LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 18 September 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is understood in Ministerial circles that before the next general election the Government intends to place on the Statute Hook a measure on the linos of Mr McNab's Absolute Majority 13111.

"Amusements and sports are becoming the business of life, and the real business comes merely as an interlude" —at least that was the opinion of a speaker at the Reform League meeting on Monday . it's time we had a change of Government!

At yesterday's meeting of the Land Board the Taranaki County Council asked that action lie taken against three Spotswood.settlers under section 124 of the Act for non-payment of rates.—The Board decided to inform the Council that it must exhaust its legal remedies before the Board could take action. Mr Fitzherbert, S.M., remarked yesterday on the time wasted by counsel producing witnesses unprepared to give their evidence straightaway in support of a ease. The remark was occasioned by the lengthy delaying of the Court by witnesses in the box searching books for evidence in support of a claim for payment of an account for goods supplied. Eventually the S.M. lost patience and granted a few hours' adjournment to get the evidence into shape, and to enable other cases to proceed in the meantime. •

A suggestion was made by an experienced navigator that in the absence of wireless telegraphy carrier pigeons would he greatly appreciated in such a ease iis the Monowai one. Pigeons can, of course, !»> trained to lb/ long distances, and they could be schooled to make their way rapidly to Wellington or Sydney from spots far out in the ocean. The service could be cheaply maintained, and apart from Its value in cases of actual need, the birds could be an unfailing source of interest to passengers on a voyage where amusement is not too plentiful.

In the Stipendiary Magistrates Court yesterday the Taraiuki County Council brought several cases for the collection of the Tariki road special rate. It will be remembered that quite recently the council wad successful in a test case, although the rate had not been collected previously for (some seventeen years. When the cases were called yesterday Mr.-Johnstone, for the defendants, asked for an adjournment of the proceedings until after the Supreme Court sessions, because that court was being asked to restrain the council from collecting the rates. Mr. Roy objected, urging tliat an interim injunction should have been applied for. The Magistrate pointed out that if Mr. Boy succeeded with these cases, and (he Supreme Court decided against him, unnecessary expense would have been incurred, fie agreed Willi Mr Koy that the better course would have been to apply for an interim injuiieliiiii or a restraint. Mr. Roy afterward- consented to the adjournment, recognising Ihe possibility of securing a barren judgment. The eases were adjourned until (lie 7th October, just after the close of the Supreme Court sessionTWO SOVEREIGN REMEDIES."

Tlie famous SANDER ANT) SONS VUBE VOLATILE EUCALYPTI EX TRACT was proved by experts at Vi Supreme Court of Victoria to possess curative properties peculiarly its own and to be medicinally absolutely safe effective and reliable' for internal use Therefore, do not aggravate your com plaint by the use of one of the many crude eucalyptus oild which arc nivp palmed off as "Extracts." or under fancy names, but insist upon ih OENITTNE SANDED AND SONS' FTT CALYPTT EXTRACT and reject ;.'.] others. For wrinkles, sunburn, pimples blackheads, freckles, cracked hands, hv and inflamed skin use SANDER A>T SONS' SdI'ERBA SKIN FOOT). No la.lv should be without it. Allays irritation; brings beauty to (-very face and tatton: brines beauty to every face »nd hand,, Is od, or chemists and stores.

A letter awaits A. 0. Binnie at this odice.

At the Hamilton Hospital if a dentist

is called in lie is paid a fee of a guinea, and that sum is charged to the patient. The Elthani Dairy Company has sold its season's output to Messrs. Wilier and Riley, London, at 10 7-lCd pelpound.

The New Plymouth horse parade, under the auspices of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, will he held on September 28th.

The Fire Brigade had a "wet practice" hist night. Within two minutes of the receipt of an alarm the men had

hydrants adjusted and two leads of water playing on the "suspected" building in Currie-street, some three or four hundred yards from the station. The Under-Secretary for Crown Lands has advised the Taranaki Land Board

that the provisions of "The Busli and Swamp Crown Lands Settlement Act, 1003," will not apply to lands opened for selection for National Endowment purposes. A member of Monday's half-holiday deputation said that Thursday had been adopted as a holiday in his factory because about six times in the year there was always "the'' football match of the season, and the men must see it. "And,'' he added, "the girls are just as bad." Settlement of stone-crushing accounts between .1. C. Montefiore and C. Kyngdon proved a tedious business in the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court yesterday, a claim for £O7 8s Gd by the former occupying the greater part of the plaintiff, and Mr. Johnstone for defend ant. Judgment was reserved. At a meeting of the executive of the

New Plymouth Employers' Association yesterday the following motion was

unanimously carried:—"That this executive strongly objects to any attempt to make Dominion Day a statutory holiday, being of opinion that the number of statutory holidays in the colony is already as large as is consistent with the welfare of the colony."

