LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 109, 13 April 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the <}ftse #£J. Bull v. Better (perjjwr.v) which was .expected to be heard at Bulls at the B.M. ®wvt on Thursday, the defendant it ia r©sw»t<nd had left the district oad the euwwws^aMWt been served.

The Government, lias received a further cablegram from Colonel Hewitt, the Commandant of the Military College at Kingston, Upper Canada, lelativn to the offer made to him to assume charge of the Volunteer forces of the Colony. ' It is understood that Colonel Hewctt has definitely accepted the proposals of the Government. The Defence Department has concentrated a force of 82 men belonging to the Armed Constabulary at the Mount Cook Ban neks, Wellington, And this , contingent will be further augmented within the next few days by about 20 more. The men are engaged for several hours each day m big gun drill. The rumour current m legal circles some time ago as td the probable early retirement of one or more of the judges of the Supreme Court (says tho Post) has recently been revived, and it is stated that the vacancies "will arise very soon. • ' Fresh arrangements have now been made (says tho Post) as to turning the first sod of the North Island Main Trunk Railway. Instead of the Governor turning the first sod at the Marton end, and Tawhiao at Te Awamutu, it is now intended to dispense with any formal ceretnouy at the Southern end, and that the three chiefs,' Wahanui, Tnonui, and Rewi, will shortly officiate at the Northern end on the 15lh inst, the Premier being present on the occasion. Concession has been granted to millowners for the carriage of timber. Tho reductions apply to white pine timber consigned to Spit, New Plymouth, Waitara, Wanganui, Foxton, Wellington, Invercargill and tho Bluff, for shipment direct to Australian port*. Tho charge is to be, now, Bri per 100 superficial feet for all distances from 1 to .20 miles inclusive, with special rates for distances beyond that. ** At the close of the lecture at the Foresters 1 Hall on Sunday evening last (says the Feilding Star) a good number of peisons signed the following constitution : — " We, the undersigned, do hereby agree to form ourselves into a society to be called the 'Feilding Lyceum and Liberal Institute,' tho objects o£ the Society to be tbe attainment and , promulgation of .knowledge as the best means of promoting the welfare and happiness of mankind. Officers and a committee were appointed, and it was resolved to hold meetings each Sunday evening m the Foresters' Hall, with an occasional lecture. As will be seen by advertisement several gentlemen will give readings to-morrow \eyening, admission free to the public. A few days ago a Southland paper published at a Home cable a message to the. effect timt " H.M.S. Roquefort and Black Priuce had been told off to strengthen the Australian squadron." The message was a grand mistaße. It should have- read— *[ -The race Jf or tho Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase w.as won by Captain Fisher's b h Roquefort ; Frigate, 2 ; Black Prince, $ I Tamahana, who offered 200 Kingites for the Soudan, when asked by some one if he did not think it would be better if he remained m New Zealand and helped the colonists m event of a Russian attack, said the Russians wern white men, and he had nothing to do with them. He would much prefer fighting the Arab?, as he would like to try conclusions with the black follows. . Lieutenant Purnell has forwarded to tho Defence Miuister, through Major Stapp, his complaint against Major Butts and Captain Mahon. He charges them with gross unfairness and partiality at Wellington, and with assuthptiou of powers not granted them by the Council of the Association. He requested that an enquiry be held iuto the matter. We (Herald) believe that should his request for an enquiry not be complied with, Lieut Puniell intends taking the matter further. ...-■•: Whilst a heavy cart load of timber m charge of one of Richter and Co^s men was standing at the Bank of N.Z. on Saturday forenoon the- leader backed m ou the shaft horse and managed to get underneath its legs somehow. Everything of course got mixed up and the shaft horse plunged about a .bit but notwithstanding the very great danger he was risking the driver crawled underneath, extricated the taugledtiess and soon made all straight again without further accident. Captain Shannon, commander of the Iberia, wrote of the N.S.W. troops :— The men seem to be a splendid lot, and are settling down first-rate, , more like old troops than recruits. Some regiments I have carried, supposed to be thoroughly drilled soldiers, were mere like a lot of helpless babies oh board than anything else, whereas your fellows seem to take the ship's ways at once. I tuppQse the difference is that you Australians are accustomed to take care of