Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 52, 14 October 1884, Page 2

Local & General News.

Mr Snelson has declined to stand again for the Mayoralty of Palmerston. The nominations for the Hawke's Bay Guineas, three hundred sots, 1886, for three-year-olds, present yearlings, close to-night at 8 o'clock. Mr Yonng's altered advertisement will appear in our next issue. We observe that Mr Young has been appointed Feilding agae&t for the New Zealand Times and Mail, Mr Fry, of Making will be a candidate for the scat on the Education Board made vacant by the resignation of Mr Snolson. We nope this gentleman will be returned as be wo«ld prove a most excellent member. „ . The announcement that 'a British protectorate will be established over New Guinea, has been fully confirmed. But for the present settlement in the Territory or on the adjacant Islands is prohibited.

Tho well known hurdle racer Tarn O'Shanter Las been brought by Mr Patullo, of Foxton, for £25. Thursday the 16th inst. being the 23rd anniversary of the Bank of New Zealand, will be observed as a holiday by that institution, and all branches and agencies m the colony will be closed on that day. Mr Wardell, the Wellington Resident Magistrate, expressed a decided opinion the other day against plaintiffs in civil cases serving their own summonses, nnd said that the practice must be discontinued. The objects of the Meridian Conference at present sitting will probably bo rendered fruitless in consequence of the French representatives opposing the ! acceptance of Greenwich as the standard j meridian. The ship Maryborough. 1124 tons, Herd, master, arrived on Sunday last at Port Chalmers after a rough passage of 84 days. She was much overladen having 1.600 tons of cargo, so her deck cargo was washed overboard. Bishop Henry G. Potter proposes that every clergyman whose salary in £600 or upwards shall contribute an annual percentage to increase the income of clergymon who receive loss than £"2<K). The plan is WHrmly endorsed by the poor clergy. We are requested by the Borough Kngineer to state, for the information of inteudiug contractors, that the plans and specifications for the new Wartvick street bridge will be roruly for inspection at tho Borough Couucil offices on Thursday next. Subscription lists for the Benevolent Society have boon laid on the counters of the two local banks and the post office. It is a pleasure to observe that in no case has a contribution been refused, nnd thnt consequently this very excellent society will sooa be placed in ample funds. Wo understand that, tho bridges over the Makmo in Warrick nnd Manchester streets will be commenced forthwith, the Warrick street bridge having the prior claim be erected, that in. Manchester street next. Tho latter will be the full width of the street. "Armadalp" informs us that tho third Grand Drawing ©n the Hamburgh principle 13 rapidly tilling. Ail Lhoso who , are desirous of securing tickets should Jo so at once to prevent disappointment. The drawing will take place iu a very short iinio. A cyclone of unusual force pissed over tho island of SiciJy on Tuesday the 7th inst., and did an enormous amount of damage. Its effects were felt most severely at Catalonia, on the East Coast and hundreds of its inhabitants have been killed and wounded. J As bearing on the question of drainage Remington, chairman of the Bulls Town Board, has ic formed an exchange that ; the littlo bit of drainage done in Bulls cost £'800 and the stench arising from the drain there is abominable, owing to the want of water to flush the drain. As will he seen from our report of the Feilding School Committee meeting held last evening, the committee havo, in consequence of much irregular attendance, and tho fact that many children who ought to attend the school do not do uo, resolved to enforce the compulsory clauses of the Education Act. The Abyssinian well which Mr Pollock has just had sunk on his place in Manchester street is a success. The pipe has been driven to a depth of 24 feet, which gives an abundance of water. This is, we believe, the first Abyssinian well that has been sunk in Feilding, but we should not be surprised if there will be many more. A Victorian grocer was fined £25 the other day for selling hop bitters, he not being the holder of a wine and spirit license. The evidence showed that hop bitters paid the same dnty as whisky or brandy, and that, while beer contained from 3 to 7 per cent, of nlcohol, light wines 8 to 10 per cent., the bitters contained 12 to 14 per cent. The Press is not hopeful of oar ever being able to obtain the services of an entirely unpaid Parliament, bat thinks that if it could be secured we should have a much better House, and the business of the country would be much more carefully done, and the interests of all classes in the community more studiously conserved. It is not quite four months ago since a resident of Feilding indented for some books through Mr Carthew, from Kngland. The volumes arrived in town today and were promptly delivered. Many of cur readers may not be aware that Mr Carthew will undertake to include the smallest item in his monthly order for Home, but such is the case and many of his clients have already found this a great convenience. Later intelligence from Formosa shows that the report |of the occupation of Tnmsui by Admiral Lespes is incorrect. The town is still in the possession of the Chinese troops, and the French dombardment is continued daily. The local forces are strongly entrenched in the neighbourhood of Tamsui, and all efforts to diHlodgo them have as yet : proved unavailing. More than 100 tons of human hair are annually brought and sold. Four ounces is an average clipping from a human head, so that 100 tons represent the product of from 800,000 to 1,000,000 heads. In Europe the heads of female j criminals are shorn, and they supply a large market, but the greater part ii bought by travelling pedlars. Between the ages of fifteen and forty a woman can grow about seven crops of hair. The London Standard has published the following as the Government scheme of redistribution :— The bill assigns to the English Counties, 231 members; boroughs, 229 members; Welsh counties. 18 members; boroughs, 12 members; Scotch counties, 36 members ; borough*, 32 members, Ireland -Irish counties, 2 members for each ; and all boroughs whose population are under l",000 will be merged into the counties. The City of London will be merged into the counties. The City of London will be represented by one member to erery 80,000 inhabitants. A petition from the Manawatu Road Board, praying that the Welling* on College Reserves Confirmation Bill be not passed,' was recently presented to the House by Mr Macarthur. This Bill, which, after careful enquiry, has panned through the Local Bills Committee of the Council, with verbal amendments, cam<v on for second reading in the Council, when Mr G. M'Lean snid. the Mayor and Councillors of Palmerston North j wished to oppose the Bill and to be. heard, against it before a committee. Messrs Dignna, Ackland, and Bnrhicoafc said the matter had already been fully enquired into, and it was no use sending the Bill back. The second reading was agreed to, on the understanding tbat its opponents could petition against it.

