LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 811, 10 March 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of the local Borough Council will be held in the Council Chamber on Monday next, at 7.30 p.m. Business, general. The Mayor and Mr W- Carter bought Messrs Horton and Co.’s fruit display at the local Show and will give it as a donation to the Methodist Harvest Thanksgiving. The Manawatu County Council and Foxton Borough have elected Messrs J. G. Wilson, G. Kendall and Alex. Speirs as district representatives on the Hospital Board. An umbrella, was removed apparently by mistake, from the tea room at the show last night. Will the person who removed same kindly return it to the place from whence it was taken.

The Mayor has asked Mr Newman, M.P., to make application on behalf of the Borough Council, to the Government Advances Board for a loan of ,£20,000 in anticipation of the poll for the water and drainage proposals. The Board meets at Wellington on the x6th inst.

An important meeting of the Manawatu No-License Council and N.Z. Alliance Executive representatives, will be held at Bulls on Friday next. A special meeting of the Boston Harbour Board was held prior to the annual meeting for the purpose of considering the adoption of the by-laws. It was decided that the by-laws as printed be adopted, and that the chairman and secretary be authorised to affix the Board’s seal thereto.

The mystery surrounding a series of robberies from private houses, which has been going on at Dunedin since January last, and generally occurred in the afternoons when the occupants of the houses were absent, was solved recently, when detectives Ward and Lilley effected a smart capture, and arrested two young men named Anderson and Lawson. The proceeds of ten robberies, including jewellery to the value of was found concealed in their rooms.

A young fellow named Charles Robertson, employed by Mr Alex. Saunders, of Moutoa, met with a serious accident yesterday afternoon through being thrown from a horse. It appears that a horse he was leading doubled back on him, causing his own horse to fall and throw its rider into the ditch. He remained unconscious for some time. Medical assistance was obtained and the extent of his injuries are a broken breast bone, finger, and badly bruised liver. Mayor Stiles is leaving no stone unturned to obtain information from outside sources that will help ratepayers to come to a decision in reference to the water and drainage scheme. The quotation we made in our last issue in reference to the analysis of the artesian water used by the Petone residents was obtained by the Mayor from the Town Clerk at Petone. We are also in a position to state that there is no foundation in fact for the rumour that by reason of the hardness of local artesian water, it is impossible to lather with it. Both the Mayor and Town Clerk inform us that the experiment was made in this direction with water obtained from Messrs Levin and Co.’s artesian bore, which disposes this rumour.

The Harvest Festival in connection with the local Methodist Church, as advertised elsewhere in this issue, bids fair to eclipse that of the past year. The members of the Christian .Endeavour Society are taking a lively interest in the affair. A fine collection of fruit and vegetables has been given. Mr Evans is baking a large loaf of bread for the centre of the table, and Mr Perreau has donated a cake. A decorating committee will meet at the church on Saturday afternoon. The Rev. P. \V. Jones, of Feilding, a former minister of the circuit, will be the preacher for the day. The exhibits will be disposed of on Monday evening. Mr Jacob Schiff, the financier, speaking at the New York Republican Club, said the understanding between Russia, Japan and Britain would constitute in the next few decades the world's greatest menace. “I am greatly mortified to learn that Japan has joined hands with Russia to keep China in a state of vassalage,” he said. ‘‘Perfidious Albion is a party to the compact.” Mr Schiff v\ as prominent in financing Japan during the war and was decorated by the Mikado for his service. The Times’ Washington correspondent, commenting on the speech, said the existence of an anti-Japanese sentiment was an important factor in American international relations.

“ What do you think of the leading men at Home as public speakers?” Sir Robert Stout was asked in Dunedin. “They differ so much in method and mode of speech,answered Sir Robert. ” that it is difficult to make comparisons. I looked upon Mr Balfour as an exceedingly deft debater, and a keen dialectician. Mr Asquith struck me as a most logical speaker. If you give him his premise his conclusion is inevitable, but it seems to me that he lacks imagination. As an intellectual man, looking at his written addresses, I should say that Mr Winston Churchill is by far the ablest man of the lot, but they say that even amongst the Conservatives the opinion is freely held that intellectually Mr Winston Churchill stands as high as anyone in the House of Commons.”

