LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7806, 26 April 1905, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

For seven scats on the Marshland School Committee, eight ladies were nominated.

The steam plough on the Kakarii plains, West Taratahi, does tht* work of forty horses. The Paradise duck is, the Gazette notiliev:, protected for one year from I the pi went date.

", he T.iranaki Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union n el at llawera on Thursday.

At the Daiincvirke Axemen's sports Gus Lllanc won ithe New Zealand championship, 18-iinch standing log, in lmin 30scc, beating the New lZetland record by Bsec.

The ceremony of swearing in the .Mayor and Councillois will lake place at the Council Chambers on I Wednesday next, May il. 'J his wif. bo followed by the uppointment of committees for the ensuing yem.

'i'he Ty.s-er liner Marere passed several icebergs on the run from Li ndon to Melbourne, one of them being only about three days' steam from Port Phillip Heads. It is doubtful if ice has ever been seen nearer Port Phillip Heads.

Tho annual meeting of ratepayers in the Carrington Koad district will hj» held at the Hoard's ollice on Thursday, May 4. 'Hie election of two members will be held then, nomination's closing with the clerk at, noon to-day.

A delightful treat is in store for theatre-goers to-night, when the MacMahon Dramatic Company and the popular actor, Mr George Uarrell, produce for the first time here ri» Corelli's fascinating work " Tho Sorrows of Satan." Seats maybe booked at D. McKin n on Bain'a. At the oflicers' wess on the concluding day of tho encampment Lieutenant-Colonel Watt took the occasion to sincerely thank Colonel Okey and his staff for their kindness to him and the visiting officers and the very satis/aetory arrangements made. Colonel Okey acknowledged the appreciative remarks. On Fi(iduy Mr Newton King will hold an auction sale of contractors' plant, belonging to Messrs McWilliams and Andrews, who lately completed the waterworks contract. Tho plant includes noarly '20,000 feet of white pina boards and scantling, 10 tons of nearly new steel rails, horso and dray, horso and gig, and other articles. The "gate" money in connection with the Star Football Club's annual sports on Easter Monday amounted to £OS, of which <25 per cent, has been paid over to the Recreation Ground Board for the use of the ground., Spoirtsuien wfll regret to learn that the Club have sustained a loss of about £2O on the fixture, this result being doubtless attributable to the wet weather experienced on the holiday considerably affecting the attendance.

The latest craze to make its appoarancc in Auckland, writes "Mercutio," in the N.Z. Herald, is the game of pit. It is hilarious and exciting. You play it with special cards representing wheat, corn, barley, etc., and the idea is to obtain by trading nine cards of any one kind. If you do this you have a corner. When the game is on you can easily imagine yourself in the American Corn Exchange, usually styled the " wheat pit." "Pit" 1 fancy is going to be the rage this winter.

The Rev. J. Hooßcr, Vicar of Christ Chinch, Bcekenluim, prepared a painful little .surprise for some of his choir hoys one evening. Whenthey had finished practice he uskuf them into the vestry and invited them to kneel. Then he thrashed them soundly. This little castigat;on the vicar thought necessary to check some superabundant spirits which the boys had lately shown. They hud barricuded tho door* oi the church institute while a meeting was in progress, and then bombarded the building with stones. They had also imprisoned . for several hours one of the ladies who hud sisted at the Bund of Hope. In their annual report to the householders, the Stratford School Committee refer with justifiable pride to tho efficiency of the District High School as evidenced by the following results :—At the 'annual public examinations one pupil, 'who had attended the .school three years, passed with credit the University Junior Scholarship Examination. One pass-

Ed the Medical Preliminary, live passed Matriculation und Solicitors' General Knowledge, three passed Junior Civil Service with credit, taking high positions' on the credit| list ; two were first and second in the Hoard's Senior Scholarships, and two secured Junior Scholarships.

Great interest is being taken in the organ recitals to be given on the magnificent instrument Jn St. Mary's Church, by Mr J, Maughan Harnett, of Wellington, one of the leading organists in New Zealand. The first will taKu place at 2.15 this afternoon, and promises to he largely attended. It has been timed specially to suit country people, who will be enabled to catch the 4.15 train. The second recital will be given to-morrow evening, at 7.'10. The performances will be a musical treat, and townspeople and visitors should not miss the opportunity of attending at least one of the recitals. Collections will be taken up in aid of the organ fund,

On asking a well-known dairyman the other day how he was able to maintain his large herd in good milking condition, he informed us that it was by the aid of a large paddock of maize. With the addition of second-class potatoes and mangolds, he waft able to almost doty it hi; weather, although aidmittiiig it the same time that he would be much pleased to sec a downpour. lie emphasised the importance of a mangold crop to meet olthor a. dry spell or for the purpose of the winter feeding of cows, as, given a good start, the mangolds grew well in hot dry weather, while under the same conditions turnips succumbed to tho fly.—Northern Advocate.

