Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 79, 30 September 1896, Page 2

Local and General News.

— _ • An unknown ailment is attacking horses at Windsor, New South Wales. It affects the throat, and prevents their swallowing. i At a sjiecial meeting of tho Palmers- , ton Borough Council held last night there j were no less than eighty applicants for j the position of assistant clerk. j The result of the assay of stone from Pohangina by the Mines Department is " No gold from these specimens. They are of calcerous sandstone, so exceedingly unlikely for this metal to bear gold. W? Skey." An early colonist died in Wellington on Monday iv the person of Mrs J. M'Cleary, relict of the late Mr John M'Cleary, of the Ist Battery Eoyal Irish Artillery, who arrived m Auckland iv 18515. Mrs M'Cleary is survived by four sons and one daughter. During some bushfelling operations on the State farm at Levin, recently, the workmen came across the stock of an old flint musket, believed to bo a relic of Rauparaha's battles with the natives of the district. — Manawatu Farmer. The Auckland Herald's Coromandel correspondent writes that the: timber trade is very brisk just now in Coromandel. On Saturday iast 100,000 feet were sold by auction iv a very short space of time, besides which a lively trade is being done by local sawmillers and timber yards. The total cost of the Horowhcnua Commission was £1266 19s .Id. of which Commissioner Martin received i9B, Mr Bush £102, Mr McKerrow £IW. Colonel McDonucll got i.125 as interpreter, Mr Fraser £180 as agent for tho Government, Mr McDonald as agent for the Natives i'l'2s, Mr Leslie, shorthand writer, X'IWS. " It will be our duty," said Mrs Schoch in her paper read before the Wellington Women's Political League, "to study, not our interests as women only, or those of this set or that clique or class, but tbose of tho whole country. aud where we hud the interests would clash, we shall liave to learn to give aud take, and live and let live." One American writer in referring to the unsatisfactory state of the cycle trade in the Uuited States at the present time states that it is reported that some of the concerns which ventured into the cycle trnde early tliis year, allured by tlie mirage of fabulous proht, have docid* ed to retrace their steps, aud iv future confine themselves to their regular lines Instructions will be given, says tlic Premier, to the Registrars of Electors to take the necessary steps to obtain full and complete rolls for the new electorates whicii have been recently divided. If there is one thing, above all others, they ought to see done it i.s that every qualified elector iv the colony, man or woman, ought to be on the rolls. — Times. A gentlemen who was fishing in our New Zealand rivers in 1892, and who took Home with him a uumber of frozen trout, is on his way out to New Zealand again. In a communication to Dr de Lautour, of Oamaru, says the Mail, dated August 14th, 1896, he writes : " I have had sorue rare good fishing in Wales. Shall look forward to another day with you We ate the last Rangitata trout, killed January, 1892, 14 days ago." The following is a list of new books ! purchased for the Birmingham Library : — 'The marriage ceremony,' 'Fide/is,' i ' The Manxman,' ' The decline and fall of Napoleon,' ' Successor to tho title,' ' Tbe cruise of the Alert,' 'The Brown Squire,' 'Dr Congalton's Legacy.' *In the days of adversity,' 'Mr Bailey Mari tin,' ' The green grave of Balgowrie,' ' Reviews and critical essays,' • The trail of the sword. New subscribers arc specially invited to join so as to enable the Secretary to procure more books. j Mr Edison has succeeded iv solving the problem of the new white light, aud has already finished the scientific part ot the work entailed by this discovery. ' The new light, or fluorescent lamp as Mr Edison has named it, is somewhat similar to tbe incandescent lamp now . used everywhere. But, unlike the electric lamp, the whole globe glows with a pure white light of a marvellous illumi--5 nating power. The light emanates from a metallic crystal, and the slight rubbing , of these crystals makes them glow. This discovery means a cheapness io lighting and consequent economic gain. Auent the decision of the Upper House to prevent Louis Chemis getting a fresh trial, " Disgusted," in the Lyttelton Times, says : — Some of the earliest wreckers of the Bank of New Zea- , land should be in bis place, for they i have not only killed a number of peoplo ■i by breaking their hearts, but have . ruined a large number, and have caused distress to thousands. I would rather now be in Louis Chemis place than some of those who voted against his getting a new trial. From the Standard we learn that the " Asburst Progressive Association have decided to ask the different Parliamentary candidates the following- questions : • — Are you in favor of Freetrade ? Are you in fayor of an Elective Executive '? Are you in favor ot a universal system of examination, and use of school books in tho State .schools throughout the colony V Are you in favor old ago pensions ? The Referendum ? An elective Governor '.> Reinstating of town boards ? If the different candidates will use their best endeavors tc cau.*e a bridge to be j erected over the Pohacgina river at the site chosen by Captain Turner, One of the finest oratorical effortsever heard in Wanganui was listened to on 1 Monday evening by a crowded house in the Oddfellows' Hall. Mr W Collins, M.H.R., delivered an address on Prohibition. He referred to the diminution of the vice of driankenness, and the sing.ularly intolerant attitude of Prohibitionists. He referred to Prohibition as both illogical and intolerable, though he was a total abstainer from childhood. He combatted the theory that the growth of morality was commensurable with that of teetotallism, and thought it unpatriotic as well as untrue to stigmatise the New Zealanders as a drunken people. 5 Mr Collins referred to the Turks as an example of a Prohibition people, and , after two hours' brilliant discourse sat down amid prolonged applause.—Mer- [ cury. The Maori pah at Aorangi was the '. scene of great commotion this morning i owing to ibedeatb of an old chiof, Hoam ' Taipua, who was the head of the 5 Ngatiraukawa tribe. The late chief, I who had reached the ripe age of 66 years, was held in the highest estima I tion by both Natives and Europeans, and for seven and a-balf years had a ' seat in the House of Representatives. ' Owing to a mental infirmity he had to 5 retire from political life, after having I J done much good for his countrymen, j . The late chief had lived at Otaki ior j many jears, where he owned a lot of ' property. For about sixteen months he ' has beeu under the care of the Natives 1 at Aorangi, having been sent there with ' a hope the change would do him good, 1 but, although he had benefited a little, * he suddenly took ill on Sunday, and died > at 12 o'clock last night. He had not had bis right senses for some three years, [ and always required at least two persous 'jto be with him. His body is to be taken " j to Otaki on Friday, where a great tangi ' ' wiil be held, and Natives will be present :j fi oiii all parts of the North Island. 1 Deceased bas two Bona surviving.

