LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 54, 1 February 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

R. Ph«lan, the weli-known swimmer, on- Wednesday afternoon (says the Otago Times) attempted to swim from Duned.n to Port Chalmers. He swam very well ,until , he reached Sawyers' Bay, when he had to give up, owing: to the coldness of the water. When taken into the boat he was very much exhausted, and could not stand. He had refreshment once on the way. The distance he swam was eight miles, and he was four hours and forty minutes in the water. The utility of the weather telegrams is somet&mos manifested. The other day, the contractor for the Oamaru breakwater began placing the caisson in position previous to putting down the last monolith it the head of the work. A telegram from Captain Edwin that bad weather was approaching, induced the contractor .to desist, and it was well that he did so, for next morning a heavy aea came rolling in, aud would have done considerable damage if the work had been proceeded with. A story is going the rounds that at the Melbourne exhibition the Governor being under the impression thac Professor Sample's peetormance was over, rose to leave, whereupon the professor, in his anxiety to show his Excellency all he oould do. convulsed the audience by loudly calling out, { Hold on, Governor, there's more yet' If any doubts had previously existed as to the professor's nationality this dispelled them.* In the course of an article upon colonial borrowing the Oamaru Mail remarks ; — . We view the popularity of New Zealand in the money market at dangerous. It is apparent that the ease with which we can borrow is}, tempting ua to involve ourselves to a serious extent; We must not flatter ourselves that our popularity in Home financial circles will be long lived. It is not New Zealand's substantiality that has weighed with the money lender, but his blank ignorance of our trae position. He merely looks at our revenue, but little dreams that so large a proportion of it i* produced by means of a grinding taxation of which we are fervently pray-, ing to be relieved. On Thursday af'ernoon a deputation of settlers from Wairarapa, including the Chairman of the Masterton Road Board and three members of the Wairarapa County Council, waited on the Colonial Secretary with a petition for the suspend sion of the Counties Act in their district. This memorial was stated to bo signed by three«fifths of the ratepayers in the county. It was represented that the County Council was receiving rates from all parti of the district and expending them only in some few favored localities. Mr Pick said he would examine the petition, and if he found that the proper conditions required by law bad been complied with, he would take the action requested of him. The scar which an unkind word leaves upon a great love may be invisible, like that of great sin upon the tisiues of a re# peutant soul : but, for one as for the other, life has no healing.