The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 29 August 1907, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29.

Captain Kdwin wired yesterday: Westerly strong winds to gale after 12 hours; glass fail: tides high; sea considerable; indications for rain. The delight of the system of te.ichera' payment on average attendance. The teaeher at Killiam road resigned, as on present attendance she would receive i only .-COO for the year's work. The life of the late Mr. Sodden, published by Whitcombe and Tombs (Ltd.), sold to the extent of only eight hundred copies in this colony, whereas one thousand copies were disposed of in London. "The dead lion" again! The number of infectious diseases r3port.'d in the Wellington district for, the week past arc—Scarlet fever 10, diphtheria ti, and tuberculosis 2. Two cases of tuberculosis were reported to Inspector l'erry in Palmerston.

A young man named John JlcDonald was anvsled ill town yesterday l>y Detective Boddani, and, oil being brought before the magistrate, was remanded to appear at Otaki on a charge of obtaiuing money under false pretences.

Uy the good ollices of the local postmaster, particulars of the arrivals and departures o£ all intercolonial boats in New Zealand waters will be posted at the Xew Plymouth l'ost-ullice and published in the daily papers. lu the police court yesterday George Cock, jun., was lined 5s and costs for drunkenness, and lined .CI and costs on a charge of procuring liquor during tho currency of a prohibition order. He did not appear, but entered a written plea of guilty. I The annual report of the Advances to Settlers Department shows a record year for business, thj applications numbering 2420 , and the amounts applied for £1)09,401. The advances actually granted (to 1929 applicants) amounted to ;C7(i7,730, which exceeds those of tHe previous year (also a record) by £134,277.

Tho_jremarkable, if not unique, spectacle of a statue standing in the midst of a riwr is to be seen at Wylye, in Wiltshire, England. Jieur the bridge, ill the centre of the village, the ligure of a conductor of a coach blowing his horn rises from the waler in the middle of the stivajn. It is to commemorate a drowning fatality in the river before the bridge was erected. It is said that Dr. Chappie, Wellington, will at next general, election contest the seat at present occupied by Jlr. John Stevens. -Mr. Stevens has of late jvars, much to the sorrow of his many friends, been afflicted with total blindness. Dr. Chappie at last election unsuccessfully contested the Xewtown seat. He is an able man and a Uuent speaker, and has the support of the Temperance party. —Wairarapa Times.

The Maori war monument committee met last evening, the president presiding. The secretary reported receipt of several donations, including one for £lO Iroiu General Sir C'has. Mansfield Clarke,Bart., late 57th Kegiment. A budget of correspondence was read and dealt with. The amount received to date closely approximates £2BO. The committee asi£ those who have promised the secretary donations to send them in as soon as possible, when the amounts will be duly acknowledged through the Press. The Young Men's Club held its first open debate at St. Joseph's schoolroom last evening, the subjcol for diicKssion being "Is the immigration of Chinese in the best interests of the colony!" The affirmative was taken by Mr McCate (leader) and Father Macmanus, Messrs 51. Jones. Shivnan and Norris, the antiChinese agitation being supported "by Messrs. G. Cray (leader) and Hooper, W. Jones and Sullivan. The supporters of the latter contention won on a division. At the next re-union Mr Sullivan will read a paper on "The Battle of Fontenov."

Mr. Bent, Premier of Victoria, siivs that, as the electrification of some of the Melbourne suburlTan lines of railway must be undertaken shortly, he made inquiries on this matter when in England. One firm offered to electrify all these lilies, construct a power-bouse, and supply power, for less than £1,000,000 "which," says Mr. Bent, "is a cheaper rate than in Canada, where electrification is supposed to lie cheaper than in any nth'T place in the world." Doubtless the offer will lie more definitely considered by Mr. Bent and his Cabinet in Melbourne.

The old saying that dreams go by

contraries was sadly proved in the death of the young man Michael liogaii at Itissington (says the Gisborne Herald). For some days Hogan and his employer's son had been carting chair, each in charge of a dray, llogan, who was a steady, excellent workman, told his companion to be careful, as lie liad divamt that he had seen him with his drav capsized and pinned down to tnc ground by a fallen liorse. Strangely enough, an accident of the kind occurred, though without any witness, but the melancholy event was that he met his death in the way in which in his dream he had seen another person suffer. Already eleven of the colony's leading bauds have intimated their intention of competing at the band contest here in February next. These are liaikorai Citizens, and Mornington (all of Duncdiu), Wanganui, Wellington, Taranaki, -Napier and .Nelson Garrison, and Woolbtou (Cliristchurch), and l'almcracou .North Krass, and Masterton Municipal Outside interest is already awakening in the forthcoming contest, and it is to ba hoped townspeople will show their Interest by attending in strong force at the Town Hall on Friday night, when executive and other officers are to be elfccted.

New Zealand has 1847 schools, with 130,302 children on the rolls, according to the annual report of the Education Department, presented to Parliament. This is an increase of 41 schools and IUU3 children on the totals for 1005. The average attendance of the schools last year was 121.058, an increase of 1003 on the average for the previous year. As a whole the South Island shows a greater regularity of attendance than the north, the respective rates lieing 87.1 per cent, and 80.7 per cent, of the 'average wecTdy roll. The North island Schools, however, have more children than those of the South, the average attendances being—North, 00,149, South 53,809.

Mr U. Okey, M.H.R., has written to the Taranaki Oouuty Council, under date 24th inst., as follows: "L have to-day waited upon the Public Trustee, and among other matters under discussion I referred to the collection of native rates. He informed me that he is making arrangements whereby he will make tlie payments from his office and deduct them from the natives receiving rents. He wants the assistance of local bodies in getting tlie names of the owners of tlie different lands. I ain trying to get tiie Native Department to give the Valuation Department assistance in the matter. 1 am satisfied that if you can get a roll with the names of the owners of the lands or the principal natives in the hapus, a great deal of difficulty in connection with the collection of the native rates will be overcome."

By the provisions of the Taranaki (Scholarships Act any child is eligible (o sit at the examinations and to secure a scholarship if he has resided for two years iu the Taranaki Provincial District. Mr Monkhouse pointed out at yesterday's meeting of the Education Hoard that under the present provisions a candidate might have spent only ilic first two years of his life here, and teceived bis education elsewhere—perhaps at a city seiiool—giving him an advantage over the pupils of our own schools. On bis motion (he Hoard decided to apply to the Minister to have the Act amended to provide that candidates should be children who have attended schools in Taranaki or resided in the district up till six months of the dale of the examinations. He would not confine it to children resident in the Taranaki provincial district, for there were some, attending Taranaki schools who resided just over tlie province's boundary.