LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 56, 30 January 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A good story is being told m Sleepy Hollow. Some venison that was being distributed as a great rarity, torus [out to be part of a thirty year old goal. Mr Crosse, demist, was to pay a profes* sional visit to Palmerston to-day. The congregation at the little place of worship at Parewanui on Sunday afternoon waß quite as large as could comfort-, ably be accommodated, the worshippers having travelled by conveyance, on horseback, and on foot from far and near, the horses and traps giving the little church quite the appearance of a meeting-house m a clearing m the far West. Mrs D. D. Walker had a difficult task | to perform to save her dwelling from 'destruction by fire on Saturday evening. The burning bush, logs, and grass all round caused intense heat, and there was serious danger of the highly inflammable fencing and shingles igniting. Mrs Walker had a very anxious time of it, running here and there, beating out fire and carrying water from an adjacent drain to, quench the incipient flames. Nothing is surer than that but for her exertions the homestead would hare been doomed. Mr Oroskery, the well«known Welling* ton auctioneer, formerly of Croskeryt Hassell, & Go., is, we learn, about to establish himself m Palmerston, having leased those premises formerly known as Coleman's auction mart, m which he will carry on business as an auctioneer and produce merchant, holding weekly auction sales of merchandise, produce, furniture, &c. There should be an excellent opening for Mr Croskery's business energy m this line, and we have no doubt his recognized enterprise, diligence, and . integrity will secure for him a wide connection aod "remunerative business. Mr Jprgensen has.a very choice assort* ment of framed' pictures bow on view m his Exhibition, m which is arrayed a miscellaneous quantity of really elegant goods of all descriptions. His Exhibition is weir worth a visit. The view from the top of Mount Stewart on Sunday was very striking, the atmosphere beneath being a canopy of smoke from thousands of bush fires m all directions, The great gaps m the forest made by the a£e and the fire, were, from that elevation, very clearly apparent. The double-column advertisements taken oub of the third page, to make more room, will be found on the first page. The Natives at Awahnri were employed on Sunday gathering m their harvest, the women washing at the river side. ' The inhabitants of Awapuni danced throughout the livelong night. Paring a sixty miles ride m Manawatu and Jtangitikei a few days ago, we were fitrucjk wj,(h the terribly parched state of thfl country oo all sides. It was feared that another week's drought would entai 1 *$rjous Jk<ss of stock through want of psstwwgsand water. «**e«fij Biteßt&n is directed to Mr _ kJi \ , ~*«#B»?»>»PBt> W which he Bemington's a. rf -^ intimates receipt of *. quality. '

Accounts m connection with the Taonui school fete are requested to be sent m to Mrs G. Meiubery, treasurer. A novel idea has occurred to a Liver« pool tradesman, who advertises that he is able to sell cheaper than others, because he' is a bachelor without encumbrances, and does not wane the profits of a married man with n large family. A number of Applications have been made -to Judge McDonald of the Native Lands Court for the re*hearing of claims to the Rangattra Block, Wanjranui dis<trict, adjudicated upon m Mar ton on August last by Judge O'Brien, but all such applications have been dismissed. The election of the following School Committees have been notified to the Secretary to the Education Board, Mr A. A. Browne ; — Ashurst, Mr J. H. Page, chairman ; Awaburi, Mr J. Weightman, chairman; Campbell town, Messrs Win. Craig (chairman), Chas. Dahl, Ransom, Cos tall, Larsen, J. Beckman, and Meyer. Tenders are invited for. the erection of a roof over.a hay-stack m the Standard paddock. " The ground floor of the Standard office is now available for occupation as business premises, and being very convenient and m an excellent position, should soon be tenanted. We have not yet been favoured by the manager of the Manawatu Times with any explanation of how a letter addressed to the Manawatu Standard came into his possession and was appropriated by him. Surely the circumstance should be capable of conic sort, of explanation, not entailing any compromise with business honesty and truthfulness, or a sacrifice of moral principle. Failing any explanation, we must pursue our inquiries iv another direction and through, quite, a different channel. , ; , The aroma m the vicinity of the Awahuri pah yesterday was anything but delightful, the, prevailing perfume being decaying kaikai, presumably the remains of the Native gathering, the odour of which ' could be perceived half anmile away. . We have been requested to protest against the suggestion made m last night's Times, urging upon the ranger to impound cattle off the Rangitikei Line, when it ia known that the fences have m many directions been destroyed by bush fires, thus allowing settlers' cattle to wander. Under such circumstances it would be acting with harsh and unnecessary stringency were the ranger to impound