Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 1, 1 July 1896, Page 2

Local and General News.

The police force throughout the colony are raising a fund for putting a memorial stone over the grave of the late Inspector Thomson, of New Plymouth. Mr J. P. Cowie has made arrangements to keep the Makino store open until July 7th. The attention of his customers is directed to an advertisement which appears elsewhere. Mr James Trewin, proprietor of the Feilding Public Benefit Boot Factory, Kim bolt on road, has a replace advertisement in to-day to which we direct attention of our readers. Mr Trewin is now making a speciality of eyening dress shoes. The Anti-treating Bill, making it a misdemeanor " for any person to treat or offer to treat another person to an intoxicating drink, or to give or offer to give another person an intoxicating drink in any place where liquor is sold," passed the Ohio House. Today Mr H. F. Worsfold gives notice that he has purchased the business lately carried on by Mr E. Feek, as hairdresser and tobacconist, and solicits a share of public support. His many customers will observe by the advertisement that Mr Feek will continue the management of the hairdressing saloon. President Kruger, of the Transvaal Republic, has been a remarkable man physically. It is said of him that in his youth he could run for half a day and keep pace with a horse. Now, at the age of 70, he shows little signs of having lost any of bis physical or mental vigour. He is a rough, uncouth, opinionated man, but possesses the qualities of a statesman. Last evening a social and dance was given in the Foresters' Hall, in honor of the silver wedding of Mr and Mrs A. R. Curtis, by the Misses Curtis. About seventy or eighty guests were present, and dancing was kept np till a late hour ,ihis morning. During an interval the health of Mr and Mrs Curtis was proposed by Mr H. L. Sherwill and duly honored, and Mr Curtis replied, thanking those present for their good wishes. Canon Gore, in a recent sermon in St. Paul's, London, explained that shorthand was a well known art in the New Testament times, and that shorthand writers j formed then, as now, a distinct profession, j The speech of St. Stephen was undoubtedly a shorthand report, and it exhibited the marks of hurry which such a report must naturally show. Probably not one in ten of Mr Gore's hearers had any idea that shorthand was an accomplishment of the first century. Parents would do well to consider a proposal that has been made to us by a family man in this town (says the Napier News) with regard to the discarding of boots during wet weather by the youngsters who attend schools. He points out that boys especially love to paddle through water on their way to school, and even those who do not, never reach school with dry feet. His contention is that if the children discarded their boots and shoes, they could sit iu school in comparative comfort, for at the present time they have to remain for some hours with wet feet to the undoubted danger of health. If it could be made the fashion on wet days for the youngsters to go to school barefoot, there would not, one friend submits, be so many bad colds, with their attendant evil conse- . quenceci. An advocate of the municipalisation of public houses, speaking at a country meeting lately, elaborated his scheme for municipal control, one feature of which was that the man who sold the least drink was to be field up for promotion and reward. Thereupon a wildeyed prohibitionist arose and in gentle accents pointed out that the man who sold the least drink was the man who sold none and this was just what the Prohibitionists wanted. That advocate's address has been delivered several times since but the ' least-sale-most reward has been vigorously emitted.— Oama^aMmiL

