LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 193, 17 June 1903, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Interesting reading matter will be found on page four cf this issue. The Fierra arrived at San Francisco on the 15th inst., at 7 p m. The Borough Council will hold a special meeting at 3 o'clock this (Wednesday) afternoon, to consider Messrs Weston and Weston's opinion as to the Imperial Hotel case.

Professer Ernest Rutherford, of Taranaki, professor of physics at Montreal, has been elected a Fellow of tho Royal Society, an honour only bestowed on distinguished savants. Mr Marchant, Engineer to the Harbour Board, arrived in New Plymouth on Tuesday, and is making an official inspection of the works.

At a meeting of the Rolleston Memorial Committee in Christchurch on Monday, it was announced that there was -t'!)so in hand for a statue. It was decided to ask the Apent-General, Sir John Hall, and Mr Alfred Saunders to make enquiries in England with regard to artists, and what their fees would be for a statue. It was also decided to make a collection of photographs of the late Mr Rolleston, and forward them to the gentlemen mentioned.

According to a telegram received by us from Auckland on Tuesday, " Are You a Mason " met with a brilliant success on the opening night. It is stated by the Auckland "Herald " to be the cleverest, funniest, and most original comedy seen for years. The Auckland Grammar School Board is borrowing i'looo for the new laboratory, which will cost £1290. As soon as the loan formalities are fixed, abattoirs are to be erected in Feilding at a cost of £6OOO. I At a meeting of the Canterbury AntiGambling League on Tuesday, Messrs T E. Taylor, G. Lawrenson, and Ell strongly denounced the legalisation of the totalilisator, and expressed their determination to help to pass a Totalisator Abolition I Bill during the coming session. '

On Tuesday evening Mr Treeby brought to this oflioa a magnificent cluster of black grapes, grown by Mr R 9. Thompson, of Mormanby, in splendid, condition aud of excellent flivour. The bunch must have weighed, when cut, at least four pounds, and is a great credit, to the grower. It will be on view to day in tho window of Treeby aud Company's clothing establishment, in Devon street, j where it is sure to attract great admiration and possibly envy. Three youths were arrested at Havvera 'on Tuesday, and charged with burglarly ! at a tobacconist's shop. ! A. meeting of the Wellington Presbytery on Tuesday sustained calls hy the congregations of St. John's and St. Andrews, to the R<jv J. Gibb of Dunediti, I and Rev W. Gibson, South of Invercargill, respectively. j Through the courtesy of Mr G. Arrow- 1 smith, a Daily News representative in spected the plans of the additions now being made to the Grand Central Coffee Palace. Provision is made four shops in Eginont-street, three of then, being '2O by 12 feet G inches, while the fourth is 32 by 14. The new rooms for the Coffee I'alaco include a ladies dining room, lava* tory etc., kitchen, 12 bedrooms, sitting room, bath room, linen closet etc. Re quirements to suit the convenience and comfort of ladies have been made a special feature of the new building. The present dining room will be greatly improved. The Bgmont street frontage !s about 100 feet. Mr Pikett is the contractor, and the work is being pushed forward satisfactorily. the new part will ba separated from the old by a brick wall, communication baing provided by means of iron doors.

Mr P. L. Hollings, ex-Mayor of Mas terton, and a leading solicitor of th.it town, was a passeoger of the mail train on Tuesday evening en route for Auckland. Mr Hollings is on his way Hume to appear before the Privy Ocu cil in the appeal c.isa Burnett v. Henderson and Company. This is a sawmilling dispute, which has been exciting great interest in the Wairarapa. A report was current in town yesterday that another meeting of the Licensing Committee was held during the day, but we were unable to substantiate it.

Consequent on a letter from the Taranaki Scenery Preservation Society, the Eltham Borough Council has decided tc enlist Mr Symes' assistance in getting the Government to take steps to conserve the bush in the vicinity of Lake Rotokare Recreation Ground.

Measles are yery prevalent at Timaru, and as a consequence the main school his been closed for the winter holidays' a week earlier than usual.

A Normanby cotreapotlcleftt writes: " Some few weeks ago Mr William Summers was drowned in the Wainpon■;oro River, at the ford between Hastingsroad and the Normanby-Okaiawa road, a short cut to Normanby in place of going round by Mr F. McGuire's property. Not a word has been said since as to tho cungerous na'ure of the ford, or the necessity of the County Council ereoting a bridge there, or, as the proper alternative, closing the track. O.i the night of June Ist, two commercial travellers, one from Auckland and the other fr>m Wellington were on their way from to Hawera. The Auckland C.T. was driving, and he turned down off the Hastings-road to the ford, but tho Weiisngton man firmly insisted ton walking sooner than attempt the ford, the result being that the baggy was turned round, and the travellers proceeded by the long road On the following morning 3$ fouryear old bullocks were sent into the ford (under wrong instructions), and wero washed down- stream like so many sicks of chaff. This may seem a very trifiing matter to some, but to the travelling community it is of vital importance that the nature of this ford should be widely made public. At the last meeting of the Eltham Borough Council, the Lands Department, in reply to a request that certain reserves should be changed, and handed over to the Borough as an endowment, wrote stiting that the Minister cannot see his way to grant the request, it being absolutely necessary that all land reserved for State forests should be carefully preserved for the purpose of which they were gazetted.