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Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1618, 26 January 1886, Page 4

Captain Edwin had not altered his weather report since yesterday until the hour of our going to press. . At 4p m. the indications were decidedly na:>re like* rain than for several weeks past. • In Baltimore, U.S., it, is fashionable for ladies to wear silk stocks with snakes on them. The snake's tail . begins* below the knee, and. the reptile wriggles down the leg. His neck stretches along the middle of the foot, and his head, points to the' toe. A scarlet stocking has the snake m white. Horace Greeley once wrote from Shakespeare, •' 'Tis true, 'tis pity ; and pity 'tis,' 'tis true." The comps fixed it i for him, u 'Tis two, 'tis fifty ; and 'tis fifty- two." " You young scamp," cried an elderly gentleman, as he caught a little urchin m the act of picking his pocket, " aren't you ashamed of yourself ? You, so young and a thief already !" " Oh, ganijnonj" retonted the urchin ; " I like that 1 Ain't you ashamed of yourself — you so old; and ain't got a silk pocket-handker-chief yet?" ' A paoer is manufactured from seaweed m Japan that has the transparency ol glass — not exactly clear flint glass, but a good eort of stained glass and can be used satisfactorily m windows. Mr M. K. Miller, a well k^nown mercantile man m Napier, writing on the subject of the .Bankruptcy Apt, says :— "I do not know which to consider the worst feature, the Act m itself, or its administration. The bailiffs andlawyers connected with it seem the only parties benefited. The unfortunate creditors have every reason to be dissatisfied with the dilatory administration, and neither can it be satisfactory for any right-minded but unfortunate debtor to find all' he has ' mopped up,' and his just creditors none the better for it. The Telegraph Department has decided that on and after Monday, Ist February, the Manutabi office between Patea and Hawera, shall not be opened between 7 and 8 p.m.

Mr T. Humphrieß,Oown Lands Commissioner, has just made an overland trip from New Plymouth to Auckland, aßceriding the Mokau river m a canoe. A fpainiul sensation was caused m Mar ton on Sunday, by the news that Mrß Morris, a very old resident, had been found dead m a water-hole, m the Tutaenui, early m the morning. It appears that Mrs Morris, who was very comfortably off, had been m weak health for about a month past, and had been m a very desponding state of mind. She was attended by Dr Skerman. On Saturday night she went to bed about nine o'clock, and was never seen alive jafterwards. The poor woman had cvi- ' dently taken her boots off before getting into the water, for they were found a few yards off. The only clothing she had on consisted of a chemise, a nightdress and a skirt. When found, Mrs Morris was quite dead. Some discußaion has taken place m Auckland with regard to the highest vault yet made m New Zealand. The Hamilton paper pnts it down as 10ft 4in. This was put m the shade by D. Kitchen's jump of 10ft 7in at Wellington, and both arc eclipsed by a record given by the Waikato correspondent of the New Zealand Herald, who states that at the Ngaruawahia sports some years ago Messrs E. Cox and Prank Pilling scored the one lUft 9in and the 'other ,l'6'ft Bin. i The Canterbury times says that "To judge fronvthe reports on the crops _, m. ithe Canterbury district, there is every prospect of a good harvest. There roay b& a decrease m straw, which is of no very giea't'consequeuce, and the yield may be lighter than former, years ; but !it would seem that the quality of the grain is likely to be very high, ;and J to approach more nearly to the excellence ot Victorian wheat for keeping and milling. Here is a charming sketch of a school master's quarters m the Greymouth district, takeu from the inspector's report : — "The teacher is at present living m a hut m the immediate- vicinity of the Bchool. The hut was purchased by him for £1 and he has expended upon it the sun: of £2 10s m procuring tongued and .grooved timber, for lining. The necessary labeur wa» performed by himself. He has also made a very good swing for the children, and an easel for the school. As he has shown a disposition to make the best of the ciro urnstances, X beg to reccomend that the commissioners refund the sum of £3 10s expended by him on the hut. If a new school is built, the hut will be handy as a fowl house." " Fowl uoase" is good. The Waikato .River, .from the "prolonged drought, is said to be now lower than.it has been for many years past. In some parts of it there is scarcely \ depth enough of water for the steamers to P lv \ ■ v , There are at present m the main ; reservoir at the Marton water, works ; five feet seven inches of water. It is; quite evident that there is no leakage. . During last week the level fell only four inches, aud this, too, though the; weather has been exceedingly hot, and; though there has been a heavy drain' on the supply for various purpose*. : Sixteen hundred young ' troiit were; brought by Messrs Sherwill and Beattie, on behalf of the Acclimatisation Society; last week from Mr Beethain's hatching pond at Masterton, with the intention of placing them m the Oroara River, near Feilding, but owing to the ■ excessive heat a good many ot them died on the way, and it .was found expeijieut to place some of them m a tributary of the Manawatu/ The remainder, about 600, were however, safely deposited m ,the Oroua River. i ;

