LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 246, 13 September 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The German Lutheran Congregation m Wauganui intend building a Cimrch there for which purpose they are inviting subscriptions. The through road from Masterton to Woodville is again open for traffic, and Cobb and Co. have resumed running their coaches. The man found m the Otepopo Tunnel turns out to he Mr David Aitkcn, belonging totheTe Auau, not ' William Randall, as stated m the Press Association telegram yesterday morning. Aitken was proceeding to Oamaru to see his sister. A cnnstablo is about to be stationed at Puikakariki, the population of which has increased to sucn au extent of late as to render it desirable that the district should be placed m charge of a police officer, whose sole lime and attention should be devoted to the maintenance of peace and order. The s.s. Australia, with the London August moils on board, left San Francisco for Auckland on the 30th ultimo, her time table date. The s.s. Zeafandia, with the August colonial mails, from Auckland, arrived at San Francisco on the 7th instant, three days m advance of the time table date. x Rather a startling suggestion was made m the Legislative Council by an lion. memb.'T. During % debate which arose through a motion brought forward by Hon. Mr Hart on the subject of race consultations, the hon. gentleman referred to said that instead of suppressing lotteries, it would perhaps be better if the State took charge of these consultations aud worked them much m the same manner as the English Government m the good old days worked State lotteries, and indeed some Continental States conducted such affairs at the present day. According to the Woodville correspondent of an exchange. Professor Hugo has met with a funny rebuff m his antagonism to spiritualistic manifestations. Affirming publicly that physical phenomena were all " mean trickery," he was challenged to try and hold a table that was controlled by a powerful physical medium The latter placed one hand on the table — Professor Hugo sat on it, and m a trice was unseated and deposited dn the floor. He, and a sceptical friend, were then invited to hold the table, and both seized it by the rim, but only to bo overpowered by the movements. The Professor now admits the oxistence of an unaccountable force, and terms it " Spiriticism." [We scarcely credit this story. —Ed. M.S.] The man Dooley, a resident of Wellington, on a charge of brutally ill using l.is daughter by thrashing her with a strap uith a large buckle at the end wasscutencecl yesterday to four inonths'iiuprisonment Mr Wardell, R.M., said he had examined the child, and found both thighs were a living mass of bruises, and as black as ink. He much regretted that he, had m t the power of inflicting such a flogging on the tn.in has the child had reci ived. It would have given him much pleasure to order such a flogging. The effect of the late floods at the bridge works on the Woodville- Mastertou roadjis now plainly revealed. Tho wreck at the new bridge works is almost iudescrible—timber carried away, partially finished works destroyed ; the engiuo and pneumatic pier-sinking apparatus almost buried with gravel ; and altogether the aspect of aftairs is anything but encouraging. The correspondent of an exchange hears that the contractor has made up his mind to now abandon the work. His losses' ar.<s very* severe. Tho whole of the timber work for more than half this long bridge, which had been jointed and plated together, all ready for liftiug into position, wera carried away. Tons of wrougut-iron work, as well as the valuable totara timber, are thus lost, and must be replaced. A French juryman was fined the oilier day £80 for having written to a newspaper to say that he did not agree to a verdict returned by a majority of his colleague?, secrecy being enjoined upon French jurymen by the code. At Sal ford a woman named Bury, who had promised to mind another woman's child, took tho baby out of the cradle, and, putting it on "the floor, poured a kettltiful of boiling water on it. The child died the same night. . Astonishment is expressed m Brussels that no Bill is passed by the English Parliament for the flogging of the dynamite ruffians when convicted, similar Bills .having proved efficacious hi preventing assaults on the Queen aud garrot ing. The Russian Government are seriously contemplating a sledging expedition to tho North Polej arid the well-known enterprise of Russian explorers makes it at least possible that the great secret may be solved by tbis means. The death is announced of Rogers Bey, one of the oldest English officials m tho Egyptian public service, and formally agent of the Egyptian Government m London. He leaves a wonderful collection of Arab coins, worth some £6000.