Local and General News.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 174, 26 January 1897, Page 2

Local and General News.

A very good circus is making its way up north. Feilding will be visited. On Thursday, February 4th, Mr E. E. Beckett will sell by auction a splendid block of land near Hunterville. See advertisement. The Standard's special correspondent, wiring from Ohingaiti yesterday, says : William Heffernan, who wab severely injured by the exploding of a cask of blasting powder at Mangaweka recently, died about 2 p.m. to-day. On Saturday night the Junction Hotel, Sanson, narrowly escaped being burned down, owing to one of the servants accidently setting tire to the cartains. Willing hands, however, were soon in attendance, and the fire was got under control before much damage was done.— -Standard. The following will represent Colyton in their match against Palmerston, at Palmerston, next Saturday:— J. Stewart, J. Mexted, R. Simpson, C. Burnett, L E Reade. A. Gibsone, J. Rose, W. Entwisle, J. Entwisle, O. Millen, G.Millen. Emergencies— R. Woodman, W. Power, A. Wjatt.

A gold-bearing reef has been Btruck in the Gladstone claim at Ross, Westland. An important notice appears to-day in reference to the Feilding branch of Te Aro House. Additions are made to-day to the entries for Messrs Abraham and Williams' Palmerston sale. Notice is given to»day that Mr W. S. Barber has been appointed collector of Dog Tax for the Kiwitea County. Some people seem to think virtue and honor are merely acquired tastes ; like drinking porter and eating oysters. We have to acknowledge receipt of No. 7 of " The Guardian," a journal pub lished in Wellington and devoted to commerce. Miss Birdie Butler and Miss Olpbert (of Auckland), will give a concert, assisted by local amateurs, in the Feilding Assembly Rooms tomorrow evening. Notices is connection with the first term of the Wellington College, of 1897, and an advertisement anent the Wellington Girls' High School, are published to-day. Our Birmingham correspondent writes : — Scarcity of water ia severely felt here. Many settlers do not know what to do with their stocK. The late heavy rain was confined to Birmingham. The gymnasium of the Young Men and Boy's Club will be open for females on Wednesday afternoons, from 3 to 5, on and after to-morrow. The charge is low, one penny per week, and the room was well patronised before being closed for the holiday season. Lady members of the committee will be in attendance The Marlborough Express gives good reasons why Queen Charlotte Sound should be the head quarters of the Australasian Squadron in New Zealand waters. This sound possesses natural advantages no other harbor in the colony can offer. A central position, ample room, plenty of deep water everywhere, and perfect shelter from all winda. The pest of the Inch Clutha district at present is the Californian thistle which is in bloom, and hundreds of acres are standing ready to be cut down by the mower. Some of the grass land has been rendered quite useless for a time, owing to the thistle having taken possession, while others have been reduced in value to the extent of £5 per acre from the same cause.— Wyndham Farmer. There are eleven things for which no one has ever yet been sorry. These are ; For doing good to all ; for speaking evil of no one : for hearing before judging ; for holding an angry tongue ; for being kind to the distressed ; for asking pardon for all wrongs ; for being patient towards everybody ; for stopping the ears to a talebearer ; for disbelieving most of the ill reDorts : fbr thinking before speaking : for payiug his newspaper account. The concerts at the Young Men and Boy's Club will be re-commenced on Thursday next in the large club room. The promoters have arranged tor an interesting and varied programme, including glees, solos, duets, etc. The popularity of these concerts is proved by the readiness to help on the part of performers, and the numbers attending them. We are glad to find that the efforts of the committee to find pleasant and profitable pastime for the young people of the town and others meet with the success they deserve. Mr Balsille, a Dunedin gentleman who has made sunspots a special study, has from time to time made some remarkable predictions as to the seasons. At the beginning of Jane last he wrote : "My own expectations are that the winter will be, on the whole, of fine character, with somewhat frosty nights, and dryish, with rather high winds occasionally. The spring will be sparsely supplied with rain and, on the whole, early, with prospect of a fine foresummer, but too little rain. On this account the crops that are earliest Bhould do best." We have received from Mr J. S. Milson, bookseller, the Christmas Number of the Windsor Magazine, which is accompanied with " In Strange Company " one of the best novels written by Guy Boothby. In the number now before us is begun a story entitled " The Christian " by Hall Came, which promises to eclipse any previous work by that talented auther. The illustrations appropriate to the text are very beautiful and splendidly executed. The whole publication is very interesting, and fully maintains the deservedly high reputation the Windsor Magazine enjoys not only among students but with those who prefer literature of the lighter vein. On Friday afternoon last Mr A. R. Cox's eight-roomed residence and a whare adjacent to the dwelling house, at Pakihikura, were destroyed by fire. Mr Cox was absent from home and Mrs Cox went to a neighbor's to luncheon about noon, and it was while she was away the house caught fire. One of the men working on the place noticed the fire, but it had too strong a hold for its progress to be arrested. He had only time to remove a few valuables from the dwelling house, but he managed to save most of the useful things from the whare before it caught fire. The residence was insured for £250, the furniture for £250 and the whare for £25, all in the Victoria Office, for which Mr E. Giesen is the local agent. The insurances will not nearly cover Mr Cox's loss and much sympathy is felt for him in his misfortune. At a committee meeting of the Feild ' ing Cycling Club held last evening, votes of thanks were accorded to all those who contributed to or assisted at the recent race meeting. Accounts in connection with the sports were passed for payment. The amount given away in prizes was £41 16s and and incidental expenses as far as can be ascertained at present amount to £21 13s 6d, making a total expenditure of £63 9s 6d over the meet ing, the actual loss on which is not yet known, but will be about £20. As this loss is a serious tax on the resources of the Club it is urpently requested that all members will forward their subscrip tions to the secretary at once in order that all liabilities may be settled. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mrs Bray, who contributed £1 towards the club funds. Mr E Kitney was elected a member of the club. Metals many times more valuable than fold are to be found in New Zealand soil. This fact was forcibly impressed upon the mind at last Wednesnay night's meeting of the Philosophical Institute at Wellington, when Sir James Hector exhibited a specimen of the very rare metal osmium-iridium, tound at Parapara, Collingwood. Sir James stated that the appearance of this metal always indicated country of a very high metallurgic value. Osmium-iridium was worth about three times the value of gold, and another metal, palladiumtraces of which were seen in the speci men exhibited— was worth very much more.. The only at tide known which was made of this metal was a goblet in the Paris Mint. The bearings of the standard balances in the Mints at Paris and London were also made of this rare metal atenormouscost. Osmium-iridium was used for the bard tips upon gold nibs, &c. Both tbese metals were found at Parapara mixed with the gold recovered by the company in that locality. But what this colony should find, Sir James remarked, was thorium, which was worth £45 an ounce, and was in great demand for making the mantles used over gas burners. He added that he believed be knew where it was. to be iosfid in New Zealand—Post*

