NEWS OF THE DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 67, 23 March 1904, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Education Board meets this morning. The Xmv l.oait h»VO Mercantile Hill has passed the House of Lords. The Hotorua Carnival resulted in considerable linancial loss, especially as regards the band contest. Melbourne advices stale that the mail despatched via Naples on Eeb. 17 arrived in London oil the morning of the 20th inst. I The prospectus of live millions' j worth of 2 I J per cent. Irish land stock, with a minimum of 87, has been issued in Loudon.

James Hopkins, 89 years old. was sentenced to death at Catftlebai', County Mayo, for the murder of his ton. The prisoner died the day following the sentence irom heart failure. The Education Hoard will be interviewed to-day by a deputation from the exhibition committee asking tor the use of the Central School and StMichael's Square for exhibition purposes. Ragwort is spreading rapidly throughout the Poverty Hay district. The Poverty Bay Herald says that farmers are showing a remarrcablc apathy in regard to the destruction of the weed. The Wellington Post, in noting the Mayor's successful canvass for guarantees. says, "The people of New Plymouth are very much in earnest about their Christmas Carnival." May they continue so. An extremely neat little note book full of interesting information is to hand from Mr 1). McKinnon Bain, manager of the Colonial Piano Importing Company, who are agents for Messrs Hoose.v and Co., the famous musical instrument makers.

How surroundings alTect one's nerves and speech ! in ihe Town llnll last night Mr Carier. forgetting for the nonce that Mr (loodacrc was in Ihe chair, commenced a remark with the words "Your Worshi|i." A Uuigli and an apology (juickly followed.

The hope of finding- a coal mine in the I'icton district has not been abandoned. Although the old company has ceased operations, the work of prospecting has not been given up, and a project for prospecting on two reserves near I'icton is in hand.

Including New Zealand, the Australasian indebtedness is £-108,078,000, or _CH7 per inhabitant. There is against, this, without reference to the value of the public estate, including railways, the private wealth represents L2lo per inhabitant. Of the caplal introduced into Australasia, j;,2,;}Si),UUU was brought prior to IS7I, and 4;:wr>,122,i)U0 in the past third of a century.

This afternoon Mr Newton King will hold a clearing sale of furniture on account of \\> F. J), lloldsworth, who has leased his residence. The furniture is really good, and comprises some very handsome articles, amongst which may be mentioned a massive rosewood extension table, upright grand piano, sideboard, etc., etc. There is also a numerous lot of tools, including -a set of carving tools and bench. The sale will commence at 2 o'clock.

There are two ways of doing a tiring, u right and a ivrmiK, Recently Hi" borough workmen tarred the footpath nl liio fool of Carrington Komi between Courteitay and Vivian Slivts. Thy top dressing was of crusher screenings. As this was apparently too valuable to be left lying on this asphalted surface it was .swept, up the other day, find left in heaps along the side oi' the metalled road, and is now being spread by the wheel tralltc passing over it.

A popular delusion regarding the Aneroid barometer has been dispelled by .Mi' L'lemenl 'Wragge in the course of a lecture on weather foreciisling. lie said they would oflen have noticed that when the hand was at "set fair" they would have rain, ami sometimes when it indicated lain they would have lino weather. This Wits due to the fact, that in reading the barometer latitude and natural features had to be taken into consideration. The words "very dry, se{ fair, line, change, rain, stormy" meant absolutely nothing, and should not be on the instrument, lie had mentioned the matter to a manufacturer at Home, but the reply whs that the public thought, the words looked well, ami they were accordingly put on to please them. The correct instrument to use was (he tube with the column of inercury.

A plucky net, and one deserving of further not ire, was performed veslerday afternoon at the breakwater. A boy named .Jury was playing on the old cat lie wharf, and by some means fell into the water. Mr Fred I loidswort h. jun., who was attending to the oil launch Oeo. saw Unhid in the water, and called oul to some passers-by to go to his assistance. The persons addressed apparently lost 1 heir heads, as instead of going directly into | hi- water lo help lhe boy. who was unable to swim, they commenced a search for a rope. Mr I loidswort ii. who is not in robust health, and is partially crippled in one arm and leg. now percei' ed thai unless aid soon reached Jurv it would go hard with him. and he. without further hesitation, jumped in and held the lad up. supporting hiinseli by on** of the piles. Kveniually the boy was hauled up by means of a rope?, and a boat was lowered and Ihe rescuer taken out of the Wiiter. In the circumstances, Mr 1 loldsworth's prompt action was a highly meritorious one. and the attention of the Royal Humane Sociefy authorises should lie drawn to ii.

