LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3782, 11 January 1908, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Mr R. G. Hickson advertises a second-hand Red Bird bicycle for sale, nearly new.

Mr Stansell advertises an unreserved sale of assigned estate to be held at Manchester House next Saturday. See advt. Extensive grass fires are raging in the Blenheim district. The Bankhouse Run, Wairau, was swept and station outbuildings destroyed. The Palmerston North High School re-opens on February 4th. A few vacancies. for boarders (boys) are advertised. Prospectuses may be obtained at this office. The vacancy in the parish of St. Mark’s, Wellington, caused by the death in March last of the Rev. R. Coffey, has been filled by the appointment of the Rev. A. M. Johnson, at present vicar of St. Matthew’s, Masterton. A mean trick was perpetrated on a man who slept too soundly at Taihape on New Year’s Eve. Taking advantage of his slumbers, some ‘‘friends ” covered his face with a liberal coating of red paint. His exact remarks when he awoke in the morning cannot be recorded. The effect of the continued dry weather in Central Otago is being severely felt in mining and agricultural industries. During the past three weeks the heat about Alexandra and Cromwell has been excessive, the thermometer on several occasions registering 100 in the shade and 130 in the sun.

Owing to the continued illness of Conductor Crichton, who is suffering from nervous breakdowu, which has threatened him for four or five years, the Wanganui Garrison Band has definitely decided to abandon all idea of competing in the test selections at the New Plymouth contest. Several members will compete in the solo com petitions. The dead body of a man named John S. Wright was found in a house in Howe St., Auckland, on Wednesday. It was doubled up in a pool of blood. The throat was cut from ear to ear. There were also gashes on the arms, and a razor bearing marks of the tragedy was lying near by. Wright was a man about 50 years of age, and a tailor by occupation. He recently arrived from Sydney.' During the conversational discussion at the Manawatu County Council meeting on Wednesday, anent necessary repairs and improvements at the Wirokino bridge, the Chairman suggested that the Council should meet representatives of the local bodies interested in the upkeep of the bridge. Several members expressed concurrence with the idea, but no definite action was taken.

Among the patients at present in the Masterton Hospital, is a man 95 years of age, who has been 45 years in the dominion, and has been gardener in the employ of Mr Vallance, at Kahumingi, for the last quarter of a century. Although undergoing repair, he looks hale and hearty, is in full possession of his faculties, and hopes to be able to resume work till he crosses the century, when he pre* poses to fall back on the old age pension. This game old boy is a native of Liverpool, says the Masterton Times.

Some very fine crops are to be seen in the Himitangi and Bainesse districts this season, especially along the Tram Line. The rape crops have a particulary healthy appearance, especially those grown by Messrs Brightwell,'Farmer, and Coley. Mr Brightwell’s crop covers an area of 150 acres, and although the seed was only sown on November 9th, the rape is now 2)4ft high, and looks remarkably well. He has been growing rape for 30 years, and during that lengthy period has seen no crops to equal those in this district. The Rangitikei crops, Mr Brightwell says, cannot compare with those at Bainesse and Himitangi, while he saw nothing to equal them during a recent visit to the Auckland and Waikato districts. One advantage the soil at Bainesse possesses is that it can be worked so easily, the cost of sowing rape being well under £i per acre, which is a great consideration. The wool clips in Mn Brightwell’s district also promise jto be well up to the average. 1 WOLFE’S SCHNAPPS has stimulating properties possessed by no other spirit.

Mr G. : W. Morgan has. tendered his resignation as President of the local C hamber of Commerce. The police returns show a considerable decrease in crime in Southland during the eighteen months since the -inauguration of Prohibition, as compared with the previous eighteen months. Drunkenness cases decreased fron 209 to 11 49 and there were only 4.cases of procuring liquor in the No-license area.—Press Association. The beat in Wanganui on Boxing Day is believed to have been responsible for a curious accident to one of the windows of Messrs Grove Bros, grocery shop in the Avenue. A large pane suddenly shivered into atoms leaving all the stock exposed, and it is thought that the frame, becoming warped by the heat, bent beyond the point when the glass could stand the strain.

The Education Department has decided to issue a new “ Infantry Training” for public school cadets, in order that the drill may be brought into line with that decided on by the Defence Council. This follows the Army drill book in all respects, except that drilling in single ranks takes the place of drilling in two ranks, the formation' of fours being retained. An important omission is made in the Government railway guide. The map showing the lines of railway in the Dominion does not link the Sandpn-Carnarvon Tramway, although on page 59 of the Guide the time-table is given. At the instance cf Cr R. B, McKenzie, the Manawatu County Council at Wednesday’s meeting proposed to draw the attention of the General Manager of Railways to the omission.

The Rev. J. Hobbs, Anglican vicar of Hastings, who for. some time interested himself in the social welfare of the youths connected with the stables, has been given ,£3OO by stewards and others interested in racing. The gift is to form the basis of a building fund for a club room for the youths of Hastings. The rector was told that he was doing more than the Gaming Act to purify the sport. A Wanganui business man, who left town on Christmas Eve for a short holiday at Pipiriki, had a rather unpleasant experience at the river settlement. Taking his camera out with him one day to get some shots of the scenery, he found himself bushed, and remained so for three days. A search party was sent out from the township and finally came across him not much the worse for his experience, except that he was in no state to listen to any arguments in favour of the fasting cure.

