The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, March 9, 1909. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 452, 9 March 1909, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, March 9,1909. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Palmerston Gas Light Sports to be held on Wednesday evening, L. Al/dorf is on 3yds in the 75yds event. The scratch man is the well - known sprinter “ Darkie ” Morris.

At the meeting of Manawatu Licensing Committee held at Marlon on Thursday the members present were : Messrs Kerr, S.M., R. K. Simpson and A. C. Perry. The transfer of license of Railway Hotel, Tnrakina, from A. K. Wakeman to J. H. Graham was granted. The application of Mrs C. Cullen for transfer of license of Manawatu Hotel, Foxton, to Sparks Phil]), was granted till June, 1909, with a proviso as to disposal ®f license.

Speaking at a banquet tendered him at Stratford recently, Mr W. Syraes ex-M.P., said he had been identified with Stratford since the town consisted of two stores and an hotel, and when the only way to cross Broadway was by laying down p'anks to walk on. In those days it was quicker to walk to Toko than to ride there, and somewhere along that road there was still a 36-gal. keg of beer which had sunk in the mud and had never been recovered !

An interesting culinary operation is to be conducted in Wellington next week, according to the Hon. A. W. Hogg. Cabinet is to meet and formulate its policy. “1 would like to tell you,” he said at Stratford the other night, “what is to be in this Cabinet pudding, but it is not yet mixed. Let us hope that the ingredients used will be wholesome, and easily digested by the people of the Dominion.” A middle-aged man named M’Gonagle met with a serious accident at Marton Junction railway station last evening. It appears that he was removing luggage from the van, when an engine jarred the train, causing him to fall. A wheel went over his arm, practically severing it. He also received injuries on the' head and his foot was badly bruised. He was taken to Palmerston Hospital.

The dearth of domestic servants would appear to have become a permanent inconvenience. A labour agent in Dunedin informed the Otago Daily Times that he could do with a “shipload.” He would find no difficulty in placing fifty to-morrow, and for every twelve persons who were in quest of domestics there was only one to be had. Wages had never been better, but that seemed to make no difference. The common desire among young women nowadays was to find some employment which meant working on six days in the week, and not seven, and in which they knew when they had to start and when they had to cease.

A grim story—•which iu a less intelligent age (says the Loudon Christian World) would have been taken as a record of Divine vengeance—comes from the seat of the earthquake. The whole staff of the comic paper “ II Telerono,” were crused to death at Messina. In the issue of the paper on Christmas Eve ribald fun was made of the religious observations of the season, and an atrocious parody of a popular Christmas hymn was printed. Strangely enough—in the light of consequent events — the hymn concluded with a mocking prayer to the “Bambino” — the Christ-child —to send a mighty earthquake.

It is slated that a new and interesting development has arisen in connection with the famous Westport murder case, which is to be tried in Christchurch at the criminal sittings of the Supreme Court in May. It will be remembered that at the conclusion of the hearing of a charge of perjury, Connolly, who was convicted of that offence, made a confession implicating himself in the murder of Burke. Hallineu and Auden on were subsequently released, and Connolly was committed for trial on a charge of murder. It is said that Connolly now repudiates his confession, and that the case will be fought out at the hearing in Christchuich.

A young lady who was proceeding along Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch, on Saturday evening had a rather unpleasant experience at the hands of a “ pursesnatcher ” (says the Christchurch Press), She had just completed her purchases in town, and was carrying a number of parcels in her arms. Her purse, which was of the “ peggy bag ” variety, and contained 15s in silver and some postage stamps, was hanging from her wrist. She became aware that a man was following her as she neared the Madras street bridge, but did not take much notice of his presence. Suddenly, however, he brushed past her and grabbed the purse, but was unable to get possession of it at first. The lady commenced to scream, and the man then wrenched off the compartments containing the money and decamped, leaving only the back portion of the purse and the handles which were round the lady’s wrist.

Mrs Head, Fyan-st, Geelong, Vic., writes: “ I have found great relief from rheumatism by applying Chamberlain’s Pain Balm. It is an excellent liniment and i strongly recommend any person suffering from this distressing and painful ailment to try it. My husband has also used Chamberlain’s Pain Balm for cuts ami bruises and was delighted with the benefit received from it.’’ For sale every where —Advx.

A first offender was convicted and discharged by Mr T. Rimraer yerterday morning, on a charge of drunkenness.

The Clerk stated at last night’s Borough Council meeting that the capital value of the borough was £l5O, 970. The recent valuation had cost the borough

It is reported that the contractors who bought the s.s. Charles Edward for £25 have the pumping arrangements completed, and there is a good chance of the vessel coming off.

A sailor on the s.s. Himatangi, named Robert Aspin, was arrested on warrant from Auckland last night, on a charge of failing to obey a maintenance order. He was brought before Mr Henuessy, J.P., this morning, and remanded to appear at Auckland on Friday next.

An Indianpolis farmer, after having been married for thirtyfour years, wants a divorce on the ground that he is henpecked. The plaintiff says that he is not only henpecked by his wife, but that a daughter, thirty years old, assists in pecking, encouraged by her mother, and that life with them is unbearable.

