LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7719, 23 January 1905, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The London Times is publishing I. Lord llwiconslielil's unfinished novel, {] wherein Mr Gladstone is the lending '. character, . Mr Newton Iving reports the sale I of a house and 20 acres on Warwick s Road, Slrat-.'ord. from Messrs Mc- .' Queen llros., to Mr T. Lawless. '■' Owing to- reii'enrhnn-nl, the result, of slackness in business, numbers of railway employers are being rtisth.irg- ' ed in New Soulli Wales, and others t placed' on short time. * Speaking ut Ohariu Valley, near ! Wellington, on Friday, Mr Scddoa ' said the amount paid for the pur- ' chase of lands by the Government ! for the nine months lo December last year was ,L 1281,171. Commit- I mints for payments prior to March I .'list of this year were £!M7,772. Ii A public meeting at Stratford on ' Friday finally decided lo hold a car- ; nival at Stratford in March next, in j race week. Athletic and aquatic | sports, a military tournament, band ,' ce.nt.esl, and flower show are includ- ; rd in the programme. The tonus- | people have guaranteed £SOO to- ! wards th; cost. I After the hearing oT voluminous evidence extending over several days, | George McConnell was committed for ' trial at Whang-arci on a charge of forging an agreement lo divide a farm alleged to belong to his brother Robert. The case was brought j' by the latter. .McConnell, seiir., is a well-known old settler ut Kaitara. I A fatal snakebite is reported from Powlett, Victoria. Mr Good, a I well known resident, was bitten I through a hole in his boot, Suit did I not notice it until his foot began I 1o swell. While-being driven to San | jßemo for medical assistance he i drank" nearly a quart of whisky, I and gradually relapsed into uncon- i sciousness, dying .21 hours after be-j ing bitten. ' Attention is drawn to the an-' nounccmunt in another column of ' the visit of the Rev. J. A. Crump, I in) connection with the Methodist j foreign missions. Mr Crump is ac- ' companicd by Kiliaoui Towalipur, (native teacher). The meeting to- : morrow 1 evening should be excep- ! lionally interesting, as Mr, Crump has ( a wonderful story of progress and success lo relate. The meeting will be in Whiteley Hall, and commences punctually ut half past seven. John Archibald ami Hamilton Sm- | tiair, the former employed, by the j Farmers' Co-operative Association, j who were before the court in the early part of last, week on.charges jof alleged thefts-of money belonging to the association, were arrested at Pnlmerston on | Saturday morning, further charged with the theft of moneys totalling £2l and- £(ls, respectively. They were remanded until next' week,' bail being allowed. The present alleged thefts represent two months' operations on a cash register. Further charges are pending. The Nelson City Council, by eight votes to four, after ftx very lively meeting, whence the public were turned ! out for applauding, on Fri- . day rejected a proposal of the Mayor 'and finance committee to dispense with the services of the city surveyor, abolish the oflice, and substitute a foreman. Other minor retrenchments, entailing dismissals, were also rejected. The question of abolish- | ing the office of city sur*eyor was left to the incoming council. As the public were leaving the chamber j when ordered by the Mayor, they stamped, hooted, and hissed for ten minutes. The Fire Brigade received a call about midnight last night to the Egmont Brewery, in Queen Street, ' where a small shed at the back of the bottling department, containing | a tjuanlity of tow, was found to be on fire. Niglitwatchinaiv Oliver first observed smoke issuing from thu building, an.il while he gave the a|larm Constable Be Laurie proceeded to the scene, and, .got a small hose to work, but ns he could not get the door open he was uiiuiXe ,to work effectively. The arrival of the brigade shortly afterwards put all further danger out of the question. The interior of the room, apparently used as a store-room, was 'gutted, but the damage, which was not ascertainable this inoi'ning. is not thought to