The Daily News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81860, 9 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9.

Sonoma left San Francisco on the sth inst. in connection with Wednesday functions His Exce lency the Governor will arrive at the Recreation Grounds at 2.30 p.m., not 3 p.m., as previously stated.

In response to several enquiries His Worship the Mayor states that there is nothing to pi event a shopkcepei who cioses on Wednesday next from opening his business premises on 'he following Thursday afternoon. The Agricultural Department has arranged to establish a sma'l experimental station at Lichfield, on the Rotorua line, chiefly for the purpose of testing several varieties of saltbush for growing in that district. About two acres are to be laid down in saltbush.

The Whiteley Memorial Church trustees have purchased Mr Bauchope's sections fronting on Liardet street, next the electric light distributing «tation, and will proceed immediately with the erection of a parsonage. The initial payment of the capitation grant on account of school classes for elementary agriculture at Atahoc, Lepperton, Kahotti, and Opunake, amounting to £3O, has been received by the local education authorities.

Sixteen million rabbit skins ! This (-ays a Sydney paper) was the number offered at the London sales last week. Mesrs Wmchcombe, Carson and Co. inform us that for months past they a'one have sold on an average from 20 10 25 tons every week, representing many millions of skin.. •n the aggregate. Surely bunny must be gcuing „ let scarcer in some districts with this drastic onslaught.

In church-going Dunedin, the threepenny bit, aecurchng to a contemporary, has a rival for the place of honor as the irreducible minimum for the collection plate. The newcomer is the nam token issued by the Dunedin City Council. Fourteen of these may be puichascd for a shilling. The token is about the size of a sixpenny piece, and is made of aluminium. The young man in the street jokes about its value and convenience as a church ottering, and doubtless church treasurers are wondering if the joke wilt turn to real earnest.

On Thursday before the Native Appellate Couit, the appeal by Metapeie and Tanhira against a decision o- Judge Edgar in November, 11)02, appointing 'lota:a and Motunui J'ue successors to the interest of To Retui. deceased, in cenain W'aitara lands, was called on. When Mr J. 11. Damon, for the appellants, was opening h.s case, Mr C>audc Weston (Weston and Weston), wiio appeared for tin Kspondenis. objected to the form oi the proceedings. He considered tnat the Order-in-Council.made on the application of the appe'llanis under seclion 3ij of "The Native Land Court Act, IHo4,'' had turned the matter into a direct appeal to the Court froth Judge Edgcr s decision, and consequently a statement of Grounds o App.'al should be filed. Mr Damon agreeing, ihe ease was adjourned until Saturday to enable a statement to b" pupated. The case is attracting some interest among local Maoris.

Mr Bent's gambling suppression B.Ji was circuiuicd la-t week. Jt is a stringent measuie, and contains some novel provisions. Every lottery, by whuievci name 11 may be ca'hii, is declaied 10 be a common nuisance It is provided among other things, ilial tins will not apply to sweepstakes on a racecotii.se, it t,tu total amount subscribed does not exceed £5, if the conmbutions do not exceed 5/ each, and if tlie whole sum contributed goes tJ tlif winner without any deductions. Missing word competitions and all similar competitions wherein money or any valuable consideration is given, are deemed illegal lotteries. ii provides that any member of the police force may at any time without warrant arrest any person found gaming or wagering in any street, road, highway, or public place, and the publication of betting information in the newspapers is declared illegal, as also is the issue of circulars or cards bytipsters, the exhibition of betting placards and notices. Houses in which games of chance are played are declared unlawful. It is also provided that no race meeting is to be held by any club on more than id days in any one year.

