Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 101, 8 May 1883, Page 2

Local & General News.

The- Native Minister, the Hon. John Bryce, was a passenger by train from Wanganui on Saturday night. There are 467 scholars on the roll of the Hokitika State school, and the attendance is daily increasing. The Queen, we are sorry to observe, has been pronounced by her physician unlikely to recover from the effects of her accident for some months. It will be observed by a telegram from Australia, published elsewhere, that Sir John O'Shannassey, one of Victoria's foremost statesmen, is dead. The first meet of the Marton-Rangiti-kei Hunt Club took place on Friday last at York Farm. A field of about five and twenty followed the hounds, and some good tiding was displayed. A son of Mr Clapham, of Bowen-street, was unfortunate enough to injure himself severely by falling on some hard substance yesterday, and inflicting a contused wound on his forehead. An inquest was held at Palmerston, yesterday afternoon, before Mr Macarthur, coroner, on the body of Mrs Boesen, who died very suddenly on Saturday last. Chubb & Co., the celebrated safe manufacturers, hare just made a safe fjr the Argentine Republic, capable of holding 40,000,000 sovereingns. But nobody believes the Argentines have got the sovereigns. The police believe they have secured nearly all the consignments of nitroglycerine now in London, and are also said to possess full knowledge of what is likely to prove the most hideous and stupendous plot of modern times. In our report on Saturday of the Manchester Highway Board meeting, the names Reading and Sexton appeared asthe successful tenderers for clearing Wilson's line. The latter name only should have appeared, Mr Reading being simply one of the sureties for due fulfilment of the contract. It is not improbable that some effort will be made to form a Chess Club in Feilding. There nr.? several good players in the town and neighborhood, a3 well as many others who are interested in the classicnl game of Chess, by whom an institution for play and intercourse would doubtless be well appreciated. Mr Foulis, the Inspector of Schools , had a narrow eacape on Thursday last wi{en riding along the bank of th« Wanganui river. His horse allied Ht something on the road, and th« ground beiag very wet, the horse fell and rolled over" Fortunately Mr Foulis had extricated his feet from the stirrups, so he only suffered some slight bruises. The horse was uninjured. •Mr J. Aitken. contractor for the repairs and other works at the Oroua Bridge, ■Awahuri, was rather seriously inconvenienced on Saturday last by a mob of about 1,000 cattle, which were being driven along the road coming upon some unfinished part of the bridge without his receiving sufficient warning.' Some of the new work was completely knocked down, and other parts seriously damaged, while, some of the animals fell in amongst the ' timber, and were with great difficulty extricated.

A Football club is about to be formed in Hnlcombe. The Freemasons' Hall in London, lias been burned down, and all the valuable insignia and paintings destroyed. The eclipse of the sun yesterday morning was clearly visible. No special observation was mude. The six day's walking contest between Edwards (champion of Australia) and O'Leary (champion of the world) for £200 a side was concluded on Saturday night last at Sydney, and was won by the former by seven miles — Edwards, 466 miles and O'Leary 459. Edwards covered the greatest distance ever recorded in the colonies. Some misguided though probably wellmeaning individual, who is anxious for the moral and spiritual prosperity of the people of this locality, is in the habit of leaving both written and printed documents in places where citizens "most do congregate," and notably the Post Office frequently scribbling certain Scripture quotations and other " words of advice " on telegram forms, &c. In some cases the missives are posted and addressed, but with very little discrimination or judgment, as some persons who are wellknown to be total abstainers are warned to mend their intemperate ways. The reports as to the deplorable condition of roads and tracks in the Rangitikei and Manawatu have made such a deep impression on the sensitive heart of Mr John Bennie, that he proceeded to Feilding yesterday afternoon in the tram, taking a large stock of boots and shoes with him. Keeping the feet dry, at a small expenditure of hard cash, is the burning question of the hour up country, and Mr Bennie is just the man to take compassion on his follow beings. He has disposed of such a great quantity of boots and shoes in "Wanganui during the last few months, that his stock seems like the purse of Fortuuatus, and holds out till further orders. — Chronicle. We overheard a rather amusing conversation yesterday between two settlers in the district, one of whom was formerly a. sausage maker in Germany. The latter, in reply to the remark of his companion that horses had frequently been seen to go into the cellar where sausages were made for the purpose of turning the machinery, but had never been known to come out again, said he could vouch for it that ifc was altogether untrue. During his long experience he had never known a case in which a horse was not brought out again, though he did not care to say in what shape. His friend confessed that this threw a new light on the subject. At the recent meeting of our local school committee a resolution was carried that the compulsory clauses of the Education Act should be enforced in Feilding. The committee have decided to take this step in order to increase the attendance at school, which, it is alleged, is getting smaller every month. In connection with the Wellington schools, the Post says :— " The prosecutions issued by the Mount Cook School Committee under the clauses of the Education Act have hsd the effect of largely augmenting the attendance at the schools. It is intended, very shortly to have another batch of delinquents before the Court, so parents and guardians would be wise to take the hint and send their children to school." At the conclusion of Halcombe and Sherwill's sale of Mr Harris's effects at Halcombe, on Saturday night last, Mr and Mrs Symone were driving home in their baggy, and when they neared the embankment beyond Mr Lash's place, they drove too close to the edge of the road, and the horse and trap were upset. A gentleman who was riding behind witnessed the accident, and promptly rendered every assistance in his power. Mr Symons was found under the trap unconscious, from a blow on the head, and Mrs Symons, although unhurt, suffered a severe nervous shock to the system. Dr Johnston was wired for and was without loss of time on the spot. In about an hour Mr Symons recovered consciousness, and after the wound on his head was dressed, declared himself little the worse for his mishap. The horse and trap were uninjured.