LOCAL AND CENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 610, 27 January 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND CENERAL.

A very gross editorial oversight, or otherwise a most impertinent and very untrue notice, appeared in last week's weekly issue of the Auckland Herald. It stated that the late Captain Read came to New Zealand as a ship's cook. He did nothing of the kind. Captain Read came from Sydney to Wellington in the brig Transfer as master. He was never a cook, and supposing he had been, why need the Herald have referred to it. When the late Mr. Chisholm Wilson died, we do not think that any of the obituary notices mentioned that thatmost worthy estimable, and kind-hearted gentleman had originally been a journeyman pressman, and had commenced to build up his fortune by keeping a lodging-house. It is no disgrace ' to a man that he has been a cook any more than he had been a pressman ; but to make Erominent mention of these things is in ad taste, and generally written in an unkindly spirit. The head of one of the wealthest business firms in New Zealand in early days, when in Victoria, groomed horses, and carried on the business of ! removing night soil, but we suppose he [ would not care to have this fact trumpeted in the newspaper. A communication from our esteemed sporting correspondent under the nom de ptume of " Long Odds" will be found in the columns of our Herald of this evening and will be read with considerable interest. The writer is familiar with his subject. Knows every horse entered. Has a very good idea of the probable winners. Knows m fact what he is writing about which is very far from always being the case with correspondents. Cartain Ferris valuer under the Land Tax Act, informs us that a very large proportion of forms he has caused to be delivered has not yet been sent in to him. He will feel sorry in proceeding to extremities, but his instructions are premeptory, and unless the forms be filled in and forwarded as directed at once, he has no alternative but to proceed against defaulters under the Act. The penalty is £50. We beg to remind our readers that there is a great treat in store for them to-morrow evening, when the very talented Hart company will put in a first appearance. It is an entertainment, we will venture to say that will fall in with the tastes of the people. The several pieces, the charming gems, musical and instrumental ; the comical situations, the acting, bye-play, the accessaries, and the many other surprises which go to make up the whole, will be well worth witnessing, or we were never more mistaken as to what genuine talent consists of. One of the narrowest escapes from a destructive conflagration occurred on Sunday morning. A friend of Mr. Piesse's, happening to enter his dwelling by the back-door, thought the fire burning in the kitchen grate was altogether too much of a blaze for safety. Seeing, what he thought to be a jug of water on the dresser-shelf, he took it down ancffchrew the contents on the flames. Judge of his horror when the flames spreading through the kitchen, ascended the chimney with terrific roars, sent out spits of fire of blue and purple and green, which curled round things, hissed, sputtered and made pyrotechnics until there did not appear the least hope of the building being saved. The contents of that jug was kerosine. The flames in time died out, the building was saved, and no more harm was sustained than the remains of the fright the accident had had caused.

The Masonic on Wednesday night be the locale of much sporting excitement. A Calcutta sweep, a raffle for a splendid horse, drawings of one kind or another, will form the staple of the evening. The next South Canterbury Jockey Club races will be held on the 7th and Bth of March. The erectiou of a very large and costly grandstand is proceeding rapidly, and it will be ready for the races. The Board of Education at Timaru have resolved to spend £10,000 during the cnrrent year on repairs to the old school buildings, and the erection of new ones.