Crickets are exceedingly annoying just now (writes the Dargaville correspondent to the Auckland Star), and never in the history of the place have they been so plentiful. Passengers on the steamer Awaroa had rather a unique experience with them when passing down the river. It seems as if millions of these little black pests were waiting for the steamer. Suddenly, as at a signal, they all hopped on board, down into the saloon they swarmed, and it was found there were so many that the quickest way of extermination was by the use of scalding water. A number of the insects, however, managed to escape and while an Austrian passenger was asleep in his bunk, they destroyed his coat by eating their way through it. Messrs Ross and Co., of the Bon Marche, Palmerston N., announce their first grand show of latest London novelties for autumn and winter wear in stylish coats, costumes, millinery, blouses and dress goods. It is claimed that this season’s importations eclipse all former occasions in extent and variety, and the firm are anxious that visitors from this district to Palmerston will make a point of looking through their warehouse, and inspecting the goods and values now at their disposal.*

The death is announced of Mrs Alex. McGregor, Whareroa, Huuterville, at the age of 63.

Two members of the Daunevirke Borough Council have resigned owing, it is understood, to having had business relations with the Council exceeding the amounts allowed by law. No correspondence relating to the matter has yet been published. Borough Councils throughout the Dominion are selling their houses in order, and it is understood that the Audit Department Officer will dip into the question on his rounds. Mr Phillip Snowden, a Labour M.P., in a speech at Cardiff, said the country was not ripe for the abolition of the House of Lords. Any Liberal party attempting to make reconstruction a dominant election issue would be driven into the wilderness for another generation. Any reform, of the Lords would make the Second Chamber infinitely stronger against democratic progress. The Labour party wanted the Budget.

A broad smile came over the tranquil countenance of the members of the Nelson Borough Council when a resident wrote applying for a position as conductor on the proposed municipal tramways. The applicant apparently believes in the well-worn axiom that the early bird catches the worm. This time, however, he was too early for the worm, as the Council is still waiting for the money to lay down the service.

At the local police Court yesterday, Peter Peterson a prohibited person, pleaded guilty to a charge of drunkenness. There was a previous conviction on a similar charge against accused and also a conviction for being on licensed premises during the currency of a prohibition order. Accused, who pleaded guilty was fined £3 or in default a week’s imprisonment. Mr Hornblow J.P. presided. A man named Frank Brennan, aged about 25 years, attempted to commit suicide on Monday afternoon at a flax-cutting camp at Whitaunui, near Shannon. He went into the bush, presented a revolver at his head and fired, the bullet hitting the bone and glancing off without doing much harm. The revolver was loaded in every chamber. Constable Esson, of Shannon, subsequently arrested him, and he was brought before the court at Palmerston North and remanded until Monday, The rabbit season in Southland is opening early this year, says the News, and the market stands higher than it has ever done before in the history of the industry at the opening of the season. Buyers are keen to obtain all the rabbits available at an all-round price of 6d per pair. As a rule the opening price is to 5d per pair. From all indications the rabbit exporting industry has a prosperous season before it. A considerable amount of interest has been roused in Masterton over the discovery of a bed of clay at Mauriceville out of which the material for roofing houses with tiles can be made, as well as other articles, such as pipes, chimney tops, gully traps, open drain bottoms, and even jam and pickle jars (says a Wairarapa paper). Clay of good quality has hitherto been an unknown quantity, and the discovery of this bed by Mr F. W, Kummer, whilst prospecting lor coal, is exceptionally interesting, and raises grounds for hoping that an important local industry may be established in the near future.

Some doubt has been expressed as to the correctness of the speculative statement, in reference to cost of bringing water from the hills behind Shannon. Mr Henuessy this morning received the following telegram from Dr. Mandl in reference to the cost of the Hokitika] water supply. Dr. Mandl states that the total cost of the above mentioned scheme was ,£17,000. The water was drawn from a source fourteen miles distant over broken country. There is thirteen miles of reticulation. Dr Mandl states that the cost of house connection averages £2 to £4.