The Daily News. THURSDAY, JUNE 28.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8143, 28 June 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JUNE 28.

The Melbourne-Naples despatch of tho 23rd May arrived in London on the morning of tho 25th inst. A fair haul oE whitebait was secured in the Wanganui river on Saturday. This is taken as an indication of an early spring. A valuable discoyery of platinum is said to have been made in the Fitzhorbert district, states the " Manawatu Standard," Platinum is worth £5 10s per ounce.

A couple -of Wellington gentlemen visited the Moturoa bore a few days ago, and as the result of what they saw, booked 3000 shares each in the Taranaki Petroleum Company.

It is said that there arc over 200 unoccupied houses in Palmerston North at present, though rents are still yery high. It is not so long ago since houses were at a premium in Palmorston.

The Premier of Victoria has given permission to a Japanese gentleman to experiment on an allotment adjoining the Murray in rice-growing. The gentleman in question thinks he can raiso a ton per acre. At Mr Gibbon's farewell at New Plymouth on Tuesday night he was reported to have warned the influential men in New Plymouth to take a live interest in municipal affairs. Mr Gibbons dosires us to say that he said "public" affairs. The Education Board, after consideration of a complaint from the Inglcwood School Committee, will inform them that the Board recognises that a uniform set of books should be prescribed for the whole of the colony, and that the matter has already been brought under the notice of the Minister,

The turbine steamer Maheno, 5300 tons, is the next steamer on tho V aucouver line, leaving Sydney on the 9tli July. Passengers may sail from Auckland oil' the 11th July and connect Intending South Sea Island passengers will be pleased to know that the new steamers Navua and Atua take the July and August runs from Auckland. All their cabins are on deck,

Messrs Ernest Carthew and L. Earp intend making a circuit of the slopes of Mount Egmont during the coming month. A week will tie spent at tho North Egmont Mountain House, and then, in company with Mr P. G. Morris, the caretaker, tho party will travel around the mountain in search of subjects for the camera and experience in wiutor mountaineering.

The Taranaki Poultry Society will have a big attraction at their Show at the Drill Hall on Friday and Saturday, in the shape of a menagerie, consisting of a number of rare animals and birds, lent for tho occasion by settlers round the district, who have collections. Amongst the collection will be kangaroos, laughing jackasses, opossums, etc. Parents should not nuss this opportunity of giving the children a treat.

llowland Chubb, a New Zealander, who has returned from 'EVisco by the Boooina, states that the American authorities aimed at minimising the magnitude of tho disaster. H c believes (hat 10,000 people were killed, and says he knows one instance where the (Ire advanced so rapidly on a temporary hospital that the 400 wounded therein could not be moved in time, and so wore mercifully chloroformed and left to burn.

"An Old New Zealandcr" writes to tlio effect tliat during a visit to ftokitika in 1895, lie made inquiries as to the real feeling of tlie people of Westland towards Mr Seddon as a man, and in course of tliem asked an inttuential business man Lis opinion of the forceful Premier. "Well," said the Hokitika resident, "you know his history iu Kumara as a big storekeeper. When the crowd left there he lost badly, and called his creditors together, but between the issue of the circular and our meeting £2OOO had been bequeathed to his wife, which neither his creditors nor he could touch. Well, wo met. Mr and Mrs Seddon both attended the meeting, and laid the whole amount down on the table! You ask my opinion of him. Can you beat the giving of that money in your wide knowledge of men and women ?"

The designer of London " Punch's" old established cover, with his dro" use of the human figure, probably never dreamed that his drawing would be used as evidenco in a law suit. Mr Donnelly was arguing for the comparative harmlcssness, of some indecent post cards recently, before Mr H. W. Bishop, and said that they were net very bad as compared with other things that were received readily. " I have here," he said, " a paper which I believe your Worship, and the Inspector, and the constables, and Mr Small, often see and never object to, On the bottom part of the cover design there arc figures that are every bit as bad as these post cards. Look at Punch himself. He is riding a donkey ind is wearing absolutely no clothes; his arms are about the neck of a female, who is, to say the least, badly dressed," and so on. His Worship interrupted his description by saying, " All right, Mr Donnelly, I know that cover very well." The Court him,'lied lieai'l : ly until the orderly checked the hilarity. —.Christcliurch " Press."

Country school committees are to bo commended for the energetic manner in which they work to raise funds for the maintenance of their grounds, establishment of prize funds, etc. In (lie rural districts it is useless to " take round the hat." Social entertainments havo to be arranged, concerts, dances, socials. In the majority of cases there is no hall available, and.lhe school building has to be utilised. The audience makes an attempt to enjoy sitting cramped up in seats built on a miniature scale, and squeezed in between the desks. Tlie concert over, a -lance is held on the small amount of level flnnr space at the foot of the slops. Here is where the greatest innnnveniince is felt by tlie atten lance. People in the country love a dance, but >nt on the very small amount of floor spico obtainable in the schools, and 111 is means tint the committee; who organise entertainments lose nnnv a "trny half-crown. The Education Ruii'd has for years past steadfastly refused to allow the " stepped" floors or platforms to be made moveable, but yesterday an application of this kind from the Kaiauai (Lepper read) school was favourably received, and on the strong representations of Messrs Trimble, Adlam, and Morton, permission was given to the committee to alter the floor, provided the holding of dances in the school will not interfere with the work of the school next day.

Palestine, Jerusalem, and the Nations, will form the subject of the second lecture 011 '• The Millennium," to-night (Thursday) ill the Chamber of Commerce by Mr McClurn. From (iod's word it will lie shown that Jersualeni is to be the Metropolis of the earth, to which centre the nations will come yearly to worship. God will facilitate this, by making a great waterway from the Mediterranean right up to Jerusalem. A. short gospel message each night, Come and hear what is in store for (he Jew, and the nations.—Advt'

Seated one day at the organ, I was weary and ill at ease; But my sadness fled when a soft voice said, "Here's your 0. T. PUNCH, pelase," For Bronchial Coughs and Cold<. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is 6J find 8s Pd per bottle,

The euchre party and dance in St Joseph's Schoolroom to-night promises to be oven more enjoyable than usual.' Extra choice dance music is promised Mr T. -R, Holder notifies some yery special lines of stationery, now selling at reduced cost at his establishment on the corner of Devon and Currie streets. On Saturday next, Messrs Gillies and N alder, the well-known Hawera auctioneering firm, will hold a horse

fair at their Hawera yards. Sixty horses are already entered for sale, i'liis is the season when people needing working horses usually purchase, and I no doubt they will be suited at this fair

An ascidcnt to the outward Opunake mail coach happened on Wednesday morning. When opposite Messrs Morahead and Co.'s tne axlo snapped, kut no damage resulted, The mails and passengers were transferred to a brake that was hired from Mr West, the total delay being only 14 hours. The following notice is exhibited at the door of a Wellington tobacconist: —" Do it now! Shop at once ! The Magistrate haa decided that this shop must close at 8 o'clock, while any Chmamen, grocer, ' pub,' or any shop may keep open for sale of cigars, tobacco, eto. My customers are kindly requested to bay before 8 o'olook."