Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 106, 19 May 1883, Page 2

Local & General News.

An adult was baptized by immersion in an Auckland Anglican Church on Sunday last. The Government have purchased a site for a police station at Bulls. The site is just opposite the new court house, now in course of erection. A large number of dusky brethren, dressed in " all their best," met at Awahuri on Wednesday last. On enquiring of one of them the cause of their assembling together we learned that some proceeds from land had to be divided, and they were after the lucre. At a debate held the other evening, by the Wellington Literary Association, the question " Should there be a system of national compulsory insurance against sickness and panperism ?",-i.e., a scheme similar to the <ne laid down by Major Atkinson, was, after an interesting and animated discussion, negatived by a majority of three. Mr J. H. Pollock, the well-known Wanganui sportsman, has not found tbe turf a very remunerative speculation, his horses havingfit is said, run second 16 times, resulting in a loss to him altogether of £1,800. His horse, Hippodamia, which, at our last Jockey Club meeting, run Ist m the Flying and 3rd in the Feilding Handicap, has been 2nd eight times during the past season. In Mr Ainsworth's shop in Wanganui the other day we were shown a most singular specimen of a piece of what is supposed to be a large " lawyer vine." This had grown so that with very little trimming it formed an exact representation of a Wellington boot,"the heel, the shape of the foot, and even the calf of the leg being all but perfectly represented. In London, recently, a child 4£ years of age was eboked by a small piece of crust while at tea, the cause of death, according to the medical evidence, being the closing of tho air passages during a fit of laughter while eating. At the inquest the Coroner remarked upon the gross ignorance that prevailed among certain classes of the very simple and certain remedy in such cases, of opening the windpipe by inserting the finger. The work of lengthening and otherwise improving the Oroua Bridge at Awahuri, and the approach to the same at the Palmerston end was expected to be cornDieted to-day. Two additional spans of 40 feet each in length have been constructed, and these are of mucn greater strength than those of the original part of the bridge. The work has been done in a most substantial and workmanlike manner by the contractor, Mr John Aitken, to whom, together with the engineer, Mr Bray, the job altogether does great credit. It is also just to the contractor to mention that so little inconvenience did he give to the travelling ; public that the bridge was only closed for traffic three days.

Tlie consumption ot tobacco in France Inst year amounted to fourteen and a half millions sterling. !he San Francisco City Government has passed a by-law ordering all boys to be at their honies at 9 o'clock at night, under a penalty of arrest and fine. On Tuesday night the Willmott Combination Troupe will re-appear in the Feilding Town Hail. This talented com--1 pany are earning golden opinions in Palmerston and drawing crowded housos. The course to be pursued in the case of Phoebe Veitch, condemned for childmurder, has not yet been brought before the Executive Council to be decided upon, and as His Excellency the Governor is at present in the north this will probably not be done until his return to Wellington. The Oamaru Times states tliat the present season has been the worst for the farmer that has been experienced here for the past ten years. In addition to injury done, farming work has been so much delayed that threshing, ploughing, sowing, &c, would almost of necessity have to be undertaken at the same time. Mr Belfit's " big pig," that we referred to a few days ago, was killed on Wednesday last. The weight ot the pig, without the head and feet, was a little over a quarter of a ton, (5901b5). The length of the pig, when hanging up, from its nose to the hind feet, was 7ft 2in. The he d weighed about 25lbs and the feet 2lbs each. We beg to remind those interested in the formation of a Cheese and Butter Factory for Feilding, that a public meeting will be held in the Town Hall at 8 p.m., on Monday next, to receive and consider the various reports of tt.e subcommittees appointed at the last meeting to canvass the district. Business men are specially invited to attend. The members of the Feilding Brass Band met at Mr Daw's residence last night, and it was resolved to send to Wellington on Monday next for tho first instalment of new instruments, 14 in number, making about 21 with the drums and other instruments already in hand. Mr B. Gosling, junior, was appointed band secretary. A new butcher's cart has just been built by Mr John Belk, of Makino road, for Mr Gichard of Manchester street. It is a very strong and neat piece of workmanship, apparently leaving nothing that could be desired, and altogether does great credit to the builder. Mr Gichard informs us that both the vehicle and its price give him perfect satisfaction. The lecturer on the Salvation Army last night, speaking about committees, said they were often too large. The Rev. C H. Spurgeon evidently believed in very small committees, and had said the best committee was one composed of only three persons, one of whom was too ill to attend, and the other in bed fast asleep. Sparrows, it seems, are becoming quite a nuisance in some parts of the Kiwitea. One settler informs us that he sowed a quantity of wheat on some burnt bush land, and notwithstanding that he had soaked it in a strong sulution of carbolic acid the mischievous birds greedily devoured every grain, without one of them dying from the effects. An Auckland cab-driver is reported to be about to come into the possession of a nice little lump of feathers for his nest, in the shape of £20,000 per annum. It is thought this lucky Jehu may be identical with the one who was fortunate enough to marry some years ago into Colonel Wynyard's family, who, as we have already reported were made so wealthy recently. The Rev. W. Morley was in town yesterday and to-day advocating the claims of the Wesleyan Church Building Loan Fund, towards which a good number of his former friends, as well as other citizens contributed. At the lecture delivered last night by the rev. gentleman, as reported elsewhere, a collection was taken up on behalf of the same subject. A very narrow escape was experienced by a lady driving Mr Macarthur' s carriage yesterday afternoon. A young gentleman was riding on a bicycle, in an opposite direction to the carriage, and the unwonted spectacle terrified the horse which made ineffectual attempts to bolt, but was prevented by the skill and courage of the lady who was driving. After a few wild bounds the horse was got in bands and proceeded quietly.