LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 139, 3 June 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The English mail despatched from WoWlliuglou via Jirindisi on April 24th | arrived in London on the morning of May :mth. At the -Inly meeting of the Taranaki County Couin-il the chairman will move that a general rate of : !',d in the C and a hospital rate of l-12th of a penny in Hi.. L be made and levied for the current year. A fatal accident of a terrible character befel a winchnian. Donald M'Xcil, on the steamer Ardova, at Port Piric last week. The steamer had just completed loading a shipment of lead, and .M'Xeil was attending to his duties close to the winch, which wan working slowly, when the wire rope attache., to a barrel got caught round one of his legs. He made a dash to cut oIF the steam, but (he rope gave him a jerk, which evidently caused him to turn more steam on, i'l'Xeil was instaiillv dragged under the winch. His lliiglis were almost reduced to a pulp, and the lower part of his body was terril.lv cru-licl. Death took place in the ho.-pital .~lii.itlv afterwards. Deceased shipped al Newcastle on this voyage of the Ardova. and r.as about 20 years of age. He was a native of Invernc„„, Scotland.

A gentleman with two little children, aged rcup.'clivcly four and six years, was recently driving from Goombiingec In Coolv (reek in a sulky with one horse, the whip falling out of the, trap, the owner of the trap pulled up and walked back along the road to pick it up. leaving the horse and trap standing on the road. While he. was awav the horse became startled, and started oil' witli the .-nlky at a canter. The children, who were in the trap, began to sen 1. This made the horse even in.ire frightened, and he increased his speed to a full gallop, and tore along the roa.l to Coolv Creek. Tin- owner of the trap was left far behind and in terrible suspense, expecting at anv moment to see his two little children smashed up with the trap. Mrs. I, 11. Ward, who was driving from Meringamlan in a trap. with coiiimeiiil.ible promptiiuile tunic.l her hor„c and trap ..IV the ronl. got out herself, and waited for the now madly infuriated lioim-. A„ the animal came abreast „f li.-r. Mr-. Ward, sprang forward and ;.ra-p:'d I lie reins with One hand and Hie hor-c's mane with the oilier. The pluckv woman was lifleil clean olf her i'oet'bv the boiling horse and dra-ecil 1..r about a < liain. The brave woman neven let go her hold, but kept speaking to the linr„ ( . to quiet him. Kvonlually sin- lirnuiiM the animal to a stop, and so saved the lives of the two i little children,

There is still a good demand for town, suburban, and farm properties in New Plymouth and district, and some good sales have taken place during the past week or so. A public meeting a t Kaponga on Monday night pledged itself to support a. water and drainage scheme for the township, at an estimated cost of about ;i2700. A meeting held at Eltlmm on Monday for the purpose of funning a Chamber of Commerce was sparsely attended. A committee was set up to endeavor to arouse interest in the matter. Thirty-two Clydesdale entire colts bred by Messrs. O'Brien and Mitchell, of Oaiuaru and Studholme, have been shipped to the Melbourne market. This shipment—the largest, it is said, that, has ever left New Zealand—included several prize-winners. It will be interesting to watch the percentage which will be passed as sound under Uic Stallion Law of "Victoria.

j There is still need for a prosecution of some of the reckless girls who constitute a danger ill (he streets. Yesterday I afternoon at Ambury's corner a young girl on a bike just managed to clear a perambulator. A collision would doubtless have taught the girl some sense, lilt it might have hurt the baby. A police prosecution and a smart line would do the trick and not affect the kiddie. At Kltham on Monday evening Hon. W. Cariieross vouchsafed some remarks which apply not. only to Ellhain, but to nearly every other town, including New Plymouth. "There were," he said, "many business men in the town who never took part in a meeting of any kind. Although some of these were very good in giving financial help to any movement, the public wanted more —they wanted these mon's brains." The latest journalistic venture in Uic Dominion is "flood Cheer," a monthly journal for Aew Zealand homes. We have received a copy of the June issue, ii is a, remarkably good publication. The paper consists of thirty-two pages of stories, illustrated articles, cookery

