LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 62, 14 February 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Eev. Dr Macfaden, of Manchester, told a capital story lately at a temperance meeting m Glasgow. The mem^ bers of a Methodist church having met to consider whether the building should be repaired or not, the most wealthy man m their society said .he would give ' .£5. As he took his seat a piece of plaster from the roof fell on his head, and he rose again and intimated that he meant to have said iso, whereupon an enthusiastic member cried out, ' Lord, hit him again." i ■ . In connection with the entorcement of the " compulsory clauses," the Napier School Committee has had forms printed ] on which the Head-master sends enquiries to parents as to the reason thereot, if children are absent from school a certain time. Space is left to be filled up by the parent. One of these enquiries concerning the absence of a little girl was returned to him a few days ago with the following filling : — " It's no business of yours to know why I keep her at home." There seems to be a. fine field m New Zealand for young women anxious to become wives. Mr George Vesey Stewart, of Auckland m a lecture at Edinburgh the other evening, said that m the " Brighter Britain " there was m a total population of about half a million 60,000 males m excess of the females. He described m glowing terms the other great attractions which New Zealand presented ■and. said all that was wanted there was population and capital. Some time ago it was telegraphed throughout the colony that a son of a Christchurch painter had immediately upon coming out of a swimming-bath fallen down dead. It has since transpired that arrangements were m due course made for his interment, but before the final obsequies were performed some indications of life ware detected m the supposed corpse, and a further medical examination revealed that the boy was m a trance, a condition m which he remained for some days, but has regained his usual health, and is following his ordinary occupation. It is said that when the Hinemoa was lying m Auckland harbor, ready to make a " warlike " descent on Samoa, a wag advertised that recruits were wanted for active service, and that applications would be received at the telephone office. The result showed that the pugnacity of the Briton has not entirely died out, for there was a difficulty m getting near the telephone office for some time after the advertisement appeared, owing to the crowd of those who desired to bleed for Sir t Julius Yogel va. Samoa. The St. Bernard dogs are carefully trained by the monks. At meal-time the dogs sit m a row, each with a tin dish before him containing his repast. Grace is said by one of the monks ; the dogs sit motionless with bowed heads. Not one stirs until the „" Amen " is spoken. If a frisky puppy partakes of his meal before grace is over, an older dog growls and gently tugs his ear. With regard to the railway accident of Cootamundra, it seems that it was simply the result of natural causes, owing to the enormous fall of rain m a few hours. Arrangements are being made to erect a temporary bridge over the gap The question of damage has cropped up, but it is uncertain whether the New South Wales Government is liable, and also whether those passengers booking m Victoria cannot sue the Victorian Government. Uncertainty still prevails as to the number of people missing from the train. The creek has been carefully searched for bodies, but only resulted m the finding of some linen marked "Fanny Nicholas." A correspondent of the Taranaki Herald says : — " I was told m Normanby that, out of 1500 Maories who had inarched by the hotels to attend the late meeting held under the auspices of Tito . Kowaru, not one had spent a sixpence on intoxicating drink, though several had been audacious enough to ask for a drink of — positively — cold water ! Benighted heathens I Are they, then, reverting to their habits of primitive barbarism, m those dark ages before the manifold blessings of British civilisation had yisitecl their beautiful lands ?'

Mr Charles lloss, who was well known at llic House of Parliament as a member of the reporters' gallery, tlietl on December Gth. Mr Eoss was born m 17i)9. lie entered the reporters' gal- " lery of the House of Commons m 1820, and succeeded Mi* Dod the originator of " Dod's Parliamentary companion," as manager of the Times Parliamentary corps m 1855. The latter position he held until last year, when he retired m consequence of declining health, having occupied a seat m the gallery for sixtyfour years, with the exception of a brief interval when he was engaged to manage a new paper called the Carlisle Patriot, started by Sir James Graham. As a member of the staft of the Chronicle Mr Eoss "reported the seditious proceedings m Ireland which led to the trial of Daniel O'Connell, and became the principal witness at the trial against the Irish statesman. A sensational wager was made at Quirindi, N.S.W., by a well-known commercial traveller, who bet the local doctor that Mr Underwood's American imported brother to Boccaccio cannot trot one mile m 2min. 38sec. The wager is for .i'looo a-side, and the whole of the money has been deposited with the manager of the Commercial Bank. The event comes oif m May. On Tuesday last a spark from the engine of the up train from Wellington set fire to the dry grass m Messrs Williams and Beetham's paddock at Waingawa. A strong breeze blowing sent the flames over the land with astonishing rapidity, and the river bank between the railway and traffic bridge was soon ablaze. The men on the Waingawa bridge were just commencing their midday meal when they saw the flames and smoke, and as the bridge was threatened they started to work with sacks and other articles to put the fire out. The bridge hands and boiling-down men had a lively scamper for over an hour, the fire running before a heavy breeze m front of them. Some of the river protective works were partly burnt, a telegraph post was scorched, and patches of fencing along the main road