LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 176, 16 July 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The English mail despatched from Sydney via Vancouver on the 9th June arirved in Loudon on the 13th inst., and the mail from Auckland via San Fran,cisco oh 2nd June armed in London on the same date. Tamil, tlie only Maori of Taranaki's representative football team, is a proud man to-day. He traded away his amber and black last night for one of the Anglo-Welsh team's red and white jerseys and a tricolor tie. Kapai'i ltather! The. gross earnings of the Canadian Pacific Kailway for Alai'cli amounted to £l,084,!l8(i, anil the expenditure to £824,780. The net earnings were £200,204, being a decrease of £188,040 as compared with the corresponding month of last year. Air. T. Al. Wilford was standing witu his hands in his pockets proposing a toast on Saturday evening, when lie suddenly stopped and ejaculated, much .to the amusement of his hearers—"A most extraordinary thing a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets!"

The Wailii Times says that the Hibernians of that town are about to call a special meeting for the purpose of making a strenuous protest against Airs. Neligan's statement that the Maoris are black-faced Irishmen. Hon Ngati is organising a similar protest amongst the Maoris on the East Coast.

On the Mouowai'iS trip down the East Coast it was found that some bags ol sugar iu one of the hulds had been on fire. Several bugs iu the centre of a heap were charred, but the fire 'had not been one of great extent, and had evidently burnt itself out. it is supposed that the sugar was in a 'heated condition. 1

Labor is not so plentiful in Wellington aa it was a- few days ago (says the Post). The lorul bureau can find work for farm hands at from £1 to jtl 2s liii a week. A number of farmers Jiave sent ia applications lor labor. Tlie comilrv wo'-l; j s being taken up to a large extern liy llaxmill hands who have been discharged by the closing o£ the mills. The following advertisement appears in the Diuuievirke Advocate:—"Notice.--Thou slialt not steal without proscculion swedes, turnips, turkeys, sheep, or stray cattle; neither shalt thou remove thy neighbor's landmark, or trespass 011 the undermentioned properties with or without dog or gun, nor remove any stock without notice." Then follow tli? names of six properties and the inscription, "By Order." Mastcrton sheepbreeders have instituted a system, of visiting and inspecting cacli other's flocks. Each farmer usually takes a day for the purpose, an.l the friendly criticism is said to be productive of much good. An example in this respect is alt'orded in the case of a certain well-known sheep-man, who, after having been for years wedded to a certain type of sheep, has just discovered that lie was on the wrong track.

A candidate thus commends himself to the electors of Wairau, the seat at present held by the Hon. C. H. Mills:— "X carried on business as an architect and building surveyor for years, made a moderate fortune, went into building speculations, * district became overbuilt, rents fell, my ruin, and here I am, hale and hearty, at the service of the electors as a thoroughly independent candidal*-, belonging to no political party, nitd of some experience a,s an arbiter in Scotland."

Yesterday's railway traiJic constituted & record for Now Plymouth ami the Tarauaki section. The complete Jigiuvs were not available last night, but it was known that over 4200 passengers were landed at New Plymouth by the excursion trains. The enormously heavy traffic was handled without a hitch, reflecting the greatest credit on the whole of the »tatl'. who had a most trying day. Xew Plymouth and district should have accounted for an attendance of nearlv GOOO at the match, showing that the attendance must have been in the vicinity of 10,000, easily a reeurd. Until the gate takings are available, the actual attendance will not be known.

At last meeting of the ligmont County Council it was resolved that a telegram lie sent to the Minister fur Public Works, asking him to include the OpunakeEltham railway in the list of new works, pointing out that the rate is not sullieieut to keep tin; roads in order. The Opunake Times reports tlmt Till'. \Y. 0. Dudley, chairman of the Opunake branch of the Railway fragile, has received the following reply to a wire sent by him to the Minister for Public Works: "The matter of constructing the Opunake, railway will be considered by the (lovevnmeut when dealing with the question of putting in hand further railway works."

At a meeting of the executive of the Taranaki Teachers' Institute held yesterday, the following resolution was passed: —"That this Institute is strongly ill favor of .the amendments to tne Teachers' Superannuation Act, submitted by the Otago Institute, and Unit the secretary be instructed to write to the M's.P. of tlte district, urging the desirability of bringing in the amendments this year." .individual teachers will also probably write to the representatives of their electorates on the subject.

