LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 March 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr Spencer Gollan, the well known New Zealand sportsman, arrived by the Mongolia from England, after a lengthy absence from the Dominion in the Old Country. A young albatross, measuring sixfeet across the wings, was caught on the Hokio beach on Saturday by a young man named Mudgawy. ft is intended to offer the bird to the "Wellington Zoological Society. " Well, did you follow my advice and eat plenty of animal food?" said the doctor. " Yes, sir, I got on nil right with the oats, but the chopped hay took a bit o , gettinig down." A ninth of an acre of land, upon which a building is erected, changed hands in Hawera recently at -~.>n\. Allowing that the building is worth --JO, the hind value pons out at over £1000 an acre. The land is in a side street. Mr W. C. Nation, who is president of the New Zealand National Association of Spiritualists, leaves Levin to-morrow for Christchurch, where delegates from all parts of tho. Dominion will assemble for the annual convention. Mr Nation will be absent a week. King Try won .the principal race nl the second day's meeting of the Westpnrt Jockey Club. Investment, owned by Mr C'olvin, M.P., \\ is second, after having won the opening event (the Miners' Handicap), from Wairarapa and CV/ntiiiwho filled the places. At the tennis tournament that is now in progress at Adelaide, t- » Australasian 'doubles champions , !:') was won' by Hice and Catnpbe'i (Xew Smith Wales), who Heath, (Victoria) and O'Dea 'P-μth Australia), 6—3. (>- I, 7— 5. Private advices have been ieceived in regard to the contest between T. Tracey, of Wellington, and ]'. Hollo, of We.stport, for a purse of C.50, on Saturday night. Tracey, it is reported, innvd ihe pace from the jump, and in th<> eighth r und. Polio's backers Mi t.v in the towel. This is the third time the men have met. O.'i the first rceasion Tracy won or. points, and i.'i the second meeting Hollo was awarded the victory on a foul. At liicarton racecourse on Monday mo ruing, according to a Cliristcliurch telegram, Flitaway, looking well, and Husbandman separately, compassed a circuit at three-quarter pace. Sharpshooter anl Madam Madcap put in a working gallop over seven furlongs. J'ikitere went twice round at half pace. Tioyala showed to more advantage than Ratepayer. Southern Cross had ji schooling task over five flights. The Hon. J. D. Ormond's (|iiartette— Forniby, Sir Tristram. Selene, and Parula— were out, all looking well. In yesterday's issue of the "Chronieb '' there appeared a one-column advertisement from the D.S.A., a l< ng-e.'stabli.shed drapery firm, of Cuba street. AVellington." A representative of the firm is coming to licvin to-morrow afternoon, and at 10 o'clock on Wednesday morniiiur he will open up his goods in the sample' room at the back of the Levi:i Town Hall. Tt is a special line of costumes that is to be offered : all English tailor made and all guaranteed by the firm's representative as being of first-class quality. To quote the words of the advertisement, "they are the newest and tho best." Thirty ! navy blue Rnglish tailor made costumes and thirty English sample tweed winter coats comprise the total offering. In Melbourne, Victoria, Mr Crooks. M.P.. was replying to the toast of his health, proposed at a luncheon tendered to him at the Federal Parliament House, and made reference to the Press. Hβ said h<! left home for a little rest, but tlie moment he set foot in Canada, a man came up to him and said, "T represent the British Weekl.v." He replied, "Do you? T represent them daily." At Vancouver, some one rushed up and said, "I represent the World." Hereplied, "Good gracious, so do T; we can have a good talk together." The m.'in then pointed out that he meant the newspaper, and Mr Crooks them said that he considered it the greatest country that ever Wfis, and asked would that do, or should he say a little more. The interviewer replied, "Yes. that will do ; T will fill in the padding." Commenting upon the dying rally of the Leasehold Party, the Farmers' Union Advocate' remarks:— "Perhaps the leaseholders are wise in not starting a campaign, but we are sorry for their discretion. Except perhaps Messrs T. E. Taylor, Hogg, find McLaren, none of those favouring the leasehold would make much show on the platform, even, with a good cause, and with a decaying one they would be failures. Mr Taylor by bitterness of attack might create a. sucess on side issues; or Mr Hogg, by loud-voiced, indiscreet disclosures, might excite a passing favourable decision; but the whole campaign would only bo a make-believe. -We should have been glad to have seen it, so that our opportunity would have occurred. We must now wait for a more convenient season."

