LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 482, 18 September 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The death is announced at the comparatively early age of 45 years, of Mr Edwin Keiller, of Fitzherbert, but previously of Rangitikei, where, with his brothers, Messrs A. and E. Keiller, extensive sheep properties were held. He is survived by his two brothers, and also two sisters, Mrs (Dr) Watson, Bulls, and Mrs C. Birch, and two children. Deceased was privately interred at Palmerston yesterday.

A. Napier Syndicate is getting from Home a new kind of machinery for dressing flax, which it intends to set up near Foxton, where it has secured some (lax. The new plant (reports the Hastings ,Standard) will turnout the fibre much more rapidly than the old process. Within fortyeight hours from the time the green flax leaves the swamp the hemp will Ire ready for export. The exact nature o( the new process is uot known except to those concerned in its venture, but it is understood to include steam dryiug.

The Rev. G. K. Aitkeu has received to-day the results of the Sunday School examinations held in July last. The examination covers the whole of the Dominion and includes about 10,000 competitors. This is the first time the local Presbyterian Sunday School has entered the annual competition, and the results speak very well, on the whole, for the instruction that is being given by the local teachers. The total number who sat for examination in Foxton was only six, and appended are the , results :L. Lindsay Aitkeu, Scripture 78, Catechism 70, Fssay 54, total 202; Jeannie McKnight, 66, 63, 66, 195 ; Hester Lennox, 41, 71. 59. 171 ; Nellie McDonnell, 44, 58, 52, 154 ; Nean Rough, 40, 63, two subjects only, 103; Hazel Pearson, 68, 60, two subjects only, 128, For watch, clock or jewellery repairs go to Parkes, the jeweller, Main Street.

Au advertiser wants grazing for one cow.

The Bullard King Company’s steamer Umhtali, from Condon for Port Natal, is ashore at Cape Point. A Union Castle liner rescued some of the passengers. Kleven were drowned owing to the overturning of a boat. “ People say,” said Mrs K. Rente Stevenson, of U.S.A., speaking in Christchurch last week, ‘‘that we are trying to make man sober by law ; but it is not so. We are trying to prevent him being made drunk by law. A man is naturally sober.” It is said to be a good piece of business in Condon to change your butter shop very frequently. A medical officer declares that dealers sell margarine as butter to regular customers, but when a stranger drops in for butter he gets it in dread that he might be an inspector. Cast week the attendance at the local State School constituted a record, viz,, 281 out of a roll number of 319. Standard 11. again carried off the attendance shield for this week with a percentage of 96. The school has earned the services of another teacher, who, it is hoped will be appointed in about a month’s time. Mr P. W. Brown met with a painful accident last Wednesday morning in Duncan Street, It appears that the horse attached to his milk cart took fright at the braying of a donkey and set off. Mr Brown, in pulling up the horse came in contact with the shaft which struck him in the region of the heart, breaking a riband shaking him up generally. Owing to the stormy weather conditions existing this morning, the Rev. J. White, of Ceviu, who was to have conducted the services at the local Presbyterian Church to-morrow, wired to Mr Aitken, cancelling the engagement. The local services will thus be conducted in the morning aud evening at Foxton, aud Oroua Bridge in the afternoon, by the Rev. Aitken. The evening subject will be ‘‘A new Gospel.” At the Christchurch Supreme Court on Thursday, Mr Justice Sim heard an appeal by Matthew Barnett against the decision of Mr Haselden, S.M., who fined appellant for publishing in the weekly newspaper Daylight betting information. The grounds of the appeal were (1) that the information came from special correspondents aud not from third parties, and (2) that the information published was not betting news. Judgment was reserved. An ex-Christchurch journalist, who now holds a responsible position on a Wellington daily paper has, it is understood, instituted proceedings , against a periodical which has printed an allegedly damaging attack upon his personal and professional capacity. It seems an apology was offered, but considered unsatisfactory by the aggrieved party, and it is probable that writs claiming heavy damages will shortly be issued against both the publisher and the printer of the periodical concerned. Editing a paper is a nice thing, and no mistake. If we publish jokes, people say we are rattlebrained- If we don’t we are fools. If we publish original matter, they say we don’t give them enough selections. If we give them selections, we are too lazy to write. If we don’t go to Church, we are heathens. If we do, we are hypocrites. If we remain in the office, we ought to be out looking for news. If we go out then we are not attending to business. If we wear old clothes, they laugh at us. If we wear good clothes, they say we are extravagant. Now, what are we to do ? Just as likely as not someone will say that we purloined this from another paper. So we did.

