LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2290, 30 November 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

~# At the Obristchuroh Oourt on Wednesday two Justices ruled that a flax mill is a faotory nod boys employed thereat must bo givun a half-holiday on Saturdays. MrO. V.Boys, F.R.S., haß been making nbreß of melted quartz co fine that a grain of Band spun into euoh a fibre would reach 1000 miles. Tbe " New Zealand Herald " writes :— "lf it id imperative that Sir Harry Atkinson muet ieave the helm of State for four months, we should think that he would feel it his duty to lesign." Five hundred Btoats and weasels which arrived at Welling on by the last direct eteainer were distributed over the largest station m North Wairurapa. Tbe cost was about £5 each. Notices relating to Kingßleya Traoey and Detere's Musical and Comedy Company wia t>e found among to-day's advertisements m the "Wanted" column and elsewhero. The Company appear at the Oddfellows' Hall on Monday and Tuesday next. Mies Maggie Kennedy, daughter of the late well-known Scottish vocalist, has been appointed a eub-profeseor of harmony at the Royal Academy of Musio, London. At the olose of last session Bhe obtained two medals, and a silver medal for singing. General Booth, m opening a new Salvation hall m Liverpool, defied anyone to point out any authorised doing of the Salvation Army not justified by the Bible. They had 2700 Booieties and 8000 ofnoers, for the most pmt self-supported, and the annual income was not less than £800,000. The other day at Wellington a bull was being shipped for the South by the B.c. Penguin. The slings attached to the animal by some means slipped or gave way, when the bull was at once suspended by his horns. In this predicament he received tuoh injury aa to necessitate his destruction. An aot of bravery was performed by a lady m North Wales, An old mun, slightly deaf, was crossing the line just as the Irish mail was entering tbe station at 50 miles an hour. Tae officials shouted, but the lady sprung down, right m front of the train, and eeizing the man, pashed.bim*off the rails, narrowly esoapiag with her own life. We regret to have to record the death of the wife of the Rev A. J. Smith, of Auckland, formerly of Aabburton. Her maiden name waa Miss Jowsey, and for some time prior to her marriage to Mr Smith Bhe was a resident of thiß town. Her decease waa somewhat sudden, but full particulars are not yet to hand. The anniversary sermons of the Newlands Primitive Methodist Church will be preaohed to-morrow by the Rev S. Potter, of Ohristohurob. The annual tea mooting will be held m the Newlands Public Schoolroom on Monday evening. Tbe oboir, assisted by instrumentalists, have got up several special masioal items for the ooeasion. A shivering man was soon trying to climb down iDto the crater of Mount Viflavius. A guide started forward with a ory of alarm. " What's the matter with you," the man asked. " Merciful Heavens 1 " exolairned the excited guide, " you will bo roasted." "That's all right, pspjner, Don's you worry about my being roftßtedi I'm from Sydney," A contemporary calls attention to a para? graph from the " Horologioal Journal," headed "A New Use for Diamonds:" Diamonds are fixed m the front and back sights of ri/jtes. ' and it is eaid thoy enable a marksman to take a .quick and correct aim ?ven m a bad light. Tfio Jjrjlliaptß are bo j fitted* immediately the piece is brought to the shoulder . th .o ge«n« enable tbe eye to iako aim without the iQ^ imitation. I A general meeting of the" Asbburton Cyoling Club was hold labfc night. £n.e | unfinished track and postponed race meeting , were the ohief items for cpoßicleration. General dissatisfaction was expressed r.p tbe track and &ster much disoussion it was resolved to rnaks ejill another venture and j decide to have a *%*$ meeting on New Year's Day. I Sir William Manning, a luminary of ipa New South Wales Legislative Oonnoil, arguijog I on a verbal amendment, declared that (he phrase " final and conclusive " was tautologioal, inasmuch as whatever was final must | be conclusive, and whatever was conclusive must be final. Then up jumped that combative Q.C., Uv Salomons : "When my aon. and learned frioni epeaka last his worus are final ; but, as he hiamejf must have Badly experienced, thoy are far WoiA In France last year thero were 27(5,00$ marriages, a decrease of 200 on 1887, and a doorefl.ea of 5700 on 1881, The birlhs wore 882.0C0, beip^ 17 000 Icbs tnan m 1881. Tno illegitimate birth's wpre 70,000, boing almost the same as m previous yeajre. The deaths wete 837 000, againßt 842,00.0" in ISO/. Tjie exoefs of birtbs over deaths', which waa 108,000 m 1881, has steadily sunk till it is now 4(l v OQQ. J.a 43 departmepts, indeed, out •tf 67 there is an pjoesa of death? over birtbif 4

