LOCAL AND GENERAL
A very naughty practical joke was perpetrated last night ia the Masonic Hall. It was very wrong indeed, but caused much laughter, for people are so evilly constituted that they will lau^h at that which is not right. There was a young, gentleman who had been placed m a front seat. These seats had on each of them a printed ticket wifch the word if Reserved;" .Now, some brutal person with wicked intent, and it is to be. feared with malice aforethought, securedone of these tickets and pinned it to the collar of the gentleman's coat. So when he rose from his seat during the performance to look at what was being done on the sta^e, there was a hurricane of laughter* and hawhaws from all who were behind him. The young gentleman, not knowing what was the cause, laughed heartily himself, as people will do, when they see others setting the example. The fun was all the more hearty, because it was well-known that the young gentleman was"" reserved " for a particular person and a special occasion, and the one for whom lie was reserved sat alongside of him, and - she blushed a crimson blush. She told him to look behind him, aud he did look. But what was behind him then was now before the other portion or' the audience, for he had turned round. There was more laughter of course. People are so terribly wicked. At last an angel of mercy came forward and unpinned the ticket. Then the young gentleman knew what the laugh was about, and he seemed to think that being " reserved " for a young lady was one thing, but being "reserved " for a practical joke was another. It was all very shocking, and very cruel, and very unfeeling ; and if ,the young gentleman had punched the practical joker's head it would almost have served him right. We are not quite sure whether there is a Benevolent Society m connection with our hospital. At one time, we believe, this was the case ; but the resignation of the ladies who formed a part of the committee, we fear, was the break up of a fund for the aid of the distressed. We regret to learn that .at the present time there are a number of sick persons, chiefly females, m our midst who are m destitute circumstances, and m need of some assistance to tide them over their immediate necessities. If the Benevolent Society is not quite defunct we trust to see it revivified. If this, unfortunately be the case, we hope to hear of its resuscitation. To-day, the 24th June, being the festival of St. John, the members of the Turanganui Lodge of Freemasons, met, and after the usual busiues3, adjourned until this evening. This afternoon, the Managers of the Hospital reserve proceeded, by an action of ejection, against the dwellers m the cot-. . tages known as the Immigration Barracks. Mr Cuff appeared for plantiffs. Judgment was passed m each case for £6 16a. arrears of rent, and possession of premises to be given up ou Monday next.
Messrs. Ferris and Pitt will sell by auction to-morrow, at 2 p.m., the schooner Norval, as she now lies on the Kopuni beach, with masts, sails, and running gear. The schooner was built at Auckland m 1877. This mor'niug, Mr Meredith, who is now one among our local butchers, forwarded to the office of the Herald a rare delicacy, for which we trust he will accept our thanks. The delicacy consisted of a single mutton chop cut 'from the. carcase of a sheep, weighing 190 lbs., the chop itself turning the scale at three pounds, nine ounces. The sheep must have been quite the Daniel Lambert of the flock. It is calculated that the fat, if rendered down into tallow, would turn out over a hundred packets of full weight candles. At the same time there was not as much lean on the whole of this huge mountain of mutton as would feed a hungry man. The sheep's life must have been felt as a burden to it, and mere existence must have been a misery. There was as much liver to the sheep aB would have taken a fair-sized side of bacon to have made a •fry of it. Its trotters would have been taken for the hoofs of a calf. The saddle which came from it could have been bestrode by two Mr Merediths, and Mr Meredith is not altogether one who would be called an undersized man. It must have taken whole acres of grass to have fattened this sheep up to its oleaginous condition- at the time it was led to slaughter. It must have been of a sweet and placable temper. Nothing could have disturbed its serenity of mind. Its pride, if a sheep has any, must have been that when the time came for it to die, it would show a leg of mutton against the whole world. A few debt claims comprised the business at the It. M. 