LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 117, 8 May 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

I The izar has ;i >ingle c-t:»covering over HIO.OIIIUIUO a'Te.-> --lha t i>. about throe times tin- entire area of England. At a wedding in Woodville tin* oilier day, the Kev. .Innii'N l':ithe eiating minister, put the usual question fo the prospective bride. but she answered, "I will n<n promise to obey.'' Our old ami esteemed friend (says the Alanawaiu Herald, 111 relating the incident) had perforce to alter tin- ceremony to meet tlie wishes ot tlie bride. Ai ilm» further hearing al Uawera of the charge against John Adams, nalive interpreter, of having 'omjuitted rape on KaUierine O'Keefe. i)r. Brown deposed in having examined the woman in (|ue-liou. It wn> impossible (o say whetlier the oJVence had taken place, but there was nothing to >how that it. had. Tlie accused, having been formally charged. said ho wa* not guilty, and was committed for trial at the sitting of Iho Supreme Court on ii!)th June. Mr. Welsh asked for the -ame bail apreviously allowed. Serj-oant liernard offered no objection, and the request warranted. —Star. Mr. T. E. Donne. says that the chamois presented to the New Zealand Government by the Jimporor of Austria, and liberated at Mouut Cook, are in splendid condition at present. During the time he was at Mount Cook a large red deer stag, supposed to have been driven in by the shooting in the vicinity of Lake Wanaka. crossed the ranges near the Hermitage.

The conference of delegates from the Carrington, Eliot, and Frankley-road districts to consider the best means of securing a reduction of local taxation will be held next Monday. The Pa tea Hospital lias received a

legacy of £2UU from All'. W. Kapler, who died in England a few months ago. Mr. Napier used to reside in tlie I'atea district sum, leu years ago. it is state' that there i K sonic proba-

bility of the Railway Department being compelled to extend tlie New Plymouth railway yards seaward to cope with the increasing traffic. The report, however, lacks official confirmation.

The teachers' Saturday classes in first aid and physiology at the Technical School (Dr. Fookes, instructor) will in t ii lure lie held from II a.ni. to 1 o'clock. The railway station at tlie new J/'pperton junction is Hearing completion. There was no (steamer for Onehunga la.sl night, but the Union Company are despatching tlie Penguin this afternoon at 2 o'clock. She is taking the Takapuna's place meantime. The connecting train will leave town for the breakwater at i..'JO [i.iu. 10-day. \ csterday morning in the Magi--trate's Court Andrew MeGonaglc was 1 lined IDs and 7s coi-ds. in default 24 hours in gaol, on a charge of obtaining intoxicating liipior during tlie currency of a prohibition order. Sergeant Haddrell, who conducted the prosecution, stated that this was the second offence within two months, "Tlie weasel i,s the best friend the fanner has got," ivas the rather startling statement made by Mr. •). Wolfe at the meeting of thc'Selwvn County Council on I'riday. lie proceeded to say that lie had never killed one, anil neither ho nor his poultry had ever had cause to regret his forbearance. Tlie experi- , ence of Mr. R. Ilea ton Rhodes was alto- • gcther different, as he stated that , weasels had accounted for a gross of

his chickens in oue night. A well-known pig authority in the I Jlanawatu told a newspaper representative that he believes it pays a dairyman to fatten pigs on new milk. He has tried the experiment with one pig, anil has discovered tliat instead of having to wait seven months until the pig was fat, it turned the scale at market weight in five months. Even at a lower price for bacon, he was convinced that a man living a long distance from a creamery, when taking into consideration the time and labor involved in getting to anil from the factory, could not do better than give his milk direct to the pigs.

There are a few individuals about New Plymouth commonly designated "bar loafers" whose existence is alike a nuisance to the public and to the publicans. There arc also one or two socalled "respectable" tipplers whose conduct becomes obnoxious immediately they "smell a cork." A few only of these have interviewed a magistrate with a view to keeping themselves oil' licensed premises where they are not, wanted, so the licensed victuallers ot the town have resolved to issue "prohibitions" on their own account. A black h I is being compiled, inclusion on which will curry all the penalties of a prohibition ul'der.

