LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1734, 7 January 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

ggMr W. N. Blair, OE,, is contributing a series of desoriptive articles on the " Gold Lakes of New Zealand" to the "AngloNew Zealander."

A fire started m the Alford Forest Bush on Sunday last, caused, it is supposed, by a spark from a traotion engine. Owing to the close approaoh of the flames it was found necessary to remove the furniture out of the houses of Beveral of the settlers. Great damage will be caused by the fire, Messrs Cooper and Rowe being heavy losers.

Mr R D. Borne, of the Invercargill Cyoling Club, who has undertaken the rather ambitious feat of piloting his machine from the Cathedral City to the first-named town, passed through ABhbuxton to«day en route. He left Christohuroh at 1 p.m. yesterday, and made Rakaia at 6 p.m. Resting there for the night ho again took the road at 8.30 this morning, arriving at Ashburton at 11. He eft here at 1 p.m. and expects to reaoh Timaru to-night. He finds the roads heavy bo far, owing to patohes of loose shingle and water-raoe crossings. The distance, 369 miles, will be the longest continuous lun ever taken by a New Zealand wheelman.

The Taranaki Maoris prediot an unusually wet summer, there being something remarkable about the flowering of the flax plant this season.

It is reported that a valuable gold discovery has been made at Eamerunga, 10 miles from Cairns, Queensland. A man, who was Binkng a well, reports that when he bad gone 26ft he got lOdwts to. the, dish.

It is barely 20 years sinoe the most profitable days of English farming. In 1867 m the best wheat-growing districts of the eastern counties, land was m such demand that it was difficult for would-be tenants to obtain farms. In that year a land agent m Ipswioh received no fewer than 120 applications m three days for one farm ; next year it may be out of cultivation.

The river Tay has at length yielded up its greatest salmon. It is a fish whioh has bsen seen more than onoe, and was netted two years ago, only, however, to escape. Those who then caught it thought it would weigh 80 -b, but its ascertained weight is 61b more. It is probably the heaviest fish of the salmon kind ever caught m the United Kingdom.

Here is an advertisement that is appearing m the Utah papers :— ' Wanted information of John Edmund Kettle, aged 26, formerly of London, England, latterly of Salt Lake City, by the undersigned, Marietta Kettle, Rosa V. Kettle, Lillian O. Kettle, Katherine X Kettle, Mattie S. Kettle, Susan T. Kettle, Fannie B. Kettle, Constance O. Kettle, Margaret A. Kettle, and Julia A. Kettle, all of Salt Lake City.' Apparently these Kettles are all boiling ; at anyrate, it will be pretty hot for John Edmund if he is caught.

The King of the Belgians has lately invested £1,100,000 m the purohase of estates m Hungary and Austria. They are nominally to beoome the property of his sons-in-law, the Crown Prince of Austria and Prince Phillip of Saxe Ooburg Gotha, but it is generally believed that this step has been taken m view of possible mishaps. The late Kiog invested largely both m England and Ameria, and his son has followed m his steps, and has oonsidarably increased the stores accumulated by his provident sire.

The Hon Robert Campbell sends to the " Otago Daily Times " a copy of a Letter which he has written to the Premier, urging the need of extending the Hakateramea Jine of railway to a furthor distaoce 6f 20 miles on the land grant Bystem, nnder Bimilar conditions to that proposed for the Otago Central. He says that he " feels sure this (the Hakateramea) railway is as necessary and would be as profitable to the colony as any yet thought of," and hints that if similar eowaeasi^ns ba granted there may be found public-spirited pitisenß m the distriot willing to entjer into a ooritraqt.