Says tile Bulletin of Airs. Anile Besaut, the theosopliist: .Mrs. Ucsani lectured in the Town Hall on Sunday night, and for once the lie about Jiumlreus being turned away was quite true. Before V o'clock there was not ail inch ox Town Hall that was not occupied by a conglomeration of heaving millinery, and even the platform had to be used to seat the overflow. The doorkeeper grew so frenzied that, when Airs, licsant arrived, he lirmly refused lo let her in, and argued breathlessly for live minutes that there was no room for her. "Then," she said, placidly, "I'm afraid there will be no address, lor 1 happen to be the lecturer."

As showing the lluctuatiou that goes on in a dairying district, the Hawera District High School, with a roll ui about 480 pupils, loses about one-third of that number during the year owing lo removals. Since December there have been 118 pupils admitted, though the roll number is about the same. The July, August, and September months, however, see most changes on the farms, and this year promises to be no exception, judging by the number of clearing sales advertised. Needless to remark, such a state of affairs, although unavoidable, cannot be conducive to the best interests of education, as pupils aim teachers must feel the discouraging effects of such frequent changes. It is reported thai President lloosevelt will leave the United States fol' a two years' period of travel as soon as possible after the inauguration oi lus successor next March [writes a New j York, correspondent). He intends to put himself beyond the reach of those persons who would seek, if he remained in the United Slates, te use his mlluence with tile new Administration. He leels certain of the election of Secretary Xal't. He has heard, of course, like everybody else, the reiterated assertions that Tatt, if elected, will be "Roosevelt's man,", and he is determined to give the fie to such charges by absenting himself from the country while the new President is developing his policy. lue story ol a runaway mateu was tolu m tne Practice Coart, Melbourne, last week, 'JLfle matter under investigation was an originating summons, tne plaintiff being William T. Pcarce, ot Melbourne, and the nominal dcienoiwit 1 Mrs. fetuDbmgs. it was explained by iUr. Lewers tne direction was sought in connection with the wiil of Mrs. prances Snelling, who died intestate at Kew, in 11)01, leaving an estate • v. £3500. There were left, as next of kin, six or seven brothers and sisters, ot whom Mr Pearce, the plaintiff, was the oldest, and was furthermore administrator of the estate. A difficulty ir. connection with tlie distribution ot the estate had arisen over a doubt which 'existed as to Whether one of the sisj ters, by name ill's. Cowper, was alive or dead. "There was all elopement," ex plained counsel, "in the year 1573, the bridegroom being William C'owper, tfti midshipman on tile one-time famous clipper Northumberland. The marriage was celebrated at Port Melbourne by the llev. Air. Platts. He returned to his ship, and his wife subsequently joined him in England." It was explained that 18 months afterwards Mrs. Cowper returned to Australia with a child., saying she was going to join her husband "ill Xew Zealand: but since then

nothin'g had been heard of her. It was rumored at one. lime that she had "gone on the stage," but this information turned out to be incorrect. Ad-

vertisements . inserted in the English newspapers had not lieeu answered. After argument, the Chief Justice directed that the missing woman should be advertised for in New Zealand and England, and further hearing of the application was adjourned sine die. A peculiar series ot accidents happened to a party returning to Ora;ig\; (New South Wales) from a funeral a,i Cargo recently. The party consisted o/ the hearse, a lnourniag coach, a buggy., and sulky. All went well for about, eight miles of the trip, and then adense mountain mist fell aud mixed up with intense darkness, so that the driver of the vehicles could not see the road. Mr. Ford, who was driving the hearse, slowed down, but the driver of the sulky, Alt'. J. Morris, passed him and continued at a fast pace. When he

had travelled about a mile his horse shied and ran into a bank, throwing the two occupants out on to the road, se vcrcly shaking Inem, and snapping the slnUts oil'. The horse then raced away at a gallop down the 'hill and came into to collision with a sulky driven by i Messrs. 11. and AI. Livingstone. The impact was very hard, the sulky was overturned, the axle broken, a wheel smashed, and other damage done, tile Messrs Livingstone were dashed to the ground and rendered nueonseious and severely sliu|;en, cut, ami bruised, while the 'horse Was knocked to the ground and so stunned as to appear dead, with a large cut in the shoulder. When Mr. Ford came up lie ditl not see the catastrophe until he was almost on top ol the overturned sulky and horse,, which completely blocked the road. He pulled up sharp before he could warn the driver of the mourning coach, whinii was following immediately behind, and the latter had run the polo of the vehicle through the door of the hearse and smashed the glass before he was aware of what had happened. After a time the sufferers were revived and attended to.