cattle, or take proceedings against the owners, when their being at large was not their fault. We are informed that Mr F. de J. Clere, of Feildlng.is about to join partnership with, Mr A. Atkins, 0.E., of SVanganui. The Wanganui Education. Board held its usual monthly meeting to-day. A meeting ot Volunteers is convened for 7.30 o'clock to-morrow evening at the Public Hall. At the inquest on the remains of the poor child, Annie Basaett, held to«day, a verdict of accidental death was returned, We learn that Messrs Stevens & Gorton are dealing very largely, m purchasing grass-iseed this season. Some of the settlers on the Bangitikei Line on Sunday evening had all they could do to prevent.the fire spreading to their homesteads, which, till the rain com* raenced, were m imminent danger of destruction. Messrs Stevens & Gorton's Feilding Stock Sale took place to-day. Since the recent rains stock have an upward ten* dency. ' . A culvert on the Bangitikei Line has been slightly charred through a grass fire that spread across the road. ; The delays of the telegraph are aggravating beyond description. One of our oable messagesjwas put into the Wellington office to«day at 11.56 a.m., was finished m the* Palmerston office at 1.52 p.m., and reached our office at 2.15. Carrier pigeons would beat this hollow. Surely better time could be made. . Our collector is going round this week obtaining a settlement of all Standard subscriptions due, and m some: cases long over-due. We trust prompt settlements will be made m every case, for all amounts, large and small. A correspondent of the Post enquires the mode of procedure m order to bring to justice a milk-vendor whom he suspects of employing too freely " the cow with the iron tail 1 ." fßy jtke; Adulteration- Prevention Act, of 1880, it is provided that the ' Inspector of Nuisances or Inspector of Weights and Measures shall, ""on being required by any person having reasonable cause to suspect any article of food or drug-to be adulterated," procure and submit a sample of snch articles to be analysed under the Act. Milk ranks as an article of foodj and if our correspondent desires to take further action he may pren fer a complaint either to Mr. A. G. Johnson, the Inspector of Nuisances, or Mr. Marriott, the Inspector of Weights and Measures. About 200 men have deserted from H. M.S. Nelson aince she has been m Aus« tralian waters. A portion of- the Cuzco shipment of frozen meat was found to be mildewed and badly prepared for the market. Wallacetowp, it is stated, has the honour of being the first town m the colony to establish a " Blue Ribbon '* or Gospel Temperance Society. >.• The Melbourne Bicycle Club have de» cided, at the request of the City Council, to introduce by- laws similar to those now m force m 22 counties m England. A Melbourne paper says: — A literary and musical entertainment was given by the prisoners at Peutridge on New Year's Diiy, 500 men being present. * Mr. Thomas Corbett, of the welhknown firm of Copbjett.and Peele manufacturers of agricultural implements, England, is making a tour through N/ew Zealand^

The Taieri Advocate says that one day recently a number of Chinamen visited the West Taieri Cemetery and disinterred therefrom the remains of one of j their countrymen. A witness m the alleged " lambing down " case at Wellington created some nmusemenfc by remarking that a thoroughly drunken man ought to be able to swallow a quart of whisky, and that, a person who could not accomplish such a feat was not, m her opinion properly m« toxicated. A Melbourne paper says thatßlighV debut m the field was watched with pecu-. liar interest. His lanky figure could never be mistaken. He has all W. 6. Grace's form at point, and obtained two tremendous rounds of cheering for stop* piug real hot ones. The moneyed magnate, says the Melbourne Age, is as mnch a power m a community where everybody professes to eat, drink, and spit upon the same level as he is m the be»wigged and ermined societies of the Old World where the hierarchy of rank and good breeding still flourishes unchallenged. Four common jurymen were excused from serving at Christchurch a few days Bgo— one on the plea that he was hard of hearing, another that his crops were dead ripe, and he could get no labourers to reap them, a third, that he had been under medical treatment for five months, and a fourth, that he was a member of the Fire Brigade. . :, The Auckland Star, m an article on the Hamilton murder trial, says the public are convinced that a foul murder, has been committed,and that the position m which the case is left is most unsatisfactory to all concerned, including the now acs quitted prisoners. It accuses Judge Gillies of a strong bias throughout the, ',tnal, I and notably m his samming up, which reads like the speech of a defending counsel rather than that of an impartial judge* It admits, however, that the jury. could i have come to no other verdict. .The Westport Times says.— The fore* ! feet of old Fishhook have been forwarded to Mr Walker, of Wanganui, who wishes to preserve them as a memento. The spot at Reef ton where the horse's remains were lying waa viaited by hundreds of persons, curious to view the dead hero of so many victorious. turf battles*.' . ;