LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3778, 10 December 1907, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

The poundkeeper reported at last night’s Council meeting impounding 55 head of cattle during the past month. Messrs Rae-Howard & Co. publish in this issue a list of entries for their horse sale, to be held on Saturday next, at 2 p.m., in Mr H. Coley’s yards, Whyte street. The Foxlon Gas Proprietary have accepted the tender of Messrs Newton Chambers, and Co., Ltd., England, the well-known firm of Gas Engineering Plant Manufactures, for the plant in connection with the Foxton Gas Works.

The dog tax was freely discussed at last night’s Council meeting. Councillors wer& ot opinion that the annual tax on dogs should be raised to £\, in order to rid the town of some of these animals. Instructions are to be given to the collector to impound all dogs found straying about the streets without a collar. The tax was fixed at ios per dog, reducible to 5s it paid before Ist March, 1908, and 2s 6d for working dogs. The collector to be supplied with a definition of “working dog.” A firm which recently undertook certain work for the borough council without being authorised to do so, subsequently sent in an account for £6 to cover same. This price was considered to be excessive by the Council, and £\ was passed for the work. At last night’s Council meeting a letter was read from the contractors stating that the price charged for the work was fair, and if the councillors were gentlemen they would pay it, also that the councillors were well paid for anything they did! Councillors are not gentlemen, apparently, for they refused to spring the extra £2 !

As Christmas approaches, sentimental feelings steal over almost every person, and one’s thoughts wander to distant parts of the dominion or the Home Land, where parents, sweethearts, sisters and brothers, and friends, reside. You desire them to know they are not forgotten, and so send them a little present or token. Personal greetings on specially printed cards conveying you own message, are very fashionable. The Herald printery has laid itself out to fill the bill. We can supply you with printed cards conveying your own message, at the following prices for cash only: x doz., from 4s 6d; 25, 7s 6d ; 50, 13s 6d ; Call and inspect samples, and order early to save disappointment.* Mr Flannigan’s Sunday afternoon meeting for men only, was of a brightly interesting character, and much appreciated by the large company of men who attended. The speaker depicted London slum life in such a manner as to convince every listner that he knew exactly what he was talking about. The subject was, ‘ ‘ How I won Jack the Burglar to Jesus Christ,” and as depicted by Mr Flannigan, Jack Gee became a real living personality. The audience could see him as a boy being trained for the petty thefts from the person in the streets ; passing from that stage as he became older and stronger, the garroter appeared, the violent criminal who would not hesitate to maim or murder his victim for the sake of plunder. Then he becomes the active, stealthy, determined burglar, with no respect for the value of human life. Then the police system was touched upon, showing how hard it was, in fact almost impossible for a criminal to refofm. Followed by detectives, any one employing a man who has been in their clutches being warned, and the poor criminal who is sick of prison life, and desires to live honestly, is discharged and hounded back again to the perpetration of crimes darker than his previous deeds. The misery of the streets was touched upon, and the appreciation of the outcasts of a night in the doss house (common lodging house) if they are fortunate enough to come into contact with a philanthrophic soul who will give them the necessary fourpence to secure them a bed. In one of these houses, Jack Gee heard Flannigan’s name and learned of his work, and determined to seek his help to live out of prison. A man 40 years of age with prison discharges covering a period of nearly 23 years, with aliases 46 in number, a face brutal and battered through the treatment he had received, the speaker described in pathetic language the steps that led' to his complete reformation. The large gathering of men listened with breathless interest to the whole narrative, and went home probably thankful that in New Zealand conditions generally were infinitely better than those prevailing in London. We advise , all our readers not to miss hearing Mr Flannigan during his brief | stay in Foxton, 1

King Oscar of Sweden is dead. The Wanganui Chronicle, in a leading article, describes the Gaming Act as a law which is destined to go down to history as one of the greatest triumphs of social reformers.

The Norwegian steamer Solglimit is about to make an expedition to Crozet Island, in the Southern Seas. Among her passengers is Mr H. J. Bull, of Christchurch, who was wrecked while on an expedition to the island last year, and was rescued by a New Zealand Shipping Company steamer. The Ballance Co-operative Dairy Company (Pahiatua) will pay out to suppliers this week about for milk supplied during the month of November. The average test for the past month was 3.5. The milk supply to the factory continues to increase, and the company is now turning out one hundred boxes of butter daily. At the Druce trial, Henry Marks testified that he saw Henry Yasser, a carpenter, making a coffin in 1864 with four rolls of lead beside it. The coffin was afterwards taken to the Baker Street Bazaar. Charles Batt identified the coat produced by G. H, Druce as one made by witness’ father for the fifth Duke of Portland.

