Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 341, 16 June 1894, Page 2

Local and General News.

Farruiug votes and temperance items will be found on the fourth page to-day. The Napier police station has been condemned, and a new building is to be erected. On Tuesday next the annual examination of pupil teachers takes place in Wanganui. The Manchester Rife? will be inspected by Lieut-Col. Newall on Thursday next. At the Pahnerston S.M. Court yesterday, Hetty Cvopp was ftued £10 and costs for sly grog selling. The Marton Jockey Club have decided to hold their race meeting on the 9th of November. The timber for the Eketahuua-Wood-ville railway sleepers is to be provided by contract. Tenders will shortly be called. The proprietor of the Reeftou Guardian has decided to shift his plant from Reeftou to Nelson, where he will establish a new evening paper. The Standard says the Palmerstou Borough finances aro in a straightened condition, and the adoption of extreme measures has been rendered necessary. Mr John Bates is gazetted Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, and Vaccination Inspector for the district of Wanganui, to succeed Mr A. D. Thomson. The Treasurer of the Feildiug Fire Brigade desires to acknowledge receipt of a cheque for a guinea from Mr Bastings, being his subscription as an honorary member. Twenty-seven compositors from Australia arrived in Wellington by the Tasmania on Thursday. Their object is to obtain work at the Government Printing Office during the session. A lady giving evidence at a Government enquiry into the working of underground slate quarries in Wales, said that incessant tea-drinking and the neglect of wholsome food were becoming a real calamity to the physique of meu and women in Wales. A concert and coffee supper will be held in the Cheltenham Public School, in connection with the Primitive Methodist Church, on Monday night, June 18th. An excellent programme has been provided, which will be rendered by local talent, assisted by a number of ladies aud gentlemen from Feilding. A woman was summoned before a Magistrate in Scotland for slandering her ueigbour. See was lined a guinea or 14 days imprisonment. She paid her fine and then asked the Court if a person risked imprisonment for thinking. " Certainly not," said the magistrate. " Very well," screamed the lady, " I think just the same about her character yet 1 " Cr Venn expressed the opinion on Satday at the Horowhenua County Council meeting (says the Times) that the peoplo of the colony would never get good laws' while the House of Representatives remained as at present constituted. It consisted of uothiug else but lawyers, commission agents and adventurers, and the necessary reform could only be obtained by having a good sprinkling of farmers in the House. At the Palmerston Court yesterday, Henry Bennett was charged with being the owner of a diseased ox exposed for sale in Messrs Gorton and Sons' saleyards at Awahuri. The was the first cass brought under the Act, and accused was fined Is and costs. For exposing for sale sheep infected with lice, Thos. McEwen and Geoffrey Potts were each fined 20s, and for a similar offence G. J. Curran was fined 30s and costs. A singular fatal accident happened at Eockdale, in New South Wales. A man named John Graham set some tar on a fire to boil, and while he was outside attending to another fire the tar became ignited. Be caught bold of the iron pot containing it, and threw the burning mass outside the door. Just at that moment his only child James, a buy aged five, happened to come up to t c door, »nl| the whole of the flaming tar was thrown over him. He was frightfully burned, and died in a short time. His father also sustained severe injuries. The increasing importance of the Palmerston Telegraph office has become recognised by the department, (says the Standard,) who have decided to fit up duplex instruments there to-day. The chief advantage derived from the double contrivauce will be that teleg anh uiessages can be received iVoiu and trans milled to "Wellington at the same time. Although this will enable a lar^e amount of work to be got through quickly, it will also throw a great deil of extra work on to the staff, who will have to traneiui telegrams to Woodville, Pahia'ua and Feilding. Formerly these to-.\n -ships received wires direct from Wellington. We understand that the staff will be increased by two more operators, who will arrive here in a day or two. A correspondent writes : — " I notice that the Mauawatu Road Board haye as yet made no provision for a road to the ford at Awahuri, where the Maoris are charging toll. I think it reflects great credit on the Feildiug Borough Council, the Eugineer, aud the men under him, that in twelve working days from the Council acquiring a site (two half days and one whole day of which were too wet for metalling) they have formed and metalled thirty chains of road, connecting the Kimbolton road from the north to the south side of the Kiwitca stream through a good ford, the whole cost of which will not exceed ill per chain. No doubt the formation required was not a great deal, and the metal was handy, but we are fortunate in getting a road so easily made. As the Council has supplied the Kiwitea settlers with a fairly good road the latter should be proportionately thankful." The usual fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Manchester Lodge of Oddfellows was held in the Foresters' Hall last night, when a large attendance of members and visiting brothers were present. One new member was initiated, P.G. Bro Beechey acting as lecture-master in a most efficient manner, and two members were proposed for initiation. It being the last night to receive nominaHoax for the different offices, Bro Jackson was nominated for Elective Secretary. After the usual business was com - pleted, the committee appointed to carry out arrangements for the social and dance, which will be held on Friday, June 29th, met, and good progress was made towards making the social a success. Bros. Aitkeu and Wil on were appointed to engage a first-class orchestra for the occasion. The ladies' committee will meet at Bio. A. Wilson's residence, opposite the public school, ou Wednesday atterijoon ngxt, a,t g.ptf,

