LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIV, Issue 9662, 2 November 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On His Roitnds. — Mr McGregor, Inspector of Machinery, arrived in Wanganui yesterday, in order to inspect the condition of the various steam machines in Wanganui. "Vitas Statistics. — The following are the vital statistics for the town and district for the month of October. Deaths — Borough 5, hospital 1, county 1. Total 1. Births — Borough 16, county 9. Total 25. Marriages — Registrar 3, Church of England 2, Presbyterian 1, Wesleyan 1. Total 1. A Mistake. — The bales of -wool brought down a few days ago from Warrengate to the New Zealand Loan and. Mercantile Company's new store were not from Messrs Baker and Allison's property but from Mr H. S. Harrison's estate. We are informed that Messrs Baker and Allison do not shear for another week. A Monsteb Eel. — A lad fishing in Churfcon's creek on Tuesday morning last succeeded in alluring an eel 4 feet 9 inches in length and 181bs in weight. The animal was a perfect monster, and was a source of considerable interest when exhibited by the catchers father, who is employed at Mr Duigan's flour mills. Book- binding. — We are requested by Mr Burnett, the hon. librarian of the public library, to ask all the subscribers to at once bring in the books in their possession, so that the directors may decido what works shall be re-bound. We trust this request will be promptly acceded to, for anything more deplorable than the present condition of some of the standard woris in tho library it is difficult to conceive. New Zealand Land Colonisation Company. — We understand that Mr Whitworth Russell the local broker for this company has disposed of upwards of 2000 shares in this company. Matters should go ahead now, inasmuch as the company is in treaty for one of the most valuable blocks in the King country. The purchase depends, however, upon whether Mr Bryce and Tawhaio arrange matters satisfactorily. New Peemises. — The directors of the public library decided last night that they will not take possession of the new building until the end of the present year. This interval gives them an opportunity to make such arrangements that the new library shall at any rate be better than tho old. It will certainly not bo well to fill the shelves of the new building with tho rubbish customarily selected from Mr Mudie's surplus stock. Feilding- Sale. — In another column will be found a very important announcement by Messrs Halcombe and Sherwill, to which the attention of buyers, breeders, and judges of stock is particularly . directed. Amongst an assortment of stock, too numerous to particularise, we observe 23 cows, pure-bred, from the -well-known Waipukurau estate of the Hon. H. R. Russell. Messrs Halcombe and Sherwill's announcement should be carefully read. Ceicket. — It is satisfactory to know that cricket doings are lively in this district. The match between the Wanganui and Palmerston Clubs will take place on Thursday, the 9th November, at Palmerston, and we understand that on behalf of Wanganui a strong team will do battle for the place. The local team will certainly include Messrs Kennedy, Fry, Cross, White, Marshall, Bruce, Chatfield, Gray, Parkes, and Sunley, who are prominent amongst the principal performers with the bat and ball ia Wanganui. A Goodly Saying. — In the course of her discourse last night Mrs Hampson made some well-reasoned and thoroughly commonsense observations upon the relation of. heavenly religion to earthly enjoyment. She remarked that sorno people said that a religious man or woman was never to Lave a smiling face or indulgo in a ringing peal of laughter. There was no divorce between innocent enjoyment iintl a true Chirstian. In regard to this subject, Mrs Hampson might have quoted Cooper's striking words, " Religion never was designed to make our pleasures less." -, Resident Magisteate's Covet. — The fallowing civil cases were disposed of on Tuesday in the Resident Magistrate's Court, before Mr Ward : — John Higgle v. stewards of Jockey Club. Plaintiff nonsuited, with £11 3s costs. James S. Smiley