LOCAL, AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XVII, Issue 2426, 7 May 1874, Page 2

LOCAL, AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Estimates. — v Out of ordinary revenue it is proposed to devote the following sums for educational purposes . — Grants in ! Aid Wellington Education Board, £3000 ; balance of Subsidy (in aid of endowment), £605 ; Wellington College, Head Haster and Lectureships, £2000 ; Schoolhouses, &c, £6,457 ; total, £12,062. It is proposed to vote £150 as a grant in aid to country libraries, an useful item, although rather too small in amount. The following sums are set down'for expenditure on roads out of ordinary: revenue — Repairs, £10,000 ; Construction — Palmersttfn to Fitzherbert, £200 ; Pahautanui to Belmont, £600 ; Waipoua towards Forty Mile Bush, £300 ; Masterton to Castle Point, (repairs and part construction), £800 ; road round Porirua Harbour, £200 ; road to Evans' Bay, grant in aid (balance unexpended), £670 ; Whiteman's Valley road, grant in aid, £800. Emigrant and Colonists' Aid Society, £3000 ; Polhill's Gully, grant in aid, £400 ; Foxton to Sandon, £3,741 ; Masterton to Alfredton, through Wangaehu, £4000 ; Motoa road, grant in aid, £200 ; formation main street, Foxton, do, £50 ; roads to open up Paraekaretn Block, £6000 ; preI liminary surveys deviation PaikakariK mil road, £600 ; Tinui to Alfredton and Forty Mile Bush, £3,600 ; Lowry Bay coach road, grant in aid, £275 ; Motoa swamp roads and drains, £1,400 ; Grant in aid Highway Boards, £5000 ; total proposed expenditure ! on roads, £41,836. In addition, a sum of £9,350 is set down for bridges, apportioned thus l Construction— -Ruamahanga (uear Te Ore Ore), £4000 ; Abbott's Creek (two brijles), £4,500 ; Silver stream, £250 ") Tiifaeuui, £600. Contingent vote for public woVks and undertaking, £6000 ; making a grand total of £100,849.