The Christchurch touri-t office is keeping a record in connection with the arrival of passengers by the ferry steamer from Wellington and the departure of (.he Northern express train. On Tuesday of that week any passengers from the North who desired to catch the .train passed it by thirty-five minutes, On Wednesday they~'missod it by seventy minutes. Last week's record shows that on Tuesday they missed it by twenty minutes, on Wednesday by seven-ty-five minutes, on Thursday by thirty minutes ; and on Friday and Saturday by seventeen minutes. In the previous week they missed it by one hundred and thirty minutes, on Wednesday by one hundred minutes, on Thursday by thirfcj-five minutes, on Friday bjf-seventy minutes, and on Saturday by .forty-live minutes! It is suggested tjjat thp' tjmc-table might be better arranged.

At tho last meeting of the Strnt'ord County Councij the question of whether •tenders should be opened by (he'ehairmon before the meeting or in the pre.sencu of the Coune.il was brought up by a councillor who objected to tenders being opened prior to the meeting. The upshot of the matter was that the chairman at the conclusion of the ordinary business moved thi; Council into comm/tiee, and announced liis intention of resigning on the ground that he took the morning's discussion as a nojconfidence demonstration against liimiself. On resuming it was resolved that the proceeding obtaiiV'ng in the |)ast with regard to opening tenders lie followed in the future. The ehnir. man was thereupon requested to withdraw his resignation, hut ho said he would take Vine, to consider the matter, and stated that it was the olvnoxioui; way in which the. objection had been made jhaj. had wounded* his feelings.

Amended regulations under the Manual and Technical Instruction Act are gazetted. They provide, among other things, that payments on account of hand work are, as a rule, to be made at the end of the year ; but if, in the opinion of the Minister, tiho nature of the work' required it, proportionate payments on account may be made during the year. For the purpose of capitation), a pufplie school class for instruction in elementary handwark shall bp deemed to have received regular instruction throughout the year if the Instruc- [ (Jon has been given for forty weeks. With regard to aw miming and lj.fcsavingj, it is provided that to earn the grant not Jess than twenty lessons of not less than half an hour each must be given to the class during the year. Further, it is provided that the Minister may make grants for the purchase of furniture, fittings, and apparatus of a permanent character—i.e., not reittfuiring to be replaced from year to year—for the jisp of special, associated, or college classes. Kq grants will be made to icpnir or u place apparatus brpkeiv.

The designation of the post office Rt "Paikakariki" has been altered to "Paekakariki." At Oakura on Thtirsday Messrs Bewley and Griffiths will hold a clearing sale at Mr 0. \V, Richaridson's farm, commencing at 12.80. The list of stock, etc., to be offered appoars in an advertisement elsewhere, and as this is the first cattle sale held by the firm there is every likelihood of a good attendance. Luncheon will be provided.

At the Kukarumtu dairy factory for the month of March 72 suppliers contributed 1,:t14,185)b of milk, containing u<t,4Brilt) butler-fat, from which 59,9841 h commucial butter was made, showing un over-run of 10.05, the average test being i.\A, und taking y'l.yotb milk to make lib Imttoj Grass was very scarce dining the iiionth,- resulting in a decline of 25 per cent, in milk-supply as compared with the previous month.

_ 'i'he Anu-ricin Treasury has just "had an unexpected piece of luck. .Secretary Shaw, on March 11, received 12,6(10 dollars in currency, accompanied by the following letter, which is Pell'-explunatory :—l.'eir Sir, —1 am sending herewith 12,000 dollars, which is to go to the use oi the United States Government. Years ago I defrauded the Government of money, but 1 have returned it al! und am now paying fourfold, in accordance willi the teaching of the Scriptures. The way of the transgressor is hard, und no one but God knows how 1 have suffered the consequences. 1 would seek to make a bountiful return. May God pardon, while the United States i» benefitted. A Sinner."

In 1857 certain confiscated lands were awarded to . various tribes, amongst others being the Ngatimutonga tribe, who were allotted 3000 acres. Subsequently they had individually to appear before the Commissioners to substantiate their claims. Many failed to appear, and to 1884 the West Coast Commission reported to Parliament that it wus impossible to ascertain the names of, the natives in whose favour the promises were made. Last session the Government, while disclaiming any legal liability from the failure of the aibsentee members of the tribe to pai> ticipa'to in the grant, as an act of grace decided to recommend the Governor to appoint a Royal Commission to investigate these claims. Mr James Mackay, ol racroa, has now been appointed to conduct tho inquiry. Mr Mackay will open his sittings at New Plymouth on May 11. It is understood that Mr W. C. Kensington, Under-Secretary for Lands, will watch the interests of the Crown.

