Local and General News

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 87, 13 January 1891, Page 2

Local and General News

Dr Lemon, Superintendent of New Zealand Telegraphs, was in Feilding yesterday on business connected with his department. The painting contract of the ' Corner Furniture Warehouse is completed, and the building has now a bright and cheerful appearance. The petition against the return of Mr 'Reeves as member for Inangahua has collapsed, owing to the petitioners failing td deposit .£2QO as. required by -the. Act. The Feildmg Brass Band wiiL^plajr at the Foxtbn Races on Anniversary Day, the acceptances md nominations for which appear to-day on our fourth page. Mrs Evans has accepted the agency for Mrs Belk's feather cleaning, curling and dying, and . : states in./ ;her advertisement that all orders will be punctually attended to.; ".' -■■ .-■; v : ":;-''-":; -''-": ■ ' : . "■ " The settlers in- the Beacousn'eld and , Wait uiia districts appear to be a very sociable lot of people as they often have, what they term " sociables," which consist of meetings at intervals in the school room where readings, speeches, chit chats, discussions, &c. are given, and, of course, refreshments for the inner inaa. Sunday is a day which is observed in rather, different, fashions m the country districts. To give an illustration : Last Sunday, while a gentleman was taking a ride up the Kiwi tea way, he first came to a, congregation just issuing from church. On proceeding further on hia road, be., noticed a number of men engaged in amusing themselves by the old-time game of " pitch and toss," which was accompanied by an unneces sary amount of oaths in expressing their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. • While on his return journey a youthful aspirant to the Wild - West cowboys' fame solicited hia attention. This young "spark" wentthrough a number of feats, such ac dismounting from a horse and mounting again when it wasata hand pallpp, picking up the lasso, &c. Such is the manner the day of real i# cfelebiatoil ju the country.

