LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 901, 6 October 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

All accounts owing to the Herald up to the end of September have now been rendered and the proprietor would esteem as a favour an early settlement of same.* A negro who was suspected of assaulting a white woman was dragged from gaol by a mob at Alabama and burned at the stake. The local storekeepers have been notified of a drop ot £i per ton in the price of sugar, and this commodity will be reduced accordingly.

Applications for the position of secretary to the Foxton Racing Club close with the secretary Mr Angus Keith, at 2 p.m. ou Monday, 10th inst. A man who was not given the proper change by a barmaid in an Auckland hotel seized two bottles of cordials as security, and the landlord gave him in charge for theft and threatening language. The cases were dismissed. The death is announced of Mrs Mercia Chilman, one of Greymouth’s oldest and most respected citizens. Deceased had resided in Greymouth for over 43 years. Another old resident of Greymouth, Mrs G. S. Smith, died this week. Her eldest son is manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Bulls, and the youngest is manager of the Roslyn Tramway Company, Dunedin.

Suttie’s patent flax-catcher has been installed at the Koputaroa Fibre Company’s mill, and it is reported to be giving complete satisfaction now, although some difficulties were experienced when first it was tried at the mill. Familiarity with its requirements has enabled the users of it to overcome all the initial difficulties. Te Opakate mill, at Koputaroa, is another mill which has the patent catcher installed.

Crippen’s furniture and other household effects from his late residence in Doudou, were sold by auction on September 22nd. Immense interest was manifested in the sale, and the desire of many to secure souvenirs of the notorious character was shown by the fabulous prices paid for some of the articles put up. Previous to the sale taking place large crowds visited the auction room to inspect all the things that had been removed from the house.

The House of Representatives is making but slow progress with consideration of the Consolidated Estimates, and out of fifteen classes of annual appropriations only four have been dealt with so far. These are : Legislative departments, >£28,443 ; finance, ,£43.375 ; post and telegraphs, ,£913,733 ; working railways, ,£2,223,275. The two latter, being classified departments, were disposed of with comparatively little trouble, but no inconsiderable amount of talk.

A Dutchman’s moralising over his dog is given in the Sydney Bulletin : You vas only a dog, but I vish I was you. Yen you go mil you bed in, you shust turn round dree times and loy down. Yen I go mit the bed in, I have to lock up de biace, and vind up de clock, and put de cat out, and ondress mineself, and mine frau vakes up and scolds, den de baby vakes up and cries, and I haf to walk him mit de house round ; den maybe veu I gets myself to bed it is time to get up again. Veu you get up you shust stretch youself a leedle and you vas up. I haf to light de fire, and put on de kettle, scrap some mit mine wife already and get myself breakfast. You blay around all day and haf blenty of fun ; I haf to work all day and bat blenty of drubble.

A remarkable statement concerning the drinking habits of school children was made at a meeting in the Old Country recently. Mr F. G. Mackereth

asked the question: “Do school children drink alcohol?” and, answering his own query in the affirmative, gave results of Investigations which he had made on the subject. In one school alone, he said, it was found that 40 per cent, of the children drank alcohol regularly. If the same proportion obtained all round there must be some 300,000 child-drinkers in London who drank alcohol. Of all the countries in Europe only Norway and Sweden seemed to be free from the practice, and startling figures came from all over the world, the proportion in New York being, it is stated, 50 per cent. In one hospital in New York, Bellevue, inquiries showed that, of the 259 patients four began to drink alcohol before the age of 6, thirteen between band 12, sixty between 12 and 16, and 102 between 16 and 21 —two-thirds of them under the age of twenty-one. He was convinced that a large number of inebriates were so as the result of drinking alcohol early in life.

The story of how a husband, yielding to the entreaties of his dying wife, shot the latter to end the intense agony she was enduring as the result of an accident, comes from Calgary, in Canada. James McDowell and his wife were making their way through the Canadian Cascade Mountains, when the women fell from the track along which they were walking, and was dreadfully crushed. They were then at least a day’s journey from the nearest habitation at which medical aid might have been procured, and the woman, mortally injured as she was, though still conscious, implored her husband to put an end to her sufferings. McDowell naturally found it hard to bring himself to do as his wife asked, but, realising the impossibility of her surviving her grievous injuries, he took his gun and shot the dying woman. The distracted man then made his way to Calgary, where the police were informed and an inquest was held. The coroner’s jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence, and exonerated the husband from all criminal responsibility. McDowell has since come to New York, His nerves are completely wrecked, and the man is threatened with the loss of his reason.

Walker’s Jellies at 5 for is are selling well. For Influenza take Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. Never fails. Is 6d,and 2s 6d.

