LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 58, 6 September 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The party of -the Manchester riflemen returned from JvimboJtaa by motor car in 40 minutes. Mr Norman Gorton returned Jo Feilding by tlie mail train to-day considerably benefited by his trip to Australia. Messrs Kirton and Curtis, who are in the South Sea Islands, cabled yesterday from Suva that they were enjoying the trip. The Cheltenham Rifle Club pospond their shooting for Saturday the Bth inst.j out of respect to Mr and Mrs Mills and family »n their sad bereavement. At the quarterly meeting of the Primitive Methodist Church, on Tuesday afternoon, Rev, J. Olphert received and accepted a cordial and unateimjrus invitation to remain as Superintendent Minister of the Circuit for,, a fourth year. In the Rodney— Auckland football match on Saturday, Wynyard had his collarbone broken, and in the WaihiPaeroa match, Flynn had his leg broken by a blow received from an opponent, who was kicking at the baft. The Ashburton Guardian states that Mr Thomas Dowlingy of Lowcliffe, has sold to the Cnristchurch i Meat Company a line of 150 prime fat bullocks at £10 10s per head. The bullocks are a really prime lot. being 4, 5, and 6 years old, and were fattened on turnips. As several inquiries have been made re the -formation of an Elocution • Class in connection witn * ne Technical School, ft meeting will be held in the High School on Friday evening to consider the advisability of starting such a class. Mr T. Watson, wnose ability as an orator is well known, will conduct the class, if formed. v • ' The Clarkson Roard Race to Awaburj and back was run yesterday af&rnfo'n. The placed men were H. AtmkrQng r (o vain, start) first, time 26mini llseb ; B. Hobday. (7min. start) 2nd; time 30imin; J. Richardson (4Jmin. start) third, time 28min. The roads were in first-class order, but the high wind prevented any fast times. We are informed that arrangements for the annual Bulb and Spring flower i show, under the auspices of the St. John?s I&sU,e# GuiH, are well forward; and that considerable support from wejl known amateur growers has been promised- The show is to be held on Wednesday next, when a fine show of bulbs may be expected. Several professional growers hard applied for space, co that the very best exhibits will be displayed.—Besid*9 the show of flowers, an attractive musical programme will be renidered. and :,mmhm«tit» and^sweeU

The porter killed near Waipawa was named Frank Pirini, not Pirani. A marriage was solemnised yesterday at the residence of Mrs H. Baer, Wai tv Ha, between her youngest daughter "Marie," and Mr C. Rogers of Eltham. Rev. J. Olphert performed the ceremony. After the breakfast the happy couple departed on a trip up the Jwanganui river. At the Feilding Court yesterday, n well known locaj solicitor stopped short while cross-examining a witness and remarked "that old age was creeping upon him, sometimes he could not \e£f, & n 4 sometimes he could not see Without his spectacles." j It was a trying moment for his \ Worship to suppress a smile, while all in court indulged in hearty ' laughter. j Mr Hodges, of Eliot street, informs the Taranaki Herald that he has used Mr Eastwood's preparation for j Sotato blight with success. He cut j to potatoes, soaked them for twentyfour hours, and then left them twenty-four hours to dry. He has now above ground several varieties, including Northern Star and Eearly Six Weeks. There has been only one or two misses. Mr Hodges thinks the trouble with some folk is that they are too impatient, and cry about failure before the seed potatoes have had time to germinate. In connection with the late Mr Beit's Park Lane house, an interesting story is told. Mr Beit became a ground tenant <$f the late Duke of Westminister, who made many provisions about the plans. At last a polite letter was sent to the millionaire, couched somewhat in the following terms: — "The Duke of Westminister wishes it to bo understood that he expects Mr Beit to spend the sum of £10,000 as a minimum upon the house." In reply to which Mr Beit begged leave to inform His Grace that he intended to spend the sum mentioned on his stables! Mr Harold Charlsworth, of Feilding, has completed a black and white drawing from life of Mr Ernest Short's well known Stud Sheep "Record." The likeness will enable anyone who has seen this sheep to recognise Record at once. The whole picture is true to nature, and the amount of detail shown must have taken a considerable time and