were consumed before the fire was put out. The Wairarapa Star remarks that had the fire occurred at night, the bridge materials and a large puantity of property would have been lost. Mrs Snow, sister of Mrs C. S. Cross, formerly of Wanganui, fell between the steamer Hauraki and the wharf into the Wanganui, fell between the steamer Hauraki and the wharf into the Wanganui river on Wednesday evening. She escaped injury, and only received a wetting and a fright. If Lord Wolseley had his own way he would (says the New Zealand Herald) hang all war correspondents. His antipathy to the specials is well known. Tin; re are those who are unkind enough to say that this feeling is due to professional jealousy. Lord Wolseley does not like to have his elaborate and picturesquo despatches anticipated by the indefatigable " special." An accident occurred to a compositor on the Wairarapa Star a few days ago. The compositor m question, Mr Frank Richards, was feeding the machine, when his left hand was accidentally caught m the cogs, with the result that the second finger was smashed almost to a pulp. The linger was amputated at the second joint by Dr Hosking. The annual sale of stock belonging to the lion. R. Campbell and Mr Larkworthy was held at the Orona Downs Station yesteiday. There was a large attendance of settlers from all parts of the coast, the train from Wanganui arriving one hour earlier than usual. Arc-port of the sale will appear m an early issue. A week or so back we (Foxton paperj mentioned that Mr W. McKenzie had taken a monster bullock down the coast which was expected to go thirteen hun- • dredweight. The actual weight of the carcase turned out to be within 281bs of the weight mentioned. The Jane Douglas is to have a couple of days on the slip at Wellington, and will not return before Tuesday next. The Tui is to «o on the slip next week. It may not be generally known (says the \\ 7 &ngsin\ii Herald) that General Gordon had a full cousin, m Wanganui, Mr Charles En derby standing m that relation to the Khartoum hero. Mr En derby and General Gordon were at college together, and were fast chums up till the date of the former's leaving for New Zealand, and tliey haVe corresponded since. The Marton paper has the following spiteful paragraph : — " It will be seen by our telegrams that the Palmerston Eacing Club have determined to have a meeting on Easter Monday. We cannot understand the utterly selfish action of the Pahnerstonians. They first appropriated Boxing-Day, which -had for years been dedicated to the Feildmg sports, and now they have stolen the day set apart for the Feilding races. This kind of cut-throat business is unworthy of a New Zealand community. Give and take is the motto m every other part of the colony, and Palmerston has exhibited an exceedingly selfish policy m departing from this safe rule. It would be far better for Palmerston to remember that she has neighbours, and to arrange with them on a basis of mutual advantage instead of trying to grasp every thing for herself. It would serve her right if she shared the fate of tke dog m the fable, who, whilst grasping at the shadow, lost the substance." What the Marton paper thinks of the matter is of very little importance. However, the journalistic wrath is proverbially easily appeased, and if necessary a short advertisement will speedily turn the cursing into blessing. : M. Gastano, a Wanganui resident, is prosecuting some investigations into the properties of tawa berries, which he declares contain a large per centage of oil similar to olive oil. . He intends shortly sending a large quantity to Auckland, where they can be properly tested. He feels confident, (says the Vhronicle) that if he can obtain the assistance of a little capital he will be able to produce a valuable oil and establish another industry. The total cost of the additional span to the Waipoua Bridge, Masterton, is .£743. The late County Council could have had the work done by contract for less than £500, but preferred to have it done by day labour. The result has been a loss of nearly ■ ,£3OO to the ratepayers. The Manawatu County Council are inviting fresh tenders from persons willing to erect pounds and act as rangers. The Council also invite tenders for the lease of the Foxton and Wirokino ferries. The Waverley School Committee have decided to recommend the Board of Education to give the local teacher, Mr Ellis, three months' notice. Mr Ellis has lately married the proprietress of a hotel, and the committee view with alarm the incongruity involved m the teacher of their youth being also the owner of a "pub." Mormons, high m the councils of their church, have made a conditional treaty with the Zngui Indians of Mexico, and ! also the General Government for lands near Contvsso, lonora, near the gulf of California, and a charter like the Nauvoo charter. The plan is to make- a rendezvous for Mormons liable to prosecution lor polygamy under the Edmund's law, and also to form the nucleus of a future empire. A party passed Dallas Texas, oh the 11th instant, en route for the new ;■ location. The colony will be called Mount St. Young after the last prophet.

We learn that as soon as the plans are lithographed for two contracts, one at t-ither end of the North Island maiutrunk railway, the plans for the Taho-raite-Woodville section will be put on the stone and tenders invited. This section will stop short of Woodville by about a mile and a half pending the settlement of the station site. The time for the completion of the work will be two years from the signing of the contract. To-morrow sermons for young men will be preached m the various cl lurches throughout Wellington. From the Wanganui Herald we learn that a case interesting to the evening papers throughout the colony will shortly be tried ar Paimerston North, where the proprietor of the Manawatu Standard has been, or is to be served with a summons for keeping some of his boys at work on Saturday afternoons. The question is whether the Act applies to printing offices, and the decision will be anxiously awaited by all evening papers.