LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1079, 7 December 1911, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The famous Huddersfield Bellringers will appear in the Coronation Hall this evening. Score cards for to-night’s election results may be obtained in fronts of the Herald office this evening at a cost of 3d each, We expect to post up the first returns for this electorate at about 7.30 o’clock on the Herald hearing. The hoarding will be brilliantly illuminated. A sharp shock of earthquake was experienced in this district yesterday morning at about 6. 30 o'clock.

The monthly “afternoon” of the Presbyterian Indies Guild was held at the residence of Miss Duncan yesterday. A very enjoyable time was spent. A meeting of the Foxtail Borough Council will be held on Monday, nth, at 7.30 o’clock. Business : To receive tenders for annual services and general,

For the convenience of the majority of the members, the visit to Te Wharangi and subsequent meeting of the Foxton Harbour Board at 2 p.m. is postponed to Tuesday, 12th.

The North Island Main Trunk extra express service will begin on the 15th iu.il., and be continued until January 6. This extra train will leave Wellington at 12.35 p.in.-~4smiu. alter the departure of the first express, which now leaves Wellington at n. 50. The south-bound second express leaves Auckland at 10 u.m.

A settler of many years standing in Foxton, informs us that he has not previously experienced such a prolonged spell of windy weather, as we have had during the past ten weeks. Yesterday a howling gale raged and much damage was done to flower gardens and orchards. That Foxton in past years has been subjected to prolonged wind storms is evidenced by the bent trees—in certain parts of the district.

Hast Sunday Master Clarence Coley, son of Mr H. Coley, bad the misfortune to meet with a serious accident while riding his pony between two other horses along the beach. By some means the pony swerved, and the collision with the other horses resulted in the little fellow getting his leg biukeu. We are pleased to be able to report that he is pro gressing as favourably as can be expected under the circumstances. At the Auckland Supreme Court on Tuesday, John Brooks a cabdriver, was charged with having endeavoured to obstruct, pervert and defeat the course of justice by attempting to induce Nellie Duggan and Minnie Whittington to commit perjury in connection with the trial of Martha Jane O’Shaughuessy, who has been couvicted and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment on a charge of the manslaughter of Hlsie Alexandra Holland. The jury found the prisoner guilty, with a recommendation to mercy. Sentence was defetred.

A pitiful story is told by the little daughter of Frank Cooliug, who last Saturday, near Melbourne, killed his wile and three of his children and committed suicide. She states that she was awakened by her father killing his little sou. She followed him into another room, where she saw him cut the throat of the baby and then that ot the two-year-old child. His wife pleaded with him for her life, and said that she would go away, but he refused to listen to her, and cut her throat. Then, getting into the bed, he killed himsell. Cooliug, who had been jealous ol his wife’s friendship with another man, had taken court proceedings against her, and this was what they quarrelled over.

For primest Beef and Mutton and dairy fed Pork, try Cook and Co.* We recommend Roslyn suits for style and lasting wear; from 32s 6d, all clothiersA

On the fourth page of this issue will be found an article, “Bush Yarns,’’ specially written for the Hkrald.

The proficiency examinations will be held to-morrow. Local candidates will sit at the Slate school, and the examination will be supervised by Mr Horublow.

The only members of Parliament returned unopposed at the present elections are the two native members of the Ministry—■ Sir James Carroll and Hon Ngata.

A dentist in a case in the New Plymouth court said that it was nothing unusual for a man in business to “ treat ” a good customer. Would he give an extra pull lor nothing ? As showing the increase in laud values during the past few years, it was stated at the meeting of the Manawatu County Council yesterday, that a piece of laud at Rongotea had changed hands at the sum ot ,{,’so per acre. .. During his speech in the Coronation Hall on Monday night, Mr R. R. Martin congratulated the townspeople upon its very fine hall which, he said, was one of the best from a public speaker’s point of view, that he had spoken in. Reports received from the fruitgrowing districts in the North Islaud are to the effect that the Iruit. crops are heavy and promise very well indeed. Some small damage has been done by hail and frost iu parts of the South Islaud. The general prospects throughout the Dominion are for excellent * crops.

lii reply to a question last night, the Mayor said the throwing open of the dress circle during the recent political meetings was entirely in the hands of the candidates. Some of the candidates preferred to have their audiences “downstairs,” but such matters had nothing to do with the Council.

The result of the essay competition in connection with the recent Horticultural Show resulted as follows : —lnez Hodgson 1. Christina Belt 2, if. McKwan 3. \ The subject 01 the essay was “ Our Bocal Show,” and the prizes were donated by Ur. Mandl, Mr F. Iv. Watson, headteacher of the Campbell Street School, Palmerston North, acted as judge. A squad of young bloods worked off a certain amount of surplus energy and on Tuesday night, by cutting the ropes and letting down the tent erected by the Seventh Day Adventists in the vacant section opposite the triangle. One of the lads narrowly escaped being injured by the falling pole. The police are investigating the matter.

The President of the Ikaroa Native Baud Board told a Wairalapa Age representative recently that it was a mistake to suppose that there are 3,000,000 acres of native laud in the Dominion not profitably occupied. He stated that if the pumice lauds, which are practically useless, were deducted, it would be found that there is probably not more than 1,000,000 acres of native laud unoccupied.

At the meeting of the Manawatu County Council yesterday oue of the Councillors staled that Cali\ lorniau thistle was, in his opinion, not so bad to deal with as some people thought. It was merely a question of making any soil under cultivation hard enough, and the thistle would not flourish, whereas it grew and spread rapidly in very loose soil, lie had dealt with a considerable area in this way, and found it successiul.

New York cablegram reports the death, irom heart disease, of Admiral Wilde, at the age ol 66. He was commander of the U.S.B. Dolphin from 1885-8, and was in charge when the vessel made the memorable cruise around the world, she being the first steel vessel of the U.S. Navy to circumnavigate the globe. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in August 10, 1904, was commandant of the Navy yard at Boston in 1904, and retired from active service on February 20, 1905.

Mr Fletcher, candidate for Wellington Central, was defending the Deieuce Act against a lew vociferous Socialists at Wellington the other evening, when testimony to the need tor such a system came uom an unexpected quarter. A man sprang up m the audience and said ; ‘T come from a country where not many years ago the people, fighting tor the Fmpire, PUterfy regretted tuere had been no compulsory military training to prepare them for war. I refer to Natal and the invasion of Natal by the Boers. Not a man of the people ot Natal hut wished that he hah been trained to detend his countiy. 1 say from experience, 'Det ua have compulsory training rigni away.’ We will hud the value ot it some day.” (Applause.)