Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 2, 14 June 1883, Page 2

Local & General News.

The Ftilding Borough Council meet to-night, at the Council Chambers, at 8 o'clock. The death of a child from blood-poison-ing, caused by the scratch of a cat, is reported by the Newcastle Chronicle. Encouraged by the success which attended his coronation at Moscow, the Czar had made preparations for a triumphal entry into St. Petersburg. Later events have, however, induced the Czar to forego his original iutention.

The English Mail, via San Francisco, will close here to-morrow afternoon.

The frontages of London beer shops measure 73 miles in the aggregate.

Wattles are to be planted alongside all the Victorian Railway Lines.

Ihere was a slight shock of earthquake felt here yesterday morning, at about 4.50 a.m.

The question of forming and metalling Warwick -street will be brought before the Council this evening.

We again remind our readers of the entertainment at Taonui to-morrow in aid of the school prize fund.

Mr A I kins, of the firm of Atkins and Clere, Wanganni, is engaged in taking the levels for the Bulls Tramway.

A report by the French Minister of Public Works states that the mileage of French Railways on Jan. Ist, 1883, was 17,870 miles, of which 779 miles were constructed during 1882

Plans and specifications are now in course of preparation by the Borough Engineer for protective works for the Kiwitea Stream. The Public Works t'ommittee will probably order the work to be tendered for after the next meeting of the Council.

The distress in the Western Highlands has attained an appalling magnitude. Dr Cameron stated in the House of Commons that in Lewis alone 12.000 persons were in absolute want, and in Skye, Harris, and TJist it is estimated there are 3000 more.

Two horses were "smashed" by the train from Foxton on Tuesday evening. One was killed outright, and the other 'ived until yesterday morning, with a large portion of its brain protruding. Tt was put out of its misery by one of the platelayers, and the carcasses buried.

The Government has gone back, on the Wellington Eailway Line, to the old system of return tickets, and it is more than probable the old plan will be reverted to on the Manawalu-Wanganui Line. Southern papers say that the system of return tickets was abolished simply to annoy the public.

It has been suggested (says the Hawera Star) that the New Plymouth temperance folk made a mistake in presenting a silver inkstand to Sir W. Fox ; it should have been a water-jug. The worthy knight is generally believed to abandon temperance principles when he wields pen or wags tongue in the political world.

The Borough maintenance man has deepened the channel of the Makino Stream, near the Manchester - street bridge, which is certainly a great improvement, aa it prevents the ordinary current from further damaging the already undermined embankments. The Council will soon have to give their serious attention to the state of the embankments.

The Feilding Public Library was opened from 7 to 8 p.m. on Saturday night last in accordance with a resolution passed by the Council at its last meeting. Not a single applicant for books put in an appearance. It is charitable to suppose that sufficient publicity had not been given of the concession, and that wou d be students were ignorant of the increased facilities offt-red them.

Several farmers in Canterbury have prevented their sown grain from being devoured by birds by mixing coal-tar with it to the extent of one pint of tar to eight bushels of grain. It is stated to be so effectual that no birds will touch the grain so treated, nor even interfere with, it after it has germinated. It is said to be suited to any kind of grain, and that a little sand mked with the seed prevents it sticking in the drill.

In spite of threats which have been made against him by Irish agitators, James Carey, the principal informer in the Phoenix Park prosecutions, has announced his intention of offering himself as a candidate for a seat in the Corporation of Dublin, from which he was recently expelled. In view of the agitation which a Municipal contest might give rise to, the Government insist upon Carey leaving the British Isles as soon as may be convenient to the authorities.

We call attention to the auction sale of fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, roses, &c, which takes place on Saturday afternoon next at Messrs Halcombe and Sherwiil's sale rooms. The plants are from the nursery of Mr Hall, and having inspected them we can testify to their healthy and vigorous appearance. Those who are desirous of stocking their gardens and orchards with really good trees of some of the best varieties will do well to attend the sale, which takes place at 2

o'clock. The Wansanui Herald says: — Mr Montgomery's is, beyond all doubt, the ablest speech delivered during the recess, and fully entitles him to the leadership of his party. The Punedin Morning Herald remarks on it:-"Powerful without being coarse, logically augumentive and spirited, this speech of Mr M ontgomery's does more to justify his claims to the leadership of the Opposition than anything he had previously said or done." If this dictim is accepted by the Grey faction, there is every probability of a lively session after all, and the hopes of Major Atkinson for a season of political rest will be blasted.

Heavy snow fell ia Upper Kiwitea on Monday last.

The United States gulped down 95,000,000 gallons of beer in 1881.

The ship M. A. Dovan recently brought 86 ostriches alive to Adelaide, from Africa, and lost 38 during the voyage.

We beg to intimate to our readers that Hubbard's Newspaper and Banking Directory of the World can be inspected at the office of the " Stab."

In Gilmore's Opera House, Springfield, Mass., a man named Dowd lifted 1442J lbs of iron, which is the greatest hand lift ever made in the world.

The sale of a block of land containing 600 acres, near Aorangi, by the Parewanui natives to Mr C. Bull, was completed on Tuesday last.

The Auckland Agricultural Company is cutting up blocks, containing some 40,000 acres, into suitable sized sections for intending settlers. Mr Thomas Russell has undertaken to float them in the market at Home on his return.

A meeting of the Sandon Farmers Club was held on Saturday last. After some routine business, the ploughing match committee appointed a sub-com-mittee to obtain a suitable piece of ground. The match will come off sometime between July and September.

His Grace the Duke of Norfolk. ti>e premier duke of England, tried to enter Palace yard, London, during the Bradlaugh demonstration at the opening of Parliament, but was prevented by a policeman, who didn't recognise him. In vain the duke revealed his august dignity. " You a peer ?" cried the guardian of the law ; "you're no peer; you're a Bradlaughite." And the duke had to give it up as a bad job.

We beg to draw attention of the Public Works Committee to the condition of Manchester-street opposite the Denbigh Hotel. There is a dip alongside the road presumably for the purpose of allowing surface «rater to drain off. This has been filled up with gravel in such a manner as to prevent the water escaping. A half an hour's work done by the Borough maintenance man would suffice to remove the superfluous drainage and make the place passable so as to enable persons to cross dryshod.

The following dialogue took place in the course of the cross-examination of a witness, and caused considerable amusement in the R.M. Court yesterday :—" How much land have you ever cleared of scrub P" "As little as possible." "What would you like to have per acre for such land as that described ?" "As much as ever I could get." "Where are you working at the present time ?" "I am working for myself at home, and wish I was there now ; it's better than being here, I assure you." The witness was not asked if he could swear to the truthfulness of the latter remark.