LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 256, 25 September 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

£115 was subscribed for the survivors pf the ill-fated ship Lastingham. \ ; The Wellington Trader and Labour Council, is gaining strength daily and doing practical work m the interests of working men. '* It woufd'appear by late cable<news that General Gordon, has proved himself - more than a match for El Mahdi and his followers notwithstanding the many disadvantages under- which he laboured. ; The Government intend to consider the readjustment of the railway tariff during the recess. : It is not intended by ihe Government ftb resume nominated immigration for other than single women. • In answer to a question it was stated by the Government that provision would' be made for licensing patent medicine vendors and dealers m tobacco when local government was readjusted. Railway extension goes on apace m New South Wales, and several new lines have been, opened, The Government intend issuing a new-loan for five millions, but whether .at 3£ or 4 per cetot. is. not yet decided. ; A site with a shop on it m Sw&ntsotf^ street Melbourne has been sold for £550 per foot. At a public meeting held at Eketahrnia on Saturday last it was decided to memoralise the Governmen^to coutinue the present railway line via Eketahuna, and Forty-wile Blush to Woodville. In a summons for property tax amounting to 6* 3 d, this morning (says Moriifajt's Wairarapa Daily), - the expense run up tp ££ 15s. There was.uo &p---jjpea^anoe of either party. The property' taxi 18 not a burden to some people apparently when they are willing to p'sy it nine timea over. ' Twenty-five Chinamen left Welling- ; toniby the Cang Chow on Tuesday for Hong Kong via Dunedin. «:; At the weekly meeting of the Wellington Benevolent Society tho secretary stated that, on Sergeant Anderson's recommendation, k he had granted relief to a man recently adjudged a bankrupt, who had a family, and completely lost heart. Sergeant Anderson had been helping the family as long as he could, but they were m a pitiable state. They recently bought some meat for 3d that, had been given to them, and were ho j ravenous that they devoured it before it j was half cooked. . Is it possible that such things can happen iv a country like' this? A deputation representing the tomperanc% interest m Wellington waited on the Premier on Tuesday and stated that its object was to deprecate any alteration (or amendment iv the existing licens- j ing laws such as was contemplated by Mr Steward's Bill now before the House. In reply, the Premier sympathised with the views expressed by the deputation, and stated' that, m his opinion, the amending. Bill* if passed through committee,., would undergo considerable /modification. Captain Edwin might very, well take a holiday to recruit his health, if such a thing is necessary, as the public are getting wearied with his too truthful telegrams of " Bad weather approaching." It is said that the extra session of Parliament held this yoar cost the country £25,Q00.

A British Army officer, being hurried off to fight under the burning skies of India, left his wife m charge of a brother captain. At a soiree given at his home the latter took a little drop too much, and when asked by his wife to take the officer's wife down to supper, unconsciously gave his nrm to a young widow instead of the lady he was spat •lown to escort. " Dear me," said the widow, as they crossed one of the rooms, . v how_warm it Js to-night." " Yes, my ' dear," was tho reply, " but not half so warm as where your husband is" Tins, is one of the many stories told by Mr Glover, the Blue Ribbon missionary. . A correspondent of the Waipawa Mail writes :— " At a "recent "concert out m the Bush, there came an interval m the course of tho proceedings, whereupon the facetious chairman . remarked that there would be an interval of ten minutes, during which the audience could clear their heads of whatever \ might bo m them. What he meant was that they were at liberty to retire for refreshments or a smoke and a free comment on the singers, but a dry stick | from Napier happened to be of the company, and he went bit- to; the nearest i pub, and with a straight face inquired if he had a supply of combs on hand ?, It is said that there are a few m that' locality who have.a difficulty m keeping their faces straight whenever they meet ■one another since." • A handy man applied to the Napier Borough Council lately for employment, lie snid he was competent to act as station manager, shepherd^ gardoner, storekeeper, pick and shovel work, or 'could manage a butter and cheese factory. A man who can tain his hand to so many things should pot be long out of employment. Mia references showed he had been m the- employ of many noblemen and others for many years; It was suggested he , would do for a chairman for the Hospital. Two houses m Dublin,' the property of the notorious James Carey, wore sold a few weeks ago, m the Court of Bankruptcy. They are letiu tenements, and yield a protit rent of £105. • For some time "there was no bidding, and it seemed as if nobody would touch llie traitor's possessions. Then some miserably small bids were ihade for each house separately which iwas refused. . At last the two together .were bought iv trust for a lady for £150. The detective police have for some time had a most peculiar case under in-, yestigation, m which a bank official m Melbourne is seriously compromised. The individual m qnestion has been, it is alleged, m the habit of sending iudecent photographs to the wife of a well known. clergyman. Evidence of a conclußiye character has been obtained with respect to the outrage perpetrated, and .the matter has been placed m the handu of Sub-inspector Brown, it is expected** that m a few days the guilty person will be brought to justice. '■■ - New York is arranging to try anew method ofjtreating the insane. Under the idea that occupation is good for the diseased mind, the state has purchased a 1000 acre farm on Long Island, about 30 miles from New York city. All kinds of useful and * fancy gardening will give occupation to patients who can be trusted. A new trick of London thieves is to drop a penny at the feet of the woman whose pocket-book they have designs on t and the whereabouts of which they thus discover if She picks up the coin and put it m her pocket-book, as severals victims have already done to their loss. The larrikins of Bulls, (says the Marton paper) a genus homo developed sincethe advent of the , Salvation _ Army m. the 1 town, have apparently formed themselves into a Skeleton Army. Last Sunday' night they turned out m processiou, m imitation of their rivals the Salvation Army, and paraded the town singing parodies on Salvation hymns. A, recent number of the . John o' Groat's Journal, a newspaper published iv the North of Scotland,' asserts .th.it a huge whale, 62ft. long, and 72 tons ..weight, was captured m June of 4 last year at the entrance, of Bearing's Straits, with one of the Henty's Portland harpoons stock m it. The wound caused by the weapon has healed— that is, a cartilage .. had grown round the harpoon, -and sheathed and prevented it from penetrating any further, and the weapon bore the following brand : — -'Henty: L 18^8," Hhe L probably standing for. Launceston, where the Plenty 'B had a number of harpoons made: -«-■;--••■ ■ ■■.'■.. z .-. The Melbourne Age says that Mr Ernest Morrison, who about eighteen months ago walked across Australia, and subsequently explored New Guinoa, has lately undergone a severe operation. During his travels he received several spear wound?, one of which lamed. him. He went to Edinburgh, and there placed himself m the hands of one of the most emirtont British surgeons. It was found necessary to make an incision 3 inches long, and the same m depth, m the groin, and a piece of spear 3 inches long and as thick as a man's finger, was extracted, after it had been imbedded for months. The modical authorities consider that this was such a difficult operation that the piece of spear is to be lithographed.,, and an : account ,. of the 'operation published m the Btitish medical journals. . '.......:/ . v An amusing incident- happened the other evening says- the Taranakl Nesio's: A prominent member of the Salvation Army borrowed the lamplighter's horse m order to go to Waimate to promoto m that locality the interest^, of the Army. He mounted his .^teed and felt happy, but his disgust was intense at finding the animal stop at every lamp-post he dame to m the street, and could not be . by, any means to proceed until its rider had feigned performing* the operation of lighting the lamps. \."