LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7917, 5 September 1905, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Taranaki Comity Council has made good headway by economical and direful administration during the past year. In September of last year ihe overdraft amounled to £7-17."i f's 2d, but at the present time the debit stands ot only £-1517 18s r>d. In view of the .work done during the twelve months, and the fact that there lis a, lalrgj.' ar mount of rates outstanding, the Council's financial progress is very creditable.

The technical dressmaking class held its second meeting in the Education Hoard's office last evening, when, as the attendance was in excess of the accommodation, it was decided to form au afternoon class, and this will allow a few more students to be enrolled for the evening class. The formation of tho afternoon class, which meets at 2.30 every Monday, is an excellent opportunity for residents in the country to obtain skilled instruction in dnssniaking. Those travelling bj train receive concessions on the fares when travelling to attend the classes.

The County Council decided at Monday's meeting to instruct tho foremen not to employ their own male relatives when workmen were required on the county road;_ The decision was arrived at as it was said that in the past this practice hud caused trouble which the Council wished to obviate. Cr. Hill waa against adopting such prohibitive measures in cases whero the relative was equally as good a workman as the outsider, and quoted cases in support of his contention. The Council, however, resolved to be on th.' safe side. The foremen are also to submit requests for extra assistai.ee to the Council.

'ihe monthly meeting of the Whiteley Band of Hope was held in \\-hi tele j Hall last evening. There was a gojd attendance, and the following programme was well received :—Recitations, Eileen McGahey, Miss N. Chatterton, Mr Duncanson, Alison t'.i.dr, Mr Christopher, Clarice Pikett ; reading, Mr TJllmcr ; songs, Alice Tong, Mrs Pikctt ; pianoforte ducts, Gladys Neal and Ida Mills (e .cored), Dorothy and Annie Mac: ; violin solo, Wilfred Blanchett ; picolo solo, Mr Roberts. The Whiteley orchestra, under Mr Turner, rendered s, lections throughout the evening, wnicli were much appreciated. The Taranaki County Council's resolution urging upon thy Government the necessity for opening up I urrington Koad for the ber.ellt oi tie district, has been warmly ' supported by the New Plymouth Borough Council, the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, and branches of the F irmers' Union. At Monday's r.:eeting of the Council it was decidto again write to the Government, pointing out that the i.uest met with wide and representative support, and asking That the sum be placed upon the Estimates I his year for the work. The members of the whole district ar* to be asked to support the request.

Messrs A. Weller and F. C. Griffiths waited on the County Council on Monday on behalf of tho Fitzrov i-irc Brigade to ask that a subsidy i e granted to assist the brigndu in obtaining necessary appliances* Ai ihe present time the brigade requinii ..00 additional feci of hose, as well as other appliances to satisfactorilj deal with tires that may occur in dwellings at a distance from the !:iain road frontages. Councillors agreed that. Fitzroy was a prolilalile .jiu'lion of the Council's district, and thai adequate lire lighting facilities were a necessity. The Chairman (111 H. Okey) while recognising the gooii work done in establishing the brig- , <!•■ without the assistance of the Council, pointed out thut the Council had plenty to do with its funds. lie moved that a grant of £lO be made, pointing out that the brigade could approach the Council again next >car, if necessary. An amendment by Cr. Hill to make the grant £l3 was on a division negatived by a bare majority, and the £lO agreed !o. There is now wandering about Shropshire and Dei.Ugshue, says tin Daily Mail, probably the most interesting old warrior in the world in ihc personage of John Vaughan, who has the uiikjuc honour of having been bugler at the famous battle of Waterloo. Vaugban, who has lived under live sovereigns, was born in the Army with the Royal Warwick Regiment. He saw daylight first at the remote date of March 13, 1801. As a mere 'boy he joined the Army in the reign of King George the Third, serving twuiity-nine years with the li7th Lancers. He Was buglet at the battle of Waterloo, at the age oi fourteen years, three months, and clearly remembers the famous victory. Vaughan served through the Crimean war and the Indian mutiny, where he was badly wounded.

