NEWS OF THE DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 100, 2 May 1904, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Influenza is rifo in Wellington. To-day is the anniversary of Mr Seddon's appoint uient as Premier in 1903. Mr X. Miller, .L.11.5., has taken tile commodious chambers over Mr Sykes's shop, aid will practice his profession of dentist there. Sir Joseph Ward wired to Mr E. M. Smith M.U.li., on Saturday that he had decided not to close the season for native <>» imported game.

A private cable message receivved from London states that judgment has been reserved in the Newtown Hotel cases on this appeal to the l'rivy Council.

The Defence authorities have decided, in connection with the annual training camps of volunteers, that in future tile training of mounted lilies and infantry is to lie carried out, when practicable, by battalion camps instead of company camps. Owing to the discontinuance of the daiiy service between New Plymouth and Onelumga for the winter months, it will be seen by advertisement. tlmt the s.s. linrawa commences her winter time-table from the breakwater (viz., Mondays and Thursdays) to-day, Monday, May 2.

Mr F'.llis, of Motupiko (Nelson) has just imported from lOnglund a steam motor waggon. The waggon, which is perhaps one of the first Introduced to the colony, is (says the .Nelson Mail) IKft long, and is worth something like £7OO. It possesses a wut-er-tiil.e boiler, and has a compound engine which is fuelled by coke. The naggon will carry about live tons, mid (ravel along the load at the rate oi ftoin live to seven miles an hour.

A Stroll \iolin, the lirst of its iiind imported to .Vciv Zealand, says the X.Z. Times, is oil view at Messrs liegg and t'o.'s premises, Williss tree I. Phis instrument represents a radical change from the present stvle of violin. Ii has no body, the sound being conducted from the bridge and the sound-post to an aluminium diaphragm, whence it is given out through a funnel like that of. the phonograph. Many judges have heard the violin played during the last day or two, and while there are dillerences of opinion as to the quality of tho tone of tho now instrument ftheroia no doubt concerning its power.

In a cart! of thanks in Saturday's paper, Mr H. M. Bauchopc was printed " Mr and Mrs Bauchope '' A correction is inserted to-day.

It is announced in our advertisement columns that the well Known Jubilee Villa and dining-rooms are now under the management of Sirs Weale. the late proprietress, wlvo will make nil visitors welcome, and as comiortable as possible.

An amusing incident occurred recently in Vienna, Austria llungar.v, when a well-knowu lawyer was caught by the ring on Iris linger in a letter-box and held fast. lie had inserted his hand too far into the box in posting a letter, and all his efforts to release the hand proved fruitless. An enormous crowd collected, and in the hour that elapsed before help came the lawyer j was subjected to a storm of banter. Workmen had ultimately to unscrew the letter-box and take it to pieces before the unfortunate lawyer could bo released. " I am commanded to assure jou that no one has greater admiration for Mr Edison and for his genius ami wonderful discoveries than llis Majesty, and it affords him much pleasure to learn that Mr Edison is coming to England, where the King feels sure he will receive the warmest of welcomes." This is the gracious reply that Colonel Gourniid, of Edison House, Brighton, has received from the King throujgih Lord Knollys, with whom he has been in conimunieiition with reference to the visit of the gveat America/a inventor in April or May. The reception committee will be composed of leading British subjects and American citizens.

A most peculiar farce was enacted at a building contract recently not one hundred miles from Petone (says the Petone Chronicle). The bricklayers waited on the " boss," and requested that a certain bricklayer should be discharged. In reply to a query as to the reason for the demaud, the contractor was informed that the particular artist in bricks worked so hard that the labourer favoured Willi his company could not keep him going in bricks uud every night returned home in 6iich a state of perspiration that hi' was afraid serious consequences would ensue. The contractor sacked—not the bricklayer—but the recalcitrant labourer. Two justices refused to convict in a case of alleged drunkenness in Auckland the other day. The arrested man was seen by tho sub-in-spector of police to be drunk outside a hotel, lie ordered the man to '•'move on," and tho accused, who was a prohibited person, went into another hotel further on. The subinspector then brought a constablo aad effected the arrest. The justices held that the Inspector was there to prevent crime, not to entrap publicans or others, and that the proper duty for the inspector was to have prevented' the accused from going inlo the hotel.

The Golden Hay News says It is currently reported that two workmen employed by the Golden ltlocks Company, at West Wangunui, have found what is believed to be the old Friday Creek reef. Some stone has been Inken out, and if the reef should prove to bo the same ono that was found and lost !K) years ago, the liiwl should be valuable. The information that we have been able to gather with, reference to the old find is tliut about thirty years ago two men found a reef in Friday Creek and took out a bag of rich stone, but unfortunately they lost the bag of stone, and were unaWo to again locale the reef. .Some time afterwards the stone was found by another party and was proved to lie very rich indeed. From that time to the present prospectors have been searching for the reef almost continuously, and it Is to be hoped that the find now reported may prove to lie us rich as the stone taken from the old one.

An audacious attempt by young men to pass us women at a lecture announced for "ladies only," is reported by a Tlendigo paper as having been made in a local hall the other day. There were the usual precautions at the doors that only ladies would be admitted, lint tliree young men got past, the doorkeeper, thus risking the chances of arrest, and prosecution for mustjuerading in h-minine attire in a public place. They sat down in the backseats, gnd soon begun by their antics and by-play to attract the attention of the women nearest them. They at last began to attract more attention than was comfortable, especially one of the trio, who wore a young fresh face under an old grey wig. Word went round that there were men in the house, ami there was much whispered conversation and indignant expressions. Then fingers were pointed, and a slight commotion followed. Hastily 'gathering their skirls up, the three smartly tramped out of the hall, leaving the women to wonder who they were, and what put it into their heads to perform such a trick.

The London correspondent of (he New Zealand Herald, writing on March 18 Bays Mr Michael Harrison writes from the Provincial Hotel, Dunedin, to the Belfast News Letter, in by no means enthusiastic terms about New '/inland. He says:

"Everything here is outrageously dear : and I (Juestion very much if people now gain by coining out here except as tourists, and the scenery is very line in parts ; bfut it is a very expensive maUer jj| a.bout (lie colony. I consider Dunedin the finest ci(y, and Auckland the Ivesf climate. Wellington is simply atrocious ; dust, wind and rain are its chief characteristics. New Zealandere like one to crack up their country, and it has been unduly puffed up to further orders. Working men get high wages, but they pay dearly for everything, especially -house rent and clothes, They are much better off at home on half. Tom Mann will bear me out in (his. lie wro(e a splendid article in the Fortnightly on the subject, and strongly condemned the climate. Of course, I know this will be refuted by one of the advocates at Home. The power of the Beddon flovernment is on the wane. It is expected that prohibition will be carried all over the colony. It is gaining every day. The country lias got all sorts of silly laws Tending the people to do this and (hat, and soon there will be very little real liberty of the subject. The peopleare very docile, and stand a lot. Seddon is absolute dictator."

Tlie use of the mackintosh overcoat made waterproof by the use of vulcanite or india-ru<l*bor is now being largely superseded by the rainproof cloth overcoattt. The material is made waterproof by a special chemical process which snakes the chilli rainproof, but not air-tight, thereby allowing the vapour from the body to escape, which the mackintosh did not do. Consider your health, and buy a rainproof cloth overcoat in up-to-date styles, with padded shoulders and velvet colllnrs in the latest dark grey shade at 39s Od to 52s (id, satisfaction guarameed.— Neal, cash clothier.*