Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 41, 8 September 1883, Page 2

Local & General News.

The New premises of the-Btmk of New Zealand at Woodville are rapidly approaching completion. Yesterday a prominent Manawatu settler, by way of showing his appreciation of the soundness of (he Wellington Meat Preserving and Freezing Company, invested £1000 in it. The main road known as the TaipoAwahuri is in a dreadful state. A mile beyond Awahuri it is necessary to kneel upon the saddle to pass through mud sffc deep. The Carnarvon-Sanson Highway Board should see to this. It is perhaps not generally known that the peach was orgiually a prison us almond and was used for poisoning arrows. Transplantation and cultiration have not only removed its deadly qualities, but produced the delicious and wholesome fruit we now enjoy. Messrs Dalgefy and Co., Dunedin, have received cable advices from America staling that the growing tobacco crop has been seriously damaged, and that, owing to the bad prospects of the crop and the short supply of lait season, prices of leaf had advanced 6 cents per lb in the States. There is a man living in the nineteenth century, and in the Orou.t Coun'.y too, who says it is the " opinion" of scientific men that the moon only reflects the light of the sun, but lie firmly believes it is a "light" in itself, notwithstanding that almost every child attending an elumentary ( ,chool knows better. The good people of Woodvilie are to be congratulated on the manner in which they go to work, where the own interests are concerned. The Cheese and Butter Factory Company which was only proposed to be formed there a few wer-.ks ago, has so far advance! that the timber for the necessary buildings, is now being put on the ground selected fora site. "We notice by a recent Melbourne exchange that Bizet's famous opera of "Carmen" is being reproduced in Melbourne (in the original) by a powerful opera company. This opera caused quite a furore on its first presentation in Europe, and its rendition in Wellington, somn time since (English version), established it as a firm favorite with opera goers. Amongst the company now.playing in Melbourne apppar the well-known names of Miss Martina Simonson, and Signors Paladini and Verdi. A piteous plight was that of a passenger by Thursday's coach, not without its ludicrous side, especially to the apprecitive onlookers.. His portmanteau contained a hand some übaro'ractpr. When heads were safely above water he grabbed for it and fished out 5 '{he 1 aner>id, which was full of the salt, salt, sea. .Gazing hopefully at its face, the passengers were damped by finding it indicated " very wet," but when baled out ifc rapidly pointed , to" change" (supposed to meau for the better). ' They were, however, bewildered by* its rapid variations, and with usual perversity it pulled up at " fery diy," where it has ever si.ice Ti>- ' mainud fast.

The Governor of Algeria has issued an order prohibiting the usual pilgrimage to Mecca this jear, on account of cholera in Egypt. Among the numerous written recommendations of the accepted candidate for the Feilding [School, it was specially mentioned that he was a married man. This settled the matter. A horse thief, in an Arkansas prison, objects to having a Presbyterian chaplain in that institution. He says that he has been raised a Methodist, and wishes to remain in the faith of his fnthers. A return laid on the table of the House yesterday shows that from the Ist July, 1882, to 30th June, ISS3, there were 70 persons drowned in New Zealand rivers, making a total of 2058 since the year ISiO. The new law deprives the French, army of the services of the sous of Prince Napoleon. Tiie Princes Victor and Louis will enter the Italian service. The elder brother will be attached to the staif of King Humbert. " What makes Mr Whitaker so politically distrusted is," says the Lyttekon Times, " that he caunot be straightforward, even when straightforwardness would pay better than finessing. lie must always have a card up his sleeve, even though it be tlie most valueless in the pick." On Tuesday next a grand temperance demonstration and procession, headed by the PiUmerston town baud is to bo held ab Sanson. Among the leaders of the temperance movement who will take part are Sir W. Eox, Mr H. Sanson and others, and at the close a lecture is to be delivered by Sir William. During the Dargaville Inquiry Committee, evidence was given that a sum of £3:30,000 belonging to the Insurance Department, had been deposited in the Bank of New Zealand for a period of two years at a very low rate of interest. This is considered to b? a triumph for Mr Dargaville by his sympathisers, In addition to a coinage of its own Borneo ha» now a postage system. A two cent postage stamp, just issued by the authorities, is described as a departure) from the usual style of postage stamp design. It has a lion at the head, beneath which is a Malay prahu in full suil. The premature death of " Uncle Tom" at ninety-six reminds Figaro of the story of the old Scotchwoman of about the same age who was sitting by the deathbed' of her son, aged seventy years, and who was visited by another ancient dame. "It waur very sad indeed," sxclaimed she ; " I always told ye you could never rear the poor laddie." We are sorry to find that there are in Feilding some light fingers to which nothing will come amiss if we may judge from the fact that a night or two since four tongu'jd-and-groore.l boards, above 16 feet long, were abstracted from the new building of Mr Fowles, now in course of erection in Manchester street. The party who took them away is now " wanted," in order that his acquaintance with the Eesident Magistrate may be negociated. ' The following case of retaliation for "Justices' justice" is mentioned in an English paper: — " A woman, living at East Grinstead, had been summoned before the Justices for selling beer without a license, and, in default of payment of a fine of £12 ]os, had been sentenced to a month's imprisonment with hard labour. But the magistrates have no power to inflict hard labour in such cases, and tne conviction was subsequently quashed, after the woman bad served a portion of the sentence. Not being of a forgiving disposition, she used her recovered liberty to bring an action against the Justices for false imprisonment, and a jury subsequently awarded her £'150 damages."