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Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1582, 15 December 1885, Page 4

In connection with the Friendly Societies' Fete to be held on New Year's Day we understand that m the event of the Walking Match not coining off a mile race will be substituted m its stead. Messrs Dick, Stuart, and Webb, of Dtinedin, have written to Sir John Astley, the well-known English sportsman, asking him to arrange two walking matches, for twelve and twenty-four hours respectively, each for £100 a-side, between Joe Scott, of this colon3 r , and any English champion walker or walkers. It is requested that, the matches should take place on boards, as all Scott's matches have hitherto been on wood ; but probably when Scott arrives m England and sees the admirable tracks that are made there, he will not insist upon this stipulation. The entire matter is left m Sir John Astley's hands, who is requested to cable to Messrs Dick, Stuart, and Webb, m case he is able to comply with their request. Scott will be unable to leave the colony earlier thau the beginning of January, and the first match will not take place until six or eight weeks after his arrival m England. In a letter to the Lyttelton 1 imes a London writer says : — Sir Charles Gavan Duffy has completed the series of papers on "Colonial Constitutions," which he has been writing m the Freeman's Joiur nal. He has not made New Zealand the subject of a separate paper, because your colony possesses a constitution of the same character as that existing on the Australian Continent. Sir Charles Gavan Dnffy concludes the series by noting with pleasure that public men of late have been speaking more and more of the colonial system as the natural solution of the Irish difficulty. He claims to have shown that the only adequate and effectual instrument to make Ireland prosperous and contented, and to secure equal justice to all Irish interests, is such a constitution as exists m Canada or Australia, and, as he says, will most assuredly exist even m India, if India is to remain a British possession. Sir Gavan Duffy promises a second series of papers contrasting the constitutions of the great colonies with the functions and powers of Grattan's Parliament. An interesting discovery lies been made m one of the gold-mining claims at Mount Criifel, near Lake Wanaka. Craig and party came across, a large tree, with the branches projecting out, m one of their driyes. They intended to get a larg-j block of it to the surface. The belt of ground m which the party are at work crosses the Luggate Creek, m the direc tion of the southern slope of Mount Pisa. A man named Benjamin Thatcher, a sub-contractor on the Wellington and Manawatu Bailway Company's line, sustained some painful injuries at Pukerua last Friday evening, having been thrown J from a horse he was riding at the time. The Southland Times says :— Tenders were opened at the meeting of the Invercargill Borough Council for three contracts, when it appeared that for one of these there was only a single solitary offerer, and the price he asked was some £10 above the Engineer'a estimate. Thereupon the Mayor remarked that this was Tery gratifying m these dull times ; that there surely could not be such want of work felt. One Councillor suggested that possibly the Engineer had made a mistake m his estimate, or the tenderer m his figures, and the discrepancy would be so accounted tor, but whatever explanation there might be the cirsumstance certainly furnished ■oine ground for the Mayor's observations. Customer : " Gimraee a little good whiskey." Barkeeper. " A)l light." Customer (catching his breath after drinking): "W ha -what's that glass thing hanging on the wall there? "That's a fire extinguisher." Customer (with enthusiasm) ; " Thank heaven, there's one at hand. Turn it into me quick."