Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 162, 11 January 1896, Page 2

Local and General News.

The total damage by the recent hai I storm at Oamaru is estimated at £ 10,000. The members of the Fire Brigade will meet in the Foresters' Hall on Monday evening at half past seven o'clock. Mr R.E. Beckett will hold a sale at the Marton saie yards at 1.30 on 17th inst. The entries appear in another column. A meeting will take place in the Cheltenham Hall this evening of those interested in holding sports at Cheltenham. Captain Edwin wired at noon to-day : N.E. to N. and W. gales after 12 hours from now, glass fall. Indications for rain. Owing to pressure on our space a quantity of reading matter is unavoidably held over. Mr G. P. Church, of Kiwitea, gives notice that he will not be responsible for any debts incurred in his name unless incurred personally or by his written order. We learn that the Dairy Union have received advice that one of their shipments of butter realised tne high price of 116s on the London market.—Standard. We (Standard) understand that Miss Prentice, of Palmerston North, has drawn the second horse in one of TattersaU's sweeps. The value of the prize is £1126. Mr A. W. Young, of Palmerston North. informs us that he has drawn first prize in Benson's Consolation on the Queensland Cup. The value of the prize is set, down at £8000.— Standard. At this time of the year particularly, flies are very troublesome, and our readers will be interested to hear that a bunch of purple clover hung in a room is a preventitive of flies, which have a great dislike for it. We notice that John Cobbe's summer cheap sale commences on Monday, and judging by the price list enclosed with to-day's issue as an inset we should say buyers will have a good time at Mr J . Cobbe's establishment during the coming week. A cheque for £8,225,000 ls lOd, the first instalment of the Chinese war indemnity to Japan, was duly signed at the Bank of England. The money will remain in the Bank until the Japanese Government give instructions as to its disposal. The N.Z. Times states that the New Plymouth shareholders of the Colonial Bank have voted solid to the extent ol 4000 shares for the appointment of Messrs W. Brown and A. C. Begg, of Dunedin, and Mr V. M. Braund, of Wellington, as joint liquidators. A process of packing butter in glass, with an outside covering of plaster oi Paris, has been invented. The inventoi claims that these solid bricks of butter can be loaded in cases on shipboard as ordinary cargo. The invention is being rapidly developed in Melbourne. A very simple remedy is said to have been discovered and efficaciously used for the plague of mosquitoes. It consists in placing a young castor oil plant in the sleeping room or other apartment infested by these pests. It attracts not only mosquitoes but flies, and sum marily destroys them. In recognition of the prowess displayed by Mr W. Meldrum (champion) and Mr O. C. Pleasants (who gained second prize) at the late chess congress at Wanganui, the members of the Rangitikei Chess Club entertained them at a smoke concert last night in Mr S. Gibbons' Assembly Rooms, Marton. The gathering was a great success. An advertisement appears to-day from Messrs Wood and Judkins, who commence business as wool brokers, commission agents, accountants, etc. AIJ kinds of financial work will be undertaken by the firm. Both gentlemen are well known in the town and district. The office and stores are situated on the Kimbolton road, Feilding. In all probability the Wellington Bowling Club will send three if not four rinks of players to the Northern Bowling Association's tournament, which opens at Auckland on Monday, February 24th. It bids fair to be the biggest and most representative Bowling tournament ever held in the colony. Teams are expected from New South Wales and Victoria, and from nearly all the districts in the North Island in which the game is established. Within the last two years the number of clubs in this island has increased fully a hundred per cent. — Wanganui Herald.