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Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9146, 15 May 1908, Page 4

Sergt. H. Diamond of the Manchester Rifles was, last night, elected Lieutenant.

On page 2 will be found report of an interesting case. Farmers’ Union Conference, and Markets; page 6 General Items; page 7 report of Social Gathering at Ohingaiti, and annual meeting o t N. Z. Rugby Union.

A private cable states that Waih: Gold Mining Company shareholders in London have approved the dividend of 3s 6d per share and bonus of 3s per share, payable in June. The message adds that they may expect a dividend of 4s per share on September Ist.

According to the Dunedin Star the price per lb of average New Zealand crossbreds in 1893 was *lod ; in 1901, sd; in 1904, in “1905, 9ijd ; in 1906, 14d ; in {,1907 (December), 10d ; while the present value is 7>£d. At the meeting of Feildiug Borough Council last night after the completion of the busiuess’Or. Cobbe suggested that members of the Council should entertain the delegates to the Farmers’ Union Conference at a dinner. The suggestion was adopted, the members of the Chamber of Commerce to be invited to take part, and a committee was appointed to make arrangements. ■ The Mauawatu Times reports that Mr F. P. Snow, of Hokowhitu, was taken seriously ill about 11 o’clock yesterday morning from ptomaine poisoning. Dr. Putnam was sent for, and remained all last night with the patient, who at an early hour this morning was in a critical condition. It is believed that the poisoning was caused through eating apparently fresh meat. Two other inmates of the house were similarly affected, but recovered rapidly from the effects.

Ingenuity misplaced was shown by a boy of fifteen in carrying through a series of thefts to which he pleaded guilty, before Mr Riddell, S.M., in Wellington Juvenile Court. Three cheques and a postal note were known to have been stolen. The hoy, it appeared, had devised a stick with a hook on the end, and with this instrument he used to fish for the morning’s mail in the letter box at the place where he was employed. It was proved that he had secured several letters in this way. His Worship ordered the boy the birch.

The Wellington “Harbour Board has for some time been increasing die charges on shipping, notwithstanding instance of this policy was the. resolution to construct a dock in defiance of the experience of other ports. The contention of its supporters was that the shipping was not paying enough, aud could well bear the cost. It is now stated that two shipping companies are thinking of making Lyttelton the principal port of arrival and departure, in consequence of the increased charges. The New Zealand Times, commenting on this, advises the Board to be very careful what they are doing in the way of increasing the charges to shipping. At a meeting of Wanganui Trotting Club yesterday, the following officers were appointed ; —President, Mr O. E. Maokay; Vice-Presidents, Messrs J. G. Barthorp, F. O. Faber, aud W. R. Tuck; Stewards, Messrs W. M, Ashton, J. Brownlie, W. Aynsley, G. Giesen, Kennedy, W. L. Young, W. Finlay,- O. G. Young, A. McFarlane, McKinnon, G. Ross, J. G. Swan; Hon. Solicitor, Mr C. E. Mackay; Treasurer, Mr G. Spriggens. The Hon. James CarroL was elected Patron, subject to his acceptance of the position. It was decided to invite applications for the posiion of Secretary. The matter of fixing a date for the initial trotting meeting was left to the committee.

Following is a copy of a letter received by one of the bakers’ drivers concerned in the late strike at Hastings from the Department of Labour ; —“1 am directed by the head of the Labour Deprtmeut to remind you that in consequence of your conduct in ceasing work without proper and legal notice you have rendered yourself liable to being proceeded against beforg the Arbitration Court for a serious offence agiust the Industrial, Conciliation aud Arbitration Act, 1906, and I am directed to warn you that a similar offence in future will be followed by enforcing the full penalty the law allows. The mere fact that you are not a member of a Trades Union does not relievo you of the responsibility of the said offence. —Yours faithfully, Ernst W. F. Gohns, Inspector of Factories,”

The very severe operation of excising a lower jaw for cancer was performed in a Palmerston hospital the ocher dav.

Yesterday Mr Essex handed to Palmerston Hospital Hoard £5lO >.h Od, the lesnld t I VI 1 Un-y i-.i----lectious.

The regular monthly meeting of Ruapehu Lodge of Freemasons at Martou last evening was well attended. The principal business consisted of the working of the M.M. degree, which was conferred upon one candidate.

Dalgetv and Company, Ltd., Palmerston North, report having sold to Mrs S. McDonald, Raumai, on account of Mr A. J. Tosward, the balance of his Oxtou Hills property, comprising 288 acres freehold, at a satisfactory figure At a meeting of the Wellington Master Bakers’ Union it was reported that the cash system for bread recently adopted was working admirably and customers had taken kindly to the system. George Smith, a participant in a game of “two-up” iu the open-air school at Wellington lately raided, has been fined £5.

