Local and General

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 November 1912, Page 2

Local and General

Being ticklish saved Mrs Frances Justine, of Kansas City, U.S.A., from losing her purse when she was waylaid by two footpads. They oxtorted from licv the information tlnat her money was in the top of her corset, just under the arm. AVhen they tried to get it she hurst forth into peal after peal of uncontrollable laughtor. This so disconcerted the miscreants that they took to their heels. "When a policeman arrived Mrs Justine was lying on the pavement, very exhausted, but still laughing. A visitor who has just returned from ji trip through to Mokau, via Mount '-Messenger, and up the river. is loud in his praise of the beauties and attractions of tho route. Ho says he lias: travelled fill over Now Zealand, and has seen nothing to compare with tho scenery about Vroiiill, Onaero, Tongaporutu, Mount Messenger, and along the Mokau river, and thinks the district is riot doing its duty in failing to let the rest of the domnion and the outside world know of the pleasure and attractions of this easily made and comparatively inexpensive trip. Taranaki Xews.

A pool on the farm of Mrs JClli.s, Rrookhouso. Winsford, Creshire, was the scene of a remarkable conflict between a swan and a valuable Shire horse belonging to Mrs .101 lis, terminating in the horse being drowned. For some months a couple of swans, with seven cygnets, had made their home on the pool, iimd when the horse went to drink it appears the female bird made a savage attack upon it. The horse's forelegs became embedded in tho mud. and he was unable to move, the bird meanwhile having flown on his neck. The violent flapping of "the swan's enormous wings gradually stunned the animal and ho roll in the water and was drowned. Only two or three days previously the same swan attacked two cows, severely injuring them.

There will lie shown in the King's Theatre, Levin, on Monday. November 18th. and on Monday. November ■J"it'll., what are described by tin makers as "the two givalsel defective dramas ever produced piclorially.'; They are. "alive with interest, full of exciting mystery, hairbreath adventures, and thrilling episodes." The two productions are

"Zigomar." which is 3100 feet in length, is the first pari of the story. The second part (which is .'WOO feet ill length) is entitled Zigomar versus Nick farter." All patrons of tin King's Theatre who have not already booked seats .should do so at once, as the seats are filling up fast. Box plan at theatre from 10 to •"> p.m. Trices Is fid and Is. No evtra charge for booking.

.Mr J. .McCluggage writes to the Stratford Post: -"I see by your issue of the Ibid instant the Government, is reducing the men on th-' Whanganioinona railway work's, mid by Christinas the works will be practically stopped. It' this is so, the Stratford and New Plymouth business people should call meetings immediately, and strongly protest against the stoppage of this important line. It simply means if the works are delayed at this end and not at the Auckland side.' the line from Ongarue will be completed to the Ohura before this end reacheKohuratahi; then the whole of the King Country i nade goes !o Auckland, and Stratford will suffer considerably through the loss o. business. T would suggest that ihe Cbandier.s of Commerce .at Stratford and Now Plymouth should -all meetings in this town. Jfc is recognised by the Department, as nn° of the most important lines in the dominion."

In the DeiiU-hcs Museum at Munich is a remarkable technological collection of vast historic >'iiL:k.si. in which will be found an automatic trumpeter, built in 1810 by Friedrich Kaufl'man. The .apparatus, although over a. century old, .-fit' plaus tunes. The construction a'u operation are more remarkable IV good workmanship than for nie.-.iiii-ical ingenuity. A clock mechanism, actuated by weights, drives a dr,,m which is studded with pins, aLi ■• the fashion of a music box evl' idov Pivoted fingers are actuated by ilie pins to swing two sets of reed.s into operative position. These reeds are located in the head of the model. By means of the mechanism the proper reed is brought into position to permit air to flow past it and out into the trumpet, the air. as it does so. vibrating the reed and producing the musical note desired. Tho. bbist of air is obtained from a bellows driven by a motor. The number of pins on the drum wilT enable the trumpeter to piny six tunes.

