LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 229, 30 August 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The telegraph wire was surely working very badly to-day. A short message for the Standard was put into the Wellington office at 9 a.m. and was finished at 10. 30 a.m.,or at the rate of about 3 words m two minutes. Rapid telegraphing this ! Unless some of the vehicles which are driven through the Gorge are navigated more carefully there will a terrible accident to record some day or other; as the wheel tracks are at times within a shave of being over the precipice. Some of the more dangerous points m the Gorge Road are now m process of removal, thus diminishing some of the many perils of the road. In consequence of the severe illness of the defendant, Lingard, the further charges against him have been deferred till Monday, when he will have the, bene? fit of professional assistance. We (Canterbury Press) have authority to contradict a report, that the Kaiapoi woollen mills are to be temporarily closed. The facts are that their are now more or* ders m hand than can be readily supplied, the mills are working day and night ; and m spite of the dullness of trade the de-L mand for goods from this factory has b?en lawrer than for some time. There is not a shadow of foundation m the report referred to. The contractors for the first section of the Botorua Railway have effected a start on their contract ; but no great progress has been made owing to wet weather. The tenders for the second section received by the Directors will be considered at a meeting next week. The contract for No: 11 section of Wellington»Manawatu railway seems to have fallen m the first instance' to Mr Scally, (says the Wanganui Herald) but through a hitch over the sureties it fell to the next tenderer. Mr Scally offered two sureties ; they were objected to, and he asked time to find others, bnt as these were not presented at the exact time stated he was passed over. On every ground of equity the deposit cannot be forfeited. In a letter received by Messrs Ounningham Smith and Co. from the Secretary of the Australian Company m London, it is stated that the Fenstanton's cargo was declared to be the best lot of frozen meat whioh ever reached the London market, and of the whole cargo lot 24 was the best, fetching 7R per pound. That lot was shipped by the Hon. M. Holmes M.L.O. Lydia Pinkman, the well known patent medicine proprietress, died at Lynn Mass., on 17th May, at the age of 64. She began by manufacturing medicine m a tea-kettle, and, m a few years built up a business of 800,000 dollars a year. She spent 180,000 dollars per annum m advertising. Starting disclosures as to the hours which barmaids are compelled to work have been made by Mr Martin, Inspector of Victorian Factories. He says that m some cases barmaids work from 6 a.m. without intermission (meal times excepted) until 3 o'clock the following morning. Some of these unfortunate girls are allowed only three hours out of the 24 for sleep. They come to town from the country.and tempted by the glitter of the city bars take barmaids' places for six mouths. They descend from first-class hotels to second, from second to third, until lost to sight altogether. Major Atkinson has announced his in* tention to-morrow to propose the discharge of the following Bills :— Settled Land, Harbour Boards, Municipal Corporation, Impounding, Married Womans Property, Auctioneers, Fisheries, Legu-' lative Officers Salaries, Local Courts, A new clause Savings Banks; and Fire and Marine Insurance Companies Bills. In the Counties Act Amendments Bill m Committee, to make the Chairman elected by the county ratepayers was lost, on a division, by 37 to 33. .• There have been heavy slips of late on the Gorge Road; m many places it is apparent that traffic will be periodically obstructed from thisjcause for a longtime to come; The Stoney Creek .Road much wants widening, and the ditch on one side filling up; as it is positively dangerous to travellers and carriers. Twice within a week have we noticed drays capsized m the ditch with shafts broken. „..._, , .<, The lamps m the Square ' last night burnt with a brilliance peculiarly their own, giving just as much glimmer as to indicate where the lamp posts, were,, but. not sufficient to illumine Jhe street to any appreciable degree. The new Carthusian Monastery m Sussex, England, which has just been consecrated, is the largest establishment of the kind m existence, covering nine and a half acres of ground, and measuring half a mile m circumference. It is the only Carthusian Monastery m Eng» land, and built to provide accommodation tor the brothers turned out of France. A party of bailiffs who had taken possession of the house of one Samuel Gunns, at Thrapstone, Northamptonshire, re> ceived a terrible treatment at the hands of the infuriated debtor recently. Mr. Gunns first looked the men m a room, and then threw a hive of bees amongst them. The agony of the imprisoned bailiffs must have been fearful. It is not suprising that the perpetrator of the ingenious outrage has been sentenced to a month's hard labour m gaol. The whole of Mr. John Plimmer's valuable freehold ptoperties m Wellington, comprising Barrett's Hotel,, the Albert Hotel, the City Hotel, and various sections of land m welUpopnlated parts of the city, were offered for sale at the Exchange Land Mart on Friday afternoon by Messrs. T. Kennedy Macdonald and Co. I There was a numerous attendance of mercantile men, but bidding i^as ; by no means spirited. None of the reserve prices were reached, and all the lotd were withdrawn. Saxony has some very curious laws con* cerning servant girls. For instance, the mistress is required to allow the servant one pound of butter and one pound of coffee per month, or the equivalent m money. If the servant furnish her own I bedding, she receives IJ cents extra per night for so doing. Seventy-five cents per month iq allowed the servant for her washing, and she receives five per cent. on all purchases she makes. She must gire a month's notice before leaying her place, and must keep a book for recom* mendations, m which, upon leaving her place, her mistress is compelled to state the cause of the servant'i leaving* and also what is her character.