LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1912, 7 August 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

M. de Lesßeps has spent over £1,000,000 a year m advertising his sohemes. Most of this is paid to Paris newspapers.

The first batoh of Russian offioera who have been acquiring a knowledge of Eastern languages have just returned to their commands m the army.

The annual football matoh between Canterbury College and the Otago University played at Christcburoh on Saturday resulted m a draw, eaoh sooring a goal.

German newspapers are crying out for protection against the large importations of wheat into that country, the market being swamped with Russian grain.

Peter Lovelook, commonly known as Major Lovelook of the Salvation Army, is gazetted as an officiating minister vmdes •« The Marriage Act, 1880."

The name of a medical man is announoed as having been erased from the register of Qualified medical praotitioners m the colony, m consequence of his having committed a felony.

In the "Otago Daily |Times" is the following advertisement : — " Wanted, male attendant for Seaoliff Asylum, briokburner preferred." What peouliar qualifications has a brickburner for the post ?

We would direot attention to the railway arrangements for the Hunt Club Steeplechases to-morrow. Trains will stop at the saleyards siding near the raoeoours? for the convenience of visitors.

A half-caste woman while going through tho®eborah Bay Tunnel, near Port Chalmers, was overtaken by a train, and before she could reach a man hole she was knocked down, but fortunately escaped with a few bruises.

The Minister of Lands m the reeentdebate on Village Settlements acknowledged "that "the whole of the Village Settlements m Wellington and the South were self-support-ing, and also a very fair proportion of those m the North."

TheAmerioan correspondent of the Danedin "Star" says:— Every year the American public) sohools turn out tens of thousands of youths who are oondemned to get no good chanoe m life because the education, so excellent m its way, and burdensome to the people, is so absurdly unsuited to the conditions of our national progress.

The Young Women's Christian Temperance Union, whioh has reoently been established, are anxious to form a benevolent fund m oon« neotion with their work. For this purpose they intend giving, on Tuesday next, a grand concert m St. Stephen's Sahoolroom. Admission will be one shilling, and the members intend to push the sale of tickets to the utmost.

The rinking oraze did not find favour In the eyes of certain of the Salvationists m Mosgiel, neither are the Gore contingent m favour of Bkating. Lieutenant Battray has invented a new name for it and calls it the " eight-wheeled devil."

When at Mastorton Mr McCallam quoted the prios of a boiler and engine for a dairy. " Does that include the new ad valorem duty?" asked a settler. "Oh, no I" waa the brisk reply. "Then how would you avoid it ? " " Get them made m the colony," was the' ready answer.

A schoolmaster m Glasgow, the other day, received the following letter from an irate and righteous parent : " Sir, I hope you will not insist on John Brownlee having a song book, I do not pay for such rubbieh. There is no suob vanity m heaven. May we all meet there."

The latest hoax regarding Jonathan Roberts is the circumstance chronioled m the " Chriatohuroh Telegraph " that the will of the celebrated esoapee has been found on ths main land, near where his olothes were discovered. He makes elaborate provision for the disposal of his property aooording to the text of the published will; j

A correspondent writing from Round Hill, m Otago, says the oost of living to a Chinaman is at least 10s per week, although he eats nothing but a little pork or bacon with his rice. When they are making anything like good wages they spend ffom 15s to 20s per week on food, whereas the average European miner, even at Bound ;Hill does not spend more than 8s or 9s per week on his food and tobacco.

Te Kooti has taken to preaching and prophesying. At Opotiki lately he prophesied that a dreadful epidemic m the torm of a Bkiu disease which would affeot almost every, body, would come over the land sometime between now and next New Tear's Day. He exhorted his hearers to pray fervently to Jehovah, aa nothing else would avail or would help to ward off this disease but prayer.

The humble menial m Maßterton is still said to hold her own (says a local paper). A lady the other day asked a servant whom she waa engaging, "Oan you come at once?" "No," was the reply, " I am going to a ball on Friday evening, and it will not be convenient for me to come till after then." An idea flitted aoross the mind of the mistress that ehe would like, just for onoe m a way, to go to the ball herself if the maid could only be induced to Btay at home, but she did not care to give expression to a sentiment whioh might hurt the amour propre of one whom she waa bound to study.

