The Daily News TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 300, 15 December 1908, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

on Tin-: I'oiirni i>ac;e. Ok-kot. Athletics. ilVllMlclllll. Coiniiu'iviiil. Amusements. ■District. News. L'uni'spuntlciiee. Jloueless .Ueut. t'iinii <tu<( IJuirv. Ladi-ls in L'limji.

'i'liu meeting of ladies in eoiijieeli'.>n with the Esplanade, to have been held last evening at .Mi's. Avery's, has U'ca postponed to a date early in the new year. The Harbor Board is being approached by tiie municipal authorities lor power to impound cattle from the Esplanade. Considerable damage has been caused within tin- past few days. The police. lm\e been active during the last lew week* in tin* King Couium >n tracking d.swn "sly grog-seuers,' : ami on j and WYdtioday ten convictions i \\\re ici'oi-.u'd hi .~d, representing liii.) in line*. It was reported at the Borough Council meeting last uight that the breakwater 'bus service had been curtailed without notice on December 3rd, causing considerable ineonvcaience to tile public. —The matter was referred to the inspector to take action in accordance with the by-Jaws. As reported yesterday, the dog-tax in I 11)07 realised IIM 7s tM, .and m lttUti I*Bl .Is. Mr. Catlley pointed out at last night's nuethig of thy Borough Council that in IUO7 the collection cost the Council .Ca-i Bs, which brought the amount down to within a few shillings of the 1008 tjgures. He omitted to state that the Council's inspector, receiving £2 per week, undertook the work of collection last year. Without further discussion the Council adopted last year's tax—os per dog if paid by .March ;Ust and lUs alter that date. The walls of the big dining-room at the North Eginont Mountain House are not as gay with pictures as they used to be, for when Mr. E. 0. Morris gavo up the position of custodian he took with him most of the adornments of this nature, they being his own private property. The committee would be glad tc receive donations of framed pictures, and also suitable books or magazine.-: for use at tile house. I'arceU may b; left with .Mr. C'ollis, chairman of the committee, or Mr. 11. Stocker. secretary at Messrs. Webster and McKellar's of-1 lice. I The Egmont Ludg.:, .\o. 112, held its usual weekly session in St. Mary's (lall hist night. Bro. J. Legg, C.T., presided over a good attendance of members and visitors, iiro, ('. .Stokes, district secretary of tlie ilawkc's Bay District Lodge, paid a visit to the Lodge and gave a short addre>.«, Imaging greetings from the lodges in his district. Alter the umu>l business had been transacted, the Lodge proceeded with the programme for the evening, which consisted of ''hfhort papers on any subject.*' <Juit.j a "number of papers on such subjects as smoking, swimming, local v. colonial option, etc., were read and discussed.

