The Daily News THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8043, 2 February 1906, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An nlliccr of the Railway Department is In visit llawera shortly to prepare plans for improvements at the Hawcra railway yards,

Fruit buyers should note Mr Newton King's sale at the Mart at 2.30 lhi> afternoon, when some 300 boxes ol choice fruit will be disposed of, inehul cd amongst them beiug a few bucket? of line raspberries.

Some of the Bibles doing duty in our Courts of Justice bear evidence of years of service. The book in use at the Onehuuga Courthouse bears on the lly-leaf the dale ISSO, and has, therefore, been kissed for the past fifty i years.

The Government has authorised the expenditure of the unexpended balances in the building and maintenance votes to the various Education Boards, amounting to .CIO,OOO, the allocation being on the basis laid down in the report of the Education Committee.

It is the intention of Vice-Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes, Commander-in-Chief of the Australian station, to spend live or six weeks in Jfcw Zealand. He will be accompanied by Lady Fawkes, and will arrive at Wellington in H.M.S. Powerful on February 7th. The Governor will meet him there on the following day. The fact of the favorite garden dower, the foxglove, haviug been declared a noxious weed came in for much adverse comment at a meeting of the Winton Borough Council the other night. One councillor sarcastically remarked that it would not be long before geraniums and other garden favorites Mould be placed in the index cxpurgaloriiis.

The deficit over the llawera Band Contest was £llO. Considering the lirsl-class scale on which the whole of the arrangements were carried out, and the difficulties experienced, the result is by no means unsatisfactory. A lew of :is 3d in the t will be made on the guarantors, and no dilliculty is anticipated in collecting the amount.

An enjoyable and cntcrtaing evening was spent at the Old Men's Home on Wednesday evening, when a parly of local people visited the institution, and gave a concert, which was much enjoyed by the inmates. Mcsdamcs Wiilliss anil Goodman, the Misses Dixon, Miss D. Whilconibe, Messrs J. Goodman, (I. Walliss, G. llclsaac, H. Cooper, and P. De la Have contributed (o the programme, as did two of the inmates.

Xew Zealand users of acetylene gas and carbide of calcium lamps will be interested to learn that on appeal to the House of Lords, in an action impugning the validity of Wilson's master patent for the manufacture of calcium carbide, the patent was declared to be bad As a result of this decision, one would naturally expect the price of carbide to be reduced.

A well-known counsel, examining the plaiutilT in a breach of promise case, impured of her:—"Was the defendant's air when lie proposed to marry yuu perfectly serious or one of levity and jocularity?" The complainant replied : "If you it was all rallied with him running his hands through it." " Ton misapprehend unmeaning," siid the counsel. " Was the promise made in idler sincerity?" "No, sir, if was made in I lie washhouso," replied the plaintiff, amid roars of laughter.

How is this for "time"? Mr A. George, of ilie Brougliani-strcet Cycle Depot, left Crocker's corner, Klliot. street, Xew Plymouth, at 1.51 p.m., on Thursday on au Alcyon'J:! horse-power motor bicycle. At 2.13 he had arrived at Mr Harry Dooley's hotel at Waitara, completing the nine and three-.piarter miles in It) minutes. On a road such as this, with hills to negotiate, and sharp turns, practically a mile in two minutes is a record indeed. Mr George, m telling his experience, said it was one not soon forgotten, the sensation being exhilerating m the extreme.

. A remarkable instance of the ingenuity of postal officials was recently found in the delivery of a postcard at Tennika. The card was posted in Christehurch, but the sender forgot to address it, and the only indication it bore as to its intended destination was the introductory '■Dear Myrtle," and the posleript (ladies write postenpts even on postcards), " Please bring back willi you two postcard views of Tennika." The postal officials correctly surmised that (he card was to go to a young lady then presumably staying in Tomukii. The card was' safely delivered about a mile from the Tenmka post office on the day after it was post, od in Christehurch. The Auckland'•'Herald" urges that the recommendation of the Kapanui Inquiry Court, "that u Mimcicnl num. berol' water police should be appointod lor (he port of Auckland," should command the attention and approval of the Police Department. It is staled thai the previously limited number of water police lias gradually been retrenched almost to extinction. The " Herald "says "this stale of affairs | repeatedly gives rise to grave dillicullies, and is responsible for the scandals that frequently disgrace Auckland waters." Wellington has no water police. Many pcotdc in Taranaki, especially directors of Dairy Companies, will have little difficulty iu devilling the identity of the undermentioned State-aided toiirisl. A Southern exchange has the following:-Mr Malcolm Koss eonlirnis reports which have already readied Tiiiiaru about the English tourist who visited Mount Cook as (he guest of the (|o\ eminent, While he was waiting |„r Mr Jloss to come I'rom Wellington this gentleman, according to Mr Ross's account, made himself famous Ihrouglt. out Ihe Mackenzie County. He balanced newspapers on his nose, and ladders on bis chin ;he crawled all over a boulder at I'ukaki.aiid made the ascent of the hall'way house at Cloutanner, to that even the lainous Tartarin of Tarascon might have envied him the reputation he was fast acquiring.

