LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 193, 5 August 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

'•Spring is coming," whistles the tui, and his song of gladn*ess is proved by the fuel that the"clematis in the bush is budding. Yi g lambs mav be se,-u j.H now !a several parts of Taranaki. The roc Mil hiiM weather has given the lambs an cv cellenl start in life.

J Considerable improvement iji the appearance of the Technical .School grounds has Iji'i'ii cll'ected by fencing and hedge pliuiUnjf cm the Liardct-slreet frontage. The easualness of tho Jlaorilandcr is a byword. On Saturday last a motorcyclist left his automobile leaning against a voraudah-post outside a barber's saloon whilst lie had liis facial appendages removed, lie called again for that machine about 11 o'clock on -Monday morning! Tlie curator of the Recreation (Irnuiuls lias been recently engaged in planting out a large number of shrubs and trees. One of the features of the grounds ju4 now is the fine show of wattle blossoms. Now is the lime for the '•sulphur d'posit" stories which are usually flic outcome of the scattering of liie yellow ■particles from Ihese Mowers. The Main South road was closed for only two and a half hours by the !'•- erection of the Tiiuili'il bridge. The new bridge was built up around the old one, and then, when all was complete, the old one was dismantled. The new bridge. Ilms stands in the same position as t»i* old one. The contractor (Mr. I'. >1 (irayling) is reported by the coiinic ci gineer to have made an exccptional'v good job of it. A Maslerioii resi,l,.|it giws ,lu' following illustration of Hie dillicultv ex- | pcrieucecl by a friend of his in obtaining the old-age pcusinii in Vew Zealand. The old man. a native of S.-otland, had never had his birth regislered. and tic only record in his unlive town was 1 lie faniilv Bible. This book was therefore 'shipped from Scotland to New Zealand, where it was inspeeled by the aulliotities, who were satisfied, granted the ■pension, mid the Bible was then returned to Seotlaur\ There are few fani ; !y Bibles which arc called upon to aceiniiplisli a journev round the world in order to sulis'tanticiie a claim for an old-aop I pension. For children'? lucking cough ut night Woods' Great -""'Menniat CT re. 1/0 and 2/8- ''■..:.!! •'".Si'S-ll

The Auckland Star reports the ur- I rival m Nww Zealand ot tlie first of I the wives of the officers of the American fleet to visit tlie shores ot tlie doiniuiun in coimeetiuii with tin; tour of the lleul.

A defendant in a by-law case at JJunedin Police Court -brought down the house" when pleading his -defence before the Magistral. "% word's as good as the eonstalile s," he sn.'iL

'•Vim know, your worship, 1 havj supplied you with milk lor a number of yea IV."

The County Council is within UiJh of its overdraft limit, and mere is little prospect of heavy revenue from ratss for some time yet. Tlie overdraft this morning stands at C 7420 1!) 5. Before accounts were passed for payment on '.Monday, tlie ridings' liability was as follows: i\loa, 1457 14 II '; Waitara, .CSUIi 15 11 ; Omatii, nt>» 7 U

Sydney folk have been diverting themselves with "post-card" evenings, at which each guest lias been asked to bring a postcard illustrating sonic viewin or about the city or harbour. This is fastened to the back, and the guessvr of the greatest number is presented at the end of the wvening with the collection and an album to bold them.

"The poverty in Auckland this winter is the worst 1 have ever known.' This remark fell from Mrs Nelson, n leading member of tlie Ladies' Benevolent Society in conversation Willi an Auckland Herald reporter. The'present distress, it appears is largely amongst the middle classes—respectable people living ill small homes—and amongst old folks. '

l-'or selling a packet of cigarettes after hours a Chinaman at the Napier Court was fined Is and costs "s. "J»h n' explained that "time pasise.v away, him didn't know." The Magistrate advised hiin to purchase a which and make sure that it was a reliable; timekeeper, otherwise his next appearance might cost him considerably more.

, County Foreman Jones in the Moa Killing "the other day pounced on a settler who had another man carting lirewood for him. He ancertaiued that, no permit had been obtained, aud ordered cessation of the traffic until such permission had been obtained. The ratepayer writes to the Council: "I

thought this was a bit sudden when a ratepayer can't cart on the road until he gets permission. However, 1 am going to continue carting while this fine weather lasts."

