LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 397, 2 April 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following are the local vital statistics for March: Births, 12; marriages, o ; deaths 2. Messrs O’Connor and Tydemau, the well-known Palmerston jewellers, publish an interesting notice in relerence to diamonds elsewhere in this issue.

Elsewhere in this issue Messrs Durward and Co., the Palmerston drapeis, notify the arrival of new and fashionable goods. The advertisement is of particular interest to our lady readers.

We are informed that the sneakthief and nocturnal coal-lifter has been busy in Foxton of late. It is sincerely hoped that a catch will be recorded at an early date, and an example made of the culprit.

Mr Page has bought out the auctioned ing business of Messrs P. H. Rae-Howard and Co. Mr RaeHoward inlcnds lo continue in the land and commission agency business in Foxton.

Dealing with the land question in his speech at Tauranga, the Prime Minister stated that some people said the Government wanted lo nationalise the land of New Zealand because they had set apart 7,000,000 acres for nationalisation purposes. The land settlement policy that the Government was carrying out was a good one for the people, and the graduated land tax was in the best interests of a young country, which it was desired should remain as free as possible from the curse of landlordism, which had burdened the old world.

At the Franco-British Exhibition the Art Building has been equally divided between France and Great Britain, In the British section there is room to hang only about 400 oil paintings and 400 water-colours, but there will also be sections devoted to a collection of sculptuie, and small collection of etchings, engravings, etc. The British “retrospective” section will probably include 100 oil paintings and an equal number of water-colours, thus leaving room for but 300 oil paintings and 300 water-colours by living artists. Consequently the exhibits will be invited by the committee, and artists are not encouraged to submit works for approval.

There were several successful, also the reverse, attempts in the celebration of yesterday’s All Fool’s festival. Two successful ones were played, one on a local constable, whp was informed that someone was {mocking at the front door. He went, and naturally \yas “sold.” The other person could not find his cows, and was informed that they w r ere in the vicinity of the slaughter yards, a distance of a mile and a half. He went and found them not. What his feelings were after the long tramp can be imagined when he discovered that the missing cows were feeding close to the vicinity of his residence. An unsuccessful attempt A letter was sent by a neighbour to another informing him that a dog was lying tangled up under his tank. The reply sent was : “ Is it a black or yellow dog?” Another joke was attempted upon a member of the “long robe,” who was informed* his client wanted to see him at j once. His pulled out his \ watch, the time being close on noon, saying as soon as it indicated two minutes after that time, he would wait upon his client. The joker smiled very sickly and retired.

Whilst skylarking lately, a man named Kavanagh, one of the employees in Mr. Seifert’s flax mill at Makerua, had his collarbone badly broken. The Prime Minister was asked in the Federal House of Representatives if he would make inquiries in regard to the development of the Brennan mono-rail-way, with a view to its applicability to the proposed transcontinental railway. Mr Deakin said he had been informed that the Government of India thought so highly of the invention that they were proposing to spend a considerable sum of money on it. So far as he was aware, however, a practical working trial had not been made.

A remarkable story of crime was told to the Melbourne police by a girl, 17 years of age, who confessed to the theft of 40 gold rings from various shops on different dates since December. She used to visit jewellers’ shops, and while trying on one ring she would secrete another, and then when she had stayed long enough would say, “1 will call again,” The reason for having done these things was that she had been out of employment ever since December, and she did not want her mother to know.

Says a telegram to London oil February nth from Antwerp : Six brothers, born of the same mother iu the same year, appeared before the astonished military authorities here yesterday to participate in the drawing of lots for compulsory service in the army. The case, which is probably the most remarkable 011 record, is explained by the fact that the mother gave birth to two sets of triplets in the same year, the first set being born iu January, and the second during the following December,

Mr John Stevens, M,P., patron of the Rangitikei Rifle Association, was a visitor to the Bulls range on Saturday while the shooting was in progress. After the 700yds range was concluded, Mr O. C. Pleasants, of Halcombe, on behalf of the competitors and officials, welcomed Mr Stevens and called for cheers, which were heartily given. In thanking those present for their reception of him, Mr Stevens said he was pleased there was so much interest being taken in rifle shooting, which he recognised was of great importance to the safety of the Dominion. The sum of ,£SO was quickly earned in Timaru the other day as the outcome of a practical joke (says the Chrislchurch Press). Mr G. H. Rhodes, who is selling out prior to leaving for England, had his household furniture removed to a local auction room there to be sold, and in conversation with one of his old friends, Mr Thomas Teschemaker, he offered the latter a cheque for a substantial amount if he would undertake the office of auctioneer’s boy and display the various articles during the progress of the sale. Mr Teschemaker accepted the challenge, and having discharged the duties admirably, the auctioneer, acting under instructions from Mr Rhodes, handed Mr Teschemaker a cheque for The South Canterbury runholder mounted the rostrum at the close of the sale, and after letting those present into the secret, announced his intention of devoting these, his first earnings as an auctioneer’s assistant, to some deserving charity.