The Her. Edward Walker, after a n tiuh of the I'uslonis and e\ci^ c returns, computes that New Zealand spent .007,258 more in 1907 than in 190U on alcoholic liquors. He says that as much ot the liquor is "purchased over the bar by the glass at it much higher rate, than at per gallon, besides being often increased by dilution, adulteration, etc., to «ay nothing of increase by illicit, manufacture lrom essences, excise frauds, and the like, the actual total is much greater than the figures indi- | cate, probably not less than £500,000. The increase on the Customs and excise Imsia pans out at 4s 8d per head o£ population.

The Education Board, in view of the popularity of the plumbing classes at the New Plymouth Technical School, recently urged the Education Department to erect a special classroom for the plumbing pupils, or rather to provide (he C3-I0 required for the purpose. The liispector-tieneral of Schools has written stating that the Minister considers the needs of New Plymouth in the matter of buildings for manual and technical instruction have been generally provided for liy the Government and that any addition,, to the school should, as fiir as po.-sible, be provided for by local contributions and the subsidy available thereon. The Minister therefore regrets that lie is unable to grant the application.

The news tlnit Mr. Kerr will proceed Home to take part in the pedestrian event- at the Olympic gathering should prove interesting to 'i'aranaki people. Kerr is a Tariki man. lie ha- been walking for .some years, and although now one of the best amateur walkers in Australasia, a few years back he was getting starts when competing against professionals. In this connection it ma/ not be generally known that there is an Ultham fanner, Mr. Arthur Coleman (says the Argus), who lia.s repeatedly given Kerr good starts and a heating over several distances. Had Coleman kept in the ''limelight" he would have made a name for himself and the colony, as ],is times were superior to those established by Ivcrr.

A large area of land in the Seaward liush district, Southland, swept by the great lire of over twelve months ago now presents a better appearance than ever liefore. A recent visitor to the locality (says the Western Star) states that most of the sawmills burnt liavc been erected again. The Railway Department has erected new stations where the old ones were demolished at Wailnatua and Tisbury. Grass has been sown over the burnt areas, and although -oiiie of the settlers were heavy losers, the lire lias no doubt done a lot of good, and but lor its occurrence a large area of land which is now used for grazing purposes would liav c been unproductive, especially in the once heavily scrubbed district around W'aimatua.

The lion and the lamb.—Replying to a requisition asking him to stand for .Napier, Mr. Vigor Brown said it was satisfactory to know that his business knowledge and experience' were so appreciated that, although he was connected with the wine and spirit- trade, men prominently identified with the temperance movement lind joined in asking him to stand. Those who really knew the position and were acquainted with tlm facts would rceoguise that the liquor party and the teetotallers were to a very great extent on till! same platform, lie believed that at least 'JO per cent. "I those engaged in the trade would join with the temperance people in an I'tulravur to hare it properly regulated and controlled. It would be ill their interests, and be believed that in a few yem*' time the two parties would have mi differences, Personally he would supporl the temperance party in all reasonable demands, but wished it to be dis-tiiu-lly understood that he would not go so fiir as to support confiscation without eompennatioii. Such a proposal he would strongly oppose.

