LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4363, 21 January 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The best sermons have been given the world by those who did not know they were preaching. The auction sales will be found duly advertised as usual next to “harm Notes,” on the fourth page.

Mr W. E. B. Johns, fruiterer, and greengrocer has removed to. more centra ly situated premises, adjoining Mr M -K< o s grocory establishment. The Rev. Father Cleary, editor of the Tablet, who is well-known in Catholic oire’es throughout Australasia, has had the degree of Doctor of Diviuity conferred on him by the Pope for services rendered to Catholic journalism, says a Dunedin Press Association message.

Since Mr J. McSweency took ovor the Grand Hotel he has had the interior thoroughly overhauled aud made more up-to-date, The exterior of the building is iigw receiving attention and the painters are adding their quota towards beautifying this hotel,

A cattle disease has broken out at Koromatua, and several dairy herds are affected. The ailment takes the form of rapid loss of condition, combined with great stiffness in the joints, the affected animals showing a marked disinclination to move about, and become extremely emaciated within a few weeks, The Stock Department is dealing with the matter,

“ Dou't marry a poor man- unless you know that he is a man in every sense of the word, is my advice.” So says a poor richi woman who married a worthless chap, who never tried to earn a dollar after his wedding. The advice is good, but it would be better if the woman who had had so much bitter experience had said : “ Don’t marry any man, rich or poor, unless you know he is a man.”

The following tenders were received by Mr E. E. Gillman, Architect, Paeroa, for the erection of Wesleyan Parsonage, P.teroa :—H. T. Markwick £420 (accepted) ; R. Roberts, £463 10s; R. Twcntyman, £467; Mackie & Sons, £476; Potterton& Black, £485 os ; Wm. Forrest, £489 15s j J, C, R. Watts, £493 W. G. Dudley, £498 11s; H, Guthrie, £519; J. Boyd, £543, and J. Mannix £OSO.

Members of the Te Aroha Defence Rifle Club are reminded that a Government Inspection Parade will take place this evening at 7,30 o’clock in the Pound Paddock. Every member should endeavour to put in an appearance as the capitation of the Club depends upon the parades attended.

Replying to a deputation in Wellington the Hon. J. A. Millar said he did not say he could make the railways earn any more than they were, but he would not uiuke them lose any more than they were losing. The Minister also spoke against any iucrease in Sunday work on the rail ways. The enquiry by the Commission into the allegations re the validity of the Ohiuemuri Licensing Poll will commence at the Waihi Courthouse next Monday at 10 a in. Considerable interest is being manifested in the investigation, and while there are some who say that the allegations are unfounded, others contend that they have no more foundations p j’ uc t than the statements made in connection yqtb %; Masterton poll.

We baye goUfereuljjvq mqq as members Oi ibfi determined to §pc jifsti.ee dqne fo tljejr district. After repeated cqmmqmcftjQns by the Chairman of the Waitoa Drain-, age Board, the Secretary has received a reply from tfie Minister for Lands re tfle drainage of the Block of Crown Lands situated in the fork of the Piakq and Waitoa Biyers, Statiug that the Undersecretary of Lands has recently visited the district, and it is perfectly clear that to enable the Drainage Board to successfully cope with the surface waters in their district, drains should bo extended through the Crown Lands adjoining, Instructions have therefore been sent to the Government Engineer, Mr Wm. C. Drcakft]], who is in charge of the Hauraki Plains Drainage Works, to consult with the Chairman and Engineers of the Drainage Board as to the best method of carrying on the drainage works through the area in question. Recent visitors to Te Aroha trig peak in glowing terms of the magnificent view obtained from this' commanding peak. : Tho track is in fairly good order. Our Coromandel correspondent writes “ The death of a well-known and respected resident of this city, Mr Chas. Morgan McCormick, formerly of Coromandel, but late foreman of the ferro-concrete works Railway Wharf, Auckland, occurred last week. The deceased was born at Thames in 1869, aud was the eldest son of Mr Charles McCormick (iate engineer for wprks Coromandel County). Heart failure was the cause of his sudden death, Much sympathy is felt for tjjc family in their sad bereavement, The burial which took place at Waioksraka Cemetery whs largely attended. Father Mahoney read the burial service. The deceased leaves a wife aud a number of relatives to mouru their loss.” American spiritualists are displaying keen interest in ’the offer made by fcho Metropolitan Pshychicol .Society of New York to pay the sum of £IOOO to anyone producing conclusive proof that messages have been or can be received from the dead.

