Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XIX, Issue 98, 22 October 1897, Page 2

Local and General News.

Entries for the Manawatu A. and P. Show close on October 30. Mr W. Banks tender was accepted for | the erection of the Church of England at i Fowlers. Entries for Messrs Abraham and Williams' sale at Palmerston on 28th inst., arc now advertised. Entries for Montague's great clearing side at Mr Canning*, Rongotca, will be advertised to-morrow. The annual meeting of the Feilding Building Society will be held on Friday, October 29th, in the Municipal Buildings at S p.m. Mr T. Lindsay Uuick has been invited to deliver a lecture in Feilding at an early date in aid of the Presbyterian Church building fund. — Standard. In the lute Mr .Tame* Lessingfcon, of Karori, one more of Wellington's sturdy band of pioneers has passed away. Mr Lessington arrived in this colony in the ship Arab in 1841. We have been requested bjr the secretary of the Marton Athletic Club Sports, Mr Alfred Ross, to draw attention to the fact that the 26th instant is the last day on which nominations can be received. This evening in the Feilding Assembly Rooms, the Rev Oliver Dean, of Napier, will lecture on Prohibition. The proceedings will begin at eight o'clock, and no charge will be made for admission. The lecturer is a good speaker, and has an attractive address. " The Public Works Department is a disgrace to the country," says Mr Hogg. " Its engineers are antiquated*, its plans are antiquated, its specifications are antiquated, the very men themselvcK arc antiquated, and it would be a good thing to send them off on a fugitive expedition in a balloon to the North Pole. A lad named Mat, in tbe employ of Mr VV. G. Shearer, met with a painful j accident yesterday. He was working a I planing machine when the piece of { timber be was holding split, with tbe result tbat two of tbe fingers of bis left band were caught. Tim tip of tbe forefinger was badly lacerated wbile a groove was made through tbe nail of tbe second j finger, which was, also, severely injured, i Dr (Ju&rltou dressed tke injuries.

Mr Pegden, cabinetmaker, etc., who baa opened a branch in Feilding, baa an advertisement on the firat page of to»day'i iarae. Notice is given to-day by the Rev A. Innes Jones that the weekly Bible reading will be held at tho Vicarage as usual this evening. The committee meeting of the Feilding Cricket Club which was to have been held on Monday evening next will not be held until Tuesday, the 96th instant, at eight p.m. Captain Edwin wired nt noon to-day: — There are indications for a continuance of northerly winds and squnlly weather, with rain, in most parts of the North Island. Barometer further fall. Informations have been laid, at the ininstance of Mr Hull, Stock Inspector, against several residents of the district for exposing diseased stock for sale in public saleyards. The cases will come on for hearing at an early date. — Sfandard. An exceptional hailstorm has occurred at Gunnedah, New South Wales, 800 miles north-went of Sydney. Stones larger than pigeon eggs fell. Thousands of ' panes of glass were broken, iron roofs I perforated, and trees and gardens denuded. [ Emily Hobbe, wife of n farmer, was charged at the Magistrate's Court (Invercargill) yesterday with having burned a dwellinghotise at Halfour belonging to her husband, in April. IKP-A. The property was insured for £'120 in the National office, and the amount was paid over. The chief witnesses for tho prosecution are Hobbs' family by his former wife, who stated that a considerable quantity of furnitnre was removed before the fire, which occurred in the daytime, during the absence of the husband and family. Our paragraph in reference to the use of the colouring matter in the makomako berry of New Zealand in connection with the manufacture of Wine has attracted a good deal of attention in other parts of the colony, and also in Australia. Mr Freyberg,' late Government Timber Expert, has received several letters on the subject of his discovery, and has been requested by the Auldina Wine Company, Adelaide, to send it samples of the berry. Mr Freyberg mentions that the small fruit when fully ripe can be gathered by children, and by exposing it to a few hours bright sunshine it can be dried sufficiently to be exported. — Post. A meeting of those interested in the formation of a Rifle Club in Hnlcombc was held in the Chess Club rooms last evening. The was a good attendance, Mr J. I'urkiss being \oted to the chair, ft was decided to form n L'ifle Club, about twenty persons consenting to join. A committee was formed to arrange details and report at a meeting to be held next Thursday evening. Mr Burcham was appointed secretary and treasurer pro tcm. and it was decided to ask Mr P. G. lliddiford to accept the position of President, and Messrs Lane and 11. P. Lance the offices of vice-presidents. Mr S. Strachan was elected captain. Sniping always plays a prominent part in the offensive operations of insurgent tribes on the Indian frontier. The practice is thus explained by an Indian ofhcial: — Three natives set out, two in one direction and one in another. The single man when he believes he is in the neighbourhood of a sentry, lets off his rifle, no matter in what direction, thus draws the fire of the sentry, whereupon the two other stalkers fire into the space lit up by the sentry's fire. This goes on all round the camp and the result b constant alarm at night time. It is impossible to see the snipers, who generally stalk the sentries from behind stones. The soldiers hare been told over and over again not to reply to a sniper, but they always fancy they see the enemy in the darkness, and the temptation to fire is irresistible. In the New South Wales Legislative Aasembly a few days ago Mr Eden asked the Colonial Secretary whether he had seen a report that a clergyman named Mr Isitt had deliberately stated that the polic* had stood by while men had put revolvers in the faces of other men and threatened to blow their brains out, and that a certain minister was prepared to swear a serious charge against the police. Would there be inquiries into the matter? He had communicated with the Minister of Justice on the matter. The Colonial, Secretary, in answer, said he would have all the information he could on the subject. Mr M'Elhone : Is this the same parson who went about making a statement about another parson having been found drunk ? The Colonial Secretary : I know noting about Mr Isitt. Mr M'Elhone : And we don't want to know.

Mr Pegden, cabinetmaker, etc., who ha* opened a branch in Feilding, baa an advertisement on the firat page of to»day's iarae.