LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Western Star, Issue 1850, 10 January 1894, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Volunteer-.—'l I'.is afternoon the firing for Marksmen's bakers takes place on bhe range. To-morrow night the first parade of (he year will bi hoi', sifter which the annual general meeting of tie oompany will take place. Coming —The Caledonian Dramatic Society of Southland are going to i>lav '•' The Heart of Midlothian" iu the Oddfellows' Hall, Rivorton, on Wednesday next, 17th inst. The piece ran for two nights in luvercargill at New Year, attracting crowded audiences. From the critiques we have read of the performance, Ave e.m. safely say that it is well worth seeing, and should attract a crowded house.

Not the only one.—Mr Gladstone is not the only wonderful old man iu a public position in England at the present time His friend the Usurp of Chichester (Dr Durnford) is sevon years older, being in his ninety-second year; and concerning this right reverend nomgenariaa Mr Labeuchere, who loves not bishops, writes :—"The Bishop of Chichester was in high form at the diocesan conference tho other day, summing up tlig variois debates with admirable lucidity, and delivering a mo3t forcible impromptu defoaco of Freetrade. All Bishop Durnford's r?m»rks throughout tho conference were pervaded by the strong common sense for which ho h is always been so eminently distinguished araoog bis jGpiscppal brsthyfiD,"

Hospital Trust.— The monthly meeting was held on Saturday at the Hospital. Present: Messis Playfair, Ward, Port, Fr.wer. Hopcroft, and Hamilton. As all the seats on the Trust are nor. yet filled, Mr Piayfair was appointed interim Chairman. —The offer of C. 81.B 1 . A. Whiteford to supplv druas at prices hitherto charged by Mr E. Ward was acoi'pted.—Local authorities wrote intimating the appointment of Messrs Playfair, Woods, Hamilton, Ward, and Port to on the Trust. Soma smill works about Iho Hospital were reported on, and ordered to he attended to. Messrs Ward, Blockstock, an 1 Playfair were appointed a works committee. Accounts amounting to £L43lfo were passec 1 for payment. —The following presents for the month was thankfully received :—Mrs Blackstock, batter; A friend, parcel books; Mrs J. Vlills, fruit: Mrs M. Wood, fruit; Mrs 0. Richards, two bottles wine; Mrs R. Miller, pair fowls; Mrs W. Boniface, fruit; Mrs Taylor, fruit cake; Mr R. Bath, sack wheat. —The Surgeon-Superintendent'* report wis read as follows: —"Ib-g to submit the following monthly report: Admissions—Males, 3 ; total, 3. Discharges —Males, 4 ; females, 2 ; total, 6. Deaths—Nil. R maininst end of month males. Total treated during month —Twelve. Outpatients—Six females. The admissions were chiefly medical. Those discharged were cured. Those remaining are progressing as wall as can be expected." —The Trust then adjourned. Riverton Borough Council.—The monthly meeting was hold on Monday evoning. Present —Crs Ward, Hancock, Rowleo, Akhurst, Pankhurst, and Simpson. Cr. Ward, having signed the usual deolaration, was duly installed as Mayor of Riverton for the ensuing year. Cr. Akhurst congratulated his Worship on his re-eleotion, and complimented him on the manner in which he had fulfilled the important office. Several other counoille'S a'so spoke in eulogistio terms, after which Mr Ward suitably replied, and expressed the hope that thev would work together harmoniously in the future as they had done in the past.—E Blaokmnre, South Riverton, w*is granted permission to burn gorse on his I property.—The application of B. Sarago to erect signboard was granted subject to his erecting it the full width of the street, and placing a post at tho outer end to support it. —The Friendly Societies Committee, Invorcargill, wrote thanking the Council for having obtained them suitable gtoiind for holding a pio.'iic, and also for their kindness in miking improvements on it.—The Department of Justice intimated that in terms of section 9 of the new Licensing Act, the Wallace County Connoil had been appointe 1 the local authority to see it carried out.— T. Port, South Riverton, having been ordered to rem ova cross-fence off Church street, wrote requesting five wesks' time to do so, as ho wi*hed to ascertain road-line and side-fence it before doing so.—Granted. Regarding this application it was decided not to permit any wood to be cut on Church streot until the fences wereerected. —Robert Bailey, South Riverton, was granted permission to cut wood on Church street when the fencing referred 11 in Port's application was done.— Accounts amounting to £3l 3j lid were passed for payment. —It was resolved to notify certain owners of dilapidated fences within the town that they would have to make them substantia.—lt was resolved to call tenders for lowering the grade of Shrewsbury street —Tho Works Committee were ordered to report on certain works required at north end of Havelock street. —Crs Simpson and Akhurst reported to the Counpil re loans. It was resolved that new debentures be issued for £I3OO payable in ien years it five per cent. It is intended to raise the money locally, if possible.—Tho Council then adjourned. The Stock Act.—New regulations framed under the Stock Act come into force on the Ist prox. The most important alterations are as to the duration of quarantine for imported cattle and sheep, which is shortened v from 90 to 60 days ; tho removal of the pro hihition against the importation of pigs ; and the abolition of veterinary surgeons' foes in connection with quarantining, except in the case of ships' stock and ship*' dogs entering quarantine. The regulations provide that ships' stock and ships' dogs must be removed within 48 hours of their arrival in port, or else killed or otherwise disposed of as the Minister directs. Although the new regulations do not come into foroo till February 1, the amen led provisions as to quarantining will apply to all animals now on their way to the colony. C.A's Report.—o. W. Brown, commission agent, roports as follows : —Country Lands Improved farms within an easy distance from dairy factories are inquired for, and it is anticipated that after harvest the demand for all olassos of agricultural and pastoral land will be more active. Largo areas of Government land have been takeu up in the Waiau and other localities, and as there is the prospect of an abundant harvest with good prices for nearly all our products it is likely that settlement will proceed very rapidly in the Southland district. Financial —Money is obtainable on really good country security at from 6 to 7 per cent in large sums, small amounts at 8 per cent. it Grows.—The banks of the United Kingdom, numbering 380, have deposited with them 900 million sterling belonging to their customers, end it is calculated that a considerable portion (perhaps a fifth) of this vast amount will never be claimed. Numbers of persons deposit money without any intimation of the fact to thoir friends, and then disappear from the scene. A large revenue is derived from notes burned, lost at sea, or otherwise destroyed.

