LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 March 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

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Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P. for the Hutt electorate, is definitely aninounced as a candidate for the Wellington mayoralty. An eighteen-year-old Maori girl committed suicide at Tologa Bay, as tho result of a love affair. Her name was Ivv Pomare. An inquest is being held to-day.

A meeting of ratepayers at Waipawa. resolved that it was not desirable to take a poll for the completion of the Napier breakwater until MiGeorge Nelson's scheme could be adeqrt&tely reported on. "You have saved my life!" said the old man, whom the tramp had saved from drowning. "As a reward you may have my daughter there. The life-saver glanced at the daughter, then bent again over the oM man."What are you asked the perplexed father, Going to drop you in again." At Palmerston, in two or three weeks time, >a tennis tournament for Maoris will be contested on the Palmerston Club's courts. A trophy for the event lias been presented by Mr Marumaru, of Rangitikei, and the teams to participate in the tourney will be representative of Ohau, •Hnwke's Bay, Wanenjiui Notiuti, Manakau, Aorangi, Parewanui ian<i Onepulu. . A steady stream of fat stock has been, pouring into the two freezing works at Gisborue, and conversion of live stock intb the frozen article has been procc&diitfg recently at the rate of nearly 5000 mutton carcases per day. From the Manawatu Standard we learii that new freezing works aro being erected I" the locality, and that a tender of £29,000 has been accepted already; for installing part of the machinery. In consequence of the advance in the price of New Zealand butter in London, where it is how quoted at from 120s to 1225, the wholesale selling price in Wellington, the Manawatu Even in- Standard points out, has gone up Id per,lb., being now Is OJd wholesale kind Is 2d retail. It may be remembered that a somewhat similar advance occurred m Auckland some two or three weeks since.

At Dunedin last week G. H. Barnes, manager, and A. Owom, conductor, of the Besses o' the Barn Band, fined £1 and. costs on each ot two charges of giving openair concerts at the Caledonian Ground _ last Sunday week without permission of the city authorities. tAs a race the British have particularly strong arms, which gives them a great advantage in battles decided with the bayomet. The following sample of English as it is writ" has been received by a Shannon tradesman (savs the Dominion correspondent):— '"Dear Bar.-Hi done aknoleg only one Pond laten. shilns (1 18s), wich you ca nave anytime, res (the rest)' Hi ave als (always) denied.—Yonrs etc. Our correspondent adds:— "It will come, as a surprise to most people to learn that phonetic spelling has penetrated to Shannon. The system has obviously certain advantages."

The Mines Department has been advised of the discovery on Crown land in the interior of the North Island of what appears to be a valuable seam of coal. As experts have reported favov.iably in regard to the samples forwarded to Wellington, a large area in the vicinity of the spot has been reserved from sale. The coal is stated to be somewhat heavier than the lignite found- at Tanpiri, but its steam in oqualities have not yet been testedT Further investigations as to the extent of the seam and the quality of the coal will bo made at an earlv date.

At tho Mayor's meeting on Saturday evening at the Town Hall. Werarou. Mr H. ,T. Richards dwelt on the desirability of retuminc Mr Venn as an associate with Mr "Gardener. Mr Venn, the speaker remarked, had done a great deal for them in the waiter of hospital reform agitation, and would bo a valuable colleague to Mr Gardener. Mr J. McLeavey objected to the introduction at this juncture of Mr Venn s name, on the ground that they were only dealing with tlie candidature of. the .Mayor. As no formal resolution was submitted, the matter was not pressed. At an unregistered Maori race meeting held at Tokomaru (says the Gisborno» Herald) somo amusing scenes were, witnessed. In one ™e ,a horse with the peculiar name of Hot Stuff " «vas a contestant, and was heavily backed, especially by the Maori women,'and when Hot Stuff came in first there was great rejoicing. The lucky ones, unable to restrain their pent-up excitement, burst forth, into a stirring haka. In a following sprint, however. Hot Stuff suffered defeat, and having been supported almost to a. man by the Maoris a very different tune greeted the liorse as he tailed behind the others.

