LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2109, 4 June 1898, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A painful accident hapaened to Mabel, flwcond daughter of Mr G. Devey, Waitekanri. She was feeding clothe*;into a mangle, when her fingers were drawn between the tellers and crushed. We have to direct the attention of builders to a call for tenders in another column for erection of a billiard room. Plans, etc., may be seen on Monday at Mr Williams? store., , v■ _ r ■ Mir liawlor, the accredited agent of the A. M.P/Society, may be consulted' at the Palace Hotel. Letters will receive his; prompt attention.—Ad vt. Special sermons on behalf of Foreign. Missions will be preached at the Wesleyan Church to-morrow by Rev S. Griffith, morning and evening. Mr J H. Gillies, whose death is announced in yesterday’s ‘ Herald,’was for some years of Waio* rongomai school ; thehufor a considerable poiiod first assistant at Ouehunga. At i inao of bis da»fch he was in charge atPuhoi (German settlement near Wair w®ra)._

In regard to the markets, the Wellington ‘Rost’ says i-r~ Though the Australian drought has broken up, there is every hope of certain lines of New; Zealand produce maintaining present extreme values. The potato crop in Australia has been , a failure, and 'present quotations are £7 a ton in Sydney and £8 in Melbourne. The price of the tuber is hardening in New Zealand, And the Auckland quotation is £7 to £7 IQs. The strong Australian demand will keep up the prh © of potatoes, Butter is, also favorably affected, Sydney prices for factory made ringing from Is Id to Is 2d per lb. In Melbourne the price is very much higher, and supplies are being drawn from New Zealand. Oats, barley, pva», bran, pfiiard, and onions are all ruling high, and the farmers who have a surplus of the products should' do well this winter.

„ From a Waftakauri paper w© learn, with regret, that Mr Harry Skene j has been very ill. He had been ailing for some weeks past and had been ad- , vised to come to town. With the sense of independence characteristic of the old digger he remained in hie hut on the Jubilee Hill, until he became so ill, that when his condition was at last discovcredit took two men to carry him to Gordon’s Boarding-house. There he received the kindest careaud attention and was afterwards taken to the Thames Hospital. It will be the earnest wish of all those acquainted with the early history of the field that this one of the pioneers may recover. It should be their endeavor to sce’that his stay in the Hospital is made as comfortable as possible. , Major Sommerville, Chairman of the New Zealand Rifle Association, has been invited by tbe Federal Rifle Association in Sydney to take over a team of lady marksmen to compete in a special match.

The Taranaki Teacher’s Institute has made a representation to the local Education Board on the subject of school hours. The Institute urges that th 9 time (four and a half hours) is. too short to accomplish the work, and that under existing arrangements seme schools are allowed to be kept open for nine months in the year for five hours a day, while others ate not so privileged. It is pointed out that this is palpably junfair to the teachers of the latter, who are thereby heavily handicapped in their work. The letter has been referred to the Appointment Committee of the Board for report, _____ The adjourned meeting of the members of the Te Aroha Brass Band was held on Wednesday even-ng. Among:-fc other important resolutions adopted was one to the effect that the Band should purchase uniforms for the members; the appointment of Messrs Fiatt, Faes, Pearson and Lawn, corn milt©} for ensuing year; re-election of Mr Sherlock as secretary; appointment of Mr Pearson as conductor. Next week we hope to return to this subject as we consider it highly desirable that the local Band should receive, greater recognition at the hands of the townspeople*

A good story reaches the West Coast Timeß from Mapourika in reference to the SpaniahiAmericaa war: Two miners, an Irishman and a German, were amicably discussing the situation over a drop of mountain dew when the Irishman hazarded the opinion that if any European Power interfered with America Britain would intervene ‘ And if she does,’ replied the Teuton, there will be hundreds of thousands of Irishmen up in arms, glad to take ad» vantage of the opportunity to get in a blow at England.’ ‘ You are a liar,’ responded the Celt, and as if to give emphasis to his expression, he planted a blow straight from the shoulder, lauding his quondam, friend on the floor. It is needless to add toat this vigorous form of argument suspended friendly intercourse and terminated the discussion'

Wo have to acknowledge the receipt of Vails and Son’s catalogue of properties for sale.

