LOCAL ANd GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2295, 6 December 1889, Page 2

LOCAL ANd GENERAL.

Nearly half-a-million persons are engaged m underground work m England.

The Union Bank of Australia own 7,800,000 acres m Western Australia. Donald Dinnie has filed bis Bohedule m Viotoria.

There was a sharp frost m the Rangitikei district on the night of November 29th.

A oorresapondent of a Scotoh paper says that a simple and efifeotual method of killing sparrows is to lay oatmeal mixed with dry lime, whioh is said to aot as well as poison.

Baginton Hall, between Coventry and Leamington, oooupied by Mr W. Sudgen Armitage, late of South Canterbury, waa totally destroyed by fire on Ootober 7th.

The Minister of Lands has reoeived a communication directing hiß attention to a matproof wheat, which has been under test m South Australia, and whioh esoaped unsoathed this year.

We remind our readers that the oonoert m aid of the funds of the Hampstead Sohool takes place this evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, when an attractive programme will be presented, and it is hoped that there will be a full house.

A Master ton resident kindly forwards us an account of tbe weekly meeting of tbe local Lodge of Good Templarß (tbe l'hconis) held m that town on the 3rd instl Bro G, Soott, W.0.T., of tbe Star of tbe Ea.t Lodge, Ashburton, was present as a visitor, and conveyed the fraternal greetings of tbe members to thoso of the Phoenix Lodge.

On Thursday, _?r Bobineon, auctioneer for tha New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Go., offered the privileges for the Rakaia Sports when the publioans booth fell to Mr A. J. Howell for £12 ; the refreshment booth to Mr W. Morton, at £_ ; and the right to sell oards to 0. Pluck for 32s 6d.

The Garden Party m aid of St. Mark's church, Rakaia, was held yesterday but was muoh marred by the beautiful rain whioh fell.' A detailed report will be published. Owing to tbe wet weather it was deoided to hold a sale of the undisposed of good, m the Town Hall on Saturday, when the maypole dance by children, and various other items' oan' be seen to better advantage.

A competitive examination was held for the purpose of appointiogfit persons to some of tbe government offices m Canada*. One of the candidates inadvertently spelled the word Venioe, with two n's, thus Vennioe. The examiner, a olever man, but not always a oorreot epeaker, sternly inquired, '.* Do you know, sir, that thoro ia but ono hen. m Venioe?" "Then epga mußt be vary Boarce there," was the reply. The candidate passed.

On Monday afternoon next a cricket match will be played on the Domain ground against a team of the Seymour-Walaho Qpora Company. Tbe team to represent tho Ashburton Club will bopioked from the following; — G, W. Andrewß, L. Fa Andrewes, Denshire, Dixon, Davis, A. Fooke, Flower, Fowler, 0. Grubb, W. Kidd, Sawle (2), Scott, W. Simpson and Knigbt. P. ay will oommenoe 2 o'clock .harp.

At a committee meeting of tbe Ashburton Orickot Club held last evening, arrangements woro mado for tho inatoh with tho Midland (Qhristchurob) Club whioh is to bo played on the 16th instant, (Anniversary Day) on the Domain ground. The team to roprosont Ashburton will be chosen from the following ; — G, W. Andrew., L. F. Andrewes, Denßhire, Dixon, Flower, A. Fooka, Fowler, 0. Grubb, W. Kidd, Rollett, W. Simpßon, Sawle, Strange, Scott and Wilding. Any of the above who are unable to play are requested to notify the Seoretary as soon as possible.

The Seymour- Wal.he Company will present the opera of "The Bohemian Girl " at the Oddfellowß' Hall on Monday evening and "Maritana" on Tuesday. Writipg cf tho first-named opera as played by tbis company m Wellicgton the " New Zealand Timea " says tbat " Miss Florence Seymour's acting was first-olaes, and the manner m whioh she sung ber numbers left nothing to be desired." Mr Walahe is charetorised by the "Poet" as a fine tenor, and Mr Fred England is also specially mentioned as contributing greatly to the Buooese of the opera by bis excellent singing.

The seoond Ashburton wool sale of the season will be held on Monday, Deo. 23rd, iv the Orange Hall,

A young composer has just written for a soprano voioe a beautiful song entitled " Would that I were young again." It baa been so muoh time wasted. The woman oan't be found who will sing it.

A backwoods printer, who expeoted a gang | of lynobers to oome for him about midnight j betook himself to the collar, leaving a pet , grizzly bear m his bed. The lynchers who did not bring any lights, made a pluoky at« tempt to oarry off the printer, but gave it up after three of them had lost an eye apiece, two had their thumbs cho«ved off, and the other six lost a deal of skin. The printer has now a tremendous reputation as a fighter.

A orioket match will be played on the Domain Ground on Wednesday afternoon between teams representing the Cameron street Wesleyan Cricket Club and the eeoond of the County Club; The following will play for the former :— Messrs G.W.Andrews, T. Pauling, Gamble, T. H. Underbill, Bonnington, Close, E. Underbill, Carson, Chapman, Vesty, and Murray. Emergenoy— Mr E. Purchase. Flay will oommenoe at 2.15 p.m. sharp.

