LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3185, 28 April 1871, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

4> City Council. — The adjourned meeting from last Friday will bo held at four this afternoon. Tiie Cits' Lamps throughout the town are now beginning to attract attention, and loot as if they were nearly ready for lighting, and \?o must say, look much better than might j have boon expected of built wooden lampposts. The lamp-posts on the Queen's wharf | are now being put up. Wool PuESSlNa.— Visitors to the Queen's wharf have now a new object to attract their | attention. The ship England is now getting wool pressed by the aid of steam. The old familiar hydraulic press is still in use, but instead of the customary gang of hands required ! for " wool jamming," a neat lifcfclt) steam engine and a couple of hands perform the necessary work in the most expeditious manner and with very little bustle or effort. The saving of time and labor is something considerable. The engine, wo believo, was brought out by the England, and has been fitted up bu Mr S eager. Gas. — The Australian Gaslight Company advertise tho meter price of gas in Sydney at 8s per thousand feet, without charge being made for the service pipes or tho use of the meters. Novel Business Cards.— Wo (" Adelaide Observer") huve received from a well-known country surveyor and land broker, who is now establishing himself in Adelaide, his business card, containing in the centre a well-ex-ecuted vignette photograph of himself. Tho idea is a good one, and we hope, for tho sake of our very able photographic artists, that the plan may be generally adopted. Tub inhabitants of the Upper Hutt have been shocked and grieved at a fearful accident which happened to a child of ono of the oldest and most esteemed residents. On Wednesday morning some of the children of Mr Craickshank wore amusing themselves by lighting fires, when the flames caught the clothes of Emily, one of bis daughters, and before her cries could be heard and responded to, she was dreadfully burned. She lingered till about throe o'clock, when death put an end to her sufferings. The afflicted parents have the earnest sympathy of every one in the district. An inquest will be held at the School-house, Fern Grounds, at 2 p.m. to-day. Paiiatjtanui Perm? Readings. — On Wednesday evening last, a new feature appeared in the favorite Pahautanui entertainment, in the shape of a local string and instrumental band organized by Mr Frederick Bradey. Tho performances of the band drew a Jargo audience and will doubtless make this season's entertainments more successful than those of any previous ono. Besides some spirited readings, Mr Robert Taylor gained considerable applause by a song in charactor. Mr J. Jones also sang a humorous song extremely well, und Mr Frederick Bradey rendered with much effect that beautiful uir " Her bright smile haunts me still." Why do not other country districts follow the laudable example which is set them in the Pauhautauui Penny Reading entertainments ? An UNFOBTtrNATE. — Some time ago a case was reported in this paper of an old Maori who was brought up in Wellington for living in a Btrange way in a cavern on tho Hutt road, but was released on the understanding that he was about to join his native friev.ds. Tho same old man is, we believe, still in the neighborhood, having pitched his enmp near a littlo stream known as Duck Creek, Pahautanui. Here he sits solitary day by day, before a small handful of dried sticks which constitute his fire. At night ho creeps into an adjoining shed, occasionally making a pilgriraago to the nearest house to beg food. Old, sick, poor, and helpless, and entirely deserted by his own kindred and race, tho life ot this unfortunate may bo hotter imagined than described. It would create an uncomfortable feeling if some morning tho poor old fellow wore found stretched out stiff and cold ; and as such an incident is not at all improbable, wo trust that thus directing attention to the fact may bo tho moans of inducing either tho police or some charitably disposed person to do something towards removing this solitary old pauper to more comfortable quarters. Oiiokal Society. — A rehearsal was hdsl last evening, the " May Queen" being still in rehearsal, although almost perfect. A number of the Orpheus glees wore also gone through, and ifc is expected tho Society will bo in a poiion to give a coucort in a few weeks. Kitchen Refuse. — A correspondent writes thus on tho above subject : — " A great nuisance arises in most towns from soapsuds, greens water, and debris from houses and kitehenß, until it can be carried away. But I would ask, suppose you got a man to first dig up 10 feet square of the surface of tho ground in tho rear of your premises (und every shop has got that much) say a spado in depth, and pour all your suds, greens water,