At the last meeting of the Wellington Land Hoard a settler from ;he Mar.gaweka district applied lor an extra section oi land, ins plea being that, despite having expended a (40od deal of money upon his present .selection he couid nol make a liviii,.-. upon it. The Commissioner (Mr J, Strauchon) set his (ace strongly against granting the application as the extended area asked for included certain bush scenery, which, he feared, woulii he defaced iby file if» granted to applicant. Mr A, Keese i thought tlie lioard should assist settlers by considering their requests. "It is an awful thing," he remarked, "to have a man settling down against a beautiful scene, and starving !" The Commissioner spoke of ihe unwisdom, in his opiniun, of the Board giving away scenic reserves, anil then having the Scenery Commissioners coming in, as they were doing, in that very district' (Mangaweka), and buying back sections at £8 and £lO per acre. Further considerations of the application was deferred for ranger's report.

The subject of protection to the coal-mining industry of New Zealand was broached at the luncheon given the other day by the Tynesjdc Proprietary at Urumierton. Mr Joseph Petrie, referring to the slightly decreased output, said that some people attributed this to the opening of the State mine, but lie thought the real reason was the dunping of large quantities of Australian coal on our shores. He did not pose as a Protectionist, but something should tie done to prevent this. During the last len years lirunner tiad been gradually going down, not because I he coal was absent, but simply on ( account of coal being .Wrought backas fiviglu (o the colony at a cheap rale. Surely j ( was tlinic for , hl . ci.iony lo look after its own interests in llus respect. If, for the beneiit o iarmeiH, the country imposed a i-1 duty (l| i dour-flip staff of lifewas i| unreasonable that they should ask for some protection to their coal incliisir,-. This year „ 1C immUUm <J t he article would de lCf>,ooo tons I If this output was taken from tl.o I toast, it would tend to improvement I m the colony generally, and lo Hie I C»ast very materially. It wouW no| | cause any rise in price, for the later the output the lesser the cost of I liroduutiwix J

The Ventura left San Francisco on Sept 1 at 3 p.mi Messrs Bewley and Griffiths report having sold during the last week Mr; W. H. Limbrick's farm at Rahotu tq a local investor lor cash, also having sold Mr W. D. Webster's fine I Hot acre farm at Mangorei to Mr F; U. Hartstone, of Woodville.

The first local political aildress of ihc coming election campaign will be given in (lie Theatre Royal at Bight oc'clock this evening, when Mr G. risen addresses the electors in rc» spouse to arejt ition. The dress circle will be i'i.;erved for ladies and their escorts. Arrangements have ;ecn made for ;. special 'bus service, and there promises to be a large auThe .Superintendent oi Tourist Resorts, while in St. Louis, collected a mass of information Mi book and pamphhH form aljoul all the eouniriis of the earth. The books are .jeing set up as a standing library it the Tourist Department's bureau in Wellington. Many of tlic volumes die extraordinarily comprehensive i" iheir compilation. The library should i;e almost, invaluable, inasmuch as any citizen or visitor wilt lie accorded facilities for gaining information about almost any country in the .vorld—its conditions oi 'ife and government, agricultural and pastoral, .nd scenic re-sources. -"

"Is a schoolmaster justified in | punishing a child who arrives late at ~chool when the parent of the child has taken the responsibility of sending the child late by sending a written apology to the committee?" l'lie Wellington Education Board waxasked to give a ruling on this matter. After some discussion, the following decision was arrived at : 'That in the opinion of this Board a ichild should not be punished for bong late when an excuse has been icnt by the parent or guardian, unless after due inquiry the teacher is satisfied the child is to blame." Mr r. R. Fleming remarked that in many districts, especially dairying districts, parents were too ready to give excuses for their children.

A curious incident of laxity in gaol administration was brought under the notice of the Minister for Justice by, Mr Arnold, who asked:—"Whether it is a fact that a short time ago, at the close of Divine service in the Dunedin Gaol, a prisoner walked out of the chapel, down ' the stairs, hrough the Gaoler's quarters, and •scaped without being seen ; that two ■liiccrs were in charge, one of the •hapcl, the other of the gate ; that .o inquiry had been held, and no action taken by the Inspector up to Lite ? If so, will he take steps to ce that the same rules are made to ipply to all officers ami warders in he prison service '.'" The reply giv•n by the Minister practically acknowledged the laxity. It was as follows :'— "This statement contained in the honourable gentleman's quesion is substantially correct so far ns the escape of the prisoner is con■crncd, but the incident was not allowed to pass without the usual course being followed. The Inspcc;or of Prisons held an enquiry into :he matter, and the officer rcsponitble for leaving the doors unlocked