The many friends of the Hon. Jas. McGowan will regret to learn that he is sufferii g from a severe attack of sciatica. Spurious shillings are doing duty for the genuine coins m Gore just now. A resident, reports the Standard, had one tendered him as change on New Year’s Eve. The “ fake” consists of a wad of cardboard of similar thickness to a shilling, covered with silver paper and stamped on the obverse and reverse the same as the sterling coin. At night in the artificial light, the keenest observer may be deceived with the paper shilling when laid on the counter or given along with other silver change, j The fraud bee mes at once evident when against certa n l deer-stalkers making a trade of the sale of the heads of deer, it is proposed that four tags should be given to the holder of every license, and that a tag must be attached to each of the four heads which the license entitles the stalker to shoot; the bolder of any head without a tag to be liable to prosecution, It is understood (says the Timaru “ Herald ” ) that all the Acclimatisation Societies have [ agreed to adopt this proposal except the South Canterbury and Nelson Societies. The matter has not been before the ' South Canterbury Society yet, but it 1 will probably be dealt with at the next meeting of the Council, i A Wairarapa visitor to Wellington " relates that he had his pocket picked in a very smart manner when standing in a crowd et Wellington th ■ other day, i reports the Wairarapa Daily News. He 3 had one hand in his trousers pocket, 1 where he hid four or five looso notes, - ond was on guard againt his pocket s boing picked. Presently someone i standing near him gave him a slight poke in the neck with a stick. This caused him to turn sharply round and 3 withdraw his hand from his pocket. r Almost at once ho felt a draught on his 3 leg, and making examination found his 3 garment had been slit and the pocket ® cut clean Out, His loose notes had vanished,

An amusing deception was practised on a well-known resident at one of the school picnics in the Waituna district the other day (says the Feilding Star). He was to distribute the prizes to the scholars, but as he did not turn up, the teacher carried out the duty herself. Just as it concluded the well-known whirr of bis motor car was beard in the distance, so the books were all carefully returned to their places, and the absent one arrived on the scene to find everything ready and the children waiting for the ceremony- The books wore then all re-presentod, a few wards of advice were uttered, and the affair passed off pleasantly Of course the deception was explained, much to the enjoyment of the “ victim,” who explained afterwards that the most amusing pait was | the solemn faces of the children, who did not give the show away with a single smile.

“ Tho trout are too plentiful, their food too meagre, their enemies too scarce. They increase and multiply, and their food supplies go on decreasing. No eels deplete their large families, and no shags harry them,’ —Mr Wilford, M. P„ on Lake liotorua’s “ razor trout, ”

By the last mall to hand we have received a copy of a new fortnightly publication printed for Mr A, N, Field, by the “ New Zealand Times ” Company, Ltd. The paper is compact, nicely printed and arranged, with a choice and varied selection of reading matter. The publication bears the title of “ The Citizen." In announcing the birth of “ The Citizen " the oditor remarks that “ It does not come with apologies for its existence. It comes because there is room in New Zealand for an independent journal taking a more detached view of affairs than is possible in the daily papers. This paper represents no vested interest, no political section, and its business will be to speak its mind without fear and without favour on the topics of the day. The general character of the paper is obvious from the pages that follow, and does not need description here. It is enough to say it is hoped that each succeeding issue of " The Citizen ” will be an improvement on those that have gone before. Politically “ The Citizen ” believes that the future of New Zealand depends only a very little on the nostrums and recipes of any political party, but a very great deal on what each private citizen is willing to dp for it