Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 337, 12 June 1894, Page 2

Local and General News.

A special meeting of the Borough Council will be held this evening. The Birmingham Farmers' Club have resolved to get starlings from Christchurch to the value of thirty shillings. The Nelson people are going to form a Scenery Preservation Society similar to that in New Plymouth. Wauganui is equally famed for its doors and sashes and its sausages, large quantities of which find their way down tbe line. Wo have to thank the Secretary, Mr D. Henderson, for a complimentary ticket for the ball at Colyton on the 20th inst. A Nelson man who has been buying up old zinc says that the Chinese make .i'lo,ooo a year in collecting scraps and selling them to galvanising factories. A meeting of all interested in the formation of a Debating Society will be held in Miss Goodbehere's Schoolroom, Manchester street, to-morrow afternoon, at 4 o'clock. The regulations in tbe Postal Department are very strict, and once in Hawke's Bay a clerk was lined five shillings because the window blinds were not furled in a seaman like manner. Iv order to make up the deficiency in the revenue in Cluistchnrch, made by the cancelling of certain hotel licenses, an additional rate will have to be struck. The sun shines on the just and tho unjust. Now that the main road on the eastern side of the Pohangina river is approachiug completion, the question of bridging this dangerous and erratic river is causing a considerable amount of interest amongst the settlers. The Returning Officer of the Borough, Mr G. C Hill, has appointed Friday, the 2'2ud inst., as the dciy on which he will receive nominations for the vacancy in the Council caused by the resignation of Mr Charles Bray, junr. 'Twas ever thus ! The Wairarapa Daily Times of Friday last resignedly said : — Miss Leila Adair left for Wellingliugtou by the 7.15 train this morning, for the purpose, she says, of getting tho other balloon ready. May she soon return ! A correspondent writes to the Greytown Standard re smokeless gunpowder, aud says lie has had two guns burst while using it, and has heard of three others which have also burst under similar circumstances. He thinks there is some fault with the powder. The assets and liabilities iv the estate of Daniel McCurdy, of Palmerston, contractor, are : Liabilities, J*43o 4s ; assets, !'4:-3G 13s ; surplus, .£6 9s. Iv the estate of Maurice Croniu, of Palmerston, publican — Liabilities, JM66 12s 7d ; assets, .£9O ; deficiency, £376 12s 7d. The Marlborough Land Board has decided to recommend that when any amendment to the Land Act is brought before Parliament, a clause be inserted reducing the additional value of improvements to be made within bush lands to six years from date of lease as specified by section 144. The public who frequent the reading room at Feilding are indebted to Mr J. Mackay, J.P., who kindly places at their disposal the Weekly Kdition of the London Times, The North British Advertiser and Chambers Journal, three papers tp which Mr Mackay is a subscriber,

Captain Edwin wired at 12.27 p.m today : Strong N.W. to W. and S. winds, with much colder v/eather ; glass rising. Mr E. T. Gillon, editor of the Wellington Evening Post, is at present on a visit to Wanganui. The Manawatu A. and P. Association have abandoned the 9th of November as the date for their annual exhibition so as not to clash with the Canterbury Metropolitan Show. Mr T. A. Bryce, of Kiwitea, iufornis us that he laid poison on his property a week ago. Since then he has picked up no less than 34 dead hawks, this number probably being but a small proportion of the birds poisoned. The Address-in-Eeply at the opening of Parliament will probably be moved by Mr Montgomery, the new member for Ellesmere, who defeated Mr Eolleston. Mr F. Pirani, member for Palmers ton, will probably be the seconder. The Westland Education Board has been making large reductions in the salaries of its teaching staff, teachers in country schools having iv some instances been reduced from .£B2 to £60 per annum. It is stated, says the Nelson Mail, that their chief head teachers are only receiving £180 per annum. Says the Lancet :— " It is our opinion that the Association, at first sight a tame game compared with the other, is possibly more perilous than Rugby Union ; and that its modern developments, though in many ways so similar, arc more certainly towards danger than are the developments in the tactics of the older branch." The Awahuri Library Committee wish to thank Mrs Kirton, of Feildiug, for ten very valuable well-bound volumes, making the number of books iv hand 215. During the past week a stove has been set in the reading room, also two very nice lamps, which make a very cheerful appearance. There are now seventy members on the roll. Mr C. Y. O'Connor, Eugineer-in-Chief of Western Australia, in a long letter to the Grey River Argus, gives it as his opinion, after a visit to Coolgardie, that it is the most wonderful goldtield he has yet seen. The extent of the field is enormous, and there are a great number of gold reefs. We know Mr O'Connor, and we like him, but his opinion on a goldfield is not worth a rush. A young woman who was the victim of a practical joke was admitted to the Christchurch hospital last week. She was about to sit down wheu the chair was pulled away by a younger member of the famify, aiK^ she fell ou the floor. As the result of this trick she is now suffering from severe bruises and concussion of the Kpiue. A cablegram from Coolgardie last night said two men had brought down ten thousand ouuecs of gold. It would be interesting to know how they carried it as it would be a decent load for seven or eight pack horses, even in New Zealaud where there are all the advantages of plenty of water and abundance of feed. Seven hundred and fourteen pounds (avoirdupois weight) or thereabouts is a big lump. Wo notice with some surpise that a Masterton gun club objects to persous " scouting " for fear of accidents wheu matches are going on. Why, once iv Auckland we saw a " scout " well peppered " with malice aforethought and a charge of number four shot," and everybody said " Serve him right." The man who made the little rj'thmic joke was a son of Sir Frederick Whittaker, and Tom Morrin's gun had just been fired. While four prisoners were being taken through to Wanganui from Palmerston last night, one of the number, Robert Gooby, became rather troublesome on reaching Turakiua. Ho commenced to kick furiously, and was not secured until he had made things very uncomfortable and kicked the guard on the chin. Ho was finally secured and tied down for the remainder of the journey. A correspondent of the Dunedin Star, " A Woman " hopes that all the licensing committees will pass a rule making it impossible to employ either a barmaid or a wife of a licensee for more than | eight hours in a bar. Seeing that other branches of female labor are legally protected, it is high time that women emplo) r ed in and about hotel bars were prevented from working undue hours. j The Act is not strictly enforced in this particular, but shouli be. The performers in the "Banshee" which will be produced in the Assembly Rooms to-morrow night, held a successful rehearsal last evening. The representation of " Paddy Moylan " promises j to be very funny, and is well sustained by Mr F. Keen. Mr Lawrence Dunbar as " Squire Egan " and Miss Helen Fergus as " Kathleen " are interesting parts. Should the weather be fine there is every prospect; of the Assembly Rooms being well filled on the occasion of the first production of Mr Knight's new play. A complaint was made by the heads of two families in Carnpbelltown recently against Mr C. Bowater, the school teacher there, as to his manner of teaching. The matter was reported to the Education Board, and it was decided to make enquiries into the charges. A day or two since Messrs R. E. Beckett and Carson, members of the Board, proceeded to Campbelltown with the above object, witli the result that the charges made were proved to be absolutely false, and they were at once dismissed. We congratulato Mr Bowater on the result of the investigation, and his many friends in this and the Campbelltown districts will bo pleased to know that he has been completely exonerated.