LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 4 December 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The New l'lylnouUi Homing Pigeon Club's race from Chr,stchurch was won by -Ml'. C. A. Corney's Kcliaiiec, for the third year in succession. This bird covered the distance iu 11 hours 12 minutes. Mr. E. Ward's Exhibition was second, the journey occupying 3D minutes longer. ._,.„,„

Uiic result of tin' passing ol tne l'urul Act will proouOly be uuuUious to tile number of work-, and lactones m the Dominion. \\ riling on liic subject, a \ ictoiian manufacturer hiius thai works (representing a gam ol £iJo,UUJ per anliumj will ere long be established eitller in Auckland or in Wellington. ill tunlleeliuil Willi lae legislation just passcu by x an.anient in ieg.ud to me uany industry, .ucssis. jjuugc aim iiigucll, Inspectors ol block, are to m.tue a tour ol inspection of all tiie daily herds iu the lollowing districts: npua and Arawliala Kuads, Wednesday, December Ith; Kina lload, Thursday, December o; Xgariki and Kahui Loads, Friday, December 0.

The Agricultural Society's committee meets this evening. Amongst the business to be brought forward is the pro- ; o?al to hold a scries of liorse-juinping competitions on .Friday, February :;cnu, in liand Contest week. Tlii.i scheme is suggested as a means of recouping the Society for its loss occasioned by the wet weather on the second day of the show.

A novel feature, and one which is being thoroughly prepared ior Ule Kc- | creation Sports Urounds opening on -New Vcar's Day, i., a motor-car driving compelilion. This will probably be the first item of its kind in the Dominion. There will also be a motor cycle display of some proportions. The arrangements for ihesc items are in the hands of a special sub-committee. This carnival will probably be the biggest thing yet taken in hand by the committee, and, recognising the futility of endeavouring to carry it to a successful conclusion without the assistance of the ladies of i the town, a meeting of those «illim; to assist will shortly be called.

doing lo the agricultural show? doing to take the missis? Then what aliiiut a new suit? May as well get it for then and look as well as your neighbors as to wait until later. If you want a good suit at a moderate figure you can't do bettor than visit the elotliea specialists at "The Kasli." They're the people to dress you well, and they don't charge too nine's, either. Their suits are always well cut and made, especially "The PrestwoiS" suit, 'this is the suit you want them to show you. Ask them to show you a worsted suit they have at 55s—it's the hest we've ever seen. And when you've selected a Suit you'll want a new hat. They've straw hats from 2s lid in lirazilians and Tuscans, .Panamas from 15s to 55a, boaters from 2s lid to 8s Cd, hard felt hats from Cs 1M to 13s 6d. "The Kash" is just below Nolan's, auctioneer, Devon-street, New FlymQutli,—» Advt, ... ' i ,

Thomas Mitchell, at one time proprietor of Aramoho Meat Freezing Works, and who for several years was engaged successfully in lawsuits, including a Privy Council appeal case against the Xew Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company, has been adjudged bankrupt. This is the first bankruptcy in Wanganui since July.

One result of the coming into force of the provisions of the new Gaining Act was very noticeable at Wunguiuii on Friday, when the crowds which formerly assembled at the corners in the vicinity of the Post Office were conspicuous only by their absence. Although an important race meeting such as Feilding was in progress, the small army of "bookies" and their harpies which was v,-onf to infest the locality above mentioned had entire!v disappeared.

Bullets of paper and tallow have > '(■ en found to be productive of far C Xcater damage than metal when used i or short-distance firing. During some t 'xperimeiits in this direction it was 1 iroved that, whereas a metal bullet ' lenetrated a deal plank an inch in < Ihickness and left a neat hole, a paste- ' hoard bullet hail a far greater destine- ' live effect upon the target. A paper ! bullet passing through six pieces of (in placed at a distance of n font apart, buckled them u]i so as to be of no further use, whereas a metal bullet merely The latest idea is to break the tedium of the solitary honeymon by taking it in company with other couples on the same sweet errand. From a duet the honeymoon is to be turned into a chorus (observes the Manchester '"Despatch"). In the middle of November three smart weddings arc to take place on three consecutive days. On the fourth all three couples, who are, of course, intimate friends, all moving in the same I set, arc to meet in Paris, and to travel together to Egypt. From Cairo their purpose is to hire a dahabeah (houseboat) and to sail up the Nile as far as the second cataract. Maids and valets will accompany the parly. The three happy couples have imposed hut one restriction on their perfect freedom. It is: "Xo bridge before breakfast."

