LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 460, 3 June 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Entries for the Himatangi stock sale are advertised in this issue.

Hellers’ entertainment was well patronised again last night. Madame Heller’s answers to questions caused quite a stir, particularly among the impressionable. If Madame displayed a shingle, announcing private consultations, she could eclipse the Maori tohuuga every time. Mrs W. Just, a well-known and respected resident of Palmerston for 30 years past, died on Monday night. Sbe leaves a widower (well known asanurseryman), five sons and two daughters who will receive wide sympathy in their very severe loss. -The body of a newly-born male child was found inside a bag in the Mangapapa Creek, near Woodville, on Tuesday afternoon. It had evidently been in the water three or lour days, and has the appearance ,of having been strangled, as a piece of string was still round the neck with a stone attached to it.

At Levin on Tuesday, a fire occurred at Butt and Co’s butchery establishment. The building was completely gutted, also a portion of a shop occupied by Tie and Co. fruiterers. The brigade did splendid work in preventing the spread of the fire. Insurance—Butt and Co. building furniture (J. Bowles manager, occupier) ,£175; Tie and Co’s insurances not known.

A quaint letter has been re’ ceived by the Taranaki Education Board from a parent who has been subjected to an irksome prosecution by the attendance officer. He said that in his eyes money was the root of all truancy- evil. The teapher required a large attendance to ensure his,salary, and so oh the attendance officer, policeman, and . magistrate, all along the line worked with the same motive. Every man had a Government salary, and was turned loose upon the struggling settler who had ho salary. For Chronic Chest Complaints, Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure, is 6d and as 6dv

A number of sports left for the races at Otaki to-day. Arnst and Webb row at Wanganui on the 22nd inst., for /’IOOO and the championship of the world.

Every member of the King’s Colonial Yeomanry encamped at Colchester, has voluntarily reengaged for service, if necessary, in any part of the world. A young man named C. Bicknell, while loading pigs into a brake, at Greytown on Monday, had a finger bitten off by one of the animals.

According to Madame Heller, Webb will, win the world’s sculling championship, and plenty ot artesian water will flow from the ‘bore in Main Street, at a depth of 500 ft. Well, we shall see. The artesian experimental bore in the triangle is now down 480 odd feet. Another flow has not yet been struck. The Council has authorised the work to continue to a depth of 500 ft. Two hundred and fifty professional men from Hanover and other German towns are spending the Whitsuntine holidays in Eondon, The excursion is a sequel to the visit of the German editors to London.

The Hon. Thos. Price, State Premier of South Australia, who has been ill for many months, died on Monday, at the age of 57. [The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) cabled his condolences last Tuesday evening, on the death of the late Mr Price.] The Dunedin South Licensing Committee refused the renewal of three licenses, the maximum allowed as the result of the reduction mandate at the local option poll. The question of issuing bottle licenses was held over pending the decision by the City Licensing Committes next week. In the New Plymouth, Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Henry Todd, a young man, was mulcted in damages £SO and £6 125., compensation for injuries inflicted on Mrs Mary Jones, with whom he collided on a recent Sunday night while cycling down a hill on a footpath without a light. A serious gun accident happened at Matarawa on Sunday morning when Messrs J. Phelps, jun., and Stratford were out shotting. The two were walking through some scrub, one behind the other when the latter’s gun hammer became entangled in the scrub, pulled back, and when let go discharged the gun into Phelps’s leg, doing serious injury. Mr Stratford left to get help, which he procured but was unable to find the unfortunate man till next morning, when he was brought into the Greytown Hospital for treatment.

How a doctor saved a boy’s life at the risk of his own was told at a Local Government Board’s inquiry at East Ham, London. Cr G. Pratt said a boy was taken into the hospital suffering from diphtheria, and the bronchial tubes had become so clogged that breathing had almost stopped. Dr. Snowden performed the necessary operation, and in order that the patient might have immediate relief the doctor actually sucked the virulent matter out of the tube, thus saving the boy’s life at a great personal risk.

