LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 449, 28 January 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Great dissolution sale at Watchorn Stiles’ and, Co.’s on Saturday, January Ibtli. Remember, for 14 days only.* Attractive money values at the clearance of summer stock at the Bon Marche sale to-day. C. M. Ross and Coy. mean a clean sweep of all seasonable goods. Somebody will get the benefit—why not you

During a cold snap recently a swarm of bees took possession of the Anglican Church at Te Puke, near Tauranga, and made things lively’ - for the congregation. The American schooner - yacht Coronet took her departure from Melbourne in an unobtrusive manner, passing through Port Phillip Heads bound for a “ port unknown.” The leave-taking of the vessel aroused no more interest than if she- were au ordinary locally-owned yacht proceeding on a short cruise. Her people decline to disclose the name of their next port of call, but it, is understood that the vessel is proceeding to Cape Town. An absolutely new dog story has "been found. Here it is (salt to taste), as related by an exchange: A gentleman was out shooting the other day, when he had the misfortune to hit his dog. For a moment he was too much overcome to see what damage he had done, and before he had recovered himself the animal, a black retriever, had come up to him, bringing in its mouth its own tail —which had been cut clean off.

A deputation from the School Committees’ Association waited on the Minister of Education at Christchurch this week, asking that medical inspection of schools and the teaching of physiology be carried out, that single desks and sheltets in playgrounds be provided, that a more liberal allowance be made to committees for i ncidentals, and that some provision be made for'the cost of conveying country children to the various centres for examination. Mr Fowlds, in the course of a sympathetic reply, promised to look into the questions raised.

The quantity of wpol sent away from New Zealand by steamers that cleared the port of Wellington for the week ending 16th instant exceeds any shipment for a corresponding period so far this season. It amounts in all to about 50,000 bales. This large quantity, valued at an average of, say, £ll per bale, equals oveir half a million sterling. The greater proportion of it is for the London market, the rest having been sold at the recent wool sales. The Opawa has taken the lion’s share, some 17,732 bales, of which Wellington contributed 10,244. The Arawa took 16,479 bales, the Rlmutaka 8663 and the Star of New Zealand 7000 bales. In responding to the toast ot his health at a gathering in Napier, the Hon. A. W. Hogg said that his elevation to the Ministry had come to him totally unsought. In accepting the position he did not seek anything in the way of emolument for himself, but he desired to leave a record behind him of lasting benefit to the people. He was very glad that he had been appointed to the position in charge of roads and bridges, as by means of this department he would be able to leave monuments which would be of benefit to the settlers. He had some knowledge of what a settler’s life was, having lived in the Australian bush long before coming to New Zealand. He knew what the settlers had to put up with in places where there was no communication with the outer world ; where they saw the same faces day after day, and living became a dreary monotony. He wished to remove this isolation by reading the backblocks. He strolled into the AgentGeneral’s office in London the other day and asked to see the man in charge of emigration. He was shown in. Just an ordinary labouring man of 50 or so. He said he wanted to emigrate to New South Wales with a part of his family. How many had he ? Well, he had a few; perhaps they would write their names down as he called them off:—Alma, Violet, Annie, Helena, Lily> Jessie, Evelyn, May, Vere, Charlie, Dolly, Gladys, Arthur, Norman. They ranged from the cradle into the middle twenties. “ Part of your family you said ? ” queried the embarrassed emigration officer. “Yes, replied the father of 20. “I have half-a-dozen sons older than these over in Canada. They don’t think much of Canada, and if you could settle the rest of us down in your country, and we like it, the boys would probably come out too.” There were (writes the London correspondent of the Sydney Telegraph) one or two little difficulties in the way—the old man was slightly over the’age, and some of the children below the age particularly desired by the department—but the office wisely threw out its arms and grabbed the lot. They couldn’t miss that sort.

Mayor Nash will represent Palmerston on. the jb'oxton Harbour Board.

The local State School will reopen on Monday next, February i st.

Constable Hyde, who was shot by some suspicious characters at Marryatville,- South Australia, in sensational circumstances, died at the Adelaide Hospital, not having regained consciousness. The Government have offered a teward of for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the murderer, and a free pardon to any accomplice giving information. That a man may live for seven years with a piece of leaden bullet in his brain was proved at an inquest held in London. The post mortem examination showed that there was a large piece of jagged bone pressing into the brain, and a piece of leaden bullet in the brain. Death was due to epilepsy, set up by injury to the brain and by the depressed bone and the piece of bullet. It was marvellous that the man had lived. The bullet had passed right through the brain. Fortune telling in Sydney is practically a thing of the past. The enforcement of the Police Offences Act has brought about an exodus of palmists and clairvoyants. Of 50 professional palmists who flourished in the city before December 31st, the addresses of very few can be traced at present. Just before the close of the year the police sent round a message to each of the “ prophets ” intimating that from January ist the gift of foretelling the future could not be exercised for profit. Its effect was magical.

Coincidences are always interesting. The other day (says the Dominion) a donation of for the Otaki Hospital was acknowledged from Shannon flaxmillers at the meeting of the Hospital Board- The chairman (Mr J. P. Duke, M.P.) mentioned that this sum had been raised at a concert, and would carry with it the usual subsidy of 24s in the pound. Mr R. C- Kirk remarked that,' strangely enough, the first patient admitted after this substantial donation had been received was the promoter of the concert himself.

