LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 6 November 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Education Hoard haa received intimation from the ixcretaiy for Education that tiie application lor tiie new residence lor the teacher at tiie Tariki school will receive attention wiieji the amount of appropriations lor the year on school buildings -is being considered. Mr E. \V. ManSiieid, Chief Electoral Uilicer, has been \idiling the returning oliicers in iaranaki the boundaries oi whose electorate have been altered by the llcprescntation Commission, and conferring with reference to the rolls as they exist under the new conditions. A cricket enthusiast lias brought under our notice the necessity xor devoting considerable attention to the cricket pitch 011 the new sports urea in the liecreation Ground if it is to be lit lor play this season. Constant rolling, watering, and cutting the grans are recommended to make the wicket lirni enough to play before Christmas. Some .Maoris cau boast longer pedigrees than the bluest of Nomina bloods. Mr. Eraser produced charts at his lecture at Wellington which traced tiie descent of the lion. J. Carroll back for ' forty-seven generations, and that of Mr. - l'arata, M.ii,l{., for forty-three generations. "And there is no faking these records, they are all genuine,' J declared the lecturer, j Charles Newton, the prisoner who ea- | caped from the New Plymouth gaol a few days ago, was brought before the S.M. yesterday afternoon aild further remanded until to-day. lie was charged with having escaped from a place of lejr-il confinement before the expiry of his sentence, lie pleaded 'not guilty" and explained that his escape was planned merely to give him an opportunity ) of making a complaint.

Under the altered boundaries the Taranaki electorate loses all its territory south of the Newall road, and takes in a piece of the old Egmont electorate from Sentry Hill in a direct line including Lcpperton anil Mataifawa, and down the Jiiehmond road to the corner nf section 110. The roll number is reduced by about 150 electors, the new portion of the district containing only about 1 1(1 electors as against nearly 300 in the severed districts. A large quantity of indent shoes and slippers at a reduction of 10 to 30 per cent, will be offered for the next four weeks at Dockrill's, to make room for ( shipments to arrive. A large assortment of ladies' evening shoes to hand at low prices; also in stock his well known brand of moil's, youth's and children's boots at bedrock prices.— A.lvt.

For boys' straw hats one cannot do better than visit White's just now. The hot. weather will soon force attention on these goods, and this firm have a capital show of them.—-Advt,

Tlie English mail despatched from Wellington via Brindisi on the 27th September, arrived at London on tlio Ist inst.

A meeting of the Liberal and Labor Federation was held last night. A resolution was passed appreciative of the lion. Mr. Samuel's efforts to defer the passing of the Waitara Harbor Bill. The members present discussed the Absolute Majority Bill, and allinned the principle of absolute majority representation, hoping to see it carried into oiled before the next general election.

The New South Wales teachers' cricket team, to tour New Zealand during the Christmas vacation, will play a inatcli against Tarauaki at New Plymouth on January 2nd. They will probably be taken on a trip to Mount Egmont next day, and, returning that night, leave for Auckland. Mr S. Hill, president of the North Tarauaki Association, made the arrangements during Ms recent visit to Wellington.

Some gems from a half-caste's cvi- I donee in court. "I'm living where I'm living," and to the equally enigmatical reply of the Magistrate that "Of course you're not living where you're not living," he said, "I'm not living on the whole of the block." —"William Lowry, a farmer! That's good. I've only got sixteen acres, and the rest's all gully; , I don't think I be called a farmer."— | "If I pay all tliat, I starve the youngi ster and the missus, and myself. I sooner see the land taken away than pay."—The S.M. reminded the man that he could get plenty of work. "Yes," he replied, "and plenty rain, too." To illustrate .some' Maoris' knowledge of the Bible, Mr. A. L. D. Fraser,

M.H.K., in a lecture at Wellington on Monday, related a good story. An old native, giving evidence in the Native Land Court, had been twitted by opposing counsel with untruthfulness about certain landmarks. For reply the old man referred liis youthful heckler to Deuteronomy, chapter 27, verse 17, and Proverbs, chapter 27, verse 18. By the order of the Judge, the passages were turned up in tlie Court Bible, and were as follows:—"Cursed be he that removes his neighbor's landmark." "Remove not tlie ancient landmark which thy fathers have set." The lawyer was silenced. It was generally expected that the New Plymouth Fire Brigade would before now have been independent of public subscriptions by the passing of the Fire Brigades Act. However, jio Fire Board has yet been placed in possession of funds for this purpose, so the Brigade, wliilst not making a regular canvass for subscriptions, will be glad to receive the assistance of townspeople. It is not necessary to here remind our readers of the value of the fire brigade or the self-sacrifice of its members in the interests of the community. It is hoped that the funds of the brigade wall be helped to the usual extent without the usual personal application. There was only one judgment in tlie civil session ot tlie S.ji. Court on Tuesday morning. Tne Taranaki County