amount to much. At the French pen a l colony, Nou|mea, New (Julcvloniu, the convicts have organised a band. The leader :is a notorious murderer, und was' once in the orchestra of the Paris l I Opera House. The cymbal player .killed a subpoena server, and the drum player murdered his landlord j | with a hammer. The first cornet is guilty of murder,- with roMiery as motive, and one of the clarionets, a tavern-keeper, used to kill his patrons for the same reason. ' The assistaiit-Jbandmnster was con- I victed of having cut his wife to I pieces. The convict daily | concerts to the'inhabitants of Noii.mea, who are enthusiastic over the 'new organisation. I It is stated that it'(is the intention of tlie Government to separate jtno Departments of Lund nnd Sur|vey, and establish two distinct departments'. Opportunity is said to bo provided for the change by the prospective retirement of Mr j. A. ;Marchant, Surveyor-General, who is at present head of the combined Departments and Lands and Survey. |At Auckland, at any rale, the d'eipartcmnt seems to be getting un- | | wieldly. The stair has been growing .of recpnt years, iandj there seenis now ] to bo a great difficulty in finding el- j bow room for them all in the Customs buildings. In past times two I rooms in this building were kept I sacred for visiting Ministers, but j these are now occupied by officials of the department, who have to bundle up their papers, .and look' | lor a quiet corner when Ministers are in the neighbourhood. | A (fuiot, unliable old cow and an excited nervous citizen came sudeknlv | lace u, face on the footpath at the | corner of Cuba 'Mid Lombard streets the other day, says the Maintwatu I Times. Thu 'biped gave ground first, diving with a frenzied yell through the doorway of a fancy goods shop a few yards away. 'For svmie unaccountable reason the unsophisticated , quadruped followed through the portals, and mooed. Mad with terror, | the citizen dashed on past the lady of tho shop, who was at the counter, into a little room at the rear and thence out of a window, which he had tho presence of mind enough A°c. thl ? w ">'• arv 4 ;,lto the street. After that he didn't wait to get his ,second wind. In the meantime the ,c«w had got wedged in behind the counter, and j(. took the drover and Die lady of the shop ,qn,;te half a,n, fT,', I , V° I,X ~w- 0 ,,t to"*»-ard 8 .' | I inally she w«s extricated without ■, damage to the fittlngw and driven quietly away. , | A resident in „ house- on the slopes ,of Mount Victoria, Wellington, had .an unpleasant experience a few night's ,ago. During the night she was awakened by - a slight noise as of , somebody moving about in the , | house, and a few minutes later while | reaching 0„e 0 f | K . (I fol . tIH , llla(ch0J , ' | winch were „». a table close at. hand' •we touphid a man, who was evil Iflpnlly creeping about the room on , ins hands' and knees. Feeling her i •touch the. man sot put; pf the room *s' quickly as possjblp, nijd ilie iacjv • ,P'"c-k ly - *. ■ .assisitance to sumo young me, boa rilcl pi the house. They quie-kly took | »P th(j. clui-se,. and se tt rehe'i the house ' nnd grounds, btit wjtlput sueress I "'hat they did find, |;„„- uv , r lV; 1 illiuli 1 , ~l' ,-i V t n" : 1 '-' 1 ' hati ' JW » ll "<»»"h • ! air a mm?' w »'.*" took a I '' """'it o' ''avi, ar.d lh.it he I'il L m UH \ Ib, «"«"l.v'h purse, .K 1 on the table at the side L,'r''w!fr' a r-!f' > \ deSi I "'or eri ' " C| ''" """» tlll ' 'oMotrt Wf 'am ft,? " balUcllekl of l.jap- ' P ised t U I?" I ' e """ ent H '" s S'Ul--a c 8?,f uu, , b,,Bt ' adi,,,,,d ec.i.v , Kllllu - Ol one companv ,'ode,h»"*" ?** k *' ,(!<l ""' woimd«i. i onl,\ the captam an d Wl) „m c „ r% ,,,,.. ,I'ngable t„ Kol e , WI , £^ 'rd l '"-, l:tt " tal 'l'. tIIOUsJ) wound,l. went ofi by himself. () m . ,„• ~,j "ends, ntarmed at this., went to battlefield seated ,m a large stom , . iHe had dragged to the spo't the Si ,hs ol the men who had once formed ,h'is oon.pany, and had arranged them ■ M the mnks tlu-y had filled when a»ve. Dhen he recognised his friend |he called out to him to shoot him His cowardice; /n 'jeinjr alive If 1 " 11 flJl his iiieij w.ere uvutli. Then .losing his reason altogether, l, u harl .angued hjs (Wad men', calling „p on I'hcm to follow him, m 4 promising | them victory. When tlje-y did not follow he reiu'oached them, but af- | fectionately, addressing them by- their .names. He had at last to bo removwl by force, (and is now in the lunaJtic asylum a i\ Harbin.

