LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 49, 17 February 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tin- Raraiva from Oneimuga I hi* morning iris the San Francisco mail on board.

The Kliham school excursion' to Xew Plymouth lakes place on Thursday. '2oth nist.. not the *271)1. a- previnuslv noti-. ficd.

The Nelson C-rtison I'.and will probably be the lirsir»f the bands to arrive in Xew Plymouth. Word has been received that they will arrive next Saturday morning.

A farm on the tapper road owned by Mr. 11. .1. Moverley, sen., and occupied by Messrs. Rust and Butler. was swept by (ire on Wednesday last. Kverything was completely destroyed, including the house and sheds.

"What have they done for thatV'' was ihe query of a member at ihe Moa Road Board's meeting on Saturday, when the chairman read the cost of revising the valuation roll for the year l!)0S-f>—C3 10s. "Very little.'' replied the clerk.

On Saturday Messrs L. A. Nolan and Co., instructed by (.he Public Trustee under the proy^itti 1 -, r/ Lands AcL They were purc"!i,'>cd by Messrs. Wooldridge and Roebuck at C 3.3 nud u:io respectively.

At the meeting of Hie Moa Road Hoard on Saturday a letter was received from Foreman Ho>kin to the effect that the bridge on [lie Bedford road had been damaged by (ire. The bridge would have been completely estroyed but for the prompt action of Messrs. Rust and Butjer, whose farm had been devastated by the tire. The clerk was instructed to write to them expressing the Board'* appreciation of their action.

in IS years (■rent Bn am added to her population more than the total inhabitants of the Dominion oi Canada and Newfoundland; in other words, near'y (5,000,000 people. From a hasty glan-e in these figures (says "Rural World' ) one might assume that agricultural production has correspondingly increased. Such, however, has not been the case. As a matter of fact, there are now 1,000,000 people less on the land: tlwre ore 1,620.000 acres less under wheat cu'. tivauoiv, aud there are 1,020.000 fewer head of live stock. Under a reasonable acononiic system, there should have been more jieoplc engaged on the land, more land under wheat, and more live stock, «o that the needs ol" the growing population might be supplied.

| Writing in the Westminster Review, ! Mr, Hartley Williams mate some astonishing and sweeping statements in regard to the English public school-boy. He comments as follow*: —Turning for a moment |o tho subject of moral culture. it is with deep regret that one {eel* compelled to add that the code of moral* in the large majority of our public schools is not a high one. and that the standard of morality is dis* tinetly low. ft is neither necessary nor advisable to go into detail; anyone who has spent some years of his life in a publie school, and many a master, who by some fortuitous occurrence has been enabled to penetrate the screen which veils the inner life of a public school, c;innofc conscientiously deny the truth of this lamentable allegation- Purity, honor, ehivalr-v, pity, and moral courage are not among the attributes which are to lie found appertaining to the large majority of boys at any of our large public w-hools."

The death of Mi's Julia Ladson recently in the New Brunswick Hospital. Brooklyn, recalls a remarkable instance of heroism. Mrs, Ladson had blood poisoning, atnd it became necessary to ampul ale her leg to save her life. It wafound. however, that >bei was too weak to undergo an operation. 4 The Rev. Dr. John I.e\\i> Clark. thc\'ongtegrttional minister who recently became the subject of much criticism for performing the marriage of Mr. William KHis Corey and Miss Mabelle Oilman, had been praying with Mrs. Ladson in the hospital and was about to leave, when one of the surgeons in attendance ;'iinouuced that transfusion of blood was the only chance the patient had. Mr. Ladson oOVved himself, but tbe surgeons declared that he was not in condition. Dr. Clark, who is an athlete, thereupon said he would take the husband's place. He was warned that if a drop of the wo- J man's blood got in his veins medical -kill eotild not save him: but be persisted in his determination, and declined to take an anaesthetic or even to have his face covered while the operation wti< in progress. One of his small arteries w u connected with "Mrs. Ladou's. and for two lie watched the surgeon's operate. Mrs. Ladson rallied after the oneration. and the doctors wrn hopeful of her recoverv. Dr. Clark nflnrwiu'ds *aid:~T had been telling' Mrs. Ladson how ChrM had died to save men. when, without w -ming, the test was pn( to mo whether Or not 1 had the courage to live up to niv teacllni'?s. Tf T had failed to mike good and t ne woman hail died. T would never hip"'" l forgiven AV nnh| | lilV e branded wvidf a- the u'orsl kind of hvpo. cri'i<\ M

