Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 216, 13 March 1895, Page 2

Local and General News.

Mr J. Sutherland, who desires to re- ■ gain his lost laurels, challenges Mr J. W. . F. Halcombe to another match under the same conditions as the former one. The annual general meeting of the Feilding Football Club will be held at Mrs Oliver's Hotel ou Saturday next, 16th insfc., at H p.m. A good attendance is requested. In Auckland shopkeepers are discharging assistants and engaging errand boys, : or arranging to pay commission instead of salary, so as to avoid the provisions of the Shop and Shop Assistants' Act. i The h'aal distribution of distilled corn is neatly pnfc by a Cnnnctian : — " k From a bushel of corn a distiller gela four gallons of whiskey, which he retails nt 16 dol. . The Government gets 0.60 dol. the farmer , who raises the corn gets 40 per cents, the railway gets a dollar, the manufacturer ; gets 4 dol, the retailer gets 7 dol, and the consumer gets drunk-" An old miner, who was for three days last week prospecting up the Ofcaki Gorge, returned on Saturday, and sent for his mate with whom he intends making furthur researches. He asserts that, through the whole course of a long experience, he has never seen butter indications of alluvial gold than he discovered towards the source of the Otaki River.— Otaki Mail. In the course of an interview with the Minister of Lands by an Oamaru deputatetian Mr Neil Fleming, auctioneer of that town, is reported to have said ; — '•' We ■eld horses to-day at £10, that three months ago brought i:*24 10s. Yesterday we sold a growing crop of wheat and oats at 10s per acre, and the vendor had to pay 9s 6d per acre rent, leaving him (id per acre for all his work of ploughing and harrowing, with the cost of seed." Further reports from Mr Freyburg urge ' timber owners to take adyantage of the ; opening now afforded for New Zealand i Zealand woods, and recommends the acquisition of a wharf in London to avoid the necessity of forced sales, He suggests that English oak, plane, ash, beeches and limes be planted south of Lyttelton, but not larches. Barberry bushes should be ! avoided as they induce rust in wheat. North of Lyttelton Italian walnut and cork oak could be grown to great ad van- i tage. The Feilding State School Committee have made final arrangements with the railway authorities for the excursion to Castlecliff, Wanganui, on Friday next. The special train for the conveyance of the children, teachers and parents will leave the Feilding station at S o'clock in the morning arriving at Wanganui at 11,30. After spending an hour in Wauganui the children will then leave by the Castlecliff train for the ocean beach where they will have three hours. Tlw train will leave Wanganui for return at 4.15 p.m. and run to Feilding without stoppages. Tickets may be procured from the head teacher or any member of the committee.

An English mail arrived this morning, j Communication from our Birmingham correspondent, re dairying matters, will appear to-morrow. New has been received in Feilding by private wire that a reef was struck yesday afternoon in the Julian claim (up the Grey river), which promises to richly reward the shareholders in the lease. A number of volunteers from the var- ! ions corps along the coast went through ' last evening to be present at the annual rifle meeting at Trentham. Mr J. Scott is the only member of tho Manchester . 1 Rifles who has gone down. Mr Robert Parker, the well-known organist of St. Paul's Pro- Cathedral, Wellington, will preside at the new organ at St. John's Church of England, Feilding, at both morning and evening serj vices on Sunday March I7th. Mr Par- | ker will give a recital alter the evening j service. Those interested in the formation of a Bowling Club in Feildiug are invited to attend a meeting to be held at Mr E. Giescivs office, Corporation buildings, this evening at 8 o'clock. Fifty-oight gentlemen have already expressed their "willingness to join and there is ever}' probability of the club being brought to a successful issue. The Paraekarctu Express says: -Mr i John Punch arrived in Huutervillc yesterday from Raetihi. lie informs us that on Sunday he passed within a few miles of the base of Ruapehu. The mountain was then emitting vast columns of steam, and the atmosphere was so dense as to remind one of a bush fire. The Wangaclm was in Hood, aud the water, which is usually clear, was as black as ink. The trap horses, which arc used to cro.ss the stream, refused to enter the water. Ou being forced in, they were carried down the river some distance.