LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8142, 26 June 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

According to up-country newspapers, a buyer of sheep at Johnsonville at 17s 6d a head, who was driving his mob through tho Wairarapa, allowed thom to graze for a while in the bed of tho Tauherenikau. Fifty succumbed to the effects of what they had eaten, A correspondent of the Kawhia " Settler" learns that the bulk of the native land in and around Oparau has fallen into tho hands of good settlers with capital to put it in order, also that 30,000 acres of the Matakowhai block is to be opened at onco for lease. A Taranaki gentleman who returned yesterday from Wellington, states that there is a fairly large section of the people in that city who would prefer to see the Premiership of the colony retained by Mr Hall-Jones,

Many thousands of people visited the ! grave of the late Mr Seddon on Sunday. The grave was covered by a marquee, in which was arranged thousands of beautiful wreaths A guard from the Permanent Artillery being in charge,

The railway traffic from Wellington was very heavy during Friday, batur. day and Monday. The carriages of tho mail train to New Plymouth on Monday evening were crowded with people, who had attended tho obsequies of the late Premier.

The gross capital valuo of the New Plymouth Borough is now £1,197,592, The previous valuation was £991,368. The increase is therefore £206,224, made up as follows: —Unimproved value £110,521; improvements, £95703. The valuation of the borough is nearly equal to that of Palmerston North.

A medical man .essayed at an inquest at Chrislchurch to do souio weightguessing (says the " Lyfctelton Times "), but to prove liis reliability the Coroner observed, "What weight' do yon think I am, then?' "Ob, you are about thirteen stone," was the answer, "I weigh sixteen stone seven," said the Coroner,

Colonel Lovedav, of Wellington, the officer in charge of the cadet movement in the colony, is expected to arriye in New Plymouth by this evening's mail train, and will meet the officers of the [Taramiki Cadet battalion to confer with them re their resignations, which followed on the strictures passed by the Education Board concerning certain alleged happenings at the cadet camp.

Some fancy prices are being paid for land in Tnrannki this ivinter. Recently a farm of 130 odd acres changed hands at Kaupokonui, on the Waimate Plains, at £2B per acre. The purchase was a cash one and the land had no other improvements on it than a ring fence. It is safe to assume that by tho time the purchaser has put on sufficient improvements to enable him to "squat" on the farm tho land will stand him in at about £33 per acre.

Mrs Seddon is reported to bo bearing up splendidly in the face of her great bereavement. On Saturday last Mrs E. M. Smith and Mr S. Hill, of New Plymouth, called on Mrs Seddon, who expressed her intention of still taking a keen interest in politics, and hopes to see many of the late Premier's schemes (which were in embryo when Mr Seddon was stricken down) carried into effect. Mrs Seddon will probably visit Wcstland during next week.

Out on tho deep the storm blew wild, But the man at the wheel stood firm. Ho swallowed some 0. T. PUNCH and smiled, For tho cold couldn't make lum sipirm,

Tlie exact cost of tlie construction of the battleship Dreadnought was £1,797,497.

Tlie Sydney-Vancouver despatch of the 15th Mny, arrived in London on the night of the 21st inst. The next outward English mail via San Francisco will close at New Plymouth on the 7th July instead of the sth July. Mr Edwin Marshall, of New Plymouth, better known as " Ned " Marshall, died at the New Plymouth hospital on Sunday.

A prisoner, sentenced to seven years' penal servitude, in Sydney, for breaking and entering, was said to be insane from a medical point of view, but criminally, quite elear. " The man who spends all his money in the public-house ought to be able to pay his hospital aeoount." Mr C. O'Sullivan at the Hospital Board meeting on Monday. There his been no patient in the New Plymouth consumptive annexe for a couple of weeks. " Getting too cold for them," suggested Mr O'Sullivan at yesterday's Hospital Board meeting.

Tho sentence of death passed on Wilmm Knowles, alias W. A. E. Froeman, for the murder of his wife, at Palmorston North, has been commuted to imprisonment for life. Tho unpopular "influenza" epidemic has made its appearance in the Old People's Home at Now Plymouth, and the old folk resent tho intrusion. Under the care of Mr and Mrs Farrar, the ravages of the " grippe " are being ameliorated as far as possible

Messrs Reynolds and Co., the up-to-date cycle agents for whom Mr F, 0. Tribe is New Plymouth manager, aro now drawing their stock-taking sale to a close. Cycles and cycle accessories are greatly reduced in price, and the opportunity is being seized by all cyclists who like to get a pound's worth for considerably less than twenty shillings. Mr Justice Cooper has ordered a mandamus to issue calling on the Waikouaiti Licensing Committee to hear and determine Mr Outred's application for an accommodation license, which the Committee had refused. His Honor's decision was, in effect, that the reduction vote doos not apply to

accommodation licenses. Dr Leatham has been authorised to purchase in England on behalf of the New Plymouth Hospital, some wheeled chairs for moving piticnts from the wards to the verandah and so forth. These include two self-propelling caneback chairs, a child's spinal carriage, with rubber tyres, and a similar carriage for adult use; an adjustable couch on castors, with wire mattrass filled and cushions complete, back and legs to be adjustable to any limit or angle; and an invalid table to be fixed over the beds. Dr Leatham intends seeing the best makers, and has been asked by the Board not to " outrun the constable."