A Minnesota man has patented a brush in which the -bristles are mounted on a wire form in such shape that the inside of the shoulders of milk cans are cleaned easily. As the chemical manufacture of dyes has made the indigo business unprofitable, the plant now is raised in only twelve districts of Burmah, and there chiefly for native use. The Southern Standard states tlwt the rabbit pest in the country is more prevalent than for some time past. As much as 7Jd per pair is being paid this year to rabliiters, some of whom are making as much as £2 per day. Every mornin gboys > attending school are to be seen taking their catches to the market, and some of them earn good pocket money by this means. Says the Sydney Telegraph :—As a general rule, the business man who carries his business methods into the arena of agriculture succeeds; he keeps careful records of liis dealings from day to day, and is able to tell exactly how each department of his farm pays. Moreover, he enters the field with an open mind, and is prompt to ..take advantage of what the conservative farmer would frequently contemptuously reject as a "new-fangled notion." A recent report on the Auckland City chaff market states that the wet weather has hindered the machines and the result is a shortage of stocks, and a difficulty i.s being experienced in filling orders. The price has advanced amd the farmer is holding out for higher money, a'id in consequence little business is being done. Blenheim chaff has <*ot' too high to come to this market, but it is finite probable that Melbourne will become a competitor ere long, in any case from present prospects the market has advanced to its limit. Incredible as the statement may appear, it is none the less true (says the Paris oerrespondent of The Times) the reign of bridge is over. The noble game is dead, after a glorious career, and even those.who accused it of killing the art of conversation in France are to-day among its disconsolate mourners. Jn the chateaux all over France it is not bridge, but "puzzles" that are being played mornafternoon and night; while in Paris the craze is in its most virulent form, and no other game has any chance of consideration. This hint may be of special benefit to Horowhenua dairy farmers: Reference has before been made to a supposed antipathy that flies have to anything coloured blue. The Journal d'Agricultnre Pratique makes the same statement, and cites an instance where a farmer had 170 cows housed In different sheds. One shed had the walls covered with a blue tint, and in this the. cattle were not worried by flies, though in the other they were postered with them. He "blued" the other sheds, and the flies departed. His roeipt foFmnking the mixture was: 20 gallons of water, 101b of slaked lime, and lib ultramarine. Mix all together. The prices ruling in Tooley street for New Zealand butter are a record for this time of year. Last week quotation was 128s for choicest New Zealand, while a year ago the price was only IOGs. these high prices will mean" large profits to our dairy farmers, but there is another view of the position thatmust /not be overlooked. When prices reach" a high altitude, consumption declines, and many people turn to cheaper grades of butter uid to margarine, nnd, generally speaking, it is difficult to win back this trade. A steady level of values is to be preferred, but tliat i.s in ideal impossible of attainment. A demonstration of the best methods of judging various kinds of stock, is being arranged for at Hastings, when several gentlemen —■well known judges of stock—will explain to those present the points of the animals under <T?soußsion. The ywill show whv one should be placed before another, and demonstrate the important points to be looked for in the different breeds. Lincoln, Romney and Southdown sheep; Shorthorn cattle nnd draught horses are to be taken, bv such men as Messrs Campbell. Wheeler. Little nnd others, .so that it will be well known judges dis'•oursing on the breeds on which they can speak with authority. There were all the elements of a tragedy in the breast pocket of one horse owner at Oroua Bridge last week. The Mnnawatu Standard states that while one of the officials of the club was conversing with a visitor the official noticed the butt of a revolver showing in the breast pocket of the owner. Without ceremony the official grasped the gun, but lie was not allowed to obtain possession of it till a threat to pull the trigger induced the owner to let the weapon go. It was loaded with ball cartridge, i> l four chambers, and during the rest of the day was kept in a safe plac in the secretary's office. Whn! was intended to !>>• done with it the deprived owner knows best, but th:> incident was certainly pe'-nliar. The matter rf niergini road, boards with the county cropped up ■it the last sitting of the' Paten Council. The secretary stated that petitions for merging into the county ln:l boe.n sent in by ratepayers from the Patea West and Patea Road Boards, but nothi;i</ further had been (Viie in the matter. Mr G. V. Peare. (chairman) read a clause from the Counties Act, showing that it would be, necessary, before other steps could be taken, for the ratepayers to advertise their petitions one month. Then the council would, give its consent to the merging nnd pass a special order taking over the two road hoan\s. It is understood that the ix'titiuifi will be n Ivertised immediately. Tho peaceful dsrul level of politics has been broken by the leasehold outburst in Christchurch headed, one observes with a sort of wonder, by the Hon. J. T. Paul, -.L.C. (says a Wellington correspondent). Fourteen were present in Christchurch at the appointed hour, and twenty, it is claimed, were accounted for. ft i.s perfectly plain, however, that these accounts require auditing. For example, I observe that Mr La wry was accounted for, and I remember that he got the Government out of rather a tight place last session by voting against his brethren of the leasehold. There are doubtless many of the twenty whose belief in the leasehold is nearer the academic order than tho fighting stamn of tho out-and-outers; who, by the way, did not determine to fight. Before the end of the session they had drawn up a programme of campaign in which they were to witch the world with irresistible oratory under the leadership of Mr Laurenso.li. The result was to have been a popular mandate, so irresistible that there would have been unanimous leasehold voting in both Houses. But now it is Mr Paul in the lead, and the party of the leasehold, only fourteen of which were uncompromising enough* to put in n&i appearance, has resolved to lie low until the Government brings down the Land Bill which it did not bring down last year. Tt is a strange turn of the whirligig.