Three "scorchers" whizzed down the Courtenay-street incline near Sargood's last night at nearly twenty miles an hour, and continued their mad career, three abreast, across the Powdcrhamstrcet bridge. As they were flagrantly disregarding the by-law concerning the carrying of lights, it was little wonder that a pedestrian crossing the bridge had a narrow escape from collision. The manager of the Old People's Home reported to the Charitable Aid Hoard on Monday that there were now in the Home 31 inmates—2o mules and ."> females. Only one had been admitted during the month. Discipline had been good, but the general health of the inmates had not been so satisfactory, owing to the influenza epidemic. On this account he had been compelled to refuse the offers of several concerts for the inmates.

Some despicable sneak-thieving has' been going on recently at the Ilcmii Cemetery. A grave was the other day depleted of some choice white hyacinths which had been procured, planted, and tended at considerable expense. The thief was not satisfied with the bloom only, but took bulbs anu all. The matter has been reported to the controlling authorities. It's a mean hound who would rob the burial-ground of the last tributes to the memory of the dead, but despicable wretches seem to exist despite all education and enlightenment. Scintillations of light, appearing and vanishing at the door of the Dunedin Star office late on Thursday night last, caused a passer-by to hurry up in the belief that something was amiss. On arriving he found an old man, apparently 70, beginning another interlude of matches. He asked if anything was wrong, and got the following reply:—

"Look here, young man, I'm reading the Star to look for a billet, and it's got nothing to do along o' you." Then the septuagenarian lit his fiftieth match and resumed his midnight hunt for work. Members of the Hospital Board paid their usual visit of inspection to the Hospital and Old People's Home on Monday afternoon. As usual, everything was found to be in apple-pie order. The grounds round and about both institutions called for much favorable comment. The Hospital gardener has been having a husy time recently in felling pinus insignis trees and cutting them up for firewood, replacing them with cleagnus hedges. In addition the hedge-rows, grass and garden plots, and the shrubberies have been well tended. At the Home a good deal of new work has been done. Paths have been asphalted and spare spaces sown down in lawn grasses, thus adding to the cheerfulness and cleanly aspect of the place, and to some extent anticipating the summer dust nuisance. The manager has liecn raising native and other shrubs from seed, and hedges and slivublicrics are coming on apace, whilst "rambler" roses and other climbers have ! been planted along the sides of the building. The kitchen gardens are well forward, and of a considerable extent. Lawns are neatly trimmed. The whole | of the work is done by the manager and the inmates, many of whom seem to relish the light garden work in prefer- [ ence to idleness. They are certainly deserving of every credit for the spick-and-span state of the grounds. Mr. George Fenwick, editor of the Otago Daily Times, recently wrote to the secretary of the Taranaki branch of the Educational Institute, . pointing out that the cpiestion of having the sixth standard examinations of the primary schools conducted at Christmas time had been engaging the attention of Dunedin educational circles for some time past. He asked for an expression of opinion and for some information concerning the application of the system to Taranaki. The executive discussed the mattei- and decided to fall in with the scheme. At present the Stratford ■ and Central School examinations take place in November and December. The advantages of the change would be most apparent in the case of a pupil going from the primary school to a high school. Leaving just after the examinations, he would be able to commence the year's work to better advantage in the secondary school. The Institute considers it would secure ft better attendance and a higher one, seeing that Standard VI. would then be in school up to the end of the year, instead of j becoming a disappearing seventh standard. The matter has been brought under the notice, of the Education Board, whose inspectors are understood to be favourably disposed to the change. Evidently there is a great production of dairy produce in Groat Britain this year. Messrs. Weddel and Co. report under date of London, August 2nd: — The temperature remains below the normal, and there is a general absence of the usual sunshine. The pastures still bear the vernal aspect of spring, instead of the bleached and burnt-up appearance usual at this time of the year. Grass and hay are undoubtedly the best crops of the year, and the yield of hay will be the greatest since 1894.