Council sued William Lowry, a halfcaste, for rates due on a Section of 52 aces at Bell JJlock, the claim being for £1 5s Od for two year's dues. The defendant raised the ploj. that be could not afford to pay the money, for it would mean the starvation of his "missus" and youngster, who were dependent on him. Besides, lie didn't own the land, and he didn't occupy the whole of it. Tlie Magistrate explained to him that it was but fair that he should contribute to the upkeep of the roads he used, and gave judgment for the amount claimed at 14s costs.

The new Catholic school in l'owdcrliam street is nearing completion. In building is conveniently situated, near the tennis courts. It has a solid and unpretentious appearance, and lias been designed to give a maximum light, and air space. There arc three large classrooms, two 30ft by 20ft, and one 20lt by 10ft. The interior is to be painted and dadoed, and platform tloors are provided. The building has a 14ft stud and is capitally lighted by a large windows and ventilated by patent roof ventilators. Lavatories and the usual appurtenances of a modern school are provided. Messrs Boon Bros, are the contractors. The contract price is £530 and the building is to be completed in about a fortnight.

At the meeting of the Oakum Dairy Company on .Monday, Air. A. Morton, chairman of the Inglowood Bacon Company, met tie farmers of the district and solicited support in shares and supplies for his company, which was a cooperation of farmers for the benefit of tanners. He mentioned the success of the company, and quoted figures to showto what extent farmers would gain by supporting their own local factory in preference to outside proprietary firms, lo meet the needs of 1110 coast farmers, receiving-yards had been erected at Moturoa. In answer to a question, Mr. Morton said the company did not intend to erect yards at Okato on account of the expense, lie advised farmers to make up waggon-loads of pigs for conveyance to Moturoa.

It was twenty-six years yesterday since a large body of New Zealand volunteers, drawn chiefly from .Nelson, Wellington, and Auckland provinces, marched into the village of l'arihaka, under Mount Eguiont, and captured without bloodshed Te Wliiti, Tohu, and the murderer liiroki. Te Wliiti, one of the authors of the trouble, is still alive in l'arihaka. Tohu died at the beginning of this year. Hiroki, of course, was executed soon after his capture. The Hon. John Bryce, who, as Native Minister, insisted upon the carrying out of a bold campaign, which destroyed for ever the nidua of the recalcitrant Maori chiefs, is living in retirement at Wanganui, and Lieut.-Colonel J. M. Roberts, who commanded the expeditionary force, is a magistrate at Tauranga, Bay of Plenty. ,

tiie uali-casle Maun can uuk I eaigliou cUjUj.ii io order h,s grocer.ea, niuKe a bet, wun ine uooiiiiiaKer, nave a barney wuli lac jiakeha, cadge a cigarette, swear ui the wahiue, drive a shrewd bargain, and collect iiis account. And he unders lands English ail right if he s asked to have a drink, in fact, lu;e a partially deaf pakcha, he can understand anything uiat it pleases him to understand. Peculiarly enough, although he mqy be glib enough in his English in the street outside the courthouse, immediately lie enters the precincts of that building all knowledge of the white man's tongue seems to" llee from him, and he is able to comprehend only the korao in his own language. "Do you understand English?" is a question that passes unheeded. "You can understand English, can't you?" The question is repeated with the addition of the native's name. That sounds moie familiar ; and he looks up with a questioning smjle, -and an apparent dawning ot reason, Here's a little encoui ageinent, so the querv is repeated, ics, he understands a lftllo English', but not much. A statement that thp interpreter's fee ia likely to be charged against him brings the forgetful hqlfr caste to his senses. With every facia- u'lf 4 ' 10 " iert ' and a cra % smile, JUr Half-caste then questions and queries with the skill of a Philadelphian lawyer. So that, after all, the way to reach a half-castes brain-box is through his