Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 151, 22 December 1894, Page 2

Local and General News.

Tbo Government have authorised the expenditure of £1150 for improvements to tho Wanganui River. Only 1000 pigs, on the average, are eaten daily in London. If ten thousand were available they would find a ready market. "We have received from Mrs Macarthur a parcel of English magazines and periodicals to be forwarded to tho Palincrston North District Hospital. Latest news from Rio states that the fever epidemic is increasing there, and the crews of every vessel in port have been attacked. Tho Post records tho death of another pioneer settler at the Hutt, Mr Edward Russell, who came to New Zealand in the ship Lord William Bentinck in 1841. An electric mosquito bar has been in vented by a Frenchman, and is said to electrocute insects that arc unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. We want a consignment of mosquito bars iv Feildiug at the present time. As showing the fluctuation in the price of wool during the last 28 years it may be mentioned that the average price of a bale of wool this year is Lll 10s as against Ll6 as in 1884 and Ll6 10s in 1892. A gentleman, wbo has had large ex" pericuce all over the world, who was at the concert last night, said in all his travels he never saw anything to equal the hualthy, well dressed and good looking children massed on the stago on that occasion. Mr A. H. Way's handicaps for the two bicyclo events at the Feildiug Sports are as follows : — 1 mile, 95 yards ; 3 miles, 235 yards. The handicaps were omitted from the list published on Thursday owing to Way changing his machine and thus necessitating fresh handicaps. Mr G. Stevenson waited on the Weilingtan Land Board on Thursday in support of an application to transfer section 11, Block V., Apiti, from J. to R. J. and F. L. Stevenson. The transfor was urgent as J. Stevenson was about to undergo an operation. Under the circumstances the Board approved. . Auaoug the unemployed residing in E uropo thero are twenty-two ex-sover-oigns. None of them abide iv the lands they formerly mis-governed. They aro all iv moderately comfortable circumstances, well fed and happy. They smile at dynamite and laugh at the the assasisins knife. The followiug schedule of lauds sold v tho Hautapu Block was approved by tho Wellington Laud Board : — C. Clayton, 810 acres; J. A. McDonald, 203 acres ; A. R. N. Hayues, 200 acres ; P. McCartin, 320 acres ; M. L. Smith, 315 acres ; P. C. Smith, 205 acres ; Isabella Mnnro, 280 acres ; A. Natzke, 250 acres. In our advertising columns to-day, Mr W. Pearson, boot and shoe importer, of Fergusson street, announces that ho intends sacrificing his magnificent stock of boots and shoes during tho present festive season. A recent importation of all the latest styles haH juat been opened up, and customers can depend on having a good selection. Mr Pearson alao advertises that ho will give a good di»couut off all accounts paid boforo tbo pud of tUo present; mouth.

The offices of the Feilding Borough Couucil will be closed until January 3rd. 1895. Mr Bethuue, the Inspector of the Bank of Australasia, was a visitor to Feilding to-day. Commencing with to-morrow evening, the Primitive Methodists will in future hold service at Colyton every Sunday cveuiug, as well as iv the afternoon. There is every prospect of the Feild • ing Athletic Sports, to be held on Boxing Day, being a greater success this year than on any previous occasion. The Postmaster asks us to mention that tho Christmas number of any newspaper must be stamped with book post rates, that is one penny per four ounces. Mr A. Laing will delay the departure of bis coach to Birmingham on Wednesday oveniug next (Boxing Day) for tho convenience of passengers attending tho Feilding Sports. The Primitive Methodist choir, assisted by local amateurs, will give a jubileo concert in the church on Christmas night. The concert will iuclndo Christmas anthems and solectcd recitations. Even the most export treo chopper or sawyer cannot compete in point of time with the electrical process of felling trees The method is simple. A platinum wire is stretched between two poles, and made incandescent. No matter how largo tho tree is in diameter, the wire will burn through it, and in about one eigth of the timo it would take to saw it through A diamond wedding is to bo celobratcd in Auckland this month. Dr aud Mrs Alder Fishor, who have for over a quarter of a century rosidod at Pahi, Northern Wairoa, • complete the 60th year of their wedded life this Christmas. Thi9 venerable couple are aged 89 and aud 87 j'cars respectively. Mr H. D. Bell mentioned in the Wellington Supreme Court ou Thursday that banks anil most mercantile institutions had given up the practico of giving written references to ex«employes, as some of them have had very paiuful experiences. They now merely reply to questions put to them by would-be employers. Tjphoid is fairly roging at Coolgardie. One would imagine (says an exchange) where condensed water was used typhoid should be well nigh impossible. The dis* ease is doubtless generated by the clouds of foul dust which find their way everywhere, and by the general filth begotten of the want of a water supply. For instance, they don't wash blankets much at Coolgardie Smith dies in a hotel blanket this morning, and Jones sleeps in that blanket to-night Living at Coolgardie is much easier than it used to be, and* so is dying. An Oamaru paper relates this story : — " A pet sheop wandered on to one of our thoroughfares to graze on the luscious road metal. A bicyclist came along at 20 miles an hour and ran into the sheep Tho sheep turned over two or three times and so did the bicyclist ; the sheep limped off home, and so did the bicyclist— the sheep to look for a soft place to He down on, and the bicyclist to repair himself with sticking plaster ; the sheep has not been seen on the road since, and neither has the bicyclist." Mrs Yates, the ex -Mayor of Onehunga in her valedictory speech, said the news papers had been very hard upon her as a woman, and had not given her a fair chance. Her predecessor in office had made use of bis ability to persecute and annoy her, both in the town and out of it. She disclaimed responsibility for the scenes which had occurred at the Council table and took credit to herself for having placed the finances of the Borough in a satisfactory position. The gaxzette contains the regulations under the Lands Improvements and Na tive Lands Acquisition Act of 1894 Clause oue reads : — The Commissioner of Crown Lands or the Chief Surveyor of the district will in each case select the men who aro to form the Association ; and he may refuse to accept as a member thereof any unsuitable person, or any person, who in hia opinion has already got sufficient land to keep him, or is otherwise in a position to apply for Crown landa in the usual man ncr ; the main object of these regulations being to assist deserving men who are out of employment, or who are otherwise unable to obtain land and thus become self supporting.