Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 169, 16 January 1895, Page 2

Local and General News.

The Kiwitea County Council will meet an Saturday next. { There are several cases of typhoid i fever in Palmerston North. A meeting of the Feilding Athletic Sports Committee will be held this evening, at 8 o'clock, in Mr Sherwill's office, to receive to balance-sheet, etc. An inventor claims to have produced a perpendicular paddle, capable of propelling steamers fifty miles an Hour, thus bringing Melbourne within twelve days of London. The first entries for Messrs Gorton and Son's Feilding sale, to be held on the 25th instant, are advertised to day. It will be seen that about three hundred head of first-class cattle have been entered. A number of estates in various parts of the Colony are under offer to the Government, and these offers are now being considered by the Cabinet. The matters are, however, still incomplete. We (N.Z. Times) understand that the Government will notify the Mauawatu Railway Company before the end of the present month of its intentions with respect to the acquisition of the Manawatu railway. A fall in beef took place last night. A cow which had strayed on to the railway line near the bridge over the Makino was struck by the engine of a special train from New Plymouth, carried along a few yards, and hurled over the bridge into the bed of the stream below. The animal was killed outright. Says the Wanganui Herald :— " On dit that a well-known publican has under consideration the issuing of a writ against a brother boniface for alleged slander. Should such a case come into Court, some lively disclosures are eagerly anticipated." The Committee of the Feilding Cycling Club met last night at the club rooms to arrange minor details in connection with the forthcoming races. The Secretary reported that the Feilding Brass Band had kindly consented to give their services on the occasion A hearty vote of thanks was accorded them. At the meeting of the Grej'mouth Education Board, held last night, Mr W. L. F. Fetch, M.A., of Feilding, was appointed Visiting Examiner and Inspector of the Grey District. We understand that this will necessitate two trips to the West Coast each year. We congratulate both Mr Fetch and the Coast people. There are two men living at the present time who have beards over seven feet in length. One is an Englishman, Mr Eobert Latter, of London, who has a beard teu feet in length, and the other is a Mr Legland Larow, of Missouri, America, whose beard is upwards, of seven feet long. These are said. -tt> l>e the two longest beards JuvHro" world. Most of t'""3 deaths that occur on the field o? battle result of bleeding to death before surgical aid arrives. The French Government have under consideration a scheme for tattooing the soldiers of the French army with a certain mark over each artery so that a wounded man would be able to staunch the flow of blood himself, and thus increase his chance of living. When Mr H. S. Fish joined the Good Templars he was accompanied by his son. In the course of some remarks, Mr Fish said he was not there for any purpose of personal benefit, but mainly for the purpose of setting an example to his son, as he believed that the final settlement of the temperance question would rest in the hands of the rising generation. On a railway train recently a half intoxicated old sinner, sitting next to a minister — not of the Crown, but of the gospel — pulled out a bottle of ardent spirit and offered him a taste. Could he do what he liked with it, queried the parson. 'Oh yes,' said old three-sheets-in-the wind, 'help yourself; stow away the lot.' But he dfd not pass it down his neck but out of the carriage window, bottle and all, to the intense merriment of about twenty passengers — Christchurch Truth. Speaking of the cocksfoot harvest the Akaroa Mail says ;— " We hear everywhere of long heads, very full with heavy seed. Generally it is much cleaner than for several years past. Cutting is getting general, and in another week the season will be at its height. The area under crop is very limited indeed, but what is reaped will be fairly heavy seed None of the terribly light samples that were such a nuisance last year will be in the market. A bright woman thus classifies the human kind — I divide men into four classes, First— Those who do not know and do not know that they do not know, those are fools, leave them. Second — Those who do not know and know they do not know ; those are children teach them. Third — Those who know and do not know they know ; those are asleep — arouse them - Fourth Those who know and know they know ; those are wise men follow them. This is certainly a very wise classification, and everyone can satisfy himself as to which division he ought to fall into. Messrs Watson Bros., painters and decorators, have an advertisement in to-day drawing attention to their recent importations of wall papers and borders. The firm are prepared to undertake paperhanging and decorating, and work entrusted to them will be executed promptly. It might be mentioned that Messrs Watson Bros, have just completed a contract for re ■ painting the Feilding Hotel, the work having been done in a manner that reflects credit on the tradesmen, while it has greatly improved the appearance of the popular Hotel. persona in Boston, U.S.A., are groaning over the habit indulged in by the literary ladies of chewing gum while reading their papers to the various societies. On the other hand, lecturers complain that the view from the platform of a whole audience diligently chewing gum, with all the varied facial distortions attendant upon the practice, is as disagreeable as it is distracting to the thoughts. One peculiarly sensitive man, a reciter, declares that "he often feels in danger of breaking down through disappointment. Whether he gives them tragedy, comedy or farce, the assembly goes on chewing gum all the same. The Australasian says:— What may prove to be Victoria's opportunity is the falling off in the number of pigs in the United States. The returns show a reduction of about seven millions below the highest point reached of late years, and this with a rapidly-increasing population. As pigs are now slaughtered at a younger age than formerly, it follows that a larger stock is required if the United States is to keep up its export and home consumption. With our vast dairying industry and mild climate there is no country in the world that can raise sound, healthy pigs more economically than Victoria. The pigs can be produced readily enough ; what is wanted is the proper management of the raw material after it has left the farmer's bauds.

Captain Edwin wired at 1.35 p.m. today : Strong E. to N. and N.E. winds, and glass fall, indications for rain. A settler at Waimea West, Charles Henry Ford, 68 years of age, fell and expired suddenly on the 7th instant. There has been a great demand for the new letler cards isened by the Post Office at the beginning of the year, and the innovation is highly appreciated by the public The cash statement of the Wanganui Education Board submitted to the Junuj ary meeting showed : — General account, net credit balance, £1478 6s Id ; building accounts, less liabilities, £2564 59 ; net credit balance £460 18a lid ; Technical School, credit balance, ilu 10s 6d, An exchange states that the manager of the Star of the East mine on the Murchison goldfields, and the hands employed there, were considerably startled recently to perceive a large balloon travelling at a terrific rate from north-west to south-east. Although at a great altitude the balloon could be distinctly seen in every outline, and was travelling at such a great rate of speed that the body of the balloon was considerably in advance of the car. It was supposed that it had escaped from India or the Straits Settlement. This strange flight across the centre of Western Australia, has not so far been explained.