Among the curious things that turn up; unexpectedly was a formal copy of an old conveyance from the native owners to.Europeun purchasers of 5250 acres of Kawhia land. It was found umong some old papers in the New Zealand Herald office. The sellers arc Te lteura, of Kawhia, and Manuka, of Wuipa, " chief oC New Zcalund," and the purchasers are John Vittoria Cowell, of Kuwhia, and Edward See, of Sydney, merchant. The lands transferred nre Maro Terajwai, '• containing 150 acres, or thereabouts," Oharic, 100 acres, and Tc Uua-I'atu, 5000 acres. The date is February 8, 1840, The transfer is " in consideration of one cask of tolracco, 30 axes, 30 spades, 27 pots, 10 muskets, 6 casks powder, 20 cartridge boxes, lewt lead, 30 rugs, 7 pairs blankets, 10 pieces print, 1 double-barrelled gun, 6 boxes percussion caps, 3 (Cross pipes, (i pistols, (i pairs trousers, 0 jackets, 20 tinder boxes, 6 bars soap, and 8 quires paper." This doesn't seem much nowadays for eight slqunre miles of country, but old identities that have seen the transfer all comment " and a very good price too at the time."—New ZealundHcruld.

The many friends of Mrs Mary Hanson (relict of the lale Captain Hanson, who was lost with all hands on the ship Assaye at the Snares some twelve years ago) will learn with regret of her death, which occurred soinewh.it unexpectedly at 5 o'clock on Tufrsday at her residence, adjoining Paynter's Lane, Fitzroy. The deceased lady, who was 65 years of ago,' arrived in New Zealand about three years ago from Scotland, and until Saturday last had lwen |residing at Pa tea and Ellham, whero slie was widely known and, respectled. Mrs Hanson look up Her residence .on Saturday upon property she had acquired at Fitzroy. Though (not actually I«i failing heai'th she had been subject to fatty degeneration of the heart, and the fatiguing drive from Ellham appeared to bring on heart complications. Drs. Leatham and Fookes were called in attendance, but despite their efforts failure of the heart's action supervened, the deceased passing away quietly at the time stated, Mrs Man* son was, we understand, a first cousin to the Duko of Buecleuch. She leaves three sons and thpee married daughters, all of whom, with qnc exception, are living in the Taranaki district. One aon is Trooper Han, son, a member of the New Zealand detachment which visited London,and another, Mn K. P. Hanson, Is a' member of tho Legislative Council of St. Lucia, West Indies. The' funeral will leave Fitzroy at 4 o'clock this afternoon.

Before next session something should bo done, says Advance in the New Zealand Times, by athletic clubs in this colony—especially in tho Taranaki district, to suppress the .betting evil which is killing the sport quickly. The matter is one that might engage the attention of the executive of the Tnranaki Athletic Iveagucs during winter months. A deputation could be formed to wait on the members of the TaranaKi district to brjng in a, bill to deal with th» suppression p'f bet/ting at sports meetings before the next' session of Parliament. Siifflar action is being tak§n in New South Wales. In tfy> last issue pf the Sydney ffervreo to hand Prodigal writes :— ••* A deputation of nearly tho wholo of the amateur sporting clubs and sports-pro-moting bodies In New South Wales has been organised to wait on the Chief Secretary and urge tl!o advisability of introducing a Hill on tho lines of the Act now in force in Victoria dealing with betting at sports meetings. The main provisions of the Viptorian Apt are that at any meeting held in acpordanco with the Act anyone betting aftpr being warned to tfewst „ m y be penifivcri frgm the grpund, ant} may lip finpd £2O, j'f the offender re-enters the ground and continue* to hot ho Ik liable to a "no of £;so or threo months' imprisonment, or both, Mr Wise, when At-torney-General, stated that he would introduce a' bill which had already •een favourajily reported upon by the Inspccto,r-Gpneral oi Police, and which had been modelled on the lines of the Victorian Act, but that measure, owing to the defeat of the government, was not introduced."

Havp you Ko j, „ t,h fi r Q ,|gK chill, Ooose all over, really ill • ' wheezing, sneezing, s hr.jll and high, I'iiny tongue and watery eye; Oblivious to |> world's affairs, A 1 us sorrows, pleasures, cares, l,seless suffering, why enduro <! late Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. X

Do y ou drca( j w . asll j ng day ? Thea ouy a tin of Washine and cheer up. oee a list of storekeepers who stock

It is -Rorth remembering that for excellence of style and quality combined with large range of 'variety c ' ,t ' a ! >n i >ss °f engagement ,-jngs •»nd all kinds of jewellery, you must go to J, jr. packer, Jowcllor, next fai way crossing, Devon Street Central, New Plymouth.

For Children's Hacking Cough at »WH, Hoods' Great. Peppermint kure, 1s (id. *

Tf you do your qwn washing, then here is good neu- 8 for vou. Try „ tin of Washine. It will help y uu and please you. See list of storekeepers who stock it,»

For TJronehlnl Coughs take Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. Is 6d.