LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hastings Standard, Issue 77, 25 July 1896, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An interesting story appears on our fourth page. G. H. Vickers and Co. sell by auction this evening a large consignment of books. Our Wellington correspondent wires : " Races postponed till Monday owing to wet weather." The Pollard Opera Company open at Palmerston on Monday night. The Blenheim trip was in every way a success. Woodville settlers are considering the advisability of leasing Nelson Bros, large freezing plant there, lately shut down. Great interest is being taken in the formation of the local Literary and Debating Society, and the membership roll will probably be a long one. The Princess Theatre will be opened this evening to roller-skaters. The prices are reasonable, and a large number should grace the floor, as the pastime is a popular one in Hastings. The Native Land Court was engaged to-day with a number of succession cases. Poukawa will come on again on Monday, and the case is likely to occupy a considerable time. % During the discussion on the Domestic Servants Half-Holiday Bill in the House on Thursday night last, Mr E. M. Smith wanted to know the difference between a domestic servant and a lady 'elp. Positively the last chance of witnessing Edison's marvellous invention the Kinetoscope in Hastings will be given this evening, when those who wish to be surprised should call on Mr Whitehouse. The phonograph has now a selection of records to please the most fastidious, some of the local items being well worth touring with. Yesterday the express train had to be almost brought to a stop at the other side of Waipawa in order to prevent the mangling up of a horse which was allowed to stray on the railway line. A few days ago a horse was killed by the train at the same place. If the owners of stock straying on the railway line were substantilly fined it would have a beneficial result. The damage on the railway line near Ormondville is greater than was at first thought, and fully one hundred yards of the embankment have been washed away. Gangs of men are at work, and pile driving is being substituted for the ordinary filling. It is expected that some days will elapse before through communication is restored. The express last evening arrived in Hastings one hour later than usual. The Salvation Army will be having a big day to-morrow, when they celebrate their Anniversary. Services will be led by Captain and Mrs Dixon, assisted by quite a staff of officers, amongst whom are the following:—Captain Sands, Lieuts. Burton and Proctor. A treat for all is promised to-morrow afternoon in the way of a sacred concert. An anniversary tea will be held on Monday at 6.30, the proceeds of which will go towards the purchase of a horse and trap for the corps. This should be well attended, and the horse and trap are much needed for the officers to carry on their good work amongst the outside districts. Newspaper correspondents are at times apt to draw on their imaginations to an abnormal extent, and the appearance of a detective frotn Wellington in our midst furnishes a certain Napier paper with an alarming article, in which it is stated that a case has been ferreted out which " will be one of the most sensational ever heard in the colony, and that warrants for the arrest of several persons will be issued immediately." We are given to understand that Detective Neill's visit to Hawke's Bay was in connection with the Kirby prosecution, and that the " arrests of several persons " will not be the result of his trip. If our information is correct, the writer of the paragraph in question must be blessed with a vivid imagination. The manner in which valuable time is squandered away in the Parliament of New Zealand calls for reform. It is the only desire of some members to produce the greatest amount of fun out of many of the important measures brought before the House. Had a stranger been placed in the House on Thursday night when the Domestic Servants Half-Holiday Bill was being debated in committee, and told that he was in a theatre to witness a comedy, the said stranger would hardly have doubted the veracity of the statement. A certain member, speaking on the bill, in order to command the attention of the House, thus opened : "I am serious." This remark fairly broke the House tip with roars of laughter, presumably at the idea of a member being serious. Such incidents occupy afargreater proportion of time than is beneficial for the welfare of the Colony. Parliament has now been in session over six weeks ; and we ask the question: What has been done ? The Amateur Opera Company met for rehearsal in the Oddfellow's Hall last evening, the Theatre difficulty not having been settled. The entire opera was sung through from beginning to end with very few interuptions on the part of the conductor. The chorus, who especially have attained a thorough mastery over the music, is well balanced and thoroughly diciplined. It was a real pleasure to hear the simultaneous unfaltering attack and the fine healthy swing of the choruses. The success of the principals lies to a great extent in their own hands. They can learn a vast amount from the conductor or stage manager, but they can be taught nothing if they are not endowed with the muse. With the chorus it is different, the state of efficiency to which it is brought is solely the work of the conductor, and he is justly proud if they do him credit. Mr George, then, may be congratulated upon the success of Ms untiring efforts with the chorus, which is already approaching very near perfection. It is rather soon to speak of the principals, as they have not really come together yet, but they seem to take a profound interest in their work, and they each Mid all bear good stage repute. The management intend henceforward to denote one night in the week to principals and two for all the members, of the company. We predict an ueparalled success for the opera.

