LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8, 14 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr C. G. Tong©, chief officer of (he Ruapehu, who had his nose badly bitten by a drunken passenger, muundergone an operation at Wellington with a view to having a piece of tush grafted on to Jo's nose. According to a northern contemporary, Mr Massey, speaking at Tanmarunni, said that if Mr Allen had failed to negotiate a loan in Londoi every public work in the Dominion would have to stop. On and after June 1 the Rarawa will revert to her usual winter timetable of two trips a week. She will leave Onehunga every Monday and Thursday and return from New Plymouth every Tuesday and Friday. There- are rumors of a strong Hawera man coming out for the Patea electorate next election (says the South Taranaki correspondent o the Wellington Times). It is said he has only to become a starter to upset the present holder of the stakes. An event of great interest to members of the TTth Regiment Taranaki Rifles, occurred a few days ago, when “Garah,” the regimental bulldog pet. presented the Regiment with eight fine pups—-one for each company. The Premier (Mr Massey) has decided to refer the report re the aggregation of land, which he obtained from the Lands Department recently, to the House of Representatives, with power to call for papers and persons. —P.A.

Saturday is the favourite day for fires in Wellington. Last year the brigade was turned out 16 times on Saturdays, 39 times on Fridays, 38 times on Wednesdays and Mondays, 37 timer on Thursdays, and 33 times on Tuesdays and Sundays. The calls totalled 2GI. The hour at which most ends were received was between 5 and 6 o’clock p.m.

Every article in stock reduced in price during our Third Annual Sale. Fancy Goods, Stationery, Glassware, China, etc., Charles E, James, Broadway.

The Consolidated Oilfields Company is getting busy at Huiroa, and the Company’s six men are busy erecting a boiler house and engine shed, as well as a workmen’s cottage. An up-to-date rotary drilling machine, and other machinery required, arrived in Wellington by the Ruapehu last week, and is now probably at New Plymouth. “There are some people,” said the Rev ,1. Cocker in the course of his address at the Queen’s Theatre, Auckland, on Sunday, “who say that the parson is not a worker. ‘Why doesn’t he take off his coat,’ they ask. I tell you,” said the speaker, “1 have worked as hard physically as any man, and have never felt so tired as when performing my ministerial work. People who say the parson doesn’t work don’t know what they’re talking about.”

After a legal fight lasting three years, during which dozens of public meetings and 1000 conferences were held between the city authorities and groups of financiers, contracts have been signed voting a gross expenditure of £65,000,000 for the extension and perfection of New York’s underground and overhead railway system. It is the most gigantic undertaking in the history of municipalities, and will necessitate engineering operations of a magnitude equal to those entailed by the construction of the Panama Canal. It will increase the mileage of New York’s urban railways from 271 to 629. When completed in 1917 it will be possible for the people of New York to travel over the whole this system, connecting the five boroughs of the city, for a uniform faro of 2‘d.

A London cable to the New York Tribune says:— The barter and sale of a woman for £5500 was arranged in the courts here recently by tfie authority of a Judge. The case was rhat of a divorce suit brought by Marcellas Raymond Moraud against Iris wife, Helena Woodley Moraud, both actors. J. A. Morrison, inheritor of the Morrison millions, was named as co-correspondent. The suit was undefended, and counsel stated that it had been agreed that Morrison pay Moraud £5500 damages. Mr Justice Bargrave Deane, addressing the jury, said: “The parties have agreed as to damages. Hie co-res-pondent is prepared to pay the amount, and the petitioner is satisfied to receive the sum. If there were something behind the arrangement 1 should tell you not to listen to it, but in this case,, as far as I can see, there is nothing objectionable. Captain Morrison practically bought this this woman for £5500.”

The New Zealand High Commissioner (Hon. Thus. Mackenzie) replying! to the toast of “The Dominions' Overseas, in London told a story in connection with Scotsmen which rather amused the company. He said that lie regretted the absence of Sir George Reid, who would more fittingly have responded; but it appeared that if one Scot, was not present tciido the work, another should be equal to it. Sir George Reid had, at a previous gathering, referred.to the fact that the Scots were a marvellous race; that they went abroad, but that the Scot was like a certain Australian •weapon, which, after performing many revolutions, ultimately returned to its original place of departure, or rather as near as it was advisable to do. Of the four High Commissioners in London three were Scots, not to say Highlanders. The fourth the Scots would also have claimed had it not been that they could hardly overcome the name of Solomon. Mr Mackenzie said that in listening to these remarks he had a shrewd suspicion that there was a strong Scottish strain even under the name of Solomon, and afterwards he said to Sir Richard Solomon : “Sir Richard, you appear to have a strong Scottisli accent.” “Oh, aye,” rejoined Sir Richard, “my mother was an Aberdonian woman.” Mr Mackenzie humorously concluded by saying that if a man could claim an Aberdonian woman for his mother it mattered little what his father was, for she would possess a sufficient strain of Scottish Mood to produce a son equal to any that Caledonia could send forth.

At the New Plymouth Borough Council meeting on Monday night the Mayor referred to the proposed Taranaki Court at the Auckland Exhibition. In view of the failure of the suggested combined action on the part of local bodies in the province, his Worship considered that New Plymouth should do something on its own account to be represented at the exhibition, To his mind the council should take steps to this end. Ho believed that every province with the exception of Taranaki had secured space. Councillor Clarke was in favour of writing immediately and securing space, but Councillor Johnstone contended that it was a matter for the individual producers, and they, not the council, should bear any expense incurred. It did not stand to benefit the Borough Council. A suggestion * was made that the Mayor should con- ' * vene a meeting and enlist the co-oper-ation of the general public, but ultimately it was decided to write to the secretary (Mr Richards, of Stratford) of the promoters of the proposed Taranaki Court, inquiring what stops had been taken and the whole position of the project.

When Mr Webster wrote of Woods He said, with graphic ease: That Woods were mostly timber, And wore all composed of trees, But if Mr Webster lived to-day He’d find' a meaning newer, For “Woods” to millions simply means The Woods* Great Peppermint Cure.