LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 940, 12 January 1911, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Further additions are made to the Himatangi stock sale list. Walker’s selling good dining chairs 5 s each to make room for fresh stock to arrive." There are to be found at M. Hamer’s, ladies’ dresses and costumes, fur boas and sunshades ail at reduced prices for one month*. On our fourth page to-day will be fouud the following interesting articles: “Electricity and Rain,” “The Matrimonial Stakes,” and “Wireless on the Maitai.” Potato growers around I’ukekohe are said to have had returns of from ,£6O to ,£125 per acre this season. About 1000 acres of land were devoted to this crop, which, therefore, represents a lot of money. Funnj 7 things are overheard in the street sometimes. On Saturday last two men were talking, and as a Wairarapa News man went by, said one to the other : “ I cannot stand fleas. If there are any in my bed, the only way I can get any sleep is to get a dog and let him sleep on the bed. The fleas all leave me and go to him ! Mind you, I don’t like the idea, but it is the only way I can get rest! ” The News man moved past. An open air service was held at the beach last night by the Rev G. Young-Woodward. The attendance was very encouraging a large number taking part. About half of the members of All Saints’ choir also went down and assisted with the singing. It is Mr Woodward’s intention to hold services at the beach every Wednesday night that the weather is suitable. It is understood that concerts are to be held in the townships throughout the Wairarapa and Forty Mile Bush for the purpose of raising funds to enable Miss Thelma Petersen to secure advanced vocal tuition in the Old World. This course is being adopted at the suggestion of experts who consider Miss Petersen the possessor of a voice capaole oi bringing her to the forefront amongst the world’s greatest singers. Addressing a gathering of State School Cadets in Melbourne, Senator Pearce, Minister of Defence, exhorted them to beware of cigarette smoking. He said : “ Rifle shooting depends to a great extent on the eyes and nerves, and these can be brought under control by practice. There is one latal enemy with both, however —the deadly cigarette. Those who take it will never excel with the rifle. Without steady nerves one cannot shoot straight.” The Town Clerk reported at Monday night's Council meeting that with the exception ol mowing the triangle and cleaning Main Street water tables once or twice during the past month, the men have been mostly employed in the cemetery, where there has been a good deal of necessary work to be done. The grass has all been cut, and Cr Coley and the Town Clerk were able to sell same to Mr Reay for £ 2, being the same price as was obtained for it last year. All the acacias which were, overrnning the north-eastern corner of the cemetery have been cut down and as many as possible grubbed out. The macrocarpas on the west end have been trimmed back to about six feet from the barrel, and all shrubs overhanging the paths have been trimmed back, the debris from this work having been burned on the road to the east of the cemetery, and the logs which have been lying there for some time have also been burnt. The men are now engaged in lowering the steep grade on path over the bill.

Nothing sets off the male attire more than a nice tie. If you want to be satisfied with the latest in ties, call at Mrs Hamer’s the Economic.*

The relatives of the late Mr Mark Newth insert a thanks notice in this issue. A reward is offered to the finder of a lady’s gold watch and gent’s silver chain, Mr R. K. Gray invites tenders up to 17th iust., for fencing 30 chains, more or less, at the Pilot Reserve. Specifications may be seen with Mr Gray. The quantity ot hemp graded at the local sheds during December was the largest yet handled in any one month since the establishment of grading stores in Foxton. A general meeting of members of the local Dramatic Society is advertised to be held in the Council Chamber to-morrow night. A full attendance is requested. From July Ist to the end of last month, 459,102 bales of wool were sold in Sydney, or 48,776 bales more than during the corresponding period of last year. The bulk of the wool was sold for the Continent.

At the present time there is a great quantity of hemp—several thousand-bales —stored in the local grading sheds. At existing quotations the value of the stored hemp is considerably over ,£IO,OOO. During December 2196 bales of hemp and 357 bales of tow were graded at the New Zealand Shipping Company’s local store. The numbers of bales in each grade were ; Fine, 95 ; good tair, 1713 ; fair, 388. At a meeting of the Masterton Borough Council on Tuesday night Councillor J. H. Pauling, manager of the Masterton Farmers’ Implement Company, tendered his resignation under the Municipal Corporations Act. It is not often that a Teddy Bear travels as a passenger, but such a case occurred in a Christchurch tram-car last week. A lady, who was taking home a large Teddy Bear, sat it on the seat of the car beside her, and paid its fare, and when the car became full, the bear sat on while other passengers stood.