The Association footballers will hold a practise on th,e Oval on Monday afternoon at 2.30. It is reported from Cheviot that the settlers there are thoroughly satisfied with their purchases and sanguino of success. Mrs Agnes Bowles, who, while ou her honeymoon trip, had her arm cut off by a railway traiu, has recovered ij2600 damages from the Victorian Railway ' Commissioners. On Wednesday the 20th instant in Mr Franklin- Browne's Rooms, Mr G. A. Preece, auctioneer, will sell a choice assortment of fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, etc. A man named W. Scott was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor at Wellington on Thursday, for using obsceue language in a railway carriage between Wellington aud the Hutt. We regret to notice the death, at Timaru, of Mr George Hedges, a former resident of Sandou. Mr Hedges was much respected by those who knew him, aud two of his sous are settlers iv the Kiwitea district. The funeral of the late Mrs Richard Bowler took place this afternoon, tbe remains being followed to the Feilding ctmetery bj 7 a large number of relatives and friends The Rev W. H. Judkins performed the last sad rites at the grave The new craze in English fashionable circles is a crusade against gambling, but whether it will do any good, or fizzle out like another craze called shimming which obtained a few years ago, remains to be seen. The betting is on the "fizzle." At the meeting of the Wesleyan Church Trustees aud Choir on Thursday evening, Mr R. F. Haybittle was re-elected conductor, and Mr Moore deputy-conductor. The choir was reorganised and those prcsout constituted members. It was decided that for the future members be elected by ballot. A private telegram received in Wellington states that Mr Scobie Mackenzie has definitely decided to contest the Tuapeka seat. Tho Evening Post correspondent at Lawrence states that both Messrs Seobie Mackenzie and Mr Chas. Rawlius (who stood at last election) aro definitely announced, and that tho Hon. Mr Larnach will be announced iv a day or two as the Government candidate. A resident complains that some person or persons iv Feilding aro making a practice of prowling around at tho dead of night aud liberating horses, etc., from various private paddocks. It is oftcu the case that au owner, after securely paddocking bis steed for the night, awakes in the morning to find it gone, and the chauccs aro he will discover it in the pound. It is as well that those who indulge iv this despicable practice should know that if detected they are liable to a heavy fine. The Hon Mr McKenzio is said to have told the Upper House that if they don't give him power to " compel owners to sell their lands," he will do something to surprise their lordships. This is taken to mean that a new batch of Councillors is set in the political oven. The|follo\ving is the list, : — Messrs Ii Brett (Auckland), W C. Smith iWaipawn), Trask (Nelson), and three others not yet nominated. Mr Thompson is also spoken of as likely to be included.— Wellington correspondent N Z. Herald. In the H^kianga district, on the 20th May last, a half«custo wife presented her half-caste husband with triplets— a son nnd two daughters — mother and children are doing splendidly. The half-caste pair have been married seven and a half years, and in that lime moo children have been born to them, viz., four daughters born singly, then a son and a daughter (twius), and finally tbe triplets. Both parents hud European fathers and Maori [ mothers. The father of the nine children has heard of the Queen's bounty, and he is now petitioning the Government to bring the claims of the triplets under the notice of Her Majesty.