NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1000, 21 February 1883, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

. Mr Archibald Forbes, the distinguished War Correspondent, lectures at New Plymouth to-night and at Hawera to-morrow night. We hear that he is likely to be greeted by the same crowded audiences of people anxious to see him, as has been the cace where he has been. On Friday he will lecture at Patea, proceeding direct to Wanganui on Saturday. A telegraph station has been opened at Fordell, Wanganui. Mr P. Currie was re-elected Chairman of the Licensing Bench this morning, on the motion of Mr R. A. Adams, seconded by Mr G. Potto. The ordinary company’s p?rade of Rifle Volunteers was hold last evening, Sergt. Kearney putting (he men through field exercise, and the recruits were afterwards drilled in the shed by Lieut Kitching. At a meeting held afterwards, byc-laws, submitted by the committee, were passed with some slight modifications. Tomorrow evening the inspection will be held, and those members, especially bandsmen, who have not received their arms, accoutrements and uniforms are requested to attend at the barracks between seven and nine this evening. At the Manaia Sale Yards to-morrow, Messrs Nolan and Co. will put up to auction several sections in Manaia township and suburbs. A sale of stock will also be held. On Friday next Mr F. R. Jackson will hold a slock sale at Kakaramea. A large number of entries has been received. A letter has been received from Lieut, Kempthorne, Hawera, asking for conditions of firing for the McGuire Cup, as six competitors will probably attend from Hawera. The old and often-exposed trade of shoddy vending still ranks among catchpenny vocations, and still has its dupes. Some individuals, who are adepts at the business, have been driving in a buggy from bouse to house in the quiet streets of Wellington for some days past, offering bargains for sale in the shape of remnants of cloth, which they profess to sell much below value. It seems almost needless to say that in the bargain the vendor has the greatest advantage, The steamer Waihi, having gone on the slip at Wellington for her periodical overhaul, will not reach here until Friday morning. At the Lyell yesterday John Davidson and Mary Gramatica were jointly committed for trial on their own confession for the wilful murder of Denis Quinlan, whose decomposed body was found with the head off at the base of an embankment. The confessions differed, but appear pretty conclusive, and show that the murder was committed under shocking circumstances. A meeting of the Kakaramea School Committee was held on Monday evening. Present—Messrs Clover (Chairman), J. Williamson, Payne, and Wbishaw. The principal business was the nomination of new members for the Education Board of Wanganui, Mr S. Taplin was nominated to fill the extraordinary vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr D. Coutts and the Rev. Mr Root, of Hawera, in place of one retiring member. A request to the master to prepare a list of the children not attending school closed Hie proceedings.

A most valuable suggestion is contained in the following paragraph, and will be duly appreciated by the agriculturist and gardener. An American method of dealing with stumps of trees so difficult to extract is as under In the early winter bore a hole one or two inches in diameter, according to the size of the stump, and about lin deep ; put one or two ounces of saltpetre in the hole, and after filling it with water, plug it tight. Next spring, unplug, and pour in a gill of kerosene oil, and ignite. The stump will smoulder away, without blazing, to the extremity of the roots, leaving nothing but ashes. The new bridge at Manawapou was opened for traffic yesterday. We congratulate the settlers on the removal of former existing danger.

Mr G. D. Harnerton has tendered his resignation as solicitor to the Hnwera Building Society, which was accepted with regrot, the manager in accepting it expressing the thanks of the directors for the attention Mr Harnerton bad given to the business of the Society. Mr Samuel Taplin lias acceded to the request of the Palea School Committee, and allowed himself to be put in nomination as a candidate for the Wanganui Education Board. Mr Taplin has previously been in office as a member of the school committee, and is well acquainted with the wants of school committees, and the requirements of the Palea district. Ho is within convenient travelling distance of Wanganui, and has the advantage of being frequently about the district in connection with bis own private business, which will afford an easy opportunity of ascertaining the requirements of the different committees. The up-country committees will doubtless agree to vote for him and so ensure bis return. Says a writer in Vanity Fair on Decern] ber 2 :— !< Onr daily newspapers have lately been advertising their diurnal sales, and very largo they appear to be. But taking the total sales of all our penny morning papers, I doubt if they would reach that attained by one of their Paris contemporaries. I allude to the small halfpenny newspaper called Lt Petit Journal, which has a circulation, in the provinces especially, astoundingly largo. I am able to speak ‘by the card ’ in this instance, for, during a recent stay at Paris, I paid a visit to the Petit Journal office, and- actually had the printing order for that particular night in my hand. It was for 749,500 copies, which weie duly printed by nine large Marinoni machines, the pages of the paper having been cast nine times over for the purpose.”

Tli'i Ma(aura Ensifjn states that the New Zealand Agricultural Company have finished their shearing, having shorn 106,000 sheep altogether, and having pressed 1300 bales of wool. The clip this year is said to be well grown, sound, and very clear and light in grease. The Company has marked 23,000' lambs this season', or about 60 per cent, on the number of ewes put to the ram last year.