.'as cautioned and warned not to be uilty of such negligence in future." Considerable feeling exists (says a icent Melbourne Age) among mem•ts of the Melbourne City Council .t the peculiar method by which the iignity of Lord Mayor is being awked round fcr acceptance by those, ouncillors who are considered to be ligible for the position. A certain coterie in the Council has constitutd itsolf a kind of selection commitee, and has gone about in a most ■nbecoming manner asking various lumbers if they would like to serve s Lord Mayor next year. Should ihc reply be in the negative, or in jny way evasive, the next move i.-; :o canvass the Councillor concerned or his vole on behalf of a parlicu- , lar candidate. This is a huckstering I >'.ty of choosing the chief magistrate )f the city. One gentleman who was ikely to have succeeded to the Lord •layoral vacancy in November has vithdrawn from the nomination, disgusted with the tactics that are bcng pursued. Why should not the boosing of the chief citizen be pro-' .-ceded with in a manner worthy of the office V Instead of all this, hut-ion-holing and manoeuvring, let the City Council meet in private, anil y mens of a ballot decide who dial! he the Lord Mayor for the ensuing year. That will prevent any misunderstanding ; and it will avoid in unseemly squabble for a dignity .hat ought to command the highest respect.

The religion of tlie islanders at 'dale, in the Maidive group, is in the main Mohammedanism.. How this be•ame prevalent was explained tlie Jllier day to a correspondent of the Jeylon Observer in the following an.cdote :—During the period that the stand -was idolatrous there appcar■d to them every month an evil spirit who, coming from the. sea, -esiiublid a ship filled with lamps. Vhcn the natives saw this, it was heir custom to adorn a young vir-i ;in and cmduct her to a temple of idols on the shore. She would lie ■eft here until the following morning, when invariably she would be found violated and killed. Every month they cast lots, and lie who lost should give up his daughter. One day a Majhorbin arrived Who knew the great Koran by heart, and iic, iinding an old woman in tears, as it had fallen to her lot to oiler her only daughter, volunteered to take her place. He, whilst in the temple, recited the Koran which drove the evil spirit back to sea, and on the following morning, to everyone's surprise on visiting the temple, he was found still alive and reciting the Koran. The Sultan being astonjslmd to hoar- this, sent for the Majhorbin, who explained it all by faith in the Koran, and pressed ihe Sultan to embrace the faith. This the Sultan said he would do if .ilajhorbin would remain another month, and if he could again repulse ihc evjl spirit. Majhor'uin being again successful, the Sultan and his people embraced the faith, hroke all the i idols, and destroyed the temple.

The bridge erected over the Wsm- ■ ganui Rjver npac Tjumapunui bjw Messrs El|js and Rgbinsoi!, the en-, terprising firm of sawmilicrs, is an imposing structure. It is constructed close to their private railway siding at Manunui, on the Main Trunk Railway. Its length is nearly duo feet, ami its height from low water to under structure of bridge 21 feet, which is well over flood level at that point, where the river is much wider' than' sonic' miles lower dfi'wn, Two oi the spans ale 100 feet long* awl the superstructure is of truss construction, about IK feet high' Owing to the enormous boulders that had to he driven through, special hardwood piles had to be imported and shod with special cast steel shoes weighing nearly a hundred pounds, which proved so. effective that all the piles Were got down without mishap, although a two-ton monkey was used, with a ten-foot drop, and the piles were driven virtually, to a standstill. Over £SOO worth of ironwork has' been used in the bridge; most of the timber used was cut by llichi'in ;u a makeshift mill on the site i the bridge was pivoted by Dane ami Co. from plans designed by Mr John Higgins, a Greymouth engineer I who lias bad largo experience with difficult rivers like the upper Wangamu. The erection of the bridge from start to finish took fifteen weeks which, considering Ihe very hard driving encountered, is a smart bit of work. The bridge has been erected to give access to the firm's laige forests on the Pui.gapunga rivei. these are claimed to be the finest, totara, matai, and While pine ISm i!l_ tlle islil « d . but cany very Ufilß ms, Die last-named timber jeiy seldom grows to any extent wiin or near totara. The firm have the great hulk of the machinery for a large null now on the site, and Have commenced the erection of one of t l)e largest and most modern saw-, ("ills in tliii cotonj't

l'hree milkers are open for engagement, at wages or on shares.