Pastoralists of the Horowhenna District will be interested in the information that there is evidently a shortage of sheep in the Oamaru District and, plenty of feed. The Invercargill News reports that several sheep buyers have been in the Gore District on the look-out for good store sheep for Oamarn runholders. No fewer than ten truckloads were consigned irom the Riversdale station to Windsor, near Oamarn, last week, ;md there are more to follow. A cablegram from St. Petersburg, (luted 20th March, states that there- is an epidemic of neurasthenic suicides in St. Petersburg. Two sisters named Kollman and a friend Mile. Lauriez, drank poison after playing Chopin's "Funeral March," and left letters stating that they were tired of life. Fifteen other suicides, mostly of girls, wore recorded yesterday, and on an earlier day there were twenty-nino. including sixteen worn on and three children. A good story is told of a Yankee skipper who wished to free his ship from rats. While he lay iji port he discovered that one of' the British- ships , in harbour had anion" her cargo a quantity of cheese. Ho thereupon found an excuse for hauling over to her and mooring his own packet alongside. Ho then got a plank, smeared it with a strong .smelling preparation of red , heri,ng, and placed it through one of tho ports of the English. The result was a wholesale migration of the American,s ship's hold to tho cheese-laden vessel alongside. The cable news wliich came through from London tho other day tells us that Tom Browne, artist, is dead. The Foilding Star observes that the world could better spare a hundred politicians, four monarch's, seven hundred warriors, and all its prize-fighters than it could spare Tom Browne, whoso humorous studies in black and white have added to the gaiety of nations, and no more will ' we laugh over his , skits and his Comic Annual. He was only 38 years of age, and much hi lighter ' that can ill be spared goes with him to the tomb. , News has been received in Christchurch that Mr 1 , . F. Darcy, general secretary of the Shearers' Union, was safe. The information was contained in a brief telegram from Mr F. Ellis, secretary of a number of unions in Christchurch, who left Sunday evening with Mr Larracy (one of the executive of the Shearers' Union) for Wellington to make enquiries regarding" Mr Darcy. The telegram contained no particulars, aiiid simply stated that Darcy was all right. Tho body found on the beach near Wellington, and supposed to have been that of Mr Darcy, is still unidentified. "Say," remarked one Government clerk to -another. "I'm up against it good and proper." "What's the -trouble?" queried G.C. Xo. 2. "I got two medical certificates from two different doctors yesterday," explained the party of the first part. "Ono was a certificate of health for a life insurance company, and the other was a certificate of illness to be sent to my chief with n petition for .two weeks' leave of absence." "Oh! that's nothiiiig," rejoined his fel-low-clerk, "I've done that myself." "Yes," continued the other, " but I mixed the certificates in mailing. The ill-health certificate went to the insurance. company, and the certificate of good health wen.t to my chief. See " Mr W. Derrett, the retiring chairman of the Patea Hospital Board, in taking leave of the members at Wednesday's meeting, said he was strongly in favour of women having seats on hospital lioards Ho pointed out that the Minister nlso was of this opinion, for he had stated that there would be provision in the new Act for committees being set up for assisting the hospitals, and had expressed the hope that the committees would not consist of men alone. Mr Derrett laid he did not say that women should be elected as members, but he thought that thev might he annoiuted to help the boards with their counsel, and if the right women were chosen they would, be of creat assistance to the boards. He knew that his opinion was not shared by all, but had he been a member of the new board he would have worked in the direction of letting women represented on tho board. J.he retirement of the horse from the streets of Lo'iulon is proceeding :it a good round trot (says Sir 11. \V. Lucy). The omnibus companies are at brief intervals disposing of their stock in batches of a hundred. There is something pathetic in the .sight of drivers of fourwheelers and hansom cabs sitting forlorn on their boxes on the street dands, whilst on the near side mud the off there pass at full speed taxi■abs filled with pleased faces. Perhaps the bitterest moment in an idle lay befalls when a taxi-cab, condescending to pull up on the rank, is almost immediately hailed for service, whilst men who have sat on the look out for hours remain unemployed. In divergent directions the influence.of the new departure is felt. Disestablished drivers, stablemen, and cab-washers drift into the ranks of the chauffeurs, some in the end. making a better thing in the way of But the saddlers, one of .the moet ancient working guilds of the country, are sorely hit by the change, jf wider national importance in the pretlicamant in which the army Inds itself by reason of the shortage of the supply of horses. For nanv years it has been the custom if the War Office to obtain a lien m 'bus horses, paying the companies a certain sum per head, establishing a claim in time of need. This proved of immense value during the Boer War, the seasoned London 'bus horse doing invaluable service with the guns. With the nrospeot of the animal soon becoming as extinct as the dodo, the War Office authorities are perturbed. Delicious summer beverages can bo quickly nnd easily prepared for this thirsty weather by the use of Sharlami's Pure Fruit Extracts. Raspberry, Lemon, Pineapple, and Raspberry Vinegar are the favourite flavours. Obtainable from C. S. Keodwell's Pharmacy, in shilling bottles.'—Advt. 5 Hudson and Marriott, Ltd., will sell a first-class American organ at Mr 0. P.ilk's sale to-morrow.— Advt. —_«-——.