Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 88, 8 January 1885, Page 2

Local & General News.

A meeting of the Borough Council will take place this evening at 8 o'clock. Tho Feilding Brass Band -will take part in the volunteer church parade on Sunday next. The new Catholic Church is now undergoing the process of painting, &c, and when this is completed, and the Church furnished, it is to be consecrated and formally opened. Tourist (to boy fishing)': " How many fish have you caught, my man ? " Boy : " Oh, I couldn't count 'em." Tourist : ' " Why, you haven't caught any, you little vagabond." Boy : " That's why I can't count 'em." The committee of the Anniversary not being fully prepared with their programme, have decided to let the preliminary advertisement in another column stand till Saturday ,next, when full particulars will appear. A young man, now aged 19 years, who will come into an estate worth nearly £200,000 upon reaching his majority, was lately committed to prison in England for theft. He had previously been twice convicted of the same offence* During the Healtheries Exhibition in London 90,000 New Zealand mutton chops were sold at one restaurant, and " New Zealand Chop Houses " are now being opened in the city and other parts of the metropolis. The smoking in London of tobacco and cigars grown t and manufactured in Wanganui will soon be an accomplished fact, an enterprising tradesman of the latter place having made a trial shipment of these articles, which are said to be of prime quality. We regret to learn that Stanley Beattie, son of Mr James Beattie, met with an accident at a private picnic which was being held at Kiwitea yesterday. While at play he fell over a bank and broke his arm. He was brought home and attended to by Dr Johnston. Considerable stir is being caused relative to the now Impounding Act. Several poundkeepers from other townships have been here during the last few days making enquiries and comparing notes, &c, respecting their duties and certain preliminary requirements of the Act. We are sorry to learn that owing to the wetness of the season the potatoes are rotting in the ground in and around Feilding. If other parts of the country have not been more favored in this respect, we are afraid the " Murphy " will be a dear article next winter. A writer in the Melbourne Spectator speaks thus of Otago : — Whether it be in the climate, or in the character of the first settlers in Otago, or whatever be the cause, one thing is certain — there is far less drinking in this part of New Zealand than in any part of Victoria with which I am acquainted. A clergyman's daughter, looking over the MSS. left by her father in his study, chanced upon the following sentence: "I love to look upon a young man. There is a hidden potency concealed within his breast which charms and pains me." She sat down and blushingly added : " Them's my sentiments exactly, papa — all but the pains." The accused man, William Sheehan, maintains the utmost composure in his confinement at Mount Eden Gaol. He expresses confidence that the fullest investigation will only result in absolving him from any connection wirh the dreadful crime with which he stands charged ; but this remains to be seen. Mr Napier, his counsel, had a lengthy interview with him on Saturday. — Auckland Star. A peculiar affection of the eye seems prevalent at Inglewood, and we hear of several families who are suffering with it. It causes the eyes to become very bloodshot. The same thing has also made its appearance at Waipuku, where a whole family is said to have been attacked. It does not seem to last any time, but in severe cases sight is impaired for two or three days. It is generally attributed to the weather. A good yarn is told of the earlier days of this settlement. A certain well-known contractor had engaged a bushman to assist in squaring some timber. The former is noted for being a great expert !at such work. Both started on a log from different sides. The "boss" finished ' his side, and met his man half way down i the other, notwithstanding the work of • the latter was quite satisfactory. " That I is quite enough for me," said the new hand, " I'll square timber against any man, but I can't stand a devil." Mr W. E. Bradlaugh, brother of the | iconoclast, at one of the highly successful I meetings which he has been holding in Greenock, offered up an earnest petition for the conversion of his brother, and afterwards solicited the prayers of Christians for the same object. He stated that he had a number of friends all over the United Kingdom who are making this a matter of special prayer. He also mentioned several cases of friends and associates of his brother being converted and making a public recantation of their infidelity. We are informed that a fresh action for libel has been commenced by Sir Julius Vogel against the publisher of the New Zealand Times, for the paragraph which appeared in the^ " Summary- for Europe," issued by that journal on Friday last, in which the language used in the telegram of the United Press Association, in relation to the supposed proceedings against .Sir Julius, has been perverted so as to represent the cable message as alleging that Sir Julius Vogel had " misappropriated" certain shares of the Consolidated Telephone Company. The damages in this new case are laid at £10,000. — Post.

