Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 176, 25 January 1895, Page 2

Local and General News.

♦ What is life ? Just what we make it! There are only one hundred and forty one Inspectors under the Factories Act. Mr and Mrs Carthew left Feilding on Wednesday afternoon on a visit to the South Island. It is stated that Mr McLachlan, M.H.R., who fell off the platform when attempting to address his audience at Rakaia, was the gentleman who fell off the wharf at Wellington during the session and about whose performance at the time there was so much mystery. The farmers of Gore have decided to reduce wages during the coming harvesting and threshing season, the reason being that owing to the low prices ruling for agricultural produce the farmers are forced to curtail expenditure in every possible direction. Deposits are now being received under " The New Zealand Consols Act, 1894 " at any money order office within the colony, or at the office of the Registrar, at the Treasury, Wellington. Parents, guardians and persons of thrifty habits will do well to read the advertisement which appears to-day on the subject. Mr C. Carr submitted for sale by public auction, at the Assembly Rooms, at noon to-day, by order of the Public Trustee, section No. 715, containing 1 acre, at the corner of Kimbolton road and Derby streets. The section was passed in at auction, at .£B6, but was sold immediately afterward to Mrs Brennan at the reserve of £100. The annual " retreat " of the Roman Catholic clergy of Wellington (says the Post) commenced on Wednesday at St. Patrick's College, under the direction of the Very Rev. Father Hilary, of the Passionist Order in Australia. It will continue until Tuesday next, and will close with a session of the Synod, over which Archbishop Redwood will preside. A tall yarn from the Christian Outlook :— A small boy, some few years ago, was shown by his father his newly arrived brother. He eyed the baby critically for some time. ' It's got no hair,' he remarked presently. There was no ] denying it. ' And its sot no teeth,' he i added. The fact indeed was evident. He turned mournfully to his parent. • You've been had father,' he said ; ' its an old one.' The fire in Sandon on Tuesday night, by which the Manawatu County Chambers were completely demolished, was first observed from Mount Stewart by several people returniug to .Bulls from Palmerston, and they were the first to reach the scene of the conflagration. By that time the flames were coming through the roof, and nothing could be done to save the building. Several valuable papers and the tramway books were destroyed, and the other books in one of the safes were badly scorched, but a large sum of money in notes and cheques in another safe was uninjured. At present there is no cine to the origin of the fire. . We have much pleasure in recording the pith of some observations that were recently made. It was to the effect that Feilding bicyclists are remarkable for the care, vigilance and consideration they show in passing horses attached to vehicles. One gentleman said that he had noted the extreme caution they exhibited if a horse appeared at all shy or nervous, and he thought that however much larrikinism might creep into other manly exercises, the Feilding bicyclists seemed determined to maintain their popular reputation for being; above it. We consider their conduct extremely creditable and tho comments deserved.

Messrs Gorton and Son's Feilding stock sale to-day was largely attended. Mr Hodren, cordial manufacturer , has an addition to his advertisement to-day to the effect that be has been appointed agent for the Puriri mineral water. Says the Post : — Reports as to the first shipments of graded butter have reached the Agricultural Department, and tell of good results produced by the new sj'stem. The butchers of Paris, who deal only in beef and mutton, are becoming alarmed at the extent to which horse flesh, ass flesh and even mule flesh is being used as human food. In reference to the paragraph in yesterday's issue about the offer of 10,000 dols for Messrs Shailer and Hankins' patent ear- marking apparatus, we learn that the offer is for the American rights only. — Standard. The Manchester Rifles held a company parade last night. Color- Sergt. Milson and Sergt Aitken took the recruits in hand and did some useful work. The company will be inspected by Colonel Newall next Thursday evening. A night or two after the scene at his Rakaia meeting, Mr McLachlan addressed the electors in the Town Hall at Leeston, repeating his Ashburton speech. He received a vote of thanks and confidence. The following is from the Chronicle : — Messrs Mortensen and Wright, of the Kereru sawmills, Manawatu, have secured the contract for supplying 1,000,--000 feet of timber per annum for the next seven years, for paving the London streets. The tenders for the extension of the Sluggish River Board's main drain, and for the extension of No. 1 drain, were signed yesterday. Mr B. Poole secured the former for £674 10s, and Mr J. Renny the latter for £'671. The tendering was very close. It appears that Italy is the greatest consumer in Europe of English coals. The following is the proportion of coals provided yearly tor the principal Powers: — Italy, 1,465,000 t0ns ; France, 757,957 tons ; Russia, 613,937 tons ; Spain, 724,972 tons. Says the Manawatu Times : — The contractor for the construction of part of the Aorangi main drain is using a digging plough, which is stated to be a great success. The plough digs up the earth and throws it a long distance from the edge of the drain. It is a great labor-saviug machine. A Royal Commission is to be set up almost immediately to investigate the whole history of the Horowhenua block since it first passed the Native Land Court in 1873, with a view to the introduction next session of legislation to set at rest all questions in dispute in connection with the titles to the whole block. When an Auckland jury brought in a verdict of temporary insanity in a suicide case the other day, the Coroner objected that it was not in accordance with the evidence. "No man of sound mind would take his own life," emphatically argued the foreman. " Many believe otherwise," said the Coroner, but he accepted the verdict. A cricket match was played at Ashurst on Tuesday between the Pohangina and Ashurst Clubs, resulting in a win for the latter by three wickets. The scores were— Pohangina, 34 and 65; Ashurst, 52 and 49. For the winners W. Wilson, T. Rimrner and F. Roberts batted well, aud did Pirard, S. Roberts, G. Adsett and R. Roberts for the losers. Mr G. Adsett officiated as captain for Pohangina and Mr J. A. Duley for Ashurst. Yesterday Mr Wrightson, of the Makino road, sent us some samples of fruit grown by him on his farm. A branch six inches long carried 35 damsons of respectable size, while another branch eight inches in length had on it 12 large and full flavoured plums which weighed six to the pound. From four plum trees Mr Wrightson took 1681bs weight which he sent to market. Mr Wrightson has an acre planted as an orchard an<3 by careful selection of the very best trees and attention in their culture he has succeeded in making an orchard which is not only creditable to his energy but a source of considerable profit.