LOCAL AMP GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 759, 21 December 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AMP GENERAL.

Cricket, sporting, ami other rearlincr matter wifll be found on pngo 1. Train arrangements for tlio holidays aro i2is<ii-fcocl in our advertising columns. Tlio Druids will moot to-morrow evening. Proposed amendments to tlio rules will bo discussed. i'iic Awahuri school picnic and presentation or prizes is being hdld today. ~r. Fowler and family left Kimbolton on Saturday for Plimmerton, where tliey are to spend a fortnight by the seaside. Th© New Zealand Dairy Association, Ltd., payments for butter fat supplies during November total £21,---799, which is £3938 raoro than for the corresponding period last year.. Christchurch. Truth understands that the Croixelles return in connection with the Southern Maori election gave Mr Uru six votes and Mr Parata lour, leaving the totals as follows: — Uru 357, Parata 354. \\ ith £1165 yet to come in for rates, the Kiwitea County Council is in the pleasant position of Laving a bank balance of over £2000, with, an offer horn their Bank of an overdraft of £3000, if necessary ! And yet folk say money is scarce! A portrait painting of the late Mr Macarthur, a former Mayor of the Borough of Feilding, and for many years M.H.R., lias been added to the list of portraits of past Mayors, hanging in the Council Chambers. Tlio picture was presented to the borough by Mrs Sherwill. A prisoner named John Jones attempted to escape from the Palmorston North gaol on Friday, But was re-captured after a struggle, in the course of which he blacked Constable Gleeson's eye. His sentence, which would have expired next week, was increased by eight months. Mr C. Major, ex-M.P. for Pa tea, is at present on a visit to Auckland. Mr Major says that he intends again contesting the seat against the successful candidate, Mr Pearce, at next election, and is hopeful that the present term will only mean a temporary break in his Parliamentary career. A telegram from White Cliffs (Queensland) states that several good uiids of opal : have (lately been made. Three workers seourd £1000 worth of stone, including some £30 per oz gems. One of the trio was a boy of 15, who secured £330 as his share. Another 17-yeax-old boy last week obtained £30 worth of stone in one day. At the meeting of + J-'« J Iviwitea County CounciJ wi Saturday, a tribute was 'Wm "oy several members to I tine expeditious manner in which Mr Bourne, the engineer, had got out the estimates for metalling the county roads. Til© Chairman said that he had only given Mr Bourne a fortnight's notice of the matter, and' he had carried out the work very creditably. At the Buiinythorpe school prizegiving, the pupils observed the good old practice of applauding their more successful fellow-pupils as they went up to receive their treasures. The bdo"ks were so numerous that the gentll'eman who made the presentation*? called the pupils up in batches, and thus reduced the tax on the muscles of the appreciative lookers-on. One of the three Nestorian priests who gained entrance to Australia on each lodging £100 as a guarantee tliat lie would' leave again at the end of a special period, had an interview with the External ATfairs Department on the 16th inst. Mr Batohelor subsequently stated that, as the exemption period had expired, he had issued an order v that they would have to leave .Australia as soon as they could catch a convenient vessel. Their mission was apparentfy to collect money, and .he did not think that kind of thing should be encouraged. They have booked passages by we R.M.S. Oruba, which leaves for London next week. Their £300 will probably be refunded when they reach Fremantle, the last Australian port of call of the vessel. In referring to matters connected with girls' scholarships, Miss A. W. Vvhitelaw, (headmistress of the Auckland Grammar School, remarks in her j annual report: — "Those girls who mean to compete with men in tho same professional work must, I suppose, take the same examinations, but i for others I cannot see why we should not differentiate much more in the subjects chosen. • There was a need in the sixties or seventies of last century to show what women could do, but that ihas been demonstrated so often and so forcibßy that it needs no proof in these days, and there seems little reason why women, required to fill suoh a very different function from men