LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81908, 20 December 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A statistician lias calculated that there are in Europe at ti.i.s moment !>,(JUI),(HKI men under arms. If they were all lined up, the liue would be iOUt) miles long.

Applications are to be invited for the position of Chief Inspector to Ihe Taranaki Education Hoard, at a. salary of Aj:i7."i per annum, with travelling allowances.

The .New Plvmonth Eire Brigade will take part in the torchlight pro cession and lireworks display on Hoxing night. This is being organised in connection with the bazaar in aid of the sports ground funds. We. have received from the pubi Usher a copy of the Christinas number of the Weliington J Tee Lance, it is exceedingly well got up, full of millii-pvovoking sketches, and con tains seasonable reading. The production should have a wide sale. '

The Inglewood School Commilfee is desirious of iuaugnrating agricultural and cookery classes at Ingle •,Vood School. The Hoard has referred ti'ii' re.)iiest to .Mr Spencer, (hid Inspector, M' rej.ort, as the matter •if a cookery instructor has not yet bce't decided'.

The entire population of the "boom'' town of Florence, South Dakotii, ;r----ecitlv atleuded the wedding of Mi' \\. I ; . Austin and Miss Emma. Sheppard. .Miss Slieppard was the only woman in the town, and it is said that every guest at the wedding was a rejected suitor.

] A sailor whose nationality was indieale.l by a surname cimiuu nciiig with "Mac'' caused a. little interest in the Auckland Police. Court by adversely comparing .New Zealand" with his native country. lie pleaded not guilty to a charge of drunkenness, the reason for his denial being that he. could have staggered around the streets in a. much more drunken condition in Scotland than in New ZeaJ land without interference from the police. "Volt were drunk fur New Zealand; it may not have been drunk" for Scotland," remarked (he magistral.', after hearing the evidence, and the usual live shilling fine was imposed.

.Mr William Dal!, of Ouue.liu (N.Z.), is exhibiting a vntiiig machine, writes a .Melbourne coii'c.-pou.lenL It is claimed I hat the machine is carefully adjustable to all the necessities of all election. Various . xperinicnts were -ucccs-i'tilh ma.ie at a trial, as if voting for the election of ,uie, iwo, four, .mi! li\e men. At tic back of the machine a b.l wa, unlocked and open "d, and there was displayed and n-.o! able at a glance the numbers polled .'or each imaginary candidate. The .ippara'.FK seems to be an ingenious ~d..plion of the cash register de\i<-. ■ ing i, iuipi.-sible. Ihal sec'rece'is ah -..bit.-, aiei Hint, liie ci-t is iuliiiilely h-s Mian fur similar contrivances u.-ed in America.

'l'he Miiue of ".SVKKS'S iJitCXCII" is i-eci.gnised by the hinlicst aulhorily in dairying in (he,'.deny, fjcad what I Mr .1. A. Kiusella, Cnvernment Dairy [Ceiiniissioner, has lo say about it:-"-n.pai'liiieiit of Anriculuire (Dairy i Divi,i„„).-.\. ri. Svl;,-s, K5,,., New I'lymoulli: Dear (sir,- -As Dairy C.aaImissioner for this Col,my, I have been |.ai'el'ully waiehing the ell'eeis and '.able of 'Sskes's liivneh' on our dairy herds fur the pa-t few \ears. I have 'not the slightest hc.-ilation in stating '.hat an immense amount of improvement, has been bv.ncj.hl about in the health of our dairy cows, and that abortion is now less prevalent since 'Sykes's Drench' has become known and properly u-ed amomjst farmers. The best lesfimonial. that one can receive is the iK-nise that "Sykes's Drench' receives" from all (juarters of Xew Zealand. Personally, I am of opinion that no farmer should bo without a stock of 'Sykes's Drench.'— Yours faithfully, J, X Kiusdla, Daily,

The. South African footballers now in England are described as rare sportsmen, playing a perfectly clean game, in every respect. The team arc mostly Dutchmen, with a few of French extraction, the remainder being of ISritish descent. With one cwcj'v tion all wen: horn in South Africa. .Many of tln-in fought against the British in the great I'.ocr war, in fact, [some of them were imprisoned at St. Helena.

IJatepnyers have a predilection for withholding their dues until the last minute. This observation is called forth by the fact that on Satimlav and .Monday (the last two days for receiving rates without the ill per cent, penally) the New Plymouth Council offices were thronged with householders squaring up accounts. Xo less than .WUUO was received dining the two days, the Malt having to work overtime to cope with the rush.