"Te Whiti was a fanatic, and a great schemer, but a man who was wonderfully well versed in the Scriptures," said thc'ltcv. W. Uittos (superintendent of .Maori missions) at a recent meeting in connection with the Methodist Synod, lteferring further to the noted .Maori prophet, Mr. Gittos said he sometimes felt ashamed in Te WhitiVs presence when hc began quoting the Scripture, such an intimate knowledge of it did the old Maori possess. On one occasion, when Scripture was being quoted, Te Whiti told him he knew the Bible hetter than he (Mr. Gittos) did. The latter replied, "It is true you have it in your head; .but you have not got it in 'your heart." He declared that Te Whiti-ism was now a thing of the past, and it was the Churches' opportunity to step in.

Speaking of Siberian produce, .Mr. Pierce Ereeth, who has just returned to Paluierstun North from ,a trip to Europe and Asia, mentioned one mterestiu" circumstance. He had been unable to get any suecilic information about recent shipments, but in ths course of inquiries made in Denmark and Kussia from those in a position to know (who «t the same time were inclined to be reticent), Mr. Ereeth ascertained that it was fairly certain that a very large amount of Siberian produce found its- way through St. Petersburg to Denmark, where it assumes the form of "best Danish. As far as one could see from the train m passim- through Siberia, the conditions nmler "which the industry are carried on are nut such as to lead to the assumption lhat Siberia will never produce better than a second-class grade. And if" Emdishmcn coi.ld see the insanitary conditions prevailing, concluded Sir. Frccth their would not be eager to encourage the importation of Siberian produce.

Mr. J. r. Murphy, formerly a farmer on the lhaia road, near Opunake, and at one time manager of Breach s farm, has recently been supplying a Olsbonie newspaper with some details of child slavery in the early days. Mr. Murphy tells that lie or Ins employer " used to employ little children living ia the neighbourhood at sis and (is a week. The children had to be out at four in the morning, have every cow out of the yard by 8.30, and then be at school at nine o'clock. . . •"' A child of eight

years was expected to milk at least ten cows night and morning. If they could not do that they would not be employed." Mr. Murphy then related .some incidents showing the extent to which his employer was prepared to go. The correctness of his information can be vouched for. But the statements made concern a period of long ago, and "are not applicable to present-day conditions: TCvlpji tjlien Mr. Murphy was a mueh-talkcd-of exception to the general rule. It is also true that in those days, and in exceptional cases, farmers descended to questionable practices in keeping up the standard of the milk supply. Neither Mr. Murphy's child slavery nor the tampering with testbottles indulged in by some nf the oldtime fanners would be tolerated now.

Oil' U.,1.11 tasi, SJje.llWllg letCllUy U " IIIC 1-U«L-I' Ui iAJliluULu-j Jil UIC lllllUU iwiigaoni, smu una Luc Lug causes wiiku prevented me siipieiu.uy ui luc ucmociacy ill Wat country were poveuy una ignorance, there was nothing inure dangerous lu a counuy Uian an lgnoiaui democracy. 11' they Had in Ihc country an instructed democracy, which know its interests and would iiul ue hoodwinked and bamboozled by the at'h ol politicians, there was no reason why ilic-y should not have here in Britain a population and a people like the Swiss or like the Aew Zcakuidcrs, living kapjiy lives, adding to lth\e ■strength and glory of the country to which they belonged. Une of the aciiievcinents was the Act for the feeding of children, but an objectionable feature was that the Act did not apply to Scotland. There was no city in the world where the condition of the children reiiuired more atention than in the City of Edinburgh. To the happy and healthy children of New Zealand no greater contrast could be ollered than the children of the lirassniarkct and Canongate. The Labour party, said Sir John Gurst, should take every possible care to prevent the party itself, or at all events the leaders, being swallowed up in other parties. They must keep themselves distinct. They must be social reformers and something else—Socialists.

1 llie Wellington "i'rcc Lams;" records 1 the adventure of a. Wellington aiieit- • chant who hud been to Aew I'lywouth 1 on a business trip, uud a part of the business was to go out in tlic harbour in u small buat tu examine the cargo of a certain steamer. Coming ashore iu a hurry, in order to catch tujtrain for Wellington, he stunned out St the boat without great euro, and got Wet up to the waist. As the train was starting immediately, he had no time to get other garments, and, indeed, ho had no luggage of any kind with him on tins Hying trip. Jlinvcvcr, as the train Imp pened not to be a full one, he was abk to get a compartment all to himself lie, of eouiw, was overjoyed, and iiu-

mediately divested himself of his wot double-ended garments, tied them with a piece of siring to the window-catch, and allowed them to float gracefully in the balmy breeze. What mischance occurred to fiay (he string, and so break it. is not known, but certain it is that when the ticket-collector came into Hie carriage to examine paste-boards, he found a business-looking gentleman silling huddled up in a corner with several daily papers wrapped round his respectable legs. The gentleman excitedly explained the circuinslancet) to lhe ollicial, who seemed suspicious, and, at the next station, called the village I i Malilo (o examine the mystery. This constable wan ii good sort of chap, anil took in the situation at a glance. He jumped on a liorsc, dashed to the police station, and lirotighl back a, pair of police uniform trousers, and in these the unsuspecting Wellington public saw Mr. Merchant stroll up Lambton quay as if nothing had happened.