A Ngarere farmer agrees with the Dairy Division _ experts tliat New Zealand is losing annually a very large sum (of which Taranaki's share is a full quarter of a million) owing to the inferior charactcr of many of the dairy cows. -He told a Star reporter on Tuesday that he knows from experience that n little car© in selection and breeding would make an immense. difference in a very short t;me, for within a period of five years he liris by this means increased his out-turn of butter-fat by at loast 25 per cent.. He lias 110 more land than lie bad and no more cows, but he has improved the productiveness of his herd. Tt is announced that ia French squadron of five, cruisers will visit the Pacific this year, calling first at Saigon amd then Hongkonf. Shanghai, Nagasaki, .Yokohama, Chemulpo, Vlndivostock, San Francisco, the principal port,of the West Coast of South Amerita, Tahiti, Noumea, Sydney and Ratavia. ft will be composed of the .Montcalm (10,000 tons), the Duplex C 7700 tons), Kleber (7700 tons), Desaix (7700 tons), and Admiral Cliarnor (4750 tons), aiul "will'bo commanded by Rear-Admiral ■ <lo Caetrios, ami manned by 87 officers and 2150 men. The squadron was due to leave Brest, France, at the end of January, and should be in these waters about November.

Seafarers are not generally so superstitious as they.wore prone to be in the good old days. Several of the vessels berthed at Pa tea the other njght were the subjects of a strange visitation (snvs a' writer in a The captain of a Wellington steamer was awakened by his ultra-r-espectailile engineer ordering a woman out of his cabin. .The skipper thought his friend was talking in his sleep, hut when he looked out' of his Cabin he saw a female figure, clad, iu white, moving noiselessly about. This was too much for his nerves, so he scuttled back to his bunk. ' Later he heard a crasli outside. • The-master, mate and engineer mode a prolonged !?arcli, but could see nothing unusual. Eventually they found a tvomaii-on the floor of the forecastle where she had fallen and had laid for some time. She was clad only in her nightgown and had a shawl over Jier head. The men in the forecastle did not like to get out of their bunks to examine the "ghost" j'ho turned out to be a lady with , an abnormal thirst in quest of n. drink. She was. sent ashore, and later scared the wits out of the captain of another vessel by grabbing him through the port-hoie.

Entries for the Otaki Autumn Horticultural Show close to-night with ';he secretary, Mr Penn, of Otaki. Entries posted at Levin today will be accepted. A , visit of the Levin Y.M.C.A. boys 1o the Wellington Y.M.C.A. boys' camp at Otaki is mooted for Easter Monday. A meeting to consider Hie proposal is called for Wednesday next. Polling for the election of representatives for the Wellington District Hospital and Charitable Aid Hoard takes place on Wedne : iay, and it is to be hoped the rat ayers will not overlook the impo. cance of the matters at issue. Mr A. H. Rollo will address the electors of the Borowhenua County at the Druid;' Hall; Shannon, to-night, and at Levin Town Hall on Tuesday. A good deal of criticism is being passed upon the hospital administration just now, ana. in this connection the Mayor of Levin made «a vigorous speech on Saturday evening. The election is causing considerable interest in the district. One of tlie most interesting incidents connected, with the vice-regal visit i:o Nlelson, says the local Colonifit, was the unveiling of tlie memorial portrait of the late Huria Matcnga, at the Suter Art Gallery, the ceremony being performed by the Governor. The portrait, which is fron the brush of Mr G. Lindnuer. ;ui N artist of considerable note, :s a faithful likeness of New Zealand's Grace Darling, and makes a most .appropriate memorial of her heroism on the occasion of the wreck of the ship Delaware at Peppin's Island. Tn handing the portrait to tlm trustees of the Gallery, on behalf of the subscribers, Mr Webster pnid a tribute to the enthusiasm of Miss Nina .Tones, the secretary, whose efforts bad been largely instrumental in procuring the memorial. The portrait was accepted, on behalf of the trustees, by Bishop Mules, and Lord L'lunket then unveiled it, making an appropriate speech.

Dai 17 farmers who are 011 the look-out for a good, actv-'e disinfectant for their yards and sheds, will fir d " Zotal " a. highly concentrated fluid, far superior to many of the old-fashioned disinfectants in use. Half a cupful to a gallon of water is all that is required. In quart wttles and gallon tins from C. S. Keedwell's Pharmacy. 23