.Some amusing stories of ]n",s experiences in Hie Australian backblocks were J'elated by Bishop Long, at a meeting of the Bush Brotherhood in Sydney last week. On one journey he met, a woman who had been waiting- 10 years to have Jier children baptised. »Sfie was a Roman Catholic, mid her husband a Primitive Methodist. so they had agreed to have the children baptised according to the rites of the English Church, by way of a compromise. In one village, devoid even of the usually inevitable "pub," an impromptu .service in a billiard-room held representatives of ftho Greek Orthodox Church, the Church of England, Presbyterians, Methodists, a Salvationist, and n Lutheran. "When, after much difficulty, they agreed that they could all sing "Abide With Mo,' a painful effort was produced by the Methodist singing it to one tune, the Salvationist, to a second and the Bishop and the vest of the congregation to ■a third. "However." the Bishop triumphantly remarked, "I think the Church of England fairly came out on top."

Now is the time to get in Arsenate of lead for fruit-spraying. J nave Swifts in lib., 21b., and 101b. jars. Call in and get quotations for -"y quantities up to 1001b. kegs. • F.O. Remington, Chemigt ' Itevin.

Tho benefit picture show in aid of the funds of the Levin Recreation Ground has been put off until next Thursday.

The Voice of Labour thus hits back: "There are now two classes of people uit Waihi—loafers and '.scabs.' A '.seal)' is a. man who works honestly for his living instead of loafing to get strike pay.''

Shannon is to have a visit from the Levin Amateur Dramatic Society to-morrow (Friday). The Soeioh will play "Alone in the "World," the piece that was so successfully staged at Levin last week by tho same company. "1 was glad to get away from South America. The corruption then' is frightful. I know something about the 'graft.' in the Fluted States, but it is nothing like what goes on in Brazil, Peru and Chili." The .Speaker was Mr It. lfoskcth. who arrived in Sydney by the steamer Frauknioro last week from Valparaiso, after a tour through all the Son ill American Republics. He said that there i,n> (perhaps no country in the world j more bountifully endowed by nature jthan South America. People would I always do well there, in .spile of had I administration, though they would do a great deal belter, of course, i under improved conditions. The Argentine and Imignny were decently governed. That was prn'bahI ly because they were "'whiter'' than j "Brazil. IVru, Chili and Bolivia. In these four Republics the people wrvc kepi, in a very backward state. in Chili only about one person in seven could read or write. There was a general want'of truthfulness about the people. He considered thai was their most marked characteristic. Mr Fisher, the Prime Minister of tin l Commonwealth, when at Auburn recently, touched for a moment on tlie question of military training. He considered there wore no people in ibe world more obedient to the laws than Australians were, and he hoped they would remember their obligation not only to love . their country but to allow their sons to be mi trained as to be able to light lor their country in time of danger, lie was not. a native of Australia, bin had been there some years, and he considered that there was no country in the world more callable of development into a land of the happiest and most comfortable conditions. At the Town Hall .subsequently. Mr Fisher gave it as his "pinion that if the Commonwealth was prepared to properly protect the country, and associate itself with New Zealand, and possibly Governments further away, there was a wonderful future before it. They '■ould .see that in this pari of (he world they gave an honest day's wages f ( ,r a fair day's work, thai no one wa.s crushed down who desired to lift himself up. and thus esiablish a democracy in fact as well a.s in name, where every man would be able to provide for wife and children in physical and mora! happiness and comfort. The Pri Minister added a few words as to the importance of members of Parliament becoming personally familiar with ■•very locality within the {'ominoiiwealth. ami with distant lands as "''•"• If public men saw .very part "f the Commonwealth jj would he well, but it would be equally a benefit if they could see other countries f'lr removed in order to be able to make comparisons which were bound to be Australia's benefit.

Save your roses and other plantby spraying them with "Cire:igol' which destroys green fly and 'various other pests. Non-poisonous and most effective. A shilling tube will make 20 gallons in a ivw minutes. Obtainable from 0. ,S. Kerdwell's Pharmacy.-Advt.