LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 69, 14 February 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The sitting of the General Assembly has been further postponed to the 16th of April next. We have received a batch o. Parliamentary returns from the Goverameat Printing Office. Messrs Ballance, F. R. Jackson, Henry Cornfoot, and A. D. Wi'lis have been elected members of the Wanganui 1 1 arbor Bocrd. Messrs Halcombe and Sherwill sold yesterday 140 acres of unimprored land in the Makino, 8 miles from Feildinc;, at £'3 7s 6d per acre. There will be a f«U choral service in St. John's Church to-morrow everrng to celebrate the anniversary of laving the foundation of the building. Yesterday the Foxton Regatta was not patronised by aay of the Feeding peop'.e, the reason being that sufficient publicity was not given by advertising. Among the marriage notices in ihe Dunedin papers on Saturday is that of the union of Mr Tom Bracken, M.H.R., with Miss Copley. St John's Church is now lighted with lamps that were imported direct from Home by the vestry. The appearance of the interior of the building at night is much improved, and the increased illumination is of great service to the congregation. Mr Hugli was thrown from his horse on Sunday, when he received some severe bruises. His left a_-le was also bad' 7 sprained, tbe iuflaumarioa nnd swelling of which has compelled Mr Hugli to be confined to his room. We hope he will have a rapid recovery. To-day is St Valantine's Day, and judging from the brisk appearance of business in Mr Carthew's shop, large numbers of Valentines have been disposed of aad forwarded to grateful friends. The work of the post office officials has been largely increased, but we believe they will be able to overtake the work without much extra exertion. The following team has been selected to play at Halcombe against the Halcombe team on Saturday next : — Smith, Roe, Rowley, Sherwill Stevens, Evans, Nix, J. Fowles, J. Bartholomew, G. Bartholomew, W. Bishop. Emergencies: Fitzherbert, Fearon, Jackson, and Halcombe. The above are requested to muster in time for the 9.45 a.m. train. Two gentlemen, Messrs James H. Stevens and George Kidd, rode up to Wanganui on Saturday last with a view to consult Mr Milner Stephen. In the case of Mr Stevens the result was satisfactory, and hopes of a permanent cure were held out. Mr Kidd was not so fortunate, as the operator was unable to render any assistance whatever. At our suggestion, the Government have added the name of the Feilding railway station to the list of places where plans and specifications can be seen in connection with tenders for the supply of 20,000 railway sleepers. This concession will prove conducive to ths convenience of the sawmillers in the Manchester Block. A young couple at Roslyn have just begun housekeeping and wish to engage a maid-of all-work. Josephine presents herself. After detailing ihe duties required, the lady of the house remarks: " Well, my good girl, I think you will be suited ; the work is light, and we have no children." Josephine (with a gracious smirk) : " Oh, madam, do not put yourself out on my account, I beg! I adore them !" Some sheep were poisoned on a run at Lake Wakatipu. It is now stated that they had eaten ergot of the grass-seed. This poison produces paralysis of the limbs and death. This fungus disease of the native grasses in elevated pastures has been noticed, but no instance of poisoning has hitherto been observed, Paraly--1 sis from the use of ergotized rye is known to occur among the peasanty of Upper ' Italy. j On Saturday last the afternoon train from Brunnerton to Gr eymouth consisting of sixteen coal trucks, three passenger carriages, and a break van, met with a serious accident about three and a half miles from town. One of the coal wag-* gons got off the line, and it appears that after it was replaced on the metals, the train went back to get way on as there is a slight gradient there. It was then the accident occurred. The coal waggons got off the line and were dragged; over the sleepers, many, of which are cut in two r some of the metals being damaged. The train was stopped before the passenger carriages got on the bridge. No persons were injured.