-Mr Montague Scott, the wellknown artist, who died in Sydney recently, was said to be the first man who ever brought a camera to New Zealand. The deceased was noted for the excellence of his pictures of racehorses. He had been ailing for some months, and had reached the age of 74 years. The late Mr Scott had a long association with the pictorial press, and his cartoons were a feature of some of the journals he worked for. At one time or other he also painted most of the great horses of the Australasian turf. He was looked upon as the oldest artist in Australia.

An exceedingly funny story about the post office was told to the Postmaster-General by a country settler last week. An inspector of the Department went out to officially examine the working of an office not a hundred miles from Wellington, the name of which appears in the Postal' Guide. The postmaster was at work in his shirt sleeves, and the “post office” appeared to be merely a candlebox. This upset the official’s idea of propriety, and he urged the importance of having .more appropriate facilities for transacting State business.. “If you don’t shut up,” retorted the gruff amateur postmaster, “I’ll hit you over the head with the bally post office !”

Professor Heller’s clever and mystifing cabinet-trick caused much amusement in the local Public Hall, on Tuesday night. How he managed to .free himself from the cords that bound him to a chair, etc., completely, puzzled the audience, but the climax was reached, when, accompanied by Mr Messena in the cabinet, he changed coats with the latter, and also presented him ta the audience in ghostly apparel, which sent the public into shrieks of laughter. Mr Messena was blindfolded on going into the cabinet, and was quite unconscious of the prank that had been 4 ' played on him, which gave rise to the speculation that “Toney ” had- either been “ sniffed ”■ or hypontised.

Dick and Jack Arnst we have .heard,.. : Rodo to fame on the trusty Red Bird ; Now Jack tends his plows and punches his cows^ While Dick’s pace in a skiff’s not deferred. WOLFE’S SCHNAPPS stands pre eminent among stimulants and cordials. ;

Amy Bock is the first woman td|L be declared a habitual criminal.

. The Czar’s little son is insured for the enormous sum of ,£520,000. In the battle of Mukden 91,490 Russians and 72,000 Japanese were killed.

Law and justice will cost the United Kinddom in 1909-10 over M, 000,000.

A “ New Zealand Industries” week is to be held in Palmerston N., while the National Dairy Show is on.

In order to give our staff the benefit of the holiday, the Herai.p was published at an early hour this morning. Recently there were staying at Monte Carlo at the same time twenty princes, ten princesses, and at the least, fourteen millionaires.

It is understood that fifty men, casual employees and single men, were discharged from the Addington Workshops one day recently.

The Prince of Wales celebrates his 42nd birthday to-day. A general h< liday is being observed.

A seaman named Matthew Moore, recently admitted to the Palmerston Hospital from Foxton, suffering from a fractured knee cap, died at the hospital on Monday. An inquest was held and after formal evidence had been heard was adjourned to Foxton on such date as deceased’s vessel arrives there.

When speaking to a Lyttelton Times reporter, Mr McNab said he was very gratified at the manner in which he was supported by volunteers at all his meetings. ‘ ‘ It has been represented in some places,” he said, “ that I am condemning the volunteers; As a matter of fact, I am only condeming the system under which we are compelling these men to work.”

Two great “catches” of rabbits were made hear Kawarau Gorge on a couple of nights, last week, in a' rather easy way . (says the Cromwell Argus); A small paddock of English grass at the foot of the; range with a wire-netting fence was opened in a few places to allow “bunny” to come in, and quietly closed during the night, with the result that 255 were secured the first night and 122 the second night.

In passing sentence upon a middle-aged man, at Wellington, who had pleaded guilty to bigamy, Mr Justice Cooper recently remarked that he hoped that some day, some system would be introduced providing that men who were imprisoned would be compelled to work in such a way that the wages they earned, whilst in prison, would be devoted to the maintenance of their wives and children. •

The death is announced of Charles Phillips, who is said to have been ’ the heaviest man in Australia, being, about 30 stone when in good health. He lost 11 stone in weight after a recent illness. He was, a blacksmith at Beechworth.Victoria, and worked at his trade until a few years‘ago, when his ever increasing/weight interfered with his movements. He was age. Death was due to heart failure.