we, <!o\--s ciKKTinfi? iM'ny voi,\tttt: tchpai.yptt kv"""r *''•'« nmrwl lv „ vtwr u M tt,« r..nrf nf Victoria to possess f-HMiiv.. wnpertins noouliiivlv if? nivn "•••I 10 *• <""<'WniHv ilwnl.ilolv wife. «nv. r .hy,.. nn,l roliaWn for internal n<e I •!') not, :\<»rrravni p rnnr cniv nl-iint l,v tlio i.so of nnc nf tli? inniiv Ivi.lin nils whifli nre now ivil.iml off ns "TMrank." or nil lev fwr l,„f j lKfo |. >j |p crvctvf. swrvrcrt Axn sn\s' eti. r ' M.VPTT KXTR.Mrr nml nil nlliovo l ? nr ivrinltli*. smilmni. pimp'os. M:ifl>lir>ncls. fivi-Mos. ermtwl lnnrK ,lrv ftr-1 infbnuvl sl-in -i«o SAVTWiR AW W\"S' Srpp.RTtA RTCTV TOOT). \n My slimilil 1,0 witlinut it. Allays irritn t ion : lirinps beauty to prow f»«« and bam 1 . Chemists an 1 stores.

The- Masterton hairdressers hav« de-1 cided to raise tlie price of haireutting for adults from sixpence to one shilling | on and after Ist .March. Tlu: charge for cutting children's hair will remain the Ha me as usual—namely, sixpence. The decision, it is stated, was arrived at on account of the shortness of the employees' hours, the cost of labor, and j (he high rate of living and rents. It I wa.i further decided to close the hail'- | dressing saloons and shops at 8 o'clock I on week-nights, except Thursdays, and at 10.30 o'clock on Saturdavs.

The matter of sending a team of isew j Zealand footballers' Home to play a series of matches against (dubs of the -second division of the League has of late been brought under the notice of the Football Association, London, by Mr. -I. Uiehardson, of the Auckland Football Association. A reply has iu-t been received that .Mr. Wall, of the English Association, will be very pleased to render any assistance lie can, but thai lie cannot ask his association to consider the matter until he knows \vheth n r the proposed tour is to be ollieially recognised by the governing football authority hero. The ipiestion will in ail I probability be considered by the I ciatiou at an early date.

The new scheme of elai->ilicalion in the railway service seems to be working very well, says Mr. .1. T. }f. Hornsby, M.P. There has been hardly lime to fully lest the position: the Act oniv went through at the close of last session, but (me important point has already arisen. Provision is made thai every married man shall get a minimum salary of .-Cl3O a year, and the question is whether this is intended to apply lo both first and second divisions of the service. If it Is to operate only upon the. lirst division, Mr. Hornsby thinks it will be making an invidious distinction and will cause a great deal of dissatisfaction. lie has approached th° Premier in regard to the matter, asking for a statement as to the position. What must >ur<dy be the very highest price ever paid for broad in N;*w Zealand. if not. in the whole world, is recorded b.v the "Matanra Knsigu in a biographical notice of .Mr, 1). McLei*h. a well-known resident of (iore. who died lasi week. " Mr. McLei*h, M savs the

■' Knsign/' "came over to Dunedin in !S(il at. the first of the gold rush, and went up to the Dmitslan, where ho started business at his trade. Wo growl 'it the price of Hour nowadays, and the 4lh. loaf is considered at famine pri.*o when it exceeds (id. Mr. McLeish had to pay I'l2o a ton for hi* flour on tho diggings in those early times- - C2O in Dunedin and CI DO cartage to his bakehouse. In return he charged 10s per loaf."

