LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3739, 8 January 1907, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

The next ordinary meeting of the Manawatu Flaxmills Employees Union will be held on 28th inst. instead of the 14th. See advt-

A special meeting of the Borough Council will be held on Monday, 14th inst., to fix day for weekly statutory half-holiday. We acknowledge receipt of a handy wall calendar from Mr P. H. Rae-Howard, local agent for

the Victoria Insurance Co. Entries are advertised in this issue for the N.Z. I,oan and Mercantile Agency’s next Himitangi sale to be held on the 14th inst.

The caretaker of the local racecourse is making the necessary preparations for the forthcoming meeting to be held on the 22nd inst.

An old resident of Palmerston, Mrs Rebecca Waters, passed away at her husband’s residence on Saturday night. Deceased was 87 years of age. Mr S. Hickson, late of Hickson and Reeves, has again entered into the flaxmilling industry. He has purchased Messrs Broad and Reeves’ mill.

At the local police court yesterday morning, Thomas Inchy, arrested for drunkenness on Saturday night, was convicted and discharged. Mr A. Cockbum was the presiding magistrate. \ Mr A, R, Macdonald notifies that any persons other than members of the Foxton Rifle club found tresspassihg on the Range Reserve will be prosecuted. This step has been necessary on account of some one setting fire to some fibre.

A gentleman in Napier last week bought a small farm of 12 acres just out of Napier, and in less than an hour re-sold it at an advance of £.35°-

The chimney of a gold-smelting furnace at Vallejo Junction,, California, was cleaned recently, and the soot was chemically treated in the gold dust room. It contained gold dust worth £I4OO.

The following four ladies tied in the guessing competition in -connection with the Foxton sports : Mrs J. Will 1771, Mrs E. E. Beamish, Miss 1,. White, and Miss C. Findlay 1765 each. It is estimatdd that considerably over a million feet of sawn timber is sent out from the King Country mills every month. For the first four weeks of last month about 600,000 feet were sent down on the railway to Waikato.

The Waldorf-Astoria is the largest hotel in the world. Its chef receives £2OOO a year; there are several guests who pay £2O a day for their rooms all the year round ; and the yearly bill of one millionaire guest amounts to ,£14,000. It contains 1300 guest rooms. Dairy cattle exhaust land much more than grazing cattle or sheep. A dairy cow yielding 600 gallons would take from the soil so much nutriment that it could only be replaced by cwt. of nitrate of soda, 6olbs of bone dust, and 8 cwt. of kanit. •

The Opunake Times understands that an influential deputation of settlers has requested Mr J. Brennan to stand for the new Egmont electorate when the next election occurs, and that he has, in deference to the reasons urged, declined to offer himself as a candidate.

“ Assert your independence and make him do the housework and prepare the breakfast,” was the advice of the Brentford magistrate to a woman who asked how she should deal with a husband who would not work. Next day the same woman appeared with a bad black eye—the result ot taking advice—and applied for a summons against her husband.

To a statesman who was a complimenting him on his splendid physical condition, President Roosevelt replied : “I suppose I ought to pull myself together and assume a weary air, and say that my strength was being taxed to the uttermost with the cares and duties of my high position, but the fact is, I like the job. I like being President of the United States.”

The payment which will be made this week by the N.Z. Dairy Union for milk supplied during the past month will constitute something in the way of a record. The total sum will be £10,535 2s 2d, as compared with ,£9314 4s gd for the corresponding month last year. For the October supply the sum of ,£5819 was paid, so that the quantity must have nearly doubled during the month.

One indication of the earliness of the present season, is the. fact that several Nelson tomittogrowers were picking ripe fruit from the outside plants. From one or two plantations it has been possible to gather three or four cases at a picking. Ripe tomatoes outside any time in December denote unusual earliness ; but to be able to pick on the 20th or 21st of the month is altogether exceptional.

Two Maoris were brought before Mr Barton, S.M., at Port Awauui lately, charged with cruelty to animals, one having knocked the eye out of a horse with a stick, and the second having destroyed the two eyes of another horse with a stirrup iron. The former was fined with costs in default fourteen days’ imprisonment. The Magistrate stated that in any future cases of so brutal a nature he would impose sentences of imprisonment, without ony option of a fine. . It is estimated, says the News, that the value of butter and cheese exported from Taranaki this season will be well over a million pounds sterling, which easily constitutes a record. Over ten tons of gold will be required to pay for this produce. On top of the dairy produce, there is the wool clip, which will be greater than ever this year, as well as the pigs, the raising of which has been very profitable this season. The wealth won from the soil in Taranaki this season is more than 25 per cent, higher than during any past year. The province easily holds its own with any other province in the colony. With oil and ironsand it should become the richest.

In a quiet street in Liverpool a man of the Bill Sykes type accosted an old man at night, and asked him to read what was yvritten on a piece of paper which he handed to him. The gentleman took the paper, and by the aid of a gas lamp read these words, ‘ ‘ if you utter a cry or speak a single word I shall shoot you. Hand over your watch and chain, your purse, and any other articles of value you have I about you, and then pass on. He did as the message ordered, and walked away. He met a policeman, told his story quickly, and the two gave chase. They came up with the thief shortly, who appeared to be hurrying away. Next morning, at the Police Court, says the Liverpool Post, he gave what he called an “ explanation of the incident. ‘ ‘ Your worship, he said, “ I don’t know why I am i charged with stealing these things, I am a perfectly uneducated man. 11 picked up a piece of paper in the street last night, and not being able to read it, and thinking it might be important, I asked the gentleman to read it. He read it to himself, and then handed me these articles without a word of applanation whatever, and walked away before I had time to inquire why he did so.

Messrs Sutherland and Rotfgh have some flax properties for sale cheap. Look up their advertisement.

Mr, M. Littlejohn, the local tonsorial artist, gives some cooling advice to residents in our advertising columns. Mr P. Hennessy advertises for information regarding a firm of contracting carpenters.

Dunedin potato growers expect a big drop in prices this year. They are now a ton, but are likely to come down to and

The Rev. Mr Southern leaves. Foxton to-morrow for New Plymouth in order to attend the Primitive Methodist Conference to be held there on Thursday, The time-table in connection with Mr Johnston’s Royal Mail line of coaches between Foxton and Shannon and Levin connectting with the Manawatu Co.’s trains for Wellington and elsewhere appears on the first page. Mrs Hussy’s doll’s name guessing competition was concluded on Saturday night. One hundred and thirty guesses were handed in. Mrs Littlejohn and Miss Speirs were the only two who guessed the name, Jean. In drawing off Miss Speirs was awarded the handsome doll.

A prolonged shock of earthquake was experienced throughout this district about midnight on Sunday.

The weather still continues sullr throughout this district.

We direct attention to the balancesheet of the local band appearing in the advertising columns. A wheel cap awaits an owner at this office.

A child named Lords, son of a Ruatangata setter, died as the result of being kicked on the head by a horse last Sunday. -Miss Louisa Kensington, who met with a serious accident recently at Wellington through being run over by the Fire Brigade’s motor car, is making very good progress towards recovery.