NEWS OF THE DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 141, 18 June 1904, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

On Thursday evening Huv. J. 1] White, wus fnrewclled at Okato. To-day is the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in 181:). The Ventura, with the 'Frisco mail, left Sun Francisco lor Auckland on the Kith iast. at M p.m. The foreman at the harbour works at JloUiroa reported yesterday that the new lighthouse tower had been completed, and wan now readv for use.

Tuck are about iil'ty-five thousand newspapers published in the world, and more than half of them are printed in English.

The Town Hand will play in the Recreation Grounds to-morrow afrternoon, if the weather is favourable, commencing at 2.30 o'clock. Westown has started a. JUutnul Jmprovemont Society, whose syllabus will, it is understood, Include'debuting and literary evenings, besides social gatherings with musical programmes.

The Mayor and Air ,1. Masters will represent the Stratford llorough Council on tho committee to confer on matters connected with I lie formation of tho new Stratford horpital district.

Ihe charge of rape preferred against Hut'ton and Avenell, of 11awera, will be re-tried on Monday at tho Supreme Court. Two juries ba'.e failed to agree oil a verdict, and an entirely new jury will be empanelled.

Japanese aro always buried with their heads to the north, and consequently no Japanese will sleep in a bed lying north and south. At the present moment, however, in MancKurlo, thß "little brown men" are earnestly heading north—for Mukden and Harbin !

Messrs E. 0. Allsworth, 11. 11. McDonald, and A. Morton retire tliis yeur from Iho Education Hoard, by ellluxion of time. 11' necessary mi election to fill the vacancies will bo held ou .Inly 25th. Nominations clow on July -ml.

' During the past month the rough weather picvuiling has interfered with the work of removing (files Of the wharves at the harbour. Only one was driven, the foreman reports, ami four new chafing pioees added, .besides renewing bolts- and performing other small repairs.

Attention is drawn to the announcement that the New Plymouth Ministers' Association has arranged that special sermons shall be preached to-morrow dealing with the subject of religious' observance of the Lord's Day. An interchange of pulpits; will take place, particulars .of which will be found elsewhere.

Those of the public who were present at the performance of the

■'Flower tim I'll" some time ago will be pleasnd to hear that another cantata, "The Ci.\slal Slipper," by Joseph Hoickel is being prepared by the same choir of girls. The music is very descriptive and "catch}," and tlie dresses will be very clleetive.

At Ihniudin yes-terday Roland Mi - Nuilage, traveller for D. lieruaiidn and Co., was admitted to prooniion for eighteen months, conditionally on his repaying JU.II JMs lid. which he had appropriated, and Jlo 14k, costs of prosecution, by instalments of ,1s weekly. If the amount was paid within a year the term would then end.

The cost of living in St. Louis, Mr Tj E. Donne says, is very high. A room at a hotel costs 3dol (112s (id) a day, and a meal cannot be obtained for less than a dolltfr a day. The price of labour 'employed in the preparations for the exposition has been unusually high. Pick and shovel men were receiving, when Mi Donne wrote (May K-Sth) no less than one dollar an hour, and carpenters and painters double that sum.

Preparations are now 1.-ciim made for the harbour extension works, A siding has been put into the lower level of the mixing !,•>'.v.-, and the live-ton erune and grab bucket are at work shifting the sand w.iich blocks Ihe approach to Ihe nr.-nig-honse, the sand .)■; ng tipped on to the beach. On wet days le'-.-mly the men have been a( vnrt o\e: balding the machinery and «hafi.iii. Jl the mixin,( houir.nnd clearing the sand from the floors.

Mr Crocker's house in Uevon-slreet narrowly escaped destruction by lire a few evenings ago. Onu of the children had retired, but usteud of sleeping indulged in the dangerous practice of reading in bed. The bedclothes became, ignited from the candle falling over, and soon there was a big blaze. Mr Crocker and a friend just reached the. scene in time, and by carrying the bed bodily out of the room they were enabled to extinguish the flames.

The Government will, it is uiiders'tood, consider at an early date tins 'question whether New Zealand is to bo represented at the South African Exhibition to l»j opened in Capetown in March next. Mr.l. A. Kinsella, who is now in England, expresses the opinion in a letter received in Wellington that it would lie a good thing for the colnny to he so represented, at; it would prove a good means' of introducing Now Zealand products in the African markets. There is, he says, a ureal future in South Africa for .New Zealand poultry, meat and hull-cr, and if an exhibit could he made under the supervision of the trade ivpivsaitat'ive ra that country, it would he of great henelit to'the colony. Moreover, it woidd be n great ailvantage if the grading system adopted' in New Zujiland were explained at the Exhibition.—New Zealand Times.