A Dunedin correspondent to the "Christchurch Telegraph" Bays: — At a oountry Sohool Committee the other evening not a hundred miles from Dunedin, the question of selecting a teaoher was under consideration. The first application opened waa from a lady who wrote B.A. after her name. Noneoi the Committee could deoipher the meaning of the letters, and the meeting had to be adjourned

for the interposition of some high authority to supply the information. Strange aB it may be, the story is absolutely true.

The regular weekly session of the Dawn of Peace Lodge 1.0. G.T., was held m the Templar Hall last evening, Bro. A. Mulford O.T, presiding. There were about 90 members present inoluding a large number of visitors from Bister lodges. Three candidates were initiated into the Order, and the routine businesss over, the reoreation took tbe form of a sooia', an abundance of good things being passed round. The Lodge then went into harmony when conga were contributed by Broß* Pearson, Welch, Rook and Dineen, and readings by Broß, Marsden and Soott. After spending a very pleasant evening the Lodge was dosed m due form by the C.T, at

10 p.m.

The Wanganni " Herald writes : — Many of the opponents of the Irish delegates like to throw the taunt m their faces that they are travelling on the funds, and it is well that the publio should know how the money is dealt with. The explanation given by Mr Cohen at Napier is olear enough on the point. He said he wtehed it to be distinctly understood — a statemont having been oiroulated to the to the oontrary— -that any money oolleoted m New Zealand or Australia was not touched by M. Dillon or the other delegate.* The money waß oolleoted by the looal executive and sent homo by them. Tho travelling exposes ot the delegates were not paid out of it.

From a oopy of the " 0 pa Times " Weekly Edition, dated Oct. 24tb, we learn that Johanneaburg has been suffering from prolonged drought, oausing great soaroity of food. A correspondent, writing from Johannesburg on Oot. 18th, says : -Three thousand white man to be discharged to-morrow ; 10,000 natives from the mines. The loaf of bread coating _d m London, six shillings here ; everything else m proportion. Coaoh fares raised ; water and food for man and beast getting soaroer every day. Eggs are quoted at 4s ; firewood, £5 to £10 ; potatoes, £_ to £5 ; flour, £5 5s ; paraffin, £6 permease ; butter, 33 63 to 53 6d. So serious had the situation become that on Ootober 22nd the Government of the South African Republio announced a bonus of £20 eaoh to the first 250 waggons with provisions reaobing Johannesburg. In an artiole on the colonial education *$p_tem the New Zealand "Herald" writes : — These colonies have made a great mistake with thejk eduoation systems. Thay would be righ. enough for a oountry like Prussia, where everything is managed m a bureauoratia way, where the power ot tbo monarch could always oome m to set things straight, and whero those conueoted with administration could nover beoome a politioal power. Our eduoation system ought to have beon looally managed and the entire funds ought to have boon looally raised. The Eduoation Department is running away with us. It ia alien from the genius of the raoe. So long as tho eduoation system is supported by a lump vote from the Colonial Exchequer, so long will it be absolutely beyond oontrol. If the fund 3 were raised and managed locally, there would 1 soon, wo feel certain, be a vast improvement m every way. Double tha, results would ba obtained at half coat. An enthusiasm for true eduoation would be oreated m the minds of tbe parents and of the ohildren whioh would be of incalculable value to the nation. Tbo other day William Nixon waß charged at one of the Melbourne Police Courts with assaulting hiß wife, Annie Dixon. The aooused returned home m a state of intoxication on Saturday night and brutally ill-treated his wife. She was obliged to go to a neighbor's house for protection, and on her hurried esoape left her two ohildren behind. She returned some time afterwards and found tbe two ohildren lying asleep m a corner of the room. Her husband was asleep on a bed, and part of the bed-clothes was on fire. The olothing had beon ignited apparently by the upsetting of a lighted candlo carelessly plaoed alongside the bed by her husband. She [immediately extinguished the smouldering fire and aroused her husband, who on being awakened, attacked ber m a savage manner, See took the younger ohild m her arms with tbe intention of leaving the plaoe, when the aooused struck the child with an empty bottle on the shoulder. The blow waa m. tended for her, but Bhe dodged ths aim. The Benoh reprimanded the aooused for his outrageous conduct, and imno.od a fine of £5 m default two months imprisonment.

It is stated tbat there haa been disoovered m tbe forests of India a Btrange plant, whioh possesses to a very high degree astonishing magnetio power. The hand whioh breaks a leaf from it reoeives a shook equal to that which is produced by tho oonduotor of an induotion coil. At tho distanoe of six metres a magnetio needle is aJJootod by it, and it will be quite deranged if brought near. The energy of this singular influence varies with tho hour of the day. All-powerful about two o'olook m the afternoon, it is absolutely annulled during the night. At times ot storms its intensity augments to striking proportions. During rain the plant seems to Buooumb, and bends it head during a thunder shower. It remains there without foroe or virtue, even if one should shelter it with an urnbrelh. No shook is felt at tbat time m breaking tho leaves, and the needle ia unaffeoted besida it. One never by any change sets a bird or an insect alight on the eleotrio plant. An instinot seems to warn them that they would thero find sudden death. It is also important to remark that where it grows none of tbe magnetio metals are found — neither iron, nor oobalt, nor nickel— an undeniable proof tbat the eleotrio foroo belongs exclusively to the plant,