LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 399, 7 January 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The mail: train from Wellington reached Feilding thirty mintitcs lata yesterday. The belated arrival (states oUr Feilding correspondent) was due to delay in leaving' Wellington and to the heavy traffic all along'tho route. Mr. Saunders, of Rifigelands, Feilding, lias offered His farm of 2000 acres to tho Government for closer' settlement. The . farm is seven miles from Feilding, aiid a petition will be presented to the Government sliortly, asking that' tha land be acquired, Last evening about 5 o'olpek a motor ear owned by the Commercial Hotel ran into a tramear coming up Lambton Quay, ■.• Tho motor car- wasi coming into the Quay from Hunter Streot ; 'and the approaching ciir ivas not observed in time to provbnt a collision. Tile, howover, was slight, tho damage done not being of a serious nature. Tlid.outer part of tho forij-carriage of the motor car Was torn off, and tho tramoar was deprived of some of its paint. There are more ways ttian olio of blending' tea, but there a only one honest and right tray, and that Ib, to blend for quality, Many teaß ore blended for, valuo-Hhat, is, teas of certain prices are lumped together in order to make' certain of profit. Crescent Blend Tea la blendod, for quality, irrespective of the prices' of fho teas required to make /is blend. It Is a selentifio t combination of the dtroog robust teasof Darjeelmg and tho fine delicate teas of Ceylon. Two shillings', per. lb from all .stores.—Advt. . ' . For instructions, on the'latest and inoet'fc' coming-style of Hairtlressing, for Hair, Treat-;, ment, '1 ace Massage and Shampooing, visit Mrs., .Rollonto)}, Willis . Street (over Carroll's)., Personal attention, advice free. Tel. 1530.' C7BO

A report of tho annual meeting of the shareholders of the National Mutual Life Association, which appears elsewhere, shows that tho completed new business for tho year exceeded three millions.. Other figures connected with the year's work make interesting and gratifying reading. .

The Labour Department is sending to shopkeepers and factories copics of their respective awards, 1 Which, undor the Arbitration Act of last session, they aro required to post up prominentlv where they can bo read by employees. Those who neglect to carry out this provision ore liablo to a fine of £5.

■ A sea-borne bottle was washod ashoro near Otaki on Tuesday, and wan picked up by a Maori named Raika. Tub Dominion's Otaki correspondent states that it contained a message from the Corinthio, dropped overboard when the big steamer was ten days out from Hobart. Tno message boro tho signature: "Henri Swift, Marton." -

In tlioso troublous times of "garrottorn" it would bo as woll for "dynamitern" to bo careful. Tho latter reference is mado for the benefit of those alleged sportsmen who procure trout in an unsportsmanliko and ilk'gul manner. A rumour'is afloat that thrco men engaged on tho reservoir works at Wainui-o-mata lmvo henn oanght using dynamite in tho stream. Aft tliofo cases aro seldom secured tho action of tho Acclimatisation Society in tho mattoi' will bo watched with interest.

A group of tho Y.M.C.A. boys' department _ returned to town on Tuosday after spending tho Christmas and Now-Year holidays in camp at Otaki. Tho camp was situated at tho bench, noar tho mouth of the river. During tho stay a cricket match was played with tho Otaki team, the visitor's being! victoriqus. All speak highly of the treatment received from local residents, who entertained them, on more than one occasion. Tho first meeting of the New .Year will be held to-night, wnen Mr. R, Brown will address tile gathering. ■

Tho Prime Minister, in reply to a question put to him by a "Press" reporter, said that the lowest tender for the new Hermitago at Mount Cook was a long way above tho estimate, and as all the tenders wore so. high, and there had been a great cry for economy, the economists were going to bp given' consideration. Ho could'not say,'until his return to Wellington, whether-the present plans would bo s modified, or whether fresh tenders would be' ! called, but It was not proposed to accept any «f the tenders alresdy received.

"Boycott" is a very good dog as long'as he fights, but ho seldom displays the long-drawn tenacity of a Burns or a Johnson. He, is essentially a creature of ■ sudden collapses. His latest tumble-down is related by The !Dominion's Dunedin correspondent thus: : "Tho Fijian fruit-growers': boycott of Dunedin fruit-growers is finished. A thousand cases of Fijian bananas have come to hand by last month's boat, and a further supply from Fiji has just been received by .local merchants." • .

. Complaint: has been .made: that workers on the 1 Government Esjrerimental Farm at Wairaiigi are not receiving the wages ordinarily paid to farm labourers. A correspondent states that a number of men drawing ss. per day have boen dismissed, and that "new. ohums"- have replacod them at 3s. 4d. per day. Tho _ writer points out'that 3s. 4d. is a poor daily wage for ploughmen, and. asks if something cannot bo done to improvi) the position of these farm hands. :

On Monday last) states the Mariawatu "Standard," when the mail train was)passing the Palmerston : Post Office, one ot the mail bags , got blown underneath the wheels, with tho result that a number of the letters were scattorcd ; about Main Street and some considerably damaged. The staff, however, succeeded in collecting them all, and repairing the damaged ones, which arrived at their destination in a very patched-up condition. Judging ,by this, experience .it would be advisable. to, discontinue tho practice of throwing tho mail bags from the train iri'Main Street.' . .