At the harbour board's meeting yesterday a letter was read from the district engineer for railways, staling that il had been represented to ihe department that since the erection of (he refreshment room near the breakwater, people, principally women and children, loiter about iii front of it, and there is liable to he an accident when trains are shunting. He suggested that the board might find a more suitable eUe, and also lower the old cattle race fence to a height of -Ift (Hit, in order to improve the view. On the recommendation of the works committee, the board decidod to accede to the ree.uest to lower the fence. With regard to the refreshment room, it was decided to have the stall removed, and to compensate Mr Lister for the unexpired term of his lease. At the Carrington Koad Hoard's last mooting, held on th« 14th inst., the following business was transacted :- Mr J. Pepperlll'B o(Tm< lor earthwork and spreading metal was accepted. A deputation of the board will wait on tho mavor oi New Plymouth, relative to sidings promised for footpath. Ratepayers are to be notified to put down culverts and gravel for vehicles crossing footpaths to (heir properties. The cliei mum's action in gelling oni'lli removed from Shortland-strcot cutting to foot of the hill was confirmed. The secretary's salary, owing to increased work, was ruined from Cld to ii\i. It was decided to renew noliry covering board's workmen iroin accident with the New Zealand Accident Company. Mr (foddiml's request for two culverts was parsed suhjocl to the chairman's approval. Air Tribe gave notice that he would move at the board's next meeting "that a permanent surfaceman bo appointed to repair roads and break metal." The chairman gave notice that he would move at the board's next, meeting "iliat a general rate of Jd in the pound be struck and levied for the vear from March rtlsl, J'JOl, t„ March Illst, 1005." Accounts passed 'or payment totalled £ii2 lis lid.

The wharf labourers are having a smile just now at, the t.-xp- n::t- of their employers, who are representatives of Hi,. |>.-(>i>l<> of Taraual.i on tin-New I'l.Miioiilh lliirliour Hoard. The luiiK'li is more nolcvvnrlhv as I lie wciic which prompted it in j| M . ijrsl instance hail for its central and most important figure a member of Ihe bovine species to which the district owes its prosperity, and with which all Tarana.ki people sliould he on friendly if not speaking- terms. On Thursday aflernoon several inemherK of the board, rejoicing in the coml/incd name of the works committee, paid their monthly visit to the harbour works, and sagely inspected the buildings, wharves and working. • lust at the time some cattle were being landed, and the operation seemed to interest the genlleinen present. One of the cows, however, objected to t.lio supervision of so many immaculately attired persons, evidently preferring the wliarl and ship hands, whoso dress was moro in keeping with her recollection of the cow-spanker's dungarees and store shirts. Strangers they were, and dressed in that manner thev must be ."TH-mioH, thought tho beast', and she ipiickly evolved a plan of cam)>aign against (he intruders, suspiciously gazing at them the while. Then suddenly she charged, and the little knot of men scattered as though by the bursting of „ shell, at least so far as rapidity of motion, wan concerned. On,. „f them sought refuge behind (he railing. No time was given for rellertion, so one other member, not so young a s he used to be either, clambered into n railway I ruck, whilst every available nook in the immediate vicinity contained a more or less startled board member or odicial. Fortunately the cow was not vindictive. As there was no match here for her mettle, she rushed ofT to the end of (lie jelly, calmly regarded tho rolling ocean for a few minutes, and then hurriedly returned lo the attack. Soon, however, she was herded with the rest of the shipnunt and driven away, looking the quietest of the. bunch. Sonieonp has said that the general lateness of the momliors at tho monthly meeting on Friday was due to the incident above mentioned. For TlroncMal Couipjhs take Woods' Oreat Peppermint Cure. Is fid.*

The Jianhout board's foreman recommends purchasing duplicates of the overflow pipes; for the dredge. T.hej board acceded, to the rc<|)iest, and the pipes will be ordered from Messrs Sparrow and Sons, Duuedin.

in another column Air Nowton King not ill. h Hie arrival of a shipment of litisic slag. Tivis well-knkwn manure is unsurpassed for grass lands, and in view of the near approach of spring, farmers should procure their supplies- at once.

At the harbour board meeting vesterday, Mr 1). T. Mcintosh, district engineer for the Railway Department, asked permission to obtain a small (luaulity of metal from the board's ipiarry to metal (he piece of road between the cal lie-stop near the breakwater and the board's smithy. The reiHiest was accided 10, on I he recommendation of the works committee.

The hurlunirnmstcr reported yesterday Ibal tivcuty-eight steamers had berthed al the wharf dining Ihe month', the aggregate gross tonnage being iM.llio tllllK . Tlle j mJll>rts ut .,.„ i!.'l()s tons, including 10!', tons of private coal and ISI tons of railway coal. Exports were (iiKi ions, making a total of fiyiiS tons. The dredge worked f,,,- fourlmi days, making U(j trips, removing 0700 cubic yards of sand and silt. Ou.June 13th the dredijo resinned drudging with the suction pump. "I respectfully beg to call the board's attention to the heavy and arduous duties (hat the members of my stall' have hud lo undergo during this long spell of heavy weather in attending the vessels at the wharf.— 1 am, yours respectfully, C. Eruest Hood, hait'fcuinr.aster." The above is the text of a letter considered at the New Plymouth Harbour Hoard's meeting yesterday. The chairman thought their efforts should b).- recognised, as the moil had been on dulv night and day. Ik, moved that t.he'v lie granted £1 each extra wages. Mr McLean seconded, and the motion was unanimously carried.

The Stratford borough by-laws have long Imvii the subject of considerable condemnation amongst the local legislators. Amendments to the original set have been made, but yet tho numerous clauses and sections are in such a slate that warrants Uliu Mayor in stating that a horse and trap could be drivm through them. Even when local bodies have devised, revised, and adopted a >;al i> factory collection of bylaws and regulations, some fractious borough councillor manages 'to upset the lot by moving for exemptions under the saving clause, which gives power to make such exemptions no may from timo to time appear desirable.