LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 307, 31 December 1904, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is reported from Zurich (Switzerland) that the Nihilists are preparing an unprecedently active campaign. Mr Newton King notifies in another column that his usual weekly I Waiwia'vaiho tattle sale will he held on Friday next, the Oth iiwt., ow~ ' ing to the New Year holidays. At the Wnnganui carnival sports yesteivhy afternoon beautiful wer, ther prevailtd, and about 2000 people were present. Running- a ral .cycling events were well contested. Mr Beckett proprietor of the 'North Auckland Times, Dargaville, and formerly of the Inglewood Hecord, was in town yesterday, and went north by the Karawa last evening. The Ameer of Afghanistan has executed the murderer of Mr l-'leislv-diere, Miperintemleiil of the Ameer's arms factory, who was murdt-red bj the olUeer of the guard accompanyI ing him on a visit to Jmlia.

Modifications of Hie ltosyih pro" posal ill the llritivh naval programme are due to Admiral .Sir John Fisher's advice' thai all Ihe available money should be used to replace obsolete vessels recently withdrawn from commission. liosyth Incomes a subsidiary base with ■a floating dock sullicing for repairs. A singular occurrence is reported from Uisborne. Some men working in the bush near to one of the local creameries lit a fire the other day to b,oil their billy, and used for the cross-piece, from which to hang the billy, a rusty old musket barrel, which had been lying about in the vicinity for some time. Just as :he water was nicely boiling and the men were about to make the tea, they were startled' by a loud explosion, a cartridge, which hud been lodged in the barrel, having gone oil, sending a shot through tno wall of the creamery. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.

At Mr A. Shore's (Jk-nelg near Yiass, New Sou-tth Wales, aflter the shearing of last year, a flock of 435 ewes was drafted into some of the best river paadocks. This small flock was left alone 011 the good pasturage throughout the year. In the year tho ewes had two lambings, averaging nearly 'JO per cent each, or 180 per cent for the ye a r. All , the lumibs were strong, healthy and l v y°'l grown, and at the present jtimc the ewes are in tip-top condi,tion.. Mr Shaw attributes this re[liiarkablo fecundity to the fact that the ewes were not disturbed fiom their good pasilurage during the year*

Two of the scholars who a funded the Masterto-n District High School during tho present year without being absent, a single half-holiday -did so under exceptional circumstances. During the year their mother died, but this -did not prevent the children 1 attending school as usual. On the morning of the funeral they even went to school without breakfast as there was no one to attend properly to their wants. Tw 0 other children in the school have an unbroken record of eight years, and have made doOO consecutive attendances without missing a single half-day. Ont Ol these children, aged 13, is" in the senior secondary class.

The sugar planters of Queensland aie troubled with a species 0 f beetle that attacks and destroys cane. I„~ e i"i M^ hod 1S en S n ec all kinds of local labour—men, women and chil-nren-to get lanterns and pursue the beetle after dark'. The payment is made at the rate of .so much per quart. A question has cropped up whether if any black labour should even incidentally be engaged it would invalidate the claim lor the white labour bonus The ground advanced is that the destruction of the beetle is an csseuti.il part „! the cultivation of cane, j -the minister lor Customs, Mr JUcLean, has decided-lias, he sa.w, been compelled to decide—that if lU y Wuck labour is utilised for the purpose it will disqualify for the-bonus. An!?, "' Klima ' '« recorded in Austialian papers. Recently „„ M _ }(Mi-old boy named Kobert .SJmte start,,l with an old man, who was >■l years old, to travel with „ from iluttaburra (Queensland) to | lower 11,11. They awoke in camp one moinmg and found their horse lluTt'T' S ° SU "' Ud *""* '""'""I* on the'lrac-k "'i <>W " mn c<,lli 'l ,s «l in lljt tutk ;,, Kl sent j. ol| Hhule off with a „, ld tho j ri !; il . lin]^ niouthiul ol water f o r help. T), e |,„h thiew| oQ his -boots and jdunge'd stolidly into the dO-mile stretch of that lay between him «nd I s mates life. He turned up „ t Jtuttaburra the snl „ e „igj,t, fresh as paint, and reported the alTair. The reliel party found the old man just m tuno -to deprive the Out-Hack 1 rack ot another victim.

A .humourous incident happened duung the progress of a cricket match on the i'ark Oval, Masterton the other afternoon. A well-knnwn resident, whilst walking to the """ kets to take his turn with the bat ■ elvT 1 no(,! ' 11 atU.v picked up by a lieklsman, who et the inffoing batsman a pound t uvt he would lose his wicket withthe lirst ball. Th e bet was engvrlv Miapped up, and the money deposHd. Ihe batsman kept his wicket up rm s a "rf "'i'* 10 a g00 " J """I'wr of c t'h» a f u h ° Was «veiuunllv taiifeht out, the money, which he-had won. was paid over. At the conten!,s"f " V'l !" !,tch ' ,O invited 'both teams to drm-k his health, and quickly cut out ' the pound note. As the last round was being drunk file joke was explained, and on counting up 111,s cash am] seeing how badly he had been taken down, what could he do but continue the conviviality at his own lurther expense.