There are several parties at present working on three sea beaches near Okarito, in South W'cstland—namelv, Ihe Three-mile, Five-mile, and Sandfly beaches. A rcliab'c correspondent (says the New Zealand Mines Record) s.ates that since last Christmas gold to the value of ,£750 was obtained along these sea beaches for a distance of ib' miles. ] n Mav iast the tide proved so favorable to the beachcomber that every available man at Okarito was engaged in the exciting pursuit of winning- the gold from the sands. The gentler sex was also represented among the workers on ihesc beaches. Recently gold to the value of ,6000 was brought to Hokitika by one person, and another party is credited' with having senj gold <o the value of one-third of that amount. To have eluded the stienuous search of posial authorities for thirlv years is surely an uncommon feat. Such a thing has, however (says a Christchurch paper), actually happened. A letter was despatched nearly thirlv years ago to Captain William Spencc, of the ship Rj,, Logo, ],y his sister, then a young girl living in Dumbarton, Scotland, in March, 1X77, and was addressed to the care of the master of the vessel in which her brother was then serving as an officer, to be called for at the post office at Singapore. It was never delivered to Captain Silence, and a few weeks ago his gister, who now resides at Aberdeen, was sin prised by the re tun of the long-forg,.lten mi-siye. Postage I" tie- amount of 1411 was on the unilaiined letter, that sum being necessary in <li<)-i- days to carry it half way round 1 In; world.

Among the little knot of spectators who witnessed Terry's dcparlmc from the Kaiapoi station after his second recapture, none regieited his plight mo]c sincerely than Mr 11. T. Cross, a war veteran, who recent'} arrived 11.1 ibis cujohy after twelve yeais' experience in South Africa (says the press). .Ml Cross slat's that he knew Terry .in iXo/i, at the time of the Matabcle rebellion, both of them being attached to the JJuluwayo fie'd force. Although Terry was nut in the same uoop, ihey were camped at the same place. )lr Cross t|es c :bt's Terry as one of the hundreds of gentlemen's sons who were at that linje in t,oi|th Allien with "sack-full of references and letters 0! introduction from dukeand earls" to the late Mi Cecil Rhodes. Tctty. who was a private in the force, was legarded a- a "white man" thiough and through. He was noted for his pluck and endurance, and came through a number of engagements in which his courage was tested in the inmost. Mr Cross (who, by the »a\. in the Jaiiii-sn,i Raid, and fought in the lasi campaign against the liners, being- with l'luii.ei's co'unin at the t.-li.f of Marking) diinks that after they drifted apart Terry rose to be either a sergeant or lieutenant. It was easy to account for hi* affliction. '-Anyone who has a touch of malaria or sunstroke out iheie." he continued, "is always liable to be a little 1 tacked on top." Mr J'niK-.; said he intended to g-.i to Wellington ai the time Terry's trial foi tin- murder of a Chinaman, but was unable to gel away. He recognised Terry immediately at the Kaiapoi railway station, and gave him the old South African greeting-, ".Saka bona, mulunga" (i.e.. 'Goodbye, white pnan"), at which Teiry's face lighted up and lie smiled Benially in token of farewell to his old comrade,

"Gentlemen, if you arc prepared to lisn-n." and silence succeeding- .1 babel of tongues, the Mayor proceeded with his remarks at Monday's C< uncil nuetiug. T'.iere were only seven j councillors speaking at (he lime.

At Wanganui Magistrate's (Jour 1 , F.rne>t Taylor was committed for

trial on a charge tf obtaining from R J. Bunby, formerly of llawcia, now of llikurangi, goods and money to the extent of £22 by means of false pretences.

The Moturoa Lodge of Druid 1 - played a return cribbage and euchre tournament with the Egmont OddHlows, Thi latter won by 32 to 27. It was decided to hold a progressive

euchre tournament within the next menth and invite the lady f.icnds of both lodges thereto.

A man named Bay,, who has been wtorking about the township for the past feu- days (w(rkcs our Kalimu correspondent), was arrested on Saturday morning by Constable Kelly and Deicctive Boddam and lodged in the oeal lock-up. He was charged with false pretences by .'-suing a valu.ess cheque at Haweraon the 15th of Aug--111 last. Accused wrfs brought up Uefore Mr Chapman, }-P., and remanded', to appear at Hawera on the rjth inst.

