LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 297, 10 December 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The first of the Hastings peaches will shortly be on the market. Thougit some considerable damage was dune by late frosts, there will nevertheless he a good crop generally. An Ashburtou no-license meeting passed a resolution expressing appreciation of the Premier's attitude towards t/ie proposed erection of a brewery on the I confines of that district.

Jt is stated in a southern paper that Home linns interested in the continuance of license in New Zealand helped the Li(|iior Party with a donation which rail into six figures. A first-oJl'ending drunk, arrested whi'e iu charge of a horse and cart in .Brougham street 011 Tuesday evening, was yesterday brought before the Court, convicted and discharged.

A serious matter to local people is the appearance of a destructive blight in the hedges of eleagnus japonica. The pest has shown itself in some of the finest hedges hi the district, and is rapidly destructive,

At Hastings ou .Sunday night, a youth left his bicycle outside the Prcsbywriau Church while hu was attending service. Someone removed and stole the front wheel of his machine. To accomplish this the thief »tule the tools out of a kit on another bicvcle.

The Wang.nuii trauicars have now been run over most of the lines. Both the contractors and members of the Borough Council are exceedingly pleased with the running of the cars. The installation of the system cost about ,C43. , H)0. The service is to be ollicially opened to-day.

Tin. 1 footbnd;j • muh«r the W'W Henui railway bridge. in connect l-lm esplanade with tin: iiiit; stretch of sandy beach to the eastward, is now being made by prison labor under tim direction of Ward'r Kichardson. Visitors to the town, praise Air. Tisrh for the inauguration of his esplanade extension scheme.

At a meeting of the Auckland Educa tion Board the chairman stated that the sum allocated for the purchase of free school bowks for Standards 1 and 2 was considerably below the iimoir.it re* 'Hiiired. Th:; Hoard declined to shoulder Ihe responsibility, and decided to ask the Department to make a sutticient allowance or supply tiie books.

There •seem* to be some uncertainty' as to whether the reported despatch of Mr. CJwilliaui as Xew Zealand's dairy

inspector at Home will be carried out. At present the matter is not linally decided. The proposal is part of the exMinister's scheme, described in his speech at tin.' iManawatu winter show ia l!) 07, to send graders home for terms of about three years each, to watch dairy produce interests.there, and then come back with valuable increased knowledge of the Home trade.

A novel invention (writes u WairaI'apii correspondent) is to be seen on two stations :vt Taiieru. It is an "artiiicial mother," or feeder for rearing pet iambs. The machine is made of tin, and ■stands about eighteen inches from the ground. Tin: inside slopes to (he centre, and eight lambs ca'n drink at one time. The ordinary baby's mouthpiece is inserted by rubber tubes through holes in tile feeder, and the lambs stand in rows alongside and drink the warm milk poured in at j feeding time.

The Chief Engineer of Roads has conveyed to tht liorough Council an intimation that the .Minister for Roads 1 cannot approve the sub-division pian of I the Kawau I'ali reyn , The plan is satisfactory so far as Kawau street, | Curric street, and the most eastern portion of (Jill street are concerned —be-i tween Currie street and the lluatoki stream —but he requires that 1 'ill slrc-t to the west of Curric street shall be widened by DO links, the same as the, other portion of the street. When this has been done, either by the dedication of the necessary land or otherwise, a.i Order-in-Uouncil will he gazetted giving effect to the Council's resolution on the matter.

The HI u|V correspondent of the 1 1 Otiigo 1 Jailv Times states that a haul reminiscent of tin; old whaling days was made at the end of last week at -Mason's Bay, on the west coast of Stewart Island, Brag, senior, and Kwnin wen: «lt the buy lisliing. Suddenly the waters inside became a mass of life and animation. Proceeding to ascertain the cause, lliey discovered such a slloEll rf blacklish as has not been seen for many a day. Thereupon they set about driving the lisli on shore, sticceding in stranding no fewer than 320 of full size. They improvised a "fry down," and although at latest advises the work wis 'not completed, they were expecting to cask from (il) to 70 tons of oil.

