NEWS OF THE DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 257, 28 November 1903, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The installation •of the electric light in Manaia is being pushed on ' vigorously. The fireman O'Connor, who was lost in the English Channel from the steamer Maori has just arrived at Auckland. The Taranaki schools will close for the summer recess at 3.30 pm on Friday, Dec. 18, 1903, and reopen on Monday, Jan 25th, 1904. » The annual examination of the Stratford District High School will he held next week, and the Central ■_ School, New Plymouth, the following week. tj An alarm of fire was sounded ab- ,_ out 9 o'clock yesterday morning,- The brigade turned out promptly and found the outbreak to be in a cottage in Molesworth Street, the a building being gutted. Surgeon-Major McCleland's; name was inadvertently omitted from the Kst of vice-presidents elected !»t the , anomal. meeting of the North "fciranaki Hide /fssociat'ion. Mr vSpencer, Inspector under the Taranaki Education Board, was en-j,u«'-d on Friday in examining the pupils of the West End (South Rood) school. The Chief Postmaster at New . Plymouth' requests us to call attention to the fact that Christmas cards sent through the post must be posted with the ends sufficiently open, otherwise they will be taxed. The Education Department has forwarded copies of the new syllabus to the local Board. Members will digest the contents until next meeting, when they will be discussed. Messrs Mackay and Hine have been elected to represent the Stratford County Council on the Hospital and ' Charitable Aid Board, and Mr Liar- * det will again appear for the Stratford Borough Council. At the Police Court yesteittuy „n able-bodied man named Wm T Warren, arrested on a uhtujiAi of vagrancy at Waitara, was sentenced to seven days' hard labour. Messrs C Bellringer and H. (••. l{„sseli were Ihe ■ presiding Justices. "There seems a general hard-up-ness everywhere just now," observed Mr Mackay at the Education Board on. Friday, during a discussion on the financial position. "We might apply for a grant to Mr Carnegie" interjected Mrs Dougherty. As a result of the congenial spring weather garden plants, have this year shown a -forward tendency generally but a notably early arrival is now to be seen in Sergeant Haddrell's garden in the shape of a fine cactus dahlia (delicata) bloom. ' Mr Wade spoke 'strongly on Friday on the condition of som<> of the country schools. For want of money to do a httle painting toulMlnss were simply rotting down, and the •body 10 " WStS a d ' is S ,J ' ucc t0 ««»yA concert is being organised in nl? H" fU , WdS 0f tlle 0M People's Home, the object being to secure more comfortable furnishings for the large sitting-room. A number of local people have signified their willingness to assist at the function which; will be held on Dec. 17, in St' Mary's trail. Hecent appointments undet the Education Board are as follows >! Mr K'irkpatrick, teacher at Oakun from Dec. 1, 1903 ; Mr Ca,t-

«light teacher at Tikorawgi, from Jam 1, 1904. Temporary as'ist-' ants appointed were :-Miss BallantZ n Cr nt V , illage ; Miss MracJjin at Inglewood, and Mr Kirkpatnek at Stratford District High Tlie progress of End n r Now Plymouth is « U pW t increased attendance at the i oad school. This has led the locratinoll^llll^ 6 apilly to Ule Education Board lor another enlarirement of the building, a t which additional accommodation was onlv«-e cently provided at a cost of"tt "een £SOO and £4OO. The Oh'iirtiian of the Board said tliut I'ortion of New Plymouth had made unprecedented advances, but fortunaiUj the Government could be approached for a grant to meet such a •special case. Application will be made to the Department r or .. | grant. C ' h ?l''T" r, o '' Ule Education Bot.id told the Board that he ha'i signed a document agreeing to a deviation of the Upland Koad I] e -U so mentioned that the titl-s to s'v eral sections on the list of tho'so vested in . the Board were still misatislactory, and no time should lie lost in looking into the maUr-r one case, Mr Allsworth said ' the ' Board had leased a section' wl-ich ' was found to be vested in the ! School Commissioners, who hnfl also leased it. The Board had re- i turned the money received, and might consider itself fortunate in 1 Betting? out of the matter so easily. '

There were about 16,000 people present at the Otago A., and P. Association's Show yesterday.

In a return recently issued by the Transvaal Legislation Council it is stated that 313 settlers have been placed on the land at a cost of £718,955.

A writer in the New Zealand Herald points out that Free Trade does i;rt exist in England, but merely a sysi*vem of free imports. Free Trade he dbCJnes as being the international free »juHe(dgc of coiiHiiioditJes.

The Rev. J. Newman Buttle will preach at Whitnley Church to-mor-row morning and evening. The last Sunday in November is recognised as Temperance Sunday all over the colony. Mr Buttle will speak upon the question at the evening service.*

The Caledonian Nursery (Mrs M. Mitcbinson) had a line exhibit of begonias (flowering and foliagv) at tho show on Thursday. Other prominent itemp were muiidenhair ferns, coleus, asparagus, palms, fuschias, and cut blooms in largo variety.

At the Axemen's Carnival in Hobart, Blanche (Victoria) won the world's championship for standing blocks, Con Casey won the Handicap Saw, and with Buckingham gained second place in the d'ouble-liand saw.

The progress of Vofjeltown and the increased population has led to an appeal to the Education Board for a school building. The appeal fell on barren ground, however, owing partly to scarcity of funds and also to the fact that thtre is a school within a mile and three-quarters.

While riding out from New Plymouth yesterday Mr Bach, a contractor, had the misfortune to sustain a fall from his bicycle in decending the Oniat* Hill. He was brought in to his home by Roebrick's coach, and attended by Dr. Fookes. Mr Bach was a good deal knocked about by the fall.