A Fiendish Act.—Samuel June?, glassblower, of Glossboro, N.J., became angry at his boy assistant on November 24, and filling a blowpipe with molten glis*, won ad strings of the hot composition around the boy's hands and wrist 3. Ho screamed for mercy, but Jone 3 showed none, pouring out the molten glass uotil his victim fell fainting find tbo blowpipe was exhausted. The coolins: glass tightly bound the boy's bauds and wrists together, and when it was broken the flesh foil away with it. It is feared that tho boy will die. His fellow operatives threaten to lynoh Jones, who is under arrest.

Corrupt Pit actio e.—ln connection with tbo petition against Sir Eobsrt Stout's elecr,ion for Wellington, it is interesting to note (says the O.D. Times) what sranll matters may upset an election in England. It may b« remembered that at the general olection Mr Frunk J.itne3, a brother of Mr Svdnev Tames, of Dunedin, was e'rcted for Walsall. A. petition was lodged, and Mr Jamos was unseated because, as we learn from Baron follo-k's judgment, a breach of the Act bad heen committed by supplying " hat cards." Tho card was made adaptable to place* in a lint. It h-id on it the portrait of the omdidatc and the words " Play up Swifts !" (an nJjuration to the members of a local cricket club, r,f which the candidate's son was a prominent member.) Tho oandidate paid for these as part of the election expenses, and in doing so was held to have contravened the Act, which provides against the use of music flags, oocade-", ribbons, or any othe'- marks of distinction, and the election wis declived V(id.