The fact that people are going * from New Zealand to Australia in | numbers limited only by the ’ carrying capacity of the steamers is attracting attention in the Sydney and Melbourne -papers. • Commenting oh the subject editorially, .the, Sydney. Morning ; Herald says -“ The Dominion j wants population, almost as much as does the Commonwealth—and ! for her people to be leaking ; through to Australia means the 1 putting back of her clock of pro--1 gress. The development is all the more regrettable, inasmuch as, up till she found herself in financial 1 straits,, the Dominion was in favourable cantrast to the Australian States in regard to her increase of population through immigration. But while part of her population is preparing to move out of her territory, New Zealand must relax, temporarily at least, her efforts to get other people in. In other words, her immigration machinery probably will have to be eased down almost to Stopping point, and experience abundantly proves . that it is a kind of machinery which, when once robbed of momentum, is difficult to get into free movement again. The Herald also, notes that there is a steady migration going on from Victoria to Queensland, owing in the main to there being not enough land for the people to make homes on. While admitting that Australia wants population, the paper considers that immigration on a large scale is impracticable.unless suitable land is provided to jmtdhe immigrants on when they [arrive, and it is the duty of the ‘ older State-Govern-ments to frame policies to meet that want. Falling this, they, may presently find themselves faced by other problems more stubborn of solution. For first-class quality and low prices in warm winter rugs and quilts, etc., visit Mrs Hamer, of the who is" 1 ' overstocked at present, and is Offering same at practically “ given-away ” prices. This opportunity is a very rare one so early in the season, and all in need of warm bedding should not fail ~ tp call early at the , Economic, where they will receive exceptional value for their money.* - For Chronic Chest., Complaints, Woods 1 G'reatTeppermint Cure, is fed and 3s 6d. , 1 i Si'l

A freak in fruit growth has been exhibited in Invercargill—black currants' ripening in winter. From the bud which should produce next year’s leaf and fruit berries have emerged, singly in most cases, and some of these are ripe enough to be edible.

Greytown has been considering a lighting scheme for many years. It is now hesitating between electricity and gas. We pin our faith to the latter provided the work is under municipal control. There is no doubt that Foxton will see the wisdom of acquiring the local gas works at the expiry of the, first five year period. A digraceful scene at the Puriri races is reported by a Waihi newspaper. A bookmaker, after one of the races, said he was unable to meet his liabilities, and the crowd, growing angry, rushed < at him, andgave him a warm buffeting. He was eventually “ rescued ” by a constable, who took the man to a hotel, and held the crowd in check while the victim escaped.

The most churlish settler has had no fault to find with the weather. Here we are at the be ginning of June, within three weeks of the shortest day, with no snow on the ranges, only light frosts at night, and the days as warm as in the spring. It is certainly, a delightful season, and the stock, instead of being in low condition, are looking well because of the abundance of feed. Probably a change is near at hand. An opinion prevails that the seasons are later than a quarter of a century ago, and that we shall have the severe weather later in the year. The advantage of the telephone in country districts was exemplified near Kawhia the other evening, says the Auckland Herald. One'of the settlers (Mr J. Allen), connected with the Waimai circuit, had received an important communication in regard to stock sales, which was to be placed before a public meeting of settlers. As a reply was wanted immediately, Mr Allen rang up every house in the connection, and arranged a“ telephonic ” meeting. At the appointed time the settlers assembled at the ’phones, and the matter was thoroughly discussed, the meeting terminating by a vote of thanks being passed to Mr Allen for his thoughtfulness in bringing the telephone into requisition.

Now and again there come from the northern seas stories of lucky pearlers who stumble upon priceless pearls. These, however (says the Sydney Herald) are few and far between, for the majority of these lustrous gems are very small, and rarely exceed a few carats.' But there arrived in Sydney the other day a magnificent specimen of a perfect “button” pearl. It weighs 23 carats, or 92 grains, and is one of the largest pearls ever found in Australian waters. It was found on 20th March in the shell of a small five years’ mollusc, by the crew of the Sketty Belle, schooner, one of Captain George Smith’s fleet of pearlers. Experts have valued the gem at