l)r, t'ocknync, (loverniucut liiologis':, 1 i;ts been in-1 nil-led liy the (ioverunimt I In make a comprehensive report as' to I I In' ' best way of dealing willi ih'il'l ! sand. which in sniiiy places is threnteiillg to become .'1 SCl'iollS flilllJJCT, cspcei;l lIV (IN till' coast IK!t wren i';ltr;i a.ulf I'aekakariki. just ninth of Wellington It is estimated tliat over UO.OIIO nci'-s in \\'clliiigt«n district. siloiic are threatciii'd with destruction. Soiuethinjr lias' been done ivitli inarruin gra--. lupins, iiiul iec-plant, lull, it is not comprehensive C.KMlgll. The planting of pi.wvr, especially jack ]iines, lias been found oll'ectivc in America. Dr. Cockayne is at work near Hulls. After completing investigations in the Maimwalu district lie will go further north. A Highland soldier, while Iving dangerously ill in the hospital, expressed a desire to hear tile bagpijtes once again before he died. The hospital doet.oil agreed, as there were only fourteen inmates of tlie ward, and none of them wore serious cases. A regimental piper wa» found til play the bagpipes, and for a long time he paced the ward playing tunes of the home-iaiid. Tile next morning the piper called at the hospital. ''Well, doctor," he int|uired, "how is my countryman this morning?" "Very weil indeed," replied the doctor; ''he went to sleep alter vour entertainment, smiling happily, and awoke this morning a new man. lie will rapidly recover now." "(iooiir said the piper. '-(iood!". -lint.'' added the medical man, "thy other thirteen patients are dentil'' The country between Wellington and Xapier at the present time gives evidence of the bountiful nature of the season. Not for many years liavn the Wairarapa and inland llawke's Bav districts looked so green, llain has fallen just when it was wanted, and the stock aiv luxuriating in an abundance of pasture, Haymaking is in progress in many 'places, and the grain crops appear to lie well forward. The harvest will be an early one. The dairy industry is booming, ami all along the line ' one hears predictions (lint the season will 'be a record one for the output of produe.'. (ireat progress has been mad.' : n recent years in clearing tlie forty Mile I Bush laud, ami the number of blackened tree stumps is rapidly becoming 1.-ss beautitul greim Ik'Ms being -,(.,>11 in-day where only I'onipnrativelv a ten years back there stood virgin l'ore*l.. Anyn.ie who is inclined to be in a |ie>-iini-t ic. mood residing the I'niiire of the l)o----iiiiiii"u tile I'overty Hay Herald) would find a railway ride through the inland districts of the North island at I lie present time the best, possible medicine be could take for his complaint.

During ;i recent vNii North Dr. Mii-.uu ;uid l)r J'oniarc have every Maori -i/hoo! and dMrk-t \\wy ■ could «•(»! Nt I ><■ iween Niftier and Koto- | rita lor I'lie jMii'jMJ-e of inve^ti^cilinn- ]io\v the present >y>of looking after the health of I lie Natives is working, and ;worl;iinin<:' what improvements uu»lil be elleeted. Tlie department, Mippii,'> lo |he teaehrrs <»l' all .Maori X'honls In nniiiy till' loi/al i- liie only man in [lie district who k:to\\> anything al'oiit and any appliance*. ami In him not only I lie .Maoris bat aUo Hie Kwtopeans jut oM en deeply i-idelded in lime of sjekI ne-and I roil hie. 'l'lie (lepa I'Hucnt s.jiell'N alionl c"'iiuii ii year last year it was L i.'/iMI in -applying dni»* and sulmmedhal men, all'! >o Jar the ro-

»ul!s have liecn mo-l -atM'actnry. "Our principal diiiieuily." remarked Dr. .\|:iso»i lo a dawk"'-* Hay Herald repori-<-r, " i- ia m'l'.iiijr the t<« tin: outh ini; Lisle, awl inVM'lf had :i conlcrcih e on lite Miliject on the M'itv down from Wairoa. a ml, with the of J Jr. of faeilila f i 11access lo 'every Native district, We I'miml a little sieknos at Milium [dares. including a frw ensi l - oi l typhoid (ever. lull jjviu-i'iiU;.' the health (if (lie .Maori i< good."

