Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] TUESDAY, JAN. 26, 1904.

Manawatu Herald, 26 January 1904, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] TUESDAY, JAN. 26, 1904.

Yesterday afternoon Mr R. B. McKenzie, representing a Rongotea deputation, waited on the Foxton Borough Council with the object of ascertaining what steps should be taken to get the railway line extended from Greatford to Levin. The following were present:—The Mayor and Crs Symons, Speirs, Gower, Austin, Spelman and Coley. Mr T. P, Williams, an ex-Mayor ot the Borough, was also invited to take a seat at the table. Mr McKenzie spoke at some length in pointing out the advantages that would accrue if the line were constructed. It was proposed by the Mayor, seconded by Cr Speirs, That this meeting approve of Mr R. B. McKenzie’s idea to form a Railway Legue to urge on the Government the urgent necessity for the connection of Foxton and Levin and Bulls and Greatford by means of a railway. The motion was carried unanimously, and a vote of thanks was also passed to Mr McKenzie for his attendance. j

We regret to learn that Mr J. B. Imrie, who was at one time station' master at Foxton died at Westport on Saturday last. Messrs Abraham & Williams’ usual Palmerston stock sale is advertised today. Considerable additions are also made to their Levin stock sale. Mr C. H. Podmore has purchased the blacksmith business of Mr S. Wilson, and in another column asks for a share of public patronage. The grasshopper pest is especially had at Gin Gin, Queensland. A block of 20 acres of cane has been devastated, and other large areas have been attacked. Much damages has been done. There are forty-five civil cases set down for hearing at the S.M. Court on Friday next. The'licensee of an hotel is also being proceeded against for failing to provide accommodation. In the £too handicap match organised by the Waikanac Gun Club and fired on Thursday, J. T. Campbell killed all his birds in both nominations, and was the only competitor to secure double money* On Thursday as the midday train from Longburn on the Manawatu line was running between Paraparaumu and Paikakariki three freight trucks became ignited by sparks from a grass fire. Two of the tracks were laden with hemp, and the third with wool, and in a short time all was a mass of flames. They were disconnected from the train but all attempts to save the contefc were fruitless. Rerorotly a resident of Sacramento, California, wrote letters to his friends announcing his intention to commit suicide. He placed special delivery : stamps on them, put crape on the door, turned on the gas, and lay down to die. One of the letters was delivered so promptly that a friend telephoned to a hospital, and the coroner, an ambulance, a dead waggon, and the friend arrived simultaneously. The man, who was found unconscious, was taken to the hospital, and his recovery is certain. At the Cobar gold mines a workman was throwing picks down the winze, a distance of 30ft, and they were being taken away by a man named _ Green. After taking one away, Green signalled “ Clear ”to the man on top. Another pick was then thrown down, which, on

striking the bottom, rebounded along the pass, a distance of 24ft, where Green was standing. It struck him first on the head, and then penetrated his stomach. He was immediately taken to the hospital where he died. Farmers in this district are experiencing much difficulty in securing farm labourers, yet there ate, apparently, quite a number of men in the town who are out of work. Many of those who are alleged to be seeking work seem to prefer being idle or will only accept situations where the physical exertion is reduced to a minimum. It is not unusual for numerous applications to be received for billets where the work is light, but when it is of a more laborious nature there are frequently no applications whatever. Samuel Boyd, a,butcher, in Rodega (U.S.A.), killed a cow recently, and while preparing the animal for market tound that its inside was a veritable “ tool chest.” Here is a list of what he found A metal collar button, a South American 3-cent piece, piece of wire, tenpenny nail, one fourpenny nail, carpet tack, hob nails, screw-eye, metal button, steel heel top, two lead seals, a small rock, a hoop staple and three other nails of various sizes. On Thursday Edith Dunn and Sarah Scarle were charged before Mr A. Fraser, J.P., with vagrancy, and ordered to leave the town. On Saturday John William Codings, for causing actual bodily harm, was remanded to 29th January. Thomas Coughlan was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and fined ss' for drunkenness; James Wilson and James Brennan were also fined 5s each for being drunk. Yesterday before Messrs T. Bennett and A. Fraser, J’s.P., Edward Lawson was fined 5s for drunkenness, and 20s for false pretences; Jeremiah Leahy convicted and discharged for being drunk ; W. Ryan, for drunkenness, was fined ss, and John Kinley, drunk and disorderly, was lined 20s or seven days.

According to a cable published in the New York papers on December 23, Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg, who tried to escape from an insane asylum near Dresden recently, is not mad. The “Frankfurter Zeitung” says: “ The persecuted woman is perfectly sane, bnt is incarcerated in a madhouse. The Austrian- and German Emperors and the Kings of Saxony and Belgium acquiesce in this detention, while the role enacted by her husband, Prince Philip, is a most despicable one.” At the time of her attempt to escape she tried to bribe the janitor; failing, she made love to him. She is a daughter of King Leopold of Belgium.

On Friday afternoon at the Foxton races the police arrested a young man named Codings for severely injuring another man named Cameron. Just as the last race was about to start he attacked Cameron, striking him with a bottle on the back of the head, and inflicting a very serious wound several inches in length. The wound had to be sewn up by Dr Wilson, who was on the course. He was conveyed to the train, and taken to the Palmerston Hospital by the afternoon train. His assailant was brought before a Justice at Foxton the same evening on a charge of causing actual bodily harm and remanded. Radium, discovered in 1898, was valued at £1,000,000 a pound. Its estimated value has since been reduced to £544.300 a pound, which is a very material reduction, but the price is still high, A Buffalo man,. S. T. Lockwood, expectsengage in the manufacture, or extraction, of this interesting substance, and to lower the price still further. His hopes, as recorded in the papers, are based on the possession of certain deposits of carnotite in Utah, from which he has been able to extract radium, and which he believes can be induced to give its radium up somewhat easier than the pitch-blende from which the radium so far obtained has been extracted.

11l this issue appears .in inset from Messrs Millar and Giorgi, drawing attention to their great bargain sale, which is to continue for four weeks. Men’s and boy’s clothing and mercery will be sold regardless of cost.

Poisoning rabbits has started on Government ground. Settlers are warned that unless stringent steps are taken to destroy bunny they will get into trouble. Poison can be got ready mixed from MrJ. Ingram.

On Thursday and Friday next MrJ. Mounscy will hold an auction sale of first-class drapery and clothing at “The Don” premises in Main-street. This will be a splendid opportunity for housewives to pick up bargains, and the sale will commence at i o’clock each day, Mr Scott is at present engaged arranging the different lots to be submitted for sale.