care. The background shows a stream and bush in perspective, and is well drawn, and the whole *york is a fine specimen of an actistic study. The picture will be on view' at Mr Carthew's, Feilding, on Friday. How fickle is public sentiment. At last night's meeting Mr C. E. Bellringer siemed to have realised this to the full. Referring to the paucity of the attendance at thd meeting called to discuss the proposed memorial to the late Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, he recalled that on the late Premier's last visit to New Plymouth, only a few months ago, when there were advantages to be gained, how the people gathered in crowds and rushed him; how they cheered, and gave loud hurrahs. Now, when they were required to do something tangible to perpetuate his memdry, how few there were present — those who had been so ready to acclaim were con : spicuous by their absence. — Taranaki News. Hinging cheers greeted the Rev. E. S. Hughes, of Melbourne, as he stepped into the ring at the Victoriali Amateur Boxing Championships on Saturday evening, 18th inst. The hall was filled, and the reverend gentleman had been asked to open the tournament. "I do not know of any country in the world," he said, "that needs the oncburagement of amateur sport more than Australia. (Applause.) We have very little to keep us up to the mark — no frontier foes or other influence of that description to stimulate our fighting, qualities. There are some people who think the Ten Commandments are not enough. (Laughter and applause.) They want more. (Laughter.) I can't keep the Ten Commandments myself, and don't want any more. (Continued laughter.) Legitimate sport should have the support of all right-thinking men in Australia. (Loud, applause.) While called upon to preach Christianity, I may have to ask men to pnt off the old man, but it doesn't follow that they should put on the old woman in its place. (Laughter.) I thank you for the privilege you have given me in allowing me to open these contests, and hope we shall see some good sport." Gameness and good temper characterised the contests that followed. News of a terrible disaster to one of the Bombay pilot schooners is contained in a letter from the captain of the steamer Queen Christina, well known in the Australian trade. The pilot schooner was on the out- \ side station, when suddenly she was j struck by a heavy sea, and, taut, • a vessel as she was, she filled a»d foundered at once. On board at; the tine were Pilots D. J_ Harvey, M. H. SeaUan, C. T. Jtaaetor, and G. J. Chambers, with a full crew of 18 hands. They were on duty waiting to pilot iii the coming steamers. It appears that on appr6aching the outer lighthouse, Captain John Breaks, of the steamer Queen Chris- j tina, searched in vain for the pilot schooner, so as to take the pilot aboard. She was nowhere in sight, and after a diligent search he discovered Pilot Chambers and five natives clinging to part of the wreckage of the- schooner. On being taken on board in an exhausted condition, Pilot Chambers explained that the schooner had foundered in the gale, and that Harvey, Scallan, and Proctor, together with 11 or the native crew, had been drowned. A good "joke" is being told at the expense of a certain gas company, not a hundred miles from New Plymouth. At jthe end of last month, the company's representatives were making their monthly calls on consumers, and in the course of their rounds " dropped in " at a shop which shall be nameless and proceeded to read the meter register. Assuming that the machines "innards" were out pf order— nothing being regjstered — the gas men held a brief whispered consultation, and presumably decided on a charge, The account was thereupon made out and handed over to. the shopkeeper, who had been an interested spectator from afar off. "What's this for?" he demanded from behind the counter. " Can't you see, you blankey blanks that I've got the electric light installed; had it for a whole month, and not used a foot of gas. Can't you see the meter is sealed up, has been sealed up ever since you read it last and the register reads as you then left it." A great light suddenly broke over the meter readers' mental vision. They tried to explain that they had endeavoured to strike a fair, average for the account, not knowing the gas had been cut off, and begged to have the account back or torn up. The scoop was too good for Mr Soft Goods, who is having that piece of paper framed. — News. A remarkablcstory was told to the police in Melbourne the other day by Hose. Harris (22), residing in Hopetown "street, Northcote. The young woman, who is employed as a domestic servant in Northcote. stated that after nightfall on Wednesday, she left her employer's residence by the back gate, and was immediately seized by two men and bound and gagged. The men then placed her in a vehicle, and drove rapidly away in the direction of Heidelberg road, preserving perfect silence until they lad driven about a mile and a half. Then one of them said: "It is all right; we will soon be* there.