Ten shillings reward is offered for the return of a light grey horse to Jury's stables. Madame Zadoni, physiognomist and character reader, may be consulted at Victoria House, Liardet Street.

The Telegraph Department has been ! advised from Shanghai that the Formosa route to Japan is working slowly. The committee of the Star Foot, ball Club's social desire to tender their thanks to Mrs Dockrill and the other ladies who so kindly assisted. The New Plymouth Harbouif Board invites tenders, closing at noon on Thursday, Sept. 14, for the supply of about 33,(100 feet ot red pine, suitable for wharf decking. The Maori Committee of (lie International Exhibition to be held at Christchureh next year has decided to purchase' the Maori house belonging to Mrs Butterwortb, of Taranaki, which was exhibited and created considerable interest at the New Plymouth exhibition.

Twenty-eight applications for the position of County Clerk occupied the attention or the Taranaki County Council for some hours on Monday afternoon and evening. A number of the applicants were first-class men for the position, and the Council had some difficulty in making a selection. By a system of exhaustive voting the choice finally rested on 1 Mr Robert Ellis, who has held the position of Town Clerk at Inglcwood for the last five and a hall years. Mr Ellis, who is a member of the New Zealand Accountants and Auditors' Association, holds excellent credentials. Mr Ellis will be asked to take up his duties in a fortnight's! time, in order that he may become conversant with his new office before Mr Mills vacates the clerkship on Sept. 30. There was a fair gathering at St. Mary's Hall on Monday evening, on the occasion of a concert in aid, of

the organ fund. An enjoyable musical programme was carried out. Songs were contributed by Mrs Ramsay (Eltham), Miss Tukc, the Rev. A. M. Bradbury and Messrs Ryan, Alcorn and Sumner (comic), and a duet by Mrs Ramsay and Rev. BradWiry. Encores were frequent, the audience being very appreciative. Mr Dearc contributed a pleasing flute solo, and Mrs Ramsay two finely rendered elocutionary items. A feature of the evening was the admirable series of .tableaux, which were staged with good artistic effect. The tableaux, in which members of the choir and friends participated, included, "The Redemption of Tanhauser," "Our Lady Sings" (Magnificat), "The Three Witches in Mci.'eth," and "Scandal." These were arranged by the Misses Devenish, Hamcrton and Godfrey. The concert concluded with the National Anthem.

flavo you got a thorough chill, Goose nil over, really ill • Wheeling, sneezing, shrill and' high. Furry tongue and watery eye ; Oblivious to the world's affairs, All its sorrows, pleasures, cares. Useless suffering, why endure ? Take Woods' Great Feppermtni Cure. r

Everyone Is on the lookout for barCains nnd bargains of tlie best kind in clocks, watches, jewellery, solid silver iiml electrcplntcd roods of hisrb rra'ity, by best mnkers, may be secured „t J. H. Parker's, next railway .Tossing, Tevon Street, New plymouth. Note carefully—Only a few Cnses left of very fine American striking clocks at 12a (Id each.*

HEAiTH HINTS FOR RHEUMATICS.

Diet plays an iinpoitent part i;i I riheumatism, Gout, Sciatica, Lumba--,e, and kindred Complni'.ts. 'Jh>se troubled with these di-'eascs should be c ireful, for some foof!s encourage tho formation of uric acid Avoid red niekits, use spices, ten, nnd colfeu sparingly, and—most important of n!I-tnke RHEUMO. It is the only one medicine- that will quickly a n(:l iffectively cure Rheumatism, Gout, Sciatica, Lumbago, and thcir'httendnnt evils. Tho first dose of RHEUMO gives relief, and its use will qe found o effect a complete cure. Your chemist or storekeeper sells it, 2s 6d is fid a bottle. Give it a trial.

NKW ADVERTISEMENTS. New Plymouth' Harbour Board.Tenders for the supply of about 33, 000 feet of wharf timber close oi Thursday, Sept. 14.

J. H. Mynott.—Three -milkers open for engagement. Star Footbll Club.—Tender thanks to ladies connected with their social.

Madame Zadoni.—May be consulted at Victoria House, Liardet Street. Lost.—Light grey horse. Howard on reluming to Jury's Stables. A death notice is inserted.