DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 148, 19 April 1909, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

At a meeting held at Christchureb on Wednesday last, to consider a motion endorsing the action of Cabinet in respect to the Dreadnought gift, a disorderly scene was created. None of the speakers were given a hearing, and a Union Jack, at one corner of the platform, was torn to shreds. At a public meeting, under the auspices of the National Defence League, held at Auckland on Wednesday evening last, the following resolution was carried: —"That while congratulating the Government on its desire to introduce a National System of defensive training, thh meeting believes that nothing short of universal and compulsory military training of the youth of the country can prove (effective for the defence of the Dominion."

The cutting on the Te KuitiAwakino road between the three and four miles from Te Kuiti is now being metalled, and should be in a good state to stand the traffic of winter. The recent fine weather has provided the opportunity to have the work carried out and what promised to be a bar to traffic will be one of the best pieces of road in the district.

Messrs T. Burd and A. Julian, District Road Engineers for Te Kuiti North and South respectively, returned from Wellington on Thursday morning after attending the valedictory social to Mr C. W. Hursthouse, late Chief Engineer of Roads.

At a meeting of the HawlTes Bay Land Board on Saturday, Mr Lane gave notice to move: "While approving of the proposed purchase of Tangaoio Estate for closer settlement, the Board draws the attention of the Government to the suitability of much of the Hawkes Bay province for closer settlement, and considers that the money borrowed for closer settlement constitutes a far better defence of this island than the offer to Great Britain of an empty Dreadnought, which a single boat may send to the bottom."

Experiments are now being carried out on German warships with acetylene shells, which, it is believed, will take the place of the electric searchlight used hitherto by warships. Those shells contain calcium carbid,and the water can reach it through a tube. These shells are fired by a gun made specially for the purpose. On being fired the shell goes under the water, and then rises to the surface, and the action of the water on the calcium carbide produces the acetylene light. Each shell is said to contain 3,000 candle power, and will burn for three hours. The great drawback of the ordinary searchlight is that although it affords some protection from the unobserved approach- of torpedo boats, it yet makes the warship using it an excellent target. The new acetylene shell referred to will have the great advantage of Jighting up a given space, while the vessel that fires it will be left in darkness. At the Chambers of Commerce conference last week, the following resolution was adopted: "That this conference urges the Government to give special attention to the home defence of the Dominion, and considers that the institution of the system of compulsory military training is the fairest, most efficient, and most economical means of defence."

With reference to the criticisms of the Chambers of Commerce Conference on the bankruptcy law and its administration, Dr Findlay informed a "Post" representative that for past weeks he had been receiving suggestions on the subject from various quarters, and had been in co-operation with tbe Crown Law Office considering which suggestions should be adopted. Already a good deal of material had been completed, and he had in preparation draft amendements to the law,which were to be submitted to Cabinet for consideration. Tbe question of the administration of the Act was also being considered.

I During his visit to Hamilton last week Mr Clement VVragge supplied the following weather forecaste:--"An-other Antarctic depression is approach- ; ing New Zealand from the west, and is ' named Hogg. The barometer will shortly begin to fall, accompanied by the formation of cirrus clouds and comparatively warm currents from between north-east and north-west. The depression will cause more rain, and the wind will thereafter shirt from the northward to westward and southward blowing strong to hard, especialiy on the south-western coast. This may cause treacherous currents and swells at sea, and too much emphasis cannot be laid on the fact that under all such conditions coasting vessels should keep well to seaward, especially as solar conditions may be a factor. The depression will be more pronounced with increase of latitude. This forecast covers the ensuing ten days.

A judgment of considerable importance to contractors, timber merchants, and others, was given in the Supreme Court at Gisborne yesterday in the case of Peacock and Co., v. Williams. The plaintiffs, who are timber merchants, carrying on business in Gisborne, supplied timber to the contractor who was building the defendant's house, and who gave them an order Cor £l5O, addressed to the defendant. The contractor became insolvent, and the plaintiffs then sued the defendant for the amount of the order, but were nonsuited. They appealed, and Mr Burnand, who argued their case in the Supreme Court, endeavoured to show that the order was a bill of exchange, and that the defendant was therefore liable, whether he had any funds of the contractors in hand or not. This argumen has now been upheld in the judgment of Mr Justice Edwards.