- ' Shortly aftef something went wrong. with the • harness, and the men dismounted to put' things tight. While they were , on the ground she slipped' from the vehicle and hurried away, being aid- j ed in her escape by the timely appear- ' ance of a man on horseback, with whom the other two engaged in conversation, apparently with " the object of concealing the fact that they were engaged in nefarious work. The young woman's manner and appearance bore out the story, but the detectives told her they doubted it. At this she went so far as. to give a description of one of the men. ' They informed her that if the story ; was found to be untrue, she would probably he prosecuted, for perjury, and' she ih'eri rfdmjtte? that it 'was false. She had been out' driving with a young man, and, having remained away longer' titan expected, the ttory occurred .to her as the easiest method of explaining her absence. Q.Q. PUNCH is an ideal beverage.

A few days ago two old miners, working in the vicinity of the Nine Mile, ttushworth, Victoria, had a marvellous escape from being blown to pieces. At breakfast they brewed an extra billy of tea, to provide for their mid-day meal. They hung this up out of the way of animals in the roof of a shed, and when they returned at dinner time one of the mates took down wiiat he thought was the billy of tea, and placed it on a small fire, in order to warm. it. Thinking the tea was hot enough, he lifted it off the fire, and took the lid off, when he was horrified to find that he had placed the wrong billy on the fire, and that it contained several pounds of blasting powder. The fact that the powder was in a second tin no doubt prevented an explosion, which would have blown the hut and the men to pieces. i Although much has been written j about the brilliant British Minister of Education, it is too often forgotten that his wife has in her way quite a brilliant and captivating personality. The daughter of Mr Fredrick and Lady Charlotte Locker, she is the first cousin of Lord Elgin and of Mrs Baillie, of Dochfour, and she was the neice of Lady Augusta Stanley. It was, indeed, at the Deanery in Westminister that Queen Victoria saw her from time to time, as a child and young girl, and took much notice of her. Her first husband was Mr Lionel Tennyson, the second son of the poet, who was very much attached to his daughter-in-law. Her three Tennyson sons all went to Eton. H«r marriage to Mr Birrell took place in 1888, and there is a little Birrell son, whose intellectual brilliance is so great as to render it necessary, if anything, to keep him back. His mother recently took him the long | sea voyage to Australia. He is an Etonian, like his half-brothers. An illuminating circumstance relating to the psychology of the millionaire murder case nas been dis- j closed by Mr Harry Thaw's dismissed counsel, engaged for his defence (says the New York correspondent of the Daily Mail). One of his grievances against Judge Olcott, hitherto conducting the defence on behalf of the family, was that counsel neglected or failed to procure his release on bail pending the trial of the case. Of course, in New York, no more than elsewhere, a prisoner ariested redhanded in the act of murder, whatever his wealth and social standing, could not entertain the slightest hope of being admitted tv) bail. But that young Thaw regarded bail as a matter of course indicates a point of view which is not without interest. Young Thaw's training and experience of life imbued him with the belief that there is nothing which a milliqnaire's money is not able to acquire or achieve. As a schoolboy he had the allowance of an Ambassador, which enabled him easily to buy his way out of scrape after scrape, which would have entailed most serious consequences to a less fortunate youth. Now, haying killed Stanford White, he is quite unable to understand why, with the vast family wealth available for tne purpose, his freedom was not immediately procured. For this failure he blamed the lawyers conducting the defence.