LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1129, 5 August 1913, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Vacant houses are still at a premium in Foxton. The erection of a few cottages would prove a profitable investment for persons with surplus cash.

Three of the teachers at the local State school are away on sick leave. Applicatian has been made to Board for relieving teachers.

During the progress of a football match at Shannon, G. Forbes a shannon player, suffered a compound fracture of the right leg. The sufferer was subsequently removed to the Otaki Hospital.

At a meeting of the Anglican district clergy at Palmerston N. to-day, the Rev G. Y. Woodward read a paper on the “Transfiguration,” which elicited a keen discussion.

Constant, the French wrestler, has challenged Jack Johnson, the champion pugilist, to a fight to a finish. Constant is to use the catch-as catch can wrestle against Johnson’s boxing. A return presented to the House of Representatives shows that no fewer than 41 accidents were caused in the Dominion by pea rifles during the past two years. Other firearms were responsible for 73 accidents during the same period.

The General Labourers’ Union at Invercargill passed a resolution expelling the president, Mr M. J. Forde, one of the delegates to the recent Unity conference, who is opposed to the strike policy. At the recent council by-election, Mr Forde opposed the candidature of Mr Glass, a Social Democrat, who was at the bottom of the poll.

The financial statement will be presented to Parliament this week. Several questions, which are at present b'g on the political horizon, will be mentioned in the Budget, including the proposals of the Government with regard to amendments in the Electoral Act. A statement will also be made as to the Government’s intentions with regard to the salaries of teachers in primary schools. It was Sunday afternoon, and the curate, calling unexpectedly to visit a member of his flock, found him out—in two senses. The gentleman’s young son came to the door, and announced his father’s absence. “ He’s gone to the gulf club,” said he casually, and then, reading, perhaps, some shade of disapproval in the parson’s eye, he extenuated thus : “ He’s not gone to play golf, you know, not on a Sunday; only to drink beer and have a game of cards.” Having thus cleared his father’s character, he shut the door on the dumfounded cleric. “Comic” journalism has not yet reached a very high standard in New Zealand, but the Maoriland Worker unconsciously does its little best to supply the deficiency, says the Christchurch News. In a recent issue of that ingenuous sheet, the editor said a number of hard things about the leaders of the United Labour Party who found the I.W.W. policy ot the Social Democratic Party too tough for their teeth. Fie sneered at them for being, as he put it, “disgruntled bourgeois politicians.” “Bourgeois” is good. The inference is that the Social Democrats are the aiistocrats of the movement, and every school child with a proficiency certificate knows what happened to the aristocrats on a certain occasion when the bourgeois rose in revolt.

With a want of tact which our “Liberal” friends who swallowed the .Red Fed. policy in their anxiety to defeat Mr Michel will think deplorable, Mr D. M’Laren has been telling the public what Mr Webb really stands for. The Federation aims, he said, at establishing “a great trust” to take over all the industries “ by direct action —in other words, by force.” This trust would be “compulsory, military, and autocratic;” its programme included “ strikes of all kinds and sabotage, which meant the destruction of property ; and its leaders taught this doctrine, “ wrapped up in ambiguous names, because they knew their purposes could not be put in plain terms without being condemned by the workers of the country.”

The oldest bachelor in the United Kingdom is Mr Robert Crichton, of Caterham, Surrey, who is just xoi years of age. A native of Perthshire he went to Australia over 70 years ago, and joined his brother and sister in running a sheep farm, or “station,” as it is called in Australia. None of the three ever married, and at the end of 20 years they had accumulated enough money to return to England. Mr Crichton enjoys splendid health for a man of his great age. He was able to play billiards at 97. He is a teetotaler, a nonsmoker, and can never remember having taken medicine. He is descended from the family to which “ The AdmirablaCrichton ” belonged. For Chronic Chest Complaints’ Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure, 1/6, 2/6. We sell everything under a guarantee; if it’s not satisfactory return it. Walker and Furrie*

For Children’s Hacking Cough at night, Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure, 1/6, 2/6. Owing to a local scarcity offish, Mr M. Perreau has made arrangements with the Napier Trawling Co. tor regular supplies of fish, notifies that fish suppers at Per reau’s Buffet will in future be a speciality.* Perreau’S assorted fruit pies are delicious. Try them.*

[ Mr J. H. Pope, formerly Inspector of Native Schools, died in Wellington on Monday, at the age of 76.

Sir Joseph Ward arrived in Wellington yesterday and was accorded a public welcome in the Town Hall.

A well-known and highly respected settler of the Forty Mile Bush district, Mr Robert “Kiltie” Smith, passed away at bis residence at Onslow Park, Hamua, on Saturday morning, at the age of 70 years. The holder of the ticket in the art union for the motor car in connection with the Hamilton Show, was A. R. Blackburn, railway cadet, of Rotorua, the number of his ticket being 2,350.