Links with the past.—The death announced the other flay by cable of the Earl of Lovelace, in his oigbty-ninth year, recalls fcbe fact that the first wife of the deceased nobleman was Lord Byron's only" child " Ada, sole daughter of my house and heart." The first Lady Lovelace died in 1852 and the peerage now falls to her son, hitherto Baron Wantworth, who was born in 1839 and who is, of course, Byrou's grandson. ''

Shearers rLEN-riFut.—The jSorth Otajro Times is informed tlmis the shearors encased at Ohrißtoboroh for Benmore station arrived aft then- destination on the 31st nit., an d started shearing on Monday mornine last The new arrivals w.re met by th 3 men who* struck who tried to persuade them not to start, bat this proved ineffectual, and shew" mg is on.

lot CoSSOIHXOhS SAKE-.A. , ettop 8 ; ~ <A lover of Chnst," wuh £t enclosed, has been received by the South Australian Hailway Commissioners. The letter stateg that nine years ago the writer defrauded theltail- (| way Department of 8s and his conscience was troublmg him he took this means reoomponging tfea for b lf aQ tj 9Bf

The Doojibd.—A Melbourne detective has made a foil investigation into the antecedents of the woman Kucrr, who lias undor sentence of deitb. for child murder. In detailed reports lip states that she is a womai of immoral character an 1 of hardened nature, but he found it impossible to trace with any ri'gre'i of accuracy the number of children vihn hud been entrusted to her care?

.Ex'i'iMO'iDirfA.itr—An extraordinary story cornea from Coolture, Queensland, vouohed by the minister and his wife. It is slat«d t'jata girl, aged 11 years, for some months ha 3 been pulling a larire number of splinters of wood from her hody. The number extracted is noirly 100 J, and sometimes ai mauy as 70 were taken out in one day. They were up to two inches in length. They caused no pain. Their origin is a'mystery.

There's death in the meat. —Persons purchasing brine-cured meat cannot b« too careful at this season of the year (says tho Hawko's Bay Herald). Mr H. Holmes, who was buried on Wedi-esday, met his death through partaking (sparingly) of a bullock's pickled tongue that must have been"turned '* when out into the brine. Peritonitis ensued, and then death. Threi doctors attended deceased" in his last illness, and each has certified th»t peritonitis was induced by eating decomposing meat. The circumstances were inquired into by the police, but it was deci led that a coroner's inquest was not necessary.

The Gkeat Libel Casb.— it Mr Speight's instigation the trial of the other ten counts in bis action against the Aire will be resumed without delay. As the preliminaries will not need to be repeated-, it is expected ths case will come on whoa the courts resatn* after their long summer vacation. A public subscription is mooted to pay the Age costs.

Sad Accident.—Ruby HaroomS, tbe six-ypar-old child of a Sydney builermuker, met with her death on Christmas Day in an extraordinary manner. While p'aying with her sister she fell on the floor Her mother pioked her up aud found that a large darning n'e/He which she hid in her nana wasbroken, and part of it stuck in the child's forehead near the eye. The child died shortly afterwards. Bulk v. Sack.—Says an English paper— Grain is conveyed from New Zealand to England more exp-nsively than from America, because in the former case it comes in sacks, which have to be opened and emptied; whereas American cargoes arrive in bulk and are discharged by a sort of steam dredg* r J which scoopi it cut and delivers it by tha shoots into tbe stores. This means much leal handling, and handling treans expense. All tbe wheat i 3 bought from bulk sample, and so every sack has to be emptied before sale." Short Shiuit.—Six masked men stopped a train on the Mississippi branch of ths Illinois Central road recently, and, taking t> colored prisoner, Charles 'fait, from the .custody of a Deputy United States Marshal, carried him from the car and shot him. Tats murdered bis employer, a farmer, last September, and had only just been cap* tured.

Telegraphic.—We received the followiag last night from Auckland: —Hariata Honghi a famous Maori chieftainess, daughter of Honghi the fomous Ngapuhi chief, and widow of Hone Hcke, the rebel leader in the northern war of 1845-46, has died at Kaikohe. —A case of poisoning has occurred in this city to a family named Colvin, six ia number. They dined off a leg of mutton, and shortly afterwards they were seized with severe vomiting. The}' also partook of jam roll. They are now confined to bed. Medical men have procured samples of the food to ascertain in what form the poison was taken.

—Dog Tax notice —Notice re strayed sheep —s.s. Nopier sails on the 15th —Notice poison laid for fowls —Caledonian Dramatic Society going t* play Heart of Midlothian.