LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 85, 30 March 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A representative farewell banquet is to be given in tho Oakura llall to-mor-row night to a number of well-known settlers who are leaving the district. The l.jOyds swimming championship of Taranaki eventuated at the local batlis on Saturday evening, and wis won by Pfankuch, C. Brown being second. The time was two minutes.

Jfc was remarked to a Carterton hutflhev recently how much more palatable meat is here in New Zealand a? compared with what is sold in the Old Country. ''That ia due/' he said, "to tho graes feeding. Grass is the natural food for cattle. In the Old Country too much artificial feeding is used, and of course there is uo real substitute for grass."

Owing to pressure of business Captain R. W. Hanierton lias found it necessary to relinquish uonimand of the Pate* Rifles. The position was considered at a, meeting of the corps 011 Tuesday night, when it was decided to disband. This decision (says tlio Press) is to be regretted, as the corps, which was 57 strong, was regarded as one of the most efficient ill the Taranaki Battalion. At a hostelry not. a hundred miles from the .Stratford post ollicc this morning (say» Friday's Post) a respected Magistrate rose from liis couch and sought the bath room. After indulging in the delights of the matutinal tub he returned to his bedroom and completed dressing. He then made tlic unpleasant discovery that his valuable iind highlyprized gold watch and chain were missing. It is supposed that some prowling •jeak-thief entered the house unobscrv ed and purloined the property.

Farmers in the Wailii (Waitara) district have experienced an excellent seaion. The drought, of course, affected the milk yields, but not to the samo extent as in some other parts of Taranaki. The crops, however, were excellent. One •etller took 3-j '/■ bushel* per acre from til acres of land which had been manured for turnips the previous year. In other years 2(1 bushels per acre had been about the average. The caterpillar got l*to the oat fteld» especially those | trhich had previously been iloun in tur- I nil*.

Wirth'- citcu- uml big crowd on Saturday night, the hu<re tout being more than crowded. The programme was a long and varied one. nearly as crowded as the tent itself, and it included 1 some it.uifadfV amongst the wild animals, in the arr. and in the ring. The horses and ponied wore cleverly directed through their tricks by finished acrobats, and jugglere and tricksters, trapezius and clowns, made up a, full and popular programme. The circus left the same night for Aucktefid, the .steamer being delayed for it* convenience.

During the hearing »f a claim at the Magistrate's Court. Christchurch, last Week, for funeral expenses, Mr. 11. \Y. Bishop. S.M.. made some sirong comments on the public sentiment that seema to demand ostentation in connection with burials. f'eople contracted debts that they could not pay in arranging funerals, and he was afraid that this undesirable state of affairs would continue until a Funeral Deform Association was termed to lead the public in these matters. The ease came before the magistrate because a man objected to pitying thy funeral expends of a woman with whom he had been living. He thought that the husband should "|wy. j

A bomb has exploded amount th< teeal bodies ill the country district*, «aye the Xew Zealand Times. Soma professional agitator lias been round forming the employer* of the road board* and comity councils into a union, and a demand has been formulated claiming for roadsmen and other workers C 3 Os 4'/-d per week, eight ho.i r i per day while working in drv pla™*, and six hours per day in wet place«, with preference to unionist?. Th« country > much perturbed *t the outlook. The Wairurnpa Daily Timei calls loudly for the abolition of the Artiitrntion and Conciliation Act. and S»n: "It. is intolerable thai a. district 'ike this should not be allowed to its own affaira, but that it should >e placed by an sbmird and ridiculous Arbitration Act at tlje mercy of Welliaoton agitator*. Both worker* and flUr plover* should kick against outside tyranny of this description." I

A Woodend (South Island) witness, giving evidence before the Conciliation Hoard, stated that ho hid no difficulty in getting work; in fact, the fanners "chased him" to do work for them. China b postal service, says a recent report, shows a rapid development since it was established ten years ago. There are now 2000 post offices in the country, and during tho past year the articles handled increased from 78,1X10,00(1 to 113,000,000.

The commander of the British Antarctic expedition has evidently gained the warm admiration of a married couple in Lyttelton. When their latent infant was christened a few days ago it was given the proud names "Nimrod Shackleton.''

In several (States in America, says the New Zoaland Farmer, there are as many ns 30,000 farmers connected with

the telephone at a coat of from £2 10« to £4 a year. Thus tlie telephone removes their isolation and links them up with everyday life. And yot New Zealand boasts of being up-to-date. New York will soon have the largest restaurant in the world, seating SOOO poople. It is to be built- on Broadway, snd .£200,000 has already been subscribed, The roof garden with real tress and turf, a fountain, and a fifty foot

lake, will be a reproduction in miniature of the famous gardens of the Trianon and Versailles. New Zealand had in 1896 one union of employers, its membership -being 30, and (15 unions of workers with an aggregate roll number of 8370. Ten years later, in December, 1000, there were registered under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 109 unions of employers, whose members totalled 33:17, and 274 unions of employees, embracing 34,978 Workers.

Swiss watchmakers are reported to be busy filling English and American orders for finger-ring watches. The ring watch, though little seen, is no novelty. The manager o£ an old watchmaking firm says that he Baw them more than

fourteen years ago. Queen Victoria had three or four. The simplest ones—a plain gold ring with the watch inserted —costs about £2O, hut with diamonds or other stones £IOOO to £2OOO may be paid for them.

