GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 308, 3 January 1908, Page 4

GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

Per Pre«a Association. | Carteilon, 1 Steady r-.in is failing. JUe cuuuuy lia* dried and parched, and the crops aw suffering. In several cases farmers have turned in «tuck to eat the oat crops, which are \oo low and poor to cut. Turnip crops in many cafces have withered, and farmers arc sowing again. Hokitika, Tuesday. Thomas Daly, ex-chairman of the County Council and Utplv overseer for the Public Works Department. died thn morning from beari failure the 1 of a bicycle ride from South Vostbnd, whence lie was returning for the holiday?. Ofahome. Tue«dnv. The \tif-M.ind yacht \riki. in charge of C. K. J}"rton (owner) and a party ff yafht-nien. which cronndt'd nt ToVi™oa Rav ' n Saturday mVM n 11.? w.i-s driven in- the Iwaeh. i* -t Hi h.' ir d fa*f. Two attempts made by the l"ni«n C..i«panv'- Tuatea to pull her off wen* nn'tiee^-ftiT.

i Auckland, Tuesday, j ! Captain .lolinstonc, an officer; of ih.- I)riti-h Army, left for Wellington j W the i i i.nivi route yesterday in a ! lour.iig car Uuilt for the journey by a j ' local cuJth building firm. The captain | and ais party intend to tour the cutout, j viiU.uy the various tourist resorts and j sp<Jumg and lishlug resorts. Tile car..I tail 13 Handsomely lit ltd out. Wellington, Ti'e>day. j It is understood that the Uovernineut | has terminated the contract for the ex--1 tension of the old Parliament 13nliding>. IT he tender was £21,300, and the work had gone on for six months. Xapier, December o t.

The engine driver and guard who took the early morning train trom Waipuktirau to Dannevirke last Friday have been suspended. It seems that the train was scheduled to cross a sheep special at Aiangatera, but failed to v.aii there, ami ran right on to Dannevirke. Fortunately the sheep special had been delayed by shunting at Dannevirke, though it was about to leave when the Waipukurau tram steamed in. A collision was thus averted. A preliminary enquiry was held by responsible officers ot the Department at Waipnkurau on S itur- | day. The result was forwarded on to i the General Manager and the Minister. The men are old, steady, ami reliable servants, with between sixteen and j twenty years' -service. They oiler no ! excuses, admitting that they (|Uite oveij looked or forgot the crossing stationI Auckland, Tuesday.

The year's rainfall in Auckland was ;A inches, the heaviest ever recorded. The previous record was 53 inches in IS)3. At Waihi the rainfall is re|iorted to have exceeded 118 inches for the year.

HEWS BY MAIL. A CLKVKK FISH, in the Eastern seas, from Ceylon to Japan, there a little tisli, be longing .'j lilt: genus Lhoetodon, which .. cure- it. prey by means of an instruiiii n: 'ike the Munpijie by boys lor projecting pea-, "ine iH-.-e ot the lish is a --in u: beak, thro.tgh which it has the po'vvr ut propelling a drop of water with force enough to bring down a fly. L- aim is very accurate, and it rarely ii;i~.~cs its object. The unsuspecting victim >it- on a weed or tuft of grass near the ivater, the fih approaches cautioiir.lv, -Wullhlly projects it• tubo. takes a suit aim, ami lets llv, when down drops the in-_it, to be swallowed by its captor.

