Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 279, 1 June 1897, Page 2

Local and General News.

The Manchester Road Board will meet on Friday next. The Feilding S.M. Court will sit on Thursday next. Additions are made to the entries for Messrs Abraham and Williams' Palmerston sale. A meeting of members of the Feilding Jockey Clnb will be held this evening at the office of the Secretary, Mr E. Goodbebere. A boy named Bernard Jobn Conran died at Rylstone, N.S.W., last week, from inflammation of the bowels, caused by eating unripe quinces. A very old resident, Mrs J. J. Breeze, senior, died last week at Hokitika. Deceased knew Hokitika from the very early days and was well known in those times. The Nelson ministers of religion have petitioned the local school committees for permission to give half an honr'a religious instruction in the schools on one day a week. The record butter yield from one cow at a public trial occurred at the National Agricultural Show at Melbourne, when Daisy, a half bred Ayrshire, bred by Mr John Grant, of Seafield, Victoria, gave 107ilbs milk in two days, which produced 71b s|oz butter, or 31b 10-Joz per day. It is understood that Mr J. B. M'Ewan, late Chief Dairy Expert of the colony in London, has accepted the appointment of New Zealand representative for the well-known, firm of Clement & Sons, dairy produce merchants, of Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Leeds. Yesterday in our local columns we implied that the industrious sneak thief Lad been unable to make provision for his last Sunday's dinner. We were in error, lie annexed from a private meat safe a fowl and a substantial pie. We therefore tender him our apology. The following, sayfs a Home paper, is from an advertisement of a Wellington (New Zealand) butcher : " Having now secured the services of a University man fur our small goods department, we can now supply the real Cambridge and Oxford sausages at 31b for a stilling.' 1

The names of the several contributors to the Record Reign Jubilee Fund in Feilding will be published in the Star. On the principle that all classes should be represented there, it is the intention of the bookmakers in New South Wales to send a member to Parliament whose duty it will be to advance and protect the interests of a well fed and well groomed body of mou. Tho Palmerston Debating Society have selected the following to represent them in the public debate with tho Feilding Society viz.,f Messrs C. Anderson, F. Pirani, W. Stubbs, A. E. Meat yard, Rev J. Wrigley. Mr J. Grace will act as judge for Palmerston. The debate will be held on Wednesday evening next in the Assembly Rooms. A meeting of the members of tho Birmingham Rifle Club war, held iv Mr Harrison'* Hotel on Saturday evening. It was decided to open their new raDge on the property of R. Mcßeth, Esq., on Saturday next with a ladies match. Competitors to be nominated by a lady. The annual ball will be held early in July. Vigorous measures arc being taken to stamp out phylloxera from the viueyari in which it has appeared in the Auckland district. Captain Brown, Government entomologist, has inspected a very large number of vineries, and the viDes in those found to be infected are to be destroyed root and branch. In two vineries at the North Shore tbe vines have been entirely destroyed and the soil disinfected. On the subject of " bun worries " a speaker at the Sunday School Convention held recently in Wellington said : - " Some boys are of a commercial turn of miud. I've known boys who for a month or two before the period of treats to carefully divide theiratteDdance between three or four schools, and thus qualify themselves to partake of three or four treats." These lads are in training for political life. The New Zealand Times has annexed a local in connection with the Record Reign from our columns without the usual acknowledgement. We would not have called attention to the fact, only our contemporary has such an objection to " country papers " tripping in this respect, tbat we cannot allow the opportunity to pass of giving our big brother a rap over the knuckles and a lesson in politeness at the same time. On Thursday evening a number of the friends of Mr and Mrs Sam Chew Lang met at the Chinese Empire Hotel, near Lawrence, in order to congratulate the host and hostess oa their silver wedding anniversary. Mrs Chew Lang was made the recipient of a very handsome diamond brooch, while Mr Chew Lang received a moraento taking the form of a gold albert in memory of the occasion 1 — Dunedin Star. A novel and interesting exhibit will be ou view at Wellington shortly. Mr Bradey, of Pahautanui, intends showing samples of Romney Marsh wool of different lengths, furnishing an object les son in the gradual improvement of his flock for the last 30 years. Mr Bradey started with purebred Romncys in tke old days, but has gradually improved his flock. The length of staple of to-day's flock is about three times greater than it was three decades ago. In the course of a discussion at the meeting of the Education Board upon the state of a school building belonging to the board, the opinion was expressed tbat " an honest fire would be a good thing out there." This recalls the occasion some years ago when the subject under discussion being tbe dilapidated condition of some of tbe schools and re sidences, a venerable member suggested that the board should "insure the building well and employ a man."— Otago Daily Times. It was tbe branding season in Texan and they were branding cattle in tbe fashion best known to cowboys, when an Irishman happened to come along, and was asked ff the operation was the same in Ireland. " Not at all," he said, " they don't want horses in Ireland ; they have men who can hold any lasso yon have, and any bull in Texas too." With that one of tbe cowboys tied one end of the rope round Pat, while other swung the running end over the horns of a big bull, with the inevitable result tbat the bull went at express speed, and Pat behind it. As he sped along a cowboy he met asked. "Pat, where are ye going?*' " How the divil should I know : ax the bull." Stoats and weasels get the sole blame for the diminution of orr native and imported birds. But it appears on the testimony of Mr Richard Henry, who is at present engaged in acclimatisation work iv the Sounds, that the wood hen is a potent and persistent enemy of tbe feathered tribe which nests aground. Tbe weka does not kill bis contemporaries, neither does he destroy their young, but he brings about their annihilation in a much more insiduous and comprehensive manner — ho eats their eggs. An arrant and uaprincipled thief be waits around until the pheasant, roa, duck, quail or whatever it is, has deposited her egg and vacated her nest, then he trots in and makes a meal thereof. It is a noticeable fact that in districts where wekas are plentiful game of other kinds is comparatively scarce. —Times.