Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] TUESDAY, OCT., 25, 1904.

Manawatu Herald, 25 October 1904, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] TUESDAY, OCT., 25, 1904.

A celebrated operatic tenor in , London gave £3OO for a Panama hat the other day. There are 22 criminal and 25 civil cases set down for hearing before the S.M, on,Thursday next. We. have to acknowledge receipt from the Government of a copy of the Official Year Book for 1904. A lost purse containing a sum of money is advertised for, with reward. See advertising columns to-day. On Monday next, 31st October, at 12 noon, the New Zealand Loan & Mercantile Co.’s sale of live stock will take place at Himatangi, when some good lines will be offered. One little act of Oom Paul’s, at the close of his eventful life, reads well. He was, some time ago, left a considerable legacy by a French proBoer, and just before Mr Kruger’s death he returned the legacy to the relatives of his deceased benefactor, The Railway Department advertise to-day the running of trains during the A. & P. Show week. Holiday excursion tickets will also be issued on the 2nd and 3rd inst., and also by the morning train on 4th November, which are available for return till the Bth December. On Friday night last Constable Forster arrested a man named Aleer McLeod alias F. Gorman, on a charge of theft from the person. He was taken to Palmerston on Saturday morning and charged before A. D. Thomson, S.M., with the offence, and was remanded to appear at Foxtoa on Thursday next. Another charge, that of breaking and entering, will also be heard against him on the same date.

As some of the nominations closed outside of Foxton for the local sports, the nominations cannot be published. They are reported to be good. One crop of osier willows for basketmaking, lately, said a member of the Waimakariri Harbour Board (Canterbury), is worth two grain r ”3. It transpired that fourteen tons r ' n u " r withes bad been cat from a vei ’ • all section. The willows fetch about £ls per ton.

Surgeons at the Maryland General Hospital, Baltimore, are puzzled over the case of an infant foundling. Muscles which should be on the under part of the leg are in the front, and vice versa. Unless a successful operation can be performed the medical men say the child will be forced to walk backwards.

While a jockey was being weighed after winning a race at Dortmund, an electric battery was discovered concealed in the saddle. Ay an ingenious contrivance an electric shock could be sent from it along the harness behind the saddle, and as the stewards considered that illegal influence might thus have been exerted on the horse they disqualified the jockey and gave the saddle to the charge ot the police.

Paris policemen in their rounds recently found 15 men sleeping on the gras? in a wood at Versailles. They were arrested as tramps> Next day the police was shocked to leatn that they had locked Up the most respectable citiitanß of Versailles, who had been driven from their houses by the heat. Some of our members of the force must ba of French descent.

Akaroa, unlike Mr Battles) of NeW York, is not prolld of its antecedents, and Wants to lofget that its post office was once a distributing centre for tough steak and yards of tripe. It has been earnestly petitioning Government to rjd it,of this rude relic, and now when the authorities send along an order for two hundred pounds’ worth of additions and renovations to the exbutcher’s shop there comes a great roar of disgust from the ambitious little township. . An Englishman, writing of Scotchmen says their patriotism is shown in a few ways more strongly than in the. great esteem in which they hold the national drink. To back up this assertion he tells the following story Two North Britons dining together after a long separation had just finished a couple of champagne, when the one remarked to the other, “ I’m saying, Donald, I think we might noo have something to drink —a wee drop of good whiskey. Ye ken these French mineral waters are very lowerin’.” The newly-formed Waikanae Racing Club has drawn up a programme, which has been submitted to the governing body for approval. The amount allotted in stakes is £75, which is considerably in excess of the amount given at Shannon, where a successful meeting is held annually, and should attract good nominations. The date fixed for the meeting is New Year,s Day, which is also, of course, subject to approval. The members of the Club appear to take a great interest in it, and the meeting should be a great successs, if enthusiasm shown is any criterion,

A fresh potato boom has started in the Fens, England. A new kidney variety called- the Pearl has been brought out for-sowing next season, and the limited supply on the market has taken the price up to the equivalent of £7280 a ton. It is what is known as a first early. It is white fleshed and a big yielder, A wealthy Frenchman employs his superfluous means-by receiving in his park, near Paris, aged animals and birds. The doyen Of the community is a grizzled old mule, just entering his 73rd year, between whom and a goose of 37 an affectionate Intimacy subsists. The other denizens include a cow of 36 summers, and a hog over 27 years old. In the aviary feebly pipe and flutter a bullfinch of aB, and a sparrow hatched in the year 1869.

A lady visitor to Penzance, England, who took daily lessons at the swimming baths, is in her 70th year. Until a few weeks ago she never attempted to swim and she is now making excellent progress. She is an American widow, who has been, a great traveller all. her life, and has crossed the “ herring pond” dozens of times. Even the thought of learning to swim never occurred to her until recently. She finds that swimming is just the exercise, she needs, and she says that she has never been in better health than at present. A correspondent, writing with regard to Mr E. Larcomb’s observation x>t the nest of a; wild duok 50 ieet from the ground and his conjecture as to how the ducklings would be transfered to the river, states that last season, in the Esplanade, he witnessed a duck taking her young to water. The best, had been built in the ki-ki, several feet from the ground, and each duckling was gathered in the mother bird’s feet and safely transported to its new surroundings. Our correspondent states he had previously witnessed a similar occurrence in the bush at Fitzherbert. He adds that neither year were there any floods and the fact of the duck building in the tree appears to be more with a view of escaping natural enemies than any indication of a big flood. Under Capt. Furrie, the Foxton school cadets journeyed to Palmerston North on Saturday to attend the first Battalion Parade of the No. 1 Wanganui Battalion of school cadets at the Showground. The Campbell street school cadet Bugle Band headed the procession of the difierent companies through the Square. The Feilding Fife and Drum Band were also in the ranks. The parade, which was watched with keen interest, included somewhere over 200 boys, and was in charge of Major Vernon and Adjutant McLean (Feilding). Those represented were: — Foxton school, one company; under Captain Furrie; Feilding schools, two companies, Adjutant W. H. McLean ; Campbell-street school, , two companies, Captains Warden and Gabites : College street school, one company, Captains Friberg and Edie; Terrace End, one company, Captain Powell.

The Foxton Public School is to be congratulated on having pretty nearly always a first-class school committee, careful of the interests of the school and not slow to barrack for them when required—which is often. But the boys of the school are specially fortunate in having as a member of the committee a gentleman who takes such a lively and practical interest in their well-being as does Mr George Coley. It will be remembered that some two years ago Mr Coley laid down at his own sole cost in the schoolground a first-class asphalt cricket pitch, which has worn well and been mightily appreciated by the boys. Yesterday afternoon a further token of Mr Coley’s princely generosity and kindly feeling towards the boys was exhibited in his sending along to the Head Teacher for the use of the budding cricketers a complete outfit of cricketing apparatus —three first-class, bats, 1 Duke, 1 Special Match, and 1 tip top Youths, a ■ complete Set of wickets and bails (full size); and two cricket balls, 1 Duke and 1 superior composition. Needless to say, v/hen the announcement of this splendid donation was made, the boys were filled with delight and rapturous cheers were given for the generous donor.