LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1001, 1 February 1912, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A bankrupt who was adjudged unfinaucial in the year 1893, has within the past twelve months paid off all his creditors in full (says the Otago Daily Times). His liabilities at that date amounted to ,£613 19s Bd, but now, after a lapse of 18 years, this sum has been liquidated by the payment of four quarterly instalments.

Mr Read, a member of the local School Committee, has been making enquiries of the Railway Department in respect to conveying children by rail from Foxton to picturesque Mauavvatu Gorge where it is suggessted that the school picnic should be held this month. A favourable reply has been received from the Department and a special meeting of the school committee will be held on Monday night to decide the matter.

The shop in Main Street, recently vacated by Mr Parkes, is undergoing extensive alterations. The large plate glass front being temporarily removed for that purpose. The shop is to be occupied by Messrs Golder and Sou, manufacturing jewellers, who find their premises too small to cope with increasing trade. A strange coincidence in connection with the alteration is that a carpenter named ” Sylva ” recently worked for “Golder,” silver and goldsmith, and now a carpenter named “ Gilder ” is working for “ Golder,” a goldsmith and gilder.

A settler in the Garstou district is at present exterminating the rabbits on his flat land by placing tarred straw at the entrance ol the burrows of the pest. His efforts, says the Lake Wakatipu Mail, have been eminently successful, as in no case have the mouths of the burrows been re-opeued. By following up the operation and closing up the holes which have been left untouched, the destruction of bunny is complete —at least on the area treated. It only requires concerted action on the part of landowners and the pest would be very considerably minimised.

Personal property is frequently left behind by absent- minded patrons of the picture theatres (says the Auckland Herald). Amongst a collection of articles now in the possession of the manager of the Queen’s Theatre is an upper set of false teeth. Whether the humorous items of the programme proved too much for the risible faculties of the owner of the teeth, and he lost them whilst indulging in hilarious laughter, or whether they were lost by a somnolent member of the audience is not known.

Quite a number of boroughs in New Zealand are likely to have tuck weekly half-holidays fixed for them by the Minister for Labour, as they have so far failed to notify the Labour Department of the half-day (if any) settled upon by themselves. The formal notifications required by law have been sent in by many local authorities. Those who have neglected the duly will only hav e until February 10th to make amends, after which the Minister is empowered t o do it for them. Travelling with some sheepbreeders over the marvellous extensive area of rich country in Queensland, the Darling Downs, now covered with a fresh spring vegetation through the recent downpours of rain (says Dalgetys Review for January), a remark was made in their hearing that “This country is too good for sheep!” But sharp as the crack of a pistol came the reply from a lellow traveller: “No country is too good for sheep! ” And it was argued that nothing paid as well as sheep, and no farm, however many crops were cultivated, should be without a flock of them, for sheep gave belter returns than wheat or any other product of the laud. He ought to visit Taranaki. Then he might change his view.

“ A Kent Man,” who has been thirty-five years in South Africa, writing from Cape Town to an Kuglish newspaper, says: “Speaking as a mechanic, I wish to warn your readers that South Atrica is not such a happy hunting ground, nor the laud of milk and honey, as people in Kuglaud are led to believe. Working men have had to struggle very hard for a bare existence. The cost of the necessities of life is 30 per cent, and rent 40 per cent, higher than in England. The prices of work have been cut down to nearly starvation point. There are no labour organisations, and capitalists have it all their own way. Thousands of people have left these shores during the acute depression in trade, flying from poverty. South Africa is not a white man’s country ; there is such a predouderance of blacks who work for starvation wages, and employers of labour don’t care as long as they get their work done cheaply. Artisans get from 3s to 5s a day ; labourers, as to 3s a day ; and farmers boys, is to 4s a month, with food and shelter. It is impossible (or white men to compete with these rates, and elderly men especially have a bad time, for there is no old age pension here.”

Ihe most attractive shop for toys of every description is Mrs Hamer’s. Have you seen the window display ?* Perreau’s Family Cake is the cake for quality. Have you tried one.*

We understand that Mr E. Pigott, of Moutoa, intends taking a trip to England shortly.

The vital statistics for Foxton for last month were as follows : Births, 4; marriages, 2 ; deaths 2,

A hairless horse from the Makuri district was purchased in Pahiatua by Mr G. Wirth, of Wirth’s Circus.

This year being Leap Year, there are 29 days in the month of February, which commences today.

On our back page to-day will be found the following interesting reading matter : “ News and Notes,” “A Visitor’s Judgment,” •‘An Anglo-German Matter,” and ‘‘Domestic Tragedy.” A Taranaki gentleman who is visiting Gisborne predicts that during next winter butter will go up to 2s per lb. Many of the companies will have difficulty in fulfilling their contracts for export. At Oamaru this week, a man named Joseph Neville Belle was fined £2 and costs, or in default a fortnight's imprisonment, for striking a Chinaman, without word, warning or provocation, a severe blow between the eyes.

The following is an extract from an obituary notice in a French provincial journal: “The deceased was an excellent wife and mother, and had buried her fourth husband only a few weeks before her own death.”

