Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 111, 2 June 1883, Page 2

Local & General News.

We have to acknowledge receipt of The British Mail for April 2nd. The Hon. John Bryce was a passenger by train last night en route for Wellington. A meeting was held to-day at Sanson to arrange a programme for a plouging match. Dr Lighlbourne has taken up his residence in Eyre street, near the police station. A Masonic Hall is about to be erected at Bulls. Contracts have been let and work will be commenced at once. The railway bridge over the Rangitikei River at Kakariki will be completed early in July. Bro C W. McLean has been elected W.M. of the Rangitikei Masonic Lodge, E.C The installation will take place on St. John's Day. It is much to be regretted that several burgesses whose presence and votes would have been of material assistance to the loan question, are unavoidably absent from Feilding to-day. On Saturday next a football match will be played between the Halcombe and Feilding teams. We will publish the names of the various players in our next issue. A cure for distemper in dogs is turpeth mineral, administered in small doses of say sufficient to cover a coin the size of a sixpence. If vomiting does not ensue, repeat tho dose. Any chemist j can supply it.

The Manchester school at Bunnythorpe is now finished. Mr M unro, of Palmerston, was the contractor, and he has made a good job of it. Mr F. de J. Clere, the architect for the Board passed the building yesterday.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company have received the following telegram, dated London, 29th May : — The wool market is unchanged. The sales progress firmly, and up to date 92,000 bales have been sold.

A valuable stack of wheat on Mr A. Brookie's farm, Parawanui. was destroyed by fire yesterday while being threshed. Some sparks from the engine ignited the same, and all efforts to stay the flames were futile. The stack was not insured. The stack was valued at £40. A gale of wind was blowing at the time.

A man named Michael Donovan was brought into Blenheim on Thursday from the Wairan Valley with his throat badly gashed, and his windpipe partly severed. He had been drinking heavily, and is believed to be suffering from delirium tremens. He had apparently, from the jagged appearance of his wound, tried to cut his throat on a barbed wire fence. The head too was badly battered, which is believed he did himself with a stone. It is thought, however, that he will recover.

A novel but silly method of trying to raise a scare is being adopted at Home. Several ladies of high standing, among them the wife of the Home Secretary, have received anonymous letters, enclosing pieces of blanket, which the senders state have been taken from the bed clothing of a small pox patient. The affair is not regarded as a serious attempt to spread infection, but a foolish aad malicious one to alarm the parties to whom the missives are addressed.

An instance of an abuse of the nominated immigration system has been laid bare by the Hawke's Bay Herald. The wife of a Hawke's Bay resident went to England some months ago to receive a small legacy to which she was entitled. Her husband " nominated " her, and she came out as an assisted immigrant in the ship Rangitikei. [We know of a resident in Wellington, who, though possessing considerable property, went home to the Old Country, married a buxom widow with several grownup children, and came out to the colony as- " free immigrants !" There's no guaging the meanness of some people.]

Yesterday morning a horse belonging to Mr Page, attached to a dray, was standing near Chamberlain's mill, and seeing the rather novel sight of Mr Williams' photographic apparatus at once bolted down the Kimbolton road. When near Gordon's blacksm th shop, Mr George Dear, of Campbelltown, who happened to be at hand on horseback, at once started off in pursuit, and with great pluck and presence of mind leaned over and caught hold of the reins of the runaway horse, and succeeded : at last in pulling him up just before reaching the Makino bridge. Great credit is due to Mr Dear for his action, which probably prevented auy further disaster.

A slight shock of earthquake, accompanied by a loud rumbling noise, was felt about 4 o'clock on Thursday afternoon at , Wanganui. Mr Peter Bartholomew and family returned from their trip to Wellington last ! night. We understand that Mr Bartho- i lomew is well satisfied with the results of his mission. The Chicago Times suggests, as a proper telegram from the Czar of Russia to i Lady F. Dixie, the folowing — " I con- j gratulate you upon your fortunate es- ' cape. Please tell me where you buy your corsets." A frightful tragedy is reported lrom Brescia, Lombardy. A madman under observation in the hospital managed to release himself from the strait waistcoat I in which he was confined, and before he could be secured killed two patients, and mortally wounded four others. A naval pension of £50 per annum has fallen vacant by the death, in his 80th year, of Capatin D- Craigie, CB., R.N. The deceased veteran had seen much active service, having been engaged in the operations in New Zealand in 1845, and in the Crimean War. We understand the members of the Church of Eugland intend to give an entertainment shortly in aid of the Church Sunday School Fund. We can only say that if it be as good as the one given by the same body last winter, the promoters need have no fear of the result. The interview of Messrs Macarthur and Bartholomew with the Minister for Public Works, in Wellington, was so far satisfactory that a number of promises were made, to be fulfilled conditionally. It is needless to say that the Hon Walter Johnston will not respond to the invitation of the Feilding electors to address, them before the meeting of Parliament.

We notice that the building of the teucher's residence at the Makino road school is fast progressing towards completion. When finished it will be a great convenience to the teacher as well as an acquisition to the appearance of the locality. The school house and residence are both being painted and other improvements made to the property.

Unusual evidence as the joyousness of the occasion is contained in a marriage announcement which appears in the Mecklenburg Gazette. The notice runs thus : "We have the honour t>> announce the marriage of our daughter Louise with Mr Noteman, of Berlin-Schwerin, Jan. Bth, 1883.— H. Mailer and Wife.— She was the last of half a dozen ,* the Lord be praised.

Some rather amusing incidents happened with reference to the voting for the loan to-day. One or two ratepayers innocently came to our office to record their votes in favor of the loan. One good lady, very anxious for the proposal to be carried, applied at the polling booth to know if she could give her vote instead of her husband, who was at work in the bush. She strongly insisted that she was by far the better half, a point fully conceded by the returning officer and poll clerk, but she was told to wait till the new Act came into force. She manifested great anxiety to know when that would be, and was informed of the great improbability of its taking place before the close of the poll.

The Post says :«— The Americans have built a steamer which they hope will cross the Atlantic in five days. She has extra powerful machinery, and is dome-decked, so that if launched upside down, whether light or loaded, she will right herself in the water. She is the first dome-deck vessel ever built thus from stem to stern, and her covering is as strong as her sides, the spans being unbroken. In fact, every arch in her is oue unbroken span. Some idea of her shape can be got by cutting in two the ordinary spinning top. It is proposed to build steamers after this model for ocean travel that will carry 4000 tons of freight, 600 first-class pas* sengers, 2000 steerage passengers, and 500 ions of mail and express matter.