LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 14 September 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the School Commissioners, which should have been held yesterday, lapsed for want of a quorum. Richard Reinhold Rehfuss, charged with attempted suicide, was brought before the court yesterday, and remanded to Hawcra for trial on September 17th. The County Clerk is advised that the Tataraimaka, Waiwakaiho, and Werekino Road Boards have not forwarded their annual returns to the RegistrarGeneral in the specified time. Among the gentlemen who posted apologies for absence from the Rides' dinner on Thursday evening, and whose apologies did not rcaeh Captain Bellringer until after the function, were Lieutenant-Colonel H. S. Fitzherbcrt, Captain R. Bayley, Captain-Adjutant C. H. Weston, Captain Hood, and ilessrs. T. S. Weston and T. K. Skinner, honorary members.

Mr. \\. A. Cathro was very successful with his rough-coated collies exhibited at the- Wellington Dog Show. "FenocJi I Arran" gained second prize in the open class (dogs), and the same dog won a like award in the colonial-bred class. In bitches "Kura," a new purchase of Mr. Cathro's, gained the following prizes: First maiden, first novice second puppy, second colonial-bred, and third open. There is a movement afoot to have a hall erected at Vogeltown. The need is felt for some place where the local lolk can hold their own local entertainments, and for the athletic clubs to hold their meetings and socials. A meeting is to be held shortly to further the pro ject. The suggested site is near the bus terminus. The promoters have in their minds the possibility of using the imilding as an infant school.

I Jhe first street light in Vogeltown was illuminated last night, its mission being to dispel the Cimmerian darkness at the Victoria-Mill road corner The wires are now almost ready for the complete service to be installed. The electrical engineer and his staff are to be complimented on their alacrity in carrying out the Borough Council's in-1 structure to inaugurate the lighting of this growing suburb.

His Worship the Mayor has received a letter from the Secretary of the Post IMicc m answer to the complaint concerning the striking-power of the Post Ollice clock. The matter has been referred to the Public Works Department and this Department has brought the' matter under the notice of Messrs. Llttlcjohii and Son, who carried out the work of erection, with a request that the necessary remedy be applied as soon I as possible.

A breezy farmer was taken at his word the other day, and very quickly 100. He was driving towards the new Waiwakaiho bridge, and expressed an anxiety to be the first man to cross it •111 give you a gallon of beer if yon let me drive across," he said. They humored his fancy. When he had completed his business in town he returned home, bringinrr with him the promised flagon of ale.

At the last meeting of the New Plymouth High School Board the action of the chairman (Mr. J. E. Wilson) in ?m M g , a - tr ?" sfer of lease °f section 110, block ~ Wsulara, from JF. jr. Ho*kin to J. Hansen was confirmed. Accounts amounting to £l3<i 9s 3d were pas.sed lor payment. It was decided to grant the principal, Mr. E. Pridham twelve months' leave of absence, providing salisiactory staffing arrangements I e;iti be made.

1 lie artificers of the old school are gneraJly credited with having known "one ol the "skimping" practices so "u> ,v alleged against present - day worker, Whcro shall we go for proof? lo the old Waiwakailio bridge, a truly ancient structure, and one that has been I ™1 !'- Pa 9 ™ l '- xam,,le of faitWul «'oi'kmanslup. The men who were dismantling tlie bridge were endeavouring o extract some bolts, apparently about two feet long. Alien drawn, they were tumid to have been cut and pointed and merely driven into the timber as spikes!!

I'he time is almost up when you <mi' procure a 35s mackintosh for 17s Cd.l This offer of a real heavy Melton mackintosh with sleeves and long cape for 17s Cd is open until Saturday only, After that we expect to be quite otiu of them. These are a few coats we have left, and are mostly manufacture crs' samples. We cleared a whole Jolt of them at fully 00 per cent, reduction, that's the reason we can offer you such a cheap coat. But the offer won't !ast long, as at this price we sell them very quickly. Eetter pin a postal order for 17s fid to this, and send it along to "The Kash," of Devon street, New Plymouth, and you'll receive a coat by return, J ;

Tiie Hunt Club netted about £25 as the^ result of its social at. Bell Block. The Guards' social in the Masonic Hull last night was a huge success, the night being an ideal one for dancing.

Captain "I'oubg 'delivered a lecture at Urenui on Thursday evening under the auspices ,of the Agricultural Society. There was a good attendance. The lecturer dealt principally with the horse. At the conclusion, about ten new members were secured for the Society.

