Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 19, 22 July 1895, Page 2

Local and General News.

. « A girl miner at Stafford, Westland, obtained .£l3 worth of gold at her last washing up. Michael O'Keefe, formerly a Sergeant of Police, was found dead in his house at South Dunedin. Messrs Ratliff Bros have disposed of a block of land containing 424 acres, at a satisfactory figure. Entries for Messrs Abraham aud Williams' Palmerston sale on the 25th instant appear to-day. Mr G. E. Little wauts to purchase in one or more lots, 700 Romncy ewe hoggets. Must be good. Mr AY. G. Shearer has secured the contract for furnishing the new offices for the Manawatu County Council at Sandon_ AYe understand the Presbyterian | Church will hold another of the popular conversazione gatherings early in August. " Four pounds of beef for threepence " is the notice exposed in the windows of a number of butchers' shops in Sydney. A private message from Melbourne states that Mr N. Nathan, the well known AVellington bookmaker, died there on Thursday. Messrs Abraham & Williams will hold their next Colyton stock sale on Tuesday, 30th inst. Entries are advertised elsewhere. Mr J. R. McMillan will hold a sale of fruit trees and flowering shrubs from the orchard of Messrs Mayo and Sons, at Halcombe on Friday next. No reserve. The following cases are set down for next sitting of the Palmerston District Court to be held on Ist August: — Jas. Allardyce v T. Tanner and R. Holt, claim J-258 15s 8d ; Jas. B. Moles vF. Hubble, claim, £300. Messrs Barraud and Abraham received a supply of golf sticks for the local club last Saturday. The first match will be played on Saturday next on the club's ground, at Mr Lethbridge's farm. A crop of 30 acres of swedes on the Olrig Station, Hawke's Bay, is reported to have provided 2500 hoggets with feed for a month, and then was expected to carry 1500 ewes for three or four weeks to finish up the crop. AYe understand from the Telegraph Engineer that it is not the intention of the Department to mako a connection at Cunningham's as the post office is now some distance from the main line. The settlers should put in au application at once. Mr F. Towler has cultivated a seedling apple which promises to be a valuable addition to this class of fruit, aud named it the General Feilding, in compliment of one of tho founders of this settlement. The fruit is handsome in appearance and of a pleasant flavour. Native dogs in the Mount Morgan district rooted up tho body of a man who has apparently been dead for some months, and been buried at a depth of a foot and a half. A fire seems to have been lighted over the spot to conceal the disturbed ground. The man's skull was fractured, apparently by a sharp instrument, and murder is suspected. AYe would draw the attention of our readers to the replace advertisement of Messrs Warnock and Adkin. The firm will close the Feilding branch on Saturday next. During this week everything will be sold at startling prices. We would strongly recommend any who require first class drapery to pay them a visit and iuspect the stock which is well assorted, and the prices are no doubt remarkably low. It is stated that the Government have purchased the Clive Grange estate in Hawke's Bay 'for settlement purposes. This block of land, which comprises about 4500 acres, was some time ago offered for £40,000, but negotiations have been in progress since, and it is understood that terms have been agreed upon at a slight reduction. The estate is admirably suited for settlement purposes, and if purchased and thrown open by the Government, will no doubt be rapidly taken up. We are indebted to the Waipawa Mail for the information that : It having come under the notice of the Minister of Labor that the hands employed by farmers, and other employers of Jabpr, frequently sit at the same table and partake of the same food as their employers, the Minister has not only prepared a Fair AVago Bill but a Fair Food Bill. It is alleged that the food the farmer has to be content with nowadays is not, according to the Minister, up to the mark, and he intends to make it a penal offence for au employer to try and "stuff "his employe with any sort of what is vulgarly known as " tucker." This is not altogether new, because in tne indentures of apprentices in "the good old days" in .London, brutal employers were forbidden to put fresh salmon on the table of tener than three %imn in f avb week/.'

A settler named Arthur Lusher was decapitated on the railway line at Ashfield station (N.S.W.) while two horseboxes were being shunted. Mr J. Davidson, musical instrument importer and tuner, has an advertisement in to day which should be of interest to those desirous of purchasing good instruments at a low price. Mr Davidson will visit the district this week and -will tune any instrument at the low figure of 10s 6d. The Excelsior Skating Rink was well patronised on Saturday evening. On Wednesday evening next an additional attraction will be offered in the shape of a potatoe race. The manager has definitely decided to hold the fancy dress carnival on Wednesday, August 14th, when two prizes will be given, one for the best dress worn by a lady and the other for the best worn by a gentleman. Baron Bramwell, one of the ablest Judges that ever adorned tli9 English bench, a few years ago, at the celebration of his 50th legal anniversary, said that of the accusations by women against men which had come under his notice during his long career, fully 70 per cent were false ; of the remainder many were not proved. " Many legislators, in amiable imbecility, took the part of women against men ; but it was really the men who needed the protection." At the Police Court this morning, George Leigh was charged on the infor- '< of Annie Keuucrley, of Wellington, that there was reasonable grounds l'or # the belief that he intended to desert his illegitimate child. Accused was remanded till to-morrow at Wellington, on the application of Constable Tuohy. Mr H. L. Sherwill, J.P., occupied the Bench. Accused was arrested in tho Oroua Coal Creek Block last evening by Mounted Constable Heally. The ice on Lyttelton Harbour on Thurs. day extended from Officers' Point aero: I to Ripa Island and Diamond Harbour, and up to Governors' Bay, and was fully half an inch thick. Small stones, though thrown with a good force, failed to penetrate the ice, and went skimming away across its surface. When the s.s. Ruapehu went out into the fairway the surface of the water was a complete sheet of ice, and as the vessel ploughed her wry through, those on board could hear tl 6 grinding of the ice on the vessel's side. Mr Phil May, the well known carica tnri-t, had a narrow escape of his life in London last month, being thrown from his horse, cracking his jaw and getting a slight conclusion of the brain. This has followed hard on an attack of partial blindness, due to tobacco poisoning. "He really must take care of himself," comments a London contemporary ; "he is too young and coo valuable to art to make dangerous experiments upon himself." It may interest Mr May's Australian friends to hear that he is paid £50 for each of his drawings in London Punch.