KN.MOIiE. S. W. ! .Mr. S. J. Ho-ie. 'T.osivii," Ciiyemli-li Si. F.iiinorc. N r .S.W„ writes as follows: - "I have used Dr. Sheldon's Digestiv" Tabnl'cs. T ir-eil to sull'er from indigestion and he.i,laches I.adly, lmt now f am (piiie free iVtim them." Dr. Sheldon's Digest ive fa'.ndes are an invinnilleil preparalion for the cure of Indigestion and all Stomach Troubles. Price 2.1 till ]*cr tin. Obtainable everywhere.

OTiJXI'TE SAFRT.. RAZORS. Bengal razor*, high-ciass pocket cutlcrj, nil tlie latest on hand. Boys' watches (good timekeepers) Ci-n he obtained for 5s each at J. Avery's, isbacio Oevott-atpcßfc.

The first weekly practice of tlx; member* of the .Swimming Club will he held

at the swimming baths thi> evening, commencing at. S o'clock. It is intended to hold these practices weekly.

An invitation has been extended to the Tarauaki Battalion by .Major Sandfurd to join in a Hold-day with the cadeN at Tc llenni on Thursday next, during the cadet encampment. A suggestion is I made that tile volunteers should on-

deavor to capture the boys' camp, .and the boys just hope they'll try it on. j Owing to the wet weather the meeting of (lie Agricultural Society did not j eventuate, last night. The secretary's , interim balance-sheet disclosed an improved financial position. There are about 2.3 new members to be proposed at the next meeting, Including live lady members. The committee will meet next Wednesday evening. Examinations for the Tarauaki Education Hoard's scholarships and the National scholarships commenced yes-

tcrday at the Technical schools at N l, w Plymouth and Stratford. There are 4S candidate* at New Plymouth, and Messrs Ballantyne and Kenton, Misses Ballantyne and Whitcombe, are supervising. The supervisors at Stratford

are Mrs. Clayton and Mr. Whctter. One of the steam shovels engaged in work on the Panama Canal, in the

operation of which more tjuui MO emwere engaged, recently lifted out a quantity of dynamite wllich is described in an ollicial report as being

''more Hum a bushel." What would j liavc happened if lilt; .shovel hud struck the dynamite instead of the earth around it is easy to imagine. The explosive was ill sticks three-quarters of an inch ltnig 1 , and the cartridges bore tlie trade-mark of a French manufacturer of dynamite and a date which appeared to be the 2i)tli November, 18X7. Unquestionably the dynamite was put in by the French, and either failed to explode, or was abandoned when the work ceased 011 that part of the Kve;vh water-way. The dynamite appeared to be in perfect condition. A remarkable case of loss of consciousness lias been reported to iljic) Carterton N'eivs. The other evening a young man left Carterton for his home, two miles distant, 011 a bicycle. Two hours later he arrived home, with his face skinned and his leg hurt, and in a dazed condition. lie was unable to account for his hurts, and coming across some work which lie hud done before lie left home, asked 111 11 puzzled way ivlio had done it. Later he recovered himself, but was unable, and still is, to say what happened during the two hours he was presumably oil the way homo, 1 i the rate of one mile an hour. From the time of mounting his machine until after arrival heme, his mind "was a blank.

''The Angel Pain" is the. subject of an editorial in Saturday's Masterton Times. In wrestling with the problem our contemporary says:—"'The Angel Pain' comes to a thousand different people in a thousand different forms. Even the young and strong do not escape. Tn