'a Court this morning. There was nothing of interest beyond the fact, that someone owed someone else money, which, he either could not, or would not pay, and so a summons was issued, aud judgment followed. There was, however, a matter which arose out of a case worth knowing by those who may wish tlieir neighbors to share m the expense of erecting a dividing fence between their respective sections. An advertisement m a newspaper is not a sufficient notice. The owner or lesee of land wishing a dividing fence, must serve a written notice on his neighbor, as well as advertise it. This is not generally known. A lawyer would; charge his six-and-eight for giving the information. We only charge one penny with a large amount of general information thrown m, for which we charge nothing. Mr. Charles Wooloock, M.H.R., for Grey Valley, m his address to his constituents, said Sir George Grey's promises were what is mentioned of the proverb about pie crust, which was made, to be broken. Very hard of Woolcock, who, by the way, we well remember having heard the same remark applied to himself. The present Ministry arrogate to themselves the right to dismiss any Civil servant without explaining why or what for. We shall be glad to hear this sort of despotism being recognised and acted on by suceeding Ministries, because good men will not enter the service, who will then be found more valuable to the country outside of it. It is asserted by some that I€He* u fiext^ session of Parliament will be short, because pecuniary obligations will make it compulsory for Members to return to business as soon as possible. But again, it is said, JJiere' -are others who will look upon ■Parliamenfc-as a refuge from their liabilities, as no one may touch them, or serve them with a sunimons,' during the currency' of a session. ■ YYhVt should a man be free from the responsibaity of his debts because he fa & Member: *o£ the Assembly would be a •good subjecif for a debating society. At^JKangiora, Christchurch, three scoundrels were convicted of pouring kerosene on a dog, and then setting fire to it. The Bench before whom the case was heard adjourned giving a decision to consider what would be a suitable penalty for such au offence. The penalty, it is much to be regretted, is not within, the power of magistrates to inflict, or it should be fifty lashes with a cat-o'-niuo tails well laid on. The Post says^-r-^Mr. Ashcroft, the general manager of the railway, has* adopted an ingenious plan for ensuring that any ' shaky' spots m the line shall be properly reported by the linemen, whose duty it is to patrol the permaneut way and and report anything which requires rectification. The enginedrivers are now provided with a number of arrows, paiuted red, aud throw out one of these whenever they come to any part of thu line which, m their opinion, requires attention. The lineman are told to pick up these arrows and report the condition of the spot where they are found. For every arrow that they fail to return to the olfice they are fined 2s 6d. As may be imagined, this tends very materially to increase their viligance, aud au additional safe-guard is thereby offered to the pubDespite the outcry about hard times (says the LytLqlto.i Times) there is evidently some loose cliaugo Juffc. On Saturay one of the leading drapers of the town took upwards of £1500 m ca^h. That draper is the most extensive alvertiser m Christchurch. A fellow named Kitchen waa brought bofore the Police Court at Christchurch a few days' ago on a charge of smashing a pane of gla33 m view of a constable This he had done, he said because he was starving with cold and. huuger, but it turned out that he had left the Charitable Home because he did not consider enough tobacco was given him. Thence he found his way to the Hospital, out of which he quietly came, and turned up at the Charitable Aid Office. Food was given him, which he declined to cook for himself, and he tried to get a constable to arrest .him. This was refused and he then smashed the window. The Magistrate sentenced him to pay a 10s fine and the damage, or 14 days hard labor, at which the poor uufortunnte waa a good deal astonished. A burglar named Robert Albert Johnson met his death m a most extraordinary manner at Sheffield recently. He entered, the chimney of Mr Fieldseu, pawnbroker with the intention of so effecting an entrance to the house, but he got stuck m the chimney and could neither get up nor down. In the morniug the fire was lighted as usual. A groaning m the chimney revealed Johnson's presence there, but when extricated he was quite dead, from the combined heat and smoke. Holloway's Pills. —lmportant for the Delicate. — It is difficult to determine which is the more trying to the human constitution—the damp, cold days of the autumn aud winter, or the keen, dry, easterly winds of spring. Throughout the seasons good health may he maintained by occasional doses of Holloway's Pills, which purify the blood and act as wholesome stimulants to the skin, stomach, liver, bowels, and kidneys. This celebrated medicine needs but a fair trial to convince tho ailing and desponding that it will restore and cheer them without danger, pain, or inconvenience, as by a timely recourse to them the first, erring function may be reclaimed, suffering may be spared, and life saved.
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Bibliographic details
Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 817, 24 June 1879, Page 2
Word Count
1,776LOCAL AND GENERAL Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 817, 24 June 1879, Page 2
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