LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 July 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At tho ordinary meeting of the Levin Borough' Council on Monday evening the water works by-law will bo conlirmed. It wili come into operation shortly afterwards.

Although over a week has elapsed since headquarters were informed : n Wellington that everything was in readiness for the Auckland express to take water at Levin station, no reply lias yet been received from tho department. The station officials now doubt whether word, will bo received until after August Ist.

"Do you understand English?" asked his Worship of a native defendant at the Gisljorno Magistrate's Court last week. "Xo," was the prompt reply, which caused a smile. "Well, yon have made a very good attempt," rejoined. Jiis Worship.

There are .'SOB workers' unions in Xew Zealand, with a membership of ol,r)l!). The Canterbury Shcopowners' Union, with a membership of 508, is the largest of tho Employers' Unions, which number 120, with an aggregate membership of 3009.

During tllne year 1909 no less than 1790 letters and letter-cards were posted without addresses in the dominion, and 03 letters with libellous addresses wero intercepted. Twontyono thousand five hundred and eigh-ty-five newspapers wero returned to tho publishers.

An unusual suit has been entered in America against the directors ol an electric railway company. The plaintiffs, tho dairy farmers of Elgin, Illinois, are claiming damages against the company on the ground that the (lash mid roar of tho cars on the, out-of-town lines have a disturbing effect on the cows at night, with I lie result that the supply of milk lias decreased serionslv.

The Dead Letter Office was kept very busy during 1909. Xo less than 174,730 letters were opened and returned to writers. 19,238 wero destroyed, and 18G.39G wero returned unopened by chief postmasters. Altogether 428.7GG letters were dealt with, bv the department, as against 410,474 in 1908.

During the discussion at tho meeting in Palmerston North of tho Boxing Associations, on tho question of counting out, some of iho delegates maintained that the counting should bo done in a loud voice, or a. dazed man would not hear tho count. A local delegate, a.sked diow they would manage if tho competitor being counted out happened to bo deal' and dumb Tltcy had had a, deaf .and dumb boxer at tho last local tournament. The question proved a poser for tho delegates.—Manawatu Standard.

Mr T. E. Taylor asked tlio Minister (if Defence, tint other day, whether 1110 government would give the House an mit!t j rtnlcinthat the taxpayers would not he asked to pay the cost of, and that, money essential for loading, public works, education, etc., would not bo wasted in sending any men front the Dominion to share in any military display in England that may form part, of tho ceremony connected, with (he Coronation of His Majesty next year. Sir Joseph Ward diplomatically replied that tho best discretion of the. Government would be exercised. on this matter when if arose.

Mr J. S. Firming, a well known South Ota go farmer, interviewed in Timaru (his week, predicted that the price of .sheep would go up with a jump in the spring, and thai as much as €1 a head would bo pa-id for ewo hoggets. He had just returned from an extensive tour of the North Island, and he said thai sheep were scarce. There had hen an extraordinarily largo export of frozen meat during (he past season. There had been a big decrease in the number of sheep in tho country during the past few years, and in h'V; opinion + lnc dupvpnsn was a P'ood -deal Inrirer than wa.s shown o;i paper.

The Marino Doparfliient on Thursday received advice that t-ho Hinemoii had reached Hluil' witli the penguin oil gatherers from M.acquarie Islanders, and that all the men are well. Interviewed at I iiYercargill by a I'rc.s.s Association representative the men, who had been nine months on the islands, said they had lived mostly on sea elephants' tongues and hearts and Maori cabbage. The monotony of the -diet was their chief trouble. Their clothes wore out, and they wore blankets and skins. .Mr Hatch, for whom the men have been working, complains of statements that havo been niacin in connection with this enterprise and of the attitude of the Government in the matter. He says .he will explain to the public, from tho platform-

In the annual report of tho Post and Telegraph Department lor the year 1909 it is pointed out that letters and letter-cards increased 0.J2, post-cards 5.31, other articles 1.G4, and parcels 20.01 per cent, in 1908 letters anil letter-cards increased 11 .(Hi, post.-cards 18.37, other articles 11.82, and parcels 19.80 per cent. The average number of letters and letter-cards posted per head of population was estimated to bo 95.89. The average in 1908 was 91.37. The correspondii-nce of 9G persons or firms has been prohibited transmission under section 28 ol the Post and Telegraph Act,_ 1908. Money-orders may not be issued, in favour of such persons or firms. Twenty-three newspapers wore registered for transmission by post, and. 27 wero removed from the register. Tho declared value of parcels received from places outside tine Dominion in 1909 was C279,G81. as against .€323,181 in 1908. The Customs dutv collected amounted to C' 52.010 13s'8d. The declared value of parcels despatched to pi aces beyond the dominion was €33,071, as against €37,109 in 1908.