The Wreck Monument and the Fallen Troopers’ Memoiial in Timaru were selected for graceful acts of attention the other day. When the Mayor’s carriage, in which the Premier and Lady Ward and Mr and Mrs Craigie were seated, drew level with the monument, Lady Ward descended anti placed a wreath at the base of the obelisk. At the Troopers’ Memorial Mrs Craigie performed a similar act. These tributes to heroism were quite spontaneous, and were on that account, perhaps, all the more appreciated by the public. ;

Mr Geo. . Powell, of Otaki, has grown some enormous cabbages jn his garden this season. The largest one, when weighed, turned the scales at 4.1 which the Mail thinks must be a record. Another, trimmed, weighed sglbs, and many others were almost as large. The cabbages are of the variety known as Blair’s Phenomenal, recognised as one of the best varieties of cab-, bages grown .anywhere, and;-ip spite of their tremendous size, are splendid for eating. Mr Powell’s cabbages were grown without any manure whatever, which is another instance of the wonderful fertility of Otaki soil.

The swagger,,nuisance is. sometimes a serious one, but it assumed rather aggravated dimensions in the opinion of a farmer of the southern end of the North Otago district the other day. In the morning, about 6.30, he saw three men approach his front entrance and camp there. At 8 o’clock one ot them went up to the house and asked for the usual billy of tea and something to eat, supplementing the application with the announcement that there were three of them. The request was granted', not altogether willingly; but the - climax,was reached when half-an- ‘ hour later thejithree men boarded the same train as the farmer and travelled to Oamaru, consuming a bottle of whisky on the journey-

Writes Frank Morton:—l am not a blind idolater of the horse, v I love him for his picturesqueriess, for his grace, for the wealth of his historical associations. I recognise in him a certain dignify and exclusiveness ; so that when I see him bestrode by some miserable little worm of a man I always feel some such a thrill of repugnance. But I have no illusions concerning the intelligence, nobility, or wisdom of the horse. The average horse is as silly as a hen. I have seen a horse kick its best friend.. I saw one, frightened by a scrap of fluttering paper, kill a child. I heard of one that went half-mad with terror when a mouse got into its stall. No, all the talk of the horse being a noble animal on the intellectual side is mere shop talk, talk without,loundation. The elephant is the'king of animals. He is wiser than most men. He treasures up’ the memory of your very kindnesfc. You could turn him loose in a yard full of. babies, and not one would be harmed. You can teach him more in a day than the horse will learn in a year. He is magnificent in strength, and magnificent jn repose. He was the aristocrat of the animal kingdom when f|ie horse was a clumsy ‘ creature with five toes, He is th? ‘ wisest and sanest of all beasts. Mr Archibald Boss, Wanganui, N. Z., says: “ Some time ago,-when my wife was suffering from a very severe attack of Indigestion, a friend advised ‘ her to try Chamberlain’s Tablets. She had only taken them a short ' while when she was completely cured and we are now never without a bottle in the house. . For sale everywhere.— 4 i>vi.

Great dissolution sale at Watchorn and Stiles’, on Saturday, January 16th; Stock to be sacrificed regardless of price.*

Mr R. D. Hardie has been appointed, temporarily, to the position of pupil teacher at the local school, and will take up his duties on Monday next. The Palm'erston North police require the owner for 200 sheep, mixed ewes, lambs and wethers. Sheep may be inspected at Palmerston North, and ear marks at the Foxton police station. It is alleged that a Hawera layer of odds was so much affected by the success of Taranaki horses at the Foxton meeting that he left the . town on Saturday evening without any ostentation or leaving any address. —Stratford Post. Frequent complaint has been made by passengers on the New South Wales railway who temporarily leave their seats in carriages to obtain refreshments at the stations about -their places being appropriated during their absence. Thd Railway Commissioners have now dealt with the matter and have passed a by-law in the following terms : —“ It shall not be lawful for any passenger to take possession of the seat in a railway carriage of any other passenger who has been occupying such seat, and who has temporarily left the carriage for refreshments or other purposes. Any person so offending, and refusing to give up the seat to the previous occupant, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £2.” About forty thousand acres of land in the immediate vicinity of Rotorua is in process of being surveyed, and will be ready for occupation at an early date. The Rotorua Times understands that the lands will be offered for a term of twenty-one years at an easy rental, and that the tenant will receive full valuation for his improvements at the expiry of the lease. The land round Rotorua is capable of producing excellent grass, and in a few years dairy factories should be quite a feature of the district. Be that as it may, the long blight of unavailable lands has at last been dispelled, and those wishing to settle in this vicinity will be offered the chance to gratify that desire.

The following is a genuine essay by a ten-year-old : “ My Life has been a very lucky one. When I was three years old I fell downstairs and cut my head. When I was five years old I was looking at some heps, and a dog bit my leg. When I was eight I went with my brother in the trap, and the horse fell and threw us out of the trap. My brother let on his feet, and I let on the horse's back. List year I wasplaying, and I run into a lurry and cut my eyebrow, and it has left a mark. One. day I Went into the slaughterhouse, and a big sheep ran after me and knocked me down. I have had a happy life.”

, Mr- S.. F. Whitcombe, railway traffic manager in Christchurch, states that he has a clear recollection of the visitation of caterpillars in .the Wanganui district, about thirty years ago. He was engaged on the Wanganui railways at the time, and on two occasions trains were stuck up for about 15 minutes. The insects were present not in hundreds, and thousands, but in millions.. They marched on through the district, devouring everything as they went, like a ravaging army. The only effective remedy, he says, was to drive mobs of sheep over them and have them trampled to death. For several days after the visitation part of the affected districts were undesirable places on account of the smell that arose from the dead bodies of the insects.'