At last night's meeting of the Borough Council .Mr. l'\ IMlringer pointed out that there were some private allotments in the Te llenui Cciiiclery wliicli were becoming over-run with fern, brambles, and blackberries. He understood Ihi' Council had power to compel owners of tile plots to clean tlieni up. Tie.' beauty of the cemetery was being marred. The .Mayor said that the cemetery was noted for its beauty, and he thought it a pity to allow a few irnlidv portions to disligure the place. lie thought tli'.; Council -hould proceed against one or two local people, and. in addition, private subscriptions or the municipal funds should be devoted to the work of clearing away these weeds. There is a probability that Noah Brusso—-better known as Tommy Burns —-it he world's champion heavy weight pugilist, will pay visit to New Zealand after be has settled his little dill'ereuee with .lack .lohnsou. Mr. Cooinbcs. editor of the Sydney Jiefcl'cc, on his return from W'ang.inui. is to be empowered to carry the wishes of the Wellington i Boeing Association to .Mr \V. F. Corbctt, boxing editor u f the. referee, and the association's Australian representative, | with a view to the latter making the necessary cmpiiries from the present champion as regards terms. After his clash wi'lii Squires, Burns accepted an invitation from lloliart to tour TasI mania and give exhibitions, and the ! local association is hopeful that terms can be made satisfactory enough to both parlies to enable New Xealanders to see the champion in action. If he decides to make the trip Burns'will be accompanied by his sparring partners, Pat o'Kce.fe and l>cs. O'Donnell. a coming middle weigh t clia nipion. ltegular visitors to the itecreation Crounds aver that they have never seen tlio place" looking so pretty or so tidy and clean. The work of trimming ami cleaning up the miles of paths is no small one, especially when it is remembered that instead of an adult assistant the custodian now has only a little .Maori boy to help liiin. The growth of I grass, fennel, fern, and so on, is prodigious at this season of the year, and Mr. Smith has his hands full.' Several of the species of trees in llie grounds, such as the puriri, cast oil' enormous iiuantitics of leaves, and the task of keeping the paths presentable is no one. The stale of the grounds is thoroughly appreciated by those who lake an interest in the town's most famous attraction. But there are others who visit the ground with a diU'erent object in view. We refer to the thieving element which has latterly been responsible lor the stealthy removal of some, recently imported ducks and several of the ••horse-shoe" ferns planted in the dell ln'loiv the pivt.lv Utile cascade at the lower end of the grounds. These tlielts are extremely annoving and discouraging, ami it is hoped'that the perpetrator or perpetrators will be uncovered ami brought Lo justice. Speaking of I lie CuOtl bonus offered to any person who could successfully

checkmate tin- desire <>i the California!) thistle 1o po-sess the land, tlie North ')'»«<> Times says: "Sonic time ago a ml tier on the Kaktimii llat made Die di-eovery tlmt tile wild gowun way a -'ire antidote to tlio Californian this!!.-. He had a rousidcrable jiatoll oil liis fawn, which ho had endeavored to subdue by

working tile ground. but with indifferent success. However. in the midst of his

operation- a Hood mine down the river and deijxi.siteil a large supply of wild go wan. or Held daisy, seed on (be land. The {rowan grew and thrived, but never a thislie appeared, and from that day - several yestrs ago--to 1 hi-, there have been 110 thistles (here. The settler wi'ol to the .Minister for Lands claiming the Cjoil Irinus, but lh<. Minister replied that the cure might be wiiive j h=i:i tlio - not, however. The <an easiiv Ik* eradieated, Iml Mie thi-dle cannot. and if tin- former will kill the littler, then it mijihl rifely lie utilised fov the purpose. There are plenty <f California n in (he country, and ;i* ;in area ui wild i;owans. ami our contemporary sujf-ge>ls thai: the ex perimenl of rntipduein<i rlie <jowau io tli« tilHile \n\tfh nuVlit l,e pmlttalile. NOKTIT OAIiT/rON", VIC. S •T. North .Mellinurnc. A'ic.. writes: "Tijist winter I nj- su!lVriji»r sihmit montlis willi n. very -evere cold. I eould li;irdly spenk ahove a wlii-iper—in fajt. some of my v:»M T would lose uiv voice After trying abnufc half-a-rto/.eu 1 eliam-ed to sen .'Ui adverti--enH'itt of Or. Sheldon's N'-w l)ht (i\ri v, T tVi<L iV'' : i l ii?jed toiir luittle-, v.lik'li I'lnvl' 1 )'"- cured me Siji.-i' t))••]! Mi.ivr v-T " ,ti .'(if ! it in l«d> e' i"Mij'l1■, 1 v I It^ve I !n'i-e ..Itildrej!. "•M 'V'r tliey (•..Id-. Dr. Mieli!-!/'; Di-overy i'w sinfV for tin-Hi.'' Dr. -I.\>w 1 for (" < i l l "j i■ ■» 'UMI I nUU i l -; an lincniialled ration for Hie eiire of ell ('he?l ( nn.l l.nii •.Tr >uljleK. Vrico Is Oil and 3s -pev bottle. Obtain-, aide everywhere,

Jlr. Newton King has reci'ivml th<> following cable; from his Sydney ugonl: "Hides, one-eighth higher."