Members of the Manchester Rifles will meet at the bntts for class firing at five a.m. and 2 p.m. to-morrow. Captain Edwin wired at noon to-day : — Indications for strong N.E. to N. and W. winds after twenty hours from now ; glass fall. . Our readers will see by a notice else- ( where that Miss Kirk, the daughter of , Professor Kirk, of Wellington, will give an address on Friday evening at the , Foresters' Hall. Miss Kirk's abilities as a speaker are so well known that those who attend the meeting may count upon an interesting time. Her theme will be " The origin and aims of the W.C T U." It is said that tuberculosis is carried from herd to herd through the dairy factories, in the following way : — A farmer, unknown to himself, may have a cow suffering from the disease. Her milk is mixed with other milk, and is returned to dozens of other farms, carrying with it the germs of this scourge. The difficulty may easily be overcome by destroying those germs, which could be done by allowing no separator milk to leave the factory until it has been raised to at least 180 degrees of heat, which would cost little, as a pipe might be connected with the boiler, and turned into the vat in which the separator milk is collected. Farmers should insist upon this idea being carried out. The following from an Australian paper may be of interest even in this district this year : — When prices are high, and farmers have no butter to sell, it is a good time perhaps to remind producers of the folly of being without a patch of green stuff sorghum at this period of the year for the benefit of their cows. It costs but little to grow a crop of green stuff of some kind, and the farmer who neglects to do so is engaging in a business where he has hardly any right to expect success. In nine cases out of ten he will, without the provision of green fodder for his stock, be landed in disappointment. Green fodder in a dry summer is the lever that lifts the shrewd farmer high above all his fellow cow-keepers, and more particularly in a season like the present. A meeting of the Young Men and Boys Club Committee, which was largely at tended, was held at the club rooms last evening. The President, Mr J. Green wood, occupied the chair. The following business was transacted. An additional room was secured to meet the requirements of the Club work. Mr F. F. Haggitt was appointed treasurer in the place of Mr H. Franklin, who has res moved to Wellington. The committee elected to arrange for the concert on Thursday next reported that an attractive programme had been arranged. The secretary reported that an offer had been received from Christchurch of 11 fifes and a drum for £3. As several members of the club bad expressed willingness to form a drum and fife band it was decided to purchase the instruments immediately. An invitatioa social is to be held next month and arrangements were made for the same. It was resolved to reopen the rooms for young women and girls on Wednesday afternoons. The purchase of a baeatelle table was discussed but no decision arrived at owing to want of money. A room was let to the Feilding Cycling Club, and several accounts passed for payment. The Rev J. Treadwell, pastor of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Wanganui, died on Sunday afternoon at about 4 o'clock, after a painful illness of about two years. The deceased gentleman was born in Gloucestershire on April 2, 1835, and was 62 years of age. He completed his studies at 23 years of age and sailed for Victoria in 1859, coming out to the colonies under the suspices of the Free Church Colonial Committee. He was at once called to the charge of Balmoral and Harrow, and was ordained by the Presbytery of Ballarat. Six years afterwards he returned to England. He remained in charge of the Free Church Congregation at Stevenston, in the West of Scotland, till 1876, when he came out to Wanganui, commissioned by the colonial committee of the Free Church to succeed the Rev Dr Elmslie, who had received a call to "Christchurch. Here the Rev Mr Treadwell has ever since laboured, devoting his life to the welfare of his flock. He took a warm interest in educational matters, and for many years was chairman of the Wanganui School Committee. He also took a very prominent part in the work of temper* ance, and was one of the members of the Licensing Committee elected in 1892. The deceased leaves a widow and grownup family of four sons and three daughters.