LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 252, 17 October 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Potato blight has made its appearance Hi several gardens in *\ew L'lymoutJi and suburbs. The number of motor cars in Now Plymouth is still on the increase. We are becoming more like London every ilav!

The Central School Committee applied to tile Harbor Board yesterday to purchase some disused big iron pipes for use ia the new swimming baths now being constructed in the Recreation Grounds. The application was granted. The Hon. ,1. A. Millar. Minister for

Marine, yesterday advised Mr. 11. Okey, M.P., that the training ship Anioknra would be present at New Plymouth oil January Ist and 2nd next, as requested by the Seaside Improvement Committee. Mr, J. B, Connett. in proposing a vote of thanks at Thursday night's meeting, remarked that Taranaki should be proud to have two of its native-born seeking to represent the district in Par--lin men t. These two were Messrs. 11. Okey, M.P.. the sitting member, and Mr 0. K. Hellriiiger. A couple of local residents dining in a restaurant yesterday commenced to '•pick a bone'' that was not a fish bone. There was, it is reported, very little restraint upon the language, nod the parlies came to blows. The dinners went spoiled by an unexpected dose of tea and sauce,' and eventually the little disagreement culminated in trouble in the street. No great damage resulted.

The generosity of countryfolk to their neighbors in time of adversity or alflietion has been greatly emphasised at Manaia, On Sunday an elderly lady, who had very little to depend upon for a livelihood, had her house and the whole of lier belongings destroyed by fire whilst she was away at Church. lin mediately plans were made for relief, and by next day sullicicnt furniture, goods anil money had been donated to place the lady in mure comfojtable cir-

cumstances that she bad the fortune to ! be in prior to the destruction of her | home. i In the opinion of Mr. L. Dwan. who returned lo Wellington recently after a short trip to Sydney, Australians are, waking up to the importance of the land question. For instance, the fact thai a good number ui New Zealandcrs are settling in Queensland anil the northern part of Xew South Wales seems to be impressing the people of tiliose Slates with the advisability of ilnimr

.-omwihing on their own account to pojuiltito their country Districts. Hitherto tile people have been crowding into tile, cities, but a new movement is takiiii_r .place, and will, it is considered, snail result 'in the present tallies of farm lands being doubled. •Addressing a meeting of railway men at Cross I reek, Mr. J. T. M. ilo'rnsby, M.P., spoke- of the position which members of the House occupied as "buffers" between the men and the management, He considered this might become intolerable, for a candidate with everything else to recommend him might incur tire displeasure of the men and be defeated by their votes. This would lead to a severance of the railway service from Parliamentary interference. It was no use blinking nl the Hinder: the placing of the railways under the control of commissioners was looming in the distance. He did not want to see that come about, and he suggested that the alternative was (be establishment of a special Arhilrhtiou Court for tile service, absolutely removed from political influence. Mr. liornshy was given a vote of renewed confidence amid applause. 'l'l-o liailway .Social Cluu'o social last night, given as a lienelit lor Mr. \V. Callnghnii, who was injured ret. inly in an accident at the railway station,'was very largely attended. At, euchre the prines were won by Mrs. It. c.oburn and iliss Roberts, Messrs. 0. tleorge and (J. Stephenson. The prizes, which comprised several valuable articles, had been donated by townspeople. After •upper came Wr dancing, to music supplied by Jlrs. (ieorge (piuno), Messrs. H/S. Salt (violin) and U. 11. Saunders (cornet). .Mr. J, Jloskin was M.C. Kv.ira dances were played by Mrs. Hartley. .Outing the evening recognition was made of the valuable services rendered to t'lic club's functions by Mr. and Mrs. J, lloskin. who are leaving for Wauganur, and the patrons, through Mr. C. Cuck, presented them Avith a very line silver-mounted salad boivl and fancy silver sugar basin. The recipient; have'always been amongst the consist cut hard workers, and tlrei.r absence from future socials will be felt considerably. Mr. .las. Thomson still ploughs his lonely furrow at the meetings of'the Jlarbor Hoard, setting himself against the judgment both of his country and town colleagues. At yesterday's' meeting he was busily scanning some documents when the foreman's report was being read. The chairman requested bis attention, for the member front Ngaire often complained that things were done without his knowledge and also that progress at the harbor was slow. The foreman's report was slated to be very satisfactory, work proceeding much letter since" Mr. Thomson'.* visit to the liarborr The chairman remarked that despite (he fact that Hiev were now building the. wall in deeper wafer than ever, they had in the year just pa.st constructed as iniicli as in either of the two previous years. With good weather probable now, the rocnr should be considerably improved. Mi Thomson expressed his doubt of tli foreman's statement that the wate was deepening as the water progressed and was recommended to go alon" am sec for himself. , At the conclusion of lire discussioi ;>n railway mailers at the public meet >ng last night the Mayor brought for [ ward a motion urging t'lie fiovcrnmcnl to proceed at once with the erectinr of a new "Deeds Office in New riymoulh and put an end to the present unhealthy congestion of officials in that department tit New Plymouth. Mr. H. nkey. M.lVwas asked to speak, anil he said the Department intended taking early steas to erect a new block of buildings for the departmental offices on the site of the police sergeant's residence, the latter building lieiim moy: ed to the next section. There was £BSOO provided already, and be believed the building would cost about :CIO,OOO. Tire police station was also to be replaced, and lenders for the work were now being called. .li'iOO bavin" been scheduled for the work this year, "ire bad repeatedly seen the Under-Secre-tary for Public Works and the Minister upon this matter, until now the position had become such that a re- I solution was scarcely needed. Cpo-i bis representations, too. (lie matter of 1-0-paintHig the present shabby f.'overa meirt building, was to have'early at. tention