The Foxton Harbour Board are haying a telephone erected. Messrs Watts and Bilderbeck, contractors, are at present engaged in the erection of a commodious residence for Mr D. Younger at the junction of Derby and Eyre streets. The Maori King has expressed a deep desire to join the Salvation Army. Ho would have been enrolled and made a captain at once but for one little difficulty . He makes it a distinct condition that no shall be allowed to play the big drum. Tho general has heard him play in private, and has been reluctantly compelled to decline the honour. He is afraid the services would be the drum, the big drum and nothing but the drum. We learn that Miss Diamond, formerly a pupil and now a cadet in the Feilding Public School, will in all probability soon be promoted. It being found necessary to appoint an assistant female teacher to the Makino School, Miss Diamond has beon nominated for the position by Mr Dowling, on the recommendation of tho inspector, Mr Voreker Bindon, and there i is little doubt of the Board confirming the appointment. Tho salary attaching to the position is £20 per uuuuui. The great American Hop Bitters Company, who have started a branch house in Melbourne, are again to the front, this time with grandest prize over offered in the Colonies for Fire Brigade competition. The cup is to be competed for at the United Fire Brigades' Demonstration to be held at Ballarat in 1885. Below are tho conditions under which said j prize will be compefcod for: — The American Hop Bitters Manufacturing Company's Sterling Silver Cup (guaranteed vaiue, £100) — This cup must be twice (not necessarily twice in succession) ' by a brigade to becomo tho property of that brigade. A brigade that wins tho cup shall have its name and the year in which it was won inscribed thereon. The Hop Bitters Company also guarantee to give eight gold medals, value £25 each, to each team that wins the cup until it is finally won. Tho Demonstration is under tho patronage of His Excellency the Govornor, Sir Henry Brougham Loch, K.C.8., and promises to be the most successful one ever held in tho Colony.