yourselves under all circumstances, and that nothing comes amiss to you. All sorts' ot pretty litt^ r stones are just now; being tolcf- about ihb" young Prince. They are, we suppose, mostly well meant inventions. The 'following is the latest : — It waa at the University. His Royal Highness with pardonable and intelligible pride m undertaking something of the way to feather an oar or manipulate some boating gear, was giving some advice to a comrade more familiar with the river than himself, whereat the latter, rather intolerant of the - assumption of superiority not based on its possession burst out, •' you toach yonr grandmother. to ," and then sunk into, inglorious silence quite apalled at the majesty of the name he had so, easily invoked. At a meeting of the Bulls School Committee, the Bey. Mr Dodwell suggested that the reports of the committee meetings for the press should be subject to the supervision of the committee, but his remarks were received with laughter. The Mayor of Martpn has received the following telegram from Mr Ballance's private secretary :— " In i^ply-to your telegram, I am instructed to say that it has not been arranged that the Governor is to turn the first sod of the Central Railway,' 1 S A daughter of Mr Towler, of Feilcling, j was thrown from a horse m Pahnerston a few days ago and dislocated her arm, [ She is now under the care of Dr Johnston. Feilding, and is progressing favourably. t A special meeting of the Christchurch Industrial Association Committee was held a short time back to consider the subject ot the manufacture of Portland ggnient, and the probability of its success if thp industry were established. Mr Gostling, a practical man m this line, addressed the meeting expressing the opinion that Portland; cement could b e made, and put on the markets here cheaper than it could be imported, The capital required fora manufactory tq turn Ottt 50 tons would be at least £'10,000, Ji substantial committee was appointed to father consider the matter. A fact was mentioned m the County Council case nt tho Wanganui R.M. Court last week, which country residents often forget, or probably are not aware of, Mr Sominerville drew attention to the fact that he was charged with mileage, while m reality the summons had been served on him m town. His Worship replied that it had been laid down by Government that the mileage could bo charged although the service was made at another place, It might possibly bo that tho bailiff had to travel ! several times to serve a summons but he ' could only make one charge for mileage Mr Sornmerville said that ho was glad to learn that, as be had heard several country people speak of it.

We take the following from the Napier Telegraph: — Mr Roland Danvers, of Raugitikei, showed us to-day an invention of his own for the improvement of sheepshears. The objects of the invention are to prevent the cutting of the skin of the sheep, to insure level shearing, and to prevent any double cutting of the wool. These objects are attained by sliding a false metal face on each blade of the shears, the false face being kept m its place by grooves and a cap that would be stamped on the blade m its manufacture. The false facfe allows only a eighth of an inch of the edge of the shears to be exposed, and compels the blade to be laid flat on the sheep, otherwise the shears will not cut. Tho invention is very ingenious, and deserves the attention of flock owners. The London correspondent of a Wellington paper writes as follows concerning Moslem opinion of the Mahdi : — It has often been more than suspected that the insurrection of Arabi and the rise of the False Prophet were events connected with a preconcerted' movement for the revival ot Islamism, and that, as such, they received secret encourugemont from the Court of Constantinople. A Mussul* man gentleman, one G, A. Raooff, however, who has been to England from a prolonged stay at Mecca, which he visited, and where he remained for some time as lately as last November, absolutely denies that the Mahdi is regarded by true Mussulmans as anything but an imposter and bloodthirsty tyrant. This was the sentiment openly expressed and uttered by all the varied nationalities which cluster round the sacred Caaba. According to the Koran, a Mahdi is certainly expected, but the present claimant of the title does not possess the attributes which would proclaim his sacred origin. The chastisement of the imposter, therefore, will, according to Mr Raooff, be hailed with satisfaction by the whole of the Faithful, except, perhaps, some small political clique which favours Arabi at the Seraglio. The Taranaki News has received a letter from a Canadian settler at Whitby Ontario, asking for particulars as to the soil, climate, &c., of New Zealand, as he says, " This Canada of ours is too cold for any white man to live m. This winter has been a trumper for John .Frost."