LOCAL AND GENERAL.

| _ ■ m , .... <-r. .".. . ._ I Li tlio Cape Parliaifadnt, 'Mr" Wjlfob^tlift [ Treasurer,- withdrew _ his proposed addi" : tioual hut tax. " ■ • - •'• ~->'[.<^ • • Dr Alexander > Wilson, at" presferifc' f a«&N&* ! ant at the . Wellington Hogpifol^haai.JfeSn. appointed .'.resident mi^9 Napier Hospital, in place of DrTieahy, who has resigned. - ■.:■■••-,, ' ••-*•* "-''lfjj~r v Word has; .been , received , that ,thefaP^lpom captured from' the iSoers aria .awjttfd&d ' by the War! Office to NcwZtelaT»d*i&aHr& phyof the campaign;*' has been ehlppea 1 ' from England by the Coxinthic. \A *S\ It was reported to the Cily " Council last week that the loss for the yew. on the working of the two, swimming hat'hi; controlled by the Council amounted,; alter)'" providing interest and sinking • fuudv * tft .£463. - ••• - ; :.'■'; "■-''■;." Tlie Marine Department has r deie&ed' ",to declare another close season for oyateis bed** in Hauraki Gulf and northern fiihfetiea area.,- s Before next' season the Department. ' hopes to be able to deal with thain'#te£.,af> .leasing some of the beds in, the Hawaii Gulf to the-.ownerti of the, adjoining', lanS,. The Department of Agriculture ' tttts 'issued instructions to the , fruit expeifttf . throughout the' colony' to give :>i |ptcJLft> ' spraying demonstrations to thefruit'tgfowT.-era-in their respective distribts^inoMgt^ that the growers may Ife^made;^ 10 "^*?: with the means the ' Beparfcments-arecoairi ' mends for -the control 'of p«?ta.r '/s£'£■* ffi* The latest mairb^in^^3fewß-of;■t^fepar•4 . rate matrimonial "tangleTa .which otrc? th>fr :' ' origin to twinship. ;Cofiif v necticut, a young lady' allege^ that sKe married a man, who replies that htf '"was married long ago, and that the lady's h"us-" band, is his twin brother Harry/ .-Harry.' denies that he knows the lady ; at' a]!,' and the town clerk of Waterbufjr co'iild not ' say which of the brothers wad the "man whom the marriage license was given: At Ford dv I&c, Wisconsin, a divorce suit l&s arisen in which, the husband makes itTfiig excuse that- his wife's twin sister ij^.^o much like her that he- cannot teU;ottcfri)fa ilic otlior. v ,'"",'" \.,

The residents of Norfolk Island have de» cjded to establish a defence corps for the ' island. , •'•■/.Captain Edwin telegraphs: — Moderate' winds from southward, glass little movement; tides poor, sea moderate, probably frost ' to-night. . . ■ -^Tjic ; imported millard and widgeon recently, liberated at .Lake Alexandrina, Can- 1 tefbury'; are reported to "be doing well in tlreir new. quarters. ' . The - BawmiHing industry is expected to boom/ at Taihape shortly. Plant for severl»l, mills- is being forwarded to that dis-' Cricis. ' . . T'.The Wairoa, Mounted Rifles go into camp fpr* "their" 'annual instruction this month, arid- While in "camp Major-General Babing--toa*- intends inspecting the 1 corps. > Captain Voss, who Visited New Zealand lastyear in the Tilikunyih which lie is attempting to .circumnavigate the globe, arrived'in his small craft at Capetown on March 27fli;

