LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1714, 18 November 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr H. G. Wright has been elected to th« vaoait seat on the Board of Eduoation.

Tie acceptances for the first day's races of the ishburton Spring Meeting dose this evenng at nine o'clock,

Th) Beoond representation of the " Trial of John Barleycorn " will take place at the Oddfellows' Hall on Tuesday evening next.

Tie fortnightly meeting of the Helpmate Diviiion, Sons and Daughters of Temperance Benifit Society, was held at the Division's Boobs last evening, and notwithstanding the wet weather there was a fair attendance; During the evening a lengthy conver. sation ensued arising out of a suggestion to hold a temperance demonstration and garden party some time m January. It was thought that the other temperance* bodies' m the town and neighbourhood would unite for this purpose, and subsequently a Committee was appointed to confer with them, and report at next meeting. Other matters of interest to the order received attention, and one aspect of tho drink question, whioh came under review, is also to be further considred at the next meeting.

At a meeting held at Christohuroh on Thursday night it was decided to establish a labor union here. Mr W. H. Honking was elected president. A resolution was passed urging Government to provide work other than that at Kaikoura for the unemployed. At the Wesleyan District Meeting at Christchuroh on Thursday it was reported that there were m Canterbury 80 Wealeyan Churches and preaching places, 2205 mem. bere, and] 12,700 attendants on public worship. The meeting resolved to request the Conference to petition Parliament to declare the totalisator illegal. ' A man m Utah who has only one wife is talked of as " comparatively speaking, a baohelor." i The " Queenslander " reports that the ■ shearing at Messrs Wallace and Casey's Nor. manby atation is this year being done by Mr Wolseley'a machines. There are six m nse ; they are working smoothly, and, though somewhat Blow, are doing beautiful work. With miorobes m the drinking water, tyrotozicon m ice cream, malaria m water* melons, Bright's disease m beer, and paralysis m tea, wherewithal (asks the agonised editor of the "Bangitikei Advooato), may the thirsty soul refresh himself m summer time ? Melinite must not be allowed to oome into contact with any fat, oil, or fatty material, else there is a danger of explosion. This order is consequent upon the experiments made at Belforfc as to the oause of the recent terrific oxplosinn. " Helen's Babies " is still a mine of wealth to its American publisher. The 200 th edition is just being printed.

The St. Louis " Globe Democrat " of Oct. Bth, speaking of the depressed condition of the wool market m the United States, cays it so mystified the factories m that city that a secret investigation was recently on foot and diaolosed one of the biggest rings among the Eastern manufacturers and New York and Boston Custom House officials ever organised m Amerioa. It has been found out that the New York and Boston Customs official have been tystematioally undervaluing imported wool, and havo loaded the market with it. Tha Bostonians deny the St. Louis impeaobmont.

According to " Jeweller and Metalworker " a ourioußly considerate invention has just been produoed by a Frenohman. m the shape of a noiseless clook, for usa more especially m siok rooms. In plaoe of the usual pendulum the hands are set m motion by the unrolling of a chain, the end of which is fastened to a buoy floating m a tank of liquid. This fluid escapes at a uniform rate, and can be utilised to feed a lamp wiok, thus giving the apparatus the double charaoter of a olook and lamp. When the lamp is lighted the necessary diminution of liquid takes plaoe by combustion, at other times by a carefully-regulated dropping. The idea is a good one, and will tommend itself to all who are blessed with " nerves " for use m other than sick rooms, for whioh the clook was primarily designed.

The "Tuapeka Times" Btates that on a largo property not many miles from Tuapeka the weekly consumption of mutton was m one month, not very long ago, aßmuoh as 193 fullgrown sheep, or something like 401 b per week per man. The average for the whole year round on the Bame station has been 133 sheep weekly for some time back. Lately, however, the proprietor went into figures on the subject, and very naturally came to the conoluaion that 401 bof mutton was a big weekly allowance for one man, and accordingly suggested that the allowance should be reduced to 201 b & week, or at the rate of lib a meal for three meals a day. The protest of the men almost amounted to a strike, and the ory of starvation was raised^all over the place ; and the outcome of the irjjuotiae is that a number of the men have taken to " tuoker " themselves. Strange to say, the very men who talked of starvation on 201 bof mutton a week are now thriving on rabbit flesh, and keeping themBolves comfortable at a cost of aboaJ 4s 6d per week.