Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUG. 13, 1903. The Proposed Tramway Extension.

Manawatu Herald, 13 August 1903, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUG. 13, 1903. The Proposed Tramway Extension.

At a meeting of a branch of the Farmers’ Union at Rongotea on Thursday last, the Tramway Extension Committee made a report, and it was resolved that the Committee take the necessary steps to forward the object in view. Proposals were also made to form a Tramway Extension League and interview all the local bodies interested from Marton to Levin, to show— Firstly—That this Extension will greatly benefit the whole of the district. Secondly—That under the present altered and improved conditions of settlement the through line will pay. Thirdly—That the settlers are justified in demanding the necessary concessions to enable them to construct the proposed extensions.

It is therefore to be hoped that all the settlers of Foxton will rise to the occasion and assist the matter on by all the means in their power. Previous attempts have failed principally through indifference and want of united action on the part of the different centres interested. The past experience must therefore be taken as a guidance for the future.

The world produces about 250 million tons of grain yearly. Mr Pierpont Morgan controls no less than 55,000 miles of railways in America.

The value of the 936 tons of hemp graded in Wellington last month was about £24,000.

The New Zealand footballers complain that they find the heat in Australia'enervating. The biggest cemetery in the world is the Catacombs at Rome. They contain 6,000,000 bodies. Of the 367,134,836 acres comprising European Russia, 181,606,519 are owned by the nobility. Mr George Coley forwarded six samples of flax plants to the State Farm at Levin yesterday.

One football team in Taranaki is known as the “ Blackberries, ” and another as “ Ragworts.” Further additions are made to Messrs Abraham & William’s Levin stock sale, which takes place tomorrow.

The statutory vote amongst members on the question whether Bellamy’s is to continue is to be taken this week.

Owing to the unavoidable absence of officers, the Volunteer meeting advertised for last Tuesday had to be postponed indefinitely. While man has approached the North Pole within 338 miles, no one has yet stood within less than 773 miles of the South Pole.

The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs has received Mr Atidrew Carnegie’s cheque for £300,000 for the erection of a Temple of Peace at the Hague. Mr A. S. Jonson, the contractor for Mr A. Seabury's new residence on the Norbiton Road, has the building well advanced. Mr Jonson has also .secured the contract for the rc erection of Messrs Hickson & Reeves’ flaxmill lately destroyed by fire. It is understood that the AttorneyGeneral is of opinion that no prosecution for illicit trading will be brough. against the Newtown hotelkeepers The Crown Law Officers will now be consulted.

The total number of convictions in the Police Courts of the colony for the twelve months ended the 31st December, 1901, as shown by a return asked tor by Mr Arnold, was 15,794, and the total number of convictions for drunkenness was 7945. Mr Pederson, of Denmark, who is to become one of the Government butter experts, is to receive a salary of £4OO a year. A similar salary will be paid to the cheese expert whom the Government is getting from Canada. A meeting of the Athletic Club Committee was held at Mr Gray’s Post Office Hotel on Monday night. A start was made in drafting a programme tor the annual sports. The secretary reported the receipt of one guinea from Mr Job Vile, M.H.R., and accepting the position of Patron of the Club, also that several additional members had joined. Mr Fowlds declares that 115,713 people are given as nominal owners of land in this colony. “ This total,” he says, “ must be very largely reduced. I don't believe there are more than 60,000 families owning land in New Zealand. There are 154,000 families jn the colony. Therefore not one-half of the families of New Zealand are interested in their country, and where can you expect patriotism to proceed from unless yon give the people a direct interest in their country ? We have been shown a rough sketch of an entirely new method of propelling a bicycle invented and patented by Mr Ah Pat. The invention appears to be one of the most valuable and important we know of. The frame is so arranged that by rising and sinking it will propel the bicycle without the aid of pedals. The whole of the power, namely the weight of the body on the machine and the wasted power on the handles of the ordinary machine, are by the new invention brought into requisition. Mr Ah Pat is having a bicycle built in Wellington, and it is expected to be completed in a few weeks. We will then give a full and detailed account of It