&o, &c, on the top of that broken surface, where will bo the nuisance if that same surface be turned up every morning, or even once a week ? You will answer, who will do that ? I will answer — The health of the town demands a By-law to compel its being done, and it ghould bo the duty of the Inspector of Nuisances to take his rounds regularly to every house once a week, so regularly that he will "bo expected a certain hour at a certain place or get the sack. Any person doubting the efficacy of the above plun has only to try it to be convinced ; but he must bear in mind that the surface of the patch must be frequently broken to bo thoroughly absorbent. Of course if ono likes to chango the patch every six months by making the first a garden, and vice versa, so much the better." ScANDINAYIANTMMIOUUNTS. — The following is from the " Hobart Town Mei'cury" of a recent dato : — Of the Gorman immigrants who arrived hero by the Figaro, about four months ago, there are still twenty-six who are inmates of the Immigration Depot, Liverpool street. Of this number, nine are adults and the remaining seventeen children under the age of twelve yeara. The Immigration Board lately determined to require that a small payment should bo made far the maintenance of those sfcill remaining in the Depot, and the adults and parents of the children have accordingly, since the Ist instant, beon paying for the rations supplied. The children are sent to the Central School, and are making fair progress in acquiring English. A large proportion of tho immigrants havo obtained employment on the East Coast, especially at Swanport, and their masters express themselves as well pleased with the manner in which they conduct themselves. One of the immigrants, named C. C. Paterson, is about to start a rope manufactory, and will commence work next week. In this he is to be encouraged by tho Government, who some time ago bought a quantity of /lax, which is to be converted into ropes. Tho requisite machinery lias been constructed under tho personal supervision of Mr Paterson. Paterson will be required to teach his trade to tho boys who nro now under sentence at the Cascades Training School. Blasphemy. — Tho Melbourne " Ago" records the following natural outgrowth of the recent Jonea' blasphemy case : — The Eev. James Pillars has been lecturing on blasphemy before the congregation of the Unitarian Church, Sydney, in connection with the recent prosecution of Mr Jones. The rev. gentleman concluded in tho following emphatic manner : — " I am, in a word, prepared to stand by Jones in all that he has said in disproof and disapprobation of the Bible as the Word of God, and of the Jews us his chosen people ; and if for uttering fearlessly and outspoken my opinions upon the subject, I am to be sent to prison, to prison will I go, and there, sooner than surrender my right to denounce error and superstition, there shall my bones rot. Mr Jones is not a blasphemer. A blasphemer is one who professes a creed in which he does not really believe, or who abjures a creed in which in his heart ho believes to be true. What is it to blaspheme God, if it is not to act before God a living lie ? I know of no blasphomy but the blasphemy of insincerity — of unfaithfulness to conscience, professing one belief, and holding another ; in a single word, the blasphemy of a false and lying soul." CoxoNiAli Wine. — We note the report of a sale in Melbourne at auction of 30,000 gallons in one line on private terms. Water Supply. — The Sydney City Council have decided to spend £80,000 on increasing the water reservoir at Lachlan Swamp. Suites Times for New Zealand. — Tho " Lyttelton Times takes a very hopeful view, which wo trust we may see realised, of tho effect that the return of peace in Europe will have upon this colony. Says our contemporary: — "Every' branch of private business will soon feel the effects of the cessation of tho war in the renewal of confidence, and the consequent revival of industry. Tho general improvement of trade throughout the continent cannot fail before long to stimulate the demand for, and to raise the price of, all staple commodities. At last, after repeated disappointments, it would seem that there is a fair prospect of an improvement in tho price of wool. The first outbreak of the war stopped tho tendency then manifested towards a rise, which, when the usual channels of trado are restored, may be expected to tako place. The prospects of flax — our next groat staple — are becoming more assuring. After the great disappointment caused by the severe reaction which followed a temporary fictitious rise in the price in London, flax is steadily reaching a point at which a moderate profit is left to tho producer. Without venturing to predict the course of the market, it is certain that there is a very lnrge margin between the price quoted for the best flax and Manilla, while every fresh report agrees in declaring that rope made from ono is as good as that made from the other." Co-operation in Farming.— A correspondent (Mitcham) sends us tho following rather rough memorandum, embodying his ideas on the above subject: — "Thankful for hints in "Kegister," March 8, on co-oparation in farming. All farmers should look into it ; but as we could not find a thousand minds of this stamp in South Australia, we may be content with twenty. Now, supposo, soy four men, or family men, were to advertise their intention to go out north or east to tako up land, but are desirous to inlist moro to make up to tho number, say twelve or twenty and that land to the extent of 200, 300, or 400 acres each shall be taken up ; that this land shall bo apportioned off by lot; that each shall erect his own dwelling on the same lot, but that the whole block shall be fenced soon as land is ploughed ; and this ploughing shull take placo only on one side, say to the half of tho land that needs moat clearing ; that a middle fence shall bo erected to protect tho crops from their own cattle ; thus tho ono-hulf would bo for tillage, the other for stock : and that this state of things should continue for five years, as tho case may be. Then each one shall fall back on this or thoir original lot. This would at once give a dairy for house and females, which lacking often is a sad loss; united work for boya and men on tho other hand, socuring comfort and every prospect of success to all. Each ono may till his own piece ovon in this way."