LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hastings Standard, Issue 15, 13 May 1896, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hospital Saturday collection in Sydney amounted to £3700. At Auckland last week fat wethers brought 7s 6d to 14s 3d, and fat ewes 7s to 12s 9<l. There were seven bankruptries in Wellington last month, as against four for the corresponding month Inst year. " Papers can perhaps do more than politicians," said Captain liussell in his speech at Nelson the other night. The Registrar-General estimates the increase of the private wealth of the colony during the last live years at £11,000,000. Captain liussell addressed a meeting at Grey town last night, and received a vote of thanks. Amongst the passengers by the Ilauroto from Sydney to Wellington were 32 miners, who arc to take t-lie places of those killed at lirunnerton. At Ashburton on Saturday over 1000 acres of Clunee's farm, at Methven, divided in ten farms, was sold at auction, realising £1 3 an acre. It is probable that New Zealand will have a port of call shortly for the SydneyVancouver route for Huddart, Parker, and Go's steamers. The Colonial Treasurer received a good reception in New Plymouth last evening. He spoke for nearly three hours, and received a hearty vote of thanks. A vote of confidence in the Government was also carried. The Minister of Lands addressed a crowded meeting at Rangioria last evening At the close of an address lasting two hours and a half, a vote of thanks to the speaker and confidence in the Government was carried. According to the correspondent of the Lyttelton Times, Wellington politicians expect that two electorates will be created —one between Masterton and Waipawa, and the other centering at Stratford. Speaking in support of the adoption of the Australian Mutual Provident Society's report, Mr Richardson expressed his belief, without fear of contradiction, that New Zealand was the best assured country for its population in the world. The Amusement Committee of the Good and Kind Society met last evening at Mr Warn's restaurant, when a good programme was drawn up for Friday evening next. It is one what must be appreciated by all the members, and a full attendance is requested. The philanthroply of Rev. W. Colenso in offering a free site and £IOOO for the erection of a museum for Napier is very favourably commented upon, and already one or two gentleman are named as likely to supplement this generous gift by a substantial amount. Re the drudgery of pupil teaching, " Justice " remarks in the Dunedin Star : " Lovely, healthy, robust girls have entered pupil teaching at fifteen years of age, and before they reach twenty are decrepit, almost old women, and some far worse, shocking to say—complete idiots. AtWinton, George Gorton was convicted and discharged on a charge of stealing a newspaper. The charge was brought to make it known that addressed papers thrown out from a train must not be appropriated. At a largely-attended meeting at Danevirke on Monday evening, it was decided to start a public library and reading room. It was intimated that the sum of .£4OO would be required, and over £IOO has already been promised. The Ashburn Hall Asylum equiry has concluded, and the charges of unskilful treatment against Dr.'s Brown and Macdonald were found not sustained. Negligence had been shown in the case of patient Macallister, who cut his 1 throat. Sufficient was evinced to show that private lunatic asylums should be more under Government control. From the Sydney Mail we learn that upwards of 100 Tetiterfield farmers have signed an agreement to grow beet. Including 100 acres promised by Mr Walker's trustees, and 500 acres promised by a syndicate, over 1,100 acres have been guaranteed. A further canvass is to be made of the district, to increase the area, if possible, to 1,500 acres, when the company will undertake the erection of a mill. In an address on " Prohibition," which he delivered at Timaru the other evening. Mr T. E. Taylor said the traffic was bound to go do"wn, and he begged his hearers to attack the living giants, and not talk so pluckily about the dead ones of slavery and the corn laws. At die last poll 100,000 voted; next November 200,000 would vote, and it was necessary to educate the extra 100,000. They should get into line, and by 1900 they would see the end of this great folly.