- _ RATING LKJOS AN I) HOUSES. Jii i9W there were slaughtered for fixxi in tiie Kingdom of Saxony 12,'J-2 bur»i'i and 3j711U dog?. This was an increase ul ill hordes and 133 dogs over the year IIXM. ill Ibe whole empire in l'jutf, according to the " Fariu Magazine/ there were slaughtered tor food iai,UW hordes, and it is estimated that about 7,UUO dogs go into food in the empire annually. "Horseflesh is very generally advertised in the Herman newspapers, especially in tho.-e of the large Industrial centre-,' .-ays Luited states Consul lift, " and mo-t (Jernian cities have at lea-t one market which makes it a specialty, claiming for it a h'gher percentage of nourishment ihan of ♦ itner beef, veal, mutton, or pork. Neither is it unusual to find advertisements <•: dog meat or for the purchase of dogs jor slaughter. Nor is it possible to read i Ik* German newspapers for any length ••i time without coming to the conclusion :.iat a great many dogs are killed and ..•aten tiiat do not give up their lives aU ier •vitk'ial News items ung t.ic L.tiv- 'r;ai, coutijtion, _u.-ium.ui -u- v. iiiipriaou 'icui ul .-.i, .iiai ".u .»»i- .mil eaiJJig dog- , u .. t ...,sue fc ;ui-.a vuiu . .u. k c\:,. l/'J not

MiC/ aj/p«.»uc<4, lU tuc UJcii lO allotVc'l - U • uarge u! Njyr.iiK'y. Lvhfllaolf.T Muiiiford Mid Walkei .said that acvUsed v.ua ot hUliy habits, uud u.i«j -never bevu known to work. He iie*|uently slept out, and =tole anything ;a.it caiue within bio reach. The old man, alter a lengthy croserKJiiiiivjlion of the con.->table-> a> to his ->ueces;» in marine dealings, out oi which lie .-aid he earned sufficient to live, in* lornied tin? bench thai he cauie to the ■State in ISoO, and had been for over eighteen yc.tr-, mauagcr of the London UuiU'ivd lkmk at .Maryborough, besides on uj.ving a -imilar jiosition in various ot Victoria. "1 have also fought i<i tin* Ciimean War," ejaculated iieale, a-~uiiiin;r <|uite a dignilied attitude. Mr. Koop»h. S.Ai.: It is regretted to -er you in >m h a degraded state in your »ild ag-. Jt would be a charity to send \«»u a«ny to get a wash. Anu-ed replied thai iie took a warm bash twice a week. Kol*.rt Lovig said accused received from «W to Gd per day from him for -»! d iron and ragb purchased during the last two months. Mr. Keo«rh (to accused): You know (id a day is uot enough for you to live im. Accused leonipiaceutly): 1 tan live very comfortably on lid a day. your Worship. A'-ciwd wa- M«nlenml to twelve month-"' imprisonment. News of tli" World.

SPY TKAININt;. j Tli** Japane-i* ivali-e that a great deal ] depend- oil China. China. say traveller.-- ! in the Far Ka-i, is the key te the future :of A-i.i, perhaps 01" Kurope a No. So f th«» enlightened neighbour takes preto get the he-t intelligence that Cliinamen have to olier. The Daily tiraphj - ha- gi\eii us a description of a -chool founded to train ynunj» Japan in ! everything calculated to .-ecu re the preponderance of hi* eouiitry in China. Among the lesson* he is taught is that of spying- for thi* is what it amouin--10. though far finer names might be given it. The Japanese boy in instructed in all manner of Chine>e curiosities, and one of the lessen concerns the turning of into the semblance of the "heathen Chinee." Pupils intended for political investigation grow their hair I bmg in order that when the moment ] for aetiori arrive* it mav be twisted into I

! pijrMil. T!» • trun-forniation, wc aro a--iuvd. i- perrwt ami complete. X.i- . tnn» h.ivji.ir with the ntnio-t considera- ' li«»ti arranged tin* racial characteristics 1 of dapane-v and (.'him** on a similar plait. Heading of this school, and re- ' tin? of tin- Japanese #.pte« in the recent war, we (St. ; feel somewhat relieved that Nature ha« imt helj>ed our ally by making hi?* features transformable into KurojH-an rdiape. It may l>e a delusion, hut one !>i'K it would 1k» impossible for an Oriental built on the ordinary Oriental plan to ju-!j a> a Kuropean. Tsut we need not (Hinder *ueli points. The U confined t«i China, and China mii-t friiard itself -if protection br nece-sa ry.