LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11846, 18 July 1893, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

p We hear that Mr Alexandor Higgie is thinking of offering himself as a candidate for the Wanganui seat in the Opposition interest at the coming general election. On Thursday next, instructed by Mr fi. H. Harris, Mr A. .Barns will sell at the premises, next to Mr Thomas Price's, Ingestre • street, all that gentleman's furniture and effects. As the oil painting of "Old Wauganni" is to be disposed of by art union by Mr P. Lundon at "at early date it would interest those who would like to secure the picture that tickets can be secured at Mr Lnndon's office. f A Sydney cable of yesterday says the Seamen's Union disclaims any connection with the dynamite outrages at Newcastle The officials connected with both companies treat the matter lightly. The vessels on which the cartridges were found weie manned by non-unionist crews. There was a .good attendance at the usual fortnightly meating of the Bishop Lodge of Druids last evening. Two candidates were proposed for membership and three new members were initiated into the secrets of Druidism, After the Uoual harmony the Lodge was closed in . the usual way. The Wellington correspondent of the ) Christchurch Weekly Press, under date July 10th, says : — " Public interest in the Ballanue Memorial appears to have lapsed almost entirely. Very little is now heard of the monument, and notwithstanding the exertions of four 3 canvassers, paid on commsssion, only £200 (two hundred pounds) his already been collected in and about Wellington." •Miss 5 Lottie Collins, the young lady J that made herself famous through that peculiarly popular"Tara.ra-boom-(le-ay," receri + 0y met with an accident at the ■Empire Theatre of Varieties, London. Dr Sherman, of Onehunga, Auckland, was in the house at the time and volunteered his services, which the fair actress accepted with gratitude. A press wire frem Wellington states that Judge Barton forwarded to Wellington the draft of the Validation Bill, which he was requested by the Government to i preparo to settle disputed native land titles. The Bill has been submitted to the lawyers here and a committee of the leading settlers, and is unanimously approved of. At a meeting of the leading professionals and citizens, presided over | by the Mayor, resolutions were carried thanking tho Ministry for instructing Judge Barton to frame tho measure, and urgirg it to be passed into law this session as it was of vital importance to the district. A Btrong local committee has been appointed to promote the Bill. " We understand that Mr Thomas Rapley, of the local Telogrsph Departs ment, has received instructions to hold > himself in readiness for a promotion to the ■ charge of a district Post and Telegraph office, although so far the office has not beeu specified, We must, of course, congratulate Mr Raploy on his promotion, but his removal from Wanganui will leave a void in public ■ circles it will be hard to fill. In the performance of hia public duties Mr Rapley has always been most courteous, aoi by his removal Wanganui will loco a good and painstaking officer. However, where i ever he may go he will make many friends, and will carry with him tho best wishes of his old townspeople. Mr Ross, of the Wanganui County 1 Council, writes us denying the statements of Councillor Pareonß at the last meeting of the Borough Council in connection with i the alleged removal of stone from the ■ Kaiwhaike road. Councillor Parsons stated that the county people had laid a complaint against their Foreman, and he (as the then Mayor) had arranged that Mr Smith, then Chairman of the Council, and other members, to go up and inspect. Howover, neither tho Chairman nor any of the members had considered it of sufficient importance to warrant a visit." Mr Rcss says that both he and Councillor Smith visited the place, but on the day they went they could find no one there from the other body. There was a fortunate escape from a 1 serious accident at Woodvillo on Saturday afternoon last. It seems something went wrong with tho brake in which tho ' football team was returning from Island Bay, and the team got out at the top of the hill. The horse then became restivo 1 and bolted down the hill, colliding with a bus, containing upwards of 30 Wellington College boys and two Indies, who were also returning from the football ' match. The vehiclo was completely ovorturned, but not one of the occupants whs injured, although the horses wore rather badly knocked about. ' The aristocracy of the street cornor, gutter, md blind alloy are progressing , in Wanganui. Wilful and nimloss destruction of property is to bo nddod to their code of honour, and tho aspirants to highest awards in their select circlo must gain for themselves the titles of fools, blackguards, and hoodlums from tho multitude of peaceful commonors boforo qualifying for initiation. But thoro were some Paat Masters of tho order loose on Sunday night. It will bo in tho knowledge of our readers that a paling fence has been erected round the Technical School— a (juiot, inoffensive, and neat fence — the cost of which has had, of course, to come out of the public purso Well, on the night we have mentioned these gentlemen amused thomselvos by smashing several of theso palings. Noblo sacrifice ! Actually spending their valuable time in broaking off the palings of a fence — and they did it as many men extend their charity, silently, and without letting tbo right hand know what tho left hand doeth— when they might, if they would only allow themselves to b 9 known to their fellow men, be servingthomselvos in a public capacity and at the country's expense. Of course if their modesty prevents them from revealing their incognito, the country might make ■ an effort to save any further sacrifice to themselves by appointing one or two additional policemen to watch their interests, and force them, when found, to accept the recognition which is their due,