The s.s. Himitangi will take 300 sheep and 50 head cattle to Greymouth to-day. Mr W. F. Gray left Foxton this morning on a fortnight’s holiday trip to Rotorua. Russia has only taken her revenge by conquering Manchuria. The Chinese have twice sacked Moscow—-once in 1237, a °d again in 1293. Patea residents are agitating with a view to having the railway time-table altered, and are inviting the co-opera-tion of public bodies on the coast. On Wednesday next at the Public Hall Mr Peter Robinson advertises the last of the weekly dances will be held. The dances through the winter months have been enjoyable, and it is expected that the “wind-up" will be even more so. Mr Erueti Poata Hruamo arrived in Foxton last night from Wellington, having been appoiated cadet in the Railway Department to take the place of Cadet Francis J. Howie, who is being transferred to Greatford on Saturday next. Mr Uruamo was educated at Te Aute College, Hawke’s Bay, Messrs J. A. Nash and Co., of Palmerston North, advertise their famous Cowslip calf milk in to-day’s issue; the firm had a very neat display of this line at the recent Winter Show, and report having done excellent business in this line. This product is said to excel all other goods, calves being fit to wean far earlier than when fed on ordinary meals. A correspondent of the Taihape paper sends the following:—“ It is not often one really enjoys a walk on our muddy roads but such was the feeling of a new arrival from drought stricken Australia, who arrived here last week and walked to the Wainui Settlement to inspect a farm he contemplated buying, the mud and water he saw on the road and farm being a special inducement in his eyes to purchase.’’ A copy of the Sydney Mail, 22nd ult., to hand has quite a number of pictures of the first fooball match in Sydney. One view, that of the huge crowd, Will be a revelation to many New Zealanders. A life-like picture is that of A. McMinn, described as “ a typical New Zealand foot bailer." Some of the snapshops of the New Zealanders at their first practice, while being watched by the captain and manager are also excellently re produced. The Gatlins people have been agitating for some months past to get a resident medical man (says the Clutha Leader.) Attached to the position is a bonus of £2O per annum •—£lso Government vote and £SO in local sums. So far, they have not been successful in accomplishing the desired end- The servieces of a wellknow Dunedin gentleman have now, however, been enlisted in the direction of securing a medical man from the Old Country. Mr Haselden, the new Christchurch S.M., is determined to insist on absolute silence in court, and it is understood that some of the solicitors have not yet learned to appreciate what they consider the excessive regard of the new magistrate for the dignity of the court. They complain that it prevents them from conferring about their cases, while if they go outside to confer, their cases are struck out. As the outcome of representations from persons in country districts the Postmaster-General has decided that at isolated places where there is no branch of a bank, cheques aggregating a fixed amount drawn by well known firms and settlers many be cashed at the post-office, provided the bank on which such cheques are drawn guarantees to honor them up to an amount to be fixed between the drawer and the bank and the postoffice. It has also been arranged that cheques drawn by local bodies may be accepted on the local body concerned indemnifying the post office against loss through forgery or other fradululent practices. Cheques will also •be accepted under certain conditions as deposits for credit at the Post-Office Savings Bank account.

The Eltham Argus, in a leader strongly protesting against the practice of sending criminals from the cities to the country, “ where they are expected to reform,” quotes the case of two boys recently tried at Wellington, and continues; —In the case of one of these boys, the charge against him was not pressed on a guarantee that he would be sent to the country. The case of this boy may not be a very important one, but cases are common in which rogues and vagabonds are lightly dealt with on the condition that they leave the town, “ and go into the country." What offences have the country districts committed that they should be made the dumping ground for vagabonds who have made town too hot to hold them ?

The.terms of the agreement between the British Government and the Cunard Company are published. The company receives a subsidy ot £150,000 yearly for twenty years, and a loan of £3,600,000 at 2 f per cent, interest, in consideration of building two steamers with a speed of knots, the company to remain a British company, mainly manned and officered by Britishers, The fleet is to be at the Governments disposal in the even of war. In return tor a weekly fast Atlantic service the company receives an additional subsidy of £68,000, Another bottle story comes from a gentleman at present in Wellington who received information that a letter written by him in the South Atlantic and thrown overboard in- a bottle on the voyage between Capetown and Melbourne (from the s.s. Moravian) reached its destination in the North of Scotland about six weeks ago. The bottle must have been drifting in the sea for nearly eighteen months. It finally came ashore “ near Wellington (exact whereabouts not yet stated), so that the wriffer of the letter, after travelling a good deal in Australia, and the bottle after its drifting, had been almost brought together agaia in New Zealand.

There was a splendid attendance at the Pigeon Match at Botany, Sydney, on Friday stand July, when two ladies’ trophies were on the card for competition. It was an ideal afternoon, and a good supply of first class birds, but only a light wind to help them along. Mr Manchee won the match. As a trap shot, Mr J. Manchee is fast going up to the top. His brilliant performance, winning first prize with 36 kills, and his sequence of 41 (nine off the short mark, Federal State record of 50) 33 of which fell to the first barrel, stamps him a coming formidable rival at the traps. Mr Manchee used the Colonial Ammunition Company’s “Bluerock" cartridges loaded with 1 \oz No. 6 shot and Amberito powder. Mr Arthur Bales is in excellent shooting form, and is stiff willing to shoot against anyone in Australia at 100 birds from £IOO to £SOO a side, and a prominent trap shot offers to put up another £SOO that Bales beats bis opponent. Since the commencement of the year some 400 beasts suffering from diseases scheduled under the Slaughtering and Inspection Act have been distroyed principally through the efforts of the local Stock Department at Palmerston North. Of this number about 180 ware cases of tuberculosis. These figures are first hand evidence disclosing in a somewhat surprising degree the extent of disease which are continually being unearthed in this district. The possibilities of disease making further .increases are not of great moment, with the exception of dairying stock, which is somewhat susceptible to its insidious influence. The active crusade at present being systematically carried on by the Government veterinary surgeons and stock inspectors promises to have a salutary influence, and although disease may never be stamped out its existence will, it Is hoped, in course of time be reduced to such an extent as to render it comparatively harmless.