in the universe, should slavilslhDy follow aad adhere to all that may be necessary* in the education of the latter." An informal: discussion took place at the meeting Of tihe Pohangina County Council on Saturday in regard to roadmen's wages. The engineer stated titiat he toad recently found it necessary to "pay casual men 9s per day or Is more than the permanent men. The Chairman said tfiat in View of an an)tici(pated application from roadmen information as to the rate of wages paid, by the neighbouring looal bodies had been obtained. The replies showed that, with the exception of in the Manawatu County, roadmen were paid 8s per day. It was shown. by the pay sheets that the permanent men in nearly all cases draw more wages than casual men at Is per day 'higher. It was resolved t/hat the tendency at present was towards a reduction or wages rather than an increase. An amusing deception was practised on a well-knojjpn resident at one of the school picnics in the Waiiuna district the other day. He was to distribute the prizes to the scholars, buet as ihe did not turn up, the lady teacher carried out the duty herself. Just as it concluded the well-known whirr of his motor-car was heard in the distance, so the books were all carefuflly returned to their places, and the absent one arrived on the scene to find everything ready and the children waiting for the ceremony. The books, were then all represented, a few words of advice were uttered, and the •affair passed 1 off pleasantly.^ Of course, the deception was explained, nuich to the "enjoyment of tine "victim," who explained afterwards that i the most amusing part was the solemn faces of the children, who did not give the show away with «, single smile.

At the examination at the Makino school. Ivy Hall gained a proficiency ,am.d May Younger a certificate <it : competency. The through train to Aueklami stops at Feilding at 2.50 a.m. am! reaches Auckland at 7 p.m. the sam. day. Tlie secretary of the Feilding A. and.r. Asociation has received noalication horn the Department of Agriculture that an officer of the department will be sent up to judge dan.) produce at the forthcoming show. A Wanganui deputation waited oi. the Premier as lie passed through, on Saturday, and received a promise from him to consider whether a tram could not be arranged from the Soul:, to arrive at Wanganui at 10 a.m. At St. Paul's Church, Wanganui. yesterday, the llev. R. M. Rybun. announced that lie had received a cv.A to First Church, ljivercargill. BeyoiM stating that tho call liad not bw.: made on his initiative, Mr Ryburr made no statement as to his intentions. Another very large shipment of dair\ 2>roQuiß was mady to Loßtkm by t)y Ruapehu, which left Wellington o;. Friday. It consisted of 50,799 boxo butter, vallued at about £"£1,117, am. 18,754 packages of cheese, valued si. about £84,393: total value of the shipment, about £22:1,510, as compare-.! with about £184,000, value of thshipment by tho Paparoa last month. An Auckland wire advises us tlm Messrs Wilding, T'arker, and Fisher, tennis players, arrived there -fron Sydney by tho Manuka on Saturday Thoy \viHl practice tlicre to-day, am' will take part in the Now Zealand clwimpionsiliip meeting. Alexander lms been called to Nice to join hifather, and New Zealand will, therefore, not have an opportunity of wii nessing his play. Speaking to a Gisborne Times reporter, a pastoralist said that if an other week had gone by without rain, the flocks would have gone shori of fafctentiing feed. The downpour, which, lias been fair'iy heavy through out the whole district, would meai. a cash value of many thousands oj pounds to farmers, especially thosi who arc; engaged in the dairying in dusfcry and who are fattening lambfor export. A young man named V. Brown had a narrow escape from drowning o)"> Saturday aftt-rnoon, off Castlecliff Wniiganui. He was bathing near the shore, when the back-wash of a wave swept him off his feet and carried him out to sea. Mr E. V. Spear, one d his comparions, swam out to Brown'? assistance, and seized him after lie hac! s>ink a second time, and brought 'him ashore. Steps were taken to restore animation, and this was accomplished Mr Clias. Green, the borough overseer, met with an unfortunate accident on Saturday afternoon. While cycling down Ranfurly road, he lost control of his machine, ami before he could pull up he cnHlided with thr rail of a bridge on the road. When picked up. Mr