LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 35, 18 October 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

AYe reject to record the death, yesterday, of the youngest daughter of Air Charles Bray, aged eight weeks. The funeral took place this afternoon.The English mail will reach Feilding bj 7 the 630 p.m, train from Foxton, tomorrow, and will be delivered at the post office window from 7 to 7.30 p.m. Seven cattle vans laden with horses passed through Feilding for Palmerston to-day, by the 12 noon train. These horses are the property of Mr Andrew Young, of AVellington. AYe are authorised to state that Messrs Thompson Bros, have sold their business as general storekeepers to Mr George j Cric.iton, who will for the future carry I . on the business. The railway returns for the period ending Oct 14, 18s2, at the Feilding Station, ought to show a large advance, as upwards of 1,000,000 feet of timber were forwarded. The cash receipts would probably be £1200. The Greymouth Star draws attention to the strange fact that " meat from the slaughter yards, Chinamen, and coffins" are carried on the Brunnerton line in the guard's van, and suggests that some other arrangement be made. It is rumored that the meeting of the County Council held yesterday was irregular, if not positively illegal, consequent on the fact that all the members were not advised to attend by he customary circular from the Clerk of the County. Messrs Halcombe and Sherwill will hold the first of a series o( summer stock sales at their sale yards, Halcombe, on Friday, November 10th, 18S2. Further particulars will appear in our advertising; columns at an early date. The candidates nominated for the vacant seat in the County Council are Messrs J. H. Fry and George Wheeler. An ac:ive canvass is being made by both sides. The election, which comes off on the 30th inst., promises to be warmly contested. We have been requested to contradict a statement which appeared in the Advocate of the 14th inst., to the effect that " the Excelsior Stores, Feilding, have been seld by Mr ltoots, to Messrs Turnbull, Smith, & Co , of AVellington." The statement is entirely without foundation. Mr S. J. Thompson has resigned his seat in the Borough Council. We understand this gentlemen intends leaving the district, and will probably settle | down as a farmer up the coast. He wi 1 J carry with him the esteem of every setj tier in Feilding, and many will regret that j his connection with the Borough Council J has so soon been severed. ! A public meeting of the Feilding ! Sports Committee is called by Mr H. L. j Sin -rwill, Secretary, for Saturday evening j next, at lioe's Hotel, at 8 o'clock. It is ' to be hoped there will be a good attend- ! ance of the public, as business of impoJti ance will be transacted, viz: — To receive I balance-sheet and report for past year, j , and to arrange a programme of sports I : for the forthcoming season. I I We regret to hear, notwithstanding j j our remarks. in a previous issue, that the | i Feilding Cemetery is still in a neglected state. As m ght be expected the cemetery and its present condition frequently j form the subject of unfavorable comment !on the part of visitors and others. It is | to be hoped the necessary steps will at ; once be taken to keep the graves free I from weeds avd other verdure, as well as put the boundaiy fences in repair, and so render them proof against the inroads of cattle aud sheep. In the present dilapidated condition of these fences it is simply a waste of time for private persons to attempt to improve and keep in repair the graves of friends and relatives buried therein, owing to the encroachment of sheep and cattle. We again direct the attention of the Cemetery Committee to this matter.

Tbe Iota! amount and value of the gold I exported from the colouy of New Zealand from April Ist, 1857, to 30th Sept., 1882, was 9,9d4,9500z., equal to £38,904,723. It is said a. solicitor has been retained to defend the talked-of breach of promise j case, in which a barmaid and landlord of ! Wellington are the principal parties. j When the Grey Ministry left ollice ; (says a Southern exchange) the total deht of New Zealand was £23.222,311. After three years of Atkinson finance it is £29,91(5,711. It is a good thing to have an economical administration in power is i it not? Mr C. S. Cross informs us that he has made arrangements for exporting New [ Zealand timber to Queensland, and that he has chartered a schooner at Auckland ' to load here for Brisbane. We hooe the j venture will not only be successful, but the first of many of the same kind.— ! AVanganui Chronicle. ' Another contr act for railway construe- i tion on the Foxton-Taranaki section of \ the AA'ellington-Auckland line will be j offered for tender very shortly. The ; contract will be for a poriion of a gap ■ still existing between Hawera and Patea, which interrupts through communication by rail between Foxton and New Plymouth. Mr M'lvor, F.1.C., F.C.L., who is at present on a visit to New Zealand, in a letter to tho Leader remarks: — "The more I see of the Colony, the more certain does the opinion become, that the fine climate is tlie cause of the largo yield of pioJuce of every kind obtained in New Zealand. As regards quality of soil 1 must give Victoria, lirst place." As already known, applications for debentures to the amount of £225,000 in the AVellington-Manawatu Railway Company were invited in Mcl hour c up to noon on the 18th inst. AVc understand that the com, any have since received information as to the nature and extent of | the applications, but the negotiations in the matter are not yet completed. — Post. j Housekeepers during the last week (says the Inangahua Times) have been in j despair, owing to a regular butter famine h ying set in. For several .iays there was not an ounce of butter of any kind j salt or fresh, to be obtained iv Reefton i for love nor money, aud it could not be I got from either Westport or Grey mouth in quantities required. One storekeeper | telegraphed to Wellington for a supply. Ry waggons which came in on Saturday, several parcels came to hand, and readily fetched 2s Od per lb., with eager buyers. A sheep-grower says: -It is folly to keep old sheep. They should be turned I off to the butcher in their prime. It does not take half the amount to fatten them. J When they get old aud thin, in order to | put them in the condition to slaughter, j the- whole structure must be rebuilt. | Four sets of lambs are al 1 that any ewe U should bear This will bring her to five years, and this is the age when, with a j little extra care, she will round up to a full I carcase. ISxceptions may be made when I the breed is scarce and the blood is more desirable than anything else, i An observer writes to a AVellington ; paper — " Anxious to discover a new star, • j, with the aid of a Kilmarnock bottle ! and a tumbler took a few observations on ■ Thursday night. I found a new star." ' About twenty-two degrees to the right of ] Venus may be seen several dim constellations, and near the 'saucepan,' which ' is not very far from the ' coalsack,' in ; the region of the ' milky way,' appeared to me a very brilliant star. I was watching Venus intently, and after trying to . stimulate myself— owing to the chilly atmosphere — I had another look. There it was, but singular to relate — I closed one eye, and my new star disappeared.' "