Friendly Societies' Sports.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1595, 30 December 1885, Page 4

Friendly Societies' Sports.

ACCEPTANCES.

100yds.— J. Jackson, R. Oliphant, F. Piirani, J. Cavanagh, J. Rush, and T. Collopv. x : £-.inile.— J. Lynch, W. H. Bennett, W. Peck, and J. Rush. ' . Friendly Societies Handicap. — J. Jackson, J. Lynch, and J. Rush. : 300 yds Hurdles. — J. Jackson, "W. H. Bennett, and G. H. Say well. "" 2-Mile Walking.— G. Smith and J. Collingvvood.

An engaged young gentleman got rather neatly put of a little scrape with his intended. She said she had heard that h* had kissed two ladies at some party at which she was not present. He owned it, but said, laughingly, that, after all, their united ages made only twenty-one. The simple-minded girl laughed off her poufc. He did not explain that one was nineteen and the other two years of age. John Davie, a farmer m Walton, parish of Cardross, was remarkable for his ready turn of wit. One day, when returning home from Dumbarton with a pig he had purchased there, he met Major Alexander, then residing m Auchinfroei who accosted him thus : — "Well, John, is this a cousin of yours you have got with you to-day ?" to which John replied, " Deed, no sir ; he's no a f reend ava, but only an acquaintance like yourself." Dr Logan, of Houston, being at the house of Judge Cummins, asked the latter's little boy, "Don't you want to see the elephant m the circus that has so much intelligence ? He can draw the cork otit of a bottle, put the neck of it m his mouth, and empty it down his throat." "If that is all he can do, I don't care to see him. My pa can do that. I've seen him do it more than a , dozen times when he went out fishing." Petitions containing over 350,000 signatures have bean prepared praying for the release of Mr Stead. Writes the Mania correspondet of the Patea Mail : — " Mr McNeil, assistant at I the Bank of Australasia, is to be removed to Hawera to take Mr Halcombe's place, that gentleman having received orders to proceed to Marton." Feed is very scarce m Marlborough. It is said that there has not been a season like the present one for seventeen years, and ihe oldest residents do not remember a more unfavourable year for pastoral purposes. In some of the low-lyiug lands, however, the. crops look remarkably well m spite of the long drought which haß prevailed.

Graziers ip the Hawera district chiefly discuis the possibility of opening up fresh markets for fat stock. Under date December 12, the Australasian reported that best beef fetched up to 26s per lQOlbi m Sydney. One lot of Murrimbidgee cattle sold up to £13 155, areraging £11 sb. In Adelaide, prime beef was only worth 15s per lOOlbs, and m Melbourne pens of bullocks sold at from £11 to £12 15b.