Cmu of the county foremen [Hilled up a motor car the other day on the ground that no registration number was displayed. The manager of Adams Ltd., of W'anganui, aas written that the car was registered, the firm having a trade registration with the Wanganui Borough Council which covered all ears used in Uheir business. The number (8)1) was only temporarily attached, but had become detached and lost. But the foreman could not ba expected to know all that, could he? And the car owners were liable to a line for travelling without the registration number being stttne'lied.

Settlers on the Eguiont l!oad assert that hawks are becoming the terror of the poultry-yard. Recently a farmer witnessed a battle royal between a large rooster and a hawk, the latter being victorious. The rooster was killed and the hawk carried it off in easy slages. Yesterday afternoon a hawk was observed to attack and destroy a fullsized tame drake. One settler allirms that the hawks are so pressed by hunger that thev readilv attack water-fowl. Should the latter dive, the hawk dives into the water and thus tires out its viclini. The hawk then has little di.licully in capturing its prey and making a niea!. Our informant states that he has mi several occasions been an eyewitness of hawks hunting and securing wild duck.

.\o special facilities will be given to the public to visit Auckland by way ol tile Alain Trunk line during fleet week. It has been suggested that excursion rates might be allowed on the completed portion of the* lines, leaving people, to use the ordinary coach services ior the intervening distance, it is thought, however that the coach service could not cope with the crowd of persons who would probably take advantage of this opportunity, if ollered, and further, it is felt that a large passenger trallic would retard work on the line. 'Hie special i'arliaineiitary train will be available only for Ministers and members, with their wives and families, and tew other ollieial persons. Special precautions will be taken for the safety of this train on the unfinished sections. In some places sealfolding and other works are erected so close to the line that there will be un room for projecting heads outside the windows. To assist .Wellington people to Sec the Fleet, the (ioveriiment lias declared excursion fares to Jfe\v Plymouth, and it is said that this will be a much more comfortable route to travel by.

lictcrring to I'rofeSsor Uilruth's ape pointinent,, the Wellington corrosponl dent of the ilawkc's Hay Herald says: i! the present appointment comes to -Ur e Uilrtiili absolutely nnsongiii, but in ,' any case ho was not likely to remain i ill New Zealand much longer under prcj sent conditions. A' s a, matter of lact, ■' it has been known for some time past = that an equally important position in Ureal ISritain has been under oiler to .' Mr tlilruth— a position that would .' have involved research work in various ' parts of. the world, four years ago b also the imperial (ioverliment cabled - to the New Zealand (iovernnient usk- - iug that Ur (iilruth should be allowed -. to take the position of head of the Vctf crinary Department hi the Transvaal ; at a salary wry largely in advance of , what lie was getting in Xew Zealand. ■ lie was to take up the position vacated by the Transvaal ollieer who was appointed Chief Veterinarian in Ctt'at ' Britain. The cablegram oll'eriiig the appointment was, however, kept back from Mr Cilruth, and he did not know of it until too lute. It. is possible that because of this action on the part of the (lovernnient Air Cilruth may have a claim for compensation. A lecturer in Marlborough on "A Trip Through Canada" said: British Columbia is not a wheat-growing country, it is too rocky, too ravincd with deep chasms, too overgrown with iiigh impenetrable forests. Thousands of creeks empty into big rivers like the Eraser (700 mites lung), and their banks are doited with lumber camps. As soon as a tree is felled, its branches are lopped ol)', and the log is dragged to the creek side to be pitched into the water and set to lloat, maybe 100 miles, lief ore being gathered m. Where there are snags or shoals the beams cluster in thousands. As the water-line lowers in m summer and autumn, a stretch of logs is left dry on the hank. There are as many logs littering the river-side as get down to the saw mills. Hut the iloods of the next spring seize them and carry them down in the swirl. At the niou'lh of the river the logs are caught by a chained string of trees stretched from shore to shore. The lumber is fastened into mighty rails about 100 yards wide and about «00 yards long, j lots are erected on the raft. Men, with giant oar-., keep'the rail end on in mid-stream, while the serpentine mass of timber drifts hundreds of miles.