a country like Now Zealand, how many a young man toils in the bark-blocks leading a lonely existence which is a I sort of dull continuous sull'eringy Yet. later on, when such a young man at last secures tile eompanionship of a wife and children, his appreciation of his new happiness is enhanced by the lonely misery of the preceding years. Such men make good husbands and good fathers, as the result of the training th'ey underwent when "tile Angel Pain' gave them loneliness as their portion." A *t<>ry is going tile rounds of the' (.'hrUtciiuivh sellouts demonstrating tin pride taken by Mrholars ia the reputation of their >:-hoo|s. Ai'Ui' a recent, spurts mi'eiing a teacher, who had taken an active ]»ait and wnosr school had dune by no means badly. a-Aouml-ed to find on;- of his boy.- surrounded by a menacing crowd. On making inquiries lie learned that iiU pupil, while I ! peacably returning home, was greeted i»y I hose of a victorious school with the cry, " school is no good.'' This | was too much, and the challenge was | taken on (he spot. He ran ten opponents in as many heats, the telegraph poles replacing the tape and the footpath the running track. {Je won all. but even that did not vindicate his school's reputation, so he oll'ered to "fight the lot uf 'em" for the final. The Italian Kingdom, of late years the most -prosperous on the whole in Kunipe (says Hie Westminster Oazctte), is sulleriisg from .serious distress in the South. In Sicily there is a complicated dispute in the sulphur trade, culminating in a si l ike and a consequent lockout; in Apulia, and especially ia the neighbourhood of liari, prolonged drought lni? brought famine. The silk harvest has failed; tile vintage is unprofitable. partly owing to the previous depression in the wine trade there and t Isnwhere, and the growers are reported to liave no money for wages or even for alms. Kven graver is the actual want of water, which for some weeks hay been brought in shiploads to Bari. The (uiveriiment promised relief works, ia tin- shape of new railways and improvements of the harbuKM at Bari and elsewhere, but the sell" .10 is v-ot yet sanctioned, and meantime the distress is acute.

There is at C'hristchurch an Anglican clergyman who, it is stated, possesses ill a remarkable degree the power of mental healing. lie had studied the subject deeply, lias watched the progress of knowledge in relation to it, and has exercised his powers so .successfully that many .people have received treatment from him. This clergyman has now been authorised by Bishop .lulius to act with Christchurcii doctors in testing the value of treatjnent by mental healing. .Several' Christchurcii doctors have expressed their willingness to help in the in-' vestigation by examining patients who wish to be treated, and in selecting pa'tients who arc likely to be benefited. Bishop Julius lias written to the Canterbury branch of the British .Medical Association, asking it to express an opinion iu regard to the value of psycho-tlu'rapathy, and also to ascertain how far its members will lie disposed to take part in lite sclieiu'".

Xow that the .Main Trunk line is open for through tratlic, it will be interesting to see what the position is as it applies to the levelling-up of prices for stock in the North Island. Hitherto, owing to its isolated position, Auckland has' always received top prices for its beef and mutton, and wotheis have been selling for 20s in Wellington, while 2"is lifts Ucen received in Auckland. 'J'ho necessity for consigning by vail to Wellington or New Plymouth, and then shipping on to Auckland, lias alwav been something of a harrier, but with such a difference olVering in prices ui future, and stock upon the mils for the best paying markets, i( is contended by some of those interested that competition will come from Taranaki and Wan'urapa. Whether Ibis levelling up process cun br put into operation remain> to be -em, but (remarks thel Star) it would certainly appear likely I iba! Auckland'- isolation in tin's re-pe<-l | ']:• now at an end. and any noticeable i dillVrenc!' in pries tillering in tin* North compared to the South will lead to | large consignments being sent overland | bv rail.

The cubic news told us the other diiy of I lie beginning of the sale of Lord' .Amherst's famous library. The sate continues next mouth. 'The Amherst library is remarkable, not lor its size, but for the 'number of extremely rare and almost priceless old volumes it contains. hi the catalogue of about JOIIO volumes are sonic o( the rarest books ill (lie world. Among its greatest treasures are the famous Mazarin Hilile and a uniijue collection of early prinlcd I books. These include the l.'alholicou | (1-lliOl. Cicero (l-lii.) „nd J-ICili), and Lee tantius fI he lirsl book printed iu llalv lllio). and other line .specimens fro'n early Italian presses. Seventeen book: printed by On\ton arc a feature of tin collection. Among tlicm is l.efevr.:'."History of Troy," believed lo he (in only genuine perfect copy of the- first book printed in the English language. Campai'cd with these unii|iie treasures, tli" Shakespeare Kir*l Folios, (lie W'vclili'e and ('overdid ■ Jliblw, which are :lls o the Amherst books, arc comparatively commonplace. The colleclio.i is nlsr. exceptionally rich iu illuminated manuscripts ami beautiful old hind::!:;.-. The apparent reason for the sale is i!,nl Lord Amherst was impoverished by till! defalcations of his fauiilv lawyer

