LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11729, 2 December 1905, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Business men are reminded that all business places, except factories, must close at noon on election day. The big dredge is at present engaged in deepening- tho berthago and clearing the sandbank at the Heads "Wharf, work having boe-n suspended on the flats for a few days to enable this to be done. In view of the international football to be played at Crystal Palace to-day between England and New Zealand, it will not be uninteresting to recall the fact that last season Ireland defeated England at Dublin by 17 points to- 3. We are asked to state the doors of the Drill Hall will be opened at 7 p.m. Ladies only and candidates will be admitted by sid» door. Tho queue system will bo observed. We beg to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of artistic wall calendars for 19U6 Irom the managers of the Natidonal Mutual Life Insurance Association, the Eoyal, and the. South British Fire Insurance Companies, and Messrs C. F. Millward tuid Co. Wo are indebted to Mr C. E. Hylton, Librarian, for the following details of books sent out from the Public. Library during the month: — Fiction 1537, history 34, poetry 5, general literature 47, travel 44, biography 33, science, essays, etc., 22, divinity 1, bo\md magazines 8, children"*, books 27, reference 2, magazines in parts 4, total 1760. The yacht Kia Ora, which went ashore at Opotiki, has, it is reported, been, sold to local parties, who expect to float hor off the beach outside tho entrance of tho harbour. From this it may bo inferred that Captain 0. Warwick, who was the only occupant of the vessel at the time of the wreck, the other members of the crew having left her at Tauranga, has decided to abandon the project of sailing to London and back. A good illustration of tho rise in the price of wool compared with the opening sales last year is supplied by Messrs 11. Matson and Co., of Christchurch. At the recent sale they offered 1132 bales, 1010 of which were sold at an average price of .£l3 5b p«r bale. Tho opening aale of the previous year had an offering- of 1107 bales by the ea»u> liv-m. A total of 995 were, sola at an average prico of .£l2 ()s 3d per bale. Both those prices represent sales inclusive of locks and pieces. Mr Hylton, register of births, deaths and marriages, has kindly supplied us with the returns for last month, which are as follows: — Births — Town and suburbs 33, country 3, total 36, against 31 for the same month last year. Deaths — Town and suburbs 10, country 1, Hospital 4, Jubilee Homo 1, total 16, against 14 for the same period in 19G4. Marriages — Begistrar 4, Baptist 1, Church of England 1, Christ Church 1, total 1, tho number for the same month la3t year being 16. At Mr W. G. Bassett's Opera House meeting last night, a question was handed up, asking if Mr Love, one of his employees, held an engine-drivers' certificate. Mr Love, who waa among the audience, stepped on to the platform, and emphatically protested against such a question as leading to create friction between employer and employee, besides putting himself and Mr Bassett in an \mfair position, adding, amidst applause, that he considered such an action, very unprincipled. A chance of witnessing an exhibition of real buck-jumping will, we understand, present itself to those- interested next Thursday afternoon, when, according to arrangements made, Mr E. O'Neill — who won the competition at the recent Show — will undertake to ride a half-brother to Dante. The horse, which is 12 years of aga. belongs to Mr G. F. Moore, and has never been handled. Providing Mr O'Neill succeeds in sticking to his mount for ten mimites Mr Moore will present him with a cheque for .£lO. It is intended that the exhibition shall take place on the "Racecourse, if possible, and that a charge of Is for admission shall be made-, the proceeds to go to the Hospital. No doubt a largo number of people will roll up to see the- fun, which should bo most exciting. At the Police Court this morning a saaman on the scow Maroro, named John Forbes, was charged with stealing 10s on the 30th November, belonging to another seaman named Byer. Accused pleaded guilty to the theft, which was a very despicable one. The circumstances were that accused asked Byer for Is, which he gave him from a box, which also contained half a sovereign. On going back to the box later on, Byer discovered that tho halfsovereign was gone, and communicated with the police, who found the accused ashore, and ou searching him found the half-sovereign. Messrs J. L. Stevenson and F. M. Spurdle, who were on the Bench., sentenced the accused to one month's imprisonment with hard labour, tho 10s to be returned to Byer. Accused was further charged with an indecent assault on a lad belonging to the vessel. Evidence was given by members of the crew, and the Bench committed accused to trial at tho next sittings of the Supreme Court.