v. L. L. Levy. Judgment for plaintiff for £3 Is, with Ts costs. Thomas Denby v. C. S. Cross, claim for £11 for hire of punt and towage. Adjourned for a month, with, allowance of 15s for witnesses' expenses, to be paid by plaintiff. Mario Preuss v. George Bcaven, claim for 12s. Judgment for defendant. Nancy Piper v. Matthew Govan. Judgment for £2, with 8s costs. A Dangerous Landing Place. — The flight of steps at the end of the wharf, on the road to the ; cattle loading place, is really in a dangerous condition. The steps' are very Blippery, especially at low water, and they are constructed in a manner calculated to lead erring footsteps nsfcray. On \ Monday last a lady, in attempting to land at these delusive stairs, slipped into the water, with a narrow escape of drowning, ■ and wo have heard of previous accidents of a similar kind. Considering that the position in question is the first proper landing place for acquatic people coming frcm the Heads, the authorities responsible should do ■something to place it in a respectably safe condition. Public Libbaey. — In another column will be found a report of tho proceedings of the library directors last night. Tho account of their doings is necessarily meagre, inasmuch as the chairman of the meeting intimated to our reporter that the directors would prefer to deliberate in private, and thereforo we were indebted afterwards to tho hon. librarian for the bare minutes of the meeting. It is much to be regretted that, when matters of interest are discussed by a body of men having at their disposal a considerable sum of public money, there should be so much suspicions reticence as to their proceedings. There has hitherto been too much hole-and-corner business about the public library, a fact which tho subscribers to the institution should speedily intimate to the directors. It is very interesting, no doubt, to hear from the worthy treasurer that about £50 has lately been derived from the public pocket by means not usually adopted in the case of an educational institution, but the real business of last night's meeting appears to have been judiciously burked. There is not a word to say against the custodian of the library, except in regard to his public capacity, but in his own interest it would have been better that the directors had even adopted the farce of publicity. Kowsonv. the Education Boaed. — The apparent victory of the plaintiff over the defendants in this cause celebre needs some explanation. The plaintiff has apparently won in a canter, bnt it is as well that the circumstances of the case should be described. The plaintiff obtained a judgment for £30 19s, being the debt and costs sued for, and the defendants gave notice of appeal. By tho rules of the Resident Magistrate's Court, any party appealing must deliver, within ten days of giving security, to the opposite party or his solicitor a statement of the case on appeal. Security was duly given on the 20th October, by the Board depositing the amount recovered and £10 to cover costs. The time for delivering a statement therefore expired on the 30th of October, but, unfortunately for tho Board, Mr Ktzherbert had not delivered the proper statement within tho recognised time. Accordingly, on Tuesday last Mr Hutchison, on behalf of the plaintiff, applied for the debt and costs, and, in pursuance of the Act, the Clerk of the Court duly paid him £30 19s, the sum recovered. It is only fair to say, in connection with this matter, that Mr ■ Fitzherbert was under the impression that Mr Hutehisonhad agreed to a postponement of theappeal, pending the Supreme Court sittings in which both legal gentlemen were engaged, but we understand that Mr Hutchison denies tho existence of any such understanding, and on behalf of his client simply relied upon his strict rights. We learn, however, that Mi- Rowson is not satisfied with the triumph he has already obtained over the board, but that, according to Mr Ward's legal decision, he still considers himself a servant of the board, no proper ootico of dismissal having been given. Mr Rowson thereforo intends to claim salary to the end of October last.