'It waß stated at the meeting of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, held last Saturday, .that the -Wellington Association 2ia4'.made a loss of £20 on the Easter tournament. - 'The n dutl6ok for the Dunedin housewife

this Winter is not. a promising one. Bread ii-likely.to *be raised to sevenpence per 41b loaf'- shortly, and, the price of Kaitangata coal' has' been increased Is per ton. -.Canadian oats are keeping New Zealand oats i out of the Sbtitli African' market, 6wingtoitne'factthatthe'Dominion exporters can. land them at the .Gape at l£cl or 2d per bushel cheaper . than exporters from this colony. , ' ' ' TJhie temperature readings at the places undermentioned at 9 o'clock this morning were -ap follow--: — Auckland 60j Gisborne 52, , Na.pier 56, New Plymouth 58, Wanganui 56, .Wellington 52, Nelson 47, Westpqt't • 49, G'rcynio.uthj 53, Christchurch AQ, Diinedin? 52, and Invercargill 55. \,M!r"Barr, inventor'of the" flying machine recently offered to the Federal Government, lfe|t.'Perth by R.M.S.- China for Enrope and America, taking his machine with him. He ijitfeiidß exhibiting it at the St. Louis ExJipsifon, competing' for the prize of jE20,000 o^er^dfor the best aerial machine. % * Tjhe residents- in .Australia recently sent a cable message >to the "King of Spain congratulating, him on his, e6cape frbni: assassination. The King has since replied expressing his thanks, and stating thtij; :the.news "was, false and that he was pjp&i : ; in danger. „- , ,"Jhns' r the N.Z. 'Herald on tlie price of mjtfjiiaiiyf'Ht the price paid for bread in Aucklaiid to-day-were enforced in, say, Gcrin&nyj 1 ■ Italy/"A ustria; and Russia for a month 1 , ."piqnarchy in each' of 'those countrafthirouJcl' totter. ; Such* a. high price for bVead is ~ not paid in which the . conditions «fre*-'&>rinaT. J>> * v <nie v .-.Eafaihea," which ' reached Lyttelton last .week, ilanded. a. splendid .consignment | of? .poultry-, . pigeons .and canaries, whichcost' over 'JEIOO. , The birds were imported fpt' -the? Intercolonial - Show) to be held at wie Colosseum, next ' month, and, as they ate an : splendid condition, should give a gvjpsl- account of themselves against the pick ofYtJife' colonies. • • • ..

• ' The iDuustan Times understands that a Chtt^maji.'who'for a number of years filled the occupation of a purveyor of vegetables »t, Alexandra,' was arrested in Canton, -un-

der a warrant, for the abduction of a young girl, and also for patricide, and subsequent- i ly/executed.:' The crimes Were committed ! iir r China prior to his immigration Jo the colony. some ,2s, years ago. v j , Tfhe -' Wanganui Licensing Committee yesterday .afternoon granted' a conditional license? -fos:'i the Wanganui' Jockey > Clubs--' "Winter Meeting to Mr A. R. Maltby. The licensee was. requested, to be -more careful, in supplying persons "who appeared •to be intoxicated, "Sergeant Norwood having stated i that there were more people under j

the -influence q£. liquor- at the last' race meeting. than. <the.re should have been. ■- A. great. deal .qf literature having regard to frozen produce is being issued by the AgenitGen'ef al' to traders -in different parts of ythe*'oldy the*'old Country where New Zealand produce is vended. ..Thia, literature, is intended for distribution^ among the customerß«of 'tradera, and as the good qualities of Ne^ Zealand butter and cheese' are dwelt upon -good results, should ensue.

,' While 'working- in the open on top of the Martha Hill at yVaihi,. a miner named Nolan had 'a miraculous escape from death. Tbe*grbnnd' gave way behind him, and he fel)L; 120 J feet, lodging across the -mouth of the,pass> -. A bar a-lso fell and lodged across thli^bptening ,of the pass. . Nolan escaped witft affew, scratches and bruises, but had he^falfthi into"' the pass he would undoubtedly 1 -fc&ve.- been killed. . 'v A .great sensation has been caused in Gross Becskerek, in Hungary, by the suicide, within .the last few .weeks, of no few'er than'nve'men; who were in the habit of 'meeting every .day at an inn in the town and* '.sitting" round a table together. A. .teacher named Stefan Weichbold, who shot "himself recently^ was- the last of the fiver," ( and it appears that the table club really met to arrange a long series of forgeries; 'of "bills "and' cheques, which have lat'eiy, b^en discovered., .The members each made a certain number of forgeries, and tbo^ ' an, oath that „hfi, would kill , himself if- «he were found out, in order to divert suspicion' from 'the" test.' . The total num-ber.-of forgeries disclosed amounts to over

ioo.< ''Kansas has achieved the impossible; it hate' produced 'a new swindle. The inventor travels from town to town, attending, the churches , that have the richest congregations.' -He sits through the service and" sermon with all decorum, and thfefa*. falls" over" in a fit when the Benediction, is r pronounced. This makes people sympathetic. »,0n the. inside of his coat is jjisned';hiß name and the- home, of .'his rel.itj.veß,,W;ith an injunction that if he should dle^,in .one of these fits some kin£ friend would doubtless -send his- body home. He finally- re.coye.rß-, and pulls the leg of the

congregation for. money to get home- on.