An interesting wedding took place in Kobe, Japan, on October 19th, when Miss May Blundell, only daughter of Mr Eouis Blundell, of Wellington (part proprietor of the Wellington Post), was married to Mr Noel Wildman Nelson, eldest son of Canon Nelson, of Auckland, the service being conducted by the Rev. J. W. Platt, vicar of All Sainst’ Church. The new Gaming Act is supposed to suppress street betting, and there are those who assert that it has already done so. “As a matter of fact,” says the Christchurch Press, “the silver-coin bookmaker, whose operations are rightly regarded as particularly injurious to the community, because he numbers so many lads among his clients, is plying his trade as freely—though a little less openly—as he did a month ago.”

The fasting craze has at least one believer in Auckland, [the subject being a dropsical patient who has subsisted on limejuice and water for seventeen days up to the present time. The patient undergoing the treatment is a lady. She states that for the first three days of her fast she suffered a good deal from acute hunger, but since then her self-imposed denial of food has caused her no inconvenience. While prior to her fasting she was practically an invalid, now she is able to undertake house work. It seems to us that the financial aspect of our affairs needs careful investigation, and here we hope that the special ability which Sir Joseph Ward displayed in the earlier stages of his Ministerial career will find full and effective scope. Until the great railway lines now under construction are completed it is, of course, impossible to ignore the necessity for loans on account of public works, but we hope that the prosperity which the country now enjoys and the facility with which it can borrow all the money it needs will not induce the Government to forget the claims of administrative economy and the necessity for rendering us as speedily as possible self-dependent and self-supporting. —Auckland Star.

The proprietors of a big department stores in Pittsburg have combined to prevent shopgirls from wearing false hair. . They complain that serious losses are entailed through the incorrigible vanity of saleswomen, who show more anxiety for their personal appearance than the requirements of their customers. The saleswomen, it is declared, spend a great deal of time before the mirrors ‘ ‘ doing ’ ’ their hair. Consequently the combined stores have issued a general order forbidding their saleswomen wearing artificial hair fronts, officially described as pompadoars ” and “transformations.” The order gave great offence, and nearly fifty shopgirls resigned. A general strike was feared. Here is a chance for a New Zealander with ambitions. The legal King Yborshi, who reigns over a small kingdom in Africa called Aybosme, is offering for sale in the French newspapers his crown, his throne, his sceptre, his territory, his subjects, with the rights of life and death over them, and all the appurtenances of his royal splendour for the trifle of a million francs. His kingdom covers an area of about 250 miles by 100. The king, who governs rather by terror than by love, also possesses 200 Amazons, who will be thrown into the bargain. It is presumed that he will keep his twenty-eight wives. His crown consists of a sort of tiara made of three human skulls, and his throne itself is raised on a structure of skulls, tibias, femurs and other human bones. King Yborshi announces that he is divesting himself of his real panoply because he wishes to come and live in Paris and enjoy its pleasure and an automobile.

We remind the public tJ f .'the opening day of the Manawatu - Rowing Club tp-morrow! Mr G. Coley is making a ’can- ■ yas of the town for subscriptions in aid of the Palmerston District Hospital and is meeting with fair ’ success. The estate of Mr Havemeyer, the American “Sugar King,” is valued at fifteen million sterling. He bequeathed three-quarters of a million to charities. The death occurred on Saturday morning at Otaki of the Rev John Chapman Andrew, of Mount lea, who has played a prominent part in the public life of New Zealand. A special meeting of ,tne Borough Council to. make additional by-laws re licensing boarding houses and billiard saloons will be held pn Monday next, 16th inst. A welcome. social is to be tendered by the parishoners of All Saints’ Church, to the vicar, the Rev. Young Woodward, in the Masonic Hall to-morrow nightweek. The reputation of the Economic dressmaking department is too well known to need comment. Mrs Hamer has made arrangements which will enable her to favourably supervise this department/ during the coming season,* \ ‘ The Hamburg correspondent of °I the Daily Mail reports that 200,000 ■ workers have returned to Europe from the United States, and nearly 100,000 artisans who had intended to proceed to America, have decided to remain in Europe. Mr Henry Williams, ex-M.E.C., a very old identity of the Bay of Islands, died at his residence, Pakaraka, on Friday night, after a lingering illness. Mr Williams was the third son of Archdeacon Henry Williams, one of the early missionaries. He was born at Paihia in 1823. The Premier informed a reporter of the Lyttelton Times on Monday that the total revenue of the Dominion was continuing to swell in a very satisfautory manner. The total revenue for the eight months ending November 30th last had been .£4,959,546, as compared with .£4.595,612 .for the i corresponding period of the pre-I. vious year.- That gave ah in-/* crease in revenue for eight months - °f £363,934. a result he regarded as highly satisfactory. The Daily Press has discovered a means of circumventing the gaming law so far as it relates to the publication of tips. It says:— “ Apparently the new gaming law is to put a heavy hand on the publication of sporting hews. No only are ‘ tips ’ barred, but papers are not permitted to publish dividends, While the law has provided that the newspaper man shall not spread broadcast his information regarding ■ dead certs,’ it has still left a loop-hole. We ' are not to publish information s ; which indicates that any particular horse may win a race, but so far as we can see there is nothing to prevent us tipping the losers. This should serve just as good a purpose.”