The monthly meeting of the Benevolent Society will be held this evening in Bray's office, at 8 o'clock. Messrs Halcombe and Sherwill's stock sale here to-day was well attended. A largo quantity of cattle and sheep were yarded and nearly all the lots passed off at fairly remunerative rates. Mr Young, fruiterer, has received a consignment of pine-apples, pears, plums, damsons, cooking and eating apples, all of prime quality and flavour. A large shark, caught in Melbourne Harbour recently, on being opened, was found to contain a portion of the remains of two men who had been drowned a few days before. Our exchanges of the Manawatu Daily Times have not come to hand very regularly of late. We received one this morning which had been " all the way to Dunedin and back" looking none the worse for its trip. In the libel case of Adams versu 8 Coleridge, which has created a good deal of excitement in London lately, the defendant is the eldest son of th eEnglish Lord Chief Justice. The plaintiff subpoenod his Lordship as a witness, nnd it is said that several leading barristers refused the barrister's brief in consequence of the questions which he insisted should be put to the famous iudge They evidently do not care to tackle the head of their profession. The annual yearling sale of blood stock of the New Zealand Stud and Pedigree Company was held at Auckland last Monday, there being a large attendance of buyers, including the best representation generally of the sporting men of the colony ever assembled there on such an occasion. Every lot of blood and draught stock was sold; total for 23 offered was £3,311, averaging 150 guineas. " My mother says your father has gone into bankruptcy, said one little girl to another. • • What is bankruptcy, Nellie ?' ' " I don't know exactly," replied Nellie, "but 'spects it's something awful nice. Pa used to work awful hard and used to go round in his old clothes ; but since he has gone into bankruptcy, he dresses up every day and doesn t do anything but walk about just like a perfeot gentleman." At the Annual Horse Fair which Messrs Stevens and Gorton will hold at their sale yards, Bulls, to-morrow, a number of valuable animals will be offered, among which we notice three 2 and 3-year-old colts and fillies by Opawa, Kingfisher, and Papapa ; also, the well-known steeplechasers Rambler and Slaughterman. There ought to be a good attendance of buyers, as horse flesh is becoming daily more valuable in consequence of the increasing export trade to Australia and India. With reference to the newly appointed constable for Feilding, the Wanganui Chronicle says : — Constable Meehan, of Wangnnui, takes charge of Feilding, and left Wanganui yesterday morning to commence his new duties. Constable Meehan tins been tor a long time mounted officer in Wanganui, and has gained the goodwill of all with whom he has come in contract. He is a pleasant and painstaking officer, and we have no doubt will make many friends in his new sphere of labour. Replying to a deputation the other day re education question, Mr Stout said that | he was opposed to the abolition of the cumulative vote, and will do hia utmost to oppose it. He also opposes the proposal to bring inspectors under an inspector. He highly approved the idea of giving technical instruction, but he feared the legislature would not stand an increase in the education vote, even for that purpose. He hoped means would be available from secondary endowments to give some technical education, the importance of which could not be overestimated. Monday's Post says: — If proof were wanting of the rapidly increasing importance of Wellington as a port, it could be , found in a glance at the shipping in harbour to-day. Apart from the numerous sailing veseels of all classes, there were no less than 18 steamers alongside the wharves, representing an aggregate net registered tonnage of 11,283 tons. We doubt whether any port in New Zealand has ever before accommodated at the same time such a magnificent mercantile steam fleet. Amongst the steamers may be specially mentioned the direct liners Arawa and Tongariro, certainly two of the finest vessels in Pacific waters, and the Union Company's fine steamers Manapouri, Wakatipu, Hauroto and Botorua. The ocean-going sailing vessels in port, five in number, represented a net tonnage of 4040 tons. There were also a number of small coasting vessels.