LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3777, 21 November 1907, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Owing to the removal oi the duty ou dried fruits, large shipments are coming to hand during the present week, says the Dunedin correspondent of the Christchurch Press. Both sheds at the Cross wharf have contained thousands of cases of sultanas, curratits, figs, etc. Another large shipment of fruits will arrive in a two for the Christmas trade.

Mr Keir-Hardie has sailed for New Zealand from Colombo.

We acknowledge receipt of complimentary tickets for the Feilding Jockey Club's forthcoming meeting. Several hens observed ac the University of Maine, in the course of a series of investigations on fertility, laid two eggs a day, says Science, New York. In the Supreme Court at Christchurch, Lilian Fanny Hobbs, charged with-disposing of her dead infant with intent to conceal the fact of the child’s birth, pleaded not guilty. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. Mrs Hamer, ot the Economic, has just received a beautiful assortment of runners, cushion covers, fancy table cloths, brush and comla bags, etc., etc., which she bought at exceptionally low prices, being a lot of travellers’ samples. The same are being shown in window.*

Mr Charles Wise, son of Mr FW. Wise, of Auckland, while cleaning,a chimney at Wairuehia, fell to the ground and broke his neck. Dr Craig stated that Mr Wise had died from heart disease, and was dead before falling. The deceased was 31 years of age, and had been in the railway sarvice for six months.

The duty recently placed on Weldon’s Cadies’ Journal has been the subject of a protest to the Government by the Dunedin Booksellers’ Association. The placing of a duty upon Weldon’s Journal is regarded as placing a tax on the dissemination of useful knowledge, for Weldon’s contains a large amount of matter that affords genuine technical and domestic instruction.

The North German Gazette, the organ of the Government, expresses delight at the hardly surpassable cordiality of the Kaiser’s welcome, and characterises the visit to England as a highly important political event. King Edward and Queen Alexandra luncheoned on .Sunday at Windsor Castle. The Kaiser and Kaiserin, King and Queen of Spain, and Queens of Portugal and Norway were present. A Cambridge boy of mature age of five years, on being asked if he had enjoyed himself at the opening of the local tennis club (according to the Waikato Times), said: “Yes, but I would have liked a drink, but didn’t care for tea.” When it was suggested he should have asked for a drink of milk his reply was, “ I waited for the ladies to stop talking : but as they didn’t stop, I didn’t get a chance to ask — that’s the worst of ladies !”

“ We have the capacity for degrading ourselves below the lowest form of any animal life or of raising ourselves above the highest type of animal life.” So said Ben Tillett in the course of his lecture at the Choral Hall,' Christchurch. Continuing, he said that “ we are what we eat, and we eat a good deal of sheep in New Zealand.” Eater on he said that “ we did not know yesterday what we would be to-dav,” and finally he volunteered the startling information that “ we are what we are. ’ ’

The telephone girl and the ledger clerk to whom she had promised her heart and hand, were seated by the fireside dreaming of, the happy future when they would be one. From one little detail to another the talk finally drifted to the subject of lighting the fire of a morning. On this point the young man was decided. He stated it as his opinion that it was the wife’s place to get up and light the fire, and let the poor hard-worked husband rest. After this declaration there was silence for about half an hour then the girl thrust out her finger encircled by a ring, and murmured sweetly but firmly; “Ring off, please; you’ve got connected with the wrong number.’’ The Paris correspondent of London Truth describes a wonderful toy which formed a feature of the big toy show being held in the French capital. The model represents a house with trees on the right and left. In the foreground is a cruel-looking young wan holdinga knife. He is an “ Apache. ” Some distance away is a fat peaceful bourgeois.' He is about to enter the house, and his back is consequently turned towards the public. You pull a lever. The Apache creeps up behind the bourgeois, raises his arm. . . . Suddenly

the intended victim turns round and appears dressed as a policeman. From behind him a policedog springs at the throat of the Apache. A tremendous rattle in the machinery shows that the scuffle is a desperate one, but the policeman and his dog win the day. The toy (adds the correspondent) wins the day. It seems (says Mr Benson in the Cornhill) that the essence of humor is a certain perception of incongruity. There is a story of a drunken man who was observed to feel his way several times all round the railings of a London square, with the intention apparently of finding some way of getting in. At last he sat down, covered his face with his hands, and burst iuto tears, saying, with deep pathos, “I am shut in!” Or, again, take the story of the Scotchman returning from a convivial occasion, who had jumped

carefully over the shadows of the lamp-posts, but on coming to the shadow of the church-tower, ruefully took off his boots and stockings, and turned his trousers up, saying, “ I’ll ha’e to wade.” The reason why the stories of drunken persons are often so indescribably humorous is that the victim loses all sense of probability and proportion, and laments unduly over an altogether imaginary difficulty.

Blacksmith with second-class engine-dtiver’s certificate wants employment as driver. See advt.

Railway excursion arrangements in connection with the Feilding races are advertised in this issue.

Krupp’s great ordnance works at Essen have sweepingly reduced their employees owing to the shrinkage of orders.

Messrs P. H. Rae-Howard and Co, make several additions to their weekly sale to be held on Saturday next.

A sale of work will be held in the Methodist Schoolroom on Wednesday next, November 27th. There will be competitions ot various kinds,shooting, naildriving etc. The sale will open at 3 o’clock, Messrs Watson and Neville, the well-known cycle agents, Feilding, contend that no bicycle is worth £ls, and ask the public to help them in doing away with the enormous profits that other agents have been making (per their advts.) Their shop is in the Municipal Buildings. An Oaraaru telegram states that at the inquest on Joseph McLenaghan, who shot himself on F'riday at Waikaura, evidence was given that he sold a good trotting horse for and bought an indifferent one for ,£l5O. This seemed no prey on his mind. The verdict was “ Suicide while temporarily insane.” The Rev. F. H. Spencer, agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, intends paying Foxtou a visit this week. The rev gentleman intends spending some time with the Marois and on Sunday evening will give his lantern lecture from the “Cape to Cairo” in the Methodist Schoolroom beginning at half past eight o’clock. There will be no charge for admission, but a collection will be taken up in aid of the Society’s fund. On Tuesday night at ten o’clock, Detective Quirke, accompanied by Constables Wade and McLeod, raided premises at the junction of Princess and Ferguson streets, Palmerston, and there found in a small room, seven Chinamen, some of whom were smoking opium. The usual paraphernalia used in the “habit” was seized. On the arrival in Palmerston of the 9.15 train from Wellington Detective Quirke arrested a Chinaman named Ah Chow. He was immediately conveyed to the Police Station, where his baggage was inspected. In a box were found three large bottles of tincture of opium used for the manufacture of the smoking article. In his portmanteau some smoking utensils were also found.