The recovery in Germany of the Emperor of China's marriage contract, which was stolon from the Imperial Palaw at Peking during the occupation by tho allied troops in 100(1. is the culmination of an eight years' ,search by Chinese diplomats in every part of .the world. Tn February the Chinese Minister in Berlin received a letter from a village in South (lonnany saying that the writer was in possession of a large piece of yellow silk covered with Chinese characters. T], o writer stated that he had the inscriptions deciphered and that they proved to be the marriage contract of the Emperor Kwaugau. As proof he enclosed. a photograph. The Chinese Diplomatic Corps recognised tho truth o[ this statement, and handed the | letter to the German Foreign Oflice. Negoiiations have he ail conducted for a considerable time belween the "Foreign Office* in Berlin and Peking and the possessor or' the document, who claim* that its acquisition cost him groat pains and monev. fie declined to confess whenco h-.' obtained the document, but it is as. sinned that it wa- stolen from tli,. private apartments of the Empress after the occupation ot the Chinese capital by the allied troops. The contract bore the date of the Kmperor's wedding da v. I'Ybruarv 23, 1880.

THE 15 IEAKS 5 TESI. Fifteen years is a long test. Do you Ynnw of any other drench that has been ested for fifteen years? Do you !inow (hat. after fifteen years of testing Sykess Drench is used by over ftO per cent, of the dairy farmers oi : New Zealand? When you buy Sykes's Drench you buy the drench that has been tested for over fifteen years and ia used by al! progressive dairy farmers, Isn't it better to buy tlie he/»t? Remember that wh?n v-m buy Syk<»'*'s Drench you "hiy the MAKE SORE LUNGS WELL. Dr. Sheldon's New Discovery for roughs. Colds, and Consumption is the most wonderful discovery in medical science of the 20th eentruy. Tt is the result of over 20 years' chemical research of one of America's most prominent physicians, Dr. E. M. Sheldon, a graduate of tlie New York City and Bellevue University. No sufferer from lung troubles can afford not to try this remedy. Price, Is 6d and 3s. Obtainable everywhere.

it is estimated that 'there are about ltltltl acres of land under fruit cultivation in the Hastings district, and it is quite common for the grower to make from 15s to 30s per tree. One orchardist, who has been making between £3OO anil C4OO a year from five acres on. leaae-inperpetuity, .planted with apples, pears, plums, and peaches, has sold his goodwill" for i; the property being about a mile and itlialf from Hastings. Tile return of another grower from a pear orchard ten years old is £IOO per acre. One man gave £(!8 an acre for a peach orchard, anil cleared £IOO an acre in the first twelve months. This was, however, an exceptional return, the .net gain in peach orchards being usually from C!>o to COO an acre. It is ,-tiitod that the Frimley canning factory could absorb not only all the locally-grown fruit, but a 3 much again. Writes a correspondent to the I'oxton Herald:—lt has often been wondered bow our ancient river came to be named the ".Manawatu." 1 will explain for the enlightenment of the ignorant. Many years ago, when member Jack Stevefis was in swaddling clothes—and you may guess that wasn't yesterday—there was a. great gathering of Maori chiefs from the cities of Motuiti. Puratawhia, and Awaliou at a -put now known as the Sanatorium, wliich is Maori for "mixed bathing." the leading chiefs were holding a great korero. The subject of discussion \va„ the naming of our ancient liver. Thousands of dusky warriors encircled the orators. Hiding at anchor, over the bar, lay a llritish man-o'-war and a couple of whaling craft. The men of the sea observed the gathering, and were anxious to ascertain the cau*e, so thev came ashore. They were awestruck at Hie sight, their wondering optics bulged forth' as they watched the graceful movements of the ran<Jitira Speaker, but they could not interpret any meaning, -lock, a Scotch bluejacket eii"ineer, quoth to Sandy: "'Man, I am awa" (which, interpreted into the vul- ' gar, means: "1 am away.') Sandy implied with an air of disgust: "Man, 1 am awa, too! I hen up spuing tic great Motuiti chief, Apirama, and exclaimed: "Kapai! Kapai! Ma-na-wa-tu. Ma-na-wa-tu!" The. cry was taken up bv a thousand dusky warriors, and the earth shook beneath them as both feet came to the ground as the word was pronounced. A great feast followed, and 'lock was honored with the order of thi ••Rotten .Shark," and Sandy that o) "Kel's Tooth." _ Thus it was that oui nvi'r received its nuino!