Mr Isaacs, inspector of manual and technical education, recently paid a visit to several schools in the ■district, and appeared well pleased with what he saw, A visit was also pai'd to the theoretical and plumbing classes in New Plymouth and Stratford, Mr Isaacs expressing satisfaction at the progress made, and the lint's on which the classes were conducted.

At the Education Board meeting oil Friday, Mr Faull uaid he had paid a visit to the West End school (Soutih Road), and expressed his pleasure at the marked improvement noticeable at the school ami surroundings. He considered the recent expenditure by the Board liad 'been fully justified.

His Excellency the Governor has expressed a desire to attend one of Miss; Ada Crossley's concerts in Auckland, where she will be formally welcomed by the Mayor, the Hon. E. Mitchelson, and the Auckland Society of At Dunedin and Christchurch Miss Crossley's concerts aroused enormous enthusiasm, and in the former city an extra concert had to be given. At Wellington, even a week before the ■date of the concert, the "booking was the heaviest ever'recorded In tliat city. Mr Percy Grainger and Mr Jacques Jacobs also created a furore by their magnificent playing

The annual examination of pupil teachers will K-? held in .the Courteny St. School, New Plymouth, and the District High School, Strutford commencing on Tuesday, Dec. 15', 3 9(M, at 11.30 a.m. Pupil teachers should notify at once of, which centre they intend to present themselves. The scholarships examination will l)e held concurrently with the pupil teachers' examination at the sume places. The particular attention of scholarship candidates is druwn to the two circulars forwarded to them.

Tlie flowers, pot plants, etc., exhil> ted by the Morshead Nursery Co., at tlie Horticultural Show on Thursday, came in for very favourable comments amongst the public. Most prominent were pot plants, some beautiful specimens of ferns being s-howty Hanging baskets of maidenhair and asparagus ferns were greatly admired, while a collection of coleus (30 varieties) and a fine lot of palms and other plants were specially noticeaible. A novelty was afforded by the exhibition of a new perennial flowering plant, bearing a delicate white bloom, the botanical name of which is lychnus vespertina alba fl. pi.

The following delicious sarcastic paragraph is taken from the Manawatu Daily Times :—"Some of our local contemporaries are amusing their readers with a story that Mr Seddon and Sir Joseph Ward are up to their necks in a swindlecate to coiner the whole of the totara forest on the 'main trunk.' They perhaps do not know that the I'rime Minister ami his wily henchman are trying to purchase live Auckland tramways and Spreckles line of

steamers and the patent right of Captain Barry's latest romance ; as well a,s the Union C'o.'s red funnel line and the Maoawatu Co.'s rights. Hvey can take that for gospel also. It will be something* to go on with."

The concern for youthful health that induced Mr Field, M.H.R., to introduce to Parliament the Bill (which has now become la.w) prohibiting the smoking of cigarettes by lads is not shared by the Sundayschool teachers of a church near Wellington, Somerset (Bngland). There boys are given cases of cigarettes' during the service as a suitable reward for attainting. The number of scholars is increasing considerably.

The latest issue of co-ins differs j materially from preceding ones, a fact which accounts for the following paragraph' in the Wanganui Herald : The shillings and half-sover-eigns which we declared to be baa-' turn out to be only a new iseue, mud the unusual appearance of „the coins was responsible for our and other people's mistake. Many shrewd tradesmen, who declared that the money was bad, would now be glad to buy all that is in circulation at a fractional discount." coxint."

The Dunedin Star says The port of Dunedin has, it appears, but narrowly escaped bedngi brought under the direct notice of President Roosevelt. An officer of a sailer in port being subpoenaed to give evidence m an impending Court case, informed us yesterday that lie "was not going to allow any or all of the Courts of Dunedin to interfere with the sailing of the ship. He wanted to sail "right naow," and " right mow" he would sail, in spite of everything. If the local authorities chose to take him off the ship,which he stated was "American soil," then Uoowevelt" was to be' notified (presumably by cable), with a request, to act. Recourse to th<> affidavit expedient has solved the trouble. A pity. The straining of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the United States would have been interesting.

T - K - Taylor, in the course ol an interview at Christchurch, stated that the open espousal of the tinannal interests of the liqjuor party, as 'evidenced in the Licensing JJjJ] h, l( ) permanently lessened the Premier's power. The prohibitionists were completely estranged, the loquor ]>a,keenly disappointed, and the - derates almost as shocked as the extremists at the nature of thti Vn ~ inier's proposals. Personally, Mr Iftylor believed next session would set a new Ministry in power, possi- . a cowlition. Failing that, he tlwught It highly probably thwe would be a gvneral election.

Only amateurs are eligible for competition in the various events at the Swimming Carnival on Thursday, and all prizes are trophies to the value of amounts stated in advertised programme. Messrs Angus Cameron and W. Scott, of New Plymouth!, will compete in the big cycling sports at Christchurch on Anniversary Day (l)ecenil>er 1(>), ami will also rkie at Feildirig on llcxing Day. The Eltham Argus learns that the newly-erected Coronation Hotel has I>een sold to Jlr J as. Sullivan, now in possession of the Eltlvain Branch Hotel, which will be conducted by Mr J. Suarle. ,

A Press telegram from Christchurch says that the Canterbury centre of the Swimming Association decided last night to apply for toundrod yards "-anil quarter-mile New Zealand championships; to be held ut Lyltellon on New Year's Day. Couldn't a championship event be secured for New Plymouth ?

The exhibition of choice prize pot plants from the green houses of the Mors head Nursery Co. attracted a lot of interest yesterday. The plants will be on view at the C. and F.C., Devon Strbet; all day to-day, and also this evening. We would advise all interested to call and Inspect foi themselves./";