LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 9456, 21 July 1881, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Auction Sale. — We would remind cattle-dealers of Mr F. B. Jackson's stock sale at Kakaramea to-morrow. New Season's Teas. — Mr F. J. Jones has received a large cargo of new season's teas, exßowen, from Foo Chow. Sporting Extraordinary. — Will our sporting contemporary kindly explain the meaning of a spawned hock. Small-pox. — We learn that the whole of the lady teachers of the Wanganui State schools have been re-vaccinated. Madame Lotti Wilmot. — Madame Wilmot lectured on " Courtship and Marriage " to a good downstairs house at the Princess Theatre last night. Mr Gibbons' s Sweep. — Attention is called to an advertisement in another column announcing that the drawing of this sweep will take place on the 20th October instead of in November as previously advertised. Jeye's Sheep Dip. — Mr J. J. Crawford has received a shipment of this favourite sheep-cleansing mixture, which is said to be one of the cheapest and best in the market. Bad Bo ads.— The road between Patoa and Waveriey has been terribly cut up by the heavy traffic which is now carried on along it. Timber, for use in the erection of new buildings, is being conveyed North in large quantities. Extension of Time. — The date for receiving tenders for the erection of a store and workshops at Patea for Mr John Anderson, has been altered from Wednesday, the 27th, to Friday, the 29th instant. Native Land Court. — The attendance at the Upokongaro Land Court is as yet rather small, only about 100 Natives being present. The business before the Court has been principally succession and re-hearing cases. Kemp's Movements. — There is still some doubt whether Kemp will attend the Native Land Court at Upokongaro. He is expected to come down the river to-morrow with about 300 of his followers, and will camp at Matatara, near Wangaehu, where a Native meeting is to be held shortly. Building Society. — A mooting of the shareholders in the Wanganui District Land and Building Society will be held at the Rutland Chambers on Thursday, 2Sth July, for the purpose of receiving the final balance-sheet, the auditors and directors report, and to formally close the Society in terms of Rule 7. Weekly Chronicle. — We beg to remind our readers that the Weekly Chronicle will be published to-morrow at mid-day, and will thus be available for transmission by the Brindisi mail, which closes to-morrow afternoon at 3.30 o'clock. Copies can be obtained from Mr Brider, from the local agents, or at this office, ready for mailing. Drapery. — Mr Joseph Paul annotmces that in addition to his present stock, which he is selling at exceptionally low prices, he has determined to 1 submit a lot of goods bought at " job prices," which he will sell considerably below cost rates. The stock consists of | a very large assortment of fancy goods, ribbons, dresses, laces, &c. ; also special lines in blankets and men's and boys' clothing. Local Government. — The Post understands that " Sir George Grey is having his recent speech on Local Government printed on slips to the number of many thousands for distribution throughout the colony, and that he intends to adopt that remarkable speech and his still more remarkable Bill as his ' platform ' for the coming election." Otauo Railways. — The DuntroonIvurow branch railway was opened for passenger traffic last week. The line, which runs up the Waitaki Valley, is sixteen miles in length, has cost about i' 44,000, and has taken the contractors, Messrs Allan and Stumbles, of Timaru, ten months to construct. The line traverses a large block of valuable agricultural land. The Native Land Court. — Our Turakina correspondent, under date July 18th, says : — A petition to the Judge of the Native Court has been extensively and elaborately signed by the leading Maoris and residents of Turakina. This petition sets out the facilities there are here for holding the Court, and specifies the amount of accommodation there is for the Maoris who may attend the Court. I believe there are 18 cases in which the Turakina Maoris have a direct interest, and the conveniences for the Court and the visitors are all that could be desired. Te Whiti's Present. — A visitor to Parihaka on the occasion of the late meeting informs us that there was great excitement amongst the Natives caused by the munificent giftof £200 presented to Te Whiti by Mrs Honi Pihama. The procession of bullock-wagons, conveying the monthly present of food, &c, was more than usually imposing, there being 30 wagons heavily loaded with flour, pork, and pigeons. Last of all came Mrs Pihama. She was seated in a buggy, and carried in her hand a cross formed of supplejacks, to which were fastened 200 ill-notes. This novel banner was presented to Te Whiti amidst such a babel as only excited Natives can raise. Cool Impudence. — A new \ray of raising the wind has been invented by a Wanganui loafer. A few days ago a man presented himself at the door of a house in Wilson-street, and asked if he could see the master. Being informed that he was absent at business, he said it was only a small matter he had to settle, and the mistress would do as well. When the good lady came to the door the visitor stated that, on the previous Thursday evening, he had spent a few hours with her husband at an hotel, and her husband being short of cash had borrowed 3s fiom him. He did not care about calling at his place of business about so trivial a matter, so perhaps she would pay him instead. He was unfortunate in naming the night on which he alleged that tho money was borrowed, for tbo wife recollected that on Thursd:i3* her husband had spent the evening in the bosom of his family, secure from any temptation to borrow money from such a Shylock. His efforts to extort money from her were therefore unavailing-

