LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 80, 7 March 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tenders are invited for gravelling Bunnythorpe school playground. Farther particulars will be found m advertisement. At the last meeting of the /Wellington Waste Lands Board, Mr Bunny remarked that he had lately received a great deal of abuse from the Wairarapa papers, m reference to the subject, and he intended shortly to address a public meeting, so as to acquaint the people with his views. Six small farm special settlement associations, each with its full compliment of 100 members, have already been formed m the Wellington and Hawke's Bay districts, and are now m course of making necessary arrangements with the Land Department to select and take up their blocks. "He tried to kiss me and I just told him to behave," said an irate young lady, after a sleigh-ride down the road the other day. " Well, did he kiss you?" asked her friend. " No, the idiot ; he behaved." The Wairarapa rivers are becoming well stocked with trout. A gentleman interested m acclimatisation matters, who has recently visited the district, informs the Post that he saw some very fine fish m several of the rivers and creeks. It is probable that next season the Wairarapa streams will be opened for angling. It is well-known that the late Mr M. H. Orana, the proprietor of the Eoyal Hotel, at Christchurch, was a great sportsman, and held a considerable interest m the horses running m the name of Mr P. Butler. Mr Orain had taken several large wagers on the Dunedin meeting, which he was attending when seized by his fatal illness, and we (Post) understand that he had been pretty lucky on the whole, having a considerable balance to receive. By the rules of the betting, however, if a man who has made a wager, dies before settling day, even after he has won, the wager is oif, and accordingly all Mr Oraui's unsettled bets on the Dunedin meeting have been declared void. The Finance Committee of the Dunedin Harbor Board have resolved to recommend the Board to dispense with the unemployed gang. The enquiry into the alleged irregularities m the Parliament buildings has ended m a verdict of Not Guilty so far as the delinquent is concerned, with a .rider of " Don't do it again." Several gentlemen from various parts of Australia, who are possessed of ample means, have lately been visiting Soutli Canterbury, with the object of ascertaining its suitability for settling down m. They are fully satisfied with it. The Melbourne correspondent of tne Sydney Town and Country Journal says: — With reference to Gordon, the prisoner at Brisbane, who has made a confession of a murder at Castlernaine many years ago, it is reported that Dr Malcolm, an old resident, recollects a body being found with the skull battered m, on the Mount Alexandria diggings thirty years ago. In answer to a charge of allowing his horse to be at large at Timaru a defaulter remarked, " I do not know what ' at large 1 means. If you mean that my horse was on the wrong side of the fence I admit the charge." The Ashburton Dairy Factory Directors intend giving 4d a gallon for milk m winter, commencing May Ist. Messrs Downes, Suisted, and Williams started on their prospecting journey on behalf of the Sandon Small Farm Association on Wednesday, nioming, well provided with tents and provender. They are expected back on Tuesday. Tbe MocLean Pickle and Preserving Company, of Christchurcb, seem to be making this industry a paying one. The last annual report shows that the directors recommended a dividend of 10 per cent, besides which they carry forward a balance equal to 10 per cent on the capital paid ud, after providing for a depreciation of 12£ per cent m plant. The Company arc now turning out forty-five d ifforcut articles, all of good quality.

Scene : Pub m an up-country district. I Time : 8 a.m. Three or four sleepyheaded men are seen coining out ot" the pub rubbing their eyes, seeing if they can by anj r means " spot a raincloud." Jack, the sleepiest of the crowd addressed Ted : " Its hardly good enough to go to work." He replies ; " Knhnuri Jack." No. 3 suggests they should lot fate decide the important question which pioposal meets with general approval. Ted. therefore produced a long-handled shovel, upon which they placed a 71b brick. It was decided that if the brie'< should be propelled m tho air and it kept up the) r should go to work, hut if it came down they should knock oft. The brick came down ! The fears of some housekeepers that the exportation of frozen mutton would raise the price of chops m Dunedin have says the local Herald, been groundless. ludeed, tho growers are as much chopfallen as the mutton. We have enough and to spare without extia prices, and we may continue to give the Cockneys all our cold shoulders and prime joints without disturbance to our market m the colony. The Lieut.-Colonel Coveny, of the 42nd (Black Watch) Highlanders, who was killed m the battle fought at Bulka, on the Nile, betweeu General Earle's column and the rebels, was a native of Sydney, being the eldest sou of the la to Mr Robert Coveny, an old identity of that city. He went to England at the age of 13, and was educated partly at the Jesuit College at Stonyhurat, and afterwards at Oscctt College, uear Birmingham. A Wellington paper states that the Minister of Lands manifested a very | strong inclination to have the matter of special settlements thoroughly discussed, and as the deputation rose ho intimated that he had charges to make against the Waste Lauds Board m connection with its administration. If the new time reckoning is generally adopted it will not save young men from the reproach of comiug home " m the small hours," though it may seem even worse for them to come home earlier, say at half-past 23 o'clock. It is suggested that the publicans will not fret so much at being compelled to close at 22 as they do now at 10 o'clock clos- > ing. There is no foundation at all for the i rumor that Mr Blackett is about to retire from the office of Engiueer-in-Chief of I the colony, which he has so worthily filled for many years. The Auditor-General has decided that the new couuty of Horowhenua has no claim on the funds belonging to its | parent county of Manawatu, and is not ' responsible for any portion of the latter'a debt. Forestry is advancing rapidly m Hawke's Bay. A correspondent of tho Napier Tplcgraph writes as follows : — Dr Mirbach has gone to Danevirk to examine 33 intending members of the Foresters' Court about to be established there. On his leturu he is to do tho same service for a similar group at Orinoadville,where a Court is to be opened immediately. From the Napier Neios of Wednesday we tawe the the following : — Mr J. Dins- j dale, late of Palmerston North and Wood vi lie, last «voning delivered an exhaustive address on Spiritualism. There were a number of ladies and gentlemen present, who evidently enjoyed the lecture,which was ably handled Mr Dinsdale showed the rapid progress the movement had made and still is making m all Europeau countries, dilated at length on the myths of Chistian dogma, and the opposition of the Church to the investigation of light and truth. In doing so, he traced the progress of Spiritualism from the earliest times to the preseut day, and went on to prove that Scripture itself, from which the Church derives its teachings, is simply founded upon the results of Spiritual investigation and communications received by the prophets of old. The lecture was highly instructive and interesting, and at its conclusion the speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. Mr J. Dinwiddie occupied the chair. A Wellington paper has the following:—At Thursday's meeting of the Laud Board, when the list of persons j who wished to occupy land m connection with the Palmerston - Waitapu Settlement Association was read, Mr Bunny drew attention to the circumstance that a large number of the applications were from persons who wore simply speculators, aud instanced the frequent occurrence of the names of Burr and Hawkins. Mr McCardle took exception to term " speculators/ and to tho manner m which the gentlemen had been referred to. The chairman expressed an opinion that the Board had nothing to do with names. Mr Bunny indignantly replied that he used the term advisedly, and expressed his intention of repudiating tho statement of certain newspapers that he was standiug m the way of settlement. " Why," »aid Mr Bunny, " I have been called ' an old fogey' by one newspaper for endeavoring to stop these speculators." It was eventually decided to apply to the Go - vernment for lists of persons applying for soecial settlements.