LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 481, 16 September 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Deputy Official Assignee notifies that C. T. Easton, butcher, Foxton, has been adjudged bankrupt on creditors petition and a meeting, of creditors will be held at Palmerston North on Thursday, September 30th, at 2 o’clock. At the local Police Court yesterday 'morning before Mr G. H. Stiles J.P., Peter Peterson was charged with being found in a state of helpless drunkenness. This was his second offence within six mouths and the Justice inflicted a fine of £1 with costs 5s in default 7 days’ imprisonment. A first offender charged with drunkenness was convicted and fined 5s in default 24 hours’ imprisonment.

A scheme is afoot to provide Invercargill with electric energy from the Wyndham river. It is reckoned that 2000 horse-power could be generated for transmission to Invercargill. A young son of Mr Benbow, aged 2 x /t years, living near Gammon’s mill, Ohakune, fell into a well on Titesday morning, and was drowned.

In Mr Byron Brown’s garden at Otaki is a large lemon tree heavily laden with full-sized fruit just coming to a fine bright yellow colour.

Keeping a horse in a structure other than a stable is an offence. In the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington on Tuesday, an offender in this respect was convicted, and ordered to pay costs 7s.

The Town Clerk notifies that in accordance with a resolution passed at the last meeting of the Council, all rates unpaid on October Ist will be sued for without fuither notice.

With a view to making the Sandwich Islands a naval and military stronghold, a contract has been signed at Washington for the construction of a dry dock at Pearl Harbour. The dock will be 1195 ft. long—the largest ever built for the use of a navy.

The Government Audit Inspector (A. H. Lamb, Esq.,) paid his annual visit to Foxton last Monday and Tuesday and examined the books of the Foxton Borough Council and found everything in order as usual. Without the express consent of his wife, no married Austrian subject can procure a passport for journeying beyond the frontier. What a howl there would be in New Zealand if hubbies had such restrictions placed upon them here.

The motion passed at Monday night’s meeting of the Borough Council, instructing the Town Clerk to communicate with the Gas Proprietary re purchase of works by the Council was proposed by Cr Gibbs and not by the Mayor as stated in our last issue. Mr A, A. Brown's flaxmill at Paetawa is again in working order, and this season is running on more up-to-date lines, the proprietor having installed a machine that washes, whitens, and otherwise cleanses the fibre.-—Otaki Mail.

Acting on the suggestion of Mr R, Coombes, editor of the Sydney Referee, MrS. Messena has altered the conditions as to allotment of prize money in the sculling handicap to be rowed on the Manawatu River on December 2nd and The prizes will be : —First, ; and cup value £25 ; second and third The New York correspondent of the Daily Mail reports that British importers are suffering from ruthless acts of the American appraisers. Since the new Tariff Act came into force, values on invoices are often arbitrarily increased 40 per cent. The importers’ only remedy is the law courts.

A young man named Stephen Toth was drinking heavily in the restaurant of an inn at Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary, at the end of July. The gipsy band was discoursing lively strains, when Toth suddenly called the leader to his table. “ Enough of these lively tunes,” he said. “Let as have a funeral march, such as you play on the way to an interment.” The baud thereupon struck up the solemn “Marche Fuuebre” of Chopin. A moment later Toth shot himself through the heart.

Speaking at Auckland on the proposed re-arrangement of colonial squadrons, one of the officers of the warships at present in port said that he understood that the vessels which would be stationed in New Zealand would be mainly for recruiting and drilling purposes. In the opinion of most naval men having acquaintance with the position, the New Zealanders made splendid seamen once they were broken into discipline, and were such as any navy would like to possess.

The spring meeting of the Marlboiough Racing Club will be held at Riveilands, Blenheim, on the 6th and yth October, and the programme can be seen in the Referee or New" Zealand Times. Including as it does in the races of each day open handicaps, hurdles, and hack races, the Club should obtain liberal response from this quarter. The trip to Blenheim has always been looked upon as a pleasant one for visitors, and at the spring meeting it is not very difficult for outsiders to take away a race or two. The Club has spent a very large sum of money upon their course during the last few years, and now possesses one of the finest tracks in New Zealand. Nominations close on Saturday next with the secretary Mr L. Griffiths.

The Presbytery of Wanganui on Tuesday agreed to the following proposal: “That this Presbytery request the Education Board of the Wanganui district to alter their regulations so as to require 244hours per week for secular instruction, thus leaving it in the power of the school committees where it is desired to grant half an hour a week for the giving of Bible lessons, and appoints Revs. I. Jolly and Morton to state the matter for the Presbytery to the Board.” Mr Jolly, in moving the resolution, said that he understood that some other Boards had agreed to a similar proposal. A beautiful assortment of electroplate goods, brooches, engagement ings, etc., at Parkes’ jewellery stablishraent. Main St.* For Influenza take Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. Never fails, Is 6d and 2u Od.