One of the happiest men during the holidays was Hare Matenga, says the Poverty Bay Herald. Little did he care whether or not it rained. He is having quite an enjoyable rest in the lock-up after his years of roaming through the wild woods, and is ready to make friends with anyone. Hare sleeps well at night, and finds it a delicious relief to be no longer haunted with the dread that people were after him to shoot him. Rumour has it that one or two shots nearly hit him, in which case it might have proved an awkward matter for anyone tiring such a shot. A number of Maoris have called to enquire as to Hare’s welfare. A address was delivered by Dr Cox at the Auckland Dental Conference in the course of which he referred to the serious condition of things existing in New Zealand and elsewhere in respect to the teeth of the people, especially those of the rising generation. He advocated the setting up of a Royal Commission by the British Government to inquire into the causes of decay of teeth. In the course of his remarks he referred to the good work now being done by the School of Dentistry at Otago University.

The Clara Butt craze got a bad shock in Auckland last Sunday night, A great crowd stayed away from church in order to witness the berthing of the steamer Mokoia, in anticipation of catching a glimpse of Madame Clara Butt, who, it had been announced, was a passenger. The crush was so great that it was practically impossible for those people having business on board the steamer to make their way through. As the steamer came up to the wharf the wooden barricade at the end of the outer tee of the wharf was 1 pushed] down, and the mob simply had it 1 all their own way, and took possession of the tee. In the scramble several ladies had their dresses and finery badly damaged. And, after all, Clara Butt was not on board ! ! The Taihape Times states that, commencing from yesterday, passengers will be able to leave Taihape by the 8.30 a.tn. train to the North, and peach Taumarunui the, same evening. This is slightly different from the time-table foreshadowed by Sir Joseph Ward recently, but further arrangements have been arrived at by the Railway Department with the Public Works Department, which have obviated the necessity for the northern train from Taihape leav 1 ing at an earlier hour than halfpast eight. The change will be much appreciated by the travel-' ling public, who are now proceed-; ing over the Main Trunk line route in rapidly increasing numbers. It dispenses with the dreary stay at Waiouru, and enables the through joruney from Taihape to Taumarunui to be completed in 1 one day, as stated above. The trip from Taumarunui to Auckland is completed the next day. So there are three stages on the route from Wellington to Auckland— Wellington to Taihape (first day), Taihape to Taumarunui (second day), and Taumarunui to Auckland (third day).

Very fiot weather is being ei-f/t periecced * throughout ' minion. ■ Cumberland defeated the New Zealand Rugby professionals on ' Wednesday last, by 15 -points to , ml. - 1 -V Owing to the' dry weather ’ and the amount of stock' being drived the Foxton-Sandon Road is in a . very bad- state of repair. ,A slaughtering. license was, Messrs Rcayand Co., of Foxton, by the. Manawatu County Council at Wednesday's meeting. The Chairman of the Manawatu County Council, in reply to Gr McKenzie, said the law compelled local bodies to pay casual labourers for holidays. Sir John Madden, Chief Justice of Victoria, and Miss Madden arrived in Wellington by the ' Marama from Sydney en route to the Hot lakes.' < Mr Mi PerreaU: informs that h[e intends to lower the price of bread to 3the, alb loaf for cash. This news will be appreciated by local consumers. Cr Barber, at County Council meeting,. paid a tribute.to one of the Council’s employees, He 'said he had' passed over a broken culvert atsix o’clock , in the. evening, and on returning at five o’clock next morning, be found that it had been repaired! An Adelaide message stater that on the 7th inst., a blacksmith named Clinton, at Daydawn, was set upon by three men, and shot. His dead body was thrown into a mining shaft. The 'three men, ; named Potter, Smith, and Bloomer, have been arrested. At Wednesday ’s meeting of the Manawatu County Council, intimation was received that the interest on all loans had been reduced one-half per cent'. , a notification that caused a general feeling of satisfaction among members of the Council, and will doubtless be equally appreciated by settlers. The premises recently occupied by Mr Healey, ■ next to Mrs Hamer, have been enlarged, renovated and fitted with the Accessary '“■> appointments indispensable to an i up-to-date pharmacy. Mr H. C. Patterson, pharmaceutical and veterinary chemist, opened the premises to the public to-day, and is prepared to faithfully dispense prescriptions with the purest drugs. Mr Paterson also makes a specialty of veterinary i Work. Teeth carefully extracted. His business announcement wiil appear in our next issue. Mr A. Mcl,eod, of Shannon, has forwarded £g ios, to the Mayor of Palmerston, collected in Shannon and Otaki, in aid of _ Miss \ Carroll, who lost her arm recently ; at Messrs Ross and . Son’s rope i works, Foxton. May<?t.;Of Palmerston has been requested, .to act as treasurer for this'. fund,- .and . further collections are being made. * The case is a very deserving one, as. the girl was one of the bread* winners of the family, and secured the position in the rope works fot that purpose, in the pursuance of which she met with the accident that necessitated the amputation of her arm, This will seriously ; ; handicap her in the future, and an appeal to assist in so deserving a case should not be made in vain. We suggest that a similar effort on behalf of the unfortunate girl be made locally.