An extraordinary incident is related by a correspondent of tho Brisbane Courier. A black cat was accidentally shut up in the refrigerator of an Australian liner going llome. When it was discovered some distance on the voyage, it was turned into a white cat—-that is, its hair had turned white. It was an apparently trifling incident, but may have a really scientific significance." The Darwinian theory is that tho whiteness of most animals in tho Polar regions is due to protective mimicry of tho white landscape, which- enables them tho more easily to elude their enemies. Tho impression, given by Darwin's protective adaptation theory is (lint the whito environment in some way forces this change of colour upon the animals as a help to them in their struggle for existence. Well, tbis cat incident shows that cold in itself has the effect of changing a black cat into a whito one without any factor of mimicry or concern for existence, which probably would have been soon ended if the refrigerator atmosphere had been compulsory much longer to tho cat. A problem of temperature and colour is suggested by this incident, not only as regards animals, but men. a.partfrom mimicry or existence, in the Darwinian sense, and tho cat refrained its natural colour after getting back to the ordinary temperature.

"Rome folk" mislead yon. or trv to mislead you. Tn the end it will not ray. Most men ran tell .n hiVh-f»rndft hat when thov sec nn'l feel if; some men cannot. Tn Clark's TTnt Window to-d av are «simnlr\<; of pomo of the best fc.lt hi", makers in the world, namelv, " The TWmlino" and "Wondrows." in ->11 the latest shanks and skndos, W M. Cla rk guarantee? everv hat boneM from him will "give satisfartion." This flm! tho fym d of the maker?, nn fh<> hnf.s will nroteet any mar, not in the "know. 1 , 1 -Advt.

A writ claiming £297 Is 4d as dam ages for alleged breach of a papa, burning contract has been issued by Mr Jeremiah Cullinane against tho Wober County Council and will come on for hearing at the Supreme Court, Palinerston North, at tho sittings commencing 011 August 32.

Rose growers, and in fact all flower lovers, will bo pleased and interested by a special article, written for Tho Chronicle by an enthusiastic and especially woll_ informed cultnralist, which appears in another column of to-day's issue.

In tho Foresters' TTall, Levin, on Thursday, a social evening was hold among tho Foresters and Druids. A match at cribUagc with ten on each side resulted in the two rounds ending in a draw. Tho play-off was won by the Drunk. Supper was afterwards served, and an enjoyable evening wan passed.

Mr Ralph Rett it, who has been letter carrier in Levin for tho past few yearSj has been promoted to a clerical position in tho mail room of (he 0.1'.0. afc Wellington. Mr Rotter, who lias .acted as. letter carrier at .Tohnsonville, wift toko his place. Mr Pot tit's departure will bo a. distinct loss to local hockev.

The Manakau Land. Syndicate, which has ;i, big block of land up tho North Manakau road, has decided to fell a very considerable area this winter. The Otaki Mail states that a. gang of soino twenty to thirty men this week made a .start with the work, camping on tho scene. It is proposer! to 101 l about a thousand ;ic.i'es tliis season.

"It is not the Government's 1 n toil - lion to bring up tho tariff for revision this session. Rel'ore any ntli'inpt, is made to alter tho import duties ill limber, many interets will have (o be curefully considered." The foregoing reply was given by the Minister for Customs io an M.P. who desiied him to give, an undertaking thai, the tarilf 011 imported (imber would, be readjusted.