There have already been dealings lu grain harvested this year in the South Island. A line of 10,000 bushels of this season's standing crop of wheat has been sold for forward delivery in Timaru at 3s 4>4d per bushel. In a litter of pigs recently born on the farm of Mr F, L. Bishop, of Tarurutangi, two of the animals were completely joined together from the snouts to the centre of the body. Both were perfectly formed and lived for a short time. The Hawera Chamber of Commerce has passed a resolution protesting against the action of the Patea Shipping Company in increasing • the Wellington Patea freights from ras 6d to 17s 6d per ton and a committee was appointed to press objections on the company.

The ballot taken by the Wellington Wharf Labourers’ Union on the question of cancelling registration under the Arbitration Act, resulted ; For cancellation 1048, against 38. This is the heaviest vote ever recorded by any Union in New Zealaud for cancellation.

Here are some choice excerpts from a letter written by a Hawke’s Bay resident to the local paper concerning reckless motor driving : Where are the Town Councillors and who are they ? Old women in trousers. Drunken motorists are dangerous, also Town Councillors ; any way, where the lives of women and children are concerned.”

Mr Kerr, S.M,, of Wanganui, has been appointed to act with Mr Broad (Board’s representative) and Mr R. McNab (appellant’s representative) as a Board of Appeal in the case of Stagpoole v. the Wanganui Kducatiou Board. The Appeal Board is to sit at Wanganui and probably at Palmerston, to take evidence.

At Whakatahuri, Blenheim, on Monday, T. D. McMauaway, senior, was drowned through falling off a launch anchored at the wharf. His son had left him to go to a house close by, and shortly after the father’s body was seen by his daughter to be floating on the water. Deceased was 70 years of age.

At the monthly sitting of the Magistrate’s Court held before Mr A. I). Thomson S.M., judgment tor plaintiffs was entered up in the following undefended civil cases: C. H. Collins v. Alfred Cook, claim £2 6s, costs 10s, and G. H. Stiles v. Leo. Alzdorf, £2 7s Sd, costs ss. In the judgment summons L. W. Wilson v. T. Wanklyu, after judgment debtor was examined by counsel, the Magistrate made an order for the payment of £5 4s 7d forthwith, in default 7 days’ imprisonment in Palmerston prison, order to be suspended it monthly instalments of are paid. Hum Kee proceeded against John Wilkie on a judgment summons to recover the sum of £s ys 3d, but after hearing judgment debtor’s evidence the Magistrate refused to make an otder.

That jerry-building is practised in Gisborne is proved by a paragraph contained in the building inspector’s report to the Borough Council, That official stated that one builder had been guilty of as deliberate a piece of underhand work as had ever taken place there. On inspecting a building under erection ou December 27th, the inspector staled that he found five partitions built up with 4xl studding, averaging 21 inches centres. Instructions were given to have these pulled down, and 4 x 2 substituted. Ou the inspector’s second visit the bottom lining board had been stripped off, and 4x2 were showing distinctly, but on a closer examination these were found to be shorter ends. The inspector stated that he was taking the matter to Court, and hoped the delinquent would be dealt with severely.

Ask persistently for the Roslyn Writing Tablets.*

For priraest Beef and Mutton and dairy Ld Po.K, .ry Cook and Co * ’Xmas Hams! ’Xmas Hams Factory cured, from 9s 6d to ns 6d per ham. Buy one before they are all sold. T. Rimmer.*

Are you troubled with flies? If so you can clear your house in a very short time by using “Nval’s Death to Flies.” Obtainable at Healey’s Pharmacy.*

A bag of flour, a bag of sugar, and one suit of clothes per annum was slated by a Maori woman, who appeared at the Gisborne Court as a judgment debtor, as the annual contribution she received for the maintenance of an adopted child. The results of the school gardens competitions held under the auspices ot the Feildlng A. and P. Association are to hand as follows : —Halcombe, 184 A marks, 1 : Colyton, 184 marks, 2 ; Ruahiue, 182 marks, 3; Foxton, 181 marks, 4. For flower display.—Colyton, 1; Foxton, 2; Ruahine, 3; Ashhurst, h.c. ; Mount View, c.

At the Orangemen’s annual picnic at Melbourne this week it was decided to cable to Sir Edward Carson pledging their moral and material support, and stating that the majority of Australians would fight Home Rule, adding : “Hold fast, brave Ulster! No surrender !”

A Reform Rally is to be held in Feilding on Monday, February 12. Mr W. F. Massey (Leader of the Reform Party), Mr Herries, and other members of the party are to be present, and will giye short addresses at a public meeting to be held in the Drill Hall. On the same day, in the afternoon, a garden party will be held, when Mr D. H. Guthrie, M.P., will be asked to receive a presentation from the electors of the district. A somewhat uuusual accident occurred to a man named Fred Johnston whilst travelling from the Waikato to Auckland in the train on Tuesday last. A box of wax vestas got 'alight in his pocket, and in a few moments his clothes were on fire. His fellowpassengers extinguished the flames, and on arrival at Auckland he was conveyed to the hospital where it was found that he had sustained some very serious burns on his body.

Having now put in a cheese cutter and a bacon cutter, we can cut these two articles to your liking T. RimmeiV"

Warner’s Corsets are splendid holiday Corsets. They cannot rust or break, a n can the fabric tear, Price 5s ua .in,, upwards. From local drapers.*