There are 3792 certificated school teachers in the colony. The Prohibitionists intend to run Messrs E. Taylor and G. J. Smith for the Christchurch seat at the next election. James Nelson and Sons, the Argentine meat dealers, made a profit of £35,287 for the year, and declared a dividend of 13 per cent. During the present winter less wind has been experienced in Wellington than any previous winter in the knowledge of Europeans. It is proposed to reduce the number of South Australian legislators by one-third, which would effect a saving of £IO,OOO per annum. „ New South Wales charges no postages for newspapers posted and delivered within the colony. A postage of id on such would bring in a revenue of £42,000. A Home paper states that a burglar who was liberated on a technical formality having exhibited great penitence, a clergyman raised a subscription for him, and he is on his way to the colonies. The jury in the Brunner disaster inquest, which was concluded yesterday, returned a verdict that the men had evidently been killed by gas, although of what nature it was unable to state. The new excise law in New York forbids the sale of liquor on Sunday except to bona fide guests at the hotels, and as a consequence about a thousand liquor saloons in the city have turned themselves into hotels and are thus able to sell liquor on Sunday to anyone who sits down and orders a sandwich. In connection with the wrestling match which takes place next week between J. Hall and A. Briglitwell, the latter has undergone a severe training, and Hall is also in Hastings preparing for the conflict. Both men are confident of winning, and great interest is being taken in the match. There is a good deal of wagering over the event. The final deposits are to be paid this evening. Peter M'Laren, cyclist, met with a serious accident at Goulburn, New South Wales. He was descending a steep decline at a great pace, and ran into a barrier placed across the road in front of a culvert, He was thrown seven feet into the air, falling on his face. His nose was reduced to a pulp, flesh was scooped out off Ms face, and he is badly disfigured for life. The following is from the Times of a recent date:—Mrs Eliza Frickart was summoned at Cardiff recently for using the title M.D. She was a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and as such had undertaken not to advertise ; but on going to practise in Australia she advertised in the papers like other doctors, and her name was struck off the Medical Register at home. The Cardiff magistrate refused to convict, and an appeal from this decision has now been dismissed by the Court of Queen's Bench. Sir Robert Stout when speaking on the Bible in Schools Bill, said Our are getting just as high a moral training as they ever got in schools where the Bible was daily read and where prayers were daily said. I have been a teacher in both schools, and am not saying a word against the Bible. I would have every person read the Bible. I consider it contains passages which, from a literary point of view, are such that no person has completed his education unless he is acquainted with them. If it is used for its literary beauties, and even for its moral lessons, then it is a good thing, but many of its religious doctrines are opposed to science. A commendable feature has been introduced in Auckland in connection with the training of school children. This is the delivery of lectures to them by capable men. The other afternoon the lecturer was Mr Burton, and he addressed the children of the fifth and sixth standards of the Grafton school on " The cultivation of good taste." The lecturer impressed upon the children the desirability of making their homes bright and cheerful, their surroundings beautiful by the cultivation of flowers, of being kind to dumb animals and of being always neat and tidy in their dress. There are at present 25 fire insurance companies transacting business in New Zealand (including some of the principal companies in the world), the aggregate subscribed capital of which is .£36,250.000, and the accumulated reserve £17,750,000 ; together over fifty-four millions sterling I These 28 companies insure £23,500,000 on buildings in New Zealand, and not less than £17,000,000 on the contents of buildings and other insurable interests, making a total sum of £40,500,000 covered in the colony. Of the insurable property in New Zealand, it is estimated that at least onethird (probably 40 per cent.) remains uninsured. At Christchurch last week judgment was given in an affiliation case presenting some peculiar features. We quote a report from Truth: —An order had been made against the defendant, but a rehearing was granted on the ground that the child, the subject of the order, had Maori blood in it, and as both parties were Europeans it was impossible that the defendant could be the father. After a hearing, which occupied the Court a very long time, sixteen witnesses having been examined, judgment had been held over. His Worship now said he was satisfied that the truth of the allegation made by the defendant had been established beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed the case, the effect being the revocation of the order without costs. Neil's Compound Sabsaparilla. 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. Stop that Cough by taking Neil's Balm of Gilead, a positive cure for coughs, colds, chronic bronchitis, influenza, &e. 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. " Drunkenness is not a sin—simply an excess of conviviality," says a thirsty philosopher. " Nothing like a good sMnful of whisky for a bad cold.'* Don't you belive it, my friends, take that unfailing remedy, Woods' Great Peppermint Cure for one shilling and sixpence.—Advt.