Three years ago, an Australian farmer, ruined by drought, arrived in the Eltham district. With an available capital of £SO, he secured a lease ot 125 acres of fair land, the owner of which supplied him with 40 cows and backed him in the purchase of horse, trap, etc. At the end of the first year the tenant had furnished a home, provided a good outfit for his family, and had paid off £IOO for his stock. Last year he paid his rent out of his pig monev.

Mr Seddon once took luncheon at the works of the Colonial Ammunition Company, at Victoria, which started in New Zealand, and extended its operations to Australia. He afterwards inspected the works. As he watched the girls dropping bullets upon the cordite in the cartridge shells, a thought came to his mind, and he said: " The irony of fate! I suppose these gi 'ls are all looking for husbands. Yet, here they arc, making cartridges to kill eligible men!" The works-girls ce ised their deft work for a moment to giggle.

The sand drift trouble is becoming more accentuated everyday at Moritai, Wellington, and moro than one pro-perty-owner is concerned at the very rapid manner in which the enemy is approaching his boundary. Some sections on the western side of the road have already been covered to a depth of several feet by the sand, and the only relics of what were once pleasant and well-kept gardens are a few inches of fencing-post sticking out of the s *nd. Further along the road towards the extreme end of Muritai, the drift ha 3 almost covered the road, so that for some considerable time tho coach has been unablo to run there, and at the present time it would be a pretty hard task to get even a child's go-cart past the obstruction.

The receipt of letters such as the following always marks a " red letter " day at the New Plymouth hospital, and " maketh the hearts glad " of the nurses and staff. The letter speaks for itself: "We shall never forget the kindness and attention given to him by your doctors and the nursing staff. Kindly convey to Dr Walker, the matron and nurses, our appreciation of their services to him. They did everything that was possiblo, and Taranaki should be justly proud to have an institution where the sick and Buffering aro so much cared for. With many wishes for the prosperity [of your hospital." The letter made a favourable improssion at yesterday's Hospital Board meeting, and will be acknowledged, If the usefulness of the Legislative Council is to be maintained, says the " Eltham Argus," it should bo strengthened by the inclusion of some gentlemen who have good public service to their credit, and we think that those who have served a few years in the House of Eepresentatives have a prior claim. We now repeat a suggestion we made some 12 months ago, and that is that Mr J, G, Wilson, President of tho New Zealand Farmers' Union, should be offered a seat in the Council. He was, when in the House of Representatives, an exceedingly fair man, and not blinded by party influence. His appointment would give great satisfaction to thousands of farmers in New Zealand, who would feel that in Mr Wilson thoy had a representative who especially understood their interests, and would voice them in the Council. There may be no precedent for calling political oppononts to the Council, certainly Conservative administration never did it, but the present nmy bo a good time for creating new and generous precedents.

A petition is in circulation tor signatures of Stratford, Toko, Strathmore, and Whangamomona residents, praying the Minister of Itailways to place a responsible person in charge of the goods Bhed at the Douglas Road flag station. The petitioners state that daring the last few months a great amount of inconvenience has been caused to settlers and business people by the pilfering ot goods consigned to the Douglas road station, and the district being a rising one, the petitioners fee) that the time has arrived when, in the interest of the Department and of the general public, a porson should be appointed to take charge ot consignments to and from the station. They also ask, says the " Stratford Post," that facilities be afforded at the station for trucking and untrucking sheep and cattle, there being at present no arrangements whatever for this, The matter is one of very considerablo importance to the district, and the growing traffic demands consideration.

Mr W. J. McCluro will give the firs of several lectures on "The Millent nium," in the Chamber of Commerce- | to-night. In it ho will deal with Palestine, Jerusalem, and the Jews. It will be shown from God's word that great physical changes will occur amongst those, a great waterway right up to Jerusalem from the Mediterranean. In view of this and other things, we see how much meaning there is in Psalm 87, 2 and 3. Ail are invited—Advt,

Tho big sale continues at Morey and S.m's. You are advised to shop early to- lay. Hundreds of satisfied shoppers in tho first two days of tho sale are coming ajain for more bargains,

At Gisborne, on Tuesday, a youth of 13 was convicted of eigarette-smoking. The Bench, m discharging accused with a caution, commended the action of tho police in attempting to put down juvenile smoking. It is estimated that the total catch of mutton-birds for tho season by the natives (says a southern exchange) is 120,000, which, at fourpence apiece, represents L2OOO. The birds were noyer known to be in better condition, due to the superabundance of tho small fish which constitute their food.

About two or three years ago the late Premier visited Wanganui, and amongst other functions unveiled a marbel bust of the late Mr S, H. Drew, a well known and much respeoted resident. In the museum where the bust is placed is a penny-in-the slot weighing machine, which als n forfeits the future. Mr Seddon, stepping on the machine, reoeived a oard containing on one side his weight (22 stone) and on tho other the words "You will meet your fate in a boat." Turning to Mr Hatrick, who stood near, the Premier jocularly exolaimed, " It won't do for me to patronise your steamers after that, Mr Hatrick!" The fortune telling ticket was no doubt a singular coincidence, but it proved a correct prophecy.