LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2252, 14 October 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

England's biggest ship haa 14,000 horsepower.

Fourteen thousand girls are attending the London Sohool Board Cookery classes. Harvest proapeots m South Australia are all that oould be desired.

The Rev H. Gould, of Linooln (Oanter" bury), haa been nominated to the inoumbenoy of St Luke's, Oamaru.

British people drink annually 51ba oi tea per head. The Frenoh average is only half an ounoe.

Mr Walker, the contractor for the Man* ohester Ship Oanal, believoß m " teetotal " navviea aa the best workers,

The adviaableneaa ot using the harp m oonneotion with the organ m AnglioßO churobea is being agitated m England.

The Hessian fly has made its apprearanoo m Lincolnshire, it having been found m many fields of both wheat; and barley.

The Earl of Fife deolinea to permit his wife, Prinoesa Louiae of, WaUa, to aooept any ■hare of the Parliamentary grant to the Royal family 7 .

It is stated that ftt the rate the population is leaving Norway for" tbo V«"l fld Btato. m the next fifteen years not one" !»Ul. pe left m tbo land.

Two Dunedia milkmen have been fined, one for adding 16 per cent of water to hia milk, and the other for abßtraoting a quantity of oream from the milk.

There are no less than eleven dredges for goldmining purposes now under oonetruotion m the various foundries at Dunedin. Nine are Duokot dredges and two are Welman's.

The " London Standard " deolares that m some myateriouß way mosquitoes have been introduced into the tight tittlo island, and it prediots that they will soon booome numerous.

The b.b, Zoalandia with the Friaoo mail arrived at Auckland on Sunday. Tbe Aahburton portion is expeoted to oomo to hand to-morrow.

News from Samoa states that a severe shock of earthquake oocurrod at Apia on Septomber 19th, and lasted between SOseo and 60aeo. No material damago was done, though houßoo, trees, and oven Bbips m the harbor shook very much.

The number of wolves m European Busßia is estimated to bo about 175,000. These wolves destroy annually 180,000 head of onttlo, 560,000 sheep, 100,000 dogs, besides 150 human boingß.

Tho oompletion of ono thousand miles o' railway m Japan was oelobratod by a grand gathering on July 10. Anotbor thousand miles are under construction. Every mile of railway opened has proved profitable so far.

A flight of 500 pigoons took place lately at JJovor m a raao from Dover to Laokon, the residence of tbo King of the Belgians, near Brußßola, Tho b'i'rdo were let off aimujta* neoualy from baaketa and formed an intoreating speotaole,

The only lovol arable and tortile tract of farm land without nogrooa m the Southern States is |m Oullrnann County, Ala., there hfiinc oDly fourtoon negroes m a oensus population : f WOW, Tho territory iqoludoa 550 square miles*

Roaea are being largoly 'Wfl t°* table decorations. At an ontortainmont £' veD . f° the Prinoe and PrinooHß of Walea late.? 25,000 roees of variouß ooloura wore used m banging baskets all about tho rooms and stftiroaiep and/ toe imaH iiippir t»b.l<>i,

Rink to night aa usual ; Carnival on Thursday next.

Porous glusß ig n Fronoh novelty. This glass does not admit a drought, but m so o n Qtruated us to eneure oomfortablo ventilation.

A private cablegram haa boon rooeivod m Aucklund to tho effect that a decline m tbe price of Now Zealand flax ia generally expeoted m America.

There wore, on June 30tb, 2170 miles of, railway open m New South Wales for traffic. The total cost, including rolling stock and plant, waß £29,800,107.

Tho extent cf the whitebait tinning industry established iv Weatport by Mr Fernandoß ia indicated by the faot that Gl. oases of the fish were shipped by tho b.b. Moa a few days ago, for tho Melbourne market.

The Mayor proolaimn a publio half holiduy next Thursday, tho second day oi the races. This is not intended to interfere with the ÜBUftl weekly half holiday on Wednesday afternoon.

A sensation has boon caused m Melbourne by the eoointy paper " Table Talk " publishing a confidential dooument issued by Mr J. S. Horsfall, disclosing his reasons for resigning the directorate of Goldsbrcugh, Mort, and Co.

Tho Bighop of Manchester haa been characterising gambling m hia oharge. He 8ayB : "No one who lives by gambling am honestly Bay the Lord's Prayer. For his oonßtant desire is ' Give mo this day my brother'a broad.'" — "Rook."

