Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1884. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 262, 2 October 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1884. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Post has received a fine sample of early new potatoes grown m the open air at the Lower Eutt. Tho revenue of Victoria for the quarter just ended amounts to £1,550,000 ou an increase of £13,900 compared with the September quurter last year. In South Australia the revenue amounted to £508,000 or.au iucrease of £14,000 compared with the same quarter last year. The cargo of frozen mutton on board the Coptic from this colony arrived m London iv good condition. By cable it is reported that sickness has broken out among the British soldiers now stationed at Dongola m the Soudan. Three deaths liave already occurred. Earl Northbrook is expected to complete his mission m Egypt. by tho end of the present mouth when he will return to England. l' Firth's Matamata estate m the Auckland district is to bo cut up and sold m the Home market. . The news from Khartoum within the last day or. two has beeti very contradictory. From one source we learn that General Gordon has been successful beyond expectation and from another that starvation and death is staring the Khartoum people m the fuce. As General Wolsely will soon be to the rescue wo will probably get at the truth ere long. It is believed that the report of the Select Committee on the North Island trunk railway route will be presented on Friday and that the Public Works Statement will be delivered on Tuesday. Morley, the English cricketer, whose death was announced m our cable news the other day was the best left-haud bowler. In his Australian tour, his averago was one wicket for niue runs. Somo of our contemporaries are "goinsf for" the Rev. Air Ueid for predicting & terrible calamity to fall ou New Zealand m consequence of our legislators taking a trip m the Hiuemoa. The Freemasons of Wellington are going to givo a grand ball on Monday next. It is expected that it will be a brilliant affair. The District Railways Purchasing Bill has passed its second reading by a large majority. By cable advices we learn that it is reported Prince Bismarck has arranged a league to protect the unoccupied territory of the world from English aggression. - Complaints are made m London of the iniquitous native labor ordinance in' operation m Fiji. A petition has been signed m Auckland by 1500 persons iv favor of opening the museum on Sunday. Tho time for receiving tenders for uietalliug Valley and Midland roads has been extended to the 10th inst. At the Education Board meeting accounts from the Terrace Eud School; for improvements and requisites were, after discussion, passed for payment; Nothing of any further interest to this district was transacted at the meeting. Mr Seddon has given notice to ask if the Government would provide means for married women, with the consent of their husbands, borrowing money on their life policy. An advertiser has. accomodation for one or two boarders. A Home paper states that a young man named Shooter, the constable of the Exeter bathing-place, performed a remarkably gallant rescue by swimming 200 yards down a dark tunnel With a drowning man, and landing him safe at the other end. Shooter has rescued no fewer than 200 people from dro wiring. A writer m Truth is curious to hear what Shooter will get. A man made his fortune m the Egyptian war by cutting h trembling fellah m half, and if he disected 200 fellahs he would doubtless have become a iniilianaite. But to save life is quite another matter. The following letter was read from the Inspector at the Education Board meeting on Tuesday.— Mr Bindon, who ,f is at present m the Mauawatu district, inspecting the schools, wrote, stating that many of ti>e children presented m : the first standard were totally unfit to pass ; and he lost a great deal of time, which he could ill spare, m the hopeless {ask of getting something out of them, Children had frequently been presented to him under seven years of age, and some at little more than six. He thought that even if such children could secure a pass (hey would never be able to keep pace with others of maturer years ; and their school life instoad of being a pleasure, wonld be a perpetual grind and aburden to themselves and teachers. Many teachers did not seem to know what a really good first standard was, and if he were not very lenient fur that reason, he could pass very few indeed m that standard. Some days since several pupils failed to spell more than five words of one syllable out of 35 given, taken indiscriminately from the Royal Reader jn use. JJe said ten words would have sufJiced, He thought if some expression of opinion were tfjven,by. the, board it might ,be a guide m future, and stop the evil .complained of — too early presentation. "He was of opinion that 7" years and 6 months was an early age enough— or even 8 years — for children to be presented m the first standard. A great deal had been said lately about the range of the first standard being too great. He had never found a well-prepared first standard pupil find any difficulty m passing to the second standard, a well-pre-pared second the third, and so forth with the other standards. Ho presumed that tho board's rules re compulsory presentation for the first standard if "the pupil had bepn two years m school, was now j void, owing to tho recent Government regnlatioriß.ln most schools ho examined he had to complain of over classification m the other standards also, puprls being often quite ignorant of the new work of the year.

Sir Julius Yogel lias given notice of a bill to encourage tiic production of sugar from beetroot and sough ram. The Wairoa Guardian mentions the following curious accident reported to it by .Or Scott. It appears that just before the last bad weather, a son oE Mr F. ; Goulett was doinsr something with tho cows, and took hold of one of them by the tail, twisting the hair at the end around his thumb ; the beast bolted, dragging the boy along, and finally knocked his thumb against a tree, the thumb being almost out through by the. I) ui is of the cow 1 ? tail, the top having only slight attachment. Owing to the floods at the time, no assistance could be procured, -and by the time Dr Scott saw the boy, the top had 6loughod off. Dr Scott amputated tho wounded member higher up, and the boy is now getting all right again, minus the top of his thumb. At the Education Board meeting on Tuesday the appended report was, on the motion of Mr Bridge, seconded by Mr Carson, adopted : — Your committee recommend that the following additions and alterations be made to the new scholarships 1 regulations for the ensuing year : — (U) : That no scholarship-holder shall be allowed to compete a second time for the same class. (2.) That there be three scholarships m Class A. of L2o<pcr annum each ; three scholarships m Class B. of Lls per aununi ; ieuablu for two years. (3.) That an -additional allowance of L2O per annum to be made to scholarshiphuldcrs who live m the country, and who, m ordor to attend a school at which the higher subjects are taught, would be obliged to live away from the same. (4.) That the above awards will be subject to the amount of grant placed at the board's disposal by Government. With reference to the surplus cash available, your committee rectxnmend th.it an extra scholarship, for which £20' is available, be awarded to Agues T. Kilgour, of Upper Tutaeuui, she beiug the next eligible competitor on the list who has complied with all the regulations. It is a mistake to suppose, says the World, that the Queen enjoys a holdiday during, her spring visit to Balmoral. Exactly the same amount of business is transacted as when Her Majesty is at Windsor. A messenger with a huge Back of boxes and bags is dispatched from Buckingham Palace three days a week, and from Whitehall ou the alter 1 1 ate day. He leaves King's Cross at half-past ten m the morning, and ar-. rives at Aberdeen at three the next morning, going on at once to Ballater by the special" messenger" train, which is run ou the Deeside line when th'o Court is m Scotland, and which also convey 8 the supplies of cream, butter, fruit, and vegetable! which are sent to the Queen every day from Froginore. The messenger reaches Balmoral about seveij, and remains there till early m the afternoon of the following day,, when he starts with another load to catch the train leaving Aberdeen at 4.40, which brings him to Euston Square at eight the next morning. As a rule, the Queen and Sir Henry Ponson* by are kept hard at work from half-past nine til) one. Her Majesty usually breakfasts at half-past eight m Scotland, m order to have time for a turn m the gardens before going to business.