Tho headmaster of the Koputaroa .school kindly consented to act as judge in connection with tho essays wliic.h are written by the - boys of the Levin Y.M.C.A. at the half session, on the talks that are given every Friday evening, and ho has awardel the first pri/.e to I'hioeh Coppin. who based his essay on the benefits of Mr C. A .'Pearson's Open Air Fund. At last evening's meeting of the boys, it \vas decided to accept r'io kindly offer of tho Debating Soe'ety to take part in a • "comijet.i----t ion evening" in the Century Hall on Wednesday week.

Referring to the l'owellui deputation that waited on tho Attorney General last week, the Wairarapa Daily Times says :--"Nofc tor one moment would these gentlemen have sa.id one word derogatory. Oh. dear ,no! Hut for all that they must put/ themselves at the head of a. movement which almost thirsted for the blood of the -Judge. The sentence is certainly one of tiho best passed in recent years, and the extent of tlie protest, even from (he many level-headed men who joined in it, marks more than anything the moral courage of the man who pronounced it. The pretest is a measure of tho thoughtlessness, credulity and general invertebracy of the time. Tts failure ought, to be a warning to men to consider things in the light of principle, to realise fche logical consequences of respousib.lity. to study how in t'lin tempering of justice with mercy the whole proportion of justice be not left o it."

The. .senior team of the Kia To a 01 üb. Ofaki. for 101.0. will go down to football posterity a.s the most tired, most lackadaisical lot of young men ever got together in (ho beautiful little town which they d<> no honour to. Their habit of defaulting matches seems (o have become

'chronic. .Evidently there is some eni hu.siast, or perhaps two. amongst t ll('111. for iu> n,ntic« <>f In toiltioil to ■default their match against Shau'mii. jo-day. was given to the I'liion's Management Committee until to-dt.iv, the explanation being that until last night the enthusiasts were, hoping against hope that a team would, be "raked together.' However, the effort failed : and Shannon footballers were chagrined, this morning, by the telephoned information that ono. more default was to go down to Kia. Toa's black list. I'ossiblv Kia To a will feel easy about lie matter in view of (he fact that Shannon defaulted to them in. an earlier round.

Tlio Phil Walsh Dramatic C'omp;my. which paid a return visit to Levin last (•veiling, staged " The Drunkard's Daughter,'' which is ionmlcd <in liobertson's great, com-edy-drama "Caste." (~iiforfunate. ly the audience was only a small one. the I;itti'ily cold weather Jipparestly hfi 11 lc no inducement to residents to forsake their firesides. Xcvertheless, under somewhat discouraging circumstances, the members of the comp;iny played wilh a verve and confidence, that bespoke ihem to he not only thoroughly conversant with their parts, hut to he accomplished .actors. The plot- is well-known. Briefly, a gent leinau <(.h:> lion, George D'Alroy), *.M i Stuart MeKae. mariics a girl below Ill's rank in life. J1 eis reproached by his friends, and when his mother and cousin come to soe him they are greatly shocked. l!ut D'Alroy continues faithful to 11i.s wife. Jlo is

called to the wars, and later news is re-eived of his dealli, and there is general lamentation. One day, however. D'Alroy returns .safe and ••o ind, the news of his death having been based on false intelligence. And thereafter everybody is happy, and social distinct ions are forgotten. Mr I'hil Walsh as Papa Eccles was •••ii perh and proved himself to be exceedingly versatile. Miss Kva Marins Paigne as Esther was a fast in von rit?. Mr Stuart Mellai) in tli.'! character of the Hon. George D'Alroy interpreted a difficult pal l with manly emotion, and .displayed aptitudo for dramatic effect. Sam Ck-rridgo (Mr G. Gardiner) invested tli 1 piece with the necessary eoniedy, •and llr Dave Williams and .Mr Allan Sutro also sang humorous ditties witli effect. One of the principal cln.racf f-rs was that of Polly Eccles ("Miss Fannie Paigne). who caused roars of laug.hier. while Mis.s Eleanor Wade, as Marquise do St. Manr, ad 'erl a requisite touch of dignity tt> tin? flrama. ('apt. ll.awtroofMr Percy Mitchell) also played his part, with sucr-ivs. Altogether the piece was interpreted most successfully, and residents of the'district will I>/ plcase-d to know that Mr Walsh intends to-pay yet anotlie.r visit to Levin.