LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8088, 19 April 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr McKinnon Bain announces thai his danco orchestra, with the sanu personnel as last year, will be open foi engagements this winter. The orclies | tra lias earned quite a provincial reputation by the excellence of its music.

A farm of 100 acres, two miles from Winchester, South Canterbury, was put up at auction the other day. The bidding was started at £24 10s, and at £3O 5s per acre the property was passed in.

Forty-live persons were charged at Adelaide recently with being found oil* a place for the purpose of betting in October last. The doorkeeper was (iued £ll, and a number of others £3 las to t'l.

" Deficient ventilation of shops and houses and schools is a more potent cause of the spread of consumption than all the other causes put together," said Dr Greenwood speaking at Avonside last week.

A traction engine and plant, belonging to Mr Johnston, of Waitara, met with a slight mishap yesterday afternoon, at the lower end of Dawson street, New Plymouth, a plug in the boiler blowing out, causing a delay overnight pending repairs.

ft is authoritatively stated that an attempt will be made at next meeting of the >'otv Plymouth Borough Council to upset the retrenchment and stalling scheme adopted at the last meeting, and that notice of motion has already been given with that object.

A meeting of ladies is called for this evening in the Whiteley Hall, to consider the question of forming a ladies' class in connection with the New Plymouth United Gymnastic Society. The lirst practice of the men's class will be held at the same place.

His Worship the Mayor has given notice to move at next meeting of the Mew Plymouth Borough Council that Mr A. H. Kendall be appointed general Borough Inspector and Sanitary Engi"necr at a salary of £2OO per annum, in accordance with the resolution passed at tho last meeting of the Council.

The AVaitai'a Town Clerk had a communication before the la°t meeting of the Lind Board, asking that the unsold sections in Waitari township be re-ofEered for sale, and suggesting that the upset prices of those in block 8(5 be reduced. The Board decided that sections valued at £l2 10s be reduced to £lO.

Mr John Murdoch, who died near Edinburgh, left £(10,000 to be devoted to the relief of indigent bachelors and widowers who had shown practical sympathy in the pursuit of seienw. The next of kin challenged the validity of the will in Edinburgh, on the ground that it was vague and uncertain. The Court has declared the bequest void.

The cull ewes from the Teviot station have been sold this season at 17s :)d, which is believed to Vie the highest price yet yet reached for culls. Mr Donald Macfarlane (late manager of the Hakataramea Station) informs the North Otago Times that the Toviot wool topped the market at Home last year, and the clip this year is of very satisfactory quality.

During the hearing of a case, in which three young women were charged with vagrancy, at the Police Court on Saturday it was stated that an informal police census was recently taken of the women of the unfortunate class who frequented the streets of Auckland. As a result of the census it was fouud that the total number of these women was sixty-seven.

" i intend to put a stop to obscene language, even a I have to send some of the guilty persons to gaol, ft is no use telling me a person is respectable when language iike this is used. Persons are only respectable when they live up to their respectability. Tins kind of thing is far too frequent."--Magisterial address to a solicitor at Christchurch, who pleaded m extenuation of bad language that his client was respectable

There is just now on view in the window of Mr Rowc's well-known seed store, in Brougliam-slreet, a mammoth vegetable marrow. The marrow was grown in Mr W. O'Brien's kitchen garden, and is nicely shaped, and turns the scale at aOlbs. Some huge melons, half-a-dozen in all, are also on view. The heaviest of these weighs 21bs Hozs. and the lightest -lbs. The seed from which these regetables were grown was obtained at Mr Howe's establishment.

| Arrangements (says a Sydney table) have been made tor l)r MaeKeliar to continue as local director'of tlie Equitable Lite Assurance Association of llic United Slates, and Mr Taylor, (be present general manager, will remain for tbe purpose of establishing permauenf agencies in Australia ami New Zealand, so as to secure tbe punctual fulfilment of tbe Society's obligations, though for the present no new business will be accepted. Steps are beiug (alien to secure the interests of the company's numerous Australian members.

