NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1143, 6 September 1913, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

The total amount ol eapilal Invested in the fruit industry in New Zealand is probably ±12,000.000. according to a delegate to the Fruitgrowers’ Conference. Tlie .war in Tripoli cost Italy £21.880.000. and this tint lay, i(, is staled, "ill have lo be defrayed mil of I lie Budgets of a series of years, but it is hoped tho whole sum will 1)0 paid off in 1920. A child (licked np a brand-now sixchambered revolver in (lie bed of the Waipona river, near Masterlmi. oiigTimsday. 1 low it came llierc is a mystery." Possibly the foundation had been laid for a tragedy, but courage bad tailed, says the Age. Fourteen motorists were charged at the monthly sitting of the Lower Hutt Magistrate’s Court with exceeding the speed limit ol 20 miles an hour on the Hutt road. The eases were the result of two traps set by the Hutt Borough Council on the first day oi the Wellington races. A line of £1 was inflicted on each charge, with costs 17s 6d. An option of forty-eight hours’ imprisonment was allowed. On a recent evening Miss Mansell, of Sunnier, got a fright as .-he was walking along the seashore. She stepped on what she thought was a big bunch of seaweed, which promptly rose ami spat violently at her. resolving itself into a twelve-foot long grey seal. Some men tried to get the seal towards the township, and made it travel some fitly yards or so. but eventually they desisted, and headed it off for the sea again, into w hich it disappeared. Remission of rates on sports grounds was requested by an influential deputation, headed by Mr C. P. Skcrrett, K.C., to the Wellington City Council at its last meeting. After bearing the arguments of the speakers the Council referred the whole matter to the Finance Committee, which will submit a report and recommendation on the subject, to the Council. It is understood that opinion among councillors is not generally favourable to any remission at this stage.

Indications point to sheep being very clear in Taranaki before shearing time. This was emphasised at the Stratford sale. Amongst the entries there were three or four pens of hoggets, which elicited keen competition, and one young farmer from the East road was so anxious to see what a certain pen brought that in his excitement he fell into tlie dip containing some eight feet of green mixture. 'Willing hands soon pulled him out, hut his anxiey re sheep values seemed to have gone down considerably for that day at anyrate. Recently Sir George Otto Trevelyan, the veteran politician and Hterateur. celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday. A nephew of Lord Macauley, ho was Civil Lord of the Admiralty in 1868. Secretary of (ho Admiralty in iB6O. Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1882. entered the Cabinet in 1884 as Chancellor of the Duchy, and was Secretary for Scotland in 1886 and 1592. Like his father, who was an Indian Governor, he look a groat interest in Army reform and the extension of the franchise. He knew Carlyle, Ruskin. Browning, Thackeray and other great Victorians.

Ohakune is a prohibition area, owing to the fact that it is within the boundaries of the King Country, A ballot of Ohakune residents has just been taken on the following questions; —1. Are you in favour of the present Licensing Law affecting this Borough being altered so as to give you an effective vote on tbc Licensing Question? 2. Are you in favour of the law remaining as it is?" There wore 500 ballot papers sent out to the electors, of which 327 were turned. the voting being ns follows; For the first issue. 206; for the second issue. 116. The majority in favour of the first issue was 90,

It is reported that the Oovormneut intend erecting it sawmill at Ohakutio, and if so it is likely that there will be a sufficiency of rimu logs. It appears that a good dual of rimu is wanted by the Railway Department for ornamental work in the interior of passenger carriages, etc. To get this they apply occasionally to the Government sawmill at Kukahi, but us rimu is scarce in the bush in that locality orders are frequently passed on to smaller private mills at Piriaka and Manunui. It is said that there are big bushes of rimu near Rangitaua, especially at the fgot of the mountain. —Chronicle.