TheKiwitea Road Board will meet on Saturday. The R.M. Coiirt will be held to-mor-row, vj The date? of Mr Tripe's • Visits to Feilding and adjacent townships'Vare published to-day. . The public are invited to attend the Feilding " Band of Hope " Temperance meeting, in the Methodist Church, this evening, at 7.30. A good programme is expected. JJJMr W. Flyger, representing Mr Geo. Flvger, the well-known.'.tailor, of Wellington and Wanganoi," is at present on a visit to Feilding etiid surrounding districts. Judging by the large additions made to-day to Messrs F. R. Jackson and Co.'s sale at Palmerston on the loth mst.. this will be one of the most important sales held for some time, " Coming events their shadows cast before. '" We notice in Patea notes published in the Wanganui Chronicle that at the annual meeting of the Patea Raoiug Club " The Hon." Gh Hutchison, M.H.R., was elected President. A cricket match, Feilding v. Ashurst, was played at Feilding on Saturday. In their first innings Ashurst scored 52, and m second 94. Feilding scored 113 in their first inning 3, and in their second 38 for 5 wickets. ' To-day Mr Shortall, whose farm is in the Manchester Block, a few miles from Feilding, 6ent to Wellington, by rail. 200 of the best looking Romney Marsh lambs we haye seen for some time. Their destination is the Wellington Freezing Works. The mail train northward on Saturday was oyer crowded on leaving the Feilding station, and a number of the passengers who had booked first class, had to take seats or standing room in the 1 second class carriages. It is high time the department prepared for such emergencies by having a sufficient number of carriages available. The first officer of the barque Gany-* mede, named John Lord, was found drowned on Sunday morning, in a pool of water, near the Cross Wharf, Oamaru. He had been in town on . Saturday night, and it is supposed he was returning to his ship when he fell into the water. The night was very dark. Deceased leaves a wifeand three children in the Old Country. A picnic was' given- in connection with the Beaconsfield Public School on New Years Day. The eatables were provided by the friends and guardians of the children and a number of .prizes in the shape of toys,- &c, were kindly given by Messrs Ratliff Bros., storekeepers, Makino, to bo presented to the children. The weather was not at all favourable to picmcing out of doors so that most of the day was spent in the school-room. Some excellent crops of potatoes, grain, and cocksfoot are to be seen, on both sides of the road when travelling to Birmingham. As one crosses the Eiwitea stream, -at the commencement of the journey to that rising settlement, a magnificent crop of thistles is apparent, but a better aspect is put on affairs when completing the journey at Mr Lowes' Hotel, as a superb crop of cocksfoot seed meets the eye of the traveller. Bather a contrast ! The following is from the Napier Telr graph : — An enthusiastic football player, an amateur, was highly indignant at a match at the violence displayed by professional players, and illustrated his point, apropos of the last-match, thusly : — "'You remember.. seeing their goalkeeper on the ground lust Saturday, hanging on to the ball like grim death, iwithxall us forwards on top of him? Well, now, some of these professional chaps wouli have kicked his head in when he was like that, but, no !' 'Of course not. What did you do?' 'Oh! I only kicked him in the ribs !' " The recent wet weather, although abused by holiday-seekers, has been very beneficial to the country settlers iv the matter of feed for their stock, but it has hindered the shearing 1 a great deal. A visitor to the Kiwitea and Birmingham districts a few days since was struck by the superabundance of feed m both districts. Some of the paddocksi^ although carrying between, three ■and four sheep to the acre, had the appearance of being ready for cutting for hay. This shows the splendid qtiality of the soil that produces such excellent returns. "With a back country like we haye Feildmg will never "go wrong." v „:. : The next sale of the Harbour Board Endowment Block has been definitely fixed for Thursday, 2§th^Jahiiary, at Feilding, Mr A. Barns, of Wanganui; will : officiate as auctioneer. ; The land to be offered comprises 18 sections, ranging in area from 147 acres to 592; acres. The whole of the sections are approached by made roads, and are situated on the Oroua river side of the block, immediately opposite the Kiwitea land. The following description of the land is taken from the Government Surveyor'sireport:—-" These sections comprise generally -hilly undulating land with extensive flats in places, some of the sections being nearly all level. The area is covered generally with forest of tawa; rhim, &c., ;_there ;is totara on some of the sections, and also a considerable amount of light bush or scrub.. The soil is mostly of "good quality) arid the' block should, when cleared, be well suited for agricultural and pastoral purposes," As the upset price has been fixed at the low rate of 25s per acre, there-is a specially good opportunity of obtaining a de^ sirable freehold. Many enquiries have been made by farmers on the sold portion of the Block as to the date of the sale, an indication that those who have settled ia that locality are well satisfied with: their prospects. '""■",. Tfie New Zealand Midland Bailiray Company intend shortly to send away to Sydney a trial shipment of 300,000 feet of timber, which will be exported in the shape of flitches say 9 inches thick by 20 or 30 inches depth — For fche purpose of being :rersawn. Tt the trial should meet with anything like reasonable success-• regular trade will be opened up between Greymouth and the Australian Colonies, and in that event the Company will make arrangements by which they may always have a stock of seasoned timber of two or three million' feet to draw from, as our timber when exported wet from the saw has anything 1 ' but an attractive appearance when landed after being steaming in a close hold for several weeks. The Oregon timber is always pretty well seasoned before being sent away, besides baing cut at; the proper time of the year. It is understood that. the Midland liailwuy Company will pay .•mention to this point, ami get their tim», her Pel led during the months that the sap is don n — between .August and ''.March' The result of the experiment will be awaited wiih great interest. Cobbe & Darragh have: opened up during the present week, ex ship ' Turakina,' a large shipment of goods direct . from Belfast, consisting of Irish Table Linens, Table Napkins, Hollands, Linen Drapers, and Ladies' and Gent's Handkerchiefs. These Goeds, being imported direct from the best and cheapest Linen Manafnctnring centre in the world; are unsurpassed for value, ' -