Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 164, 10 January 1895, Page 2

Local and General News.

On Saturday next the Palmerston and Oroua Polo Clubs will meet m the return match at Oroua Downs. With a little more practice the Chinese will be prepared to enter a sprinting match against the world. See it ? The Feilding Fire Brigade members will meet in the Foresters' Hall tomorrow evening at seven o'clock sharp. A Masterton baker is selling bread at one penny per pound. He must have neither rent nor rates to pay. Happy man. We have to acknowledge receipt of a complimentary ticket for the summer meeting of the Foxton Racing Club, on the 22nd instant. The Palmerston people have selected Saturday on which to observe the halfholiday. The voting at the public meeting held last evening was— For Saturday, 118 ; for Wednesday, 30. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Insurance Company, held at Anck» land last Tuesday, a dividend of 12i per cent and bonus of sixpence per share was declared. Messrs R. P. Ciarkson and S. Thacker, ■ the Palmerston cyclists who were so successful at Auckland, returned to Palmerston last evening, having made the iourney , overland by way of Rotorua and Napier. In spite of the unpleasant weather, a goodlv number turned out last evening to the Children's Service of Song at the Salvation Army Barracks. Some of the children living at a distance were unable to come, but the programme was gone through ve> v creditably, and a pleasant evening was spent. The death is announced of Mr George Wilkinson, of tbe firm of Thompson and Wilkinson, MartoD, at tbe Wanganui Hospital. The deceased had been suffering from a complication of internal complaints Mr Wilkinson was well known in Drmdical circles. He leaves three sisters, one of whom is married. The de» ceased'e father is a resident of Feilding. " Can you tell me the sort of weather we may expect nest month '?" wrote a J farmer to the editor ; and the editor ! replied as follows : "Itis my belief ! that the weather next month will be very like your subscription bill." The farmer wondered lor an hour what the editor was driving at, when he happened to think of the word " unsettled." He sent a post office order. An extraordinary duel is reported by French papers to have taken place in India between two English officers, Captain Phillips and Lieutenant Shepherd. They caused a venomous snake to be shut up in a dark room. An hour later the two adversaries simultaneously entered the room by different doors. ' Ten minutes later Lieutenant Shepherd J , was bitten, and died shortly afterwards, i As for Captain Phillips, whose hair has turned completely white, he is to be court-martialled. It is stated that the rate of interest allowed by the London Post Office Savings bauks for deposits is about to be reduced from 2| to 2 per cent. For some time past (says the Standard) there has been an important transfer of money to these institutions owing to tbe high rate of interest compared with that q«otad by by the joint-sfock banks, and after deductfog the sum invested in Cohsoli* for depositors th£ t<sa} #mpimt of these deposits in the United Kingdom

We have to acknowledge receipt of handsome pictorial almanacs from Mr A. L. Parr and Mr J. S. Milson. A special meeting of the Feilding Borough Council will be neld on the 18th instant, for the purpose of fixing the day for the weekly half -holiday. The New Zealand Church News suggests that the General Synod should consider the adoption of the title " archbishop" for the presiding bishop of an ecclesiastical province. The Bush Advocate reports that recently a child within the Bush district received a school prize, and a day or two afterwards her mother returned the book with the remark that " she had plenty of that sort of rubbish about the place already." The New" Zealand Oyster Culture Company hope to be able to begin supplying the Wellington market some time next year. About 20,000 Sydney oysters have just been added to the stock at Pahantanui, and arrangements are being made to place some more in the beds. The new high dive at the Westminster Aquarium is the latest sensation in the way of public amusements. Peart, the performer, from a platform placed near the roof, some 115 feet above tho heads of tbe audience, dives head foremost into a tank 18ft by 12ft, and with only about 6 feet depth of water. It is stated that a settler of Hawke's Bay, who last season shipped Home several thousand sheep ; during last month received returns amounting to Is 4d per head, including the pelt, with a small sum yet to come for -wool. These sheep could have been sold locally for about 10s per head, thus the shipper suffered to the extent of about 7s 6d per head. At Mr Henry's show of fat stock yesterday, the following prizo* were taken: - 3 fat bullocks, three years or over— Hon. W. W. Johnston, 1 ; D. Manson, 2 and 3. M. Hunter, c. 8 fat bullocks under three years — Hon. W. W. Johnston, 1 ; F. Perry, 2. 120 fat wethers— F. Perry, 1. 120 fat ewes— D. Manson, 1 ; Hon, W. W. Johnston, 2. 120 fat lambs— S- R. Lancaster, 1 ; H. Bryant, 2. Messrs Hislop and Urquhart acted as judges. ___^