A fireman olt onp of fho boats in Wellington was endeavouring to persuade a mate, who had been in the sun, to go back to the ship. His mate had other intentions, and wanted to lie down anywhere, and be loft alone. An interested crowd gathered round and proffered advice. The crowd grew, and a policeman edged into the crowd. “What's the matter?” asked the policeman. “Nothin' the miitter,” said the fireman; “only these" blokes' found hern uinff soon a man with smallpox before.” The crowd suddenly melted awav. and tl|e constable remembered he had another engagement.— Pctone (Jliroffielg What Sir Robert Stout termed a novel application in his forty years’ experience, canio before Ipm at Wanganui, when a juror wished to he excused from service. The applicant was a horse-trainer, and stated that his charges had very important engagements to fulfil at Marion races, and if he Was debarred from attending to them in the last few days all his past preparations might not lie of any avail. On the ground that applicant’s absence from his employment might interfere detrimentally with Lh fnisiness, the application was granted.' A youth who appeared as a witness in a civil action at the Auckland Magistrates Courr on Tuesday, said be bad lelt a situation because fie vyas tired "I it, 'W hat ! exclaimed i\|r Kettle, S.M- '1 he witness, unabashed, repeated that ho got tired of the job Mr Kettle: What were you-re-ceivin''?—2ss a week. sir. And a young man like you, getting 25s a week, got tired of your employment?' —I mean that 1 got tired of the trade. Did you have another position to go tit? —No, not at the time. | low* long was it before you got another position?—A month. Well, you threw up a good job, 25s a week, without having other work to go jo, simply beoauso you got tired of'it r‘‘Such is the, rising' generation,” satlly added die Magistrate. Another instance ( >f , dm eyi r-present clanger of exposed benzine w hen m pioximity to a lighted candle occulted in a private college in Auckland last week, the victim of a painful accident being a young school teacher on the staff of tnc College. , She had gone, with a lighted candle in her hand, to the bath-room to get some water. By some ptischance an uncorked bottle ol benzine winch Was standing in the bath-room was knocked over,' and the volatile spirit immediately became a mat* ol flame, l ie voung ludv was severely burned about the chest and neck before a pa<ser-by. bearing her sciwfiiis, rMied in and extinguished the flames. has pal, llf nKy and. as is only to be expected, has suffered severely from shock, Sweet pea growers will be interested in the following paragraph appearing in the London Daily Mail:-A new sor <rE sweet Sea has aroused (lie sort of excitement pm<l need 1 by the appearance of a -w pr.ma donna or dancer, lor the first lime a double flower t rue to heredity ha» •s----ed, ami tl,e rage for it is such that the p™" cannot spare a single flower for exhibition 60 precious is Ut'O seed, il«m)>ei of sweet peas, especially the cream Lla a Curtis and all the Foster group, are apt to produce double flowers and very endid they are. but Hobbies “double frilled pink.” which looks as it K has wings and standards crimped, do, s not, depend oil cultivation. It is inherently double, and introduces a new sort of flower. The familiar impressed legend on cheques, “Stamp duty—one penny, would ap-

pear from the report of the Public Service Commissioner to be very likely to disappear. Approximately fourteen millions of cheque forms are impressed every year by the Government Printing Office on account of the banks. The process of sending tho cheques to and from the Printing Office, and the counting of tho cheques, is one that is cumbrous and expensive. The Commissioner suggests that tho Government could quite safely trust the banks to pay tho duty without this laborious process, particularly as the duty on bank notes and on steamer tickets was collected without any such impressed stamp. “Generally,” says the Commissioner. “I have arrived at the conclusion that the collection of duty by impressing documents is clumsy, cosily and unnecessary.”

Win. O’Leary ami Angus Dumont, two of the men charged with being involved in the Matawai affair, wore again before the Magistrate’s Court at. Gisborne the other day. Senior-, Sergt. Hutton applied for a further remand until September 8. pointing out that the Supreme Court being on this week, would not allow of the ease being proceeded with earlier. It is alleged against the accused that they assaulted an elderly woman at the eo-operu(ive works at Matawai, removing her by force from one ten! to another and detaining her until morning. Accused*’ counsel objected to the remand. “The ollVnce tor which these three men are charged is a very serious one indeed.” remarked the Magistrate. “I notice the maximum penalty is 10 years' imprisonment and (hive Hoggings. I think it is nude.sirable lo gnu l l, bail ai pri-enl. 1 may do so at a later .stage of the proceedings, but I certainly shall not do so at (he present, time. I have fully considered (he matter.” The police said there would probably be other eases pending.

A country correspondent of the Southland Times reports the following, which illustrates the careless manner in which some people leave money lying about. Several days ago there arrived at the hotel at Orcpuki an elderly man who, to judge by appearances, had very little of tins world’s goods for his share. After he had spent a day or two about the hotel it became apparent there was something wrong with him, and he had to be removed to the Riverton Hospital. Before the old man went away ho confided to the licensee that he had some money in Ids hut, hot ween four and five miles out. on the OvepukiTautnpere main road. He added that the door was unlocked, and he was not sure where he hud left the money. Two people went to the hut, and found the door unlocked. and from a suit of clothes hanging on the wall something was seen slicking out of the vest pocket, which turned out to be two live-pound notes An ordinary sixpenny notebook with clastic band, enclosing one £2O note, three £lO notes, and five £5 notes, £BS in all. was also found. The Poverty Bay Herald says a disgraceful scene was'witnessed at Gisborne on Suturdav afternoon. During tho progress of the League match a spectator became very wrath at a decision of the referee, and in no uncertain manner vented his disapprobation. He was standing near a line umpire at the time, and the latter remonstrated with him. A healed argument ensued, and at last the line umpire ventured the remark, “I think as much of your running as I do of your fighting.” Thereupon the spectator rushed at tho line umpire, who retaliated by striking the spectator on the side of the head with tho stick ho held in his hand. A nasty gash was inflicted, and tho blood from it flowed copiously. Some verv uncomplimentary remarks passed between the two men until half-time, and, the quarrel being continued after the "amc was resumed, both men set to in earnest, tlie line umpire raining heavy blow's on the head of his antagonist with the stick until it was wrenched away from him by his opponent, who severely pummelled his adversary with his fists. The line umpire evidently came out of the encounter worse than tlie other combatant, as his nose bled freely and his set of false teeth were broken to pieces, while his antagonist left the Hold with the wound on the side of his face, and vowing still further vengeance, but not before the referee had taken his name.