LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 32, 7 January 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A French Post-office clerk has been ' tried on » charge of stealing letters. The prisoner did not deny his guilt, but said m his defence that fae had only acted from curiosity. The investigation showed that none of the letters he had stolan contained money ; but he had taken to betanij on hor.-<e»racing, and the letters he had abstracted w«ra those addressed to fnplish bookmakers, from which he hoped to obtain information. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. With regard to the unfortunate girl Kate Boyle, charged with child murder, we learn that some preparation for the girl's defence has been made, at the desire of her mother; and it is understood that Mr E. Shaw will conduct the defence m Court. It is a curious ciroumstance that Kate Boylo's father died m a lunatic asylum, nnd the defence m ; her case may be a plea of lunacy. An eminent oculist says :-— ' It is m cumbent upon eyery person, be they par* ent, master, or mistress* engaged m the teaching and bringing up of children, to listen to such complaints as ' I' Can't' Bee, ' My eyes aehp,' and the like, aod inyariibljr to believe the child's statements m regard to its sight; and it ia their duty, if such complaints are made, to take the earliest opportunity and employ the best means to discover why these conditions exist. lam led to speak strongly on this point, hating too freely met with children whose complaints have been ignored, and put off yeur after year, whilst they themselves have been persistently goaded through their daily lessons by a cruel process of bullying and injustice. Had many such cases baea oroperly treated early, muck of the oreventable evil results of educational pressure would have been avoided." • > The December number of the A«stra« 'Han Insurance and Banking Record, has an article on Australian Banding averages m which it is pointed out that during the year end.ntr the 30th September last the increase m advances to New Zealand were less than to any other Australasian colony,. except Western Australia, the* increase m advances' to Tuamanaia being nearly three times as great. The ■figures showing the increase were as follows :— New Zealand, £189,099 ; Western Australia, £150,327; Tasma'naia, £522,255. This seems to indicate that m this colony the ' local. bank*r& are keepine a tight hand on the reine, and a firm foot on the brake/ ; The Taranaki Ferald mentions that an accident occurred on Snturday lust, at the rifle range. Several of the "Volunteers were practising at the target, and McManua, m his turn, discharged his rifle, when it exploded, blowing off the sight and about four inches of the barrel.' Fortunately he sustained no injury, but he had a veiy narrow escape.* " ; A terrible accident' occurred on Decent* ber 12 at the Dubbo (N.S.W.) railway station. The dust was bo thick and the, wind so high that Dennis Fitzpatnek, ? employed m the railway yard, could not see an approaching goods train, the en» gine of which knocked him dowu md passed orer him. His legs were cut off, his head; smashed, abd death must have been instantaneous. ': Travellers by train from Wanganui on Wednesday ni^ht had an unpleasant experience. When passing through a tunnel near Kai Iwi it was discovered that one of the carriages *vas on fire, friciion no doubt being the omse. On arriving at the next station the fire was extinguished and the carriage detached from the train. Ttie passengers turned out had meanwhile been standing on an exposed platform m a drenching rain. Room for some of them was found m the already crowded carriages, but some had to taka to open trucks, and as the rain continued their condition may be imagined. There was an exciting chase m the Wellington harbor on Thursday, the parties b4ng an apprentice named. William Poole, of tbe burque Fusilier, aud a (boat's crew from the ressol. Poole bad completed a term of imprisonment for absenting himself from the vessel without leave, and had been put aboard on Wednesday evening. About 6 o'clock m tbe morning he quietly dropped into the water and made for tue shore, whicn was over half a mile distant, Hia movement did not esc ipe the lynx eye of one of the officers, who immediately caused a boat to be lowered, and, having manned it, gave ciiaso. Poole struck out vigorously, but was overtaken after covering about twothirds of the distance. As a matter of course ha was hauled aboard and brought back to the vessel. A well, bred and very quiet young bull is to bo otfored at Messrs Stevens & Gorton's stock snle at the Borough Yards to-morrow, „ A reward is offered for the recovery of a purso with money lost yesterday on the Uangitikei Live. Mr Leigh has just entered further additions to the catalogue for the Borough Yard sale to-morrow ;— 1 pure^bfed Hereford B ill 2Hyaar«ol<f, and 25 2 to 2^ year old steers.