LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1875, 23 June 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The oabled report of the Bank of New Zealand's meeting sent their shares up from £J5 to £17. The Pipmjer raised a laugh the other day by informing tho Bojasp that he had his eye to putting a tax pn freer. Palmerston settlers have been hawping butter m Woodville at 8d per Jb. Good butter m Auokland is Belling at Is 6d retail. Mr Lawry says that Mr Withy's Freetmde arguments m the Houbo are well put, but smell too strongly of limejuoe. It is stated that there are no less than eight Somersetshire men m the House of Bepre. eontatives. The " Post " Bays :— The annual £500 vote for the New Zealand Ilifle Association does not appear on this year's Estimate*. It oan well be saved. A native woman m the North has given bijrth to threejtaiants, and the oircurastauce has been reported Jo the llatjyo Minister as a thing hitherto unUeard oi Among tho JJ£aoris. Sir Juliua Yogel had not been m frondon forty.eighthours before New Zealand government Stooka fell. So says the Home correspondent of the •• Star " with great unkindness. Mr Fulton's conviction is that the Premier ia v too {prone to listen to (he viows put forward by oprtain nawspapgra m the large oentreß, and to imagine the/n to ewtuaa public opinion. " At the ouggestion of the Town Sohool Committee, tbo Taranaki Education Board have dispersed with the midwinter holidays m the case of tho eohools m town. The Napier School Committee hay« granted pnjy one instead of the usual two weeks' winter I holidays. The extra week is to bo added to holiday ijf) summer,

The " Otago Daily Times " states that the fund which is beini? raised for the widow and family of the late John M'Gutoheon, who lost his life at the Ocean Beaoh, has reaohed the Bum of £450. A man has applied for a patent for a fountain pen, which, by the pressure of the ' thumb on a small rubber ball, projects a /irtream of ink through the holder and into the iaoa of the fellow who is looking over your ahoulder while you are writing. ' Afe the Skating Rink this evening there will be a ladies' race for a medal, whioh Bhould have the effect of bringing out a number of our lady ekatera to compete for the trophy. We hear that there are already half a dozen entries, so there is likely to be plenty of competition* Residents of the Victorian country distriota ore flocking to Melbourne, and oountry schools are rapidly losing their soholars. Saboolmaßters' salaries are looming down, and it will take some of the smaller sohools all their time to keep open, This is what the boom m Melbourne is doing for Victoria, One of the most prominent personages m connection with the new native corps of the Salvation Army going to the King Country is a Maori woman named Maria Morris. She was eduoated at the Three Kings' Institution m Auokland, and she married a chief of high rank, who was murdered before her eyes by Te Kootj, when^that chief returned from the Chatham Islands. Major Steward informs the correspondent of the "New Zealand Herald" that he has received telegrams from all parts of the colony expressing regret that the Educational Fran* chise Bill, which provided for the abolition of the cumulative vote, has been thrown out m the Legislative Gounoil, for the Bill has been introduced m seven sessions, passed all Btages five times m the Lower Chamber, but has always been thrown out m the Legislative Council. At the meeting held at Wakanui last night to consider the question of the division of the county there were about a dozen ratepayers present. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr D. Wilson, seconded by Mr S. I Brown, •• That it is the opinion of this meet, ing it would be much to the benefit of the ratepayers if the Road Boards were abolished, and the works of the distriot undertaken by the County Oounoil." The motion was carried by nine to two. A private letter reoeived from Sydney has the following : — " Mining matters generally are at a very low ebb. ' knowing ones ' pronosticate that things will improve m this line next month, and they base their calculations upon the faot that all forward deliveries will be oompleted by that time. Several of the leading brokers m Melbourne are defunot, with liabilities of about £50,000, whilst the brokers of Sydney have held their position. The latter remark does not apply to the smaller fry, many of whom are m a oritial position. A very successful ball was given at Lismore on Friday evening. The schoolroom was well filled, there being at least sixty couples present. Mr W. O. Davis catered for the assembly m fine style, and Mr Oharles Vinoent (piccolo) and Mr D«l!ow (violin) pso. vided the musical portion for the entertainment. Everything passed off very successfully and harmoniously, and Mr Alfred Liddington, as secretary, was the right man m the right plaoe. The whole of the arrangements wire I very perfeot, and a gloriouß night added materially to making the affair such a genuine success. The regular fortnightly meeting of the Tinwald Wesleyan Sunday School Band of Hope was held on Thursday evening. There waa a large attendance, the Rev J. N. Buttle presiding. After the meeting had been opened m the usual way, the names of the following were announced as having been elected to office : - Rev J. N. Buttle, President ; Rev T. J. Burrows and Mr John Caygill, VicePresidents ; Mr J. W. Smith. Secretary and Treasurer ; Committee, Mrs Williams, Misses Bishop and Hickman, Mr Hawkins, and Masters James Smith, George Lowe, Thomas Watson, Harry Jeff, Samuel Parish, and Herbert Clarke. The President gave a very interesting and instructive address, urging upon the young people, ia whom the greatest hopes for the future were centred, to bo determined to shun intemperance and evil m all its forms, and stand up manfully for the right, and soon might we look forwerd to a much tatter state of affairs. Songs, readings, recitations, and dialogues were given by the young people and frienda, a very successful meeting being brought to a close m the usual way.