Since the Queen met with a slight aooident at Windsor and sprained her knee, she has not been able to stand comfortably for any long period, and at drawing-rooms, although appearing to stand, she is really been standing on a oleverly-arranged ohair of crimson and gold. This year (says "Truth") another and a lower chair was substituted for some reason or other, with the result that several ladies nearly tumbled over when they kissed hands, as the Queen was sitting so exoeedingly low that it was quite a gymnaßtio exercise to bend down to her hands.

" Truth " alleges that the " Times " letters were supplied by a, secret servioo spy employed by the Tory Government to assist them m their endeavours to bring about the dissolution and demolition of the Irish party. Mr Wemyss Reid's biography of Mr W. c! Forster oontains a number of private letters whioh passed between Mr Gladstone and Mr Forater, whioh it ia hoped by the Unionists will damage the oause of the Home Rule party. The^ latter, however, olaim that they prove the wisdom of the polioy now pursued by Mr Gladstone.

The result of some trials with the new Maxim mitrailleuse, whioh has been introduoed into the Austrian eervioe, gives an approximate idea of the preoision and effect of the improved ordnanoe. Hiram Maxim himself made oonsecutive points forming the letters of his name upon the face of the butts, from a distance of 1950 feet. One shot followed another m rapid succession during an interval of three to four seconds, UNtil the word "Maxim" appeared m large and regular characters, readily distinguishable from afar.

A correspondent writes: — An excellent leoture upon the Maori race was delivered at Willowby on Thursday evening laßt, by the Rev J. N. Buttle, whioh was full of instruction and of thrilling interest. As the son of an old missionary, Mr Buttle is well acquainted with what he undertakes to impart to his audience, therefore all who have an opportunity should hear from him a graphic account of our fellow-subjects, whom, m this distriot, we seldom or never see. There was an abundance of toothsome refreshments provided by the ladies of the distriot afte the leoture.

The miners of the Thames goldfields have prepared an illuminated address for presentation to the Hon. W. J. M. Larnaoh expressing deep regret at the departure of so true a friend, and so earnest an advocate of the mining industry as the hon. gentleman. The memorialists state that " no member of any New Zealand Ministry has so persistently endeavoured to advanoe the prosperity of the colony by bringing to the assistance of the miner a praotical knowledge of the composition of ores, the most modern appliances for the extraction of metals, the reform and establishment of schools of mines, and the publication of mining literature."

There is now on vfew m the ironmongery department of Messrs John Orr and Co. a very fine sample of dressed New Zealand flax from the local mill of Messrs Jephson and Co., at Tinwald. The sample is from a bale sent by the firm to the Melbourne Exhibition, the fibre is six feet long and very free from vegetable ooloring matter, it being of a uniform tint and texture. It should prove of great value for twine and rope making purposes, and shows that with oare and proper machinery how valuable a produot the phormium tenax is when properly prepared for the market, and there is no limit to the demand for fibres of this nature for manufacturing purposes.

The " Auckland Herald " says : — The mysterious individual known as the " White Pasha," whose identity is as insorutable as that of the Man of the Iron Mask, appears to be at least no myth. Messengers from Khartoum confirm the previous reports of his existence, although they appear to be unable to thrown any light upon his antecedents, or the object whioh he has m view. As communication with the interior of the Soudan does not seem to present insuperable difficulties, it ia not a little surprising that if the White Pasha be, as is supposed, Stanley, he has not found a means of sending some intelligence of his movements to the outer world.

For 16 years the War Office have had before them Major Watkin'i " PoeitionFinder," and at last they have made up their minds that it is most valuable and simple, and calculated to make one gun do the work of ten guns m a Bhore battery, and they have awarded Major Watkin a lump sum of £25,000, and a retaining fee of £1000 a year for ten years. By the use of telescopes at signal stations, eleotrioally oonneoted with a direoting Btation, the position of any vessel or objeot ia ascertained by converging lines, and reoorded automatically, and the gunners take thai* sighting and elevation from the direoting {station, quite independent of what they themselves see. Jn faot the guns may be behind a hill, and yel the aim may be quite aoourate. The acouraoy of (it* by the •« Position-Finder " is marvellously close. About £50 is the cost of fitting eaoh gun with the apparatus.