LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1854, 30 May 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A white tui was shot lately near Hawera. £8729 paused through the totalisator at the Dunedin Birthday Meeting, Nelson had a meeting of unemployed lately the first m the history of the town. The football matoh England v Auckland was one of the best that has been played at Epsom. The Bay oi Islands people etpeot that as the result of the sale of the meroury mine, population and capital will flow m to such an extent that m twelve months the place will be Boarcely reoognieable. The Sprague Motor Agency m Boston, Mass., has closed a oontraot to supply power for a roller toboggan slide m a neighboring oity. Gravity will take the coaßters down and eleotricity carries them up again for a fresh start. The Hon. G. M'Lean authorises the " Daily Times " to contradict the report that he has asked the Ministry to appoint him as Agent3eneral, and states that he has made no application of any bind to any Minister m connection with the position. After a fire m a stable at Papakina Valley, Auckland, the charred remains of a human body were found m the dsbrfo. They are supposed to be the remains of a tramp who had slept m the loft, and who bad probably caused the fire. The steamer Botomahana, whioh arrived m Lyttelton yesterday, brought three boxes of gold transhipped from the West Ooast. It is to be sent to London m the E.M.S.S. Kaikoura, sailing to-morrow. The total weight of pold is 29720z5, and the value is £U,898. There were 80,502 tons of grapes gathered m Napa county, Cal., m 188$, whioh yielded 4,468,000 gallons of wine and 100,822 gallons of brandy. Of this yield about one-third was Zinfandel and another third white wines. In 1887 there were planted 652 acres of resistant vineß. The Otogo University Oounoil intends to try and procure the withdrawal of Dr Vitchett's Bill regarding the government of the Council. As it at present stands it is likely to seriously cripple the usefulness of the institution. They will also do all m their power to defeat : Major Steward's Leasing Bill, as being of the 1 most insidious and mischievous character. HoliiOWAt's Tills. — Weak Stomaoh.— The wiaeat oannot enumerate one' quarter of the i distressing eymptoma arising from imperfect or disordered digestion, all of whioh oan be relieve by these admirable pills. They remove oankery taste from the mouth, flatulency, ajid oonstipation. Holloway's Pills rouse the stomaoh, liver, and every other organ, thereby bringing digestion to that healthy tone whioh fully enables it to oonvert all we eat and drink to the nourishment pf our bodies. Honoo those pills are the sureßt ptrengtheners and the safeß.t. restoratives m nervousness, wasting, and obronio debility. Holloway's Pills aye infallible remedy for impaired appetite, eruotationa, and a multitude of other disagreeable symptoms whioh render the lives of thousands miserable indeed, These pUlsojfa

Mr B. MoOwen left this morning for Christohuroh en route for the Old Country per the Kaikoura, whioh sails from Lyttelton to-morrow. The old man Greaves who has been missing from the Village Settlement at Fahiatua for some days was discovered m a weak state only a mile from his home. Captain Somerville has sent out a oiroular asking the opinion of the volunteer authorities on his proposal to get 400 Martini rifles imported for the use of the Rifle Association. London has 600 plaoes of amusement, of whioh more than four hundred and fifty are mualo halls. The theatreß are about fifty. Direot employment is given by the establishI ments to about one hundred thousand people, . beside indirect employment to a host of s tradesmen and their work-people. Tet- another profession has been thrown open to women, the National Dental Hospital having deoided to admit registered female students. At present most of the female dentistß go to India and practise among the females of that country, and it appears that the occupation is a profitable one. Tongariro is said to be mote aotivd now than it has been since the outbreak m 1869. A hugh oolumn of smoke and vapour is rising from its most aotive cone, Ngaruarhoe, and on a fine day the Bight seen from Taupo is moßt imposing. The recent earthquakes may have some connection with the in* creased activity. Petitions praying that the Shop Hours Closing Bill ma; be given efleot to are being extensively circulated m Auckland, while m Dunedin a largely attended publio meeting passed resolutions m favour of early, closing and m Bupport of the prinoiple o! the Bill; bat several amendments and modifioationß were suggested as neoessary. A recent telegram from Borne to the London papers stated that orders had been issued from the War Offioe to push on with the greatest alacrity the transformation of the Wetterly into a repeating rifle. It was the intention of the Minister to arm m a few months, not only the aotive army, but the reserves likewise with the new rifle. One effect of the late Emperor's death is that fully 80,000 of the German residents m England, who evaded the conßoription and the call to arms on the breaking out of the Franoo-Prussian war, will now be free tojvisit the Fatherland, without incurring the risk of being tried by court-martial as deserters, as their offence is only coeval with the late Emperor's reign, A Company under the name of the Paoifio Islands Trading Company, has been registered m New Zealand with a capital of £120,000. The objeot of the Company is to purchase as many of the islands as possible, and to oarry on the business hitherto conduoted by Messrs j Henderson and Macfarlaine, of Auckland, who already own large properties m various of the Paoifio groups. We (" Manawatu Times ") understand