Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 274, 26 May 1897, Page 2

Local and General News.

, — « A poll is to be takeu in Hawera ou a proposal to raise i.18,000 for a water aud drainage scheme Tho Foiiding people will watch for the result with a considerable amouut of interest. The secretary of the Public Library reports the following new books and magazines that have come to band : — Books - ' Briton or Boer, 1 Griffith ; ' Tho Prince aud the Pauper,' Twain. Maga-. sdues — The Australasian, The Punch, Sfc JatuGi;' J?udgct, Illustrated Loudou Ncwa, Pall Mali Magazine, Truth.

j A four-roomed cottage at Ilalcombo, ; occupied by Blr W. Pulford, was dostsroyed by fire between 7 and 8 o'clock last evening. ; It has been suggested that iv connection with tbc Jubilee celebrations the whole of the schools in the Wellington educational district should be granted a holiday, and that cciumittees and and teachers should be encouraged by the Education Board to promote such | demonstrations as shall cause tho day ' to be long remembered by ull the pupils. . — Times. A good deal of dissatisfaction having been hatched lately among poultry the layers have struck work, aud tho roosters are walking about idle. It is under stood that the Government will appoint a commission to euijuiro into the position, its causes and probable resnlts. Tho Chicken Expert, Mr Henderson, is already prepariug evidence. We are pleased to hear that .Mr Gunter's new song " How could we know," is selling very well, both in Foilding and in Paltucrston, and is likely to bocome very popular. Wo understand it. is to be sung by the liev Earee in Pal- I tuerston at tho next orchestral concert, which is to take place Jit sin early date. Many admirers of Mr (iunter's compositions will be pleased to hear that he iutouds publishing his (Javottc very shortly. Mr A Park, M.R.C.V.S.. tho Governincut bacteriologist, has inoculated soinc thirty of Mr Couuett's cows (says the Taranaki Herald) with [)r Koch's tubercnlin test. Tho dovelopniMils aud result.-; of the inncnlatiou will be watched aud rer-.'.irtcd nnon by Mr Orboll, Stock Inspector, whoso intent ion ib is, iv conjunction with Mr iteakes, to inounhito sf:V(i'al herds in the Taiiiuaki district with the same test. Since Mr Park has beeu in New Zf\il;ind ho hns, it w r<*. ported, inoculated some GOO or 700 cows of which number between twenty ami thirty per cent proved to he affecti'd wii.li tuberculosis. A Cavershani man was the recently creeping softly along tho bedroom lloor on his hiiud and kueos, nnd feeling ten derly under the bureau for n something he had hidden tlie eveniii I.'1 .' b'fnre; but his wifo awoke and said : " Peter, what ever ;>r;! you do;ii» ?" " f)c ar.' 1 ivplii'd lie, ' I'.'u walking in my sli-r-p and dreamiu.,' I'm phiukim; water lillie« from the Kilt blue bosom ol the lake." How to get the /1-i^k from under the bnivau he fore she gut up iv the morning was what worried him more than the v.ator liliie.s did, says a southern paper. The Inverer.rgill Xev/s says : ' There are some smart oyster opi-iu-is at the Bluff. In a competition recently <>ue opened ionr do/en iv a minute n< at, aud anot'K r a shade over OOsecs. In a subsequent eating competition hitter time was put up, one stalwart contestant getting outside of three dozen from tlm shell under iiOsecs. Three others were completely out-oatou. J!y the way, these contests were he.d iv counectiun with a cburcb bazaar ar.d formed by no means the least entertaining feature." This evening at tho Prohibition meet ins.' in the Assembly Booms tho licv F. W.'lPitt, Mr T. E. Taylor, M.H.R., nud Mra Ostler will bo tho speakers, aud I'cv J Dawsou will preside. Aiuoiigst tho laymen Mr T. K. Taylor is certainly the recoguipecl Prohibition leader. Asa speaker on the question he stauds second to none iv New Zealand. The Rev ¥. W. leitt. though differing largely iv style from his brother, is equally effective as a speaker. Given a fine night a full house may bo expected. At the close of the addresses questions and dis cussion will be allowed. For years it has been known that minerals existed throughout the island of Kawau (formerly Sir Georgo Grey's home), and at least 1000 tons of maugancsc have been shipped thence, a considerable quantity going to the Mount Morgan mine Recently half a ton was assayed by Mr A J. Bolton, a very well known assa.\er, who found that the ore contained 50 per cent of manganese, and though it was not treated for gold, there wero such indications that a lire assay was made, with the result of loz 2Adwt of the precious metal per ton. Mr Stirling, Government Geologist, also made an assay, which t'avo loz Gdwt of gold per ton. The pigeon match in connection with the North Wairarapa Gun Club was fired at Masterton last Monday. There were between twenty and thirty competitor.-, including sliootists from Wellington, Blenheim, Woodville and other parts. The match was for £65. After some excellent shooting, in which each killed the nine birds, eight men divided the stakes as follows : — Redwood (Blenheim), Thompson, Mackersey (2), A. P. Whatman, W. Wardell. A. C. Feast (Feathersion), and C. H. Harvey. A sweepstake, subsequently iired, divided butweou Thompson and Redwood. There was a moderate attendance of mi-ml.crs at the meeting of the Feildiug Debating Society last evening, when articles to "The Journal" were read, ibe subjects dealt with being " The pros;:ut aud tho future outlook of South Africa," " The Armenians," and '* War and C'Jiiiujf;rce." Each of tho articles were freely discussed. Mr J. J. Bagnall pr. sided at the meeting. At a committjo meeting various arrangements were made iv connection with the debate to be held iv Feildiug ou June 9th with the I-. Emersion society and a committee of ladies was appointed to supervise the an augments for entertaining the visitors .'.ir 11. U Sherwill was appointed oue. i.f il.i: judges. It was decided to r (jiusi Mr Jiuick, of Paimerstou, aud ex .M. 11. 1t. for Waiiau, to givo an ad-d.->s on some uou-political' subject, The Mana-walu Mounted RiHe corps, left devisioti, held a yarade in mufti in a .splendid grass paddock (the property of Mr W. D. M. Banks) at Kiivitea at 3 p.m, on Saturday, 2Jud iust, asuotilied. Twenty members were present The whole afternoon was devoted to squad drill. Captain Dunk was much impressed with the physique of the men, the average height beiug about .Oft iOin. Lieutenant Aldrich remarked that there was no doubt that when in uniform they will be a very fine body of men, aud that Kiwitea would be proud of them. The field was graced, in spite of the bitterly cold weather, with the presence of a good number of the iair sex. At the close of the parade Captain Dunk stated that be had made arrangements for having the men measured for their uniforms on the sth of June, at 3 p.m.