The Hamilton Police Court returns for the quarter ending March 31st., showed that 44 sittings of the Court were held in the three months, twenty of which were presided over by a Stipendiary Magistrate, who heard 109 civil cases, while Justices of the Peace heard 12 civil cases. The aggregate amount sued for was £1767 10s, and the aggregate amount recovered £927 lis. The number of plaints entered was 180. There were 58 criminal cases tried, 1 for assault, 4 for damage of property, 44 for breaches of the peace, including 1 female, and 12 for miscellaneous offences, 2 [by females. Seven cases were dismissed for want of evidence; 1 prisoner was committed for sentence; 51 persons were summarily convicte-l; 3 were peremptorily imprisoned; 1 was released under the First Offender Act; and 13 orders wereT issued, while 13 persons were discharged with a caution. Sir Joseph Ward in a communication to the jDunedin "Star," I'says: "The decision to stop the Roxburgh-Law-rence line pending Parliament reviewing the position is unalterable. The Otago central last year resulted in an abnormally low result, viz., six shillings per cent. —a deficiency on a three per cent, basis of £34,558, and it is estimated that the Roxburgh line will prove nearly as disastrous. The suggestion that Southland influences have been responsible for the Government's action is baseless and without warrant, while the wretched suggestion that it had been done to injure the district because it returns a staunch Oppositionist is almost too contemptible to be considered as a matter of vital importance."

For children's hacking cough at night Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is 6d and 2s 6d. Between 600 and 700 men are reported to be engaged now on the Strat-ford-Ongarue railway. About forty new members are taken on each week, and, observes the "Taranaki Daily News," about 20 each week find the work has no further attraction for them. We are informed by Mr Henry Hughes, Patent Agent, Auckland, that the following applications for patents have been filed by residents in the Auckland Province: —D. F. B. Brown, truck brake; J. Chambers and Son, mining cage; H. P. Evans, fish curing; M. Henderson, life-saving device; T. Jackson, scrubcutter; T. F. Leihy, egg brander; D. McLean, hydro level; R. McPartland, dustpan; J. E. Owen, sewer block; S. G. Roseman, broom head and bunching machine; P. R. Webber, funnel; E. Wrigley, flaxdressing machine. A meeting of the Te Kuiti creditors in the bankrupt estate of Mordaunt and Bailey, was held in the office of Mr H. Hine, solicitor, on Thursday last, when it was decided that in view of the number of local creditors, an endeavour should be made to have a creditors' meeting held at Te Kuiti, Mr G. Bevege was appointed to represent the creditors present, at the creditors' meeting to be held at Auckland today.

You can loose your situation, You can loose your rank or station, You can loose your reputation, You can never loose your wife! But if this advice you follow When your cough sounds harsh and ppllosv, And Woods' Peppermint Cure you swallow, You will never loose your life.

A sitting of the Magistrates Court will be held at Te Kuiti on Wednesday next,when a large number of cases are set down for hearing. The work of the Court is considerably behind and it is anticipated that very few of the cases on the list will be got through unless a two day sitting is held.

The Hon. A. T. Ngata referrd at the conference of the Young Maori Party, at Rotorua last week, to certain phases of morality and loose marriage ties. Mr Ngata agreed that ancient Maori marriages conformed to a binding ceremony, but since the Europeans came there was much laxity. The Church complained that many marriages were not legalised. The Native Land Court recognised the issue of these loose marriages as entitled to succeed, and hence thM nijght. be a factor in encouraging loose marriages not legally solemnised. He asked whether all Maori marriages should be legally conducted. After discussion he moved: "That inquiries le made by the Association as to whether all Maori marriages should not be made to conform to the laws." This v.a:carried unanimously.

The contractor for forming Kora street Tc Kutii, down to the school has experienced some difficulty in consequence of the wet state of thi g near the Domain, and it has been fou necessary to put in a drain on Eastern side of the roa i A practice Saturda\ 1 t 1 c I and \l>- " a. There a f c t_ but for c season " factor: J t a mise oi oeirg n " to ti A meeting oi tne r <_ L to have been held at the "C" office on Vv cdre da \c was decided to postpone it until V nesday evening next, April 21st. when a fuli attendance of member; is expected.