Some amusing items of information were brought to light at the recent natural history competition held by the board schools of Lstncasshire. One boy lays "Cotvs are expensive animals, but don't cost much to keep. They livo on hay, soaked bread, and potater peclinV Another, in an essay, on the bull, said; "When a-livp it gives bovril in the same way that the cow gives milk." Another said: "Some farmers keep a bull to keep the cows in order." An amusing incident occurred during a motor trip King Edward took to Portslade-on-Sea just liefore the Inst English mail left. The absence of R number plate on the car caused a local policeman to shout (or the royal party to stop. The smiles rather annoyed the policeman, and lie boarded the car. He was promptly introduced to the King amid considerable laughter. With a hurried apology tho mail bowed politely to the king "and dropped from tho footboard.

A New Zealand engineering graduate recently visited the University of London, anil was shown over the School of Engineering. Here 1 was rather startled bv being asked whether New Zealand was not a- suburb of Sydney! The school itself was years behind our own nt Canterbury College. The staff points with pride to antiquated testing apparatus, now worn out, on which past researches have been made. Resides the equipment being considerably inferior to our own, the course itself was far easier."

Says a telegram to London on February 11 from Antwerp:—Six brothers, lwrn of the same mother in the same year, appeared before the astonished military authorities here yesterday to participate in the drawing of lots for compulsory service in the army. The case, which is probably the most remarkable on record, is explained by the fact that the mother gave birth to two sets of triplets in tho same year, the first set lieing born in .lanuary, and the second during the following December. . I» the course of a recent speech, Dean , Haekett, of I'aeroa, attributed (says . the Thames Star) the prevalence of t juvenile crime in New Zealand to tho absence of religion in the State sehoo -. The State, he said, had no religion, and secularists were managing the education system without it. The Roman Cath> Ijc Church was doing a grand work in the cause of moral education, giving tfil.OHO north of sound -eeular education to the Dominion annually, and geeting nothing in return. The dean held that if they satisfied the State and the inspectors they were entitled to some payment, for their results. They ive»e penalised because they taught religion to their children, but they would never abandon their schools or forsake their principles with regard to Catholic schools. Thousands of children, he said. , were passing through the public schools . with no religious knowledge. It was , a blot on the national system and Sunday teaching was only a makeshift. ( There has been some difference of opinion as to whether pony racing is covered by the Gaming Act of lust year, and a. Lyttelton Times reporter mentioned the matter to the Attorney-Gen-eral (Hon. Dr. Findlay). 'Tt is 'illegal to make a bet on a horse which does sot take place upon a racecourse," said Dr. Findlay. "A course is not a raceoourse if any race or sport other than a horse race takes place upon it. Hence, If a pony race is only one item in a programme that includes other events, betting on such a jionv race is illegal. I believe that there has beeu ail attempt to establish pony races as part of programmes in which there ore other events, and, if this is so, then belting on tlie races will have to be dealt with by legal process. Where pony racing is part of programmes outside of the recognised and proper racing clubs, no doubt the clubs themselves will take steps to deal with it under such powers as they liavo in the racing rules. An impression seems still to prevail that a bet may be made only on a racecourse, but that is not law."

With regard to the Seddon memorial nlwut to be erected in Wellington, the Post lias received the following criticism from a correspondent qualified to express an opinion:—"It is proposed to fleet a monument, about UOft high, consisting of plaster and base, the whoie surmounted by an allegorical figure. Ar each comer of the square base is an illdesigned animal, probably a lion. The monument is to lie built, of fcrro-coit-crete, faced with marble slabs, and anyone acquainted with building construction knows what this means. The first severe shock of earthquake will bring the marble facings down like so many slates. There is no [dace in the immediate neighborhood whence the memorial could lie seen, and from a distance ono could not distinguish the shaft from a chimney-stack. Taken as a whole, the design is unoriginal and inartistic, and far inferior to most of the memorials j to be found in any cemetery. It will i cost a considerable 311111 of mimey. and for abinit half the amount a design J might 111' procured for a really artistic monument, which would harmonise in size and character with its surroundings. ' c

An ex-Hawera man who lias settled in Vancouver, writes to his people that the severity of the winter in comparison with those experienced in New Zealand Ims particularly struck him. Short days, continuous wet, and severe frosts, and the terrible effects these have in stopping outdoor work, and throwing thousands of people out of employment, are commented on as? making life so much less pleasant than it is in New Zealand. The "yellow" trouble, he says, is very acute, and is likely toj grow worse, for the number of Japs is increasing, and they are in so many directions displacing white labor, owing to -the small wages they are willing to work lor. Hvon a white female servant is a rarity. A salmon fishery establishment on the Frasev river that at one time kept a thousand or two white men employed is nnw manned almost inclusively by Japanese. The feeling is I hat England is afraid of breaking with Japan, and that therefore it is difficult

in exclude the Asiatic immigration—that ItritHh Columbia is sacrificed to Imperial policy. Vancouver, he says, is a go-ahead town of about 80,000 people, but there is a considerable amount of crime and lawlessness in proportion j to the population. I

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