LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, 18 March 1901, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Stanford Company open at the Opera House to-night in "Shall Wo Forgive Her?"

' An Ottawa. caKo says that the Hou&e of Commons li'is approved of a proposw to nriko the la.tc-. Queen Victoria's birthday a permanent holiday. . .;. .

Tho latest additions to the' Tclenhom Exchange are—No. 285, Currie, Lewis ant Co., general commi^sinn ..agents,. Taup. Quay ; No. 286, E. -Wright' and Son/ coa; andvrood merchants, Nixon Street.

Orders for the delivery of Wanganu cargo ex tho Tyser liner s.s. Star of Aus traliii. may now b? obtained on productioi of bills of lading and payment of freight (if any) from the local agent, Mr J. L. Stevenson.

Members of the Economic Building So ciety arc reminded that to-night is the Society's usual pay night.

Messrs Smith Bros., of Ut-iku, have foi sale 2500 totara, fencing posts on the railway at Mangaonoho. The price is one shilling each.

According to a Dunedin wire, for the New Zealand Rifle Association meeting at Wanganui entries liave bsen resahred from 24 Volunteers and four members of rifle clubs.

Captain Neil McDonald, who was master of the ketch Gratitude ,wrecked some years ago on Macquurrie Islands, died at Porirun on Friday. At the inquest tlie' medical evidence showed that death resulted from the effects of uremia.

The Highland Rifles are reminded of the parade to-night at 7.30 in >tho Drill Hall; drill order. The members of the squads training for the physical and bayonet exhibitions at the concert on Thursday, art particularly requested to attend. - J * . ;

Tho Highland Rifles will hold a grand military concert on Thursday evening. The corps'* will appear in the gay and dashing uniform of the Gordons, and .will, give several .exhibitions with tableaux, ftvnich' will show to the best advantage their ria' tional costumes. Popular prices have been charged, and a. fine programme has been prepared. .

The S.M. at Wellington, who on Friday fined two men £5. each for cruelty to,sheep, later on reduced the fine ;to £I,'on .'its being explained to him tiha* the sheep had been brought into town to be sent away by atcamer, but as the vessel could not take them they had to be sent back to Petone, They could nob be driven at that time of day, and therefore had to be sent in a cart. ' .- .-. • . ; ' -

"I had once," writes a correspondent of the Daily News, "the curiosity to write to Windsor Castle and ask for the origin, of the Queen's charitable practice of giving a 'bounty' to women who had given birth to triplets..; I had a very courteous .?reply frcmUhe Queen's private secretary explaining 'that the first gift to a" woman who had three children at a brth was prompted solely by Her Majesty's sympathetic feelings towards her. The eass happened to come to the knowledge ioif the Queen, and she sent ft sovereign for./each of the newlyarrived littlo Britons, as an assistance to the mother in her embarrassment of family treasures. This had happened about forty years bsfore this <:o.rrespondence, and quite early in the reign, and had cost the Queen's private purse about £300 a year, ever since." ■.■'•- '

The annual Harvest Festival service* were held at Christ Church yesterday. The church was very prettily •decorated with sheaves of wheat, '.cornyand flowers and greenery. The sanctuary "was' hung with white, and on the altar (draped in the usual Lenten colour of violet), in addition£.to choice flowers, Avere offerings of -Salts. Holy Communion was celebrated at 8 a.m., and after Matins. Tho Vicar (R«v T. B. Maclean) preached thanksgiving sermons at Matins and Evensong., , The services were fully choral, and were bright and hearty throughout. A^ Matins Dyke's :eautiful setting of the "Te'Deum" was mng, and at Evensong the anthem "Ye Shall Dwell in the Lund" (Dyke) was well .endered by the large choir. Processional ;,nd Recessional hymns, proper psalms and lymns, were sung at all services, and speral lessons were read. .'•'■>■■

