GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 29 April 1907, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

The remarkable success achieved in I gunnery practice by 11.M.5. Powerful in Norfolk Bay. Tasmania., recently, when .-.il ,he records of ti.e world's navies were beaten, has created intense interes, in naval and other e,;-eie a , not alone in Australasia, but also at Home, and probably on the Comment (writes the Sydney Morning Kerala). The result of the heavy gun tiring competition is coticlu.--ivc evidence of ihe efficiency of our navy, and should at once dispel the fear that owing to the progress made by foreign Powers Great Britain's supremacy of the seas was threatened. Naval experts nre not given to boasting—indeed, it is at all times difficult to get them to talk of their successes. The record established by the Powerful, however, is of such a sensational character that Vice--1 Admiral Fawkes was induced to refer

I with pardonable pride to the achievements of his flagship. Speaking on the I subject of the gunnery competitions the I other day, his Excellency said:— ''Sev . ; era! of the ships have done very well, |.«nd I will say that ,»nile in Tasmanian ' [waters the Powerful ha- made a recoid , whidh will be very hard to beat in a:- | curacy. Four ye-.rs my late (lag- ] j ship held the record v.jtli 411 per cent, of I hits; last year the first ship in the t!"et had 87 per cent.' of hits; but I am glad to say that the Powerful this year has !lti.s per cent., which leaves very littl-' margin for defeat." The Powerful, it will he remembered, while steaming a zig-zag course at a speed of twelve knots, vcored 113 hits out of 117 shots fired from her six-inch gnus. The range was ever varying, hut the mean distance was 1650 yards—nearlv a mile. The target measured but 2l'y 2 ft by 14ft,. the size ! of the bull's eye being 10ft by Bft. only was the percentage of hits—93.s unpreeendented, but upwards of 00 per cent. , of the hits were actual hulls' eyes.

| A tragic story is connected with the loss of the ill-fated Berlin, particulars of which were cabled to the colonies on 22nd February. One of those drowned was the second ollieer, Thomas Garnsworthy. It will be remembered that Garnswortny was one of the survivors of the Northern Monarch wreck, which occurred at Opu- ] nake. After escaping death on that occasion, he had a berth with the Union Company in Wellington for a time, but decided to go home to his people in Exeter, England. After he had been in his parents' employ for a time, his father gave him a month's holiday and lie decided to take his leave on the seas as second officer of the Berlin. In a letter to Mr James Moore, Missioner to Seamen, Mr Garnsworthy says his boy left home on a Tuesday to join the Berlin at Rotterdam. "He boarded the vessel the same day," he says in his letter, "was drowned on Wednesday, and was home again, and buried on Sunday."

Tokaanau now boasts vi a new addition to its numerous thermal attractions, in the form of a large gey .-or, |which plays regularly ai half-hour intervals, water and steam rising to a height of over a hundred feet, and at times considerably more. This fine geyser first showed signs of activity yesterday week, when, whhout warning, the residents were surpri ed to see a huge. volume of water and a column of steam rise to a-great height from a spot near the road side. A Wanganui resident who witrfessed a display of the geyser is not surprised at the great interest taken in the new wonder, for while playing it presents a magnificent sight, and should it continue to play will to some extent make amends for the loss of the world-famed but now extinct Waimaugu geyser. In connection with the latter a new geyser situated only a few hundred yards from me old Waimangu, also showed increased signs of activity on the above date, throwing mud and water to a height of from 30 to 40 feet, and forming a huge /basin, whereas it was formerly only a small bubbling pool. On the following Monday the geyser also played to a great height. Besides these steam vents, Mount Ngaruhoe is day and night expelling huge columns of steam and smoke, which completely envelop its summit, while the summit of Ruapehu, close alongside, shows up fine and clear.

A Wellington telegram says:—The Bank returns for quarter ended Marcji show liabilities £25,2G(>,579 and assets £25,501,890; excess of assets £235,617. In corresponding quarters of 1905-1900 there was an excess of liabilities of £727,772 and £597,448 respectively. Advances .show on increase compared wiili corresponding quarter of 1900 of £1,559,725, the Bank of New South Wales and the Union Bank showing to advantage in the percentage of increase, though the Bank of Xew Zealand had, the largest actual increase. Discounts exhibit a shrinkage cf £140,075. There is substantial gain in the amount of free deposits and a slight shrinkage in fixed deposits as compared with corresponding quarter of last vear, the figures being fixed deposits £ft'.791.1«0 and £9,700,511: free deposits £9,712,019 and Cll,343,582. The circulation has gone up over £130,000, and the metal reserve has been augmented during last quarter by £313,404.

"lii looking for traces for the fruit fly," says Mr French, Victorian Government Entomologist, ''the first symptom the observer sees is a very minute puncture in the fruit. The mark is often so small that it- cannot tie discern.'!<l, unless with the aid of an ordinary pocket lens. Even then me puncture cannot be noticed a few hours after the attack, as the outer skin closes over, and assumes its normal appearance. Sometimes as many as 12 punctures are made on one peach or other fruit, and nearly all the punctures contain an egg which will in time produce a lly. The decay iif the fruit sets in with great rapidity after the fly has deposited the egg, au.l usually within a couple of days from that time the close observer can see a bruised or pulpy appearance under the skin, in tlK> region of the attack. If the fruit be touched at that spot a considerable area under the finger will be found to be soft and decomposed."

