Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 99, 5 February 1885, Page 2

Local & General News.

Wn have to acknowledge receipt of the British Mail, dated December 2nd. As will be soon by a notice elsewhere the Armadale sweep will be drawn on or about the loth inst. There are still a few tickets for disposal. On Monday last a man named Boui-ke, a brewer at Hawera, was arrested for having in his possession illicitly-distilled whiskey.

The annual income <f the Times newsp/iper from advertisements aloue is said to exceed L400.000. A number of recruits to tho Manchester Rifles, who were enrolled last month, will fall in on parade this ovoning. A man's curiosity never reaehes the female standard until someone tells him ■ hia name was in yesterday's paper. | A gymnasium is about to be attached to the Wanganui public school. This is an example which might well be followed in Peilding. A. Or. Spratt, who attempted suicido in Wellington some time ago, has been bound over in one surety of £100 to keep tho peace for three months. j It has been decided in Wellington that tho head of a firm or master can inflict corporal punishment on an apprentice, in tho case of misbohaviour. A petition to the Defence Ministor, asking for an enquiry into the case of Constable Gillespio, now lies at Mr Car- • ! thew's for the signatures of the Feilding people. Mr Ellery Gilbert is at present in Feilding. II will probably go on to Pal- j merston to-day. Any letters or communications left at the Star office will be forwarded on. . . Tho members of the Manchester Eifie Volunteers are reminded of tho Govern- ' ment inspection and muster parade to take place in the Town Hall this evening at 6.30 sharp, weather permitting. We must apologise to our subscribers on the Awahuri road for the non-delivery of their papers on Tuesday last. An accident occurred which made one of our horses useless. The best crop of wheat in the whole of this district is to be seen on Messrs Forgusson and Dundas' farm at Mingaroa, Kakariki. It is admirably sheltered, so has escaped injury from the bad weather. A number of Feilding folk who wero en route for the Wellington races by the favorite steamer Jane Douglas, wore detained in Foxton yesterday, owing to the bad weather preventing that steamer getting over the bar. Members of tho Feilding Jockey Clnb arc reminded of the general meeting^ of the club which takes place at the Feilding Hotel this evening at 8 o'clock. The business will be — receiving a report, arranging programme, and elocting officees. The Advocate says — Mr Macarthur is decidedly the best representative Manawatu has ever had, and we feel sure that tho electors will not only give him a pationt hearing, but will accord him hearty thanks for his valuable services to tho constituency. The "monkey" ordered by the Borough Council, and which weighs about half a ton, has arrived. The pile-driver, which is necossary for the working of the monkey, has just been manufactured in a very substantial and satisfactory manner by Mr Bilderbock.

The Church of England " Mission" in Wanganui just now is not looked upon too favorably by old churchmen. Correspondence in both Wanganui papers exhibits doubt as to the usefulness or oven necessity of a " revival" of a sensational character.

Messrs Stevens and Gorton announce that they will sell at the borough sale yards, Palmorston, on Tuesday, the 10th instant, a large number of great and small cittlc. Among the lots we observe some pure-bred Eomney Marsh rams and ewes, bred by the late Major Willis, and Messrs Riddiford Bros.

Tho weather, which had put on threatening aspects for some days past, took a decided change on Tuesday afternoon, when heavy showers of rain camo on. These continued at intervals during the night, accompanied by heavy gusts of wind, and thunder and lightening. Harvesting operations have been suspended altogether.

As showing tho importance of the boet sugar industry, it is stated in a Home journal that the total value of the sugar imported into Great Britain during the year 1883 was £25,000,000. Of -this amount no less than £13,000,000 was paid to Continental producers of beet sugar. If this amount were paid to Home producers it is said it would pay wages to 50,000 persons now out of employment.