Writing from Ladysmitlv under date Janaiy 22nd, the.correspondent of the Otago Jaily ( Times, says::-—'.'lt ;■ seems to be o.ui urn now to do the cattle lilting. Large ■irds are regularly passing- through.- These dttle h.vvc been captwred in the Orange liver Colony, and until] recently were sold ti various centres by public auction. Latey the Imperial authorities have been offering as many as four. eows_for each horse fit "or the remount • depot.. "This. is a long irico when one considers that a. cow is icrth from £15 to £20. -The'outcome-of' hsse liberal terms has been to brin-r to the ■cmount depot numbers of .horses which ould never have reached there short of ammandeering, for the farmers; will- not ell for cash, while they are wilinu; to exbange for breeding stock, of which/many .>rmers have absolutely none. There is . 3rtain risk buying cattle from .theiQranpe liver Colony, which •place is more elevated nd cooler, its altitude ranging- from 4,500 "let to 5.500 feet, while the elevation of ■\ Tatal uplandis ranges from 3,500 feet to ,000 feet. The stock from the higher •ountiiy, or 'over tlie berg,' as Natalians all it, are very liable to get lung sicktess, the scourge of cattle here, and redrater. Both are exceedingly infectious, nd strict quarantine ' ia- placed 'over such 'arms' as aie infectied "with either disease. ■}ut cattle may go from Natal to the )range River Colony and the Transvaal ,rom here without any ill effects. As a >reventive against lung sickness, inoculaion ia in high favour here. I have asked ".any farmers if the coarser grasses here •.ere the caus? of the great mortality mongst cattle. They' considered, that in"^rior quality of grass may have a. little to 'o with the heavy death rate, but the chief •easoh lies in the hot climate here as oom>ared with the hi<rher ..lands,/as horses, attle, and sheep all suffer, especially ••heep, which cannot live on the low lands 'a summer."

In the February number of the FortJghtty- Review appears the third pa~>er on .he "Situation in China," by Sir Robert dart, who may fairly be considered the •reatest living authority on matters Chinjse. He deads for the application of*the Jolden Rule —"Do unto others as you would ia.ve othcra do to you;" to internuitional. .thics, and in the course of his paper says : "The cruelties of the Boxers and the worse ■;han callousness of too. many of those in power, cannot bo too harshly described or, ■;oo severely dealt with, and that the people s a nation have the defects of their qualifies can be as little gainsaid. On the other tiand, it must as freely be allowed) that the Jhinese do possess quite as large a share jf admirable qualities as others, and that*" these aro not merely to be found in isolated coses here and there, but are chaa-au-jeristic oi tho race as a whole, and the iivilisation it has developed. They are \vell behaved, law abiding, intelligent, ecr> aemical, and industriousr—they can learn u-ything and do anything—they are punctiliously polite, they worship talent, and hey belive in right so firmly that they scorn to think it requires to be supported >r enforced by might; they delight in literiture, and everywhere they have their literary cluba and coteries for hearing and: ■liscussing each others' essays and verses; they possess and practice an admirable.system of ethics, iind they are generous, charitable, and fond of eood works; they never forget a favour, they make rich 'returns for any kindness, and, though they know money will buy service, a man must ,b.3 more than wealthy to win public esteem md respect; they are practical, teachable, and wonderfully lifted with common sense; they are excellent artisans, reliable worknen, and of a good faith that,eveiyono acknowledges and admires in their commercial dealings. In no country that is, or ••vaii, has the commandment. 'Honour thy ■"ather and*thy mother,' been so religiously obcervod, or so fully, and -without, exception, given .effect to. and it js in f;ict the keynote of their family, social, official arid national life, and because it is so 'Their lays are long in the land.' Gad has given them respect, and not contempt, concilia-: tion and not dictation;appreciation an! not differential treatment. Tiy this prescription and you will have a healthy body politic, and until this is done it wijl'be the reverse." ' ~' .•'*;■

Tho p.s.' Aotea sails for Pipiriki on Tuesday morning at 7 o'clock.

The Borough ratepayers are reminded that on all. rates- unpaid after the 21st the 10 per cent, penalty wili be impobed.

The body of the young Maori Hiroti Haimonn was lecovered yesterday from the Wangaehu River.

In the polo match, New Zealand v. Victoiiii, played on Friday, the former won, after a close, game, by tour goals-to, three.

• Mr J. ,H.- Kees'ng holds an unreserved auction'sale at noon to-mcrrow at the residence (Hr.lswcll Street) ot Mrs A. Campbell. All partieuiflis in another .column.

' The annual' "St. Pa-trick's Day concert takes place at tho Oddfellows' Hall this evening. The programme (published in another column) is a lengthy one, and incAudes itema by some ot" Wanganui's best talent.