The friends of Mr Patrick Galvin, a ganger in the railway service, and an old resident of Wanganui, will regret to hear (says the Chronicle) that fears for his safety are entertained. Mr trnlvin left his home at 7 o'clock on Tuesday night, and went to the St. John's Club. He remained there till ajbout 9 o'clock, when he left, quite sober, with the object of returning homo. From the time he left the- club he has not been seen, and no reason can be assigned for his disappearance, which is all the more remarkable as he has never been away from his homo one night 'during thirty years.

• Two lads recently exemplified the axiom that "boys will be boys." They visited the Harbour Board property at Moturoa and threw stones with all their might, endangering a truck containing explosives. The Harbour Board decided to prosecute, and the boys were formally charged yesterday morning with throwing stones to the danger of persons and property. They pleaded not guilty, but were not called to deny the charge. His Worship commented on this, and said he liad no doubt they were guilty. This was a very serious offence, and they must be punished. He was sorry for the parents, but a conviction in a case of this kind was really nothing. The boys were fined 10s each and 10s costs.-

The east end of the town has gradually been getting more and more beyond control, just as the weeds take charge when the gardener is away. The police constable strolled along Devon-street East the other night and surprised a youth in the act of committing an all too frequent indecent offence. When spoken to he gave a false name, and Mien repeated the performance to throw tli? officer off the scent. Then, adding insult to injury, he offered the constable live shillings "to square it." In court yesterday morning he pleaded an infirmity, and' this was substantiated by liia employer, who gave the lad au excellent character. The Magistrate, taking this inlo consideration, and the fact that the offence was committed at night, indicted a ligm. penalty. The accused was fined £1 and costs, in default a week's imprisonment.

At Wednesday's sitting of the Palmerston Supreme Court, Air Justice Button took occasion to disabuse the minds of the public of an impression whichseemed to be prevalent that if a husband and his wife were parted for seven years and had heard nothing of one another they were free to contract another marriage. The only approach to such a condition of things, he said, was that the- law inOicted no punishment on either party for bigamy if they married again, but so far as the marriage itself was concerned it was an illegal act and had no force in law. Tho judge might have added that as the law provided two simple methods of dissolving a marriage in a case of the kind, viz., neglect to obey an order for restitution of conjugal rights, and for desertion of upwards of five years, there was no excuse for a man contracting a marriagte merely because he had not heard from his wife for five years, without first, making his second marriage legal by divorce. In the case under notice the parties had been married ten years ago and had separated after oighteen months' conjugal bliss or the other thing, and no one with a scrap of common sense would say that the marriage should bo continued as a legal contract under such circumstances. Feildinu Star. . "

In connection.with the train derailment at Pareroa on Thursday, the Hawera Star supplies the following additional particulars:—"lt appears that good way was being made on a flat, the speed < probably reaching 25 miles ah hour, when a bullock appeared on the line . just ahead. The engine struck the animal m such a way that the carcase got right under the engine, derailing the ■ locomotive and throwing it fully six feet - clear of the centre of the line. The next vehicle, a cattle track, went off on the other side of the line. Tho brake tubes were thus snapped, and after a few bumps were felt the remainder of the train pulled up sharp, the Westinghouse brake working perfectly. The guard in charge of the train (Styles) put his head out when he first felt the obstruction, and he was just in time to see the engine tumble over. When the train stopped he made all haste forward, and discovered the fireman (L. Nichol) regaining his feet, practically uninjured They enquired of one another where Allen (the driver) was, and the latter just then crawled from under the engine Allen's was a marvellous escape. He had fallen underneath the engine between the boiler and the cab "llis box of tools fell on top of him, and as the engine turned over the lid of the tank came off and the man was thoroughly soused with water, which was fortunately cold. In answer to his companions' queries, Allen said in a somewhat dazed way that he was not hurt at all. This really proved to be tho case, and it is remarkable that no one sustained any injury. The passenger cars came to a point within several feet or where they would have left the rails. When the train officials had discovered that no one was hurt they had time to • sec some humor in the situation. Tho i engine was steaming away down a drop of perhaps three feet, and there was a , six-foot Afaori in the paddock calling , out Shes going to bust!' and awav , went a crowd of Maoris, who formed tho mam portion of the passengers, ' across the paddocks in all directions." ,