The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, May 31, 1910. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 846, 31 May 1910, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, May 31, 1910. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A very heavy rainstorm passed over this district last night. Train arrangements for the King’s Birthday are advertised in this issue.

The ten-year-old son of Mr Hornblow was thrown from a pony on Saturday afternoon and received a severe shaking.

A general meeting of members of the Amateur Dramatic Society is advertised to be held in the Council Chambers, on Thursday evening next.

Mr Cowie, a pupil teacher at the local school, had the misfortune to fracture the small bone of his leg yesterday morning while playing football in the school ground.

In reference to the wishes of His Majesty the King that no holiday be observed on the King's Birthday, June 3, the business places in the town will observe the usual half-holiday to-morrow, Wednesday. Mr Betty’s concert party will render one of their appreciative programmes at Himatangi tomorrow night. The concert will take place in Mr Hammond’s Hall. Tne party should be greeted by a bumper house. In the Supreme Court, Auckland, on Friday, Alfred John Capper was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for criminal assault and one year for using bad language, sentences to be concurrent. A charge of arson against the prisoner was withdrawn, subject to the consent of the Attorney-General, The Hon. C. S. Rolls, a wellknown English aeroplanist, attempted to fly from Dover to Calais. He ascended at 5.40 a.m. in the presence of thousands of cheering spectators, but owing to the motor misfiring he was compelled to make a hurried descent at Dover, some of the onlookers having a narrow escape. The aeroplane was damaged. The dismantling operations at the old gaol at Invercargill resulted in some rather startling discoveries regarding the ravages of the omnipotent white nine borer. The building was erected in 1863, and through the agency of the alldevouring grub, beams actually crumbled into powder on being hurled on to the ground. The borer had eaten into every variety of timber used on the premises—white pine, red pine, black pine, totara, and even 6in x ain bluegum studs. The quarterly meeting of the Foxton Circuit of the Methodist Church will open to-morrow afternoon. The delegates from Shannon will meet at 2 p.m. to prepare a report for the full quarterly meeting, which meets at 3 p.m. At 6.30 a tea and public meeting will be held—tea at 6.30, meeting at 7.45. A humorous speech will be delivered by the Rev J. Glover, “The Doings of Mr Nobody.” Sister Moody Bell will also address the meetings. Solos by local talent. Tickets is, children 6d ; meetings free. The story of how the passengers and crew of the Shaw, Savill liner Corinthic received the news of King Edward’s death is quite dramatic. One of the passengers (says the Wellington correspondent of the Eyttelton Times) states that on the Wednesday following the sad event the Corinthic was approaching Hobart, and signals from a passing vessel were interpreted to convey the mournful news. It was so unexpected and momentous that the bulletin was put up marked “Doubtful.” Some hours afterwards the Hobart pilot came on board. When he reached the deck his head was bared and he said “Gentlemen, the King is dead.” No answer was made, but all within hearing took off their hats, and for a time the ship was quite silent.

A story is being told of a New York maiden, a typist, who appeared at the office with an ency-clopaedic-looking volume labelled “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” One evening her employer caught sight of it, and exclaimed : “Well, tor pity’s sake, don’t tell me you are reading this ?” The girl broke into a friendly smile. “Why, this is my chaperone, which I take with me when I am going home alone on the cars.” She said : “Ever since I’ve been carrying it I haven’t seen a man who would look at me a second time.” The young lady added that only the cover outside belonged to Gibbon ; the covers were filled with the latest fiction papers. An extravagantly invented story, of course, but is there not at least one grain of truth in it ?

A beautiful assortment ot electroplate goods, brooches, engagement rings, etc., at Parkes’ jewellery establishment, Main St.*

King George has approved holding the Naval and Military Tournament at Olympia from June 20th to July 6th exclusive. The estimated receipts and expenditure for the Foxton Borough Council for the year 1910-11 appear elsewhere in this issue.

Mr Newman announces that he is to give, an account of his oicvvaid.-ihip fur ihc Manawatu electorate at Rongolea next Saturday evening. Good progress is being made in laying down the local bowling green and the finishing touches are now being done by Mr Harrison. The green will be enclosed by a 6ft corrugated iron fence at an early date.

“There are dioceses in America which are speaking of doing away with ordination altogether,” said the Rev C. Crane in the Presbyterian Assembly at Sydney last week. “They say ordination is a superstition. Personally, I wouldn’t care if it were removed to-morrow. (Cries of “Oh, oh !” and a voice, “Stick to it Crane!”) My opinion is that ordination is a matter of Church procedure —if a man uses it thoroughly he may get good through it.

One of the tenderers for a drainage contract at Friday night’s meeting of the Moutoa Drainage Board, submitted a price for the work and then added the words “If I read the specifications right.” He evidently was of opinion that Board members were possessed of second sight or were thought readers and would know by a glance at his handwriting whether he had read the specifications right or wrong. However, his was not the lowest tender and was therefore not accepted. Two prisoners escaped from Waipa on Saturday night, their names being Rees Nicholson, and Arthur George Heliemen. One of the escapees has only been in prison about four weeks, he having been convicted for housebreaking and arson. All the available police are scouring the country and a warder from Waipa is also assisting in the search. The escapees took food and blankets with them.

The loan raised by the Moutoa Drainage Board for drainage construction work was for expenditure within two years. At Friday night’s meeting a letter was read from the Secretary to the Treasury, advising that it would be the better policy to provide against possible contingencies and have such payment made within the allotted time. There was some discussion as to when the time expired. However, in order to make sure of getting the money it was decided to make application for same at once.

“You hear a great deal about a living wage,” said Mr Jas. Mackenzie, Commissioner, to the Wellington Land Board, “but I tell you, the living area of land is a question you have to settle.” Where areas were admittedly too small, he said, the board should help the small holders to increase their sections rather than assist persons with plenty or sufficient land to increase their areas. The poorer man, who did the best with his block, said the commissioner, was the one that needed helping.

“This is the first time that many Maoiis have seen anything in the way of a comet in the sky,” said an educated Southern Maori, when speaking to a Press reporter on Monday. He went on to say that they did not regard Halley’s comet with any dread, but one of their traditions was that any unusual display in the sky portended some remarkable occurrence. The southern Maoris had, when the comet first made its appearance, believed that it portended the death of some prominent personage, and they were quite satisfied that the death of King Edward was a fulfilment of their apprehension.

The custom, now noticeable at many weddings,|of the bridesmaids coming to church with their heads uncovered, or wearing only a few flowers in their hair, has drawn a rebuke from the Vicar of St. Savior’s, Battersea. lu his parish magazine, he says ••—“We ask for the kind help of all prospective brides in the following important matter. There is a growing custom for bridesmaids to appear in church without any covering on the head. It is a wrong custom, and therefore cannot be allowed. “It is not sufficient to put flowers in the hair, as if we were going to the house of friends. In God’s house, as a mark of reverence, men always uncover, and women cover.’’