The Band Contest Committee advertise in another column for all accounts, to be rendered at once, as they wish to balance up at the earliest-possible date. They, will also bo pleased to recc.ve promised outstanding subscriptions for the same reason. The Mon W. S. Feilding, Canadian Minister of Finance, submitted the Budget, showing a surplus of eight million dollars for last year over ordinary expenditure. The Estimates of the surplus for the current year are over six million do' Mars. He announced that no change would be made in the tariff.

Tho p.s. Aotea made mi excursion to Pipiriki on. Saturday morning, returning yesterday afternoon. A large number took advantage of the Company's canoe service to the upper reaches. Among the passengers were Mr Brown (Mayor of Oamaru) and h'.s wife. .

Tho Mayor of Dunedin has received a reply jfrom the Inspector of Prisons with respect to Me petition praying that the jury's recommendation to mercy in the case of Sarah Fogo, convicted of the murder of her husband, be given effect to. The replystates tliab'the :Minister ■■pan, see no",sufficient grounds to justify him in .recommending His Excellency to comply with the request further than has already been done.

In connection with the annual meeting of the N.Z.R.A., which opens at the Putiki Range on Thursday next, the Government is -giving £36 ixr'prizes to .returneld members of. New Zealand contingents.': It was hoped that there would be a number of competitors for this event, but, presumably owing to some misunderstanding, no encries liave been received. No entrance fee is demanded and all returned members can obtain free passes from the officers commanding, the The match takes place about the 25th inst-.

On Saturday and yesterday the Wairere put' ug^quite a record in river running, Uaving made two trips to Pipiriki and back in two days, equal to .a mileage of 240 miles. On Saturday the Garrison. Band invited a number of visiting bandsmen, the Contest Committee and Mr Code (the judge) to be their guests on. board the Wairere on a trip to Pipiriki, which took place yesterday. The excursion was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all those present. Yesterday the whole of .Messrs Hatrick and Co.'s fleet was busily engaged. The Wairere went to Pipimki at 7' a.m. with the Garrison Band and their guests, the-Ohura at 10 a.m. with about 80 excursionists, and the Manuwai at 2.30 p.m. with over 200 passengers; , .To-nwrow at 7 a.m. the Olrura goes do the> upper reaches beyond Pipiriki. Passengers should book at the office to-day, as only a limited number can be taken.

Graphic nccounV from the Sydney Re:eree of the 300 -Yards CMampionship of New South Wales recently decided ; at Sydney:—"Dick Cavill led from the plunge, but the Balmain champion—Bob Craig— compelled him to have it all out without the slightest let up from the beginning,to ei?d. Our Bob forged slightly tOt-he front, ,m<l his partisans, who mustered in great ;orce, cheered loudly ; but the Farm Cove '.ad is a plucked 'un of r ths,first water, as '.voll as a great swimmer. He put in a fewmuscular strokes—all power, from the dip >f the hand to the draw 'oUt^—arid lifted himself ahead, again. The full course was six laps of 45 yards each, and one of 30 yards. Kick-off after .kick-off the pair -sec-med to round simultaneously, while the

.velkin rang with cheers, and hundreds of incn shcok with ' excitement dangerously nc-.i.v the.cdgs of the platform upon which they stood. Into thelast stretch came the !/Wo sturdy, doughty swimmers,, straining nerve, mucsle, and limb for mastery. 'Craig wins!' hoarsely screeched dozens of throats, rendered thick anil frog-like though, continuous yelling. 'Craig.'s got him!' cams another roar,' as tlie 'great youncr swimmers.sped swiftly over the now rapidly ''decreasing space between them, Mid the goal each .was <frantically endeavouring to reach first. Oh- what a magnifi•ent struggle—one that I'll be bound will i.'f-ver leave the memories 6'ft-he hundreds •.rho saw it. A perfect din of cheering rose is Dick Cavill finished two feet'in front of ais frame opponent in 3 mins., 40 4-5 sees., Ihe fastest time ever 'recorded foi* the distance. Cr.iig swam doggedly and deter■■ninedly over every inch, and only tou'—ed tha ropo little more, than an, arm's length behind the brilliant young Australasian -haiwpion. Tho announcement. that the world's record had been lowered met with ■ieafening applause.