LOCAL AND GENERAL

According to a Melbourne cable ths heit is intense in that city, the thermometer registering 120 m the shade. The reduction of the Canadian postage rates to 8 cents per oz will involve a loss of £10,000 yearly. Messrs Barton and Wray, solicitor.;, of Hawsra, intend opening a Wanganui branch, over which Mr Wray will preside. The watch tower on Cook's Gardens, one of the landmarks of the town, is at present being repainted. Mr R. Hughes has the work in hand, under instructions from the officers of the Fire Brigade. ■ The Wangaebu ferry is now in full swiii? and passengers can xely on being put across with par feet safety. Mr Wise the other day took over in one trip a four-in-hand and a trap. The programme for the grand illumin.ated carnival to be held at the Corporation Baths ou Thursday evening next by the membprs of the St George Shimming Club appears in another column. A press wire from Kaikoura states that 331 applications have been received for two small grazing runs, the balance of the Hundalee Block. The majority of the applicants are residents of Eaikoura. Among the passengers by the Alamsds, which arrived at Auckland on Wednesday morning, was Mr John Bennie, of Wanganui. Mr Bennie, who has Bpsnt a few very pleasant months in visiting tjia Old Country, came home by yesterday's mail train. A man named Hanshaw, aged 40, went out with a gun at Dannevirke yesterday morning, A discbarge was heard, and the man was found dead with the gun at his fett. It is believed that he was after rabbits and that death was accidental, The Economic Building Society advert'aa a sale of for the 13th inst. The Society claim that their loans are the cheapest monies obtainable. Those requiring email loans will peru3e the Society's advertisement. To-day a lawn tennis natch will tike place between the Collegiate School team and the St John's Hill <}lnb, commencing at 3.45 p.m. The following wijt play for St John's Hill ; — Marshall, Francis, H. B, and L. P. Cave, W, Ward and Harrison. As the champion of the colony is playing, the match should prove an attraction. The cricket match on Saturday in the junior competition will be between the Wanganui team and the College Hawks, on the School Ground. Only one game can be played, as the School I. has a match with a Marton team. The senior matches are United A v. Victorias on Cook's Grounds, and Reginas v. School 11. od Victoria Park. Er-Sergeant Villars, who, since his removal from Wanganui has been stationed at Wellington, but who has at lact been compelled to retire from the force as a result of the injury he received here some time ago while ou duty, is at present in town. Mr Villara is pulling up, and hopes to recover his wonted strength. Bepnrta h&vo been received at New York that the famine afc Dawson City, the centre o{ the Klondyke goldflelds, is causing an epidemic of crime. As the result, persons without provisions have been warned to leave the fields. Thefts and even murders are beginning to be perpetrated. There is now a gaol in Dawson City. The funeral of the late Mr Andrew Johnston, bootmaker, of Hunterville, took place on Sunday and was attended by a verj representative gathering of settlers. Mr Naylor, cf the Naylor Novelty Company, with his usual forethought, was to give a conceit last (Thursday) n<ght for the benefit o! the widow and orphans, who ware left aJmoßt penniless, A subscription was alao started, several pounds being subscribsd in a few minutes. Mr Johnston was an old V/anganuite, and we tender our Bincereet sympathy to the sorrowing widow and orphans. An unfortunate a&so of mistaken idenity cropped up at the Cbristchurch S.M., Court yesterday morning. A young man named Alex. Cameron was arrested at Maiton in connection with an affiliation case, and when confronted with the alleged victim the latter said fihe had never seen him before. He was immediately discharged, Counsel said it was a hard cas3, as Cameron had to leave his business, epend m nay, and was now stranded. Mr Beetham, S.M., Raid he was sorry he could do nothing for the man. It seemed to him that Cameron should be returned to Marton free of expense, and he advised that application should be made to Inspector Broham for aaaistanca. I confess with shams (writes a London correspondent) that up till last week I was ignorant of the fact that Mr Ernest Faber Fookes, one of the best three quarter backs in the English football world, was a New Zealander by birth. He was, it seems, born in Taranaki, and lived there till he was fifteen, at which age he came to .England with a view to being educated for the medical profession. In the season 1895---96 he plowed in all three intercolonial matches, and again in 189G-7. In this latter year he was made j&apjfcajn of the Yorkshire county teanj. JTbokes is Sit SJin in height, weighs list 101b, and is if non-smoker a»4 ft Jeetotler.