Fame and fortune never overtake men in the hour of their discontent. Ts yum door s hnt af present to Vnspenty's knock! It j s jf you are using an inferior separator, for that meairI certain discontent. Open the: door to prosperity by Inning an "Alfa-haval 1 separator, the machine that lias lift*" over half a million dairy farmers on th high road io fortune, and will make no exception in vonr case. When oii"( fixed and started nothing further' U heard about the "Aha-Lavnl" but praise. Writing under date 20tli January. 1!)<R Mr. J. l,c(trice, of Tikoimi. Northern Wairna. s ays: "1 mi, IV ell satisfied with the ''Alfa-f.aval" you sent me. The

machine skims dean, is verv eompael and neat, runs light and sweet, and !■ quite an ornament to the separa'ovroom. T( is a vast improvement on tinold style separator." Sole New Zealand anenN. Mason. Slrulhers and Co., Ui}.. Main-street, Rnlmcrstnn North. K.

Griffiths ami Co., New Plymouth, lo.ml agents. ■ Just arrived, at Dock''!!!"*, Devon street Centra!. Now Plymouth, an h dent of Allan's famous gents' hoots, alsi 0. and J. Clarke's superior ladies' boo's and shoes, In stock, a large assortm-nt I of the l.e«j ladles', gents', and children's colonial lards and shoes by reliable

makers. All the above are offered to the Tv.iblic at prke3 that can't be beaten. <-A(M.

H..\. destroyer Zephyr and two others v-,)'!i „Z C ""'- Vi . ng out ""I'Oftant trials • Hi man-cnrrying war kites oil the . ° °. u '» ut - 'J'l'e apparatus is the "veiit.on ot {'„|„ m .] Cody, who is direct- '.'« <»<' tests. The kite is in three 6eelioiis on one r o|.e, and the observer rides 111 I "• lowest. Colonel Cody has already made several successful ascents. Whilst I in the air he maintained communication "itlUlic deck.of the destroyer by tola-

■l'll'' authorities ill Paris have inii'ie 1 "' ""I'oHant di,euvcry that the telephone system of the eitv is laieelv controlled by (he nervous system if the tans telephone girl. -They have found, also that the majority of the Paiis telephone girls arc unmarried and live a.one, that they neglect their proper meals, and that in consequence the unfortunate subscribers miller from the telephone girls' nerves more than is necessary. The telephone authorities have in consequence organised ean teens to provide their girls with luncheon and dinner at sixpence and sevenpeuce a meal, consisting of roust beef and mutton and plenty of sweets. All kinds of sweets are .provided, but the authorities have drawn the line at caramels, which says the ollicial circular, ■■tend to disorganise the service.'' Subscribers' complaints have diminished 311 per cent since the innovation.

A lierman musician named Emile llanck has been arrested at Nice for brutally ill-treating his wife. For six monilis the woman, under the pretext of madness, litis been locked up in a darkened room. The husband each morning brought his prisoner some, milk ami breed and then was in the iliabit of leaving her unattended until llle following da.\. The disappearance of Fran llauek had been reported to the police, ami the husband, on being questioned, stated that owing to mental affliction he had been compelled to ililnee her in n 'lunatic tisvlnm 11.,,„.

ever the police made a raid on the house. In a. small garret the shutters of which were barred and bolted, they found 11i« woman lying on a 111 thy bed. Her body was covered with bruises, which her husband is alleged to hare inflicted. Her health is shattered and in consequence of her cruel imprisonment s'he has become weak minded. The victim was removed to the hospital while the unnatural husband has been lodged in goal to await his trial, "My opinion is that this mine, discovered away in the wildest part of one of tlie most, -backward counties of Ireland (Donegal) will prove more valuable in gold than many mines that are being worked at, a profit in South Africa." So asserted a Belfast geological expert in the course of an interview with the Daily Chronicle representative in regard to a remarkable discovery of rich mineral wealth in the county of Donegal. The opinion given was quite disinterested, the expert being in no way as-

work the mines. Gold, silver, and lead mines arc. it is said, to be worked extensively in the bleak district of Inishowen, overlooking the Atlantic, and exports have expressed the belief that it is almost impossible to estimate the wealth of the minerals. It is declared that between 4000 and 5000 tons of ore exposed on the land are rich in gold, copper, and silver, also that some parts of the mine contain 00 per cent, of lead, while in other parts of the strata silver is freely mixed with the baser metal, and, more important still, gold has appeared.