LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 65, 18 February 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

" So you are the new girl," said the boarders to the new waiter ; " and by what name are we to call you?" "Pearl," said tho maid with a saucy toss of her head. "Oh 1" asked tho smart boarder, " are you the pearl of great price ?" " No, I'm the pearl that was cast before swine." There was a long silence, bi'oken only by the buzz of the flies m . the milk -pitcher. Considering the population of New Zealand, the number of people that commit suicide m this " fair land of ours " is astoundingly large. The Dunedin correspondent of the Cromwell Ary us thus writes on the subject : — " Another thing the papers have been full of lately has been suicides. Such a place as New Zealand is for its inhabitants getting tired of life surely never was. Even the Chinamen get affected, and the Maoris too. It may be something m the climate or more probably m the whiskey. One of the latest cases is a curious one. A Victorian tourist, going round the colony on pleasure, has cut his throat. It is a queer method of enjoyment, severing your windpipe with a razor."

It is thought by some people (says the Post) that New South Wales is not entitled ,-to the honour .of bein^ the first colony to oiler -to send assistance to England, m the .present Soudan emery gency. It will be remembered 'that a few days ugo it was announced by cable that GOO of the Canadian Militia «ere expected m London to do garrison duty m place of the Guards ordered "to Egypt. The explanation of this is held to be that the Canadian Government made the offer of assistance prior to that of New South Wales. It may bo forgotten . by many that Canada rendered valuable assistance to the Mother Country at the time of the Indian mutiny by raising a regiment, which was afterwards incorporated m the regular British army, and: became known as, the 101 st Foot. ? - The Colonial Secretary visited the Government printing office the jother day, -and is of opinion a new building should be provided without further de--lay. Had he worked m it for a session he would have come, to that opinion long ; ago — if he survived ! < - ■ Passing Ocean View Estate, Portrose, - the other day, the Mataiira Ensign's reporter noticed that Mr C. McGilli had turned a mob of. 400 pigs into an 80 acre paddock of ripe oats that had 'been shaken by the wind. \ r We (Herald) learn that the members .of the Uaiholiu congregation 'are -now collecting. subscriptions^witlj.the^viow of, presenting the'Rev. Father *sirk with a ■parse _o.f .sovereigns, at au early date. , This was.to'hav^e bceii^prese.nted on tho iOth of this month, but the rov. gentleman hiivina; left for Christchurch, it'was not' possible to do so, and, consequently, the presentation has been delayed until .after his return. • Father Kirk .has been now just. ten years m Wanganui^ and his congregation feel that,, some recogtion of his services should bo made, and resolved on presenting him with ah address and a purse of 'sovereigns. The address. has been drawn up, and is nowbeing illuminated by the Platers of , the" Sacred Heart School* The occasion of the presentation will probably be a congregational gathering ia the school-room. There seems to be every probability (says the Wanganui Herald) that I Hawera will be made a terminus for tlm train when the line is opened right through. : As far as can be leagued just now the morning trains from Wanganui will leave at present, and New Plymouth , will be /reached' about 3.30, Wanganui being reached at the same time by the . train running this way; A. 'morning will: leave Hawera for New Plymouth at an; early hour reaching its destination at H-,---and returning to Hay/era .m the after noon. Through passengers'- from New Plymouth to Foxton will reach Wanganui at 3.30, and instead of changing trains at Aramoho they will come into town and go out by the 4.16 train.' The 4.ls. train north, will make Haworn, returning m the morning and arriving here at 11 o'clock. "In for a penny,, m for a. pound," is: all very nice m its way ; but 'm Wai: pawa, (says the Mail) if you let your horse get away from his moorings, yoii will find that you 'are iv for "five bob," and lie's in for the pound. Iv Palmers ton tho: damages arc 4s 6rl, if the animal is m pouud after 10 a.m., 2s if taken out before that hour. ;•... ' ; The world-famed title of " masher" had a total different signification m Nc'w ' York, its onginaWiome, to what it now' has everywhere. Originally it was ap— plied to a fighting man, a bar loafer, and "bully, who, when: he got " mad," literally made si "ma sh" of everything that came m his way — glasses, furniture, and heads included. ,- v : ' ; a From the Post we leajn fhat the Mahawatu butter factory shipped 57 kegs of butter, m prime condition, by the Aorangi. ; , An exchange learns that the erection of the railway bridge at the Otalci river will be shortly commenced, the huts for the workmen being now m course of erection. A lot of the ironwork IS"' now on the ground, and a good start will shortly bo made. Otaki is very lively now, and storekeepers \ '.and others aru having first rate, times, of. it. May it only continue so is naturally the popular wish. Amongst other retrenchments instituted by the Government (says the Auckr land Herald) is^the abolishing of the immigration offices of the Colony, and the immigration officers as well. A circular has been issued to that effect, or rather it seems to betlint the vote for that office is exhausted, and that salaries are not provided for after the end of January. No doubt the intention is that what little business is to be done m this office will be absorbed into some other department. Here is rather a neat story of ;the way m which a very shy (or proud/ man made a "proposal," He bought a wedding ring, and sent it to "the lady" (whose finger's he knew by .heart), and . with itenclosed. a sheet; of note-paper with the brief question, '• Does it fit ?" By return of post ho received the more lacouic— though syllabically longer — reply. " Beautifully;" Some strictures appeared some time ago reflecting upon the engines imported by the Wellington . and Mapawatu Railway Company. It will, perhaps, be reassuring to 'the shareholders of the company to know (says a Wellington .paper) that one of the: .-engines referred to, which weighs thirty tons, daily pulls filled trucks up the incline, a*rid that the total- weight of tkese ; truefcs is about seventy tons. ' In 1 most of the Wellington churches last Sunday allusion was made to the licensing elections, and a hope was expressed by the clergymen that those members of the congregations who pos- 1 sessed votes would recognise their personal responsibilities m the matter, and act according to their conscience. The Post has the following :— There are some strange rumours floating about as to certain irregular and singular proceedings having been carried on for some time m some of the Parliamentary buildings. ■ ... . Tho next examination of candidatbS^ for the legal profession takes place the third Monday m March. There are four candidates for the bar, and 32 for solicit tors*. Mr T. S. Weston • aud District Judge Smith will conduct tho examination. Tho Wairarapa Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting will be held to-morrow and Friday on tho Tauhercnikau Racecourse, A very successful meeting is anticipated. Tho New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company must be doing a flourishing business. A dividend of 10, per cent, and a bonus of 5 per cent, is now payable to the lucky shareholders The Post Office Hotel, Wellington, hnd a very narrow escape from destruction by fire last Sunday night. It appears that one of the barmaids had been . preparing for rest, when she temporarily left the room, leaving the candle m such n position that during her absence the bed clothes ignited, and the fire was rapidly spreading and the room full of smoke when the landlady discovered the fire and gave the alarm. Tho other baimaid was m bed m the same room, and fast asloep, until aroused by Mrs Smith. Through the exertions pf the nightwatchman and a few others, the fire waR, fortunately, extinguished before it obtained a hold on the building. The bedding and bed-clothes were nearly all burned.