GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 18 September 1907, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

Mr Justice .Johnson opened the Cork City Commission on Wednesday (says ! the Freeman of 27th July.) His Lordship, addressing the Grand Jury, said that there were only two cases to go before them. In one ease the accused, an official of the Post Office, was charged with stealing postal orders, and the other was a case of perjury. Continuing, he said—"to "which 1 have now referred, would be, were it not for the exceptional eases I have mentioned, an absolute blank—is almost a marvel. Your city teeinis with a population of rich and poor and middle class, and necessarily, in classes of that kind, yon must expect to lind some evasion of the criminal laws. Here, with the two exj captions, there is nothing of the kind. 1 cannot think what has led to this extraordinary immunity from crime. I believe myself it is entirely owing to the hard 'work and hoiie-it/ and selfdenial of those ladies and men who, with a higher idea of the Christian life, devote their lives, by precept and example to instruct those whom they teach, and amongst whom they live. AH credit be lo them. They hope for nothing in this world, but I believe they impress upon the persons whom they teaei, and upon the conscience of those amongst whom they live, an example that has led to the almost stainless leaves o( the Crown book."

Jersey cows are becomiag more popular every season. One dairyman we have heard of, says the llawke's Bay Herald, who would have milling to do with them, happened to get one or two by mistake. He is now so surprised at the remarkable results tlat he has decided to have nothing else.

There have been troubles at Waihi Hospital in some of whieh two former residents of Hawera figured. In the first place chemist and medical superintendent had a difference, which resulted in the suspension of the former's eontract. Then certain remarks about Mr," Max D. King, late secretary, led to an enquiry, which resulted (the Auckland Star reports) in the entire ex- I oneration of Mr King. It appeared, however, that there were outstanding fees amounting to nearly £IOOO, much of which was thought lo be irrecoverable. Next there was u (piarrel between one of the nurses on the one side and the matron on the other; while a fourth trouble was that Dr Deck, assistant medical officer, made several charges against the matron, and declared that either he would go or she must. The trustees sat up till one o'clock in the morning trying to unravel the tangle, during which, according to the chairman, ■•members were yapping away like little children trying to pick up mud"; and then an adjournment was made till next day.

Speaking of the excessive devotion of the youth of the colony to game, Mr A. de B. Brandon, chairman of the Wellington College Board, said the other day: "Personally I doubt if a place in a football fifteen is eompensati in for a defective knowledge of the elementary rules of arithmetic, or if the captaincy of a cricketing eleven is an excuse for an inability to spell correctly, or if the holding of a tennis championship justifies illegible or unformed writing. I do not place any value on the educational value of athletics and knowledge. I doubt if anyone would seriously maintain that the ability to formulate ai. obscene or blasphemous expression on the spur of the moment is a special characteristic of any particular 'caste,' but I do think that many parents will agree with me that in the case of bad language pre-

vention is better than cure. I venture to say that if the Board determine that athletics are interfering with the acquisition of knowledge, it will take remedial steps, any caste, Kugby Union, outsider, or democrat to the contrary notwithstanding."

The Eketahuna Express is responsible for the following: —Prior to the opening of the Christchureh Exhibition a cheese factory in the Forty-ilile Bush entered into treaty with the general manager for space. Eventually, through the dates being altered on which '.he exhibit was to lie in position, it w-is not sent on. The other day the secretary received from the authorities av embellished certificate with "highly commended," the award for the non-existent exhibit.

It would scarcely be expected that there would be any necessity of a machine to help the small uoy to play, but such a device has beeu brought out by an inventor. it is a. contrivance to shoot marbles, and thus the small boy's fingers are prevented from injury resulting from overwork. The device is of such size as to lit nicely in the haul, and it is composed mail!/ of a pair of blades between which the marble is held. One of the blades is of flexible material, and upon the exterior of a certain amount of pressure the marble is shot from the device as if .projected from a gun. It lias been a Mid handicap for the small boy that at tlie opening of the marble season he has not been able to play marbles more tiu.'i four or live hours per day until his hands got in trim from practice, but with the use of the new toy such training is not at all uecssary. ile will lie able to play marbles for the whole twenty-four hours if not interrupted by thoughtless and inconsiderate parents, who insist that he go to bed for a spell.

According to a report in a German paper, an ingenious inventor lias applied ior u patent for an incandescent gasmantle of a distinctly novel son. The gas-burner is a nioditication of tlie J'.un.scn type used in ordinary incandescent systems, and the mantle is nothing more nor less than an ordinary eggsliell, and its preparation consists merely in making a good-sized hole at each end. The egg-shell is placed entirely over the burner, and the flames impringe upon it from the inside, so that it becomes brilliantly incandescent. ft is reported that the glowing egg-shell spreads an agreeable and pleasing light. If the results are good, this new method of illumination should, be popular, for it is obvious that the mantles can be renewed by anybody with very little trouble and expense, but it is dillieult to see exactly ■where the patentee expects to lind his remuneration. The patent is said to be specially applicable to acetylene gas.

The Dominion of Canada is experiencing the strictest observance of Sunday which lias prevailed anywhere in America since the days of the Puritans. .Nearly every form of public amusement is forbidden. There call be no hunting, ftshing, ball-playing, selling of foreign newspapers or cigars, working for hire, or hiring another to work; and liquor may not lie sold from 7 o'clock on .Saturday night till li o'clock on .Monday morning. This last provision will be of special interest -to social reformers who believe that the inability to squander the week's wages for liquor on Saturday night will be of great benefit to the wage earners. A peculiar thing about the new Sunday law is that it applies only to those provinces which do not substitute a Sunday law of their own. So far, Quebec alone has done this. The settlers of the other provinces, being principally of English and Scotch descent, believe in the "insular Sunday."