LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 127, 20 May 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

m On Moiidav. Mav 2., th. no will be h-ld .11 ihe Te.-hni.-al School. On Salurdav. 2:jrd iust.. no teacher.-.' clasps will be held at New I'lynioiith or Siratl'iird. The postponed class,-; will be hcli! on June lilli. The New I'ivmonth I'.mployeiv,' A-')-eiali.iii invilc ihe tradesueople to »b serve Monday ne\t (Empire Dm) a- a whole holiday. The lion. Dr. I'in.llay will deliver ~ political adilr-i-s at Wanganui next Friday, dealing specially with Labor and ihe Arbitration Act.—Press wire. A team of draught players from Ellham visit New Plymouth on Thursday to try conclusions with the local club. It is expected (hat eight men a side will take part in the contest. A scared and diminutive piece oi liumanily filtered tin- witness-box at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, in answer to Mr. Fitzherbert, he wiid he didn'l know the nature of an oath, never went to church or Sunday school, and he reckuned that if he told a lie he would be punished by his school teacher. "I think it's a case for Bishop Xeligan," remarked a solicitor in the ease. "Another pagan." A cat-c of interest to shopkeepers was decided at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon, when Mrs. Edith Ilea I sou proceeded against the Minister of liailwavs. claiming 12 15s. the value of a piece of carpet deposited on 271 h Novc.ml.cr. I "JOT. on behalf of the plaintill'with the defendant, at the cloakroom .it the New Plymouth railway .station, ami lost by the defendant. Mr. I'\ K. Wilson acted for the plamtill' and Mr. U. Kerr for the defendant. For I lie plainliir il was s(at,.,| lliaf the piece of carpet was bought by her at Mr. Baker's lasi November ami s,-nl to Ihe parcels olli.-e. When she called f„r ifuexf dav [ the package could not lie found. Tibr linn,, errand !„,y subsequently identified one of the clerks as the person lo whom he handed Ibe parcel, but be said Ihe par-.d. were s„ many (hat he could iinl hope |„ remember about it. That '••marl; mis heard bv Conslable Howlands, win., accnmp.uii-il (be errand-hov. and his „worn statement in the box gave (In- baluiee nl' evidence in favor of the pliiulilf. niiiiiit-l the positive denial of the railway dork Ihat he had ever seen Ihe parcel. Judgment was for the plainliir lor (he amount claimed J and i'l 17s 'ld costs.

[ Firo-prevention schemes were discussed last night by the ratepayers of the Carrington lioad district, 'it was recently pointed out that there was over iJO.nOO worth of buildings in a comparatively i-mnpact area of Yogeltown. and there wa- no means of eheckin" an outbreak of lire. There were fuiir"pri-'■ately-ow i„ the ,„',;., street, but „., p,rmi-i„„ l,„i been ob--0;'1"i,'"1" 1 '.'.'•"""'.'"' ";"'•'' i 1 '"" 1 " , " li " 1 '- purpo-es. and no appliances, auvhow Io utilise that water. A committee wa-

[ fci't u]i n fortnight ago to report upon the best method -of protection .'i<rniiis: fire, and Mt. 0. \i. Browne last "night submitted a verbal report. There were two themes worthy of consideration. The fir-si was th,. lormalion of a voluntary (ire brigade. .Ik had 1,,-en don.- will, meat -11-,, .it l-'it/rov. For that purpose nun would need (~ be ,-aiscd. I lie other project w.i- to endeavor to

have the bonndarie, of the New l'lvmouili fire district extended to include \ogeltow„ and the formation of a -mad brigade of. „;,>-. live men. to deal with incipient lires aim to keep dames in chock whilst ii„. |, m -„ hrjga,!,. W|lS reaching the scene. Of course, an annual subsidy WOllld have lo be paid. II IVilpointed out in the di-cu-ion that this would naturally follow the absorption of W.'oltmvii by il„. borough, if tbat took phiee. and tin- prospect was urged as an argument in favor of nienrinninto Yew Plymouth, involving as il would a saving in insurance rates. After mini- discussion it was decided to defer consideration until after the completion

of l-lir present proposal In niter boundaries and reduce I taxation, Br advertisement in in.-,!1i,.r column readers are advised thai the Rev. .laaies Flanagan will pay a return visit In N'rw Plymouth mi Mav 27Mi when lie will deliver his farewell lecture. "Snapshot* ill loii.lon Shim.." The lerture will lie illustrated wiih ;1 l : i]-rre number of limelight views denicl in" ■ London shim life.—Advt. j I The Melbourne {'hit llilll,. ('olinnnv I make a specialty nf tailor-made -aiil* fur j youths as well as for men. Tie l present | sllOWllI" of U'el'sterl :1 M.[ I Weed slliU ie superb, and in =|..|e. material. 111. and lini-lt Ibev're . 111 i! e 11 a I nf Ivsnnkc "■oo.l- at di.iil.le the priee. 5i,,.,, ia! win (low ..f -'nil < ilailv. I'.nn.. | and -ee what tliev're like. A.|v!, I Woods' (ireat Penncnnint Cure for ' Omfsdis and Olds never fail?. 1" fid i,„i ! 2s fid. ;

The Wellington price of bulk butter has drpppcd another penny, it j s now Ud JUT Hi.

There are at, present u u lew, than IhiiTy-lhrcc native children attending tin- okaiawu school.

There are computed Lo lie live thousand civil servants hi VVellingtoji, and 11 bout, four times :■< many in the whole Dominion.