Sir Jo»cph Ward, speaking at the High Schools' break-up at Napier, said he hoped to establish a system before long under which, from end to end of the country, there would be available in the drill hulls miniature (argots for the u*o of unlets and others, where boys would be able to iieijiiire every aspect of the practice of shooting. This would be of great value to them when they cmiic to shooting on the proper ride ranges. This proposal was cordially cheered.

Mr Tiseh Mas the only member of the Education Hoard to question the udvisabicness ot making baths for juveniles iu the I've, lie pointed out that the town had established up-to-date saltwater but lis at great expense; that sehool children'were admitted free, and that a caretaker and his wife were always in attendance to see to the safely of the juveniles practising the natatorial art. .Mr Tisch was overruled, however, the distance to tlie municipal baths being urged as a great obstacle to their general use by children.

The Opunake branch of the Teachers' institute, writing to the Judication Hoard on ' Heducsuacy. asked if any assistance would be given to form a library at Opunake, «o it was impossible for teacners at that end of the district to take advantage of tlie reference library at the Hoard's uiliee. The teachers at Opunake had raised .Co or M among themselves. -\ir Spencer, Chief lit spector, explained that there was some misunderstanding. Tin., books were not the property of the Board; they belonged" Lo uini, and would be taken away shortly. He favoured one good library instead of several small ones, lie pointed out that iu establishing a horary, assistance could be obtained from the dillerent publishers who would scud forward new books of reference, whilst on manual and technical subjects the Education .Department would supply books gratis if requested. The Hoard, after discussion, decided to reply that it could not see its way to subsidise branch libraries, but nas willing to give assistance for tlie establishment of a central library tit -New Plymouth, accessible to all teachers.

.Swimming instruction amongst the New Plymouth .school children is likely to receive a considerable im. pctus by tliu provision of suitably ballis m the Itccrcatiou Urouiul. .Messrs Collis ami .Maunder, ..representing the Central school committee, waited upon the Taranaki Education Hoard on .Wednesday and obtained the Hoard's approval of the proposal, il is intended lo securely fence oil a portion of the lake—the diagonal corner between the present bathing, shed and the band rotunda—and make a nice swimming area of about 2UO suuare yards. The bottom is to be boarded, and the depLh will range Iroin three to Jive feel. Calico screens will serve as dressing rooms .and, in charge of their teachers, the children can disport themselves to their heart's content. The cost will be about .CtiO or ~CTO, and the baths will doubtless prove a great attraction to the juveniles. Tiie committee is not able to linauce the whole of the outlay, but under the Department's elastic techschool regulations there should be no liillieulty in obtaining the swimming class subsidy. On payment by the committee to Hie Hoard of £3.3, an application will be made to the Department for a grant, the Hoard g\ia ranleeing the balance in the mean lime. The work will be put in hand during the. holiday*, eo that the baths may lie availed of as soon as school re-iisseinbles.

The Loudon Spectator some time ago in an article on trance and the Papacy, described the situation as follows; The Papacy is ruled by a limn who is not a diplomatist, who thinks it is his conscientious duly to keep the Church independent of la.) control, and who, it is probable, looks in the last resort for divine assistance. The Tope is not exactly a fanatic, but he is a, resolute Churchman. lie has been greatly affronted by the t|up pression of the Concordat, which Jie regards as a, treaty, without any negotiation with himself, and he looks upon those of the Curia who advise moderation as Laodiccuiis whose conn sc! may weaken the authority of the Church throughout the world. Jle wishes to warn liberal Human Catholics, who are. threatening him in Spain and in some of the Status of Spanish America, that the uou pussuiims of Ihe Papacy is a realitv, and that the authorities of the Church are still ready to face poverty or martyrdom in defence of the ckiim of the spiritual power to the last word in all controversies with earthly Mates. Pius X. is a lighting man. and Jiis opponents are lighting men also. They at heart \csciit his claims cNcecdingiy. They know that they cannot rule franco without re siting llieiii; for if they submit, it, is to the. ineii of the oilier, or noil Republican, side that power will belong; and with most of them their creed, or substitute for a creed, is laicisni which means the right id the, community to do the best it can for itself by tliu light of reason alone. They will, we think, bear itiiylliing, and' risk anything, including a lung ejection from power, rather- than giyu wav. IVtweeii ideas so irreconcilable and tempers so antipathetic speedy compromise is almost impossible, and belore the end is reached ue may see some extreme steps taken on either side.