General News.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 93, 9 January 1900, Page 2

General News.

A meeting of the A. and P. Association was hell on Saturday, Mr W. H. Beokett presiding over a fair attendance of members. The only business was to pass j62 2s each to the Patriotic Fund and to the Bacing Club. Although the authorities state ohe date of the departure of the contingent is not yet fixed, it is currently reported that ifc will leave 6n the 13th. It is probable that Captain Beid -will com* mand the North Island contingent. A good bag. — A Studholme Junction correspondent writes : — Mr C. E. Allpress, a Christchurch chemist, who has been staying at Mr Mann's Studholme Hotel for the past fortnight, caught on Saturday last in the Waihao near the flaxruill, in three hours, no less than 28 lbs of perch. They were taken with the worm, the wind being from the south-east. Mr All press is loud in his praise of the Waihao. it being in his opinion, the best stocked river he has ever fished. Mr T. S. Hardy, who is well-known to Waimate people, advertises that he is prepared to undertake farm, harvest and plough surveys. Mr Hardy has had 20 years experience of surveying, and^m give special care to any work ! | flPlPrMayor of Hokifcika is calling a r - public meeting for to day to consider proposals made by the Mayors of Christchurch and Wanganui to raise funds for a third contingent. The feeling appears to be against sending the proposed infantry. Lieutenant Colonel Pitt of Nelson ko<s been appointed a member of the Legislative Council. A meeting of the creditors of C. G. Daley w as held in Auckland on Friday. He had five drapery shops and a clothingfactory. The whereabouts of the bankrupt are unknown, and a reward of ;£2OO is offered for information which will lead to his arrest. His total liabilities amount to .£40.000. The election for the vacant sea f of Otaki caused by the death of the late Mr H. A. Field, resulted in the return of Mr \V. H. Field, deceased's brother, the numbers being — W. H. Field 1755 ; C. B. Morrison, 1592 ; majority for Field, 163. Mr Field is a Govern, ment supporter. A rumour is current (says the Lyttel. ton Times) to the effect that the British and United States Governments have conjointly ordered 500,000 tons of coal at Newcastle, New South Wales' to be delivered at Honolulu. According to the Post, some miscreant threw a lighted match into the postal pillar-box in Sussex square, Wellington, alongside the Basin Keserve, with the result that three letters wore almost wholly destroyed, and a magazine charted. Thoset who want boots which will last through the whole of the New Year ehould go to Berry's. There, prices are fixed to suit the times. Bepairs a specialty at Berry's, the shop at the corner of High arid Shearman Streets. — Advt. Now that the preserving and jammaking season is in full swing call at the Advektiseb office and get 50 gummed covers and 50 assorted labels, printed and gnmmed, for one shilling. Nothing looks nicer than neatly put up preserves, ana it cannot be done cheaper. On Sunday morning in St. Patrick's Church, the Eev. P. Begnault referred to the small seating accommodation of the building, and stated that the time had come when the- question of enlarging ifc would have to be faced.

There are 160 names at* tached to the petition asking the Gov« eminent to establish an experimental farm in the Waimate district. The Home Secretary has written to a correspondent, contradicting the rumour that the convict Jabez Balfour is shortly to be released. The German higher courts hold that local authorities can Be held responsible for accidents arising through bad roads. We require something like that here. It is stated that since the American expedition to the Philippines no lesg than 850 drinking saloons have been started at Manila. Just Opened — Madame Weigel's Journal for January, 1900, with free paper patterns (lady's apron)/price Sd, at Arthur Jones & Co., Victoria House. — Advt. W. Tierney, the Thames rider, is at present showing wonderful pacing abilities, and must be streets ahead of any other rider in New Zealand at the moment in thiß class of riding. There is some talk of his adopting 115-gear. He is at present riding 104-gear, and we doubt whether the great '• Suthy ** at his best ever showed the pace-riding that Tierney is at present doing. The following advertisement recent* ly appeared in an American newspaper :— A young man of good figure and disposition, unable, though de« sirous to procure a wife without the preliminary trouble of amassing a -for* tune, proposes the following expedient to attain the object of his wishes. Ha offers himself as the prize of a lottery to all widows and maidens under, thirty-two. The number of tickets to be^soo at 50dol each. Only one number to be drawn from the wheel ; the fortunate proprietor of which is entitled to the husband and the 30,000d01. The result of this curious offer is not known. The Timaru Morning Post is very severe on " Georgia Magnet." In a leading article yesterday, it asserts ! that " beyond cleverly managed tricks f the " Georgia Magnet " possesses no power, pyschic or otherwise, that is not possessed by every member of her sex. As an example. The " Georgia [ Magnet " holds the downward end of a ' stick in her clenched right hand, and one or two, man are expected to force it through. Why, almost a child could resist their efforts. We know it is claimed thafc she does not grasp the I stick, but we have seen her do it. Every one of her tricks is explainable in as simple a manner, even to the rising of her temperature and simultaneous lowering of her pulse, which seems to have puzzled the doctors so much. Of course, the temperature ia raised by her exertions and the surrounding atmosphere, while a couple of minims of tincture of aconite does the rest, as far as the pulse is concerned. Twice has the "Magnet" been lifted from the local platform, despite her exertions and anatomical distortions, and twice has it been clearly demonstrated that there has been no magnetism or " new force " holding her down, and the nonsense talked about " flesh contact " is as meaningless as it is void of truth. As previously stated, we have no objection to such exhibitions as shows merely ; but we are bound to protect truth and science from incursions of that description." It is unlikely the Magnet will attract much more in New Zealand ; as all the papers are busy exposing her tricks. We have had one " feat " explained to us, and see the impossibility of standing still while clasping a chair in both arms, even though the contrary force is exerted only by some one's little finger. Ladies don't forget to go and hear "The Absent-minded Beggar" thi s evening, and remember that the next event of importance this week is the " Great end of season sale" that starts at Arthur Jones & Co.'s next Saturday, January 13th. — Advt. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. hold an important sale at Glenavy to-morrow.