The dog show at the Manawatu and West Coast A. and P. Association’s Show, Palmerston North, is undertaken by the ManawaUt Kennel Club, and the exhibits are supervised by a number of well-known fanciers and some 16 classes are provided. Challenge prizes will be awarded to deerhounds, greyhounds, Scottish and Skye terriers and bulldogs. Exceedingly good prizes are offered in the challenge classes up to £2 for first without reservation, While all classes range up to for first prize with certain restrictions, Special prizes have been presented for competition by the Palmerston. North Coursing Club, the Irish Terrier Club of New Zealand, the, Scottish and Skye Terrier Club of New Zealand and the British Bulldog Club. The show judges are Mr J. Horrax for collies, bulldogs, and hound classes; Mr Paul Hunter for setters, pointers, spaniels and other varieties ; and Mr R. G. Makin for all terriers. The appointments are of a high order and a big display is anticipated. For further information write to the Manawatu Kenuel Club Secretary, box 85, Palmerston North.

Great sale now on for a few days only at G. H. Stiles’. If you want o buy goods at half price visit the tale at once.*

There was a sound of agony by night Of sneezing, wheezing, groaning, and of tears; It woke adjacent slumberers m 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 Sinks, declaiming in despair— His cold was worse, and he’d no Woods’ Peppermint Cure.

Mr Walton, of the Louth Nursery, advertises a purebred White Leghorn rooster for sale.

Copies of catalogues for the forthcoming Horticultural Society’s Show can be obtained from Mr Levett, secretary. It is rumoured that the Harbourmaster got a rough handling recently, by a fisherman, while im specting whitebait nets, and that the sequel will be heard in the Magistrate’s Court. The euchre party and dance is to be held in Gardner’s Hall Montoa, on the 28th hist., and not on the 21st inst., as previously stated.

A diner in a New Plymouth restaurant on Saturday insisted on having very weak tea, on the ground that tea was bad for the stomach. Then, says the Daily News, he breasted a bar and swallowed three “neat” whiskies.

The manager of the local Gas Works informs us that the bad gas is now being burnt off, and to-night there should be little or no evil odour, and a great improvement in the light.

Nominations for the Marlborough Racing Club Spring Meeting close with the secretary, Mr L. Griffiths, at Blenheim at 9 this evening. An Eltham dairy fanner who was milking 55 cows last season received milk cheques to the amount of 3s 6d. In addition.to this he has a bonus to come of from to he also sold a lot of pigs.

The New Zealand Gazette contains the notification that the High Commissioner, Hon. Hall-Jones, is permitted to retain the title of “Honourable” for life.

The Supreme Court sitting in Oaraaru appeared on the calendar for September 14th, but as not a single civil or criminal case could be brought up, his Honour will probably enjoy a new pair of white gloves. A writer in the Dunedin Star, dealing with the extent of the rabbit industry in Otago and Southland, states that one firm has in store in Dunedin, Gore, and Sydney, and afloat for other countries, worth of rabbit-skins.

Indignation is felt in Belgium at the decision of King Leopold, to sell his magnificent collection of modern pictures in London.