The best medicine ia Sander, and Sons' Eucalypti Extract. Test its eminent powerful effects m coughs, colds, influenza, etc— the relief is instantaneous. Thousands oiye the moat gratifying testimony. His .1 Majesty the King of Italy and medical syndicates all over the globe are its patrons. Read the official reports that nocompany oaoh bottle. We have no occasion to offer rewards m proof of the genuineness of our references. The official reports of medioal clinics Ind universities, the offioioial communication of the Consul-General for Italy at Melbourne • the diploma awarded International Exhibition Amsterdam— all these are authentic documents, and, as such, not open to doubt We add here epitome of one of the various oases ireajtod at the chnio of Sohultz, M.D Pro. fesaor: e\e.~-ff U. 8., 24 years old ; congestional a-b«toiß on'th* thigh. Incisions ia made m two places. Although Liatar'a dressing was applied, the secretion became, two days latfljr, very copious, and had adopted a foetid, deoorap.oßttdah&raoter. The temperature rose enormously. In consequent* the dressing was removed, and on ft 8 place were made during the day-time repeated (rrigationSh Eucalypti Extract. The offensive Her disappeared very soon, the fever abated within the lapse of several weeks. In this instance

The Longbeaoh school was examined by Mr Wood on November 30, and his report, just to hand, shows the following result .— Presented, 43 ; absent, 1 ; exoepted, 2 ; failed, 12 ; passed, 28. Percentage of paß3es, 4242. Percentage of failures, 30-00. Ganeral Remarks : The sobool has passed a very fait examination on the whole. In the lower department the work was done with aaouracy and fair intelligence. Spelling, arithmetic and writing were good ; drawing and object lessons were wanting m respect to quantity rather than quality. Reading was faulty m articulation. The geography of Standard II was only moderately known. In the upper department the instruction has been faithful though there was no striking merit presented m the treatment of any of the subjects. Io the pass group, reading, arithmetic, grammar and dictation were on the whole very fair. Writ : ng showed passable quality. Composition was poor m Standard 111, but fair with the higher Standards. The results m class and additional subjeots are slightly below a fair average. The discipline is very fair.

Prince Victor Napoleon has issued a manifesto, m whioh he Btateß that Parliamentary Govdrnment ia falling under the weight of public contempt, and that the Bonapartists will restore to Franoe her past grandeur.

A woman who fell from the Holyhead express reoently literally escaped within an inoh of her life. When aha was pioked up it was found that a passenger train had out off a portion of her hair.

Among the many proofs of the «• strained relations" of Germany and Bussia is the fact that restaurants on the frontier, patronised largely by Russian soldiers, often display placards saying " Here no Prussians are served with meat or drink/ and many of the shops m the large Russian oities announce that no German goods are sold there.

The «• Oamaru Mail " gives the following instance of the how-not*to-do-it method of railway management :— The other day, an officer, who occupies a position a grade lower than that oocupied by Mr Lowe, sent a man from Waipahi to some place north of Oamaru to paint a Btation, whilst he aIBO, by way of compensation perhaps, sent a man from this district co paint a station at Waipahi.

What Bhould turn out to be a thriving industry was commenced at Ngaire, m Taranaki, on November 21st, This is a faotory, at whioh butter is to be made on a wholesale scale for export to England. There are two oream separators at work whioh will extract the oream from 400 gallons of milk per hour. The factory has been opened and is owned by a Chinaman named Chow Chung, who deserves great credit for his enterprise. The faotory has, Bince its opening, put out about three-quarters of a ton of butter per day.

Circumstances seem likely to be more foroible than arguments m bringing about a ohange m the fiscal polioy of Great Britain.* The Marquis of Hartford, speaking aißinton, neat Stratford-on-Avon, the subject being agricultural depression, said he could conceive no other remedy for the ruin whioh stared England m the face except the imposition of & Bmall duty on imported flour and wheat* If a laborer had to pay Qi or Is more a week for his bread, he would reooiva at least 3a per week more wages. Wheat wbb being grown at a loss, with the inevitable result that the land was going out of cultivation and many laborers being discharged.

Holloway's Ointment and Pills. — Travellers and emigrants. — Those who orosß the seas change the climate but they do not change the constitution. The altered condi'iona of life, the exigencies of travel and other cauBCB render the traveller and emigrant peculiarly liable to diseases and accidents when far from efficient medical aid. With these associated remedies at hand they may be said to have a physioian always at their call, and they may be per am that situations will be constantly arising m which they will require a ready resource m time of need The directions for use whioh acoompany each box and pot of Holloway's Fills and Ointment are written m plain and simple language, and are pplioable m all oases.