Local and General News

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 135, 7 May 1891, Page 2

Local and General News

Nine huudred tons of kauri gum yalue, £40,000, were exported from Auckland last week. The Minister of Lands has decided to reinstate Mr A. R. Mackay, Crown Lands Ranger, who was recently suspended. The Government have decided to propose the abolition of the Property Tax, but they haye not decided what form the tax to replace it shall take. By the census returns the population of the city of Wellington is shown to be : — Males, 15,191 ; females, 15,764 ; total, 30,955 •; as compared with 25,945 in March 1886. Several people from the Kiwitea went to Sandon yesterday to attend an auction sale. They had been misled in some stupid way, because the sale was at Palmerston. The date fixed for the Municipal Conference in Wellington, is Monday, June loth. The Railway Commissioners have granted free passes to the delegates, on the Goyernment lines. A petition has been lodged against the last Feilding Licensing Committee election and Local Option poll. It is underStood that the objections ofthe petitioners are against the Votes exercised by agents. We are glad to be assured on authority (says the Post) that there is no family connection, present or prospective, between the Minister for Lands and the new Chief Inspector of Stock (Mr Ritchie). A good story appeared in one of our weeklies the other day. A lady lecturing on womnn's rights was growing warm over her subject, and exclaimed, " Where would man be if it had not been for woman? " After a pause and looking round the hall, she exclaimed, "I repeat where would man be if it had not been For woman?" when ii voice from the gallery was heard, "Ee'd be in Paradise, ma'am."