A terrible accident is reported from Strathalyn (South Australia). ' Two little boys named Prisk while playing with matches set fire to a drum of kerosene, which burst) scattering the oil over v the children, and another standing by, instantly wrapping them m flames. The father threw the children into a tub of water. The youngest, two years of age, died from the injuvies, and the others are much burnt. The flames spread to the outbuildings, doing £100 worth of damage. , The Wool Journal says' '" There are many reasons why the few growers who still persist should abandon the habit of washing their sheep before shearing, and we know of not a single argument in -its favor." And then the Journal goes. on to give a number of reasons for giving np the practice altogether, but it misses' the best one ; that one can get his sheep washed much cleaner after the wool is off. If sheep are to be. washed at all, make the best possible job of it. , It is said that during the past few months six young men from the West, Coast, between New Plymouth and Wan ganui, have gone to La Plata, with. a view of ascertaining whether the prospects offered there are better than what are afiorded by New Zealand. If the place ! suits ' them they will withdraw from this colony capital amounting to nearly £100,000. .; The terms- of immigration to La Plata, offered by the Argentine Kepublic are m marked contrast to those offered by the Government of the colony of New Zealand. Mr Hulke informs us (Taranaki Heratif) tHat an immigrant- from London or Liverpool is conveyed, by steamer 'or sailing vessel to La Plata, and then taken over 200 miles up country by rail for the sum of £3. The first ten years the immigrant lives m the Republic he is free from all taxes, both local and customs,and is also free from service m the militia. If he takes purebred stock with him they are taken to their destination free, and anyone who introduces, a system of culture or manufacture differ* ing 'f ronvthat prevailing iri ? the country, receives a premium. — Herald. .! !. Tha London correspondent of the Adelaide Observer is responsible for the following : — " The Prime Minister of New Zealand and two member of the Legisla. tive Council have each sent £5 towards Mr Bradlaugh's election expenses. Mr Bradlaugh informed the electors that the Prime Minister especially and heartily wished him success at the poll and m the furtherance of bis principles. The debt ot Victoria is £528 12s 9d per head; that of New Zealand, £58 4s lOd. The taxation of Victoria is £2 9s lOd j>er head ; that of New Zealand, '£3 7s Bd. . The railway authorities of New South Wales have just issued a notification that the practice of lockiner railway carriage doors is to be given up. It is something like twenty years ago since there was a . regular holocaust m England, known as. the Abergeldie Catastrophe, when a number of persons iwere burned alive solely because the railway companieswould lock the doors of the carriages. From that time all travellers carried keys and unlocked the doors immediately after the guard had looked them, and continued the practice until the railway companies dropped to the situation and left- the doors unlocked on the near side. On those lines m this Colony where the seats go athwart the carriages, the same idiotic practice of locking the doors is m vogue. It should be given up immediately. Attention is directed to an altered advertisement inserted m thit isnue by Messrs Bridge and Lewis. The boot sale will be continued for another week at the Bank Chambers. It is notified that no offer will be refused.

One of Mr Goodison'a Shetland ponies successfully manuceuvred an escape from the harness to-day.by twistiug its neck out of the collar and then freeing itself from the other impediments to free travelling. The youngster got clean away from the trap but was soon recovered and again fixed up. *'"' • .-" At a captain's parade held last evening at th\3 drill shed Corporal Leigh was presanted with the silver cupfor competition firing, he having won tn'e tropTiy four times m succession, thereby entitling him to entire uossession. A^special train left Palmeraton to day for Foxtoa at "2 p.m., conveying the Masonic brethren who were to take part m the opening of the Kilwinning Lodge at the latter place. We have been requested to state that the Orient Lodge of ' Oddfellows will not meet this evening on account of the opening of a Masonic Lodge taking piece to-night at Foxton. i There was a slight sprinkle of rain i during this forenoon, but with little abatement of the intense heat which has prevailed for some weeks past. The glass continues to fall. , Mrs Mamh, sen, a lady of advanced years, who lias heeh i&wfeeble. health lately^wag m a very critical state yesterday, but we learn to-d%y that sh e is slightly befte»-. •;*';