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Manawatu Herald, 21 June 1892, Page 2

Earl Spencer sells his AUhorpe Library ( owing to the depression in ogrteHltHWi

Mr Harner has an important advertisement ever the leader. Messrs Stevens & Gorton's stock sales at Palmerston and Feilding will be held on Thursday and Friday next. As an instance of the unconsciousness of the ownership of a bad voice, it is remarked " Humanity is not easily discouraged. The man with the cracked voice always insists upon leading the singing." This comes with appalling truthfulness to those who attended the meeting held by the two Wilson's in the Public I Hall. Certainly only one Wilson— Mr J. I G. Wilson— had engaged *^- 1■ " never tm"'-' * _ . — •« juati, but that --.«ea " Billy " Wilson from making use of it lot mi own amusement arid his heareil'd annoyande. He may be Unaware of the fact, but it is pretty generally admitted that though his voice is not cracked— there is yet something wrong somewhere else — neither is it musical. Why the chairman allowed his continual and irritating interruptions it is hard to say, but " Btlly's " reason for not minding the chair is amusing, if even not quite true "Lor' bless you, sir, he was such a little man, I could not see him !" Still ho heard him, and attended not. Mr Stansell showed U3 the other day two very fine specimens of pumpkin3 that had been grown at a flaxmill on the refuse of the green flax cleared off the leaf by the strippei 1 . We learn from private sources that diphtheria is very bad just now in Palmerston, though it is mentioned as " ulcerated sore throat." Great efforts wero made to induce Mr Johnson to assume some sort of a uniform, when he acted as marshal to the Governor's reception procession, but without avail. A funny mistake, however, occurred when Colonel Pox passed by, mounted on a coalblack steed, attired in scarlet tunic and a cocked hat full of feathers, for an old woman in the crowd identified him as the great Mr Johnson, and remarked to a friend " Oh yes, that's Mr Johnson, my ! ain't he got 'em all on." When travellers meet in the heart of the African desef t it is pardodable their having to inquire as to each others names and titles, as instanced in Mr Stanley's query, "Dr Livingstone, I presume," but at a reception of a Governor of the Colony for the officials to leave the unfortunate gen» tleman to mount the dais in front of the Supreme Court without an introduction to the Chief Justice is certainly a want of attention. It is a fact that the Earl had to ask, a la Stanley, " Whom have I the honour of speaking to ?'' when the Chief Justice advanced to address him. The eldest daughter of Dr Grace is engaged to Mr White, formerly of Hawke's Bay, but lately of India, to which he will presently return. We learn that it is exceedingly unlikely that Sir Walter Buller will engage in politics in the colony. It is rumoured that he has secured a valuable appointment at Home for five years certain, and he and Miss Buller will leave for England at the end of the approaching session of Parliament. In the contest now going on in the Rangitikei between Messrs Bruce and Stevens, it has been pointed out as being very strange that Mr Stevens who declares himself in favour of freehold tenure, and Free Trade, should also declare himself as a supporter of the present government About two years ago a political biography of Mr Stevens was published by a Palmers*, ton resident, but we note little use is made of it during the present fight. According to yesterday's N.Z Times if the government do not go in for bribery and corruption it is not for the want of, at any rate, one Minister having read up the whole subject, as advocated by English statesmen in days gone bye. To be thoroughly posted, it may be thought not lost time, as there is no knowing when it may become useful. The Times states that the unsecured liabilities of the New Oriental Bank amount to 5£ millions, and the nominal value of the free assets is GJ millions. Mr Balfour, in a speech ot the opening of the election campaign, said the policy of public works would help Ireland more than a thoi sand Parliaments. A street in Germany has been paved with indiarubber. The result is said to be most satisfactory. A correspondent of a Wellington paper suggests that it would be an excellent thing for the Governor to advise Her Majesty to confer the honour of knighthood on some leading member of the native race. Baronetoies have been conferred on Indian personages— why should not a great Maori chief be honoured with the smaller dignity? Perhaps Lord Glasgow could use his influence in this direction. W. Howell, jun., of Paraparaumu, son of a settler there, was charged on the information of F. Moorhouse (a ranger under the Animals Protection Acts) with refusing to give the ranger his name and address. The defendant, it appears, ordered the ranger off the land, refused to give his name, and held his gun (which was loaded in both barrels) frequently pointed towards the ranger. The defence was a general denial of this and a plea that the defendant (being the son of the occupier of the land) was justified in refusing. The R.M. held the ranger was justified in going upon the land in the exercise of his duty, that the defendant's oondact to the ranger was very vexatious and improper and he inflicted a fine upon the defendant £5 and costs. The owner of " Bob " whose loud tongue it seems impossible to restrain might note the following, and by a small expenditure in " dog-extinction " mixture put in a claim : — Ah eccentrio old lady in Wilmington, Connecticut, has left £20,000 to be _ used in the suppression of " the pernicious habit of keeping dogs." The money is to be used in repainting the houses of residents in the town who oan prove that they have not had a dog for two years. To those who come from the south-west of England it may interest to know that the last stage in the conversion of the Great Western Railway from the broad to the narrow guage took place at the end of last month. A big order. A Select Committee recommends tha English Government to pur* chase the trunk lines and by out the telephone companies.