LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 22 February 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be no steamer from Auckland for San .Francisco until the I.3th March. The JYcw Stratford District Hospital costing, with, fittings, nearly £5(11)0, was opened by the Hon. G. PWlds yesterday. The Minister also visited the High School ami Convent School. Thfc appeal of the bookmakers against their conviction for betting on the racecourse reserre copies before the District Court to-day, Mr Spence (Stratford) appearing for applicants and Mr tiuilliam fop respondents.

At tlie New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association s Ititli cliampionsliip meeting at Christclmrcli yesterday, Mr U B. Webster won the 4%ds flat in 52 1-ock seconds,

beating li. ji. Fisher (Wellington) and Hector Rurk ((. t igo). I A new type of blight has attacked the potato crop of M r C. Twining, ot l ,a g 1. oint, says (lie I'almeivton Times. The Skill of the tubers is quite brown, una when it i* ilmiiovcil insects in

large numbers art M en, some of them being a quarter of an inch in length. The house occupied and owned by 111' J. lliggins, Opunake, Was burned lo the ground early 011 Wednesday morning. Tile occupants just escaped ill their clothes. The furniture and effects were insure! for £IOO. The or.gin of tile tire is unknown. The public were rather apt to show thc.r approval, disapproval, amusement ■and chagrin m the Midlurst assault compensation case at Stratford on cdnesday, and the Judge rebuked them on several occasions, using mild terms as he said he had no wish to interfere greatly W ith the public. But e\en his forbearance was at last overtaxed.

In reference to the statement made duiing the hearing of the evidence in Ihe Midhirst assault case, mention was made that liontgen ray photographs were taken of tile injury to Dr Paget's arm. We are asked to state that the radiographs were taken at the Medical Hall, New Plymouth, which has the only instrument in operation in i'aranaki.

"There is no doubt that Esperanto has come to stay," remarked Mr liraik at a Wanganui Technical School committee meeting, and lie went on to say that if a competent teacher should be obtained, an Esperanto class should be formed at the Technical .School. Mr liraik sa'd that Esperanto 110 doubt Trail a limit to its powers <if expression, hut there was no denying tile' fact tliat it would prove a great medium for international exchange of ideas,

All previous diving records have been broken by a young naval engineer, who dived to examine a French vessel sunk near Saigon. To protect himself against the pressure of tile water he clothed himself in metal plates, lie made breathing possible at a depth of 327 ft by a chemical arrangement of his own invention. Below 200 ft darkness commences, and at 317 ft there is pitchy darkness that must be illuminated to make moving safe. (Speaking at a banquet at Christ church, Jlr W. rj. King, the wellknown contest judge, said the Exhibition contest mid shown the best work ever heard in the colony. Even the worst performance of all was well wortn listening to. and the progress of flic bands in the last few years was most surprising. Mr O. Schwartz ta:d the development, of the country bands had been quite astonishing to him, and it hud been a great pleasure to judge the solo playing.

The Hydraulic Hand Milker Company, Ltd., which controls Mr G. Hutchinson's ingenious invention (says file Wellington Post), has just decided upon a forward policy. The directors have allotted 2000 preferential shares issued witil the 'object of car . rying out the new policy, which includes a decision to sell the foreign rights, 011 royalty terms, to the Alpha Separator Company, of Sweden, and to send Mr llutchinson abroad to demon-i-iii- 1 p'na - "CDTfr|,«Tn-T r in treaty for the world's rights, is the biggest of tile world's operators ill dairy machinery.

The straits builders are sometimes placed in in Wellington are exemplified at present 011 tile site of tile late tire 011 Lamb ton Quay (says tiie New Zealand Times). To take every advantage of the depth of the land, tiie plans for the new Commercial hotel provide for a building with its back wail standing close up to tiie rear boundary of the section—a point some distance up the steep bank, 60ft or 70ft high. To effect this purpose a food deal of excavation has been rendered necessary, so much so, indeed, tiiat .Mr W. 11. Field, solicitor, owner of the property above, has applied for an injunction restraining the contractor from excavating more than is advisable. When the back wall of the hotel is up it is maintained that the land above will be safer than it has ever been, as it will practically guard ngains't slips.