A scholar ot' the. Makctawa school named Keith Coruey has attended school for nine years without missing a day. This, our correspondent thinks, is a record ior tlie province. Mr Paul Taylor, the stipendiary l magistrate at Marylebone (London), gave a sensible decision the <>tner uav, when he told a tramear conductor that it was his duty to prevent overcrowding, and that if he failed to do so the passengers were entitled to protect themselves. Jl'e dismised a summons against a man who had been pushed out , of a lull carriage, and who had summoned for assault the man who lia.l I pushed him.

'A townsman suggests that in order to give the .public an opportunity of witnessing the school cadets' sham-light on the old Hospital roiui on Thursday afternoon, the Junction in connection with the opening of the bridge under the Te llenui river be postponed till i later date. The Mayor has been approached in connection with the matter, but it is understood that he cannot see his way to fall in with the proposal.

A mild sensation was caused in the Square as the mail train passed through Pnlnieiston North at mid day ou Friday by the attempt of a m.iu to alight at the Cmmnerei tl crossing. He was under lite iinpres-ion tli.it he was on the wrong li.iin. ajw he, is now bemoaning the fact that he ri .ked his life, bruised himself in various parts of the body, rolled a good deal of dust into his clothes, and then after all dkovered that he wits oil the right train!--Standard. "The name of the late Unhop Sehvyn is stronger i-> Kngland to-day that it is in New Zeahui-1." says Archdeacon CaiI dev. whd has just returned from England. "One hears more at Home of his good work in New Zealand than we hear out here. It h not altogether because we have sent contingents to South Africa that our Dominion is so well thought of at Home. The fact that it was heie that Selwyn lauded as the pioneer statesman of a free church hi a free country has also a great deal to do with it."

The Premier has telegraphed to Mr. Jennings, M.l\. stating that he is willing to go on with the telephone extension to L'ukealithe from t'ruti, if the settlers will give a guarantee for ihe subsidy of .CIS a year for live vea.-3. The cost of constructing the telephone communication with Maryville and the sawmills on the Mokau river amounts to about .1:1000, so we are informed by Mr. Jennings, ;md as the revenue would Ik? small compared with the expenditure, it is regretted by. the Minister in charge of the Department that the. matter of making the connection must stand over for the present.—Waitara Mail. 'Referring to the Welliugton-Maiu-wa'tu Piiiilway, Sir Joseph Ward informed a, LytUlton Times reporter that during the past ten years the Government tratlic contributed to the Hue wis represented by £040,000. That, of course, was before connection with the Xorth Island trunk line was complete, and it did not require a great strain on the imagination to realise that the trunk line would add enormously to the business. Before leaving Wellington he had signed a Cazetto notice dealing with alterations in the passenger fares for the whole of (lie Xorth Island, necessitated by the Stfci.te ownership of thft Manawatu line, and a readjustment of rates over thnt line for goods and produce had also been made. The purchasemoney. CiHo.liOO, .would be obtained on : very satisfactory term*. All the details > would be plaeod before Parliament next » session.

A rather ill rilling experience was ,m----d'orgone by Mr Scott. a wcll-kn,'» v. in builder in this city (says tlie Chrislchureh I'ress) at Taylor's Mistake on Thursday last. Whilst lishiug <m the rocks In! slipped into the water and got 1 entangled in u trawling net, when suddenly a shark, nearly live feci: km#, which, was partly caught, made for him. Had it not been for two young men wlm had ju??t rowed out to lilt tho trawl, the result might have been a sad ending. Hearing the scream, th\v with a few strokes reached him and la-died the water so vigorously that they diverted the shark's effort, •nd managed to spear it. When landing they opened the shark, and found 37 'young in the shark's pouch. The experience is one that Mr Scott is not likely to ever forget, and lie expresses his heartfelt thanks for the tiuudy as--wt.a nee.