that a bankruptcy petition has been filed m the oase of Hamuera te Baikokiritia, aboriginal native, or as he ia familiarly known, " Old Sam." This old native is reported to have reaohed the ripe old age of one hundred years, and is yet strong and aotive. He is the ohief of the Awahuri natives, and was probably the largest landholder m the whole district. How have the mighty fallen. A monster pontoon has just been oompleted at Danger Island, on the Hawkesbury river, N.S.W., m oonneotion with the work now goirg on at the Hawkesbury railway bridge, for the purpose of oonveying the heavy ironwork to be useed m the construction of the bridge. The pontoon is built wholly of Oregon pine, and has a length of 840 feet, breadth of 61 feet, and depth of 10 feet 6 inches. The Duke of Cambridge was m 1854 ap. pointed to command the two brigades of Highlanders and Guards united to form the first division of the army sent m aid of Turkey againßt the Emperor of Bussia. At the battle of Alma his Boyal Highness led his division into aotion m a manner that won the oonfidenae of his men and the respect of the veteran officers with whom he served. At Inkerman he was aotively engaged, and had a horse shot under him. Neither the Aehburton nor the Timaru Borough Councils seem to attaoh very great importance to the petition to do away with the totalisator. In Timaru it was not thought advisable to spend borough funds on advertising or calling a meeting to. consider the matter, and m Aahburton the ciroular letter from Christohurah was simply received. The Mayor, however, will take the initiative and call a public meeting to disouas the question if the burgesses are anxious to move m the matter. By the s.s. Kaikoura leaving Lyttelton for London to-morrow quite a company of Ashburton residents are leaving for a trip Home. We learn from Mr George Jameson, local agent of the New Zealand Shipping Company, that the following paßsanges have tienjbooked from here : — Messrs B. McOwen (Manager Bank of Ngw Zealand), S. Crum (who intends I to bring out complete oider making apparatus), E. Gluoas ('he well-known farmer of Seafield), Thomas Perks (threshing maohine proprietor), and Mrs Perks. The Financial Statement was delivered by Sir Harry Atkinson m the House last evening. The Premier occupied sixty-five minutes Id delivering the (Statement, whioh he read from proof slips, with marginal manueoript quotations. In consequenue of this the slips of the Statement were not available as usual, and it was not until after the Premier had finished that the telegraph authorities were allowed to put it on the wiree for transmission to the newspapers. The Statement as telegraphed inoluded no fewer than twelve thousand seven hundred words. According to the " New Zealand Times " the exportation to Great Britain of grass seed from the West Coast of the North Island has commenced out of the plentitude of the last season's harvest. The supply was altogether m exoess of demand, and hence a market had to be found further afield. Messrs Stevens and Gorton have been moving m the matter and are making ready an experimental shipment of fescue and cocksfoot. They are of opinion that a good trade might be done with the old country if the rate of freight was a little easier. As it is, £§ per ton is felt to be somewhat obstructive to aotive business m uncertain directions. i At a meeting of the ratepayers m the Tinwald Town Board District held la the Schoolroom last evening to discuss the water supply question there was a good attendance. Mr W. H. Smith was voted to the chair. From what we can learn there is an objeotion to a section of the Board going { on with Borne scheme to bring m a water supply, and the following resolution was passed and signed by all present : — " That a j petition be presented to the Chairman of the Board urging him to stop the present contraot for a water supply, as the petitioners are of I opinion that it is not required at present, and tfcerp are other works more urgently required to be done ja the diatriot." Eußßia'B last move m Asia may be a mere faint design to divert England's interest from impending disturbances m Europe, and to prevent her throwing m her weight with the Triple Alliance, by oreating the impres* sion that there will be quite enough to do m Asia ; that she will have her hands full defending India without mixing m the European melee. If England were forced to concentrate her energies on the defence of ner 'Asiatic possessions, and were menaoed as well by French jpt§rferenoe m Egypt, while Germany and Italy were fhrcatengd m the rear by Franoe, Russia might think that bHs could make her own opportunity to crush Austria as a first move m her great game of oonquest.— -" New Zealand Times." SomS of the anomalies m the matter of postage mentioned by Mr Henniker Heaton are curious enough. To give a few instanoea ; — To send a letter from England to Japan costs 6d, from Japan to England 2Ad ; to the Cape of Good Hope and Natal the British tariff is 6d, while the rate from Franoe and Germany- is 2^d ; the postage from England to Australia is 6d, to New Caledonia from four to seven days' sail beyond Australia, it is id. With regard to Australia, Franoe and Germany both charge 6d, as England does, for letters sent via Brindisij but letters can be sent between Australia end Germany, wholly by sea, at a minimum rate of £id. In fact, several pages might be filled with curious faota concerning these eooentricities of postal charges, but looking at the matter broadly, there is considerable method m the ythole process, seeing that the Government clear three millions a year, on the operations of the Poat Offioe, whioh sum is now gravely confiscated foe general purposes of adminis. tjatioo, ...