Waipa is an ill-omend constituency. C the five members who have at different periods represented it m Parliament, three have met with violent deaths. Mr M'Minn was killed by a fall, Mr F. Whitaker shot himßelf, and now Major Jaokßon has disappeared.— ("Napier Telegraph.")

The total coal consumption of the world is said to amount to upwards of 1,000,000 owta per hour. Of this quantity about 240,000 owts are required per hour m order to heat the boilers for stationary and marine engines, looomotivefl, eto. The production of pig-iron absorbs 100,000 owtfl, and that of other metals 80,000 owta per hour.

Government olerk (to boaom friend) : " Just got myself into a horrible moss 1 1 went yesterday to ace two dootors, and obtained from each a medioal certificate — one a certificate of health for the life insuranoe company, and the other a certificate ot illness to enolose m my petition for loave of abeenoo ; and there, if I didn't go and put them into the wrong envelopes I "

Funds for the proseoution of the Bishop of Linooln for ritualistic practices oontinue to pour m at the Church Association ofUocs. Up to recently the association had reoeived £7000 of £10,000 demanded for the promotion of the euit, Tbe aum is made up by oomparativfily email contributions from all parts of tbe Engliab-apoaking world.

An offer of the Governorship of Viotoria waa made to tbe Marquiae o! Lome before it waa tendered to Lord Hopetoun. Lord Lome deolined the poat beoauso Princess Louise waa unable to reoonoilo her mind to the long separation from the Queen and the Royal family, added to whioh her health lately has not been good.

On Thursday last an aooident occurred at Winslow by whioh a youth named Byrnes received some severe injuries. He was driving a horse away from a gate when tho animal kioked out, striking him m the face and inflioting some nasty outs. Ho was brought into town where hia wounds were dressed by Dr Tweed.

A sale of 16,186 acres of agricultural and pastoral land, dividod into forty. two lota, forming part of the runa formerly oooupied by Messrs Bealey, Westonra, and J. and J. Innea, will take plaoe at tho Chamber of Commerce, Chriatohurob, on .November 4th, under the hammer ot Meßßrs J. T. Ford and John T. Muteon. Muoh interest attaches to tbo result as this will be the first sale of land by tbe Midland Railway Company, to whioh the property m question bolongs.

There died a few days ago a mnn named Robert Thome, who was the oldoat Taamanian roeidont m the colony, having beon born m Hobart iti 1808. He had lived near Hobart during the whole of bis life. Thome had a brother born at Port Philip Heads when Captain Collins made a settlement there with convicts. Tho godfather of this brother was tho Rev Mr Knopwood, tho chaplain to the expedition, by who ho waa ohriatened, being tho first child born ia tho aettlement.

A distressing death is reported from Monmouthßhire. A girl named Annie Gilland, agod five, waniarod from her home at Owmbrnn to find bar mother, who had gone visiting. Tho little thing lost her way, and though search parties sooured tho diatriot no trace of her was disoovorcd till five days after, when nor body waa diaaovered m a wood at Pontro. She had been overtaken by a fearful rain storm, and diod from exposure.

An Auokland paper says that a son of Mr Charles Kay, builder, met with & small treasure-trove the other day, when taking down an old atone wall m Parnoll. The find was that of some jowollery which bad evidently been m tho position m whioh it was found for a great number of years, for an old wooden oaae m whioh it was held fell to pieooa when touohed, and every perishable part of the articles had rusted away. Mr Kay at onoe gave information to tho police aa to tbo find, but it ia extremely unlikely that any olaimant for the property will now be found.

The •» Auckland Herald " writing before the ovent aaid "it eeeruß to us that Mr Hislop cannot again enter the Ministry at present. He haa been elected for Oamaru, but he ia not a member of the House, until ho ia duly a worn, and is therefore not competent to act as a Miniater. He must remain out m the oold till Parliament again meetß, which event ia not likely to take plaae for several months yet. 1 * The difficulty (if there were one) seemß, however, to have been got over m some way for Mr Hislop has rejoined the Mipietry,

An exohange learns from a large impor,tef that the reoent labour strikeß m England are having considerable influonoo on prioes m New Zeuland. Manufacturers have reduced discounts, and shipping aompanies have inoroaied freights, till at length ta some lines there is an advanoo of about SO^er oont on the prioea o! a year ago. The lines which, were quoted to us were those of ao overyday, broad.and-butter character, and if thoao have been so greatly influenced, we may be aura that things leas frequently aßked for are also Bubjeot to the inoroaae.