LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 78, 13 March 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

» We are in receipt of the Jan. number of the British Mail. On Friday cveuing next a confirmation service will be held in the Anglican Church, Feilding. On and after tho 19th March the following alterations in the railway tariff will be in force. Calf skins, class B; wire, binding, class C; flax, straw (owners risk), class F. A machine for counting sheep has been invented and put in operation in California. It is placed in an opening of the fence, and registers every sheep that passes itDuring the heavy gale of wind whicli prevailed for some hours yesterday morning, a white jnne tree was blown down nt Aorangi. ou the estate of Mr < 'harles Bull. Ln its descent the tree ki'led a valuable cow, the property of that gentleman. Sir Bryan O'Loghlen will feel some satisfaction that prior to the resignation of his Government the loan had been duly floated. Probably had the news cv .-.me earlier he might at any rate have saved his own seat. A circular has been issued by Colonel deader to t 1 c effect that, from the Ist prox., long-service pay will be paid to non-commisioned officers and constables of the police force. The rate wiil be 6d and ls per day for those serving fivj or ten years respectively. The erection of the new bridge over the Rangitikei River is proceeding veiy slowly. We understand that the want of more rapid progress is caused by the slowness with which the jarrah piles are forwarded from Australia, their length making them inconvenient freight for vessels. Our annual races, to be held on Easter Monday, the 26th instant, promise to be the most successful yet held under the auspices of the Feilding Jockey Club. Not only are the entries most satisfactory, but the course is in splendid condition and smooth as a bowling green, and as a racing ground it will be hard to beat. The Anniversary Committee met at Roe's Hotel last evening, and made further arrangements for the celebration on Saturday next, which all anticipated would be well attended. His Worship the Mayor is to be requested to preside, and all the owners of flags in the town have kindly offered the use of them for the occasion. The committee will again meet for final arrangements at the Town Hall, on Friday evening next, 6 o'clock. \_ Yesterday morning the weather was rather boisterous, a somewhat stiff gale accompanied by heavy rain blowing from the north-east. Many persons thought that Mr Wiggins's great storm was coming after all, though a day or two behind its time ; but towards the middle of the day the wind abated and the weather again assumed a much finer aspect, leaving no appearance of any extraordinary disturbances in the elements so far as this locality is concerned. A certain local knight of the orde.* of Benedicts is " blessed" with a companion in life who has contracted the hab.t of not " rising with the lark," and who refuses to obey the mandates of her " lawful wedded husband" to leave her bed and prepare his breakfast. This having often led to a disturbance of the connubial bliss, and the evanescence culminated the other morning in the object of the said insubordination trying what virtue there <ras in a bucket of cold water, with a result that is said to have been little short of electrical. This example should be followed in many families that we wot of. Recently a colored son of the soil from Awahuri called upon one of our local tradesmen, and ordered a certain quantity of goods. The latter, having occa« sion a day or two after to remind his patron that tlie goods were ready, wrote to him in Maori to that effect, but not sufficiently understanding the vernacular to complete the framing of the letter, he consulted a Maori dictionary, but somehow got into such a fog as to make his communication read to the effect that the " good goods " were ready for delivery, together " with his wife," arid l hat he was requested to fetch them away. The dark child of Nature thought this a chance not to be thrown away, and lost no time in hastening to bring home his treasures, but his disappointment can be better imagined than described when he found the last article mentioned in the ietter was not included in the invoice.

It is believed by experts that a payable quartz reef may yet be struck in Terawhiti. Milner Stepbens has been proceeded against, in Christchurch, for obtaining money under false pretences. The claimant, Arthur Orton, has reduced himself, by enthusiastically stacking bricks at Portl md, from twenty-four stone weight to eleven stone. Celery boiled in milk and eaten with the milk served as a beverage, is said to be a cure for rheumatism, gout, and a specific in cases of smallpox. Nervous people find great relief in celery. Mr Gilbert Carson, Mayor of Wanganui, passed through Feilding on Saturday night last, en route for Wellington, to consult the Government on business in connection with the Wanganui Harbor Board. A captain's parade of the Manchester Rifles was held at the Town Hall on Saturday evening last. Owing to tbe inclemency of the weather but a few members attended. Lieut. Blackinore was the only commissioned officer pre— present. After about an hour's sharp drill the men were dismissed. An English paper says it is sincerely glad to her that the Premier's slight attack of lumbago has greatly diminished; hut in the case of anyone else than a great financier and political genius, " should we not be justified in asking what else a gentleman of his age could expect from loitering about on the wet grass in Dec chopping wood ?" The startling discovery has been made by M. Pasteur that the saliva of a person fasting is venomous, as it contains parasites which will inoculate. Breaking the fast deprives the saliva of its poisonous quality, as the parasites are then taken into the stomach with the food. The eminent biologist gives for the present only the fact, ancl makes no attempt at explanation. On Friday last, afc Kiwitea, Mr Fred. Meßeth met with a somewhat serious accident. It appears that he was assisting to cut up some heavy timber logs, the end of one or' which ho was raising with a lever. By some means the log slipped and its whole weight coming suddenly on the lever, threw Mr Meßeth violently away for some distance. He fell heavi y to the ground and was rendered insensible for some hours. We are glad to announce that he has sustained no serious injury beyond the shock to the system, and that a few days' rest will put h'm right again.