This afternoon the town is quite deserted, the Napier races proving a big draw. The census shows that about forty per cent of the people in the Masterton district belong to the Church of England. The Manawatu Times records that a boy named Hector Cox who had a shoulder blade broken some weeks ago, was on Saturday afternoon thrown from his horse, and had his other shoulder blade broken and sustained a slight concussion of the brain. Another sad case of curtailing life through smoking. A man named Brown died in St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, recently, at a comparatively early age, death being accelerated by the use of tobacco. Had he lived two months longer he would have reached the century. But he had been an ardent smoker all liis days, and at last he fell a victim to this suicidal habit. One night, while he was smoking in bed, some of the ashes fell on the sheets, and he was burned to death. In the Native Appellate Court this morning judgment in Kahumako, an appeal on partition, was given. The previous judgment was upheld and £ls las costs allowed against appellant. Mr Fox appeared for appellant, and Mr A. L. I). Fraser for Mr Donnelly, respondent. A case is now proceeding in the appeal of Arilii to Nahu, on partition of Koparakore A. Mr Fraser is appearing for Mr Douglas, respondent and purchaser of a large number of interests. At the S.M. Court at "Wellington on Monday, F. F. Fabian was sued by Waller, Mzhre and Co. for the return or value of a bicycle lent to the defendant for the purpose of breaking the record between Napier and Wellington. Fabian stated that the firm's agent promised to present him with a machine if he succeeded in bi caking the record. This the agent denied. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for the return of the machine and to pay costs amounting to £3 Bs. One result of the revolt in Cuba is that the sugar industry has fallen all to pieces. Only sixteen out of 306 sugar estates in the whole island are grinding, and European sugar producers will have a market for some 900,000 tons which Cuba is unable to supply. The sugar output in Cuba was 25,518 tons from the beginning of the year until February 27tli, as against 276,000 tons in the same period last year. America takes nearly all the Cuban sugar supply, so that the deficiency will be made up this year in European beet sugar, which should give quite an important impetus to this branch of European industry. Already the American people have paid nearly ten million dollars extra for sugar by reason of the Cuban revolt. An alarming account of a shooting affair in Hastings, as reported by the correspondent of a Napier print, turns out to have as much truth in it as an account of an alleged attempt to rob a bank a short time ago. The tale about a bullet being found in a building close by is all li moonshine," and the whole account is a gross exageration of a little affair that happened quite a week ago, and of which little notice was taken. Sergeant Mitchell has been making inquiries to-day, and no doubt has come to the conclusion that newspaper correspondents would do well to assure themselves of facts before attempting to write stirring paragraphs which only tend to make the correspondent appear ridiculous in the eyes of the public. A strange coincidence is that the morning paper reports the same as having occurred on the previous evening, whereas one of the gentlemen mentioned in the affair thinks it must have been over a week ago. It is annoying to the lady mentioned as the victim, and should never have been reported. A very liberal offer has been made to Victorian butter-factory owners by the Aberdeen and Lund's lines of steamships. The proposal is made, of course, to secure freights for their vessels, but still the benefits to the dairy companies will be very great, and should do much to further extend the industry. The agents of the lines named have agreed to finance the butter companies by advancing them money on their own butter as soon as sent to Melbourne and passed by the Government expert. The factories will only pay the ordinary exchange, and not be required to pay any interest till sixty days after the butter is landed in London. As the voyage occupies about forty day, the factories have practically 100 days' grace allowed. This action on the part of the Aberdeen and Lund's lines not only does away with the middlemen in Melbourne, but causes the shipping companies to be directly interested in the cargo carried, and consequently they will see every care taken to land it in the best possible condition. Stop that Cough by taking Neil's Balm of Gilead, a positive cure for coughs, colds, chronic bronchitis, influenza, &c. In large bottles at 2s 6d, at Neil's Botanic Dispensary, Emerson street, Napier, and all leading storekeepers.—Advt. Neil's Celebrated Liver Tonic, a pure botanic remedy for all affections of the liver, biliousness, jaundice, yellowness of the skin, indigestion, &c. In bottles, 2s and 2s 6d, at Neil's Botanic Dispensary, Emerson street, Napier, and all leading storekeepers.—Advt. Neil's Corn Cure removes either hard or soft Corns. A few applications only necessary. Is per bottle at Neil's Dispensary, Emerson street, Napier, and all leading storekeepers.—Advt. Neil's Compound Sarsaparilla. A household medicine for purifying the blood and toning up the system. In large bottles at 2s 6d at Neil's Dispensary, Emerson street, Napier, and all leading storekeepers.—Advt. The New Woman, the new fashion, the latest erase, have some particular virtues to commend them ; so it is with the new cough mixture, Woods' Great Peppermint Cure—instantaneous relief for man, woman, or child is the feature of this unfailing remedy. All Grocers, and Chemists keep it. The price is reasonable, 1/6 and 2/6. —Advt.