Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 8, 19 January 1884, Page 2

Local & General News.

The Feilding Stab will not be published on Tuesday next that being Anniversary day. Large quantities of butter are now exported from Hawera to the West Coast of the other Island. A malch will be fired between teams of the Wanganui Rifles, and the Marton Royal Rifles, on Tuesday, the 29th of January. Mr Maxwell, the General Manager of Railways, is en an official visit of inspection of the North Island lines. He was m Wanganui yesterday. We have to acknowledge receipt of a complimentary ticket of admission from the secretary of the Foxton Racing Club, for the 22nd instant. The New Zealand Shipping Company's new stenmer Aoranci, Captain Turpin, arrived in Wellington from Lond n, via Tenereffe snd Hobart, at 5.30 0n Thursday evening Her passage, which occupied 45 'days, including detentions, has been uneventful. For several issues an advertisement has appeared in the Stab stating that contributions would be received for putting the cemetery grounds and approaches in decent order.- Aa this was done at the request of persons wno promised to forward subscriptions, we are a ' Uttle surprised not to have heard from any of them. A meeting in connection with the • twenty-first anniversary celebration of < of the Church of England Temperance took place recently in Exeter " Hall, where Canon Ellison presided Over a public conference of Jthe Women's Uuion. The evils of grocers' and shopkeepers' licences was the subject considered, and a resolution was carried declaring these to be a fertile source of intemperance and degradation amongst womeA... A ' ..■ yA AY

A lunar rainbow was distinctly visible here in the north western sky, shortly after 11 o'clock, on Thursday evening last. The American railways are now using the new standard time ; |setting their clocks by the 75th, 90th. and 105 th meridians west of Greenwich, so that the variation will be by hours. 't he Speaker's warrant for the issue of a new writ for the Selwyn district has I not yet been received by the Clerk of the ! Writs, at Wellington. It would probably come to hand to-day. We understand the Town Hall will be superbly decorated on the occasion of the Concert and Ball on Tuesday evening next, the members of the Feilding Town Band having volunteered to constitute themselves a decorating committee. The Napier Telegraph says : — Mr Mason, a Sydney timber merchant, last year sold five million feet of New Zealand kauri pine. Sydney's white ant don't tackle the kauri, hence the reason of the article's popularity in that capital. The s.s. Napier went ashore at the south spit of the Rangttikei River yesterday, she is making a good 'deal of water. She is insured for £2250, and Captain Bendall, of the Underwriter's Association is now examining her condition. We have to acknowledge receipt of the January number of the Industrial Gazette, which contains its customary amount of interesting and instructive matter. We notice that the date of publication is altered from the 3rd to the 15th of the month. Mr Newman has hnnded us an illustrated price list *>f the world-renowned fireworks ef C. T. Brock and Co., tbe celebrated Crystal Palace pyrotechnists. Mr Newman has been appointed their age: t in the Colony, particularsjof which will be duly advertised. A cricket match Feilding v. Palmerston, will'Jbe played here on Saturday next. Following is the Feildiug team :— Nix, Sherwill, Roe, Fearon, Stevens, Bartholomew, Fowles, Jackson. Taunt, Thompson, and Hudson. Emergency men, Rowley and Fitzherbert. Wickets will be pitched at 10.30. We learn from the Advocate that Mr Rochfort was in Marton on Thursday last. He reports in the highest possible terms of the central railway route, and is of opinion that no other has a chance of competing against it. We understand that the Native Minister has similar views. Mr Rechtort will shortly examine the Feilding route. The *' Orphans " will appear in the Town Hall on Wednesday, the 23rd instant, and give their popular Christy Entertainment which is a melange of music, step dancing, Ac, Ac. Although the day is unfortunately chosen for their first •' appearance in Feilding, it being that immeditely following the anniversary fete, yet we hope they will^receive a good share of the patronage of the fun loving public. Some cowboys on the evening of the 24th November attacked an express tram on the Southern Pacific Railway, near Cv minings, Arizona. Tbey shifted the rails by moving the plates, and thus wrecked the train. Having ired a volley into the locomotive and kil led the driver, they robbed the train, taking 700 dols. from the express safe, but got little furthe r booty. They than decamped. Troops were at once sent in pursuit. We are glad to observe by advertisement that the Manchester Rifle Volunteers will parade for inspection hy Major Stapp, on Thursday, the 7th February, at 7 p.m., or should the weather prove unfavorable, on the Thursday following (14th instant) at the same hour. It is probable that Captain Lethbridge will call a company parade before that date in order to prepare for the visit of the Major Commanding the District. A gang of robbers of the- Mexican National Railway in November last, at the new boundary of New Leon, contrived to throw a passenger train from the track, killing the stoker and wounding the driver. They then attacked the train, and compelled the guard to try to open the express safe, which he was, however, nnable to do. They then robbed the train of B,ooodols. in bullion, and decamped. The Mexican troops afterwards arrived on the spot, but too late for the protection of the passengers. At a meeting of the Wanganni Naval Artillery held on Wednesday evening last we learn from the Herald : It was decided, on the motion of Lieutenant Cross, that a card be issued to each member, specifying the number of parades { for the year, and the dates. Captain Abbot - intimated that in future the imposition I of a fine for non-attendance at parades without leave ef absence would be strictly j enforced. This is a rule which tho Manchester Rifles might adopt with ad* , vantage. Mr Noah McFnrland, Chief Commissioner of the United States General Land Office, in his annual report to Congress for the past fiscal year, states that 19,030,796 acres of pnblie land have been disposed of daring the twelve months, as well as 399,235 acres of Indian lands, showing an increase over 1882 of ,5.120.866 acres, and over 1881 of 8,636,636 • acres. The totals of the sums paid into the public Treasury on this account were 11.713,883 dols., or 3,319.367 dols. more than in 1882 and «,305,079 dols more than in 1881. A larg<* quantity of the land was sold to railway companies, and during the year 1,210 miles of njew lines running through public property were opened. Tlie total length of the railways nojv constructed on State lands is now 17^-9 miles. A A...