Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 18, 22 July 1884, Page 2

Local & General News.

A half holiday is being observed iv Wellington to-day. The joint salaries of New Zealand Judges amount to over £7000 per annum. It is estimated thafc 15,000,000 acres still remain in the hands of the M aor s. Over 30,000 girls arc taught needlework in the public schools of New Zealand. Over £70,000 has been spent on British mission work in the New Hebrides. The Owake powder mill, Dunedin, was completely destroyed by an explosion on Saturday last. - The trial at Melbourne of Biddle, the Werribee station master, on a charge of manslaughter in connection with the Little River railway disaster in April last, has resulted in his acquital. Henry Irving says that President Arthur would shine in any society, that he has a large acquaintance wilh the best literature, dramatic and general, is apt afc quotations, an excellent story-teller, a gentleman, and a good fellow. The most polished man in London just now is a merchant. whose wife undertook to bathe him with balsam for rheumatism. After the job was well done, sh» looked at the label of the bottle and found that ifc was furniture polish she had been using. Afc an auction sale the other day a marine view was being knocked dewn at a handsome figure, when a . bluff sailor, who happened to wander in, exclaimed, earnestly, "My stars! if there ain't a vessel drifting on the rocks With a strong breeze blowing off sh ore." .The: artist took his word home to , re-arrange the wind. " • " j At a recent meeting of the watch and ! clockmakers of London. Sir John Bennett, an eminent man mi the trade, acknowledged that unless something .effective was soondone to counteract American and Swiss competition, the British, .article would be extinct in a very few years. The business of making time-keepers in England was in ,a most desperate state of decline. The shipment of hops from Nelson during the month of' June amounted to 365 bules, making- a' total of 725'-bnles since the beginning. of the season. Fully half this quantity (if not more)'' lias been sent to ' England, 200 bales gome Home in one ship, £ . the, Doric, which, left Wellington last week. .....; v .The Wellington Post, in an article on the coining elections, says :— Few people will "regret the exceedingly ;probabl|j substitution of Mr Stout for Mr" .VT. W. Green, and Mr Ballance for Mr Watt. If, as is to be hoped will be j the case, Sir Julius Yogel and Mr Ballance find seats, and possibly Mr Orinond also, then undoubtedly the ranks of the leading members \vill bemuch strengthened. We are glad to find that the report of the Cemetery Comhiittee,' TecOmmendiiig applica* ioii to the oth or local bodicf in the district ..for, assistance ;toward,s" tbe /Jeme.tery. also the laying it off in allotments, and clearing it of scrub, 5 fipx, &c.'i ( has, been adopted by the Council., Tlie clearing ,and otherXjiprovenieri'ts to, the Cemetery havelong been needed, ~and> there- is now sorne. prospect t of 7 God's acre" being put into such a condition as •fco :be hereafter no longer 'that" standing diigrace to -a- civilized community which : it 'has hitherto been." S.ane conversation was held as to whatshbuld be done wish the piece of" bush that stands on : the ground, and the general opinion was that this was rather ornamental.