" For ;many. yoaw past- the Wellington; Acclimatisation Society have sent : men ; out Catching young deer in the during the-.breeding season; The last expedition has now ended with a better return" than any previously; . The total number; secured was 21;; and of- that .number' 16 are. at -present doirigweil. They charge; of Hanger Dowing,'who was included in thbi party and seciircd 12 oxit of the total. In addition to those, got ~by tho society, Mr. W. Sutherland has;nine,that -lie is rearing for ; them. .Tho.'districts'to which-.they will bo sent have not yet bion decided.-

. The traffio.,on-the Waikaka .-railway is of. .gueh-ext-ent aa to warrant' tlio belief that the line will turn out to bo ono of the bestipaying branches in the Dominion, (says the Mataura "Ensign"). .The total amount of goods, carried to and. from .the : stations is taost satisfactory, but so far, the returns for the terminus at .Waikaka township and from Maitland aro the best The number of passengers travelling by the railway ,is also considerably above ;what was anticipated. This (a'dds_ the "Ensign") supplies, a, coihplete refutation 'ofthe 'statements of some newspapers that the line would not pay for axle .grtase.

.; A correspondent who' arrived at Masterton from. Manawatu' last evening reports thattorrential tropical downpours of ram are prevalent over the whole- country, extending from Otaki to Woodville ' and Carterton. Numorous rivers are in flood,' and two or three of them have, overflowed ;their banks. .With the Manawatu River - at' : its present .height, further, slips of earth in the gorge aro,\not unlikely, and..the old coach road through the gorge is unsafe eveii for pedestrian traffic. Sinco New Year's Day the rainfall in the Manawatu bush districts and Masterton counties has befen. close upon three inches. Farmers are profiting by 'the' increased growth, of pastures and'fattening of stock, but aro .losing .in other directions. .

Icy fear laid its hand on Mastorton some time ago. According •to our Masterton' correspondent's loiter tno taken to destroy the premises of a leprous Ohiiiaman seem to have been elaborate. . It may, therefore, be interesting to state that, the chances of catching leprosy by contagion ire!jail;\ A member, or 'i'hb i/oMixio2< scalf who! .visited .several leper settlements in the South • Sea Islands some time ago was credibly informed by;all the medioal attendants that there is practically only one way. of contracting lep-rosy—through-the alimentary canal. It is only when the leper begins handling "the otner fellow's" food that trouble: may be 'looked for. It'was in tiiis way that Jj'atlier JJamion j who went to live with the lepers of Molokai, was stricken by. the fell disease. And then only after seven years' residence on the island. ' '

Notwithstanding the vigilance. of' the police—it' cannot reasonably. bo . expected that' they' will catcii every; .offender— ft; good deal; 6S liquor is being rrom ; time- to tinfe; smuggled' 'into Oamaru ;",Csays tlie . ■'Mail";; : Tne ingenious methods of Bringing in the girog are worthy. of a better oaiiso. One ad'opt'ea'a ieii^ days ago'ivill take some, beating. "'An. evident "siy-gtogger 1 ! jviio was bringing'his'cargo in by tram got word tiiat he was' suspected. "'This put ' liiih on his guard,', necessitating tho aid of a friend to carry .out _ an", elaborate" • plan.. C On' .arrival at the station, the individual 'in question alighted and was immediately shadowed 'by .two officers or tho law. Tho offender immediately proceeded to tho : guard's' van, tinder tlxo • pretence of getting • his luggage, and was followed by a 'policemari. in'the tho " accomplice - jumped olf the train "with the Weighty portmanteau and wended his wa.y'unnoticed to a cab ill'waiting, which'at once drove off with'the booty, ■l'hp suspect,' finding out-the success of- his hoax, then moved on, leaving the policeman still waiting. The accomplices share of the proceeds, it is understood," amounted to a new suit. ; '

Dontal _ Conference delegates; will conclude thfeir business to-day, and niostof thenrwill •leave'for'their respective homes this evening.' Conference proceedings yosterday were foiv the most part Confined to discussions on technical matters.' Papers wero contributed by Professor Piokofill, of the Dental School attached to Otago University,-" and Dr. Cox. of Timaru.'-* The afternoon being "Wet, it was found necessary to abandon the proposed outing to . Seatoiin,' dnd' fmihor business was transacted.: Dr. A..E, Sykes, of San Franc'isco, continued his series of addresses on tho use of porcelain in dental work. A-lantern lecture occupied tho evening: it was delivered by; Mr. A. G. Carter, and had reference to various diseases of the mouth. It is expected that the conference will dose at about 4 pan to-day Officers will be elected, and arrangements' made for the■ nest -conference. This will probably take place in Dunedin durinc tho Easter of 1010. b