After spending half his life in prison or under police supervision, (lerolamo Pastjuale, at the age of forty-nine, finds himself through the death of an auir, the owner of a great fortune and the proprietor of'villas at Como and at (iravodono. lie got his la-st sentence, one of four years' imprisonment, in HMlfi. While he was working in the prison colony on the island of Lampedu.>a, news came (the •'Mail" says) of the death of his aunt, Oinseppina Poaliggia, to whom it was found he wan direct heir, lie was released, and ban married a widow, and passed the ilrst days after his marriage luxuriously in Como. Soon, however, ho became homesick for Lampedusa. where he returned, and passed the greater part of his honeymoon in sight of the place as he had toiled as a convict.

Dick Arnst intends leaving Australia for Wanganui. He has already deposited C2."i in Sydney for a match against Webb in the event of the last-mentioned winning his match against Tresidder, at Wanganui. Arnst is now making arrangements for a match with Tresidder in case he wins, and is going to Wanganui with the object of putting up the necessary deposit of CIOO. He will remain at Wanganui until the match between Webb and Tresidder has been decided, and will, in the meantime, keep in training. Arnst has been approached by several vowing enthusiasts in the Clarence river district, New South Wales, and asked to race for them, as (hey are of opinion that he is the coming champion of the world. It is reported that they have offered him .-C3 per week and other inducements to take up h's residence in the district. Arnst. whose rowing weight is 14st. !01b., at present weighs lost, fill)., and has never felt so fit. and well in his life.

The customary apologist has arisen to explain "away the complaints as to the discomforts suffered bv v frayMle\is..Q_n -•ftfcnh'fe" HWaW. "It "Is officially stated (says the New Zealand Times) that "complete arrangements are made for proper attention to lavatory cars, anl the tilling of cisterns, and the attention generally that is to be given f o carriages while on trains"; further, that "inspection is made by Hie guard, and also by the traflie inspector, or other officers specially told oft' for that purpose''; and that it would be quite impossible to clean or dust the trains while they stood at the stations. All this goes to prove what a resouvceless department the -State railways has become. We repeat that the carriages could and should be kept clean and sanitary, especially where they are employed on long journeys. The condition they are allowed to get into on the New Plymouth-Wellington section on some days is positively disgraceful.

In the course of a conversation with a Standard reporter with regard to the high prices of butter now obtaining, a dairy expert at Palmerston gave it as his opinion it wduld pay the various factories* better to sell their lmtter in the colony instead of consigning it to the Home market, as they are all doing at present. Asked as to the reason, he stated that the whole point lay in the fact that although factory managers were at present receiving cable advice fo send as much butter Home as possible, there was no guarantee that the same high prices would be ruling when the shipments arrived in six or seven weeks' lime. It was altogether a matter jf uncertainty, and in his opinion it was far better to sell the butter locally at about Is per lb. than to send it Home on the chance that the market would remain as high as at present. He stated that at about the time shipments which are at present I wing sent from here arrive Home the Danish and Siberian butter will be commencing to come in, and there is always a probability of if* affecting the market.

Tho January Windsor Magazine is a notable New Year issue, showing no falling-oil' from the lavish value and variety of the, recent Christmas Num* Im'V. It contains the second complete story in the new series in which Sir Gilbert Parker, M.P., returns to the Canadian local color with which his earliest successes were identified; and a delightful story, complete in the one number, by F. Marion Crawford. Other distinguished writers who contribute short stories are Justus Miles Fornun. Orme Agnus, W. A. M. tioodr. and Kramer Rivers; and the strange carer of Robert 'Mait's new hero, "Young Lord Stranleigh." is i-iirried a stage further with auother complete episode. Barry rain is represented in his most whimsical mood. The articles include a most interesting account by Sir Harry If. Johnston, fI.CVM.d.. K.C.TI., of the sup- : pression of the slave trade in British , : Contra) Africa, which is accompanied by ! some very striking illustrations, and Charles C, D. Roberts contributes another of his fascinating studies of animal life. "Photographing Speech" is the title of a paper on. tbe latest experiment* in this direction, Avhich is accompanied by many illustrations of the technicalities of this remarkable process; and the fine art feature of tho number is entitled "Some Themes from History and Romance" and includes many admirable reproductions of notable pictures by Seymour Lucas, R.A., Frank Dieksce. R.A., and other distinguished artists. Altogether the number is one of infinite variety, effectively illustrated bv much admirable art.

Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (First and Second Groups) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable today at the Secretary's Office, Curriestreefc, from 9 a.m. to 12.30, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 0 p.m.—Advt.