An intelligent - looking upper form boy at the local State School, waited upon the Chairman of the School Committee yesterday morning, and politely informed him that the Headmaster requested to see him at the school. Thoughts of exemption orders, et cetra, flashed through the Chairman’s mind, as he wended his way to the school. The aforementioned lad and his companions in the playground watched the visitor with interested faces, likewise a number of girl pupils, one of whom also stated that the Headmaster required the visitor’s presence, and led the way to where the master was busily engaged. The latter pleaded ignorance of an interview, and a peal of laughter from upwards of a hundred happy children assembled iu the doorway, proclaimed the Ghirmau an April fool. That the youngsters made the qiost pf their victory goes without saying.

lyily Whiterose, a circus rider, charged with drunkenness at Bradford recently, told the Bench an extraordinary life story. She was the daughter of an Amy Officer, she said. She ran away from home while in her teens, and joined Buffalo Bill’s show in Massachusetts. She became a crapk shot, and an expprt rider under Colonpl Cody's tuition. Rater she married an Apstdan Army Officer. She followed him to South Africa, and managed during the war to secure some secret information regarding the movements of the British. She went to the Boer General, De Wet, sold him the information, and was engaged as a despatch runner. She wore military attire, and passed as a man. She deserted the Boers and joined the British Army at Modder River, disguised as a trooper. She went through several battles, she said, and earned special distinction by car-; rying a-wounded soldier part of the way across the river on horseback. Afterwards she bepapie ill with entejric fever, and Jn hospital her sex was discovered. She then became a nurse, and later, she concluded, she returned home to' resume her professional career. She was fined 275, including costs, with the alternative of three weeks’ imprisonment.

A lost fountain pen is advertised for.

Mrs Dudson, of Nikau Villa, the Avenue, advertises vacancies for two boarders.

Several local flax millers appear before the Arbitration Court at ’ Palmerston, to-day, to answer for breaches of award. Mr Percy M. Page will faold'his first auction sale in the mart, Main Street, on Saturday next at 2 pjn., when he will offer household furniture, farm produce, fruit and sundries.

A preliminary announcement in reference to the long-expected local Bellringers’ concert appears elsewhere in this issue. The programme, to be published shortly is of a very varied nature, including instrumental selections on hand bells, mandoline and guitar, banjo, violin and piccolo. The vocal items will include humorous rounds and choruses. In fact the bill of fare will be the best yet offered to a local audience and should attract a crowded house.

Engineer Commander Clarkson, interviewed on board the R.M.S. Ortoua at Frem ntle, said;—‘‘ln company wbh Commander Colquhoun, I set out l?oji Melbourne last March for the purpose of inspecting and gaining a knowledge of the naval armaments and workings of the world. We were denied nothing by the British authorities, and we even went through a war course. We particularly centred our alteutiou 011 the use and manufacture of torpedoes, and this and other researches I shall report to the Commonwealth.” For thirteen sections of land in Waitatora Valley, South Westlaud, nearly four hundred applications have been received, as many as forty applications being received for a siugle section. Twenty two applicants were excluded from the ballot as being ineligible, owing to their already possessing sufficient land. The acting Commissioner announced that the Board had decided to enforce tfce provisions ’of the law as to impovemems and residence and successful applicants were warned to this effect, but all however, agreed to the conditions.

The credit system is the curse of many small traders. We know business men, says the Eltham Argus, in various towns who are merely struggling for a living because they have to give long terms of credit. The unfortunate traders are paying in'e est on bank overdraft, whereas if they could only collect what is owing to they would be in credit. The ■ wretched part of the whole business is that many people who take long credit are well-to-do men who could pay cash without any inc« nvenience to themselves. In some cases they may.go to church three times on Sundays and imagine tbemelves Christians. There is not much Christianity in a rich man who deliberately keeps a poor struggling tradesman waiting for many mouths for payment of his account.

A peculiar incident which occurred on the southward-bound express from Christchurch recently is reported in the Ashburton Mail. A lady, carrying an infant, boarded the train at Christchurch, and, desiring to make a small purchase, and at the same time to bid good-bye to a friend, she asked a fellow passenger—a single young lady—if she would be good enough to hold her baby—-a request that was immediately responded to. In the meantime, the married lady was so engrossed in a conversation with a friend on the railway station that she failed to hear the signal for the departure of -.the train, which moved off from the station without her. The passengers of the carriage in which the young lady and her charge were travelling extended their sympathy to the former, and advised her to leave the child in charge of the stationmaster at the first stopping place. This official (a single man) courteously de- ( dined the charge, and the young lady was compelled to take the infant to Timaru, where she -intended remaining to await its rightful owner.

Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure for Coughs and Colds never fails, is 6d and as 6d.

If you are troubled with Dyspepsia, which gives its victims nea rest day and night, and causes pains in the stomach and bowels, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, constipation, and etc., take a course of Chamberlain’s Tablets, they will stimulate the liver and bowels to perform their work naturally and gently, and strengthen the digestive organs. For sale by W. G. Gardner, grocer.-— Advt.

“ Scyne little time ago,” says Mr J; Boyle, Kelmscott, W. A., “I was suffering from a severe cough, which threatened to take a serious form. Hearing so much about Clpunberlaip’s Cough Remedy I decided to give it a trial, and to my great satisfaction was completely cfired by the time I had finished the first bottle, 1 ’ For sale- by W. G. Gardner, grocer.—Aim. 1

George Andrews, Rochester, writes :—“ My occupation of a-rabbit trapper obliges me to be out at night attending to the traps, and while so doing I contracted a severe cold. After trying other cough mixtures on the market, I was recommended to give Chamberlain’s Gough Remedy a trial. It gave me immediate relief* and three bottles completely cured me. X cap with every confidence recommend Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy to anybody having a cough or cold,” For sale by TV. G, Gardner, grocer.— Apvr. -m ■

Every lady contemplating the purchase of a New Jacket or Paletot fop the coming winter season would do well to inspect the stockof these goods now showing at - the Ron -..Jlarche, Palmerston North The style, fit, and . finish of every garment is. exquisite, and the prices "most reasonable.—o. M. Ross and Co,—Advt. . ■ ’ ’■ . ■ ■■■ v' ■■