Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5617, 13 May 1886, Page 3

Local & General.

* At an influentially-attended meeting of the New Zealand Woolgrowera' Association, held yesterday afternoon, there appeared to be a pretty general opinion that no time should be lost in taking steps to fence the " silver greys" out of Canterbury, pending the passing of a Bill enabling Eabbit Boards to levy rates. Some of those present expressed their willingness to contribute at the rate of Id a sheep, and others at the rate of id a sheep. It was estimated that the amount thus represented in the room was about .£BOO. Last night Professor Bickerton delivered the first lecture of his course on " Electricity and its Applications." It must have been gratifying to the Professor as an enthusiastic exponent of science that the Chemical Lecture Theatre of Canterbury College was well filled by an audience which listened most attentively to the lecture throughout its delivery. The course, it may be remarked, is divided into two parts the former dealing with the first principles of the science, and the latter with the practical application of those principles. The subject of last evening'B lecture was " magnetism," and the Professor explained very clearly, with the aid of numerous experiments, how the magnetic force operated. While speaking of the effect of the magnetism of iron ships upon the compass, the Professor referred to a probable cause of confusion, in reference to the compass, owing to a variation of the magnetism in the iron of the ship. He illustrated this by showing that -when a magnet is struck on one end the effect is to produce a change in the polarity— the North Pole becoming south, and vice versA. So the magnetism which is induced in an iron ship by the hammering during their construction has a certain polarity, which may be changed by the buffeting of the waves against the ship in a storm. Thus the ship's compass, which had formerly been read according to the original effect of the magnetism of the ship, might be altogether misleading after a storm. The lecture next Wednesday will be on " Statio Electricity." Two disloyal persons at the dinner of the London Foremen Tailors' Association caused a greater disturbance than two score at the labour representatives' banquet. Two men — of course "said to be Irishmen" — remained seated, a proceeding which brought down upon them, by way of polite protest, a shower of oranges and apples, "thrown," says a spectator, "with considerable | violence and eingularly accurate aim." Then the Chairman treated them to some withering satire, and they were finally "chucked out" by their indignant fellowtailors, after a short but sharp struggle, in which a champagne bottle did some execution. Now, all this seems to us both unwise and ridiculous, and we much prefer under such circumstances the deaf ear and blind eye of the Attorney-General. Nobody will suspect us of disloyalty, and yet we cannot help feeling that at a trade dinner, or even at a political one, anybody has a perfect right, if he pleases, to show his Republican or other views by remaining seated and politely silent. At any rate, the toast of the Queen will speedily become a farce if enthusiasm in response is enforced under the penalty of a Bhower of vegetables, a lecture, a hand-to-hand fight, and an ignominious expulsion. It would have been equally loyal, less Bnobbish, and much wiser, to take no notice whatever of the two offending tailors. The London and North-western Railway Company have decided to re-lay their permanent way with metal sleepers, in place of wood. Experiments already tried have proved very satisfactory, and the manufacture of these sleepers is being pusbed forward at the Crewo works. At present. ! they will be put down only where it is ! necessary to lay the new permanent way.