Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 141, 14 December 1896, Page 2

Local and General News.

_ «- The reports from sheepowners this season show the clip is exceptionally good. Entries for Mr Beckett's next Halcome and Marton stock sales are advertised to day. The next meeting of the Pobangina County Council will be held on Friday, January 15th, 1307. The Fohangina County Council office will be closed from Decamber 24th uutil January 4tb next, for the Christmas holidays. The Opposition votes record ad throughout the colony were within 800 of those cast for the Government. So says the Christchurch Truth. A bazaar in aid of the funds of S. Simon and S. Jude's church, at Bongotea, will he held there on Saturday next. Full particulars are advertised to day. Messrs Wollerman and Coy., of Palmerston North, have an advertisement in to day in connection with their papular hampers for Christmas and New Year, The Christmas display of novelties at Mrs Coppen's in Fergusson street, is exceptionally beautiful, and some shVbt idea of their almost endless variety is given in the advertisement which appears to-day. The Engineer of the Kiwitea County Council, Mr Charles Bray, juar., invites tenders for public works as detailed in the advertisement. Tenders will close on Saturday next. For other particulars see advertisement. There is a cat at Birmingham which catches mice in an ingenious manner. She begs a small piece of cheese from the cook, and places it in front of a mouse hole so as to entice the mice and then calmly sits down to wait. The Hod Gr. F. Richardson considers that the " wobblers " who have been elected will stray off the track when Parliament meets into the paddock where there is the most grass. A remarkable accident, attended byloss of Jife, has occurred near Pittsburg, Ohio. The driver of a freight train lost control of his engine on a downward slope. The tram dashed off at terrific speed, and jumped the track. The waggons were piled in a heap in a ditch. The engineer, fireman, conductor, two brakemen, the flagman of the train, and two tramps who were stealing a ride were crnshed to death. A horrible story is brought by the mail just to hand from Havanna, one of the many ugly accusations made from time to time against the Spanish authorities in Cuba. It is asserted that prisoners are taken from the police quarters in Havanna and drowned at the entrance to the harbour, their bodies being devoured by the numerous sharks that infest the coast. It is said that 63 imprisoned rebels were thus disposed of on September 6th last. It was announced in London on October 31st that the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough intend visiting America shortly, iv order that the expected heir to a good share of Vanderdilt's millions may be born in the United States. One of the reasons for this is that the recent agitation in regard to alien ownership of land is causing the Duchess much concern. Much of Vanderbilt's wealth is ia land ta the western country where the questfon of alien ownership is paramount. Anent the fossilised saurian found at Taranaki. We find in Mr Tregear's very interesting Maori Comparative Diction* ary there was a large order of reptile or lizard gods, apart from the lesser malignant spirits, which could assume the lizard forms causing death by gnawing the human vitals. The mokoroa were serpents or lizards of huge size which came across the sea from Hawaiki to New Zealand. Tbe lizard has always been an object of awe and dread to the Maories. Tbe day is not far distant when our City Fathers will have to take into serious consideration the question of watering the streets especially in the business part of tbe town. la the mean time something might be done to gather together and remove tbe stones and large " boulders " which have been forced to the surface during tbe long period of dry weather we have had. Drivers of vehicles and riders of bikes, are already complaining bitterly of the unpleasant jolting they experience from this cause. Mr J. A. Randall, of the Christchurch Meat Company, is actively engaged in an investigation into tbe causes of the extensive damage which has been sustained during the past year or two by frozen meat shipped from New Zealand. He is spending most of bis time at tbe dock-sand enquiring minutely into all details, and I understand he is sanguine that on the completion of his researches, be will be able to make some very valuable suggestions with the view of fntnre preventive measures by which a recur, rence of tbe mischief may be avoided.— Exchange. Twelve months failure of the products of tbe earth, and wreck and ruin, starvation and death, would be tbe inevitable and dire result. The vast army of mechanics (says a certain writer), the arts, tbe sciences, tbe trades, and the professions have no doubt contributed to a bigber perfection of our productive industries ; but tbey are not producers of wealth ; tbey are consumers. Tbe science of agriculture and our wonderful mechanical inventions bave been hand in hand in tbe onward march of this progressive age ; but our basal relations remain unchanged, and agriculture mast press bet claims with even greater force, under the new condition of things, as the true source of wealth. An evidence of the slipshod manner in which Acts of Parliament are placed upon tbe Statute Book came to light at the Land Board meeting today. An application was made by Mr Baldwin under the Native Land Court Act of 1894 that tbe Board should dispose of Eketahana Native Reserve under Part HI of the Land Act, 1892. Now, the latter prescribes certain conditions of residence within four years, while tbe Native Land Court Apt says existing leases should be respected- TbelSketabuna Native Reserve is leased foi? ten. years, so that if it is offered for selection or purchased by other than the occupiers^ possession cannot be taken or residence(conditiou& fulfilled. Tbe puzzle was left to tup Commissioner to un« royel.— Poat,

The Education Board met in Wanganui to-day. The local paper referring to the local option poll, says reduction has not been carried in Hawera. Captain Edwin's weather forecast today is as follows -.—Strong north east to north and west gale after 16 hours from now ; glass fall. We (Standard) understand an election petition against the return of Mr Geo. Fisher for Wellington City was lodged on Saturday afternoon. The Mayor elect, Mr W. A. L. Bailey, will be installed in the Municipal Chambers at nooa on Wednesday. Mr Bailey will then enter into his second term of office. The final shootin? competitions for Mrs Kirton's and Captain Kirton's trophies will take place at 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday next. Handicaps will be published to-morrow. The prospectus of a new morning journal for Wellington, with a capital of L 25.000, has been issued. We naderstand L6OOO is already subscribed, and premises have been secured for the proposed journal. — Standard. At his final meeting at Timarn tbe Hou Mr Hall Jones said that an elective Executive would have his support if Ministers were f;iven a certain tenure of office; otherwise there would be coutiuual intriguing to obtain and keep portfolios. This was his objection to Major Steward's Bill. In consequence of the number of electors who voted " early and often " at the last elections, it has been suggested that "electoral rights " bo issued, and used in the same way miners rights were at elections in the " good old days." Fraudulent voting was impossible on a miners' right— be?i<lcs, tho men were above that sort of meanness. A local appeared a few days ago stating that the ' Kia Ora,' from Glasgow to Auckland, was? spoken by a ship when the farmer ves.sel was 70 days out, haying left tbe Home port on 7th June, and that she was then on this side of the equator. This is an error. The Kia Ora sailed on 18ih June, and was spoken on the 29fch August in 1 deg. north and 23 Afo. west. Slio is a vessel of light draught, and the above shows she is a very bad sailer. Therefore, no anxiety need be folt about her non-arrival as yet.