The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1885. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 34, 8 July 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1885. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On our fourth page will be found Cable News, some late news with regard to the Anglo-Russian difficulty and affairs in the Soudan, Late Cable News, Australian News, Telegrams, Commercial News, and an interesting article from the American Argonaut on America and England. Last night being the half-yearly meeting of the Ancient Order of Foresters, the following Officers were duly installed for the ensuing term : — C. R., Bro. T. S. Hoe ; S.C.R., Bro. C. E. Hosking ; W. S., Bro. R. N. Keeling ; W.T., Bro. Grace ; J.W., Bro J. Miller ; S.B., Bro. G. Evans ; J.B., Bro. W. Rawlins. One of the letter boxes at the post office was left unlocked on Monday evening by the subscriber. The number is 18. The tickets are selling well for the Amateur Dramatic performance to take place on Friday evening next. The entertainment promises to be one of the most successful ever held in Palmerston. The Wellington correspondent of a Taranaki paper writes as follows :—Friday, July 3.— One of the most damaging speeches yet made against the Government, was delivered yesterday afternoon by Mr Montgomery, who took the part of a candid friend. He said the colony was on the brink of a precipice, and could only be extricated by a policy of retrenchment. He told Sir Julius Vogel that not one promise which he had ever made in the House with respect to finance had ever been realised. He condemned the Local Finance and Powers Bill is a bribe to consituents. Even Mr Ballance came in for his share, and it seems patent that there has been a loosening of bonds between the members of the Mutual Admiration Society. Mr Montgomery sat down amidst applause. All sections except out and out Ministerialists, consider the speech one of the gest they have heard him deliver. Novel readers who remember James Payn's "Lost Sir Massingberd," wherein the hero was imprisoned in a hollow tree, may be interested to read of an almost parallel case which has occurred lately. An American paper says that some sawyers who lately cut down a hollow tree on a farm near Galion, Ohio, were horrified upon sawing through the hollow near the solid part to find a man's head cleft from the body by the saw. A search revealed in the hollow part of the log the body of a man, £160 in money, a pair of pistols and a kit of burglar's tools. It is supposed that the man crawled into the tree to hide, probably after committing a burglary, and being unable to get out, starved to death. To test the purity of water there has, been found no better or simpler way than to fill a clean pint bottle threefourths full of the water to be tested, and dissolve in the water half a teaspoonful of the purest sugar—loaf or granulated will answer,—cork the bottle, and place it in a warm place for two days. If in twenty-four or fortyheight hours the water becomes cloudy or milky it is unfit for domestic use. The way to get the better of a bilious system without blue pills or quinine is to take the juice of one, two or three lemons, as appetite craves, in as much water as makes it pleasant to drink without sugar, before going to bed. In the morning, on rising, at least half an hour before breakfast, take the juice of one lemon, in a goblet of water. This will clear the system of humour and pile with efficiency, without any of the weakening effects of calomel. People should not irritate the stomach by eating lemons clear ; the powerful acid of the juice, which is always most corrosive, invariably produces inflamation after a while, but, properly diluted, so that it does not burn or draw the throat, it does its medical work without harm, and, when the stomach is clear of food, has abundant opportunity to work over the system thoroughly.— Medical News. A common trouble in country blacksmiths' shops is the going out of the fire while the smith is doing work away from it. The annoyance can be prevented by keeping at hand a box containing sawdust. When the fire seems to be out, throw a handful of sawdust on the coals, and a good blaze will quickly follow. This may seem a small matter, but there are many who will the suggestion a useful one. When persons have fainted lay them down with their heads as low as possible ; loosen the clothing ; keep back crowding that would interfere with plenty of fresh air ; sprinkle water over the face ; apply hartshorn to the nose, and if too long in recovering consciousness, place heated cloths or plates over the stomach. There was once a consul at Bristol who indicated the office hours by a notice on his door, "In from ten to one." An old ship-captain, who kept coming for about a week without finding the Consul, at last furiously wrote in the terms of a wager, under this notice: "Ten to one you're out," We regret to learn from the Hawera Star of the death of Mr Pinches' only son. The Star says that the little boy is believed to have lost his life from the effects of a fright. Some boy, in passing, threw the body of a large dead fowl over the fence alongside the little boy, who never anticipated any such surprise, and the shock to his nervous system was so great that his mind gave way, and after an illness lasting about a week, he on Monday night succumbed to the effects. An experimental cruise has been made of the new Cunard liner Umbria, the largest vessel afloat with the exception of the Great Eastern, and the most powerful without any exception. The trials encourage the expectation that the Umbria will distance all her predecessors and bridge the Atlantic in six days, She steamed a distance of 30 miles at a speed of 21 nautical miles, and, having regard to the fact that she left the dock only a day or two before an increase of this speed may be looked for when the machinery has settled in its hearings. The Umbria is 520ft long 57ft broad, and 41ft deep, with a tonnage of over 8000. She is the largest passenger vessel afloat. The City of Rome is longer by 40ft, but the Umbria is five feet broader and four deeper, and it is breadth and depth that had sailors find comfort and consolation. Altogether the vessel can carry 720 first-class passengers; and there is no steerage accomodation.—Exchange.