Ihe price of laud in London has increased by leaps and bounds. In It ho suburbs in recent times land in ji-iU-Johns Avenue, Ilampstead (according fo a writer in the Su.ulay j Miami) ivaiised jtSIHOO an acre the [agricultural value of which would probably not exceed £SO an acre he balance of £1)550 representing the unearned increment. An outlitr'inn" 1,10 St, '" wl l )a ' vs <> nut ot £MOO-a year, while a bootmaker at Uieapside pays £I2OO a year for a ground floor shop and basement alone. Ihe highest price for the freehold of sites are, of course, to be found in the centre of the citv in the immediate neighbourhood of the Bank of England, >i price at tile rate of over £.-{.250,000 an. acre beia.s attainod—that is £75 per «, ua r c loot, or over M)s per square inch ! l'rom this centre the price diminishes in receding tide, rising again in the Strand u> a price of from £l2 to £2O a square foot, or from £SOO--to £870,000 pel- acre. In Itemlslreet a still higher price of £35 per square foot, or more than. £|,- i.'i)(),000 per acre has been reached.

The Rev. F. McDermuU, C.S.S.K., will preach in St. Joseph's Church, Sunday evening.* Mr C. 11, Luke, of Wellington, will preach in Queen-street Church tomorrow morning and evening. The • Woolloxall wiil be at Fitzroy in the evening at 7.* j r l he Churclv of Christ meets at Mr C«. A. (1 reeii's residence, opposite KSarners Store, South Koad, for Hreak'ing of Hread, at 11 a.m. Visiting brethren cordially .'invited.*

The l!ev. .lulin Nixon wishes to announce that there will be no watchnight service al Queen-street Church to-night, -but there wiil be an united service at the Uhiteley Memorial Church, when the ministers of liot'h .Methodist bodies will take part." Whitelcy Church—l'nited watchnight service this (Saturday) evening at 11.to p.m. Sunday, January ,Ist—Preacher, ]!ev. ,J. \\ itnttie. Subjects : Morning, - Progress by Heniemlirayce" ; evening, "Compiering the l'liTiire. ' Jloly Comuiuivion with iovena il Service.* A MOST HONOURABLE DISTINCTION. The Review, a medical l>ti!)tj ca (,j on 0 f the highest S m!, ntllns ' sa ' vs ' ' n a recent issue 1 housands. 0 [ physicians in this h " le !'/ col intries have attested Jhat ottwjjr and Sons' Kucalyjiti Bx.j Uact la on ]y re ]i a bi C) but that,| " has a and indisputable all other preparu-' tions of Eucalyptus."- Your health Is too preci^ us to bo tampered with,' therefore rQ, C ct nil products foisted

It has been suggested that the Carnival Committee offer a special puizc for the most appropriate nturfe lor the Maori boy born at the exhibition village yestciday morning. The " list of awards " published in yeste'e'day's News proves to be incorrect, ami l is not to be regarded by the public as authoritative. Througih the exhibition committee's oflice book being handed to the press 'representatives insteu'd of the judge's | book a regrettable mistake arose. [The correct list of awards will be Ipublisihwl as soon as a verified copy is available.

In connection witli the swimming rates 011 Monday iwxt, the public will be g!a(I (o know that (l race ■huff been arranged solely for the 'purpose of giving K. Cavil! a chance oi properly displaying liis powers, it may be mentioned that while at jWangamii Cavil! offered Ihe sum of £1 to any man who could catch hini in five minutes, lie was tackled by three at once, and thou h- managed to elude tjiem. Competitors ! should obtain their passes to the Igrounds from (lie secretary, Mr P. It. Hoss, at his 'business premises I this evening.

Messrs S. Clark and Co., of New Plymouth, have been most successful at the exhibition, for they secured first awaixl for an inlaid table top and special for the best exhibit of colonial-made furniture, and a diploma For tho best piece of cabinet work in the exhibition, with a duchess pair, The Exhibition is bound to be a success and a big one at that. So is J. H. Parker's display of silvel mounted toilet requisites, purses, and cheap watches for boys and girls from |7s (kl each. Also greenstone goods in great variety.*

Ihe Provident Building Society is issuing a new series of shares, and in accordance with its usual policy, it is inviting applications from tho public. The secretary, Mr 11. A. Lennan, will be pleased co give any information to inquirers, and be happy to supply application forms, which must be filled in and lodged with him by December 10th. Tho society has steadily progressed since its establishment and has always dorn business on safe and cau- . tious lines, The society has funds in hand, and is prepared to lend on approved security at the usual favourable rates.* AFTER TWENTY YEARS. llullen, Cheviot, writes : "The Rheunio has done my wife a great amount of good. She got no ;good from the Uanmer Springs, having suffered from chronic rheumatism for twenty years. 1 was suffering from the kidneys, and took some Hhetimo. It relieved 111 c very quickly. I have recommended it. to several people, all with good results. Sold by allj chemists and j storekeepers, 2s (id and l 4s 6d.— Wholesale Agents, KempUiornc, Prosser, and Co.* 7

Storage In dry brick store, low insurance rate, minim urn firo risk, lowrates for storage.—-The New Zealand Express Company, Ltd. 2