1 At a general meeting of the Waneaanl Jocfcey Club, held at Chavanneß' Hotel on Wedne 1 d*y mw in g, several alterotionß were made i;. .lo _.uVij rulßß. The draughts tourney of the Wanganui I Cbess and Draughts Club ia to be continued this evening, when the following players meet : —(1 life)— J. B. Murray v. J. Anderson, W. Armstrong v. J. Murray, Oliver v. Greaves, Higgie v. Thorpe, Dickinson v. E. Laird, and Willis v. Garner. (2 lives)— Crane y. Bend, Chapman v. Newoombe, Harris v. Barrett, Young v. McGregor, P. Anderson v.J Allomes, and A. Burnett; v. Williams. The Alameda JeEt Auckland for Sydney ■>t 5 o'clock on Wednesday evening. She has a very large mail, having over 700 bags for New Zealand and 363 bag3 for Sydney. Her passenger list is also a very large one. Included in those remaining at Auckland are Mr Bedgood, a well-known Sydney . manufacturer. He intends visiting the Hot Lake district Several other Australian passengers are also stopping over here in order to visit Botorus. Mr J. D. O'Toole, well-known in mining circles, returned by the liner from a trip to England. Mr Clayton Chambers, son of the Chief Justice of Apis, wan landed at that port, and Or Thilenius, a noted scientiar, got on board there. The doctor is remaining in Auckland for some time. Colonel G. laoore, •ne of the leading men in the Hajrey Institute, also came down by the mail boat. The monthly meeting of Mitchell's Meat Inspection Committee was held yesterday affcernooD, Mr M. A. Neill pressing. Mr Gerse, in hisrapoit for the month, stated that he had had to condemn two sheep as unfit for human consump tion, anß had alsj refused to receive the carcase of a pig, which had bean kilind before being brought in. The enlrji with regard to this latter item, as extracted from the diary, says " A. man brought a pig whioh bad been killed. This I could not accept, as 1 had not seen it alive, and the body had the appearance of having been bled when the pig was half dead or suffocated. It had bled very little, and I made the men take it away again." This incident brings to mind the fact that probably many pigs are killed by priv&te owners and converted into bacon for the use of the public without being sufrJ3Cted to any inspection at a'l, Trinity Weßleyan Church was welj filled yesterday evening, when the Eev D. O'Donnellgavea most impressive address, his subject being "The rich young ruler," special emphasis being laid on Christ' d own word?, "One thing thou . lackaet." The nddreß", which was principally deToted to young men, was listened to with rapt attention. Mr O'Bonuell urged upon the young the importance of having high and lofty ideals and living for a purpose, insisting on the neces ity of purity of life and thought. The addrosa was concluded with a most interesting Eo:ount of the conversion of the brothers Studd and Stanley Smith, well-Vnown in cricketing and athletic circles in the Old Country. Another address will be delivered this evening. So far the meetings have bean attended with considerable success and prcfi 1 -, and as Mr O'Connell will bo leaving Hub district shortly, those who have not yet heard hi -a should take an early opportunity of doing 80. Our travelling reprueentativa paid a v ; sit to the Fordell Creamery the other day, when Mr Mackie, the manager in charge, was kind enough to buow him round. The creamery is fitted up with every convenience for the necessary work which, when the farmers sand ia the'r full supply, will no doubt be very large. At present something like 300 gallons of milk are put; through daily. The separator, the "Alfa,'' which is capable of patting through 400 gallons an hcur, is a new one, specially importad, and w&a only landed in Wanganui on Saturday night week, and on the following Monday was workibg. This speaks well for the energetic manager, who is temporarily in charge, having com3 down from Waverlay for the purpose of sorting the machine erected. The whole of the building is floored witb cemet.t, the eDgine>room being set loner so as not to allow any dirt to get t) the separator room. The separator is driven by a four-horse power engine, which is also a naw purchase. Mr Oiochetti, of For Jell, takes charge when Mr Mao'<je retucna to Karerloy, and we have no doubfc he wijl <naks) a very copsblo manager,