and household notes, poetry, and a variety of other matter. Some eight pages arc devoted to the realm of fashion, and the fashion blocks are as ported as can be. Replying to a deputation which asked for compulsory temperance education in schools, the lion. (1 Fowlds, Minister of Education, said tlie Boards had most of the control. There was a great objection to the continual alteration of the syllabus, lie was of opinion that the present syllabus should lie allowed an undisturbed trial. The matter of temperance education would receive very full consideration at the next Inspectors' Conference, He pointed out that temperance hygiene was dealt with in the School Journal. In the course of a chat with a representative of the Christchureli Press on Monday, Sir Joseph Ward stated that the (Joveriimeut had made a certain proposal in regard to advertising the resource- of the Dominion in the l/)iidon Standard's "Standard of the Empire." "Our proposal is on modest lines compared with the intention of Australia, hut yet it is, 1 think, sufficient for our purposes. We shall alio get the indirect iienetit of a special news service from this end at no cost to ourselves. The (loveniment's oiler to the Standard lias been communicated through the High Commissioner, but as yet no reply from him has been received." Speaking at Clarke's Flat on Thursday last, Dr. Chappie, a candidate for the Tuapeka seat, said that he claimed to have a profound belief in New Zealand's destiny, and pointed to the fact

thai the eyes of political economists and social reformers were turned upon our legislative experiments with all inquiring gaze. New Zealand was coming to be' looked upon as the world's political and social laboratory. We had most of the alrribiites of a good lalioratorv. We were isolated, and our experiments placed no nervous or anxious nation in danger should an explosion occur. We were free to lest untrammelled by the handcuffs of hide-tiouiid tradition, and we could undo if we made a mistake without feeling humiliated in the eyes o. the world.

There was a brief sitting of I lie- S.M. ('(mil yesterday morning. Of the raws called only two came up for decision. ,luil"iueiil was given, liv default, in the i-iise of W. .Icnkinstm & Co. v. M. Warner, i-lniin 'JIS 7s (id and CI ISs 0(1 Kill',' for Co IN. for m\ yearn' ehininey' rwecping. I'laiiitill' conducted his own ease, and Mr. Grey appeared for Ihe dctenco, for whom it was urged that the chimnov sweeping was undertaken by Hie plaintill' for the purpose of working out a debt. Tin- plaintill'. in reply to this, pleaded that .Mr. King's account could not Mand. as it, wan statuteliarred. Air. (Irey commented upon this course of action. After some argument tin- case was adjourned to enable the defendant to enter a cross-action, l'hiintiir announced that in such an event he would plead the statute of limitation: Colonel Soniinei'ville writes to the Wanganni Herald questioning the bo. line,- of the Fast London Itillo Oluii's phenomenal score of Sit in the Empire Match, lie says thai, from long experience in rifle .sliootiiijr ami knowledge of what can be done with the .3(13 rille, he considers a score of ffcU under liisley conditions impossible. He points out that the best ricoro ever made at Bisley under the same conditions was 77!) in lnir.l. ami the next liesl 771. and these scores were by eight selected men. The Colonel adds'that in 1!M)5 about 2500 men shot in the lirst stage of the King'* match at liislev, and the eight highest scorers only made 814. The Herald, commenting on the letter, says that the atmosphere in South Africa, being very drv and siugularlv free from refraction, shows all object,, with remarkable clearness, and suggests Unit- this may account for the truly phenomenal score. "The .New Idea.'' easily the most widely circulated woman's magazine in Australasia, has increased its price to six|Hmce, and more than justified the move by an advance in the quality, tin. quantity, and the t'et-un of the eontents. This popular magazine becomes more thoroughly Australasian with each step in its progress, lit the enlarged issues before us are some of the linest little stories, sketches, pictures, and verses that any magazine has produced on this side of the world. Mary Gilmore, a writer of exceptional sweetness, and a poet of great charm, begins here a series of memories of childhood spent in the bush—a series that .might grace any magazine in the world. They are illustrated by an artist of the 'front rank. Albert Knes. whose pictures thoroughly catch the spirit of the matter. Jlis, 'flattie F. Hopkins, a daughter of ''Hop." the most Jainous cartoonist in Australia, has begun to contribute short bright stories, and these are being illustrated by a young Melbourne artist, Jjaurio Taylor, who is displaying remarkable facility both in line and brush work. First-class writers, and experts ill their own line, have been engaged to write successive articles on all sorts of topic.