It will not be long before the passenger petrol locomotives should arrive in the Dominion. These locos, which, with their carriage, are all self contained, are intended for use upon branch lines where the traffic hardly warrants the incurring of the expense of running an ordinary train. On what particular lines the new type of engine will be run has not yet been decided, and will probably not be known until the new General Manager has investigated the whole matter. The Pahiatua smallpox patient is now convalescent, and will be discharged from the hospital in the course of a few days. Since the outbreak fully a thousand people have been vaccinated at Pahiatua. Dr. Valentine who is now at Auckland said he saw the body of a Maori miner who died from smallpox at Taupiri. It|was one of the worst cases he has seen, and he wishes doubting doctors and others could have seen it. He feels that the precautions should be doubled. He states that since leaving the Main Trunk express at Te Awamutu on Saturday, he has seen 55 cases. His opinion is that the outbreak is a malignant form of smallpox.

Passengers in the night expresses, when crossing the Waimarine Plains, are usually asleep in the carriages, but the enginedriver sees some strange sights, especially in winter. On Tuesday night last week, while the express was crossing the plains, the moon rose behind the lofty truncated cone of Ngaruhoe. All of a sudden the enginedriver heard a prolonged roar, which woke people in their beds right down as far as Owhango, and a pearl shaped column of smoke and steam shot up from the crater to a height nearly equalling that of the mountain itself, and was followed by a shower of lava and ashes. It took quite a long time for the cloud to drift away, but it finally vanished in a thin dark streak.

Professor Calderone, a wellknown psychic authority in Rome, has published a story of a reputed re-incarnation. He states that a doctor’s daughter appeared at a Spiritualistic seance and informed her mother that she would be reborn on Christmas Day of the following year. At a second seance the event was ajgain announced, the words used being “Two of us, myself and another.” On Christmas Day, fourteen months later, twin girls were born bearing on their faces three marks identical with the marks on the deceased. A year later they manifested exactly similar mental and moral tendencies. The events are attested by numerous witnesses.

One of the disabilities attached to being too well-known was discovered by Sir Joseph Ward during his recent visit to Eondon. He referred to the matter jocularly in his reply to the welcome accorded to him last week. Soon after he arrived in the great metropolis, he said, he found that two-thirds of the taximen knew him. The consequence was that whenever he rode in a taxi he found it impossible not to recognise this compliment by parting with “the nimble shilling,” As showing how conversant with his features total strangers were, Sir Joseph related how a shopkeeper in a modest way, off whom he had purchased a humble two shillingsworth, insisted upon sending the purchase to his hotel. He protested that the tradesman did not know who he was, but was met with the reply : “Don’t I though. Why, we all know you.”

“It is no breach of confidence to say that in conversing with the leading men in the Old Country,” said Sir Joseph Ward at Auckland, “I never at any time adversely discussed the present Government. As a matter of lact, I did not talk New Zealand politics, because I think this Dominion is entitled to be governed as the majority of the people desire, and I object to detractions of the country I represent.” Sir Joseph added that he was going back to Parliament to represent his constituency, which was an important one, and which a big effort had been made at the last general election to take away from him. He did not object to fair or strong fighting, but he was impressed with the importance of sinking personal differences and standing together in all matters where the interests of the Empire were concerned.

Ask us to show you a "Dominion” spade. Others connot oompare with them. Walker & Furrie.*

The lad he loved her dearly, For she billed and cooed so sweetly; And she promised he should have her, In the happy days to be. But she qualified it thuswise, That she’d marry him for sure; Unless your cold has been repaired, With Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. 3

A final reminder is given of the band meeting to-night. All honorary members are requested to be present.

A man named Henry John Pilcher, 78 years of age, fell downstairs at his home in Auckland on Sunday and was killed.

A trimmer named Harry Buss committed suicide at Auckland on Sunday by cutting his throat with a razor.

The Rev. Mr Cockerill, vicar of Waipawa was killed on Sunday night through colliding with a trap while motor cycling. Frank Neylon, of Wanganui, of the totalisator firm of Neylon and Spriggens, is missing, and it is feared that he has committed suicide.

The Awahou arrived at noon to-day with a cargo of general merchandise from Wellington, and the Waverley sailed at one o’clock with sheep lor d’Urville Island.

On the fourth page of this issue will be found an article on Scott’s siege oi the Pole, being a summary of the story of the polar expedition, an account of which is to be published in “Life” ; also “The Dreadful Weed.”

Thomas Riramer has a good sample of Early Seed Potatoes. Have a look at them, before buying elsewhere.*

For comfort and durability, the Ibex chair stands alone. We are sole agents. Walker & Furrie.*

Wanted—The people of Foxton and the surrounding districts to know that A. de Luen, tailor, of Palmerston North, will call on anyone with samples upon the receipt of a postcard. Costumes from £4 4S, Suits from fa 10s.*

A “Warner’s” is the most economical corset a woman can wear —it can be kept sweet and fresh by washing. We guarantee Warner’s to wear well and not rust, break or tear. Local drapers.*