Messrs Km,sen anil Co.. general mer chants, .Shortlaud, Thames,' X.Z., say : " I'i'oin our experience i.i selling Chamberlain's colic, cholera and diarrhoea remedy we are satisfied that a few doses of it is snllicicnt to cure anyone sulloring from eolie. diarrhoea or pains in the stomach.' For sale lie all c-hem-ists and storekeepers. If your complaint is incurable you must bear voitr s'nfl'eringj with patience, 'but if they can hi' quickly and pcrinai ncnlly cured wiiy let them go on? l'henmntism. sciatica, neuralgia. tooth-' ache—all of these are aiming (he many, ailments (hilt can be cured by Chamberlain's Vain Balm, and since they are' most wearying -ami Chamberlain'/j Pain Balm only cost. Is fill per bottlewhy go on suffering 1 For sale by all j Aemists and storekeepers.

Jlr. .1. Hi-slop roporU to the Hawera iStar Unit this season n freak sparrow has been hatched in his Muuijui tanu shrubbery. it is jjiire white.

A tallow a 1)1.1 skill house, lti-lonyilly to .Mr, Frank Andrews, of Xorinauby. was I'll in t down on Sunday, involving a to lal loss in tallow, bones, etc., of over Allot).

XIHi lirst election of councillors for the recently-created Waiiuate West County Look place yesterday, (he voting being—Wiiini.it.' riding (lour required): li. Long T. .Uel'llillips 17:2, A,

.1. Mastic 153, (;. (ilenn l:j7, | i(; I'Tcuiing 113, d. \\. Snowden S3: Kaupokomii riding (three required): \V. MudI ford SO, X. A. Bridge 71, .1. Cassidv (ill, ]). ,1. Hughes il).

A case of honesty from a not C'Y]K'elt'd is recorded from an inI land township. The day for payment

of old age pensions having arrived, the ollicer ill charge of tile department was paying out, when a message arrived from ail old Maori thanking the Government for its kindness to liiui in the past, but stating that in the future he did not require a pension, as he had leased a piece of land, and was now making an incoin:: of his own.

An applicant for admission io IJiC Oliiro Home, Wellington, told the Hoard of Trustees on Tuesday that in dune lie borrowed ;C1 from a iawver, the security for tile loan being his old age pension of £2 3s -Id monthly. Since thai! dale the lawyer had held the old age , pension paper and the pensioner had [ paid 5s per month for the loan! lie had now still to pay the principal, .CI and Cs interest in redemption of his pension document The pensioner was admitted to the Ohiro Home.

A sunlisli, like the one caught afc I Jloturoa last week, was washed ashore on a West Coast beach a few days ago. The flail (says tile Ureymoutli .Star) is a marine curiosity of great dimensions. He measures from head to tail 10ft Gin, depth of body sft (Sin, width of body 2ft, and length from the tips of the litis, which are horizontally situated near the tail, lift (iin. The weight of the fish is estimated to be about two and a-half tons, and some idea of the size of the monster may be gathered when it is stated that it required the power of two draught horses to drag it a few feet on boards. A certain successful candidate at the general elections shrieked against the wicked extravagance of the Government; he howled about the cost of the Dimedia railway station; ho was fairly] crazed over the cost of the Kotorua. bath house, and he advocated economy to the last shilling, saying that about the only expenditure should be loading the backbloeks. He was elected, and now he is "on the job" to secure a new railway station for the town. He is like the rest; he wishes to economise in the other fellow's electorate. To prevent misunderstandings we may say that we are not referring to any Tanliaki M.P.—Eltham Argus. ( One thing that- will strike the Xew

Zealand fanners who have taken land in Queensland (says the Welling- 1 ton l'ostj is the lightness of taxation j as compared with Xew Zealand's. Xew i Zealand raises in taxation about £4 13s per head of Hie population every year; Queensland only about CS 4s per head, including Commonwealth taxation. The difference is made up by land sales —upon which every Queensland 'treasurer relies for revenue. In Queensland the loan expenditure is kept slrictly apart from ordinary expenditure; there is no public works account in which the two are confused beyond hope of recognition by the commonalty. Queensland appears to he on the up grade. -