A movoinerit is oq foot to form an asoociution in Wellington for beautifying the cifcy by tree planting, &<;.. Die annual meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Club will be held at the Rutland Hotel on Wednesday, July 26th, at 8 p.m. A single man named Patrick Roady, 63 yoars of age, was found at Huntorville in his own well drowned on Sunday night He was in his night- ■ shirt, and had been missing since Thursday. It is believed to bo a case of suicide. Thci usual monthly meeting of the Wanganui Woman's Franchise League will be held on Friday evening next, 21st inst , in the Inatitute. The doors will be opened at 7.30 and proceedings will commence at 8 o'clock, Can plants sco ? Darwin gave it as his opinion that some of them can, and an Indian botanist relates some curious incidents which tend to verify the belief. Observing one morning that the tendrils of a convolvulus on his verandah had decidedly leaned over towards his leg as he lay in an attitude of repose, he tried a serious of experiments with a long pole, placing it in such a position that the leaves would have to turn away from tho light in order to reach it. In 6very case he found that the tendrils set themselves visibly towards the pole and in a few hours had twined themselves closely round it. The quantity of mineral oil from tho wells of the Caspiaa now shipped annually from Batoum reaches the enormouß amount of 931,328 tons, or about three thousand tons for every working day of the year, representing a total value at the port of noarly three and a half millions sterling. Nearly one-third of this vast total is shipped lo ports nast of the Suez Canal. The annual returns exhibit moreover a constant increase, the exports of last year being 63,633 tons in excess of those of tho previous year. The Empress of Austria, it is stated, not only Bmokes from fifty to sixty Turkish cigarettes a day, but during the course of the evening also smokes several " terribly strong cigars." This acts as a sedative on her Majesty's nervous temperament, and has become almost indispensable to her, and m spite of what doctors may say to the contrary, we are assured that the habit has not impaired the " pearly whiteness of the smoker's lovely teoth." The Empress' affection for her ladies-in-waiting depends, we learn, very much on their skill in horsemanship. To those who rode well, she was exceptionally kind and indulgent, but had no sympathy whatever with those who were not perfect horsewomen. The Wellington correspondent of the Auckkiid Star says: — Latest develop, ments with regard to the vacancy in the 'Cabhwt point to an early settlement of the matter on somewhat unexpected lines. It may be accepted as certain that tho Cabinet will have an Auckland man inclnded in it before the Public Works Estimates come up for consideration, but I have reason to believe he will not hold the portfolio of Native Affairs. That office will, in brief, be abolished as the Government policy is to bring natives in every way under the same laws as Europeans. The likelihood is that the Premier will divest himself of the Public Works portfolio, which will be piven to an Auckland man, who will assuredly not be either of the last-named aspirants (Messrs Jackson, Palmer, Robert Thompson and R.M. Hsußton) to the post cf Native Minister. It is probable that Edgar Allen Poe invented his goMen bug j but truth sometimes strangely plagiarises fiction, to the glory of tho novelist or poet. An instance of this is to be seen at tno Insect House at the Zoo. In a case to the right of the entrance are a number of extremely beautiful creatures of the beetle kind, which have exactly the appearance of a lump of gold embedded in a plate of glass. They mast be seen to be appreciated, but this description is not at all exaggerated. The gold, too, has a closer resemblance to the metal on account of it 3 bossy appearance It looks like a bit of gold just poured out of a ladle in the molten condition. The creature, however, in spite of its unusually beautiful form is, we fear, a near relation to an unmentionable insect. It is a bug in the literal, and not ia the American, siense of the word. Is marriaee a failure? We lelievonot; yet some of the exceptions to the blissful harmony of the wedded state are very forbidding. For instance, we have heard of a little incident — the scone nf which is certainly somewhere in our fair young colony. The story runs that- a pair of loving turtle doves having completed the requisite amount of billing and cooing to constitute an ordinary courtship, took the final plunge and started to trot along together in double harness. Now, in tho natural course of circumstances, they were blessed with a little darling — a sweet little cherub— but alas, inexperience proved a stumbling block, and they didn't know exactly how to manage it. Now, it so happened that they wore acquainted with a " dacent " body whose many summers constituted her an authority on the little matter in doubt, and she was called in to take charge. But like many mortals sha had a weakness— a love too stron g for the " crature," and hor devotions were many and fervent. Nevertheless, so long as she worshipped in private no one could gainsay her and it, but when in her zeal she was discovered endeavouring to make a convort of har tiny chargo the climax was reached. We -will draw the curtain over thU last fell sceno, and simply say that her exit from that abode was more hasty than dignified. The following paragraph on the national prosperity of Great Britain is from the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget Speech :— " The wealth of the country has increased, and is increasing, year by year. You may find yourself in temporary straits, but there is no occasion for apprehension or disquiet. The condition of your affairs is sound, solid, and prosperous j the resources of the country are ample. I will give you a few figures by which you can test the growth of the wealth of the country in the last 10 years. In 1882 the assessments for income tax were .£601,500,000; in 1892 they were 713,000,000— a growth of 112J millions. The asssssments for probate and succession duty wera in 1882 £ 147,600,000, and in 1892 .£241,403,000— an increase of 91 millions. The savings banks deposits in 1882 were 85,000,000, in 1892 £128,000,000. The investments in building societies were in 1881 .£13,000,000, in 1891 ,£51,000,000) in industrial and provident societies in 1881 47,000,000, and in 1891 In the ordinary life insurance cotnpanios the premiums were in 1881 in 1891 .814,500,000 ; in industrial life insurance companies in 1881 A215.000, and in 1891 £5,467,000. Agab, one has only to travol by railway to see the large building operations which are going on, anothor ovidonce nf the saving and wealth of tho country. If you examine the consumption of articles of necessity and comfort, you will find evorywhero signs of the larger resourcos of tho urns? of the peoi 10. There may be temporary depression, there iB no perninnont docliuo; on the contrary, there is a gradual growth in tho wealth and reBouroos of tho country." Wedding Presents being the order of tho day, to know where to got one is the noxt consideration. Randal and Jonos lmyo on hand some splondid Tea Sets Toilet Sola, China Cups and Saucers. Ornaments, &0., which they are prepared co soil vory jhnaj). — Advt.