LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 127, 6 November 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Grey River Argus states that a cocktfight took place the other day at Marsdou, under the very nose of the police. About 300 persons wore present, 100 sat down to dinner at the hotel, and heaps of money changed hands. Six-*---teen battles were fought, ,13 un one day, and 3 ou the following. The Duke of Manchester who has recently been travelling 1 through the Nor- ; them.T erritory, is most favourably ira- : pressed with the immense natural resources of the country. ; TheJSalvation Army m South Aus-| traliWn umbers 65 officers "and 4000 rank ' and file. On most of the stations m tho northern district of Now South Wales there has been no lambing at all. The oldest and largest tree m the world (an English paper says) is a chestnut near the foot of Mount Etna. It is hollow, and largo enough to admit two carriages driving abreast thiough it. The circumference of the main trunk is 212 ft. * Fussy old maid (entering base-ball grounds)— Why, what did they all begin to yell " Fowl !" for when I came m? Could they mean mo? Polite Gate-Keeper — Oh, no, mum. You ain't no chicken? A young gentleman wishes to know which, is proper to say on leaving a ' young lady friend after a late call — ! good night or good evening ? Never tell a lie, young man — say good morning. Tho Masonic order has about 140,000 lodges, throughout the world, and not far from 15.000,000 members. Statistics show that the experiment of Sunday-closing m the i.Uuitod Kingdom has not been attended with a decrease • of drunkenness. Mr Bowron, Inspector of i Dairies; rereports that thcro arc seventeen factories m the North Island, and ho. calculates that fully 400 tons of cheese have been manufactured this season. If all this had been sold at the price that the last shipment of Akaroa cheese brought m London — viz., 7d per lb. — r the North Island; alone would have-re-ceived £24,000. New Zealand corned beef is m eeting with a ready sale iv Ho.bart at sd* per lb retail. Thore is only one tradesman! m the business but tho public are so pleased with its quality and price compared with the local article that they are through the Press crying out for more.; The exports "o£ frozen mutton from Zealand have risen from 23,109 carcasses m 1&82 to "324,578 this year. The Sydney Mail says that New Zealand has; most benefited by the bravo struggles made' by the late Mr : Thomas Mort, of New; South Wales, 12 years ago, to overcome the difficulties of .ineat-freefcing. /jPhe Lyitelton Times says : — " A letter, posted on July 4, and taken Home by t"he' Doric, via Rie and and Madeira, was delivered at its destination m Sussex on Augqst 13. Being promptly replied to by the San Francisco mail, tho answer was received hero on Wednesday, September 24. A Recftori paper says that there is a large amouut of destitution prevalent m Reefton at the present time. Within the past week or two several distressing cases nave been brought to light and been relieved by a few charitably-dis-poßed persons. If; suggests that some steps should be taken to meet the diffi oulty. . . : Now that the question of cultivating beetroot for sugar purposes is brought so prominently before the country, it may be interesting to mention what the state of that industry is m Austria, : one of the oldest and largest beetroot sugar producing countries on the Continent of Europe. According to the latest Germanpapers to hand, an immense over production has resulted m that branch, stimulated by export bounties and protective taxation. One of the largest yienua firms, that of Weinrich, has recently failed with liabilities to the tune of £400,000, and a serious crisis m the state iof trade is expected to be the consequence of the failure. Archbishop Moran, of Sydney, recently made two deliverances m strong opposition .to the Education Act. . His speeches have been unfavorably criticised by. the Press. ;

In a recent bankruptcy case m Xa'pier, tiic assets coiisiHti'd of ii bunk balance of s£il, against which there were liabilities of nearly £700. Fish is said to command famine prices m Napier, small mullet being sold at a shilling each. A gentleman at Rangiora, Canterbury, is suing a lady for damages for breach of promise of marriage. From a memorandum laid on the table of the Honso from the Government printer, it appears that since tho reduction hi the price of Hansard the circulation had increased from one hundreJ and nine to fourteen hundred and ninety-five copies. At one of Mrs Hampson's meetings at Sandhurst, v the dear reporters who attended t.he meeting daily, but who were as yet unsaved" were specially prayed for. The scribes took it kindly.