LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 666, 2 April 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

♦ The Town Clerk, notifies elsewhere in our columns, that the Burgess List for the year ending 31st March, 1880, and the defaulters' list, for the year ending 31st March, 1879, are open for inspection at the offices of the Borough Council. All objecctions must be made in writing, addressed to the Town Clerk, on or before the 15th of the present mouth. A novel and exceedingly interesting entertainment will be presented, for the first time, at the Masouic Hall, on Friday evening, wheu Professor Alexander and Madame Alexander will illustrate the most exciting scenes connected with the savage tribes of the American Indians. As we are told, Madame Alexander, when a young woman, had been carried off into the far interior of North America, where she was detained captive for several years, and was eventually released by an extraordinary Btratagtem devised and executed by Mr. Alexander, a trapper, orginally from the Canadian country. Having married, these clever peraonators, travelled in America, England, and the* Continent of Europe, where they illustrated savage life — showing the North American Indian as he is in war, or on the trail, or fighting with poisoned arrow, spear, or tomahawk. Scenes of Indian hie, social and domestic, are depicted and we imagine will be found to possess considerable attraction for the curious. The performance will be interspersed with comic aongs and characteristic dances. In addition to the above attractions, there will be the performances of the learned pig. We are reliably informed that Messrs. Donnelly, and Price, who have lately been I prosecuted by Mr. Rees have been committed for trial. The evidence for the defence was a breakdown. They are out on heavy bail. According to the Bay of Plewtly Times the case of the Taupo is hopeless. Mr. Nicols' tender, to get the vessel off for £5,500, has been accepted, but it is feared that before there is time to float the hull, the Taupo will be knocked to pieces by a north-east gale. Mr. Hill, Inspector of Government Schools, for the Napier Educational District, arrived in Gisborne yesterday, /or the purpose of making a progress examination of the pupils. We believe Mr. Hill has expressed himself well satisfied. Tenders will be called for the immediate erection of the enlargements to the present school buildings. Mr. Hill is solicitous that the necessary steps should be taken to prevent the Auckland Board from appropriating the revenues derived from the reserve leases situated in Poverty Bay. St. Peter's Church, Wellington, according to the Chronicle, is to be provided with a peal of eight bells. The tenor will weigh 15cwt. The cost of the peal will be about £500. The Marlborough Express has been getting into trouble. Some time ago an anonymous letter appeared in that journal, headed " Our Civil Servants," and signed " One who knows them," containing some rather libellous references. So the telegraphists combined together, and instructed a firm of solicitors to write to the proprietor of the paper, the result being that the latter gave up the name of the correspondent and apologised for the insertion of the letter. In reference to the Ministerial programme as set forth by Sir George Grey during the stumping tour, Captain Morris, addressing his constituents at Tauranga last Thursday, said : — " The programme was a good one, but it has not been carried out. To use a vulgar expression, the programme was bunkum and nothing else. .What we want is less sentiment, more common sense, and no humbug.". Referring to the school examination Sapers distributed in Wanganui, the tangitikei Advocate says : — ln the paper on " Domestic Economy," we find such questions as, "How do you cook puddings?" We should say it would greatly depend upon the ingredients of which they were made. Another question .is, " How Bhould the feet be cared for ?" Many would answer, " By a professional chiropedist." Again, " Why should all young persons try to look as nice and pretty as they can ?" We might ask in return, " Why ehoulA young persons only try to do so ?" or, why do people observe ordinary, cleanliness ?" On the whole, adds our contemporary, the questions on domestic economy do not, to our mind, seem well chosen, or such as to develop the thinking powers of the pupils.

The Otago Daily Times mentions that it is the intention of the Government that Resident Magistrates shall change districts once in every three years. The Times mentions that there are very cogent reasons for the adoption of this practice. A new species of " narrow escape," is reported by the Nelson Colonist. Shortly before midnight a man was found lying at full length in the roadway, and the discoverers in endeavoring to satisfy themselves as to whether the man was really dead drunk or whether he had fallen in a fit consumed all the matches they possessed, throwing them as they- were expiring upon the ground. Being satisfied that the man was drunk, the services of the police were called in aid, and with the light obtained it was found that the man was surrounded by packages of powder and shot, which apparently he had dropped. Had one of those matches touched the powder, not only would the Samaritans, but the man likewise, would have quitted that spot even more rapidly thau the latter was " run in."