A number of letters to the editor are unavoidably held over. Iv order to secure insertion we would impress on correspondents the absolute necessity for brevity. When it was rnrnoured in Welliugton that war had broken out, lots of smart young men tried to crowd into the ranks 1 of the volunteers. A wholesome dread of the militia exists. Mr John Sawers, formerly one of the Government Dairy experts, bufc now connected with the National Dairy Union of the North Island, has been appointed editor of the ' Dairyman and Messenger,' a newspaper shortly to be issued iv the interests of the dairy industry. In Melbourne recently a man went to drown a dog in the Yarra, He went too near, or else took too violent a heave at the dog, and they went in together. The dog promptly got out : the man was fished out with a boat hook two hours later, and when his remains got home the dog was already there drying himself before the fire. There has been trouble lately m New Plymouth school matters, arising out of charges of excessive punishment of pu ['tis It wa? alleged that two gins fainted after receiving punishment which they were physically unfit to receive. After hearing the evidence the School Committee came to the decision that the charges were wilhout foundation, and wholly exoncr ated the teachers. Archdeacon Denison. who died lately, was a very stubborn debater, aud never knew when he was beaten in argument. He would never give in. On oue occasion au opponent weary of the Archdeacon's obstinacy, put to him this final question : — " At auy rate, you will admit that two and two makes four?" '■ No, 1 won't," said the Archdeacon, " sometimes they make twenty-two." The Journal of Horticulture relates the following colluquy about trapping wire worms! — "Do you use the turf from this pasture for your cucumbers?" " Yes, wo do." "Do yon suffer from wireworm ?" " Well, we get our share." " How do you destroy them ?" "We set traps for them iv the houses by inserting here and there large pieces of carrot, iuto which they enter, aud thus arc caught in large Quantities." Tliere is notiiing new in this system of trapping, but its very simplicity sometimes leads to it being ignored. A large number of persons inspected the monster boar recently at Auckland, known as "The King of Waitakerei." He was shot in the Swanson's Bush, where he has been roaming wild for over i 15 years, doing a great deal of damage, lie is 8 feet 6 inches from snout to tip of tail. His tusks are some 10 incb.es in length, and his tail is more like a horse's than anything elsp, being covered with long hair. It is understood that the anim:il will shortly be shipped to Melbourne. - Exchange. On Friday afternoon tho hore at Moturoa was again tapped iv the presence of Mr Oliver Samuel, managing director, Mr Newton King, and others, wheu a fine tiow of oil was obtained, and two barrels wero quickly filled. As there were no more barrels available the bore was again plugged. It is expected that the work of shutting off the water will be started earlj- next week, as the works are vow about refitted, some beltine only being required to be rigged up. Before this work is resumed however, a further tapping of the bore will take place. Recently, at Dunedin, Bishop Nevill lectured to some young men. In the course of his address he said that oue great failing of our j T ouug men was "couceit," which, after all, was only inexperience. This conceit was respon sible for a good deal of what was called " faddist" legislation. A man unexpectedly got iuto Parliament, and im mediately his great ambition was to pass a Bill, so that he might be able to say, " I did it" ; whereas, instead of being applauded for his work, he sometimes deserved to be imprisoned for tho rest of his natural life.