A return orioket match will be played m tbe Domain on Wednesday next between tearaa representing the North and South Bides of the kshburton river. The teams will be aboson Ccom the following:— North side— G. W. Audrewap, L. F. Andrewef, H. Fowlor, A. Pook?, H. G. Flower, 0. Grubb, 11. W. Jenkins, W. Kidd, Knigbt, F. Miinwaring, G S. booit, W. Simpson, and J. Grovea. South Side— X. Williams, Dixon, E Sawle, i T. Sawle, W. Davis, 0. E. Davi.?, Makeig, Gudsell, Jephson, G. Blaok, M. Scott, Grioe, Curtis (jar). Play will oommenoo at two j o'clook Bharp. During the past fortnight evangelistic [ meetings have been conducted at the Willowby Wesleyan Ohuroh by Mr 3 Scott, a lady well- j known throughout Canterbury m connection , with work of this character. The attendances throughout have been moac encouraging, and the services havo been highly appreciated. Many have professed conversion, several young men being amongat tha number. A women's meeting has been inaugurated nt Winslow, wnioh will bo continued weekly m future. On Sunday last Mrs Scott visited the Hinds district, the church being orowded both afternoon and evening. Another meeting was also held there on Monday evening. Mrs Soott will oommeuo9 a series of meetings ac Tinwuld to-morrow oontinuing through the week, and the following weekßhe will visit tbo Waterton district . The following Bpeoiman of composition by a New Zealand BObool boy ia rather unique. The subjeot is " breath," and this is how he writes : — " Breath is made of air. We breathe with our lungs, our liver, and our kidueyß. If it wasn't for our breath we would die when we slept. Our breath keeps the life agoing through the nose when we are asleep. Boys that stay m a room all day should not breathe ; they should wait till they get out of doors. Boys m a room make bad, unwholesome air ; they make oarbonioide, Oarbonioide is poisoner than mad dogs; A heap of soldiers was m a black hole m India, and a oarbonioide got m that there hole and nearly killed everyone afore morning Girls kill the health with oorosets that squeeze the diagram. Girls can't holler or run like boys beoauso their diagram is squeezed too much. It I was a girl I had rather be a boy so I could run and holler and have a great big diagram." I

Since its value find utility vrero first dieoovered for the manufacture of paper, few industries have developed bo rapidly as that of Esparto grass. As proof of the "leapa and bounds " which have characterised the imports of the Esparto from one year to another, we find, says the "Mark Lane Express," on referring to the Board of Trade returns that the imports for the paßt five months have been 89,774 tons, while m 1887 the figures stood at 73,554 tons. The principal countries and ports from whence Esparto are imported are Spain, Algiers, Tunis, Tripolia, and the West Coast of Afrioa ; and the chief centres for storing the grass are London — the quantity warehoused for the past month being 2041 tons — Liverpool, 2343 tons ; Aberdeen, 168] tons ; Granton, 2556 tons ; Dundee, 1333 tons; Sundorland, 1887 tons. The total import for the month was 16,648 tons. At the usual monthly meeting of the Mount Hutt Road Board it was resolved to levy a rate of three-tenths of a penny m the £ payable on February 14th, 1890. It was decided to call for tenders for shingling about half a mile of road at Lauriston, and to have a dangerous pan of the road leading to the Bakaia goigo cuttings fenced, also to have the storm water crossing complained of by Mr Gunn attended to. It was resolved to forward a copy of the following resolution to the County Counoil, viz—" This Board considers that Mr Wright's statement m the Oounoil meeting that the expenditure on ford 8 on water raoes was entirely m the hands of lioad Board Clerks, Bhou'd not be allowed to pass without objection as m the Mount Hutt distriot all euoh expenditure is passed by the Boord before being laid before the County Couuoil." Accounts amounting to £49 6-i 8d were passed for payment.