The many friends of Mr Alex. Saunders, the well-known flaxmiller and farmer, of Moutoa, will be pleased to learn that he has sufficiently recovered from his serious illness to be able to leave Nurse Linton’s Hospital at Palmerston North, for his home on Tuesday. Cabinet has decided to offer ,£2,000 in premiums to New Zealand architects for designs for the new Parliament building . The amount is to be distributed thus; —,£I,OOO for the first prize, ,£SOO for the second, ,£3OO for the third, and ,£2OO for the fourth. The competition will close at the end of July. We give a reminder to all those interested iu the formation of a local branch of the Royal Life Saving Society of the meeting tc be held iu the Council Chamber at 8 o’clock this evening. Mr L. J. Furrie will set forth the aims and objects of the Society and it is hoped there will be a large attendance. The Shannon amateurs are producing a comedy entitled “Sam,” at the Shannon Druids’ Hall on the 23rd instant. The cast of characters includes Dr Adams, of Foxton, who is taking one of the larger roles. The members of the Shannon Society extend a cordial invitation to the members of the local Society to attend the performance. Robert T. Styles, a guard on the Wellington-Auckland express, committed suicide in the Bolton Street Cemetery, Wellington, on Tuesday afternoon, by shooting himself with a revolver. His body was discovered on a bank by two lady visitors. There was a bullet wound iu the roof of the mouth, and a letter addressed to deceased’s wife was found. Styles was between forty and fifty years of age ; besides his wife he leaves one child. Advice was received iu Dunedin on Tuesday, by the secretary of the Rise and Shine Dredging Company, of the sudden death of George Todd, a diver who was working iu connection with the Company’s No. 2 dredge, which sank last week. It appears that Todd was making an inspection of the dredge, and after he had been down a considerable time those on the surface realised that he gave no answer to their signals. He was then pulled up, but found to be dead.

Ford Kitchener recently visited the Forum in Rome under the guidance of Professor Boui. In the course of conversation about ancient Reman remedies against disease, Ford Kitchener said he thoroughly believed in the saying, " The sun kills the invisible,” and recounted how, when campaigning in Egypt, he practically demonstrated its truth during the cholera outbreak. Instead of resorting to the usual disinfectants, he ordered the soldiers to undress and bask in the desert sun, with such successful results that cholera shortly ceased. "He called me a ‘ shelf er,’ ” said a witness at the Magistrate’s Court, Christchurch. " A what ? ” enquired Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., who was on the Bench. Mr Hunter (who appeared for complainant); "The word is not in the Oxford dictionary, your Worship ; it is a slang term for a man who gives information to the police. ’ ’ The witness then went on to state that the defendant had also called him a "swotzer.” Exactly what a " swotzer ” was no one else in Court seemed to know, but the evidence certainly went to show that it was not meant for a term of endearment. Walker’s jellies 5 for Is, takesome beating. Try them/

An advertisement appears in this issue in reference to the alteration in Foxton-Palmerston railway time-table. Word was received in Foxton this afternoon that the Wanganui District High School had again been damaged by fire. The furniture was saved. Sydney John Whitelow, a recent arrival from England, cut his throat at a Wellington, boarding-j house yesterday. He is expected ' to recover. Mr H. W. Richmond notifies, by advertisement, that he has commenced business in Foxton as a wheelright and coachsmith in premises opposite the Family Hotel. Tenders ars iuvited by the Moutoa Drainage Board for construction of stop banks, and drainage excavation. Specifications may .be seen at the office of the Board. Tenders close on the igth inst. Her many friends throughout the Manavvatu and Horowhenua districts will learn with sincere regret of the death of Mrs McCulloch, relict of the late John McCulloch, for many years a resident of Foxton, and clerk to the Manawatu and Horowhenua County Councils. Mrs McCulloch died at Devin on Monday, aged 75 years. Deceased’s husband died about two yeais ago. A whirlwind had a most peculiar effect at Aratapu, in the Auckland provincial district. Haymaking was in full swing in a paddock, when a whirlwind started up one side of the paddock, and scooped up the hay tor about a chain in width. The hay was taken up in a thick column several hundred feet in height, somewhat resembling dense smoke. When the column broke, the descending hay covered the fences in large masses. As the top of the column spread out, the appearance was similar to thousands of bEds flying in the air. An inquest was held before Dr. McArthur, coroner, at the Wellington Hospital on Tuesday, regarding the death of Leonard Shaw, who had succumbed that day to tetanus (lockjaw), following a gunshot wound. Deceased and three other men went on a shooting expedition to Plimmerton on December 26th. Shaw and his companion were walking about seven to ten yards in front of the other two. One of the men at the rear was demonstrating the operation of the lock of a gun, when the weapon exploded, and Shaw received the charge in the left foot. The injured man was carried on a stretcher about half a mile to Plimmerton and conveyed by train to Wellington. He made favourable progress in the hospital for five or six days, after which lockjaw developed, culminating in his death. A verdict was returned that death was due to tetanus induced by a gunshot wound accidentally inflicted.