The annual meeting 'of the Lsceusuj,. Committee will be held at Halcombe Railway Station on Friday, June oth, 1891. We are glad to learn from thf> Patea County Press, that Mr Trimble, clerk of the court at Hnwera, ia not lo be •' re trenched," and his services have been taken over by the Justice Department. Sharp business. Not many miles from Feildmg a man offered £1 reward, and on this amount being claimed he calmly deducted two aud a half per cent for cash. Serious defalcations in the Gisborne Harbor Board accounts, amounting to £1692. have been discovered. The game had been carried on from 1887 till the the time of the late Treasurer's (John Bourke) death by drowning on April Ist last, The proposed National Liberal Associa tion is born under Ministerial protection. The principles of the Association will be the Nationalisation of Everything. The fees will be an entrance fee of sixpence and a subscriptions of one penny a week. Selah. A large ship's boat, painted red, was seen on Saturday last, drifting bottom upwards at the mouth of the Pelorus Sound, towards Jackson's Head with the edd tide ; the boat remaining bottom up, showed that the mast and sails «rere still stanaing. A contemporary says a new yanety of fish called " Julius Vogels," because thej make headway by leaps and bounds, have appeared at Olago Heads. They are a peculiar flying fish, in shape and size something like a a trevalh, with the wings set on underneath and folding into a recess in the belly. News has been received m London that the cargo steamer Manan, which . left Auckland for London, via Rio, on March 20th, grounded on the Abrothos, a group of low rocky islands off the coast of Brazil. Alter jettisoning fifteen thousand carcases oi frozen mutton which were stored in the freehold, she continued her voyage to Tenenffe. Hiram MeConkey, of Heynporr, Jack son Country, has been fastasleep for eight months. Last July he lost the power of speech, was taken sick, and has not spoken or opened his eyes since. Kecently blood began to flow from his head and his ears, and suddenly he came to his senses. The doctors aredumbfoundered by the phenomenon. A smart thing is said to have been done at the Ashburton races. In the Flying Handicap Carronade led from the start, but Inez (the favorite), who was ridden by Wiiite challenged her in the last fur long, but did not get quite up. Passing the judge's box. White threw himself foi'-^ ward out of the saddle on to his horse's neck, his colors thus catching the judge^s' eye first aud gaining tlie verdict \$ We (N.Z. Times') are authorised to state there is no truth whatever in the statement that the Government had asked the Judges to prepare their several opinions as to the legality of the appointment of; Judge Edwards. It was, however, intimated to the Government that the Judges had prepared written opinions on the subject, and Ministers then asked to see them. A football match will be played on the Oval, on Saturday, at 2 p.m., between teams representing the Palmerston Central School and the Feilding State School. The following will represent the Feilding School : — Full-back — J. Walton ; threequarters — H. Giesen, W. Gosling and G. Drake ; half-backs — E. Haybittle and, J. Evans ; wings — J. Bellve and A. Bray ; forwards — McKeague, E. Hicks, D. Whisker, J. Rosoman, J. Smith, A. Giesen and J. Morphy ; emergencies — R. Amesbury and W. Hughey. By the recent re-arrangement of the various police districts in the colony, brought about by the retirement of five Inspectors, the Palmerston North, Woodville, Foxton, and Ashurst stations have been taken from Wellington, and joined to Wanganui. The Wellington District, however, has been supplemented by the several stations in the Marlborough district, and these will therefore be under the supervision of Inspector Thomson in the future. A correspondent writes : — " The effect of education, free, secular, and national, upon the people in their conversation is becoming very marked, and the old replies of ' Tol — lollish.' ' Only so and-so,' &c, to the question ' How are you,' are fast giving way to the more intelligable word ' Sicromacus ' in answer to the salutation ; and which means that the speaker has a job to keep soul and body together. The correct spelling of the word is phychromachous.' We are progressing. On Sunday next the planet Mercury will cross the sun's disc. The commencement of the transit is at llh. 24m., the middle at lh. 52m., the end at 4b. 20m. The phenomenon is of no astronomical i yalue, like that of the transit of Venus, j but it will be interesting to watch the quick motion of Mercury, and thus to see what astonishes us no little, as we (N.Z. \ Times) read that it goes round the sun in 88 days, passing over in that time an orbit whose diameter is twice 35J millions of miles. This is a true story from beyond Woodville. A popular clergyman was to preach one day at a place where men of his cloth were not so plentiful as the mosquitoes. The rev gentleman wae not so punctual in making an appearance as the occasion deserved, and the building was full of anxious and expectant worshipppers. When he hitched up his horse and was walking- piously towards the door, he was greeted w ith " D— n it man, hurry up, we're been waiting half au hour for you!" No offence was intended, aud none was taken, but still it was rough on the parson. One incident of Sir George Grey's visit to Sydney has not yet been fully recorded. It was the funniest thing seen in public for a long while, and occurred at the meeting between Sir John Robertson and Grey at the historically enthusiastic reception given to the latter by the Maorilanders in the Sydney Town Hall. Neither of the two Knights knew the identity of the other, but (says the Bulletin) old Jack's flowing locks and the cheers of the crowd indicated that he was a popular old fossil of some kind, and when he went to sit down next to Sir George the latter put out his hand as if to welcome him. But Sir Jack hadn't been introduced, and being in one of his tantrums, quietly turned away— didn't like liberties* Then people laughed, and he had a look at Grey, and they both looked at one another. In a few moments they began to whisper, and finally (after having sat together for about five minutes) they started to shake hands vigorously— which dumb show set the house in a roar. From that out Sir,- Jack was the most hearty in his applause of his • brother veteran. In fact, so boisterous., did he become that at the close of the proceedings he started to rush eyerybody forward to'present them to the great pro-consul; and amongst others took the hands of Mrs Seymour George (Sir George Grey's own neioe) and her daughter to lead them up tO'lliin ! At this the -ftlaornanders smiply screamed.— Wellington IVe&s.-.

The Borough Council wili meet this evening at the usual hour. A commercial treaty between Austria and Germany has been signed. The l.ical amateur Dramatic Club have in aotive rehearsul the drama " Blow for. Blow," to be produced in the Assembly Eooms on Queen's Birthday night. It was reported this morning that a resident at Waituna, Mr Pearce, had been somewhat seriously injured by a dray horse bolting. Captain Edwin telegraphs : — Weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. to day — Warnings for northerly gales after from 12 to 20 honrs have been sent to all places southward of Napier and Wanganui. Some of the finest specimens of Lincoln sheep we have ever seen in this district are at present running on Captain Campbell's farm at Trondjem. The sheep are of great size, possess splendid fleeces, and, with abundance of feed, are in the priniest condition. The following players have been selected to represent the Marton Football Club in the Cup match with Feilding at Marton, on Saturday next : — Ward, Bear, Jackson, Watts, Shannou, James, Iveson, Hair, Thorns, R. McDonald, Kendrick (2), Thurston, Ross, Deighton ; emergencies — Fabian, Finn, and Bryce. To-day when the mail tram was at the Railway Station, Mr Bull's trap horse which was made fast to the hitching post rubbed off its blinkers and bolted. It got safely round the corner at the Empire Hotel, but in going along Eyre Street the vehicle was upset and the horse, after a few struggles, kicked itself clear, and made for home over the Oroua Riyer at Aorangi. Fortunately no one was hurt.