LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 370, 19 November 1863, Page 3

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. Edward Lewis has been appointed Manager to the Wanganui Steam Navigation to. at a salary of L'2oo per annum. The other candidates were Messrs. Taylor and Watt, T. Waters, G. Beaven and T. W. Gudgeon. The Provincial Secretary has written to Major Durie, stating that the Bridge Committee will be at once appointed or Gazetted. In reply to the Memorial re pecting the Town Wharf, Mr. E. Lewis has received a letter from the Provincial Treasurer, stating that the Engineer’s department have been for some time engaged on the Plans, &c, and that lie will wri e again next week to say in what slate of forwardness they are. The result of the Government Prizefiring is published in a Gazette of the <th inst. The first Prize is awarded to Private N. G. Morse, of the Nelson Rifle Volunteers, who made 41 points, and gets the Champion Belt and .&50. The following prizes come to Wanganui—2nd. of £35 to Capt. 1). Porter; 3rd. of i. 30 to Corporal W. Armstrong; nth of A' 2o to Sergeant F. Parkes ; Bth. and 1-th. of L’lo each to Private J. Catlii-o and En-sign-J. Peake ; and £5 prizes to Sergeant R. Gray and Private W., Finnimore—all of the Victoria Company of Rifle Volunteers. In the averages of the various districts Wanganui stands first. We are sorry to find that it has been found necessary to issue more summonses against militiamen for non-attendance at diill. However inconvenient it may be for persons to attend, they ought either to do so or obtain leave of absence, as, by absenting themselves without leave they only subject themselves to unpleasantness by compelling their officers to discharge an invidious duly in summoning

them. Even admitting that, happily, there is at present no prospect cf disturbance here, it is still so far within the reach of 'possibility, that no one ought to grudge contributing his quota to the general security, by submitting to such an amount of training and exercise in the use of arms, as is deemed requisite to insure our being able to defend our district in ease of need. We observe in the Provincial Government Gazette a notice of a road reserved in the Wanganui district, JO links wide, and starting from the present main line of road from Wanganui to Waitotara, passing through sections Nos. 170, 160, 152, and 153, into section No. 238, all on the right bank of the Wangauui river.' A plan of the same is filed iu the Commissioner of Crown Lands office, and laid down on the general map of the district. The Provincial Solicitor has given an opinion that such Proclamation, is illegal, the land being within the Tunuhaere Board’s district. RANGITIKEI. We understand that the members of the Defence Force, stationed in this district, purpose enlivening the rest of the inhabitants by getting up private theatricals ; and as we learn that among the members of the Corps there are some whose acting is of far more than average merit, and as the assistance of Mr. "W. Howson, so favourably known here, lias been secured, their endeavours will no doubt afford considerable gratification to their neighbours in this hitherto somewhat dull locality. An inquest was held on Friday afternoon Nov. Gth, before S. M. Curl, Esq., Coroner, on the body of the little boy MeElwain, who was drowned in the Wanganui river the previous week, ihe body was found on the beach about four miles this side the mouth of the Bangitikei river. A verdict of “aceidetnul death” was returned. It will be in tbe recollection of our readers. that, nearly a twelvemonth since, a bull and cow of the Alderney breed were imported to this district bv T. D. Syer. Esq., of 1 augitikei The cow has since given birth to twin heifer calves. The Alderneys have ever been famous dairy cat-tie, and we learn that this cow produced 108 lbs. of butter in fourteen weeks —she being kept, not in paddocks, but on the run. Such a fact is the best evidence of the value of such cattle to- dairy farmers.