Sir Julius Vo»el is he'ng opposed in Christchurch by the Rev. Mr Crewes. The parson is expected to run him close. It is twenty years since Major Atkinson first became a member ofa New Zealand Government. Turtle soup is a rarity in New Zealand. Lust year only Lwo turtles were imported j into the Oolony. j At Dunedin. recently, the salt water enclosed in pools by the reclamation works was frozen over. During 1883 nearly 35,000 emigrants sailed from Plymouth for the Australian colonies. It proportion to its population, South Australia has the largest total ot savings ! banks deposits of all the colonies. An outward European mail per the steamship Ruapehu will close at the Feilding post office to-morrow at 7 p.m. Mr Stevens received a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence at Kiwitea on Thursday evening. HX will receive almost a bl ck vote in that quarter. The i iism ance companies are to reduce the rates ia Wellington when the permanence of the Wainui-o-mata water supply is assured. " What is a lake ?" inquired a teacher, and a bright Irish boy raised his hand. " Well, Mickey, what is it?" "Sure its a hole in the kettle, mum." A dynamite plot against tbe Czar has been discovered by the police of Warsaw on the occasion of a visit paid by him to tliat city. A quantity of arms and dynamite was seized. s Mr Amos Burr yesterday laid an information against Mr Donald Fraser and part of Mr Fraser's Committee for alleged breach of the Corrupt Practices' Prevention Act.— Manawatu Daily Times. X Oarlyle's prolific use of words is being discussed. In "Sartor Resartus" alone it is found thafc the vocabulary contains about 7.500 words, whilst the whole of Shakespeare's vocabulary is put down at 15,000 words and that of Miltbn at 7,500. Messrs Summers and Mayhew were the caterers for the supper at the Masonic Ball on last Thursday evening, and gave every satisfaction. This firm has now established a good reputation for undertakings of this kind. To-morrow night a lecture and grand concert will be given in the Foresters' H-ill. Palmerston, in aid of St. Patrick's Church. The lecture will be delivered by the very Rev. Father Le Menant des Chesnai.se, S.M. and is entitled " Social Progress and Universal Suffrage." As the object is one deserving of support we hope to see a full attendance. Three legal gentlemen have given an opinion to the effect that betting on the 1 result of an election .is sufficient to invalidate the votes of those who bet. Those who wish to have any influence at the ballot-box should therefore carefully ab- , stain from betting, and if they have done so they should now. before the election, repudiate the wagers. — Hawke's Bay Herald. We give a reminder of the special election entertainment and ball to take place ; in the Town Hall this evening. The ' musical portion will include some capital ' songs and otlier vocal pieces, while the ' dramatic part,, in which a live pig will form a prominent feature throughout, ; will be one of the most amusing things ever produced on our local stage. The prices are such as to enable all parties to attend. ■ The Kiwitea Road Board has shown that it can appreciate the services of a diligent and valuable officer. Mr Edmund Goodbehere, who has I een the Secretary '■ ■. of the Board since its inception, was voted at the last meeting an increase to the ! allowance made him as Secretary. This I gentleman has not only been coßscien--1 tions in the exercise of his onerous duties j but invariably attentive and courteous to the ratepayers with whom his duties bring him in- contact. '■■■'-■ •■<■ - ! A pound of average . coal ; develdps, ; with perfect combustion, 12,000 units of. heat, which multiplied by 772, the mechanical equivlent'in units of work of one unit of heat, equals 9,264,000 foot pounds of work, representing barely a consumption of ."'one-quarter' pound: of coal per indicated horse-power per hour. The very best engines of .modern times, leaving out only a few exceptional cases, require not less than 2§ pounds of coal -per horse-power, per hour. The average engine use's very much jmore. — Auckland Machinery and Trades Register. It seems, says Truth, as if cricketers on a]l .hands, have- determined tliat the regulation with regard to the wjd h of bats shall be- strictly .•• adhered to. Prior to their innings against Lord Sheffield's eleven, the weapons -of 'the Australians were tested by. the 4|-mch guage, and in most instances they had to be nlaned down IH 'Order to pass through iti. 'Several of the principal-local and suburban clubs have issued notices to their opponents that they will exercise, a rigid scrutiny in this matter ; so that it seems as if a slight, ■ though long-standing, cricket abuse were at last to 1 be rectified.; C . It-Is a .well knpwu.fact that the people of the Manawatu are of a peculiarly musical tune of mind. During the last etwb'months Mr William Park,;the well known importer of Palmerston, has disposed of six pianos and three American organs. "Several others have been sold .".to arrive." As; Mr Park imports direct trom, tjie manufacturers, he is able to offer : 'special inducements ; in the shape : , oft' cheap prices tor the ; best ; instrumen ts 'to buyers. His terms are also remarkably cosy, "and. bring bis 'instruments within, lhe means ofajl sec' ions of the community. We refer our readers to advertisement on our third page.