His.. home is. distant, and it rarely takes 'less. than £4 to reach it. When the sum is raised he passes on to the,. next town, to have another fit on the following Sunday. How, one family of imbeciles may injuriously aff^efc'the, community is set out by v H<)gben, Secretary of Education, in.'a ; report,dn industrial schools which has just/be&n Sprinted.- The mother, described oar «[if 'lfttbejcjl.e, .suffering, from dementia, was" admitted, jto,, an ayslum in 1877. The JFa^et- is a labonrer,,. aged ,69 years, who "Fishes. :$d v get ■ into * some , Old Mente Home. Five. of. the children, ranging in age from* 3 .to 12 years, are all hi industrial schools, and the. sixth was put out. to board' by .a locaLbody., The father of the mother was- of weak intellect, and

of; his other children (four in number) one was (committed to .the Salvation Army Homo, and her children sent to industrial schools', w,hjle. .the. .other fhree were also committed .to v< industrial schools and hired out defective and congenitally imbecile. ' .The cost to. the State of .this astonishing sore in 'the social fabric has' already been. £1137, and the burden still exists. '-.Tl^is d'oes-.n'qt include any of ,the indirect oost3 under the heads of asylums, charitable aid, police, etc. They manage these matters better in the States. An

Act passed in Connecticut prohibits, under penalty of three .'years' imprisonment, the intermarriage where the, woman is' under 45 of a man arid woman either of whom is epileptic, Imbecile, or feeble-minded.

A heavy coating of rust is making its appearance amongst the self-sown oats- in the Bulls district.

For behaving in an offensive manner in a railway carriage between AVanganui a-ud Palmerston, James Callinane was fined 10s and costs at Palmerston on Saturday. He was 1 also fined 10s for drunkenness.

Experience has shown that the present electric lighting power at Rotorua fails to meet requirements, and tho necessity for making adequate provision to meet the deficiency has impressed itself iijion the Government. The Government have now deputed Mr Fletcher, electrical expert of Wellington, to proceed to iJotorua in order to ascertain in what direction the lighting power should be increased.

Mr Duncan, McNab, brother oi' the member for Matattra, who has returned to Gore from the Old Country and South Africa-, where he has been spending some time, says that South Africa is in an awful condition ; in fact, worpe than it was under the Boot regime, of which he has had experience, having been for some years a landholder in the Transvaal. Mr McNab thinks that it will be fully ten years before the country recovers its position.

A letter- was received .by the Wellington Trades and Labour Council on Friday from the Otago Council, pointing out that as- the Flourmfllers' Association is about to enter into another agreement for a period of five years from this month, some steps eJiould bo taken to protect the public from the effects of the trust. It was decided to urge the Government to take immediate steps towards nationalising the milling industry or to remove the duty of Is per cwt on imported flour. "There is no brand, no ear-mark, or anything to tell a publican that a. person is prohibited, and it is quite possible for any person to trap a publican if .he wantß to," Mr Hoban remarked in the Christchurch Court on Wednesday. He further went ou to point out how unlikely it was that any hotelkeeper would endanger his license by supplying liquor to a person ho knew to be prohibited. The trouble was how could the hotelkeeper or his servants jjositively know every prohibited person.