The work now being carried on in Kimbolton road and Manchester Square will bo one of the largest yet carried out in the Borough. The formation work and filling in of the ditch included in the first-named contract is necessitating the shifting of vast quantities of earth. And when this part of the work is finished, the second contract, viz., that of metalling the road, will involve the carting of about 2,850 leads of metal. The London correspondent of the Auckland Star contributes the following memo. "An article of a most gloomy and damaging character has appeared in the Scotsman about the New Zealand frozen mutton trade. This is very likely, and easily accounted for. In Scotland the mutton made from sheep frozen to death in the snow drifts is called "bracksey" mutton, and although eaten with avidity, is not held in high esteem by the better classes. If the frozen mutton from this colony is confused with the " bracksey" mutton of " the land of the mountain and flood" the " gloom" is explained. A dark skinned daughter of tho soil went into one of our local emporiums a day or two ago and asked to look at a dross. She was shown one, wkich she insisted on trying on there and then. A lady, who happenod to be in the shop, kindly assisted her in fitting on the. garment. "Kapai," exclaimed the dusky one, " that look nice ; mo no take off ; how much ? me pay you now." The money was paid, and the customer went proudly away, considerably more than contented with her bargain. This would be a happy world if such cases of mutual satisfaction were tho rule rather than the exception. Since we called attention some time back to the desirableness of the ratepayers taking a warmer interest for themselves m Borough affairs, we have noticed a considerable increase in their attendance at the meetings of the Borough Council. For a long time, whether from sheer apathy or from a want of thorough understanding that tho meetings were open to the public, scjip^ely anyone but the,members of the Council and of the Press wero ever present. Now, however, it is usual to see a good muster of the burgesses at the meetings, and showing a lively interest in all. that is going on. It has also been particularly noticed that their presence has the effect, r without in the least destroying the independence of the Councillors, of putting a salutary' check upon ! the occasional irrelevance of some of the speakers, and the transactions of the Council have of late been more in accordance with stri ;t parliamentary rulos^ and have shown so no of tha-character of real business. All this is a h'eaithy sigh,; and j is beneficial to all the parties interested. i

We hear that a, number of tho young men of Feilding contemplate starting a Mutual Improvement Association to be lu>i<i nt the building known as the Barracks. According to a Wellington paper a girl 11 yenrs of age named Kate Hide is mixsing from her home, and search is being made for her. Ihis is clearly a case of Hide and seek. Mr W. F. Buckland thinks that it is quite on the curds that a Montgomery. Ormond coalition will eventually oust the present Government. But it is possible that even Mr Buckland way be mistaken. j P.P.G.M. C. P. Kearns, the oldest Odd fellow in New Zealand, died at Stoke Nelson, on Monday last aged 68 He had been an Oddfellow over 50 years, anl assisted to start the order in Nelson 43 years ago. It is reported that the well-known firm of Gordon and Gotch has been merged into a joint stock company under the : title of Gordon and Gotch, Limited ; the shares have been taken up privately, present employes of the firm participating. j The Senate of the New Zealand University will meet in Auckland on the 25th instant, when a Chancellor will have to be elected in room of the late H. JTancred, and a Vice-chancellor in place 1 of Dr Hector, whose term of office expires next month. "It mast be no awful nice to have a newspaper man for a husband," said young Miss Team. "WhvP" "Oh they always bring home a lot of exchanges and you have no trouble whatever about your bustle." And she adjusted hers with an audible adjustment. The office held by Mr J. T Carr, says the NapierTelograph.as Resident District Engineer, is to be abolished, and this district which extends from Woodrille at the south, to Poverty Bay in the north, is to be handed over to Mr Stewart of the Wanganui district* whose headquarters re to be at Woodville.

Gilbert, the Irish- American who was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the dynamite outrage at the Tower on the 24th ulto was on Monday last re-examined at the Bow-street Police Court. The evidenco adduced showed that the prisoner had been in the habit of frequenting the Tower, and that he had in his possession a loaded detonator. The inquiry was further adjourned. Barry Sullivan was once playing " Othello" at a Dublin theatre. When the scene appeared for him to ask " Desdemona" tor the handkerchief, he commenced, "Giro me the handherchief. A pause. •' The handkerchief." Another pause. " Give me the h-a-n-d-herchief." When a voice from the front was heard to exclaim : " Ah, Mister Sullivan, sorr, wipe your nose wid your fingers, and go on wid the play."

There is a very fine block of bush land between Feilding and Palnierston townships. An analysis of some of the soil has been taken, and it contains all the ingredients requisite for the production of cereals or root crops. In a note attached to the analysis, Mr W. Skey says : — " This is certainly a fertile noil, containing as it does every element in u'jundnnce which is necessary for the support of cereals and root crops, and as it has considerable depth and drains well, its value can hardly be overrated. Subsoil — This is a sandy or weak clay containing approximately 34 per cent, of day; the rest is principally a fine land."