A collection of repairs as yet uucalled l'or at Mr J. H. Parker's jewellery establishment suggests the expediency of a call from those of his customers who have work lying there, Mr Parker's business changes hands shortly, and these repairs should be called For at once. The jewellery sale has been an unqualified success. There are bargains yet. Every line is reduced by 5s in tbe £ discount for cash for a 'tew wpeks longer,—Apvi,

It is estimated that the Star sports on Easter Monday resulted iu a loss of I about £5.

A uotice is inserted elsewhere to the 'effect that several of the drapers' and mercers' business premises will close I as usual this afternoon.

l'ho following important item of news was telegraphed from Dunediu last night' The funds of the Dunedin Hospital were benefited to the extent of ,tG 13s 7d, as the result of a collec.

tion made when the Wellington Central Mission Band played in the grounds on Tuesday.

A whole list of seasonable goods is contained in Messrs Ambury Brothers' new advertisement on the first page of this issao. The firm has landed several very large shipments of autumn and winter goods, which includes all garments and all materials for men and women, boys and girls. On Wednesday afternoon, as Mrs W. Avery was crossing the street near Mr Hasell's, an express knocked her down and also one of the ohildren accompanying her. The child was taken to Mr W. Eraser's pharmacy, where it was found that the accident had resulted in a miraoulously lucky fashion, only a few severe bruisos and a friglu having to be attended to.

Messrs Arrowsmith and Faull, who recently purchased a corner section of laud at Oruru, Douglas road, with the reported intention of erecting a boarding house, have decided not to proceed with the work at present. A settler named Walters has decided to build an accommodation house on a section immediately opposite that secured by tlic gcntlmcn montioncd.

The work of grassing the new sports J ground at Western Park will probably be put in hand shortly. The top dressing is practically completed. About six inches of loam has been spread, and Mr Brown intends to ask the Taranaki Jockey Club for the use of its big roller to roll the ground. This should bo completed in a fortnight if weather conditions arc favourable,

During the past year, about fifty Taranaki farmers took up land in the Waikato district, and generally appear to bo well satisfied with their investments, the land being obtainable at comparatively low rates. Among the best known land ageuts are Messrs. Frost and Rowe, of Morrinsville, who have a good list of properties in all parts of the Auckland province, and about the Waikato in particular. A few properties aro advertised on the front page of this issue.

Mr B. G. ICnowles' entertainment dreiv a big house at the Theatre Royal last night. The performance was one that showed the artist to bo a star humorist, whilst his versatility was proved by his very sympathetic rendition of a recitation dealing with the death of a negro child. The jokes were not all fresh, but were freshly dressed, and all those who attended got their money's worth of laughter. The humorous songs were good, and the animated pictures were decidedly novel, whilst Mrs Knowles' items on the banjo were gems in their way. The deviation of tho railway from the town centre will mean that the Borough Council will probably take into consideration the matter of tilling the big hollow in the Carriugton road at the railway bridge. There Is! certainly the greatest necessity for the earring out of this work. At present the " dip " means a very heavy pull, and one of the steepest in tho whole district, and it has always been a great obstacle in the way of securing a bus service to the otherwise popular suburb of Vogfcltown.

Fifteen to twenty miles an liour oil a motor-car is exhilirating if travelling along an open country road. In a busy thoroughfare like Devon-street, Now Plymouth, at about half-past four in the afternoon, it is inadvisable, even dangerous. Yet a motorist flashed through the town 011 Wednesday afternoon at about this speed, despite the fact that horses were standing about, and that a little lad was leading a somewhat restive creature along tho same street. Then, turning into Currie street, the driver—who was. accompanied by somo ladies—cut inside Mr Bullot's express, which had already got half way round, and was fairly close into tho footpath. Tho express driver gave the motor the right-of-way, although the latter was on his wrong side, and the motor just whizzed round the corner, almost bumping into the telegraph post. At the next corner, at Messrs Arch. Clark and Co's., the motor bumped tho kerbing, and shot into the middlo of the road. After " doing the block," the car buzzed down Devon-street, and nearly flattened out some people at the Currie street coruer, •