During the hearing of the Mount Yemeni compensation case at Napier one of the witnesses for the Crown, Mr William Wakeman, delivered himself of ai very emphatic opinion with regard to dairy farming. "On poor land," he said, "it does not pay. and this would be, clearly shown if accounts were kept in the same way as station accounts, and allowances made for wife labour, child" labour, .Sunday labour, and long hours. - Everything considered, dairy farming can only be profitaoie on the very best land." The inspection of dairies in and around Chriotchurch is proceeding steadily (says the Press). The percentage of diseased cattle discovered remaiiiß about the same as when the inspection was .commenced, but the owners are now more reasonable in consenting without outcry to . the destruction of the diseased animals by the Government. Another milk and water crusade has just been carried out, as a. result of which* several milkmen will be proceeded against for offering for sale milk which had been more or less diluted with water. *

The New" Zealand Church News says: — We regret to announce that the Bishop of •Christchurch is suffering from indisposition, and has been obliged to cancel some of his engagements. He is at present staying at Kowai Bush, with Mrs Julius, and our readers will join with us in sincere" wishes for the restoration of them both to perfect health. The Bishop attributes his present weakness in part to the great strain of the General Synod, when he never had half an hour to himself. ' Among the -cargo ianded 'from the' Wai--' nui, which arrived at Wellington from 1 . Greymouth on Thursday, were -the embalmed corpses of three Chinamen who died at Greymouth, and are now on their way home. -Enquiries made go to show that the export trade in. Chinese, both dead and living,, is fairly brisk. It appears that the Chinese arriving on tho Coast, for the most part, undertake to lodge' with the agent, as soon as they are able, a sum sufficient to pay their fare back, to China, dead or alive. The aver- . age number of corpses despatched runs into about four per month, and they are carefully embalmed and guaranteed unobjectionable. ' , New Plymouth's Mayor, Mr Cock,- rose up and "said things" the oyier night about the apathy of local -people in following up a proposal to entertain the Governor. Ho asked the Borough Councillors to mcct Ihim at lunch and entertain the Governor and suite. He would do his best, at all eveutsj even if the "upper ten" — he called them the "upper ten," and didn't care whether the reporters published that or not — would not do their duty then the "working men" would. It was always the same in New Plymouth. Who were working the Exhibition? The working people, the business men. The "tipper ten"' were never there. He began to think he was a fool to act as Mayor in a community which contained, such people. v

The new field gun for the British army is a marvellous production. So rapid is the fire that the batteries may be reduced from six guns to four in three years' time, when re-arming is complete. The gun is adapted from the French pattern, and in recent trials at Okehampt'on has established a record of twenty-five rounds per minute". This rate of .fire is unsurpased by any field gun in Europe. Its cost, complete, with carriage, is about' .£6oo, and about 1100 guns will be needed, involving an expenditure of about a million sterling. Experiments with the new gun have extended over two years,. and it has now a range of 10,000 yards. A new time fuse has been invented, and this enables a shrapnel shell to burst effectively at nearly 7000 yards — an enormous advance in gunnery. Birmingham supplies encouraging evidence of- the beneficial effect of the preferential tariff granted by New Zealand. The Daily Gazette, published in that city, says : — "The concession which our New Zealand friends have made has resulted in bringing to Birmingham for the first time a large order th#t for years past has gone to Germany. Naturally the colonists desire .whenever possible to trade with their kinsmen in the Mother Country, and we are now receiving instances of the effect of preferential treatment in the fostering oi trade between the Mother Country and her daughter States. If only the same spirit, were displayed in this country towards the colonies the advantage would be great indeed, and our supremacy in the colonial markets could not be shaken."

A Japanese paper just to hand by the mail contains an interesting story of a curious. adventure which befell the-Japan-ese cruiser Takachiho when on its way, under Admiral Uriu, to attack the Russians at, Chemulpo. When near the latter place the' look-out of the cruiser saw a large whale a hundred feet long, taking the air on the surface of the sea.. Thinking the whale would move away, tlie cruiser kept on her course, with the result that the huge creature was cut in two by the keel of the warship, which was doing eighteen •knots an hour. The sea for hundreds of yards around became red with the blood of the whale, and the warship steamed for over a mile in the crimsoned stream. On the masthead of the same ship a hawk was perched, and was caught diiring one of the battles of the Chino-Japanese war. The hawk is regarded as a war bird in Japan, and consequently the Takachiho was considered to be specially favoured by the god of battle.