Owners uro again reminded that nominations are due to-day for the Egmont H.C. summer meeting. The Egmont County Council notifies- that a small bridge on (lie Main South Road will bo clos'ed to traffic for two days this week. '1 lie usually 'silver" moon \va !< ob- i served last evening to have uSo'imcd 't « liciy robe ns she rose from the , clouds nud smoke which hung thickly \ upon the eastern horizon. ' |i The Kapouga Mail mentions that ' reports were current on Fitoay of n ' good deal of damage !>v bush 11 res [ around Te Kiri. J n one case a,' lamily removed furniture from ai' house ready for flight, hut this was avoided.. A trnp shed, containing I a waggonette tell n prey to the,' flames, however. The nfte:«o u n and evening per- ' formaniys by .Messrs Fitzgerald Uro- \ thers circus on Saturday were both ' well attended, and the programmes i submitted were favourably received. The Jnpanese wrestlers of course took a leading place in the popular ! eye, hut the horses were also good, and several other •'turns" deserve.l, nj:d obtained, more than a passing! glance. Tho combination left for Auckland the same night by steamer.' Th.. overland trip from Milford ut ' i the head of the lake is rapidly be-' coming a favourite holidtiv with ' business people (says the ' Gore Standard). No fewer than 20 persons (three of them ladies) stayed at the huts en route one night, one of the ladies being an elderly periston with a liberal showing of silver I threads in her hair. The ordinary J tourist, over this beautiful section , of scenery promises to be much larger this season than ever. j A pastoralist in the district bejtween Albury ami Wugga, New I South Wnles, adopted a method of obviating risk from bush fires which | might well be emulated. As soon as ,the hot weather set in he had all | his stock mustered and brought into the home paddocks. For some time ;he kept them on short supplies, and when they were getting hungry j turned them into the area surroundjing the homestead. The long grass ,was eaten down for a considerable radius around the house, and when | the lire reached there it was powerless. A further step on the progress of, Fitzroyi was marked on Fridav even j ing when the completion of the newly erected meat bazaar (as butchers' | shops are now politely designated) was celebrnttd by a large num<ber of local friends of the "(proprietor, MiGeorge Francis. ' Those present were much pleased with the building, it being well suited 'in every way for its purpose, and .supplied with oflice, small goods room, and other necessary accommodation. The visi-, tors were liberally .supplied with refreshments, and all heartily joined | in wishing success to Mr and 'Mrs Francis. Tho building was erected by Mr Steele, and the), excellent decoration work was done by Messrs Uellringer. The attention of our readers is specially called to Mr Newton King's advertisement of the! sale of groceries salvaged from Messrs llurgess, Fraser, and Co.'s late lire. Tho goods, which are being] sorted and repacked under the supervision of a grocery expert, are turning out in wonderfully good order and condition. Amongst the varied assort|iuent there is a quantity of Kirkpatrick's raspberry jam, Champion's I vinegar, Maconochie's ttinned fish, ! |Lexin raisins, matches, and wire] nails, which have not been affected jby tits tin! in the slightest degree. ' | These are the principal lines that ' have been handled so far, and it is ] estimated that the greater port ion,of' the balance will turn out in equally good order. ' j The Wellington city engineer has I laid a scheme before the council for j improving the water supply at a cost not yet made public, but which ( is estimated ut from £lftt>,ooo to j £200,000, owing to the enlargement , of the city boundaries and'thc taking in