value of whioh is a little over £|,OOO.QOO. About five hundred men are salaried Association Officers. An incident of a sensational character took place on tbe evening of Sunday, May 8, at one of the churohes in Cheltenham, The Rev Mr Hawkins, who was doing duty for the vicar at St. Phillip's Church, was seized with illness shortly after the commencement Q. the service, and called for a glass of water, in the hope that it would revive him, and during the chanting of the Psalms he became so faiut that he had almost to be carried into the vestry, where he was attended by bis brother, a dootor, who was a member of the congregation. The scene whioh followed, however, produced great exoitement, for while the curate was proceeding with the service seven young ladies were overcome with faintness and bad to be assisted out of the church.