The greatest sale of "job" goods ever held in Tarauaki ends positively on Saturday next at the Melbourne Clothing Company. Last chance for 3(j-inch slriped llannelctte at 5s lid dozen; 32inch white calico at 3s (id dozen; 30-inch calico, very strong, at 4s lid dozen; women's hollnnd cooking aprons at lid each: men's tweed working trousers, Is lid; men's saddle trousers, Cs Od, 7s (id, Ss (id; men's Jfew Zealand tweed suils, 21s; men's vicuna suits, 27s (id; men's saddle tweed suits, 355; men's nobby tailor-made suits at less than half your tailor would charge, at 47s 6d to 658,—Advt, -i-ii-,*

The Wellington Garrison Hand will not compete at the band contest in New I'lymouth. The young Jersey bull by Sultan of Oakland* recently imported from the island of Jersey by Messrs. Crilliths and Cornwall will be released from quarantine at Sonnies' Island, Wellington, today, and shipped to Xew Plymouth, to arrive here to-morrow morning. lllight is said to be rife among the potato crops in the Hull Valley." One I grower estimates his loss at x.MD. Another grower put all his money into potatoes, having to pay one item of X.M for rent alone, lie regards himself as a ruined man. His fruitless efforts lo save his crop are described by his neighbours as heartbreaking. The. department says it is unaware of the existence of the blight in the valley.

Captain McXauglit, organiser of the National League, who is at present in (Jhristchurch, informed a reporter thai it was possible that before the close of the next session a petition would be presented to Parliament, asking that a referendum should be taken on the question whether or not a system of universal defensive training should be adopted- If the result of the referendum was in favour of the proposal, legislation would be introduced to give effect to the will of the. people.

.uiius uci..es, lu waicn un; revolt, spoh.n of in yesterday's cables is said to nave occurred, is Uic mosi populous siaic oi Uie Brazilian Kepuoiic, and lies »nl.aid from Ksperilo Sauio and south oi i»aiaa. "Jl lie capital town, Ouro I'rclo, is about VM nulcs north of ltio de oaiieiro. it is crossed by several mountain chains, iiidi in metals, but j Uie mines have latterly been abandoned m Javour of agriculture. The area of the State is 220,10'U square miles, and the population 11,020,000. XSuliin, on the I norm, extends to the Atlantic Ocean.

Its capital, also named liahia, is the second city of the ltopublic, and possesses a splendid harbour. Kio Grande do Sul, whence comes the leader of the expedition, is the southernmost province of Brazil, bounded on the south by Uruguay, A Pahiatua resident claims to be rcceiwng a return 0 f X'J per month in eggs iroiu his poultry iarin, writes the Dominion's \\ airarap.i. correspondent. Asked if ho was making a prolit, when price of wheat was considered, lie said, "Yes," and tliat he had. bought wheat early in the season- A sceptic, who has also gone into poultry, and with ilis-' astrous results owing to various reasons, considers that the, Pahiatua resident has told an extraordinary story. To make ffla month, with eggs at Is ,a dozen, he has to received toll from his hens at the rate of 42 eggs a day, including Sundays, which should really be days of rest for the barnyard. The resident must have over 200 fowls, in order 'that some of them may have a little leisure, instead of eternally sitting on nests. "If h c has not 200 hens," concluded the sceptic, "ho is sweating them, and should be brought up under the Act."

The following remarkable letter has been addressed to the Otago Daily Times by Dr. E. Truby King, medical superintendent of Seaelill' Asylum, from which institution Lionel 'Jerry recently escaped, regarding comment on some pictures painted by Terry which were on view in a Dimcdin shop:—".Mr. Terry has, unfortunately, placed himself in a position which causes people," though it does not entitle them, to speak, write, and act as though he had neither understanding nor feeling nor sensibility. The fact that a man of strong conviction* and intense earnestness of purpose had felt impelled to act, and has acted, in a way which gained him entry to a hospital fur.mental diseases affords no excuse for insulting public references, which can do nothing but harm. It i-, not reassuring to lonely women in the back country to read alarming and suggestive articles representing as a particularly dangerous type of criminal a in,!n who in reality is a singularly kind and courteous gentleman, who 'wWild never dream of molesting or harmim* them in any way." °