i The death of a dog from sunstroke is recorded by the Hawera Star. Mr Hugli requests ns to state that his ! recent accident will incapacitate him from attending to business for a few days. Mr Gardner, a brewer from the North, is at present on a visit to Feilding with a view to purchasing the produce of the various hop gardens at Awahuri and Potatau. ' A man named Michael Hurley was , seriously injured through the explosion of a bag of gunpowder at the Manawatu Railway works, at Wellington, on Monday last. Captain Hagenaw, of the German army, who was despatched to Egypt to watch the late campaign, has made his report. He eulogises the tactics of the j British army in the most complimentary manner. Every widow left by the Creswick mining disaster has been presented with a i sewing machine by the Singer Manufacturing Company. This very practical act of charity is worthy of record and remembrance. Mrs Langtry is no<v performing in the principal theatres in the Southern States, and has met everywhere with enthusiastic receptions, the theatres being more crowded than was the case when she appeared in the North. A startling state of things is disclosed in a letter from the F.ev. F. W. Gallagher, of Carriek, county Donegal. He states that absolute famine prevails there ; that the people are living on Indian meal, and that the lives of 2500 persons are in imminent danger. The question is immediate relief or immediate death. The meeting between the Native Minister and Te Kooti yesterday at Te Awanuitu has been characterised by good feeling on both sides, the result being that the Amnesty Act, 1882, has been proclaimed to extend to " All offences and all Maoris, and that there shall be no exception from the operation thereof." Austra'ians have been accused of a ten* dency "to blow," but it would be difficult to beat the following from the London Daily News : — " The Southern Cross has gone out, so to speak, in darkness, and the pride of the colonial cricketers has been humbled." And all because our English visitors won a few matches against teams not fairly representative. It appears from the statements of the informers, who have identified four men concerned in the Phoenix Park murders, that it was not originally intended to molest Lord Cavendish. He, however, attempted to defend Mr Burke when that gentleman, who was the intended victim of the assassins, was assailed. They were therefore compelled to despatch the Chief Secretary as well. A Philadelphia jury was called upon to decide, in a Customs case, whether the Jew's harp is a toy or a musical instrument. The question put to the expert witnesses was, "Is the Jew's harp capable of producing a succession of harmonious sounds P" One witness played to the jury " The Heart Bowed Down," and "The Skids are Out To-day," and the reporter says that the jury seemed restless and depressed. Their verdict was that tho Jew's harp is a musical instrument. The official programme for t ; io Feilding Jockey Club Race Meeting, to be held on Monday, March the 26th, has been issued. There are seven events to come off, and the collective value of the money prizes is £172, so the presence of a good field may be anticipated. The Feilding Races have always afforded ' " good value" to the public in the past, and we may safely predict that the attendance will be good on the " coming day." The cricket match, concluded on Monday last at Christchurch, Canterbury v Otago, ended in favour of Canterbury by four runs after a most exciting finish. At lunch time the score stood at 52 for 3 wickets, and Otago was exspected to win easily, having only 40 runs to get. Wilding, however, bowled splendidly, and despite a determined stand by the Otago Captain the match was lost by the South* erners when viccory seemed fairly witnin their grasp. We draw the attention of our readers to Mr J. B. Hamilton's new advertisement on our first page. The lines that are offered are of the lowest prices and the best quality suitable to meet the requirements of eveiy class of buyers. The whole of the goods just opened are intended to supplement the Great Cheap Sale which has been so remarkably successful since Mr Hamilton commenced business in Feilding, and which he intends to continue While his establishment is so liberally patronised by the Feilding pubHe. The following gentlemen have been nominated as candidates for the position of members of the Licensing Committee for the Borough of Feilding:— Messrs Amesbury, Chamberlain, Higgin, Macarthur, Nicholas, Rutherford, and J. C. Thompson. As only five members are required, a poll will take place on Wednesday, the 21st instant. It -is stated that it is the intention of the Good Tern-, plars to take an active part in the election. We hope this rumor is founded on fact for elections in Feilding are becoming remarkably tame and uninteresting, and a lively contest would do good.