Repartee at the Borough Council Council meeting's glow's interesting at times. On Monday, when the Carnegie Library Committee received fresh site-hunting instruction's, Cr. Monteath suggested that the chairman should wait on the Bank of New Zealand with a view to obtaining iheir corner site. Cr. Bellringer waxed wroth, and asked that Cr. Monteath be called to cjrder. "This cynical" (it sounded very much like "silly fool") "business was admirable in some men, but,'' with a murderous glance towards the offending couneilI lor, "not in others." Order was quickly restored.

Enthusiasm concerning local bodies' work has many disadvantages. One of our County Councillors complains that lie is compelled almost daily to hold forth concerning the unexpected imposition of the special bridge rate by the Taranaki County, after the solemn promise of the loan promoters that it iroitld not be struck. It must have teen somo such knotty problem that engrossed the attention of another liromincnt local government representative the other day when, instead of taking a load of oats from one paddock to another on his farm, he abstractedly drove on into town !

Carnegie library matters are just "as you were," only worse. The Committee has recommended many sites to the Borough Council, hut all have beeu rejected. Last night the Committee asked the Council to place beforo the ratepayers a proposal to purchase Mr Holdsworth's rosideuce, now occupied by Mr Samuel, on the cerner of Courteuay and Liardet Streets anil Carringon Koad, at a cosl of £3OOO. A motion to refer the matter back to the committee was defeated by an amendment that the library should be erected on the section adjoining the Town Hall. Tliis. again, was lost by five to four, and the committee will now have to look further for a site. A report of the discussion is crowded out

The Secretary of the Taranaki Education Board is evidently held by some one to be responsible for the expansive handwriting now adopted in the schools, and also for the growth of ilie technical aud agricultural education fashion. The other day lie revived 11 letter addressed in the said ■xpanded style, the exaggerated nature of which can ho gauged from the fact 1 hut the words "New Plymouth" tceupicd two lines ou the envelope. 1 Enclosed was a page of comic cuts from a well-kuown publication, setting iorth iu pictorial form the advantages of the new educational methods. The children are taught how 10 test milk, and a sketch shows how Jacky Jones' I'n'.hcr took it iu a very improgressive spirit when Jacky pointed out that 8.-own Polly's yield showed 75 per cent, of added water, and Jacky came under the lash. Another showed the boy of the future picking his wife from among llto industrious little cooks iu the cookery class, and another studying plant life, whjlst a juvenile naturalist, with a big fly ou the end of a string, nas insect life wider observation. After all, the good old method is recommend, ed for teaching arithmetic. The footnote states that " arithmetic is based ion practical acnuaiutauce with the foot rule, yard stick, and chain measure," aud from the accompanying illustration it appeared that the yard-stick was in lull application. As a skit on presentday education methods in this district, the specimens are very interesting.

Thi' Auckland Herald, in a recent issue, states: "The girls employed by the Auckland steam laundries veiled by our reporter were a'l neatly dressed and healthy; they had fine, roomy, well-vent "lated places (o work in, and appeared to be happy in their occupation. The general conditions were such as to make it little wonder that the girls prefer this to domestic service as occupation, and (hat laundry work is no longer regarded as infra dig amongst colonial girls any more than is serving- behind a draper's counter. But there are Chinese laundries in this city where white girls come under the Factories Act, and must bo paicj a certain'wage, and work at stated hours, but the idea of white girls in Chinese quarters is so repugnant to European feeling, and the reasons why such conditions in laundry or any other work should be disallowed are so obvious that it is a wonder the New Zealand Legislature has noi framed some measures dealing- with the question. A visit was paid to several Chinese laundries. Tinconditions were found not to be better than obtains in'the average Chinese quarters. No machinery of anv kind was observed, the rooms were not the most desirable workrooms in the world, there was the stale, sickening smell of o|,i um smoke about more Man one, but each one seemed to have plenty of work in hand. Those places lire carrying- on operations night and day, and Chinese workers, whether employers or employees, are understood to have no regular hours whatever.