LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 279, 19 November 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The West End School is enjoying u brief vacation, th'o examination "of I lie school having been completed on Tuesday. Before midnight on Tuesday this following telegram was received by a New Plymouth man from an erstwhile mate at Alasterton: —"Prohibition carried here. Any chance of a job?" j ilr. JO, Whittle yesterday received numerous congratulatory messages upon the result of the licensing poll. One ot the senders was "glud to see you pushed thein through the window." There was no sitting yesterday ol the ji.il. Court at Hew Plymouth. Some eases had been set down by the ..Magistrate for hearing, but lie' «aU .overlooked the fact that it was tire date of bis regular visit to Wailara. There was a tremendous run on the _ "Sews'' yesterday morning. Though the largest edition ever luraed out of Hie ollice was pirated, the papers were sold .in a short, space of time, especially in the .larger towns of the province, where as Lniueh as sixpence was offered for single , copies.

Jn tile Onuhi Valley, Canterbury, according to the Lyttelton Times.'some farmers estimate tlie crops as likely to produce 1)0 bushels of oats, (it) of wheat, UU of barley, wvl 45 of rye per acre. Sheep ami lambs are in excellent condition, and the district should be able to send away a very large number m fat lambs.

"I'm surprised at women (hie) being here. Demoralising (hie) i will it. Wouldn't (hie) lite my sister to come and see (hie) this sort of thing." Ami a lot nunc in the same strain it was the pleasure of some dress-circle patrons to hear at the picture enterx-am-uient last night. Tiio critic was a young mini, a stranger to New Plymouth, anid Ju s Hushed face and his poisonous exhalations proved that he was not training for the world's boxing championship. As a matter of fact, there was nothing at all objectionable in the pictures of the contest, the cinematograph not producing the noice, bill', and blood of the actual lighting.

Parents whose children travel on the trains to and from Stratford and ing,owood would do well to instill into I'm youngsters' minds the danger there is of roaming about the trains, as is tlioir custom. At all the stopping piaces aim while the tram is in motion the chil 1rcu have got into the habit of running

through the carriages, leaning over the carriage platforms, etc., instead of keeping their seats. The guards do th.;,r best to check tile children, but with their lnivay other duties these ollicials have little chance of keeping a constant eye on the youngsters. A word in season from jnothcrs and fathors ;wilu perhaps avoid a serious accident.

A u amusing incident was witnessed ill Fcathorstoii at a furniture .sale. A large mirror hail been placed outside the building where the sale was to be held, and attracted the notice of a game rooster which was strutting about. The warlike bird presently caught sight of his reflection in the glass, and promptly gave battle. He fought the mirror oil and on for about three hours, at the end of which time his comb was bleeding and his feathers touzled as if he had been engaged in a genuine battle. Occasionally he would lose sight of his enemy and would r ush behind the glass to find where he was hiding. Failing to discover Mm, he would start a crow of victory, and again catching sight of his reflection, would at once renew hostilities.

In reference to the issue of "restoration' 1 papers to electors on polling-day, Mr. J. Terry, tile Returning Ollicer, ox'plains that the fault was entirely with the. poll-clerks who issued them. Each clerk was given a package each of el -c----,toral and licensing ballot papers, and a small parcel of the special paws pio'vided for no-license areas, These wtie ' for use in case any holders of absejil voters' permits from those districts should present themselves at the booths. 'By inadvertance these were placed by _'one or two of the clerks on the top of .the ordinary licensing voting-paper, and .were issued to the first few voters only. About live, it is believed, were issued, .and four of tho voters who used them , were afterwards located. Amongst the '.number was Mr. JI. Okey. At the ceutrd polling booth on luis day evening, at the euncltioWn of lne heavy work of nggregiV.ng the figures for the electorate, -lr. iTa! GeotUc-e, on behalf of the Xo-lne'vis-. ~eigue And as senior scrutineer at the lentral booth, said he had grvit pleasure u congratulating Mr. Ter'-;-, Hie Returning OJlicer, on the very oiMerlv and impartial manner in w iL.i the taction Jiad been conducted, and on tlie kiml .and courteous consideration he hau shown all parties. The succesjfal manner in which the poll had been e.n- . ried out reflected credit on the town and the returning oilieer. Mr. Terry briefly returned thanks. An election occasioned a considerable amount of work and worry, and it was a pleasure to know that everyone was satislied. , The Central .School, New Plymouth,' ,»'»s the scene of an interesting cere.moiiy on Tuesday. Several of the New Plymouth children regularly correspond , with school children at Home through the Empire League. Growing out of ,' this has come tlie custom of cxchunyiug flags between schools of the old and new , worlds. Probably the first two to adopt this iiljea Iwerle Hyde (England) and' .Hvile (New South Wales). The Central School pupils are forwarding to Plymouth (England) a Union Jack bearing on tlie selvedge the inscription: "From 'the boys and girls of New Plymouth, ,Now Zealand, lu the boys and girls of Old Plymouth, Old England." The flag .was hoisted on the school flag-stall' on St. Michael's Square. The children were

addressed by the headmaster (Air. 11, Dempsey), the chairman of the commit toe (Air. F. P. Corkill), and Rev. Colvile. The children having sung the National Anthem, the flag was saluted by the cadet companies, and the gathering dispersed.

Extraordinary reports are current re latingtoa serious quarrel which has aris en between Count Zeppelin, of airshii Jaine, and Major von Gros, the well known inventor of the German mill lary airship. Alujor von Gros, it is stated, has never made any secret of 3 it opinion that Count Zeppelin is not 'en titled to all Ino fame and lavish recognition which he has received. According to Major tiros it is not Count Zeppelin but an Austrian engineer nam id Scliwarz who is the real inventor of

the rigid airship, and that Count Zeppelin, in permitting himself to be applauded as the inventor, is sailing under false colors. Reports of Major von Gros' aspersions having come to tn-j ears of Count Zeppelin, the Count startod for Berlin, where it is stated, he is seriously considering with his military friends the advisability of chaMon-mi" Major Gros to fight h'im. It is stated turlher that the quarrel has alreadv 'engaged the attention of the Wurtcniberg military authorities mid two military courts of honor, ft h i(s been pointed out to Count Zeppelin that lie is in (he position of an ollicer before (],-. enemy, ami that he cannot think of redressing his private wrongs until he has done his private duty to Hie nation. Both Count Zeppelin and Major von Gros decline to state how the matter actually stands.