Green was unconscious, and it was found he had received a severe bump on the head. However, no honos were broken, and he was soon able to say that he felt much better. A lir:-.t ufiVmU'i\ charged with being an idle and disorderly person, Av<as before the Court this morning. He pleaded guilty to the charge. Sergeant Bowden said the man had luiocked down a substantial cheque in Palmerston, and had then come on to Feillding. with ! liardly any clothes to wear. He now had work to go to, and the Sergeant therefore asked the Bench not. to send the man to gaol. The offender, after being severely lectured by the Bench for his disgraceful conduct, was convicted and ordered to come ur> for sentence when called on. Mr W. G. Haybittle, J.P., presided. At the Quail i^and quarantine station there are at present a number of very valuable imported sheep. They include three Romney Marsh rams, two Cheviot rams, four Border Leicesl ter rams, and seven Border Leicester ewes. Two of the Romney rams are the property of the Premier, one 'having been bred by Mr C. Fille, and fahe other by Mr A. Finn, of Kent, England. The File ram is a sheep of extra good quality, with a successful show record, Laving gained first prize sit the Ash ford ram fair, a.nd the special cup at the same fixture a& ttat. best shearling of the .^(Vi exhibited. He was purchase'!- 'oy 'his present owner foE-^i«J Hundred and thirty guineas, i At present his wool looks soft at the tips, but on being opened is found to bo of excellent quality. He stands on a wide set of short legs, has great depth of frame, and is unquestionably an uncommonly promising sheep. Another of the Romney rams, consigned to Mv William Grant, of Timaru, was also bred by Mr File, and shows many ( good qualities. His wool is strong, and iiio looks as if he would last well. I Uur attention Las been drawn to ! the very Jii^o exliioit or oil pailltj ings, pastes, and black and unites i now on view at Messrs Atkinson anti ! Co. 'a rooms. iue work is aif by the brush paintings met with so mucli ; artistic paintings met with so much ' apx>reciation unen previously exhibited in feilding that every picture was disposed oi under the hammer i at the sale following the exhibition. Amoug the more noticeable paintings in the present collection are : ; "A View of George Sound," No. 2; "A View of Smith Sound," No. 3; " A Road Scene near Nelson,", No. 10 and " Port Fitzroy Great Barrier," No. 22. The first-named is a finely executed piece of work, which immediately attracts the ©ye. The painting of Port Fitzroy, Great Barrier is to those who know the beautiful Northern Islands, an artistic and faithful reproduction of the magnicent effects so often obtainable there. Taken altogether, the pictures are particularly attractive, and to those ! who delight in having something pleasing' on their walls, an opportunity will be afforded on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Attwood always makes a rule of selling his pictures,and the collection is placed in the hands of the auctioneers for absolute diisposal. Tlie parents of school pupils who attend tlie Kakaramea school should be vsry proud of tile exceedingly wellkept school gardens (the work of the pupils), to be seen there. The head teacher (Mr W. A. Curteis) is an enthusiast in school gardening, and the pupils arc /thus afforded excellent opportunity of gaining knowledge in elementary agriculture. The advantages oi children being given a scientific knowledgeof matters of great moment to a farming community are too obvious for comment. The work is carried out on similar lines to that done at a State farm. In some of the plots the best of manures are used, the quantities varying, and in others no manure is used, so that pupils leanl by practical experiments tihe value of improving .the growing qualities of £he soil by manuring. The flower garden is also in fine bloom. Prizes awarded for gardening and also sewing prizes will be presented on Friday, when the school picnic will be held. Mr Curteis recently won the Wanganui Education Board's travelling scholarship, and intends to avail himself of this in February, when he will probably visit country schools in the Auckland province. His essay was on the "Correlation of work in it country school." He is the first win ncr of the scholarship in this district Mv Curteis previously won a free coil lege scholarship.— Hawera Star. Mr Curteis was a pupil of the Apiti school.