There is something strangely pathL die l.avs Jllaek ami While) in th.' ap- ' peal made li.V tin- Moiianimcdan women uf Orenburg to tlif Duma against the tyranny of their 'husbands and the harassing coulinenient of the hai;em. It rcad-Oikc a page mil of Pierre loot's book "l.i'ii Uescnchaiitees," which first revealed to the outside world the. facts tlmt while the education uf Turkish women is probably more advanced than that of her Western sisters, while they can speak several languages and are fully acquainted with the latest developnieuls of modern science and study, (heir lives are spent in ns strict a seclusion as if they were criminals. It is as cruel as giving a man who ha si been Mind the blessing of sight, then ' compelling him to live in a dark room. The women of Kngland, with' all tlie> i advantages of social ami mental free- ! dom, must feel sympathy with these i poor prisoners, condemned to so hard a i fate by racial prejudices and Oriental i jealousv. The charming romantic pic- i tore of Ihe veiled tiastmi beauty is founded on a sad enough reality, and ; too often the fair Mohammedan, a tier ; h,. r life of ennui and fruitless rebellion. ( falls a victim, while si ill yoiiii", to con- i sumption, the terrible result in so j many instances of a hick of fresh air c and sunshine. ;

Hundreds of delighted shoppers w : ll I visit "The Kasli" this next week during their sale, and when you see the bargains showing at their doorway you'll have a job to pass without, buying. I They've m-rs (Is fid soft felt hats 2s'lie', j men's all-wool colonial ribbed sox three pairs 2s fid. men's all-wool flannel singI lets 2s od, men's cashmere singlets 2s ! Hd. men's dungarees 2s lid, and lots of other hargnins.—Ad»t. Mrs. T. Jiurton, Albert road, Epsom, X./j., writes: "We all use Chamberlain's Cough "Remedy and think a lot of it. Mv husband, who is a conductor on the Auckland trams, takes it when he lias the least symptom of a cold, and it always lessens the attack. Have given it to our children many times for eonghs or croup, and it has ircver failed to cure." For sale by all chemists and storekeepers. YOU CAN GET IT CHEAPER AST, THE Vta XfST. I

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday R. C. Cleniow, fanner, of Oniata (Mr. Roy) sued Fred. McAlltim, town clerk at Martiuborough-and formerly of New •Plymouth (Mr. Grey), for ,C2 1U» -Vlh'ged to have been borrowed by defendant from piaiutiir some years ago. The defendant did not remember the. exact date of the loan. .Mr. (Irey s aid the position taken up by his client was that lie had no recollection of the transaction, but would pay the money it Ciemow could prove it was owing, judgment Wiis given for plaintiff for tiic amount claimed and costs. In an undefended ease W. 11. Broome (Mr. Johnstone) was given judgment for 8s (Id aud 5s costs against C. W. Arthur. Mr. K. Phillips found a bottle on the Waingongoro beach on July 24 containing the following message:—■' This bottle was dropped overboard in Sydney harbor on Wednesday, September fi, 'DO. Wc were all 'sliickor' at the time, and anyone who finds it, and applies to .Stephen Stokes, may obtain a bottle of Speight's beer." The paper used is from a diary calendar issued by J'. Blackwood and Son, Sydney. Of course "there is nothing but nonsense in the message, but allowing that the facts are correct the bottle and its contents afford confirmation of the charts which show the diivetion of the Knsl Australian current from Sydney in a halfcircle, Swooping Taranaki's coast. — Star. Tlie shareholders of the Warea Dairy Company on Monday passed the following resolution: —"That this meeting of suppliers and shareholders of the Warea Dairy Companv is strongly in favor of the New Plymouth Harbor Hill, feeling confident that it is entirely in their interest. It also protests strongly against any rating area for a harbor at Opnnake extending northwards of Kabui Itoad,

feeling that it would be a great injustice to rate a. district (which has already provided excellent freezing and shipping accommodation at New Plymouth) for the purpose of building another harbor which would lie useless to it. This ineet-ing-jcipiesis that a copy of this resolution he forwarded to Messrs. Okey and Atujor.—Own correspondent. In the house tihe other evening the Hon. Hall Jones made a few telling remarks in defence of the co-operative system. "I will prove to hon, gentlemen in two twos," said the Minister, "that the co-operative System has! saved this country thousand* pf pounds. I pay my men good wages, and T know a section of tihe community does not like it, but the workers do. There are men to-day .who went on the co - operative works with practically Is who are now farming and in ,n jvros-

perous way. Tell me of the engineer who cuts down to prevent these jnen getting more than 8s a day, and 1 will deal with him. I would sooner see the men earn a £1 a day than 4s, but when making complaints don't make ft general statement."

As though in continuation of the "local industries" movement, Mr. A. K. ■Sykes, chemist, is now making a fine window display of "Lime's Emulsion," a well-known remedy manufactured in Oamnru, and with a wide reputation for coughs, colds, and chest complaints generally. This remedy has a good hold on the local market, and has an increasing sale, as evidenced by the recent erection of new and large premises for its manufacture.