Sale for one month only at R. M. Parkes, big reductions to make room for new stock.*

No fewer than 1317 marriages were performed in the registry offices ot New Zealand last year. This was very nearly one-sixth of the total number of marriages solemnised. A number of farmers in the Wairarapa have adopted the “Suddeth” fumigator lor exterminating the rabbit. The contrivance, which is largely used in Australia, has proved very successful in destroying the pest. At the monthly sitting of the Magistrate’s Court held before Mr A. D. Thomson S.M., yesterday, judgment for plaintiff was entered up in the following undefended cases:—George Wright v. Keepa Hihira, claim £2 10s, and costs 20s ; and the same v.. Hihira Moroati, £$ 6s 6d, costs 20s. To-morrow night the final mission practice will take place in All Saints’ Church at 7.30 o’clock. All choir members and those helping in the singing are particularly requested to be present. The additional seating will be ready in the chancel and each member will have a seat allotted.

The attention of Mr H. G. Ell, M.P., has been drawn to the fact that ' the State owns numerous small areas of land, of from, say, one up to ten acres, scattered all over the country, and in view of the cost of inspecting and dealing with these isolated areas, some of which are returning no revenue, he is urging the Government that they might very well be handed over to the local authorities as an endowment for charitable aid, or similar purposes. Mr Ell points out that the local authority might frequently render the lands more profitable than they could be under administration by the State, In the Isle of Man the wedding ring was formerly used as an instrument of torture. Cyril Davenport in his book on “Jewellery,” remarks that there once existed a custom in that island “according to which an unmarried girl who had been offended by a man could bring him to trial, and if he were found guilty she would be presented with a sword, a rope, and a ring. With the sword she might cut off his head, with the rope she might hang him, or with the ring she might marry him. It is said that the latter punishment was 1 hat invariably inflicted.” A case of a child being poisoned by flowers is reported by the Ashburton Mail. It appears that a little baby girl, about two years old, who was calling on an aunt, escaped into the garden, and was not missed until she had pulled 27 ot the finest flowers in a bed ol anemones- Later in the day, the child, who, baby like, had carried the flowers to her mouth, became very ill, and a doctor had to be sent for. All the symptons were those of poppy poisoning—heavy drowsiness, black marks above the eyes, and extreme lassitude. The mother administered two strong emetics, which undoubtedly saved the child’s life. Many business men have in the past, it is believed (says the Oamaru Mail), been in the habit of giving unstamped receipts to their customers when the amount received is below £2 by means of a contra account. At the Magistrate’s Court a few days ago, an Oamaru firm was charged with having committed a breach of the Stamp Act by giving such a receipt. The Magistrate held that the contra was part of the payment itself, and should pay stamp duty as well as the cash ; therefore, in future business men will have to attach a penny stamp to all receipts for over £2 even though they are reduced by a contra.

The heavy mortality amongst hoggets in the Wairarapa and Forty-mile Bush districts has been a subject for investigation by Mr W. W. H. Edwards, of the Veterinary Division of the Stock Department. As a result of his enquiry, Mr Edwards has come to the conclusion that the hoggets are affected with a disease known as “Gid,” or “Sturdy,” which is very prevalent in the Old Country. It arises from the ova of the tapeworm, which is deposited on the pasture by dogs. The ova is taken from the herbage by the sheep and developed in the intestines, from whence it is carried to the brain, where cysts are formed as large as a bantam’s egg. A practical method of dealing with the trouble is to eradicate tapeworms from the dogs by administering periodical doses of areca-nut in castor oil.

During the week day services of the Mission of Help in All Saints’ Church next week, no collections will be taken up. The Bishop of Wellington has asked that on the last night of the mission which will be on Thursday, October 13th, an offertory be taken as a thank-offering, which will go to the Bishop’s fund for a Diocesan Missioner in the Diocese of Wellington. This offertory is to be taken up in every parish, so that a fund may be collected to provide for a Missioner, who will from time to time visit the different parishes and hold missions. It is hoped that the Bishop may be successful in this undertaking and in addition to this special offertory a box will be placed at the Church door for this purpose. A thank-offering is such that no one need contribute to it unless they feel that they would like to do something to help the Church in her work.

For Children’s Hacking Cough at Night, Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure, is 6d. and 2s 6d. A line of Printed Chambers, 2s each, at Walker’s Red House.