Potatoes at Navier.— The price of potatoes at Napier on the 28th ult. was quoted ■j at £7 10s to £8 per ton. j Correction. — In our report of the proceedings of the Resident Magistrate's Court published on the 2nd instant, the case of " D. McGregor v John Carr," should have been " D. McGregor v John Clarke." National Insurance Co. — We have seen a private telegram from Dunedin, to ; the effect that the balance sheet for the i half year of this Company show a profit of I £17,236. ' These figures are a striking proof of the success which attends the legitimate employment of colonial capital. Encouragement to Immigrants.— lt is said that " Truth is stranger thau fiction," and the following facts, which are obtained ! from an unquestionably reliable source, partake of the character of romance. A. good-looking female immigrant by the ' Woodlark ' sought a situation in Wanganui, and was provided with a respectable place iii the country. She performed her duties with great punctuality for a week, to the satisfaction of her employers, and had just settled down to her work, when lo ! one fine Sunday morning a lady with a carriage and four horses drove up to the door and requested to see her. What took place at the interview is revealed further on. To the astonishment of her employers, the girl took her luggage and seated herself in the splendid carriage, promising to repay by return post the mouth's wages which had been advanced to her. Of course she could be nothing less than a heiress ! Bub yesterday this fortunate young woman was united in. .the holy bonds of matrimony, and with considerable eclat, to' a well-to-do-settler at Rangitikei, who had never set eyes on her, and whom she had never seen herself. The happy conjunction was effected in this wise :— The settler wanted » wife, and the handsome young immigrant was equally desirous of obtaining a husband. Their mutual wants being known to a lady in Wanganui, who appears to possess all the qualifications for a successful matrimonial agent, she tolu the young man who wanted " some one to love," that she could procure him the very thing. She app »irs to have gone about the affair in the m >st businesslike way, with the happy result narrated above. The young lady has certainly drawn a prize in th« matrimonial Jot nry. Accommodation for Travellers. — The f inatical crusade now being carried on by Mr Fox and the Good Templars against the public houses is likely to cause, amongst other evils, a great deal of inconvenience to travellers, While ready enough to abolish accommodation houses, the Templars do not condescend to inform the public how travellers are to be provided for, especially in country places. A specimen of the mischievous results of their misdirected zeal is to be seen in Hawke's Bay. Mr Fox having recently travelled travelled through that province, wrote a letter to the Licensing Commißsioner bitterly complaining of the accommodation afforded by the country in as, specifying one or two in particular as being the worst. The Commissioners, accepting the statements made in Mr Fox's letter for Gospel, and without thought of conse quences refused a renewal of the license of one of these hotels the Pohui, situated on the road from Napier to Taupo, which will now have to be shut up leaving travellers to camp out as best they can. This kind of thing is intolerable. The whole community is not to be inconvenienced to please a band of fanatics who, under the garb of philanthopy, are endeavoring to thrust their crotchets down the throats of other- people and to rear up a political organsation which will regard the permanent welfare of the oountry as nought, so long as the " Permissive Bill " is passed, and public houses closed. Teetotalism in its early days was an engine of benevolence and deserved the respect which was then accorded t*> it but iv' has now degenerated into a pontioal tool for gross attacks upon the liberto' of the subject ; and must he treated aAordingly. We hope the Assembly, when discussing the promised Licensing Biil next Fession, will once and for ever put a stop to Mr Fox's nonsense on this topic, and not allow him, in consideration for his past public services, to mould our Licensing Laws so as to suit the whims of his brother Templars, and without the least concern for the rights of the rest of the community. The New Bank.— The following is from the ' Otago Guardian,' of the 29th ult"An influential meeting, numerously attended by the leading commercial and professional men of the city, was yesterday held in Murray's Hotel. Mr Larnach was in the chair. This meeting was the result of one called about a month ago of gentlemen favoruble to the formation of a new banking institution. At that meeting a sub committee was appointed for the.jpnrpose of making inquiries in order to ascertain what degree of success would be likely to attend the enterprise and also to draw up a prospectus. The sub-committee acted accordingly, and yesterday submitted to the meeting the prospectus for approval. Some discussion ensued, and several suggestions were made with the view of making the proposed bank as successful as possible. The prospectus was agreed upon, and an influential directory was appointed. The capital being fixed at £2,000,000,' to consist of 400,000 shares of £5 each. It was determined that only 200,100 shares should be issued at present. The bank will be a purely colonial institution and, with this object in view, shares will be allocated to the various provinces throughout the colony A.t the meeting yesterday about 25,000 shares were subscribed." The title of the proposed bank is " The Colonial Bank of New Zealand." Masonic Banquets." — Here is something worth quoting, which we take from^ the ' London Examiner.' The occurrence itself and what it gave rise fco will not be forgotten by good masons who read the extract, and the same thing— or at least, as good — should bedoneKare. "A masonic banquet took place on November 8^ which does indeed, in the language of a penriy-a-liner, ' deserve notice.' The members of the Great City Lodge met at the Cannon-street Hotel, and much to the disgust, we should imagine, of the chef of that establishment, dined sumptuously off bread and cheese and ale. When the officers and visitors had partaken of the repast, the W.M. explained to the visitors that the lodge had determined, to give up banquets (which cost between £50 and. £60) and to tjive the amount thus saved to the charily fund of the lodge. The banquetters do not seem to have suffered so frightfully from indigestion as one might have supposed, for most of the visitors were able to speak and express themselves highly gratified with f the novel experiment, and the members were so delighted with their unexpected success that they at onca resolved to give up our out of six monthly banquets, and so increase the charity fund to the extent of about £200,

' English Mail. — The post-office authorities announce that a supplementary English mail via San Francisco will be despatched by the ' Go-ahead ' to-day. It is probable that the ' Stormbird ' will also convey a further supplementary mail via Wellington to-night, inasmuch as the mail does _iot close there until the 9th inst. j Mr Cliford Iveson. — This,. gentleman's i name did not appear in the list of members present at the opening of the Provincial Council. He left Wanganui by Thursday's coach and consequently would not reach town until Friday afternoon. As, however it was known that Thursday's and Friday's sittings would be occupied with preliminary business, the interest of his constituents would not suffer any injury from his absence. '