The Timaru Herald gives the following particulars of a trial silo near Timaru : " The silo, or pit, which is dug out of the solid clay and cemented 12ft long and 10ft deep and 10ft broad, was filled up twice, and contains rough meadow grass, which, however, was rather too ripe. There is about 20 tons, as near as I can guess, in all. The silo was finally closed on January 6, 1885, and weighted, first with 1in boards, laid on top, then sacks spread over that to keep the clay from going in between, then 3in of loose clay, and on that about six tons of clay in sacks. The whole was then covered over with an iron V-sheped roof. After the final filling the silo sank with the great pressure about 3ft. About 8in of mould formed on the top and sides owing to the difficulty of getting the weight close to the sides and ends, and the greater weight being in the middle, seems to have drawn the grass from the walls at the top and sides but no doubt as it goes deeper it will be found that there is less waste. The cows eat the mouldy part at once, and seem to enjoy it." The fates of crowned heads have been minutely studied by a French statistician who gives a list of the unfortunate rulers of the world. He reckons that up to the present time 2540 Emperors and Kings have governed 64 nations. Of these sovereigns, 300 were driven from their thrones, 64 abdicated, 24 committed suicide, 12 became insane, 100 fell in battle, 123 were made prisoners, 25 died martyrs, 151 were assassinated, and 103 legally condemned to death and executed. It is satisfactory (says the Post) to find Mr Ormond pressing on the Ministry the importance of completing the railway line through the Gorge, thereby connecting the Napier-Woodville line with the west coast system, so as to establish through communication between Napier and Wellington as soon as the Manawatu Company's line is finished. The importance of pushing on the construction of this link cannot be over-estimated, For a long time the Gorge has been represented as being a kind of engineering bugbear, and it has been said that the line through it would be enormously expensive. Most of the difficulties have, we believe, disappeared on examination, and a comparatively easy line has not been surveyed, and can be constsucted very reasonable. The work will necessarily, however, occupy some time, so that there should be no delay now in commending it. Even if it is at once commenced, it will be difficult to have it completed by the time the Manawatu Company have their trains running through to Palmerslon. We hear that a representative deputation of bakers, including a delegate from the Wairarapa, waited on the City and Wairarapa members, and fully discussed the Act relative to their business. The fallowing amendment, being an addition to last section of clause 5, was drawn up and submitted :—"Provided always that for the purposes of this Act, batch loaves and French loaves shall be loaves so baked as to show crumb on any two or more sides, and loaves so baked as to be crusty all over shall be deemed fancy bread." The members promised to at tend to the matter and the deputation withdrew.—Evening Press. A minister's wife said to her husband : "It seems unjust that a lawyer should receive £40 or more for obtaining a divorce, while you do not get more than £1 for performing a marriage ceremony." "It does not seem a little unjust, the good man assented, mildly ; ', but still in the case of the lawyer the value received is a good deal greater." There are in England and Wales more than 13,000 bodies possessing the power of levying rates, and the amount of the rates which they received in the last financial year exceeded in the aggregate £24,000,000. On Saturday last, on board the Jane Douglas, Mr W. G. Robinson was presented by Captain Fraser, on behalf of the officers and crew of that vessel, with a splendid, black marble, eight-day clock, in token of his services in connection with the late Manawatu Steam Shipping Company. In responding, Mr Robinson made a neat little speech, thanking the men for the honor they had bestowed upon him, after which the usual bumpers of champagne were drurk, and the party broke up. The clock bears the following inscription— "Presented to William-Gordon Robinson , from the officers and crew of the s.s. Jane Douglas, for his courtesy and years, during which time he was Secretary.—Manawatu S.S. Co.—Foxton, March 31, 1885. Designed have been prepared at Portsmouth dockyard of a new gun-vessel that is likely to have a most important effect on the naval architecture of the future. The general principle of the ship has been adopted by the Admiralty, and the first of the fleet which it is pro posed to construct will be built by contract. The new vessel—which will be built at a cost not exceeding a fourth of the Inflexible or Colossus—will carry one 120 ton gun forward, while astern she will be armed with six heavy breach loaders, of a calibre not less than those carried by ships of the Dreadnought type. She will also be armed with six machine guns, and be pierced for six torpedo tubes. As a fighting ship she will be of iminence power, her guns and torpedos being so arranged that she will be able to keep up an all-round simultaneous fire. She is to be capable of great speed, and though she is to be called a gun vessel, she will be in reality a torpedo crusier.—Exchange. The Tablet in an article on the want-of-confidence motion lately discussed, said :—" What does Sir George want ? A change of Ministry, we suppose. But is it likely a better Ministry than the present could be found? He is himself an impossible Premier. The country would, not have him on any terms. It is intended that the Continuous Ministry should be re-instated? The country is certainly not yet prepared for any such step. Perhaps a new coalition is contemplated. The country is not in the least interested in a new coalition. The Government is no favourite, of ours ; but justice compels us to say that it contains some of the ablest and most disinterested men in the country ; men, too, of approved political capacity. Is it likely these men could be replaced by better? We de not think so ; and therefore we are content to put up with the ills we have, rather than fly to other we know not of. The one 'paramount consideration with us is, what can Parliament do to help the people to tide over the present terrible depression, and how can it be done." A Wellington paper says :—Mr Hatch has introduced into the House the Juvenile Accidents Prevention Bill. The measure is not yet circulated, but we understand that it prohibits youths of under 15 residing in the country and under 17 residing in towns from using firearms or purchasing gunpowder, unless they possess certificates that they have been trained in the use of firearms. The Anglo New-Zealander says that the guarantee fund of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886, now amounts to £189,650. Among recent guarantors are—Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company (limited),, £2000 ; and the New Zealand Agricultural Company (limited) £200.