We would like to draw the attention of the ladies of New Plymouth and surrounding districts to the beautiful display of art needlework exhibited bv the Singer Sewing .Machine Co. Nt their shop in Devon .street. The most striking among iheir exhibits are bcauliI'ul liimerick lace, Apli.pie work, study of pictures, as well as drawn thread work. It is surprising how simple this «orl; is done on Hie Singer machines Tlic Company have now a ladv expert, Miss linn-is, giving free lessons to all who have Singer machines. .No ladv ought to miss the opportunity of getling free inslruclums in this class 0 f work. Mr F. McCarthy. Inspector for tin- Cow. is visiting ihe district in charge of ihe exhibit,,-ind has a large si a IT of men with him who will he ploasc.Uo show prospective buyers how easily the machines are manipulated. Mr.l.Wiiugh is well known as the local agent, ami during his lengthy connection with the linn, has never yet failed to make suitable terms to please his prospective customers. The Singer holds !I5 per cent, of the world's sewing machine trade. A record such as Ibis is based on pure merit alone. An open invitation is given to Indies of Taranaki who sew, to inspect the exhibit, and participate in Ihe classes. Du no other machine can this I ucautiful work ho douc.*** '

The combined annual picnic of the Ellham High School, and the various smaller public schools in that district is to be held shortly, and it is probable that tho Breakwater will again be the favored spot. It is estimated that at least 200 of the visitors to New Plymouth on Thursday climbed to the lop of Paritutu. Large numbers also found their way to the Recreation Grounds, with which they were charmed.

The programme of the Taranaki •Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting is advertised in this issue. Owners and trainers should note that entries close with the Secretary, at New Plymouth, on Monday, 20th February next, Mr 11. N. Liardel, formerly Mayor of Stratford, was elected to a vacant scat on the Stratford Borough Council on Wednesday. Considerable interest was taken in the election, live prominent residents offering their services to the ratepayers.

Fur the year ending 31st December, '.1)05, 118,752 boxes of butter and 31)83 cases of cheese were exported from Patea, showing a decrease of 4473 boxes and 10,110 cases respectively, accounted for by the returns for IUOt having been unusually large on account of the Moturoa Freezing Works having been burned down, which necessitated for a time the shipment of all dairy produce through Patea.

Two Covent Garden porters" were discussing the other day the successful tour of the Sow Zealand Rugby team, says "The Globe." One of them, anxious to know where New Zealand was, turned to his friend and said '• " Bill, where is this 'ere New Zealand where those blokes come from?" " Why," said his friend, " you ought to know where it is. It's the other side of Australia. What d'ycr waul to know for?" "Nothiu' much," returned the man, " only I was thinkiu' 'ow cold it must be down there. Why, that's the place where we gets all the frozen sheep from."

" Truth," referring to the dangerous practice of allowing pedestrians to ramble across the race track, after a race has actually started, ii habit which appeared to be prevalent at Trent-ham, says: If the Club doesn't put a stop to this sort of thing, one of these line days some wild punter will be seized with an irresistible desire to cross the course when the horses are coining down the straight, and if he is like most punters—a very bad judge of pace—there will be trouble. There will be such a mix up of fallen horse, battered jockey, and much mingled punter that it will take the morgue people .some days to get the parts sorted out for an inquest.

The cruel pi-ai'tice ivAoploil by sonic amateur horse, doctors of drenching horses through the nostrils, was discussed at tins meeting of tlic Society for (he Prevention .of Cruelly to Animals at "Wellington. The inspector stated that during the past few weeks four valuable animals had died from the effects of this method. One died within three hours from exhaustion, and three died fpjin pneumonia and suffocation. The society's veterinary surgeons and others strongly condemn drenching through the nostrils as being positively cruel and unnecessary, except as a hist resort to save life, and then only by an'export. It is the int.'iition of the society to lay a charge of cruelty against the first offender comiug under its notice. For the "shady nook," or a i|uilc read during the evening, much pleasure is provided by well-sclccted books, of the deeply interesting kind. When once you pick up stories such as the following, you absolutely cannot put them down until finished : " Beverley, of Granstark," by McOutcheon, " The hilar of Light," by Louis Tracy; "The Princess Passes," a delightful novel by C, N. and A. M. Williamson; lor '• 1.X.U.1," by Peter Ilosscgor. These are but a few of Mr T. K.Hjdder's selections; bookseller, of Devon street. These books mala; pleasing gifts ni auy time,—Advl.

There is a " house of call" in Kgnmnt street, quite of the Continental plan. At the Arcadia Cigar Store, a mail can enjoy his cigarette or pipe in a cosy sitting-room, write a letter or two, play his game of chess or draughts, and then continue his business. Here, the momijjg paper, the "Daily News," and the Wellington "Times" can be purchased with the early morning smoke, E. Van Dehlen, the proprietor, has a smoke to suit anybody. Call in. —Advt.