The citizens ei Greyniouth intend erecting a memorial to the late Mayor, Air. Joseph I'etric, who was a prominent figure in public life on the West. Coast for H years.

Two thorn-ami deer were shut lasl year on one sheep station in the Wnirarapa simply lieiuuse they were in the way. A farmer told a representative 01 the Dominion that the deer were a lerrilili- nuisance on many farms.

The Otago Daily Times says that for the first lime in the history of the Otago Harbor Hoard it is expected that the income from the Bounty endowments will total t lii,(lOII at the close of this liimncial w:ar.

Interviewed in Chrislchiir, h. .Mr. -Mm Duthie assured a Times repoTicr thai lie had made up his .mind absolulelv no! I lo enter politics again, lie had found -|he game'' very interesting, he said. and lie had thoroughly enjoyed taking up public projects and pushing them forward, sometime,, wiry, some success, soiiiclinics with none; bin. he had given all up now. and he could not be induced lo come forward.

Heierring to the decline in wool values. .Mr. Harold Heauehamp. Chairman of Directors of the Hank of -New Zealand, said: "This drop in price only emphasises wo at I have frequenlly i >: pressed—that it is unwise for farmers and others to base their land valuer on the assumption that high prices for produets are going to rule indelinitely. l)c----i clini's ill land values are bound lo result. I would not regard them a s an unmixed ovil."

No class of agriculture pays better than fruit-growing, in the opinion of Mr. W. .la(|iies, Government Ciuuiinp Expert, and it returns the money and the cost of labour expended a hundred fold. New Zealand he considers is badly in need of a good fruit supply and a well-regulated fruit and vegetable market. The profits now all go to the storekeeper, while the consumer is ridiculously overcharged, uu; uonnuion, he says, is certainly not a fruit growing country at present, but it should lie. The euchre party held in 81. Joseph's Hall last night was a great nucccss. The hall was full. The prizes were won as follows:—Ladies: First (handsome silver-mounted sugar bnrdn), Mrs. llcnrielis; second (large hand-carved tray), Mrs. Bluemaii. Gentlemen: First (real silver matchbox), Mr. V. Sillletl, second (gold .sleeve-links), Mr. Duncan. A splendid supper was served. Dancing was afterwards indulged hi till the small hours of the morning. The muoie, supplied bv Mr. .lames, was excellent; so, too. was the floor. Mr. Duller acted as M.C., and Mr. .1. OTlricu sang a coupl.' oi good comic songs, both being encored.

An indiirttry Unit is assuming inodcrale pi.iporlioiK in several localities in (Uano is that of Bcheclitc mining. The Otago Daily 'Times recently stated: '"A payable reef has been discovred in the (.lleuorehy districl, Qucotksiown, and a nuiiiber of claims have been pegged out. For tin- past twelve months a crushing plant has bct'n in operation in this locality, and it is currently reported that Hie jirolits place, those of a 70oz or 811.'/. per week dredging company in the ,diade. The present market price of the mineral is .till) to £l2O per ton, bur during tTie past year it has fluctuated from £!10 to a.s much as £l7O per ton. The next twelve mon.tlis should show a great expansion of the industry in Otago."

"thus w ay s the Wellington Post: -Sir Joseph Ward sincerely desires to serve New Zealand. And, since the present Government is better able to serve NewZealand than any other Government that can In' «nggesled, it follows thai the best way of giving services lo NewZealand is t'o koi'p the present Government in power to continue and extend its useful ministrations. It must be owned that Air. Afassey does not go ex actlv this length. But lie appear* to riH-ognise that his prospect of taking Hie Government citadel is something in ihe nature of a forlorn hope, liven he professes to *ec very little likelihood that the coming elections will witness Hie formation oi a third parly in Parliament. This ('pinion, with the weight el' .Mr. Mussey's experience behind it, uinv be criiimnlcil to have solid value behind it.

l!v an KaMcin mail which reached Sydney a I'orlnipht ago, Mr. Tung Chat Chili. I he editor of the Tung Wall Times, received further advices from Canton respecting the progress"of the boycott against Japanese goods. Before the boycott Hongkong alone imported goods tn'the value'oi" i7,HU0,000 dollars yearly from .lapan. This trade has now been (liveried. The Japanese Government, it is asserted, is alarmed at the extent of the movement, iind 'has approached the representatives of China in Japan urging them to use their influence to end the boycott. Tlie Chinese Minister in Japan replied: "1 cannot stop it. The people say they had decided to start their own factories betore the boycott wii* entered upon. From a national point of view you cannot dictate to Us and say we have no right lo start factories of our own."

Jii tracing tile movements of a man who has been alleged to have tried to dispose of a stolen neck fur, the Melbourne police came upon a coiner's plant in good going order, in which counterfeit hull-crowns were in process of manufacture. They found the suspect. in a house at Carlton. Jit making a search of the house the police found plaster of Paris moulds of half-crowns. In. one of these moulds was an unfinished counterfeit coin, anil under a palliasec on a sofa another spurious halfcrown was found. The police also found acids and coins forming a complete coining kit. A large number of forged Colonial Hank £\ notes arc in circulation, and several of Ihem have found their way into tlie. hands of the detectives. The notes are photographed replica* of the genuine articles, and are so well prepared that fhev might easily deceive. Kven Hi.' colors'arc duplicated by photography. The lirsl seen of these forged notes was found at last (.'up time.