The local branch of the Fanners' I'nion. says the Daily Times. gathered fog-el her in solemn conclave on Saturday. To begin wjih. 1 here were just seven all told. Presently J wo more members strolled in casually, made themselves al home and comfortable, and prepared lo deal with Ihe momentous questions I hat. a waited se! t lenient. I'.y and bye another member sauntered in —rni.M'ng the folal sliv-ngfh of Ihe meeting {<> (en, all< j beyond lhat. it never wenl. One all import mil mailer Ihnl came up for argument was whether n rerlain compeli'lor in Ihe walking match al Ihe picnic. had " u,ir h>»<i" if. This g,-.w , ' l * 4 ' nn animated discussion, two bearded. burly fanners forsaknm l.beir n/.s'liioiird seats demonl»'»w Ihe thing .Should be 'lone. After much argmuenl about ' ll U{,s resolved 1o adhere l«> judge's dictum on the nin( - ler. The debiile |»roved too much lor one flippant member. J jt {[ l( . ! ,ni ' <lst ' n aro.su and airily pro- ! nounccd that. Ik. was "going- out lo buy some Ah.fuhers' mouths watered, and will, an an I Scion I ore si.sack of ihe lips, th.'y eMvorted ihe Jruit lover to linst/fti forth and tarry not, by Ihe way. IJut, alas for human'hopes ! Nothing more was seen of mm ox; etoue fruit.;

At the London wool sales prices are firm, cross-bred sorts displaying a hardening tendency. The President of the Sydney Root Manufacturers' Association admits that much of the leather tanned in i N T ew South Wales is adulterated witii chloride of barium to increase the weight. Tlie hi-anuuul conference of dele- | gales of the Amalgamated Society of New /ealau.il Railway Servants begun in Wellington yesU-rduv . and Will probably occupy the best part ut a fortnight. A tender has been accepted for the erection 01 a new theatre at Gisborne, to l>e built on the site of the old premises known as Macfarlane's Hall. The cost of the theatre will he a little short oi £-1000. A r> battleship presentation meeting" was held at Tiniaru last night, to oigani.se eollccLion in the town. Much enthusiasm was shown and a number of ladies volunteered as collectors. Circulars are being sent all over the colony inviting other centres to co-openite in the movement.

John O'Connell pleaded guilty at Christchurch yesterday to making i'aise statements regarding his marriage with the mother of his illegitimate child, when registering the birth of the child. Ue was remanded to the Supreme Court for sentence. Says a contemporary The New Plymouth people are in deadly earnest about their Christmas Carnival. Mayor Cock scampered round the other morning ami got. guarantee signatures l'oi> £775. This boss rooster reckons that if he takes a ■day oil' some time he will have no dinieult.y in aggregating £7700. i A correspondent, writing in the New Zealand Times, thinks it would be well if the clergy would give the tui*l" and (lie tottiiisator n rest, and turn thHr eloquence to denouncing gambling on the Ktock Exchange lie ventures to say that such a disgraceful scene as that witnessed, the other day on tile Xew York Slock Exchange has never occurred on a racecourse.

Mrs. Xeligan. wife of the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, has inaugurated the "Guild of Courtesy" at the Chapel Street School, an organisation aiming ui teaching school children courtesy, generosity, gentleness, and similar virtues. The boys undertake lo refrain from swearing, smoking, disrespect and ?ILs >b«»«iufi.*e. and the girls to be obedient and respectful, ari'd to encourage others to bo so also. The Guild is an entirely- voluntary affair.

The management committee of the Taranaki "Rifles bazaar has now Uxed upon the prizes to be given in the various events. These will be silver medals for all competitions. In the physical drill events, for which entries are free, as in all competitions, the tirst four practices in tlie Drill Hook, 1002, will be taken to decide the order of merit of competing teams. A hornpipe dancing competition has been added to the programme. Books for the art union will be issued in a dav or l wo.