It is believed that practically the whole of the civil servants iu the Dominion will elect to come under the benefits of the Civil Service Superannuation scheme before Ist June.

Messrs Dalgety & Co., Ltd., Palmertsou North, report having sold to Mrs S. McDonald, Reumai, on account of A. J. Toxward, Esq., the balance of his Oxton Hills property comprising 288 acres freehold at a satisfactory figure. Mr A. A. Barron, chairman of the Land Purchase Board, accompanied by Messrs G. A. Reese and J. Fraser (Government Valuer) are inspecting the lea station, Wairarapa, in 'order to determine its merits for closer settlement.

At Auckland lOpera House yesterday in the presence of a large gathering, including a specially appointed committee, Thomas Burrows, the world’s champion club-swinger, set about the foolish task of lowering his own world’s record of continuous club swinging for 63 hours. § A party “of German officers, who are touring the Dominion and the Commonwealth with the view of purchasing horses for service in South-West Africa, left Auckland this week for Queensland. They had previously been carrying on negotiations in that State for some time. The officers intend returning here in the course of the coming winter and buying a shipment of horses in the North Island of New Zealand.

Mr C. Griffiths, of fßotorua, will leave by the lonic for London to make arrangements there for the visit to England of a party of some 200 Maori haka or poi .’dancers, .who are to perform at the Fra,neo-British Exhibition. The Maoris are all from the neighbourhood of Rotorua. They leave the Dominion’ about August next, and will tour Great Britain and probably visit France and America, the -whole journey occupying about six months. The handling of the party throughout their travels around the world has been placed in the hands of Messrs Thomas Cook and Sons. The Taranaki Provincial Conference of the Farmers’ Union continued yesterday. Amongst the more important resolutions were —(1) A protest'against any export duties on farm produce; (3) Continued resistance to the Referendum, Fair Rent Bill, and alteration to local bodies’ franchise ; (3) favouring universal military training and increased contribution to the upkeep of the Navy; (4) favouring the abolition of the Conciliation Board.

During his recent visit to the South Island, Mr Clifton, Chief Inspector of Stock, was struck by the fact that farmers both in Otago and Canterbury are going in more extensively for wheat growing than was the case last year. He cannot say that the area which will be de voted to the cultivation of that cereal will be a record, but there is no doubt that increased attention is now paid by many Southern farmers to wheat-growing.

The ladybirds liberated by the Agricultural Department amongst the bluegum plantations in the South Island, are rapidly clearing off the scale insects which have been doing so much harm to the trees. As soon as the ladybirds eat up the insects in one plantation they migrate to another infected plantation, and immediately start to work on the plots. About 900 ladybirds have just been liberated by the Department in the Cheviot district. The Customs duties collected Jin New Zealand during the March quarter of 1908 totalled £794,498, against £775,858 for the corresponding period of 1907. The total Customs for the last financial year are £3,098;053. The value of imports into the Dominion during the March quarter of 1980 is £4,894,395, compared with £3,986,377 for the corresponding period of 1907. Exports for the first quarter of this year were valued at £6,331,927, compared with £8,634,182 for the corresponding month of 1907. Tauranga reports that the wellknown chief Tamati Tu , head of the Tauranga natives, died this morning after a short illness, at the age of 54. He was son-in-law of Hore Ngatai, and leaves a grown up family. He received the New Zealand war medal and a substantial pension for acting as fguide to British troops at the Gate Pa and Teranga fight. The tangi *will be j the largest held in Tauranga for many years. Palmerston Hospital Board has instructed delegates to the Conference, Messrs J. G. Wilson and W. Rutherfurd, to oppose tiie suggested change in the mode of election of Boards,* which provides for their election by public vote in place of, as at present, election by local bodies. Clause 21 which provides that no alteration or addition to any existing institution can be made unless consent of the Minister has previously been obtained. Clause 23. which provides that the appointment of medical officers and matrons should be subject to the approval of the Minister. The provision for the reduction of Government subsidy. It was considered that the limit of £lO for expenditure unless under contract was too small, and the delegates were instructed to move in the direction of an increase. Further instructions were given that the delegates should ask that a clause be ’-inserted giving Boards power to sell or exchange lands, and also that ithe clause providing for the acquisition of lauds for a hospital site under the Public Works Act bo extended fo include laud for the extension of existing sites.