Mr A. J. Deverell, of Cambridge, in a courteous reply to our enquiries re acetylene gas, writes to say ‘ Have much pleasure in informing you that I find ‘gas’ satisfactory, being clean, economical safe and very little trouble. Beg to refer you to Mr Wilkinson,' Cambridge, Agent for Aoetyleae Gas.’ We understand that a model plant for the manufacture of acetylene gas will shortly be introduced in the business premises of an enterprising Te Aroha firm of. saddlers—Messrs Mclndoe and Hill, Whitaker Street. The installation will be carried out under, the supervision of Mr Holland, >u expert in such matters. After having the evidence of Messrs Hemphill, Lewis buchan, and Constable Forbes, Thomas George Gibson (who admitted under examination that-he was abrother of the convict knotra who escaped froar Fort Cautlsy,) the jury found accused | guilty of breaking into Hemphill’s store and stealing a sale containing valuables. He was to be brought up for sentence yesterday morning.

Oar problem solvers may derive amusement from the perusal of the following • par ’.—The present'war between Spain and America has been very productive of disputes as to the corresponding time- in different parts of America and Now Zealand. Though the solution of all such questions ,is very easy to those who know how; many appear to have a difficulty in gauging the difference between American time and New Zealand time. Tbiß is caused chiefly by America being situated to the westward of Greenwich, the paint from which Britain counts .itne, and New Zealand being, situated! far ?he east of Greenwich. Mr J. S. Ward bookseller, stationer, and librarian, Wanganui, has provided an easy means of solving all such disputes by preparing a planisphere by which it can be seen at a glance, by tbs revolution of a disc on a card, the corresponding time in any coun * try from a fixed hour in any other country The planisphere is easily worked, easily understood, and is fairly accnrate for all ordinary purposes, and should command a large Bale, An' illicit whisky still was discovered by the Thame* police on Tuesday evening last near the main track to Ofcanui.

Mr A. H. Atkinson, the manager of the, Hamilton Gas works, says the ‘ Argos ’ has we understand, been appointed manager of the Faeroa Gas Gompany, which is now engaged in erecting works to-supply the go.dtields township, and ho will leave for Paoroa on Monday next. While accepting the new appointment; we are glad that Atkinson will not be severing hi?. connection with the Hamilton works, where he will still act as manager; devoting half his time to each place. We congratulate the Paeroa Company on securing an active and energetic manager, and feel sure thhy will have no cause to regret their choice. With a view; to encouraging planting, tho Government have decidad to supply settlers and others with seedling, oak trees fyee on train, on application to Mr N. Kensington, Wairangi Kailway Station. No doubt many off our farmers will avail themselves of the opportunity of obtaining a consignment at a «osfc only of the freight.

A Sydney correspondent writes: —Since ,a mother and a family of young children were found sleeping on the stones of a Sydney street, no more distressing case hast beeu heard of than Amy Smith, a girl of 17 who, pressed by destitution, saw no better resource than to attempt to end her life by taxing carboiic acid. She was found in an out house an 1 taken to the Prince Alfred Hospital. Had she not taken the poison she might have still been starving quietly at this moment. With * charitable ’ societies by the score, with a charitable organisation society to boss the lot, and with tho Premier’s latest fad of another organisation, society to boot, persons who are reduced to destitution, but ( who. have not -yet found their way into tfie regular pauper 1 push ’ don’t know whare to get their wants relieved, The aim of all alike seems to be ‘how not to do it,’ They appear to be afraid to make it too widely known that they are prepared to relieve want lest they should be imposed upon. It seems to be thought preferable that needy persona should starve rather than that assistance should be extended to them with too great facility. They are quite content to be imposed on year in year out, provided it is done by the regular gang. Bat there is no open door except into the house of vice, for tho poor girl of 17. Yet in a country which could support"with ease ten times its present population, surely every one is valuable enough to be proßPrvedfrem starvation In the complexity of onr modern, civilisation where tho livelihood of so many depends upon them finding some one' willing to employ them, cases like that of Amy Smith, whose means were exhausted before she found a refuge, threaten to become morenumerous, and there should be some well known and well understood avenue for obtaining relief.

On and after Ist of Jane a post office will be opened at Maaawaru (Mr F* J. Caudwell’s bouse). Mails will close at Te Aroha on Wednesday and Saturday at 10 a,m. Notwithstanding the fact that win* ter has already set in, parties of Alpine climbers are, still essaying the various passes across the ranges (reports the Hokitika Times). . A few weeks ago a party crossed the divide by the route knowu as Fitzgerald’s pass, coming over to the coast at the head waters of the Karangaroa. Alpine climbing iadaily besoming more popular amongst New Zealanders, and yearly there is an increasing number of those who seek the less frequented routes from the east to the west coast, In a, few years their will be, instead of two or three ways of communication no less than 20 or 30, accompanied with dangers and difficulties, no doubt but still of suffioent attraction to brin g mountaineers and explorers over and add to the rapidly increasing popularity of West Coast mountain scenery.