A meeting of the committee of the Horticultural Society will be held in the Council Chambers tomorrow evening at 8 o’clock. A boy named William Mead, who was injured by a fall from a horse, at Himitangi, was taken to the Palmerston Hospital on Tuesday, and is now progressing favourably towards recovery. The usual monthly meeting of the School Committee will not be held to-night. The Secretary asks us to state that the meeting will be called for an evening next week. Mr George Fowler left for Wellington yesterday afternoon, having received a telegram advising that his mother was seriously ill. We remind the public of the entertainment to be given in the Public Hall to-night in aid of the funds of the Maori Mission Church at Moutoa.

Mr Newman M.P., has signified his willingness to represent the Foxton Harbour Board at the Harbour Board Association conference of delegates to be held in Wellington on the 21st inst. The Ven. Archdeacon Towgood has resigned the Archdeaconry of Wanganui and the cure of the parochial district of Marton, and in future the district previously under his control will be divided. The southern section will be in charge of the Rev. C. C. Harper, Palmerston, and the Rev. J. A. Jacobs, vicar of Wanganui, will be in charge of the northern section. The appointment of the Revs. Harper and Jacobs as Archdeacons will date from October Ist.

Dr. Pomare says that there is no doubt that the Mormon religion is spreading among the Maoris in the North Island. The main reason, to his mind, is that the Mormon elders identify themselves entirely with Maori life. A Maori wedding recently near Dannevirke was solemnised by a young Mormon elder in the presence of a very large concourse of Maoris, and it is now reported that the Mormon Church intends to build a college near Hastings for the education of converts from the Maori race.

The year 1907 saw the highest total of cattle in the Dominion, the number for that year being 1,851,750. In 1908 there was a drop to 1,816,299, and in 1909 a further drop to 1,773,326, or a decrease of 78,424 in three years. It says much for the selective skill of our farmers, as well as for the influence of a favourable season that in 1909 the value of butter and cheese exported should have reached the total of .£2,287,759 or an increase of £215,970 from herds decreased by 78,424. A well-attended public meeting convened by the Mayor, was held at Auckland yesterday afternoon for the purpose of making arrangements for a public welcome to Sir Joseph Ward on his arrival at Auckland from England on September 30. An Executive Committee was appointed to carry out the matter. It was decided to present the Prime Minister with an illuminated .address, and if possible, to arrange for the volunteers and cadets to turn out. It was also suggested that, if the time of arrival of the Challenger is suitable, the citizens lie invited by the Mayor to observe a halfholiday.

In the Mauawatu and West Coast A. and P. Association prize list for the Spring Show, horse competitions for lady and gentlemen riders are prominently catered for. The prize money and trophies total over The competitions comprise lady riders (separate classes side saddle and divided skirts), hunters competitions for lady and gentlemen riders, driving and riding classes. The breed classes comprise thoroughbreds, carriage, hacks, ponies, polo ponies, saddle, harness and draughts, for which in all the sum of is allotted. The classification is so complete, that with a total prize list of for horses, it will be seen that substantial inducements are offered to owners to exhibit. Schedules may be obtained at any A. and P. Office, or from Mr J. C. Dane secretary, box 35, Palmerston North.

To decide a wager Professor t,. R. Willis, the other day carried out in Melbourne a novel cycling feat, by carrying six men on his machine for fully half a mile along St. Kilda Road. The present day bicycle is put to many curious uses, but seldom to such a severe test as that successfully executed by Willis. The machine used was a Massey Harris cycle fitted with Dunlop tyres and despite the fact that over half a ton was piled upon the machine, both the cycle and tyres withstood the strain splendidly. The mode of carrying the men, adopted by Willis . was, one man on his shoulder, two men standing on steps fitted to front forks and three men on special steps fitted to back stays. Willis, who is a very powerful cyclist, • found little difficulty in balancing, steering and pedalling his machine, in fact, he could have apparently carried more passengers if he could only have found room to pack them on as a weight carrying test under road conditions, the ride demonstrated what a wonderful piece of mechanism the present day bicycle is. The feat was carried out publicly and is said to constitue a world’s record.*

There was a sound of agony by night Of sneezing, wheezing, groaning, and of tears ; It woke adjacent slurnberers in a fright, And made them quake with superstitious fears; Yet ’twas no spook that rent the midnight air, ' Or ghost, or goblin’ ’scaped from sepulchre, ’Twas only Binks, declaiming in despair— His cold was worse, and he’d no Woods’ Peppermint Cure.