King Edward probably believes that n judicious distribution of titles to representative Boers might help to bring the point of view of their race in public affairs more into harmony with that of their British neighbors. At the opcuing of the display of South African products at Westminster his Maje-ty beamed in the most cordial fashion on the chairman of the Inhibition Committee Mr. Pielcv C. von liommerslcin Jiaui and suddenly culling for a .-word, astonished the modest Dutchman with the honor ol a knighthood. -Mr. Bain was in the act of meditating as to the proper way ol escaping from the Royal presence, after a few formal words, when he was surrounded by members'of the King's suite, and perceiving his fate dropped on one knee. "Rise, Sir J'ietcr," said the King in his still musical voice, after striking him lightly on the shoulder .'.ill, the borrowed sword. Within twenty second* or so from the beginning of the cere inoiv -Me .'Jam was Mr. Hani iu mow-. On rising he was greeted by the spectators with a tremendous cheer, ipiite hard enough, it is calculated, to make a distinct impression at Pretoria and Bloemfontein. Thei" is a belief at the political club which is the principal centre oi Liberal gossip iu London that it Mr. Botha should prove hiuwlf as just in :«\ in the expression of patriotic and pious ministration and leadership as he is apt sentiment he will soon be offered a title, and that even Mi-. Smuts-the man. whom lord Miluer regards at present with particular suspicion-may also figure before long ill the. piquant role of a British knight.

According to the rceenl dictum ol' an eminent physician, "our lungs. .|uitc as well as our' bodies, need hat lis." ICspeci ally do they need a balh after we hnv.' silt for three or four hours in the impure and stale air of n theatre or 11 church. Then, if we could see them, our hums would look as unsightly as the face of a coal-heaver looks after a hard day's work. "They need a ba'h, hut not a water one. Air, pure air. is the cleanser of the lungs, and to iiallic them the h"ad should lie thrown back, and thrniiL'h the nostrils pure, fresh air should be iniinl-'d fill the lung-, are di-dctidcd to thoir illmost, limil.' About twenty-live of the deepe-t pos-ilde liu.-fnl.' of pure at. -hoilhl be slov.lv inhaled and exhale.,. Then the pure air ruslio, like a t"it nf through all the dnslv .fannies and bidden, grimy corners of tie- lungs, and if carries on I with it every impurity iiupuritv. Alter a long silting in a theatre's'stale air. try a lull" bath. You will be amazed to find how it will cheei and strengthen yon."

A cable has been received statins that judgment has finally been given in ! favor of the Sutton family against Hitlate .T. A. Dowie (the, /.ionite ]irop?ipt), to whom Frederick Sutton willed his csitatc, valued at £13,000,

Fully 17,000 boxes of butter are to lie shipped from Welliuglon by tile Athenic this week. This is very gratifying, for if tbe large quantities of butter in store—partly held to be sold probiibly as new season's on tin: next .British winter markets—ore augmented 10 any extent, it must prove prejudicial to next season's business and the lvpnta- ; lion of the colony's butler. i

Mr McNab has recognised the great ! future for dairying in the Auckland provnee. After liis recent journey through the King Country he re nark J led to a N'i'W Zealand Herald reporter: "For the ground 1 have gone over on our trip I do not know of any piieo in the whole colony where there is s.ich a vasi, unbroken stretch of country that is capable of fairly close settlement as there is in the district we have just come out of. An unbroken stretch cannot be found in the North of Auckland, and not in liny other provinces in the North Island, and no. in the South Is-

land, except for narrow belts along some of the railways, such as going soma from Christehureh, and there it is level 1 country. I suppose we must have pass,ed by millions of acres, from TV Awaimutu until we (Mine over to WhulawlnItn aud Frankton again, and it is all !eminently suited for dairying, in tact, [is is tbe very best dairying ground, and it has a wonderful future."

The conditions existing between cmplovers and employees we.s brought, up at the meeting of the Taranaki Provin- j cial Executive of the "New Zealand Far- ] liners' t'liiim. held in Hawera on Thuvs- ! [day (says the "Star"). The matter j caine up in the form of a remit for con- 1 sideration by the Provincial Conference i asking that'an effort be made to have j the law so amended as to entitle em- J plovers to withhold it week's wages in order to insure that a week's notice of intention to leave should be given. It was pointed out that whereas employers had to pay a week's wages in the event of instant dismissal, employees on the other hand could, leave their employers "in the lurch" without notice. Mr Maxwell opposed the motion on the ground that the Union should not ask Government intercession, there being already too much legislative interference between employer and employee. Mr Allhusen said the Union would never get any amendment unless they asked for it. The remit was sanctioned.