Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 299, 24 June 1896, Page 2

Local and General News.

Additions are made today to the entries for Messrs Abraham and Williams' Palmerston sale. An advertiser can make vacancy in a private family for one or two ladies or gentlemen. See our wanted column. The greatest liquor question could be easily settled if all would drink Dragon Coffee ; as it is certainly a beverage which cheers without inebriating, It is stated that a writ has been issued at the instance of a Featherston resident against the proprietors of the Wairarapa Standard, claiming £500 damages for an alleged libel. | It takes a good deal of rubbing to polish boots with some kinds of blacking, but with the Empire Company's Royal Blacking boot-polishing is a simple and satisfactory matter. A meeting of creditors in ibe estate of J. L. Kimbell, hotelkeeper, Palmerston North, was held yesterday afternoon, when it was moved that the bankrupt be publicly examined. Mr John Anderson, the well known draughts player of Wanganui, meeting all comers simultaneously last week, played 20 games of which he won 13, drew 6, and Jost 1, this latter being to Mr W. Armstrong The friends of Mr Robert Dalziel, of Blair Athol, will be pleased to hear that he is recovering from the accident which befel him about a month ago, whereby he lost the use of the right eye while out shooting.— Mercury. At the Otago Agricultural Show there were nearly 800 entries for the sheep guessing competition, the result being that four gave the actual weight, viz., 1741b5, while two other competitors guessed 174ilbs and 173£lbs respectively. A whiff of bad tobacco is an abomination, but the scent of the pure article is at all times a source of the keenest pleasure. There are no brands so pure, so fragrant, or so wholesome as Cameron's Queen Aromatic and the new Venus tobaccos. On Friday eVebing last Mr Jas. Reid, late chairman of the Kiwitea County Council, was entertained at a banquet at Hunterville as a recognition of his services to the settlers in connection with pushing on the construction of the Vinegar Hill Bridge. The Bench indulged in some very plain talk yesterday morning when giving judgment in the case Buff v. Lukers. The chairman stated that it seemed to him the people of Bunnythorpe, judging from the number of cases eventuating from that place, looked upon the Court as a fit and proper place to ventilate their petty grievances and wash their dirty linen. — Standard. The Marquess of Waterford, who has just come of age, has already won the esteem of his own people with two pieces of enterprise which might well be copied by other Irish landlords. His tweed factory at Silmacthomas has been managed with such energy that it is now employing many more workers than at anytime within recent years, and he has lately undertaken the management of the | St. Brigid'a Well Brewery at Dunqaryen, which in other hands has been losing custom for a long timo. The Feildine Debating Society met last evening and owing to the unavoidable absence of Mr Greenwood, who was to lead in the affirmative, the debate set down for that evening was abandoned, and impromptu speeches given instead on the subject "Is a state bank desirable or not," " la our jury system defective," " The defence of the colony," and " Eontgen rays." The next meeting will be devoted to short subjects, when the Rev H. M. Murray, DrSorley and Messrs M. Diamond and S. Andrew have promised to read papers. The following resolution was agreed to at a meeting of the Presbytery of Clutha (Otago), held at Balclutha recently : _«« That this presbytery, without imparting any political colour to its procedure, or involving itself in legal questions desires to express its gratitude to Almighty God for the expression or hightoned morality that pervades the decision of Mr Justice Williams in connection with the Colonial Bank liquidation case ; and rejoices in the good results which are likely to follow such a decision in the interests of commercial morality." On the question of immorality between .young girls and Chinamen in Dunedin, the correspondent of the Cromwell Argus 1 says that it is believed the police are aware that there are nearly 100 girls who prowl abonfc the streets at night and behave themselves in the most shameless manner. Unfortunately, they are so cunning that detection is difficult if no.t impossible. Those who have studied the question closely are of the opinion that the attempted suppression of houses of ill' fame is largely responsible for the new development. The cancer has been got under in one place only to break out in a more violent form ia other quarters. A resident in a very pious country town in Otago, which shall be nameless, wrote to a friend in Queensiand for a parrot which could talk. In due course the bird arrived. The lady of the house after a few words had been spoken by it with- fluency and unmistakeable accuracy, put the bird out in the yard near a stable- in fact as far away from the house as was possible. This made no difference to the bird which continued to discourse "in language frequent and free.',' Unluckily a policeman was Rasaing, who " took down the words " and proceeded against the unlucky owner, who, up to then, had not even seen his gift ,An explanation ensued next day, the .affair was settled out of Court. The offender Was however at once put np to auction— and, afcange" to say— Bold, at ft I bifiti figure, --..-.'■ J

The Excelsior Skating Rink will be open to-night. The Skating Rink will be open in the Cheltenham Hall as usual tomorrow evening. Some special advertisements from Mr J. B. Beckley, of Sherborne House, will appear to-morrow. We have to acknowledge receipt of No. lof Hansard. It looks much better in its .new cover of blue. A musical treat of a high order of merit is to be offered to our readers at the recital to be given in the Wesleyan Church on Friday evening. We have seen the programme which will be published to-morrow evening, and not only is our best local talent engaged but Mr St. Lawrence Toner is contributing 3 items aud performers are also coming from Palmerston and Sanson. At the Police Court today, before Dr Monckton and Mr J. McKay, J.P.s, Frederick Clifford was charged with having left indecent letters and figures in a store room on Walter Allan's property with intent to insult Miss Amelia Allan. Accused was employed by W. Allen, of Kiwitea, as a laborer. Constable Tuohy conducted the case for the prosecution and Mr Reade appeared for the accused. The case was proceeding as we went to press. To-morrow we will insert a replace advertisement drawing attention to an immense clearing sale of all classes of winter goods to be held at the Cash Exchange Co-op during the next fortnight when everything in the soft goods department will be offered at big reductions off wholesale cost. As we have still some months of winter weather to look forward to the public will do well to take advantage of this opportunity of securing first class winter goods at prac tically their own prices. Quoting from the • New Zealand Year Book,' Mr Sievwright, in his lecture at Oamaru (says the ' N.O. Times '), showed that, while drunkenness had decreased, there had been an increase in crime and insanity ; (and quoting from Mulhall) he showed that wnereas the amount spent id drink by England had more than doubled, the poverty had been reduced by half within the same time. It was therefore fallacious to assert, as Prohibitionists did, that a decrease of drunkenness meant a decrease of crime, poverty, and insanity, or vice versa. Sympathy with Mr Ward in his misfortunes does not necessarily imply an absence ot sympathy with the unfortunate shareholders of the Colonial Bank. However keenly anyone may feel for Mr Ward in his present position there must necessarily be reserved a deeper feeling of regret for the shareholders of the Bank, many of whom have lost the greater part of their savings, being working people who invested their savings in the Bank under the belief that it was a perfectly safe institution. These people have been cruelly deceived and robbed without the possibility of restitution. — Oamaru Mail. Arrangements are being made for org anising the left wing of the Liberal party into a party under discipline, and meeting to settle the platform will be held tomorrow. The party will probably call itself the Radical Party, and wiil aim at securing a balance of power in the House and Sir Robert Stout will not be in it, and will probably in consequence lose his influence over Messrs G. Smith and Earnshaw. It is proposed that the party shall place its programme before the country, showing that in the event of the present Government being defeated, there is another alternative than coalition or a Conservative Government. — Mercury.