A very old resident of Gisborne, Mr John Langford, passed away on Monday last, aged 68 years. At the time of the Poverty Bay massacre he was employed as a baker for the colonial troops. Mr Langford had spent 42 years in Gisborne. The services to-morrow in the Methodist Church will be conducted in the morning by Mr J. Chrystal and in the evening by the Rev. P. J. Mairs, whose subject will be, “The Eye and the Heart.” There will be a prayer meeting at 7 a.m, and Sunday school at 2.30 p.m. Yesterday morning the local Inspector of Fisheries (Mr J. B. Hall) accompanied by Constable Woods made an Inspection of the whitebait nets between the Heads and the whart. In all 21 nets were examined and all were found to be in accordance with the regulations of the Act. In our report of the last Borough Council meeting we stated that a tender for protective fences had been received from Mr R, Speirs. As some people may confuse the tenderer with Mr R. N. Speirs, timber merchant, we hasten to make this explanation. The tenderer was Mr Richard A, Speirs. A contract is being let this week by the Government to drive several tunnels on the incline leading to No. 2 State coal mine, Point Elizabeth. This marks an important point in the progress of a big development at work which, when completed, will double the output from the Government’s mines.

A special meeting of the Foxtou Borough Council will be held in the Council Chamber on Monday, September 20th, 1909, at 7.30 o’clock p.m. Business: Consideration of sale of surplus areas in certain streets of the Borough and to make special order in regard to same. Further consideration of regrading the Main Street footpaths and general.

A visitor to Foxton yesterday, in conversation with a Herai.d representative, suggested that the approach to the railway station should be better lighted than at present by the local authority. He stated that first impressions in reference to towns were lasting and nothing appealed more to the visitor than a well-lighted thoroughfare leading from the railway station. He cited Masterton as a case in point. We forward the suggestion on to the Borough Council. An arc light at the end of Clyde Street would no doubt be a great improvement.

At last night’s meeting of the local Horticultural Society, Mr Newth suggested that the special prizes donated by Mr B. G. Gower and Mrs Thynue for best collections of birds’ eggs, should be so awarded as to give every collector a reward for his labour. He stated that some boys pooled the eggs collected, and this disheartened boys with smaller collections, who would not compete. If collectors were paid out of the special prize fund at so much per hundred, he thought a more vigorous war would be waged against the feathered tribe.

For Inlluenza take Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. Never fails, Is 6d and 2s 6d.

Mr Lamb, Government Auditor, inspected the books of the Moutoa Drainage Board and found everything in first class order. It is a regrettable but nevertheless patent fact that the sordid element is gradually creeping into our alleged sports (says the Auckland Observer). It is seen nearly everywhere; on the bowling green, the cricket and football fields, the tennis lawn, the golf links. 1 The tendency is towards quibbling over small , details. Losers no longer seem disposed to accept defeat in a sportsmanlike spirit. Instead, they seem to make a bee-line for the rule book in order to see whether they can upset the victor by means of a quibble.

A German writer, Mr Gustave Meyer, who visited New Zealand about two years ago, has informed the readers of the Frankfurter Zeitung that rabbits in this Dominion eat sheep as well as grass. Apparently, he has got somewhat mixed ideas in regard to stories of the sheep-killing keas, and has startled German scientists with an account of rabbits that have taken to a carnivorous diet. “Wild animals,” he stated, “are not to be found with the exception of one, which was imported by some overzealous sportsman, namely, the rabbit. In consequence of its natural fecundity it has spread with dismal rapidity all over the country and represents now a grave danger to sheep-farming, wherefore millions are spent to combat with the evil. Far-reaching statutes have been specially framed and high premiums are paid for the destruction of this pest, on account of which the enormous large farms must be fenced in with high wire nettings reaching deep into the ground. In spite of all this, thousands of sheep are killed by these destructive rabbits, after which they eat the kidneys out of their bodies.” A young man in the Divorce Court at Wellington, petitioning for the dissolution of a short lived marriage, took the circumstances very casually. He was asked by the judge what was the name of his child ? “Well,” said the youthful benedict, hesitatingly, “we used to call her Daisy, but I forget what her real name was — something like Gertrude Evelyn, I think.” His Honour looked at some papers. “Alice Gertrude, it says here,” he observed. “Oh yes, that’s it,” cried the witness, brightening. “I remember now.” “This may cause some confusion as to identity,” added the Judge, severely. “You ought to know. When was she born?” This, too perplexed the witness. “I think it was June ; but I could not say exactly. We only lived two months together.” His Honour, by decree nisi, dissolved' the hasty union, but refused the petitioner the interim custody of the child. It was too much, he said, for a young father like that to have charge of a child of two.