Mutual Improvement Class.

Manawatu Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 147, 2 December 1884, Page 3

Mutual Improvement Class.

There was a very large attendance last evening, Mr J. Grace presiding. In his opening remarks he spoke rery confidently of the. rapid extension and development of the Jately inaugurated class. The principal feature of the evening was Mr Patten's lecture, the subject matter of which was "Alcohol, its origin, use, Abuse, and. destructive properties to the human system." We need scarcely say that m Mr Patten's hands the lecture had ample justice dose to it, his remarks being appropriately illustrated by ingenious: mechanical contrivances and afco by diagrams, aided by the magnesum light apparatus, the beautiful of effect' which was greatly admired. In the interval between the parts of the lecture, some vocal pieces — notably a selection entitled " King Alcohol," were capital, ly rendered by the Band of Hope Choir. Several solos and other items were also tastefully given. Mr Patten then resumed further illustrations of his lecture by the aid of the magic lantern, mainly, showing the effect of the properties of fermentation, and of alcohol on the human stomach! Votes of thanks to all who had given their assistance brought a very successful and enjoyable meeting to & close.

Mr Hugh Black, watchmaker from Wangaoui, is announced to open up a choice assortment of goods for one week m Palmerstoa. His opening day is tomorrow. Tenders for work on Fitzherbort Main Road West and on Cleveley's Line, Bunnythorpe, close at 11 a.m. to-mor-row, at the office of the Road Beard. Applications for post of slaughterhouse inspector for the Road District must be forwarded to the Board's office not later than 11 a.m. to-morrow. j Tenders for the purchase of the piece of land situated at the corner of Rangitikei Line and Skerman's Line close tomorrow at 11 a.m., by which hour they mast be m the hands of the Road Board's Secretary. Pastor Gaustad still remains m a very low state, no signs of improvement having yet made themselves apparent, we are sorry to say. Ths next English and European mail via San Francisco will close at the Palmers ton office on Friday the sth day of December, at 7.45 p.m. Messrs Barns and Higgie's next sale at the Campbelltown yards, Wanganui, will take place to-morrow. conimenciQg at 12.30. Nearly £15,000 was put through the totalisator on the Dunedin racecourse yesterday. Hard times still. Mr Wakefield received a vote of confidence at a crowded meeting m Leeston. He was not m accord with hisaudience at first, and was even hissed, by them. The Kaitangata Dake Coal Company, j Otago, Svill immediately proceed with. ! the construction of the railway, which isto be seven and a half miles m length. I The line is expected to be m running- ; order m six months. , James Evans was fined £10 and costsat Auckland, or two months' imprisonment with hard labour, for playing"under and over" at the Takapuna. races. A holiness camp meeting was held at Port Albert, Auckland, lasting for several, days, at which some extraordinary scenesof religious frenzy are stated to haveoccurred. It is rumoured that the Hon. Mr Stout I /intends to bring an action against a.! leading' Dunedin newspaper for alleged j libel m a leadiug article recently pub- j lished. ' Two attempts made at Timara to] punish a man for travelling by railway '. without having a ticket have broken ) down, and been dismissed on technical • objections raised by the defendant's ' counsel. ; The Taranaki Herald says :— The ef- j feet of the Franco-Chinese war is being: felt even here, and shows itself m the decreased demand for fungus, with » fall m price, and the export by one local firm alone has decreased by some thousand pounds a month. I Bishop Redwood returned to Wellington from the South by the s.s. Rotoraahana on£unday. - The wastes of a gang; of Italian laborers near Saratoga were recently cut down 10 cents a day. Instead of striking they cut an inch of their shovel blades at night. The boss asked what it meant, and one of the men replied — " Not so much pay, not much dirt lift ; all right, job last the more long ; Italian no fool like Irishman ; he no strike." In a telegram published by us a short time ago, it wa.s mentioned that a man m the Hawera. district had Ibst a considerable Bum of money, including one or more £AOO notes, and that a person who had paid a £100-note into a local bank had been arrested on suspicion. We new learn that two£ 100-notes were paid "m at the Marton branch of the BaD kof New Zealand, and that' Mr W'.tchell, agent of the Marton branch Vis to proceed to Hawera to give evidence m the case, which will come on for hearing on the 4th December. : Mr James Prosser, of Marton, will also be a witness. Affairs at the Makino Butter Factory are progressing satisfactorily. The quality of the butter is exceedingly good. A second deposit of £25 m connection with the sculling match between Hearn and Harrington was paid on Saturday. Mr M'Candlish, the English contractor for the Tauranga-Rotorua Railway,' is expected to arrive m Auckland by the next San Francisco mail steamer. The majority by which Cleveland defeated Blaitie for the Presidency of the United States was thirty -seven votes. We notice Messrs Perrin and Oakley have taken the premises at the rear of Bank of Australasia and are using the place as a workshop. A man named Baker had his arm fractured by a cricket ball m the Auckland Domain on Saturday last. The German sloop-of-war Albatross arrived at Auckland from Samoa yesterday, and will probably remain, for a month. The mate and three men going off yesterday to. their ship m a boat at Poverty Bay were capsized but.the men were rescued by a boat from another vessel. A small boat was also capsized on the bar, and the occupant named Bush, m a very exhausted state. The Dunedin Evening Star opened their new offices m Shortland aad Fortstreet yesterday. The building is a palatial one of four stories, and haying a frontage of 89 feet by 157 deep. The cost is £20,000. The Star issued a litho ' of the building and m a descriptive account published a statement of two accountants showing the circulation to be nearly ten thousand copies daily. In the Wanganui Herald a native named Hone Reweti, of Matahiwi, Bulls. Rangitikei, claims the privilege of the Bankruptcy Act. Kapai. The " Cheap Jack" who sells £1 notes for 18s, 15s, and less amounts and finally dcea a good swindle, did a big business at the Hutt on Saturday. The Waipawa Mail will be taken over by the new proprietary on January Ist, 1885. Messrs Halcombe and Sherwill announce a sale of stock at their Ashiirst yards on Thursday, 4th Dec. Messrs Wollerman and Hutcheson's special Christmas Announcement wilL appear m to-morrow's issue. A Parcels Delivery Company has now been successfully established m Wellington, and promises to become a groat convenience to the business public.