Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 274, 23 May 1895, Page 2

Local and General News.

To-morrow being the Queen's Birbhday, the Feilding Star will not be published. The Queen will be 76 years old tomorrow. Given fine weather there ought to be some good shooting at the rifle range tomorrow. The contractors expect to have the Awahuri Bridge ready for wheel traffic in a fortnight. The Fire Brigade social and dance is announced to take place in the Foresters' Hall on Monday evening. Complimentary tickets for the Manawatu Mounted .Rifles Tournament tomorrow at Paltnerston, have been received by the officers of the Manchester Rifles. Members of the Feilding Fire Brigade are requested to fall in at the engine shed at 9.80. to-morrow morning. Lunch will be held at Bastings' Hotel. The local Cricketers Ball will take place in the Mangaone Hall, on the 31st instant. Tickets may be obtained from Mr C. A. W. Hunt, the secretary. The Fire Brigade competition to-mor-row will be held on Kimbolton road if the paddock adjoining Messrs Gorton aud Sou's sale yards is too wet. A cablegram from Me Michael Davitt states that he expects to reach New Zealand on October Ist, and will stay a month en route to San Francisco. A policeman making a bee-line for the Waitara railway station the other night at top speed to catch a train ran into a barbed wire fence, The fence had the best of it, but the constable caught the train. Another old resident, Mr T. Robinson, died at his residence, Riverslea, Avonside, Christchurch, on Saturday afternoon. The deceased was a brother of the late Hon W. Robinson. It is said that a certain Auckland resident threatens to test in the Divorce Court the right of his Avife to devote her time to politics, and leave his dinner uncooked and his shirts minus their buttons. The Russians have a singular method of extorting disclosures from prisoners. In their food is mixed a drug which has the effect of rendering them delirious, and in this state they are watched and interrogated, when secrets are divulged. The Taranaki Herald of the 9th inst. says ; — lt is fifty years to-day (Wednesday) since Colonel Stapp, at the Bay of Islands, faced the fire of the enemy. There are very few if any, of the men who were in that engagement living at the present time. The new woman broke out in a fresh place at a meeting oi householders on the West Coast recently. One of the sterner sex was making himself rather obnoxious, when an irate woman jumped up and told him " Plump andfplain " Bhe " had a mind to thump him." She further intimated that she would like to meet him in the dark ! The order issued by the Defence office relative to the assemblage of volunteers on the Queen's Birthday has been rescinded and the Manchester Rifles will parade to-morrow forenoon at 9 o'clock opposite the Assembly Rooms. The usual fen dejoie will be fired, after which shooting at the ranges will commence. The funeral of the late Robert Wilfred Lankshear, who died from the effects of a kick from a horse, took place yesterday afternoon, his remains being interred in the Feilding cemetery. The funeral was largely attended by sympathising friends. The Rev Innes Jones condacted the burial service and Mr F. Pope was the undertaker. One of the simplest barometers is a spider's web. When there is a prospect of rain or wind the spider shortens the filaments from which the web is suspended. If the insect elongates its thread it is a sign of fine calm weather. If the spider remains inactive it is a sign of rain, but if on the contrary, it keeps at work during the rain the latter will not last long. We would remind Temperance friends and sympathisers of the meeting called for this evening, in the vestry of the Primitive Methodist Church at 7 o'clook, to elect delegates to the Palmerston Convention to be held to-morrow and Saturday, and to transact other important business relative to the proposed Colonial Convention. A hearty welcome is extended to all sympathisers as well as workers. The statement of accounts in the estate of Mrs Winifred Morey,wife of J. C. Morey, of Wanganui, shows assets as nil and liabilities (unsecured) of over £600, the principal creditors being: — Sargood, Son and Ewen, £120, 9s 3d ; Bing, Harris and Co., £112 10s 3d ; McArthur and Co., £152 12s lOd ; Butterworth Bros., £143 4s 3d ; J. Notinan (D O.A. in the estate or Peterkin), £25, and G. J. Scott (D.O.A. in the estate of Wm. Bellve), £36 10s. It is probable a movement will be initiated in Feilding shortly, to light the borough with electricity. A local gentleman is interesting himself in the matter and is procuring information from Sydney, also from several of the towns in New Zealand which are lighted by electricity. Whether the cost will be met by the Borough Council, or by a company will bo left for the ratepayers to decide. If the scheme is carried to a successful issue it will certainly result in a great saving to both ratepayers and private individuals. Mr J. Davidson, of the Manawatu Piano Works, Palmerston North, has removed his business premises to •the Square, next the Club Hotel. Mr Davidson lias on show a fine collection of musical instruments, including pianos, banjos, cornets, mandolins and violins, aud will shortly receivo a consignment of the noted Spencer pianos. Mr Davidson makes the repairing of instruments a specialty, and those who have tested his. skill are prepared to give high testimony as to his ability in that respect.—Standard.

Captain Edwin wired at noon to-day : —Frost to-night. The Golf Club will meet at the Feilding Hotel on Saturday evening at eight o'clock. All interested are cordially vited. We regret that owing to some stupid blunder on the part of an official the advertisement announcing tho train arrangements for to-morrow, has not come to hand. Bishop and Mrs Wallis were entertained at a social at Pahiatua last week, and during the course of his remarks His Lordship said New Zealand church government was much better than the English, a fact which was due to the laymen having extended power. He advocated a parishioners roll in churches. The Pope is disposed to abolish the law of compulsory celibacy for the secular clergy, confirming the obligation of celibacy to members of religious orders who take vows of poverty, chastity aud obedience. His Holiness considers that such a relaxation of the law of the Roman Church would facilitate the reunion of the Anglican Church with the Roman Church. The following will play for tho Awahuri Football Club in their match against the Red Stars at Feilding ou Wednesday next :— Full-back, Mclutyre ; threequarters, Punch, Hammond and Karihaua ; halves, McMurray aud Gcertsen ; forwards, Bennett, Lawtou, Jarvis, Sanson, Taylor, Williams, W. Mends, Cole, Weightmau. Emergencies — G. Mends, W.Bronghton. A short time back a Christchurch resident (says the Press) who has a station up country, purchased a couple of rams— one a Lincoln, the other a Romuey Marsh. Tho sheep had to be forwarded to the station by the vendor. "Bo careful," said the purchaser, " to mark the rams, so that my manager may know which is the Lincoln and which is the Romney Marsh."