A rehearsal of the comedy- - drama, “ Blow for Blow,” will be held in the Public Hall to-night. Mayor Gaynor, of New York, who was recently shot while on board a liner, has sufficiently recovered to enable him to resume his duties. A football “ barracker ” named Mansel Knocks was fined £3 and £Z 9s costs at Otaki this week for rushing on the field and interfering with a player. A very heavy westerly gale has been blowing in this district for the past two days and much damage has been done to orchards and gardens. Owing to a leak in the roof of the local school building, one of the infant rooms was flooded on Monday. Repairs have now been effected. It is the intention of the local Presbyterian Church to erect a brass tablet in' the church to the memory of the late Rev Jas. Duncan, Foxton’s first minister. Mr G, Seifert has deposited with the Palmerston Standard on behalf of H. Pearce for a sculling match with W. Webb on the Wanganui river for aside. Webb’s backers are agreeable to the match. The annual meeting of members and intending members of the Foxtou Bowling Club will be held in the Council Chamber at 8 o’clock this evening. All interested in the welfare of the Club are specially invited to be present. ~ A large public meeting, held under the auspices of the Berlin Democratic Union, passed resolutions of sympathy with the English and American journalists who were assaulted by the police during the recent strike riots. At the Dargaville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, a young man named Victor Harrison was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for stealing a coil of rope valued at 30s, the property of the Kaipara S.S. Company. The poll on a proposal to borrow £I I,OOO for the purpose of acquiring the local gas works and extending the same, is being taken to-day. Very little interest is being evinced by ratepayers. It is a forgone conclusion that the loan will be carried.

Mr Geo. Musgrove, manager for Mr Williamson’s Nellie Stewart Company, writes, tbaukiug us for information re the local Public Hall, and hopes that “ in the future Foxtou may have a playhouse worthy of such a thriving community”—to all of which we say ‘ ‘ amen. ’’ The annual general meeting of the Foxton Athletic Club will be held in the Council Chamber tomorrow evening, when it is hoped every member will make a point of being present. All those intending to become members of the Club are also invited to be present. President Taft, pressing a button at his Massachusetts summer home on Monday gave a signal to Spokane for the formal opening of the Dry Farming Congress. The President’s message hoped that plans would be developed to aid the semi-arid districts of the West. Mr Roosevelt stated that the conquest of the dead West was the most notable of American achievements. The London correspondent of the New York World interviewed Dr. Cook, the Arctic explorer, who has been living in London in disguise since last May. He had previously visited Toronto, Gibraltar and Buenos Ayres. He heard Commander Peary lecture at the Albert Hall, while his identity remained undiscovered. He states he intends fighting his own claim to the North Pole discovery at the proper time and place.

The Statutes Revision Committeee has reported the Indecent Publication Bill (which had already passed the Council) to the House. Two alterations have been made in clauses 3 and 6, making a person liable for the delivery of an indecent document 1 * knowing or having reasonable means of knowing that such document was indecent.” The power given to constables in clause 11 to arrest without warrant has deleted.

Messrs P. Hennessy and Co. are offering a further inducement to purchasers, in addition to the five per cent- discount on goods purchased by giving to the holders of certain numbered tickets, a handsome treadle sewing machine, rocking chair, fender and irons. Numbers corresponding with the winning numbers will be placed in a sealed bottle and deposited with the local manager of the Bank of New Zealand, who will open them on the dates mentioned in the advertisement on page 1 of this issue.

At last a commencement has been made with the repairing of the Foxton-Shannon road. Manawatu County Council have their road grader at work, and it should now be only a short time before the road—right up to the bridge—will at least be in fair order for traffic. The road between the bridge and Shannon, however, requires immediate attention, as it is at present in a disgraceful state. This portion of the road is under the control of the Horowhenua County Council, and that body should take immediate steps to improve it. We cannot understand how it is the Shannon residents do not make some representation to the County Council to have the road attended to. Who is the representative on the Horowhenua County Council for that portion of the County, and what is he doing ? The road is an absolute disgrace, and is really dangerous.

Mr Reay advertises his intention to apply for a slaughtering license. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Borough Council will be held on Monday next at 7.30 p.m.

At the local police court this morning before Mr G. H. Stiles Mayor, John Kinley charged with drunkenness, second offence within six months, pleaded guilty and was fined £l. It is the intention ot the Levin branch of the Salvation Army to hold an open-air meeting in Main Street on Saturday night, when the band in connection with the branch will also discourse music. In all probability meetings will also be conducted on Sunday. An amateur dramatic society has recently been formed in Shannon, and the members of same are at present actively rehearsing the comedy “ Our Boys,” which it is intended to stage in the Druids’ Hall on the 26th instant. The caste for this piece includes Messrs Dr Adams and Whibley, of the local amateurs. The physiology lesson was proceeding nicely, and the class was told, amongst other things, how the nose was made to smell and the feet to run, etc. Soon afterwards the tearful state of a small boy attracted the teacher’s attention. “What's the matter, Tommy?” was the sympathetic enquiry. “Please mum, God’s made me the wrong way. 800, hoo !”