of the population at considerable heights on the hills. He proposed new reservoirs at Wainuio:nata and Karori, to hold one hundred and fifty million gallons, which with the presenti storage will provide u population of 75.000 with 00 gallons per head |ier day, (or 144 days. For the high districts puni]>ing stations are to be provided, and a number of new mains of various sizes are proposed, running out as far as Island Hay. The colonial conception of the i" new chum " is traditionally a person who has to leain much in the art of making; his path of life smooth in 'hisj adopted country,; but ft man who arrived from England a few I weeks ago showed unexpected sagacity in getting a. cheap dinner in the bacikblocks of the North Island. The story of his experience was told in ( tho Labour Bureau the other day, and the narrative runs that the Englishman "chummed up" with an 'Australian at Auckland, and the pair decided to walk towardj Wellington and live as well as possible jon the land, in accordance with the advice of prominent politicians. They managed to eke out an exi'stunce by gifts of food from the wives of bushmen and other settjlers, but at last I the Australian grew tired of begging, and one day, when approaching a homestead, he said : "I'm n ot going to usk for any tucker." |;' What uro you going to do then? " inquired his astonished companion. "Chop wood," replied the colonial, and without consulting anyone in j the house, he picked up an axe which ,lio found on the preniises, and began jbroakllng up the logs. " What did :.Vou do ? " the " new chum " was asked by one of the bureau clerks |-" SaE down," was the answer-. A , woman oamc out of the house, and , "•VMS_ tho work the Australian had :donu, united him into dinner. -What did you do ■> '•' the Englishman was |aga,n asked. "l „ x . nt in „„„ fc jdinner, loo," he replied, with the air l lhl IT"' - W , h ,° ,oves I,is when the ne.ghbour bears the .burden! Jhe death of lames Greenwood, a s «.;»„ wl„ch was reporud to the Hungjarntta (Victoria) ,„,i i(n . recently has brought to light , tale of sullenng during (he great heat f January Bth. Greenwood, who , va s t'tJT'v- ?' •" go •■ " nd had u -f»mi M- •• « Jl l ol> i' a ', in '•■'""Pnn.v with Mary Sutherland, „ woman &'» e^n S ,, If' nnd " Hh thy '»''»«' a.ntdby the man at Wilbev, the S>" « *l''ir king bout, which listed until Sunday. () n j anllnrv 'th Greenwood and the woman arranged to cross the WaHby ranges in sea it* of work. A young man whom they knew as "Sam" „,T '".S in the same direction, and "greed t, ( show them the road .iu oss the ranges. The woman explains lhat "Sam" decided to hurrv on, iMit that she and Greenwood', when four miles on the rood, decided to camp fqr the night. The next morning Grecnwopd complained of illness, and could not walk, and ns the sun rose higher, and the extensive hush fires of Taniinick close by made the heat more dreadful he continually begged for water. The woman searched for n spriirn- or . creek, but she W as almost Incapable of walking, and had a succession of fainting tits. During the afternoon she returned to the camp, where Greenwood passed the day and night. The woman speaks pathetically of the hours siient on the ranges, which were made more weird by the glare of the bush fires only H. lejv miles away.' At « o'clock on th B iiioiMiing of January o'th (iveenwoßd djid, i)"'! SundorlanU toiind her Wjiy t„ Mi- I*l waic) Jones residence, about four miles nw«iv, where she arrh'cd in an exhausted condition. The Town Hand will give the second of their "'•municipal concert*" this evening at "The Pines,"* Shareholders of the Equitable Building Society will note that subscriptions will be payable at the Society's office, C'urrie-street, to-day. Monday, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 12.80 p.m., 1.00 p.m. and 5 p.m., anil 7 P.m. and 9 p.m.* It is worth i-umunibjU-ing that foi excellence of stylo and quality toiii.bined with large range of variety and cheapness of engagement ring't . and all kinds of jewellery you must goto J. If, Parker's, Jeweller, next railway crossing, Ppvpn Street Ceutrnl, Jfeiy l'lymoiith.* ' '.'.