When Sir Hugh Nelson returned to U'neensland from lvis visit to New Zealand tie told an interviewer thai in New Zealand he met a number of persons from other parts of the Empire on holiday like himself, and was extremely pained to discover their ideas of Australia. "1 hail to confess, for the lirst time, in my life," said Sir liug'h Nelson, "that 1 was aslvamvd of my country. The ridicule with which they contemplated our White Australia cry, particularly with reference to the postal contract, although 1 naturally expected it. is stronger than 1 conl'd have believed. and this feeling is doing Australia immense harm."

A singular proceeding is reported the Auckland Star in connection with the opening of a new Maori meetingMiou.se at Whatawhata, which serves to show that the natives have little sympathy with polygamy. Amongst those present at the gathering there Was' a native who possessed two wives, whose ulYccliou Or their sovereign lord was the cause of endless strife and trouble between them. A meeting of natives was held, ami divorce proceedings taken in u. somewhat summary manner. Both women were carried away by their tribes, and the. unfortunate husband, whose chief offence appears to have been HiaL lie was a fascinating young lel low, was condemned lo pursue the divary path of bachelordom for the l'emahider of his days, with Ihe stern admonition that should he take unto himself another bride, she will be ruthlessly torn )rom his bosom 'in the same unfeeling manner.

A ChrisU'lmrch ladv, iroin Sydney, where she (ii'iived in ' company will] a friend durini? (.lie [in,k'i'e.s» cii (lie last tost, liiauii plnyeil Ibere, Male.s thai, the JioieJ.s were .simply packed wiih people in town I'ur fin- critkirl. Kvoi-ybutly \ vu s iTickel mad, and t;( rant;\T.s sliouleil oul the kcoiv each ether on 11,e lilts, in the passayx; ways, and in the slreeit'. On reaching Clio leading hostelry, where .she intemieil to |nit. "I>, the lift buy ran up tu the writer as Silt) was entering, and with excited air said, "\oue (or (i, ma'am " -Not knowniiiK quite what, the bnv meant, and thinking this might. be liis mode of implying that the hotel was full, the lady was about to turn away when the boy asked if she wuk going to stay, and mutual explanations followed. Speaking oj the match itself, the writer says : "We went out t.o the match. Jt is a lovely ground, but. the cricket was poor. There was a disgraceful display by the outside public, and Noble sat. down on the ground till all was quiet."

itegarding the ant icipaUd arrival shortly of the Antarctic relief expedition (I'ri I mrks the Christ church Truth) it, is of inLerest lo note the experience with regard to (he formation of the ice met with by the Discovery and lhe Morning. It was on Feb. 8, J',102, that the Discovery took up her winter quarters in Mcmurdo Bay. Then the edge of the ice was live miles inland. When the Morning sighted (he Discoverv on Jan. 2:;, there was ten miles of ice between the Discovery's anchorage and the edge of the pack, that'is. the edge of the ice was fifteen miles from its position when live Discovery took up her winter quarters in I'JO2. By Feb. 2ti, .1110:1, live miles of t lie ice that separated the two ships had broken away. After this no change was effected on the state of the ice by the heaviest gales. On March 2 the ice had begun to puck up, and the Morning leit for Lyttclton, arriving at that port on the 2.">lh of the same mont hj, thi.* voyage having occupied twentythree days. 'Jin- relief expedition, consisting of the Terranova and the Morning, is to remain in Antarctica until (he Discovery is able lo exliicate herself from the ice. In. -tho event 01 her 'not being able to do so, her o(beers and crew are to be transferred to the relief ships, which will then sail for L,\ Helton* and no! run any risk* of being imprisoned in the pack ice. Assuming thai this year similar conditions have oblaiu<•<l in Anlairiica as those of last year, the expedit ion should al prehe on il.s return vnvuuv I o Lvltelton. '

Import,ant to young ladies and d. Jf. Parker's slock of -?rigageuienl rings, wedding limis, watclien. chains and all kinds "of •ewellery js Ihe finest on ihe West •Joast oi N ( .\v Zval-and, and pi ices U) per cenl.. luwor than in [lie larger contr.-s. Carefully note (he address -J. I'. Parker, jeweller, etc., next railway crowing, Devon-street t.'enf.i*ol, fs'ew Plymouth.*