LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 13, 28 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A pipe said to be worth £IO,OOO is owned by the Shah of Persia. It is adorned with all kinds of precious stones. It is constantly guarded by a high court functionary. This morning’s ten o’clock train had the appearance cf being a special “horse train,” there being carriages to accommodate twenty-two horses on it. Apparently “the feast being flushed the diners departed”—to another feast, no doubt.

When the finishing touches are put to the huge Bassano dam across the Bow River, up in Alberta, Cana,da, the greatest irrigation project in America will have been completed, which will also be the second largest in the world. The enterprise will water a tract of land 150 miles in length, which will be converted into farms and grazing lands. At present it is barren prairie. At the Carvinal the genial Fred Hardy was much missed, says the “Eitham Argus,” and many kind things were said of him. The suggestion was made in many quarters that in future programmes there should be an event included for the express purpose of perpetuating the late Air. Hardy’s name. “The Hardy Memorial Handicap’’ was suggested as a fitting title. We understand that the committee intend taking the, matter into consideration.

Adjoining Lake Titaca, in Peru, lie the ruins of a great city, origin was as much a matter of conjecture 900 years ago as it is to-day, according to the records of the Incas. The stone walls of the largest buildings were of excellent workmanship, and the gateways were elaborately carved. Evidence in 'abundance exists that the inhabitants were skilled masons. At present the region is cold and arid and entirely incapable of ripening cereals. It is inhabited by a few hardy mountaineers. It is evident that the climate is entirely different from what it was when the plateau was the centre of a large population.. Air. David Knight, a well-known Hawera resident, met with a rather serious accident yesterday morning. He rode his horse into the Hawera Railway Hotel yards shortly after 7 o’clock, preparatory to catching the morning train for New Plymouth. The borso took fright at the whistle of a passing engine, with the result that the rider was thrown heavily to the ground. Dr. Mac Diarmid was sent for, and, on arrival, he ordered Air. Knight’s removal to a private hospital. Mr. Knight is suffering from an injury to the spine, but latest advices show that he is progressing satisfactorily.—“ Star.”

Dealing with false teeth would seem to be a profitable business. At the Liverpool Assizes recently, Clarence Reginald Shimming, a maker of false teeth, sued the Birkenhead Corporation for damages on account of injuries received through a street brushing machine colliding late at night, as it was turning round, with his motor cycle. Plaintiff said he was thrown from his machine and received injuries which prevented him from following his employment for seven weeks'. He claimed £l2 a week for loss of business, but in cross-examina-tion lie admitted that lie had received £6 10s a week, and that sum should be deducted. In reply to Mr Justice Lush, plaintiff said he made £lO profit out of a set of teeth, which he would sell for £l2. The jury found for the defendants. The Rev. C. Silvester Horne, M.P., who recently recovered £750 damages against “John Bull, Ltd.,” and “Mrs Bull” for libel, said at a meeting at Wbiteheld’s Chapel that ho had received more letters than he could describe from people who wanted to share the money. He had been asked by a branch of the Salvation Army to supply a new band, by a gentleman to enable him to publish a new poem, and by another gentleman to provide him and bis family with week-day tickets to come to town to see their relatives. They seemed to think he was the only, millionaire existing. It was bis intention to divide the money between Ipswich and Whiteficld’s. He would distribute £3OO among the institutions of Ipswich and £450 among the institutions of Whitefield’s.

Yuan Shi Kai, the man of the hour in revolutionary China, is (writes a correspondent of the Daily Chronic-let an extraordinary personal example of tho sweeping change in the attitude of Chinese leaders to Christianity

since the lloxer rising. 'this man, who is dictator of the situation in China to-day, with a score of his own nominees in high office as the price of Ids own assumption of power, has this year sent four of his sons and i nephew to the Anglo-Chineso College, Tientsin, the London Missionary Society’s great educational institution in China. Dr. Lavington Hart, the founder and principal of the college, is on terms of personal intimacy wit a Yuan Shi Kai. Mrs H. K. Evans, who lias sailed for China with her husband as under the London Missionary Society, taught Yuan Shi Kai’s children when she formerly lived in China as Miss Janet Rees.

An artificial cliff has been built at Niagara Falls to hide from view the group of power plants which have disfigured the beauty of tbo spot. John McLeod, a second offender for drunkenness, came up before Mr S. R .Hunter, J.P., yesterday morning, and was fined £l.

At a meeting of the committee of the New Zealand Axemen’s Association at Eltham on Tuesday it was decided to include in next year’s programme a memorial event to the late ".ecretarv, Mr. F. E. Hardv.—“Herald.”