The Borough Council will meet tomorrow evening. The Manchester Road Board will meet on Saturday next. A concert and dance will be held in the Awahuri Hall this evening. A team of Quoit players, representing the Feilding Club, went to Martou today to play a match with Mar ton. A well-known resident of Pahiatua, named Ole Christensen, was found dead on the road last night, with the wheel of hia trap on his head. Mr Turnbull, electrician, is a visitor to Feilding to-day in connection with the establishment of the Electric light in Feilding. A quantity of garden seeds for the coming season have been opened up by Mr F. Mackenzie, fruiterer and grocer, of Manchester street, from the well known firm of Gibbons and Co. Messrs Abraham and Williams advertiss a great clearing sale of dairy stock, etc., on Wednesday the Bfch instant, at the farm of Mr Hoffmann, Robert's Line. See advertisement. Mr G. H. Scott, district agent for " The Reliance" and " New Hudson " bicycles, has a notice in to-day in connection with these machines which are splendidly finished and of good value. Purchasers may order three months in advance to suit any size or weight. The agent informs us his terms and prices will suit anybody as they are prepared on a most liberal scale. The plans for the Otara bridge have been returned to Mr C. Bray, junr., engineer to the Kiwitea County Council, by the Government engineer, who has approved of them. They have undergone some alteration, at the suggestion of the Government engineer, from the original plan, and are now awaiting the appproval of the Rangitikei County Council to the increased estimated cost. Mr Stevens is to ask the Minister of Lands whether he will place two caretakers in charge of the totara forest (comprising about 20,000 acres of the best milling timber in the colony, situated in the Waimarino Block, near Taumarunui), for the purpose of preventing destruction by fire. The value of the timber had been estimated by the late Engineer-in-Chief (Mr Blackett) aa at least £750,000. A splendid opportunity is offered for securing a good section of land, containing 101 acres, within two miles of the rising township of Birmingham and one mile from a, creamery. This section, No. 75, Block XIV., Apiti, will be offered for sale by auction at Birmingham on Tuesday, July 14th, by Mr C. Carr under instructions from Mr G. Richardson, executor in the estate of the late J. MeNaughton. For particulars see advertisement. To dav by the mail traiu for New Plymouth Mr and Mrs F. Richards, of Pohangina (formerly residents of Feilding). left en route for the United States for a holiday trip. They intend to visit the Western States, aud Mexico, and will afterwards go to Utah, Salt Lake City. Mr Richards during his stay in America intends to use his opportunities for making observations with a view to probable business relations between this colony and the United States. A gentleman in an office in town (says Christchurch Truth) was surprised a day or so ago, by receiving by parcel post a suspicious looking package, which upon being carefully opened proved to be a pair of field glasses that bad gone astray some seven or eight years ago. Accom panying the glasses was a note to the effect that they had been stolen by the sendei^many years ago, and that owing to his having turned over a new leaf his conscience would not allow of him retaining the stolen property any longer. The sender expressed his regret. Mr James Fowler, sen., runs the Cooktown ' Independent,' and Mr James Fowler, iun., conducts the ' Beacon ' in the same town. Thus Mr James Fowler of the Independent : — " The cock-a-doodle-do youth who runs the ' Beacon ' fancies that under empty pretentiousness he can disguise hia gross ignorance and inexperience of journalism and politics, and under this profession he had the profound ' cheek ' to lecture and hector those who knew something about both. Hia vicious abuse of ua will be regarded by the few sensible persona who read his ' rag ' as a mere exuberance of inexperience and indiscretion." — Dunedin Star. Dr Biby, of Gloucester, reports in the ' Lancet ' hi« experience of five households as follows:— (1) Nine in family; the two eldest took smallpox ; no marks of vaccination visible ; one of them died ; the rest, vaccinated and revaccinated, escaped the disease, (2) Ten in family; the only two nnvaccinated took small* pox, and one died ; there was no other case ; all the others revaccinated. (3) Four children ; all unvaccinated ; three had smallpox, and one died. (4) Six children ; one unvaccinated had smallpox and died ; the rest revaccinated ; no other case. (5) Adult ; vaccinated in childhood ; marks scarcely visible ; had a mild attack. All the deaths in hospitals have been among the unvaccinated. A good tale is told of a country bumpkin who once fell asleep in church. In the course of his sermon on the Future Life the vicar said : " All those who wish to go to heaven, stand up. The entire congregation with the exception of the unconscious slumberer, stood up at once. " Now, then," said the preacher, " all those who wish to go to hell, stand up." Jnst then an old lady happened to drop a large hymn book and the sleeper, aroused by the noise, jumped up from his seat, the congregation tittering the while. 41 ter gazing round him vacantly for a minute or two, he gave vent to the following remark : " I dunno what we're votin' on, parson ; but, anyhow, me and you seem to be in a minority." What the parson replied to this sally is not mentioned. The Stratford correspondent of the New Zealand Times had the audacity I to telegraph that at Mr Duthie's Stratford meeting a vote of confidence in the Government was carried, which reminds one of an incident in Hawke's Bay some years ago. Mr Ormond, we think it was, when addressing a meeting had, after the manner of politicians, praised his own side and condemned those opposing him to such an extent that an elector observed :— " Mr Ormond, your party seems to have done everything perfectly. You give us credit for nothing. Is that fair?" Mr Ormond reflectively said, " Well, no ; I was not quite fair. The party you admire have the merit of being excellent bowlers." 11 Bowlers ! How ?" " Oh," was the reply, "they always lie well."— Hawera Star.