Hunt Club Steeplechase.— lt will be seen from our report of the Hunt Club Committee meeting that the programme for the proposed Steeplechase meeting has been abandoned. A meeting of the Committee has been called for Saturday evening, to compile an amended programme, and the Steeplechase meeting will take place about the original date. Tree-planting. — South Australia is setting an example to the other colonies in the matter of preserving existing forests and promoting planting. On one reserve alone, there are 140,000 healthy young trees, the cost of planting, rearing, and caring for each of which has not averaged more than 2d. A National Board has been established for the purpose, which has defrayed the greater part of its expenditure by the sale of matured timber and young trees from its own nurseries. The Board distributes young trees to councils and other local governing bodies for planting in their districts* Wire Tramways. — Wire-rope tramways are stated to he quite a distinctive feature nowadays in San Francisco. An engineer of the name of Hallidie is the patentee. A small tunnel is constructed of iron and wood under the middle of the tramway track, leaving a slip open at the surface. In the tunnel, supported on wheels, runs a wire rope in an endless loop, running down on one track and up on the other, the track being double. The rope passes round a drum from the up track to the down track, and the other end of the loop is carried into the engine-house, where it passes round the other drum, which is caused to revolve by a steam-engine of considerable power. All that is now required is a means of attaching the cars to the rope, and letting it go at pleasure whenever the car requires to be started or stopped. This contrivance is called the grip, and is worked hy the engineer of the dummy by nieans of levers. The Babbit Pkst. — The Hawera Star publishes the following letter from the local Sheep Inspector : — " On my way home from Hawera I am sorry to say I saw a wild grey rabbit on the roadside opposite Mr Lysaght's, on Mr G. T. Bayly's side of road (and a splendid looking fellow, too). I think you ought, through the columns of your paper, stir up the settlers in the district to use all the means in their power to see that the rabbit — worst of all pests — be not allowed to spread. If they do, settlers will regret it when it may be too late. If the rabbits get a footing in any one place here, woe to this splendid grazing country. Very likely Mr Bayly may haA r e turned out a few some years back on his property. If so, I don't see that the country should be at the mercy of being destroyed by the mistake of one man. I write to you on the subject hoping you will take it up, and I also write as I feel, knowing ko much about the vast destruction I have . seen by rabbits in the South. — W. Mackenzie." The Alienation of Land Bill.— The principal operative clause of the above proposed measure is all follows : — " It shall not be lawful for any person, by deed or will, to restrain the alienation of land ; and the holder of the legal estate for the time being under and by virtue of auy deed or will shall, for the purpose of sale and exchange, be deemed to be the absolute owner thereof, without any restriction.' The word 'land' includes any estate or interest in real property." Trustees and guardians are to be deemed the holders of the legal estate, and the proceeds of any sale are to be subject to the same trusts and claims as the land. The receipt of a seller is to be a full and effectual discharge to the purchaser. A Hoax. — The Havelock correspondent of the Marlborough Times writes': — " Be the ' wonderful nugget ' reported by the Colonist as having been found by a Nelson party at "Wakamarina, the first intimation we had of the discovery was in the Colonist, and, curious to relate, I had a telegram from Nelson some 30 hours after the paper was published, asking whether there was any truth in the report. The report is not belivced by anyone in this district, and I believe that in place of a ' nugget studded with quartz' we might say, ' a quartz boulder in which gold is visible.' It is a pity such a report has appeared, as it is likely to deceive hundreds of diggers. It 'is generally believed there will be fully a thousand men at the new rush in the course of the next two or three months." Self-driven Bicycle. — An ingenious Chicago inventor has constructed a bicycle driven by the expansive force of a strong steel spring. When the machine is to be used the spring is wound up. The rider then leaps into his place, and the moment his weight presses the saddle the spring is released and the bicycle starts of at full speed, thus obviating all danger of falling. The spring is warranted to keep the bicycle in motion for one hour, and by pressing a lever placed immediately in front of the saddle the machine can be easly stopped. Rests for the feet, unconnected with the treadles of the driving wheel, are provided, and the rider can thus journey without making the least exertion, until at the end of an hour he is obliged to dismount and wind up a spring. Posturing Extraordinary. — A writer in a contemporary referring to some of the clever tricks practised by the Bheel robbers in India, says : — The following is one of their most ingenious devices. It often hajmens that a band of these robbers are pursued by mounted Englishmen, and, unable to reach the jungle, find themselves about to be overtaken upon one of these open plains which have been cleared by fire, the only shelter in sight being the blackened trunks or leafless branches of small trees that perished in the flames. For men so skilled in posturing this is shelter enough. Quickly divesting themselves of their scanty clothing, they scatter it, with their plunder, in small piles over the plain, covering them with their round shields, so that they have the appearance of lumps of earth, aud attract no attention. This accomplished, they snatch up a few sticks, throw their body into a contorted position, and stand or crouch immovable until their unsuspicious enemies have galloped by. When all is safe they quickly pick up their spoil and proceed upon their way. The Eev. J. D. Woods gives an interesting account of these marvellous mimics. I quote the following: — "Before the English had become used to these manoeuvres, a very ludicrous incident occurred. An officer, with a party of horse, was chasing a small body of Bheel robbers, and was fast overtaking them. Suddenly the robbers ran behind a rock or some such obstacle, which hid them for a moment, and when the soldiers came up the men had mysteriously disappeared. After an unavailing search, the officer ordered his men to dismount beside a clump of scorched and withered trees, and, [the day being very hot, he took off his helmet and hung it on a branch by which he was standing. The branch in question turned out to -be the leg of a Bheel, who burst into a scream of laughter, and flung the astonished officer to the ground. The clump of scorched trees suddenly became metamorphosed into men, and the whole party dispersed in different directions before the Englishmen could recover from their surprise, carrying with them ho officer's helmet by way of trophy.' '