Mr. W. A. Veitch, M.P., interviewed by a representative of the “Wanganui Chronicle” with reference to the statements and proposals made by Mr. Payne, member for Grey Lynn, said that so far as that gentleman was concerned, he could take no exception to what Mr. Payne chose to say or propose, providing ho spoke for himself alone and not for the Labour members as a body.. He (Mr. Veitch) could not agree with the ambitions scheme outlined by Mr. Payne, for the reason that bo did not regard it as being at all practicable, or even reasonable in theory. Still, the member for Grey Lynn was entitled to his opinions, and lie (Mr. Payne) might he right, while he himself might he wrong. Although he felt sure he was right in affirming that the opinions voiced by that gentleman were not the opinions of the majority of the Labour members, personally he did not think the time had arrived for making any public statements as to the intentions of the Labour Party. It was, he thought, first of all, necessary for tbo Labour members to meet in conference and discuss the position from every point of view. He felt sure that this'would be done, and he had [ every confidence that whatever course might he finally decided upon, the Labour members would prove themselves able to work together in a manner creditable to themselves and to tbo Parliament and people of New Zealand.

At the committee meeting of the J’e Kuiti Chamber of Commerce last week, the question of persons who had applied to the Maori Land Board for tlie freehold of their sections in Te Kuiti and district, and who had been refused, was discussed. The Chairman said he did not see why they should aot bo able to get the freehold on a

fair basis. The town was growing in value every day. He quoted the Mo-•vau-Mohakatino Block, which was valued at £50,000, and secured for £20,000 by reason of the fact that there were thirty years’ lease to run, and ho faded to see why a similar proposition could not be applied to Vo Kuiti. Instances were given where natives who had farms wanted to sell their town interests in order that they might invest their money in their farms, Out were not allowed by the Board to transact the sale. It was

resolved to communicate with the Borough Council and -ask . them to frame a resolution in connection with’ die matter, and to ask them to cooperate with the Chamber. It was also decided to forward the facts to both the Prime Alinister and Air. Alassey, and to.ask them to do something in the matter. It was further decided that both leaders should be informed that the people meant business, and that no stone would be left unturned to obtain the object.

“We may possibly not have another licensing poll for five years, or we may have one every,year,” a man interosecl in licensing polls told a Dunedin Star reporter on Tuesday, when discussing the possibility of ; a dissolution of Parliament next year. This gentleman quoted the clause of the Licensing Act which says that “if at any time Parliament is dissolved before it has been two years in existence, then at the taking of the electoral poll for the new Parliament no licensing poll shall be taken but the result of the licensing taken at the last previous general election shall continue in force until such licensing poll is again taken simultaneously with the electoral poll next after the dissolution of such new Parliament.” The clause was somewhat vague. Suppose (contended this authority) Parliament A, just elected, continues in office for less than two years, on its dissolution no licensing poll will be taken when the succeeding Parliament B is elected, as the result of the licensing poll taken at the election of Parliament A will continue in force until the election held after the dissolution or expiry of Parliament B. That may mean five years. Supposing, however, that Parliament A exists only for six months, and Parliament B, which succeeds it, lasts for a similar period, then the obvious reading of the Licensing Act is that as a consequence of numerous shortperiod dissolutions of Parliament a licensing poll may possibly be taken every twelve months. On the other band, if Parliament A lasted just under two years, and Parliament B ran its full term of three years, there would consequently not be a licensing pal! for five years. “And every five years would be often enough,” concluded this quoter of Acts and propounder of figures.

A visitor to Waitara from Uruti, Clias. A. McKay, was robbed of £9 odd at the Masonic Hotel on Saturday night last (says the “Mail.”). It seems that McKay wen* to bed with his purse under his pillow, and did not discover his loss until 8 o’clock next morning. There was another man in tiie same hotel who was minus his trousers and vest when he came to look for them at getting-up time, but toese things were quickly restored, having been found in the back-yard, where they had apparently been thrown. There was some money iii the pockets, but not much, and that was found to be gone. Constable Lapouple was informed of the occurrence, and from enquiries made he suspected a man named James McLaren of the thefts. This individual hired Messrs. George and Johnston’s motor-car at 2 a.m. Sunday, and asked to be driven to ITruti. Thither the constable pursued, and ho arrested the man at Mr. ,1. Murray’s place down the Uruti Road. The man was milking when Constable Lapouple arrived, and when taxed with the offence denied all knowledge of it. A search only showed silver in his possession, but he had tendered in payment for the car hire a £5 note, of which McKay had one in bis possession when he went to bed, as well as three sovereigns. It is stated that a boarder at the hotel on the night of the robbery identifies McLaren as a man who lie saw take from the room the trousers and vest. He did not give .any alarm, because he thought the act was merely a matter between mates. McLaren appeared before Messrs. Jenkins and Newbery, J’s.lb, on Tuesday morning, charged with the theft of the articles of clothing, and was remanded to January 3rd.