The Timbbb Trade. —lt is gratifying to I I learn from the Kelding Star that the whole of the timber trucks on the railway line are acquired to carry the timber forwarded for ■ shipment to Foxton and Wanganui. It ia ' probable that new trucks -mil be completed shortly. - ' The GrT/ABDS.—The Horse Guards and the Life Guards have never been in action from tho Battle of Waterloo to the recent campaign in Egypt. Wo may hero recall their gallant deeds in the eventful days of Quatre Bras, Gemappe, and Waterloo, as shown by their losses in killed and wounded. Onjimel6,l7, 1 and 18, 1815, the Ist Life Guards lost 8" j men; 2nd Life Guards, 155 j Horse Guard . ' 126; Grenadier Guards, Ist Battalion, 43S -, 3rd Battalion, 504; Coldstream Guards, 2nd Battalion, 308; Scots Guards, 2nd Battalion, 246. Total loss of officers and men in tho Guards' regiments, 1860. " A Decided Ajwoyance." —The secretary of the Friendly Societies' committee disputes in last night's Herald the fact of there haying been any unnecessary noise overhead at Mrs Hampson's meeting on Tuesday evening. There ia no necessity to discuss a matter which appeara to hare been a source of amusement to the gentlemen who made a noise by " walking .to their seats ;" but it is right to remind the mouthpiece of theso gentlemen that a friendly deputation was sent up to remonstrate with them, and that (singular to relate) the gentlemen went to thoir seats with less trampling, and no doubt without loss of dignity or convenience. The fact that Mr Gibbs, who is tho tenant of the Odd Fellows, did (with then 1 consent) build an absurdly thin lodge room, ia no excuse for his landlord's permitting annoyance to other part of their premises. The ease o9 Mrs Hampson's meeting is only one of a number which has occurred at the theatre to our knowledge. , i He Wanted an Answer. —There was' a slight approach to a " scene " in the House of Commons one night, when an 'honourable member, who had probably "been dining," made some discursive observations which lie' fancied ought to have drawn a reply from-the Treasury Bench. In this expectation, however, he ■ was disappointed. The Prime Minister, if present, would probably have censured the hon and garrulous member, but he was not there, nor did any of his colleagues feel disposed to usurp the office of leader. The honouvable member in question was no doubt displeased at not being noticed, and at length, having made a gallant effort to steady himself, he.extended his right hand towards the Treasury' Bench and exclaimed: "Why can't I get an answer ? —Where is the grand old man?" • The explosion of laughter which followed aroused the Speaker from his nap, and the " Presiding Authority" sternly shouted, " Order, order," without, however, knowing very precisely what the breach of order had been. Great divers. — The Amazon is the •greatest volume of water flowing through any country, but ibis about 3,300 miles long. The Mississipi, from Itaska to its junction. with the Missouri, is 2,616 miles long ; from that point to the Gulf is 1,216 miles, a total of 3,902 miles. Tho Missouri runs 2,908 miles to join the Mississipi, and, having had, given to it the length to the sea, is 4,194 miles loag. To the sacred river, the Nile, must be given the credit of running through the greatest stretch of country. Tho "American Encyclopedia " of 1875, from which tho previously quoted figures are taken, says : — "It is navigable as far as the district of Fazogle, about l,soomiles from the Mediterranean. Its approximate length throughout all its winding from the limit of steam navigation above Gondollora is 3,000 miles. The additional length to Lake Albert N'ynaza can scarcely be leas than 200 miles, and consequently the river traverses a distance of about 4,700 miles, or 506 more than the Missouri and Lower Mississipi." Hestpton's Case.—The Press says — The forgeries for which the accused, so far, lias had to answer are five' hi number. Some of the persona whose names he borrowed do not seem to have had any business relations with him. One of them, indeed, Mr Hansmann, Baid he only mew the accused by seeing him in the street. Tho amounts were —(l) £78 12s, for which he obtained £50 from Mr H. Marks. This would be due on January 12th, 1884. (2) £248 10 6d, discount by Bank qf Now Zealand falling due on October loth. (3) £196 15s, discounted by the Bank of New Zealand, falling due on October 16th. (4) £150, discounted by the Bank of New Zealand, falling due on December 10th. The fifth, which was for £146, was offered to a local solicitor as security for a loan of £100 (for a day or two), but, fortunately for himself, that gentleman deferred the loan until after ho had made inquiries. The inquiries showed the signature to be a forgery, and, with singular leniency, the note was torn up and Hempton told to go and sin"no more. That was on October Ist, and it will be seen that after he succeeded in extracting £50 from Mr Marks by tactics similar to those used with Mr McOonnel. The immediate instigation of his flight was of course the matm-ing of the notes due a day or two after he had loft, and no doubt the money he got from Mr Marks was intended for travelling expenses. The accused was committed for trial.