LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hastings Standard, Issue 500, 13 December 1897, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Volunteer items and other interesting news will be found upon our fourth page today.

It is expected that Parliament will pro rogue this week.

A six-roomed house near the Catholic Church is advertised to let.

The bot fly is causing annoyance to horses in the Hastings district just now. Athletic sports were held at Christchurch and Dunedin on Saturday last. An old identity on the West Coast— Alfred Whittleton, better known as " Big Fred"—has passed away. The team of the Hastings Fire Brigade which has been selected to proceed to Auckland is now in active training. An alarm of fire was sounded upon the Hastings firebell about three o'clock on Sunday afternoon. The cause was a burning flue. The new railway time-table came into operation to-day. It was quite a novelty to Hastings people to see the express passing through about breakfast time. Mr F. Kirby, who has been sub-editor of the Hawke's Bay Herald for the last two years, has received an appointment on the New Zealand Times.

The total number of sheep-owners in the Havvke's Bay district is 291. Of these 16 have over 20,000 sheep, and 29 between 10,000 and 20,000.

According to the sheep returns just published there were, on 30th April last, 1,314,372 :,hoep in the Hawke's Bay district, 713,871 in the Waipawa district, and 726,281 in the Patangata district. The Hawke's Bay Herald of to-day contains an excellent report of the opening of the railway to Woodville. We are indebted to our contemporary for the excerpts published in another column. The prolonged drought will prove disastrous to many small farmers in the neighborhood of Hastings. Crops are beyond recovery, and fodder is completely scorched up. In some cases farmers are feeding their stock upon green oats. The remains of the late Mrs Harvey were interred in the Havelock Cemetery on Sunday afternoon. The funeral cortege was very lengthy, comprising between forty and fifty vehicles, besides horsemen and pedestrians. The ceremony at the grave was performed by the Rev. St. Hill.

Hastings is probably possessed of the prettiest surroundings of any provincial town in New Zealand. Amongst the more attractive of its suburbs is the snug little town of Havelock. Here are some of the finest orchards and fruit gardens in the colony, romantic-looking residences, snug churches, and a well-conducted hotel. Havelock is only about half-an-hour's walk from Hastings, and from Napier possibly no better bicycle road could be found. Summer visitors are afforded every accommodation by Mr E. J. Warren, of the Exchange Hotel. Mr Warren only recently took possession of this popular hostelry, but by his strict regard for the interests of the travelling public and others, and by supplying only the best brands of liquor, he has already established himself a favourite. Visitors should not fail to call upon him.

It is with sincere regret that we record the death of Arthur Charles, the fifteen-year-old son of Mr "W. C. Maddison, of Hastings. On Saturday last the young fellow was the victim of an accident by which his leg was severely lacerated. The wound was stitched up, and the lad seemed to be progressing favourably. On Sunday evening, however, mortification set in. Dr Linney was called at an early hour this morning, but found the deceased in a comatose state. He was beyond medical aid, and passed away about eight o'clock this morning. The fatal termination to what was apparently not a serious accident naturally comes as a shock to the parents of the deceased, who was a fine j'oung fellow and highly esteemed. Blood poisoning evidently resulted from the wound being caused by collision with a totara post. Mr and Mrs Maddison will have the sincere sympathy of the whole community in their sad and untimely bereavement. The funeral takes place on Tuesday afternoon. Large stock of spring and summer suitings. Every variety of best material at moderate prices. Cut style and finish guaranteed by I)odds the Tailor, Here« fauega read.—Aim,

The annual revenue of the Hastings Borough Council by way of general rate is about £I9OO. The Native Land Court is still sitting a*' Hastings. The Mayor of Hastings is to be installed at a special meeting of the Council on Wednesday evening. There are 412 registered canines in Hastings at the present time. Beyond the current year there is not a penny of overdue rates owing the Borough of Hastings. Members of St. Matthew's choir are requested to attend a short special practice this evening at 7 o'clock. * Haymaking is now in full swing in the Hastings district. According to Captain Russell, Hastings is " the hub of the universe.'' Hear, hear. The Magpie Minstrels of Hastings appear at Napier on Wednesday evening. The annual statutory meeting of the Hastings Borough Council is to be held on Wednesday next. It was sixteen years ago last week since manhood suffrage was granted in New Zealand. There is a good deal of illness amongst the natives at Waikaremoana at the present time. Typhoid is the most destructive disease. The law prohibiting the supply of alcoholic liquor to Native women does not appear to be observed in Hastings than in other parts of the Colony. The Act is comparatively a dead letter. A shearer came to Hastings a few days since with a cheque for £42. All he now possesses is a distended cranium and an unquenchable thirst. Hastings must be a pious community. Within a radius of three miles there are ten places of worship, as against seven hotels. Two interesting cases of alleged breach of promise are shortly to occupy the attention of the Courts at Napier. The rehearsal of the Magpie Minstrels called for to-night is cancelled out of sympathy with one of the members/" A jealous tight-rope walker in Sydney named Holmes put two revolver bullets through his wife's cranium on Saturday. Eruera and Holder, of New Zealand, have been provisionally selected for the Australian athletic team to proceed to England. The Hastings Fire Brigade Sports Committee meet at the station this evening at 8 o'clock to arrange preliminaries. A. A. George, Hon. Sec. :;: Thirty thousand people witnessed the Austral Wheel Race at Melbourne on Saturday, which was won by Carpenter, of Victoria, with Body, of New Zealand, second. Although the drought is likely to seriously affect small farmers, it is satisfactory to find that in the Hastings district the wool clip this year has been much about the average. It. is stated on pretty reliable authority that, owing to failing health, the Hon. G. F. Richardson intends resigning his seat for Mataura and that Mr R. McNab will contest the vacancy. In our advertising columns Mr F. De Lisle announces another of his popular entertainments for Boxing night. Some really first class amateur talent has been secured, and the Hastings theatregoers are promised a treat both in dramatic and musical lines.

We understand that several members of the Lady Minstrel troupe have expressed their desire to assist at the funeral service in Hastings to-morrow. AVe are authorised to invite them to the practice elsewhere advertised for this evening. Captain Russell, arrived at Hastings on Saturday. He leaves in about a fortnight for Adelaide, where he will take the P. and O. steamer for England. His many friends will wish Captain Russell a pleasant and profitable voyage to the Old Country. AVe have heard of a man devouring a leg of mutton and two loaves of bread at a meal, but there is an individual in Hastings who is not far behind in the alimentive propensity. The other night he succeeded in putting away two dozen sheeps' trotters and two quarts of beer for supper. And still his whiskers grew.