A iiieolinir of (lie provisional committee „r tin- New I'lvmuutli Club was held hi tin' Town Hull List ,ni;.'lit, when tlior« were lucsciit —His Worship the Mayor (chairman). Messrs. Kobi-rls. Strang, Nicluil, George, C'olson, Hopkins. KWebster, Stockcr, and McLcod. T'li.' members (if 1 lit* committee. submitted llicir lisls of lneml-ctv, already secured, tin' ii-rfiri'-jale showing that the target ol' 101 l had already licen lilt-. The coinmil lc expressed cnnlidcnco. that well over •Jllll members would be enrolled liefore all information whs to hand warranting the submitting of 11 full report to a general in.-fiiiiy." The question of rules was disiu.-r.id. those of chilis ill various pails of the Dominion being tunsidertil. Eventually a subcommittee consi-ling of the chairman anil .Messrs. Strang iiiul Hopkins was set up to franie nil'—* for submission to a full nicotine of Ihe committee on Tuesilnj evening next. A committee consisting of Hie chairman and Messrs. "Niehol, George. Sto.-k.-r, Colson, Webster, and Mclji'Oil was appointed to report on the probable cost of furnishing, providing billiard lable or tables, etc. In terms of the resolution passed at the general mo-ting, the chairman (Mr. G. Tisch) was authorised to negotiate with Un" Kducalion Hoard to secure the premises recently vacated by them for the unexpired term of their lease, the question of a further lease from Mr. George to be left In the permanent, committee to arrange after the eluli is formed.

The Mangaweka people h'ave an objection to bustling. It i s reported that the other morning at about 10 o'clock a cow might have been seen calmly walking along under the shop verandahs and gazing into the various stores as though it were anxious to know why the town was still slumbering. "Strikes are not impossible on farms/' said a delegate at the Canterbury Farmers' Union Conference. "On my farm lifteen men struck, and though there was .CIOIJII in stuff ready lo rot, I told them to clear out. That was the way 1 de,alt with that strike, and I would do tlio same again, even if the Arbitration, Court says I would he responsible." A message from Brussels (Belgium) states that in view of the statement that an American syndicate desires to erect buildings on the battlefield of Waterloo, the Minister of Public Work,? stated that a Bill is to be presented to Parliament forbidding the owners of land within the limits of the battlefield to erect any buildings whatever. Thus the historic aspect of the field will bo preserved. The section of the Main Trunk KailHay from Malnroi! to Waiouru, IS miles in length, will be transferred next week from Ihe control of (he Public Works Department to Hint of the Railway Department. The change will not affect travellers, who have been using the line on Ihis section for some months past. ! It will, however, confer some benefit i upon consignors of goods, as ''through" ■ rates of freight will then apply instead , of the short distance rates charged by i the Public Works Department.

An ultimatum from the Borough Council of Petone, near Wellington, to the (vovernmont, stating that unless the rates on the State, dwellings for workers were paid within a certain time the various municipal services enjoyed by the tenants would be discontinued, has had the desired effect, the Government having paid the money. This information was received with satisfaction at a recent, meeting of the Council, one councillor remarking, "Well, for once we have brought the Government up to the mark." Slander was the basis ou which a domestic servant named Emily Millicciit Styles in Wellington claimed £SOO damages from Michael Cheevers and his wife Violet Cheevers, The action was heard before Mr. Justice Chapman and a common jury of four. His Honor said the suggestion was that plaintiff was unchaste. But, no statement was made during the hearing of the case that she was anything other than n modest and pure woman. The jury retired at 5.10 p.m., and returned at (i p.m. with a verdict for defendants, with 20 guineas costs and witnesses' expenses and disbursements. A carpenter at present in California gives a personal experience of the American financial panic in a private letter just received: "1 had been working at a place called Bishop, on 'the eastern side, of the Sierra Nevada, and, the contract being finished, I purposed rejoining a friend ill San Erancisco. A short time before I left, the stage had been 'held up' and the passengers relieved of their valuables, so to avoid risks I got the contractor to pay my •. earnings by a cheque—£4o—drawn on I a San Francisco bank, retaining a few dollars for travelling expenses. 1 readied San Francisco all right, only to find that the bank had gone smash and my clieuue was worthless except as it pipelight. After much seeking 1 discovered tnat my friend was in prison on suspicion of being a 'hold-up' man. This was absurd; fancy a sober Scot of the Clan Mac- turned a highwayman! He had, been in custody twelve days without a, hearing, and a lawyer at the Court told me he could get him out on n. writ of habeas corpus for ten dollars. I told him I fancied 1 could get him out free of expense. 1 hunted up the British Consul, and demanded the privileges of a British subject for my friend. The Consul very kindly exerted himself, with the result that 'Mac' was released, with apologies, next day; ami now I raise my hat when I pass the Union Jack." A veil does more than one duty. It holds on a lady's hat, protects her eyes from the dust and sun, and also protects her complexion. White and Sons have big bargains in chiffon and gossamer spot veilings. They are selling them at ridiculously low prices to clear — 2d, 4d, and (id per yard.—Advt.