When we announced in these columns on February 9111, the birth of a son to their Excellencies Lord and Lady Plunket, we suggested that the child should be called Denis. Their Ex'-el-lencies had the child christened “ Denis Kivva ” by Bishop Wallis at Palmerston North last Saturday. We claim a score, although we presume their Kxcelleucies never saw the paragraph. Surely we are entitle;! to a piece of christening cake. Anyway, we wish the Hon. Denis Kiwa a long, happy, and useful life. The event will, in after years, serve to remind their Excellencies of their sojurn in our bright little island home.

A correspondent writes to the Auckland Herald Is the Government making more extensive preparations this year than usual by way of increasing the annual surplus ? It would assuredly seem so. It is no secret that in the past the March, and sometimes the February, wages bills were held over for payment in the following financial year, which begins on April xst. This year it seems to be the intention of the Government to go a month further back, and withhold payment of the January wages—not in every case, of course, but apparently in districts, from which publicity is not likely to travel. There are workmen, I am informed, engaged in the Rotorua district, who to the present date—February 24th — have not yet received payment of their wages for January.”

Some time ago one of the leading Russian diplomatists found on his return home from a great dinner party in St. Petersburg that his pocket-book, containing thirty thousand roubles, was missing from one of the pockets cf his overcoat. Deeply chagrined at his loss, he requested the immediate attendance of the Chief of Police who assured him that no effort should be spared to bring the thief to book, and that there was no doubt he would soon be discovered. To the diplomatist’s great delight a week had not passed before the chief restored to him the entire sum quite intact, but without the pocketbook, which, he said, the thief had thrown away to avoid identification. There seemed nothing amiss with such an explanation, and the prince was only too glad to recover his stolen property. But a day or two later, in putting on the same overcoat, he was surprised to find in a pocket, strangely overlooked before, the missing pocket-book, containing untouched, the thirty thousand roubles, which he had really never lost at all- The idea of restoring the supposed stolen money to the prince from the public funds, in the hope of thus winning favour for zeal and efficiency, speaks well for the police officer’s ingenuity, but presents a curious phase of Russian official ethics.

J Captain H. Hicks and his wife ; 1 of the barque Don, which arrived 1 in Hobson’s Bay from Nelson res ceutly, were much surprised on 1 berthing at Williamstown to be a told of the wreck of the Penguin, records the Age. “ She was a fine little vessel,” said the captain. “ Once she saved my life —mine ’ and my wife’s. It was two years ago last October. I was then master of a barque called the Lutterworth, and my wife was | travelling with me, as she is now. I We were navigating Cook Strait, 3 and were caught in a tremendous 1 gale. One by one our masts went 3 by the board, snapped off short J like carrots; and then a violent : squall caught us fair on the slar--1 board side. There was a slanting ■ rush in our hold, a sickening : lurch, and onr vessel had capsized over on her port side. The ballast ' had shifted. The seas were tremendous. The y broke all over us. - Fortunately none of the crew were thrown overboard, and we all mauaged to climb high up on the vessel’s starboard side and rail. My wife and I were bruised badly when the accident occurred. For twenty-three hours, through a long, dark stormy night, and many an hour of daylight, the barque drifted on, a derelict. The I cold was intense, and we could not get a bite to eat. And then the Penguin hove in sight. I need not say how thankful we felt. She took my wife, myself, and the crew aboard, and lauded us at Nelson. I abandoned the Lutterworth, but about three days after a small steamer picked her up, and towed her into Welling- * ton, a mere hulk.” j

The borough roadman reported at last night’s Council meeting that the gas company had not carried out the repairs to the streets as requested by the Council after laying the gas pipes. Before Messrs Henuessy and Franklaud, J’s.P., this morning, Thomas Mitchell, on a charge of drunkenness, was convicted and discharged, and a prohibition order was granted against him for twelve months.

At the inquest on the two boys named Cateralls (brothers) who were found dead on the roadside near Adelong, Australia, with a rifle lying between them, a verdict was returned that one brother, after accidentally shooting the other, committed suicide.

At last night’s Council meeting Cr. Frankland’s name was substituted for that of Cr Hennessy to act in conjunction with the Mayor as the Council’s representative at a conference of local bodies to discuss the extension of the Sandon tramway to Bulls.

Tire tomato crop in Masterton threatens to be —if it already is not so—a total failure. The fruit seems to be unable to ripen at all, and instead of a ripening process going on the skins ate turning thick and hard, and (he fruit is then unsaleable. There are some large areas down in tomatoes in Masterton this season, and if the crop fails the Chinese gardeners will he, perhaps, the heaviest losers.

In our advertising columns it will be seen (hat Mrs Hamer, of (he Economic, is contemplating giving up business, and is therefore prepared to make great sacrifices. The large and varied stock she keeps is well-known and (his opportunity to purchase cheaply should not be overlooked. Mrs Hamer desires to reduce her stock by at least half so that she may dispose of her busi less as eaily as possible. We advise our readers to see her prices before buying elsewhere, as no object is gained by sending money out cf town when you can buy as cheaply at home and see exactly what yon are getting for your money.*