LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 48, 15 February 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"The growth of weeds is mi evil of absentee ownership," said the Commissioner of Crown fitnds yesterday. "The share-milker is the. moil unsatisfactory tenant it is possible to conceive," wrote .Mr. 0. A. Marchant in his report to the School Commissioners. A well-attended meeting ot ladies was held yesterday afternoon, the Mayoress presiding, and very comprehensive arrangements were made for the entertainment of the bandsmen at the garden party on Tuesday ill Hand Contest week.

Racial leeling runs high in Carterton. At a recent volunteer meeting a townsman of foreign oirth—a representative of a race of classic antiquity—was proposed and seconded as an honorary member of the Carterton corps. On the nomination being put to the vote a chorus of "Noes'' drowned the small minority of the affirmatives. Since the beginning of the present, year typhoid lias been very prevalent tlirougiiout the metropolitan district oi Sydney, and coiisideraole strain has coitstoiiciilly been placed on the accuiumrdauoii of the various hospitals. It is thought thai the extended period of dry weather has been largely responsible lor the unusually heavy list of patients. With the advent of the Band Contest and the great spurt in the street-clean-ing department, it may be well to n. mark that on the footpath opposite -Mr. Chohvill's on the Carnugton road there are projecting boulders, some of them fully ten incites out of the pith. As this is on the route, to the Recreation Grounds, it might be as well to modernise the track.

Two young men were yesterday lined in the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court tor having travelled from Onchunga to New Plymouth by the steamer Earawa without paying the fare. The stowaways were out-of-work chimney-sweeps, and, being given 48 hours in which to pay the fine, cheerfully went about their business of " 'weep, 'weep," to earn the cash that was to prevent their .serving 24 hours in gaol. Mr. A. It. Davis, postmaster at Pukcarulie, whilst helping in the work of deviating a road in the vicinity of White Cliffs the other day, came across what the local settlers believe are the bones of the horse the Kev. Whitcley was riding at the time of his murder by the Maori-. The horse, which was also Killed by the Maoris, is known to have been buried at the spot where it fell on the fateful 13th February, ISIiO. ■ At thin spot the remains were dis- ! covered.

Despite ihe fact that about 1800, all told, took part in the Stratford schools excursion, says the Post, there were no mishaps to chronicle. This reflects great credit on those who were entrusted with the railway and other arrangements. Had any of those gentlemen who have been bringing before, the people of New Zealand the question of child slavery in Taranuki, seen the hundreds of happy and healthy faces at New- Plymouth yesterday, their opinions would probably have Devil altered somewhat. Those racecourse parasites, the ' guesssers" were in evidence at the Hawern races on Thursday. Their tips attracted u stranger who followed up the advice tendered and put a note on Billow, who won the last race and paid a good divi" dend. The stranger gave a £5 notij to the "guesser," but the latter was not satisfied and with his comrades threatened to mob the man. The stranger gave a further £1 and then put up a cross-country performance to the train in convincing style.—Elthain Argus. Hoodlums have been at their games again on the Esplanade. It must be an inherent madness that urges these creatures to smash or deface the seats placed on the wayside for the convenience of visitors. A sojourn in the stone building behind Marslaud Hill should he an excellent antidote, and all rightminded people would be pleased to see the S.M. prescribing a fairly substantial dose, with perhaps a few strokes from the birch as a tonic. Tt remains for the police to produce a patient. When the GovernorVs party was visiting the oilworks yesterday,'Ladv I'luuket quickly detected that' the manager of the works was a native of Canada. At. the lirst opportunity Ladv Plunket nilorined Mr. Simpson that she. too. was a native of the land of the maple, being lt daughter of Lord Dufferin, a whilom Governor-General of Canada. "Well, well," exclaimed Mr. Simpson, m his breezy, frank style. -I took ray hat oil' to you as Lady Plunkct; I take it

oil' again to you as daughter of the grandest man that Canada- has ever had us Governor-General!" Thereafter Lady Plunket, who is anything but conventional in her manlier, and Mr. Simpson were, on tlie best of terms. Some Stratford young ladies had something to say on Thursday about the board that used to be a notice board near tlie Carringt-on road entrance to Ihe Recreation Grounds. They were nearly at the top of the Yogeltown lull, when, in answer to a question, a small boy told them that they had to return to the foot of the hill' to find the entrance to the grounds. And they went, through blinding dust. If they liad had the sense to walk over the two streets to the footp.ith on the eastern side of the Carrington road they would have seen a notice-board directing them to the gates. But as the white-painteu back of the board didn't indicate what was on the other side they did not see the index-linger. Whose business is ii to fix these boards? It is about time someone shouldered the responsibility. At the oilworks yesterday, the manager of the Tarana'ki Oil Company, in speaking to His Excellency the Governor about the dillicnllies associated with the. work of boring for oil at Moluroa. mentioned that one of the great Iroiibles they ha.l had to contend with was the defective nature of some of the casing. 1 lie piping, Mr. Simpson claimed, was no stronger than it was at the weakest pari, and they had had. to their great loss and inconvenience, several imperfect pipes. "1 believe in according patronage to liritishers so long as they turn

mil tin: article wit want, but f must -ay ihat in respect of piping for our purposes they full a good way short of till' (icrmans. There is a 21) pi>r cent. • lill'erenec in duty against tlic Herman J piping, Imt. hig as it is, unless the I J4i-Itl—li workmen (In their work more | faithfully. I will, through -!i«-*-r ueces -i! \ . have 1,1 inv ccnilpiiliv tci pay thi' dilVcivneo and gel'[he material thai we must have in oil-boring."' Jinipliiyeo- wlio nre prone in leave their employment without giving duß notice of their intentions should note the fate of a defendant in the Wiingauui Court the other day, in the case of A. Hatrick v. Stott. This was a claim for iiO in lieu of a month's notice. Defendant for some years worked for plaintill' us engineer on the steaine* Wairere, but during the latter Tialf o( last year received an injury which laid him up in the hospital for some time. On coming out of the hospital he offered to return to work, and was engaged. He, however, shortly nfter returned to plaintiff's office and stated that he was going to a job in Wellington. He was told that it would be necessary to give the usual month's notice, but he left the following morning for Wellington, leaving his employer in the lurch. The latter was compelled to lay the boat aside for over a month and to pay overtime to the other men to make two vessels' trips with one vessel. Over a month passed before another engineer could be obtained to take up the defendant's duties, thus causing considerable loss. The defendant, whose evidence was taken in Wellington, held' that there was no obligation on his part to give notice, hut the RM. did not agree, with him. and gave judgment for the plaintiff for the full amount claimed,' remarking tint he thought tne claim was none ton high wncll a ]imn ; n „„ engineer's position left a responsibility such as defendant's and thus threw everything out of gear A GREAT LAWSUIT DECIDED. The Supreme Court, the People, have , decided that Dr. Sheldon's New Dis- ■ covery wins against Coughs, Colds, and j Consumption. Price, Is ti and 3s. Ob- . fninnblp OTprfwhera. The services in Whiteley Memoriil i Church to-morrow will be conducted by I the "Rev. T. I '•. Brooke. Subjects: Horn- i ing, "The Fulness of God"; evening, t "Anarchy, or The Murder of King Carl3s I and his Son." Solo. "Thou'rt Passing i Hence." by Mr. V. Nowcll. Strangers ■' cordially invited.—Advt. e