LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 53, 27 March 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Fitzroy tennis players visited lnglewood on Thursday, and had to accept defeat at the hands of the home team by 100 panics to 47. .Mr. J£. A. I'rwin, who resigned the position nl' honorary conductor oj the Hawera Borough Band, has decided to accept the baud's oiler of payment for his services at the rate of JJ2S per annum.

The Wanganui Chronicle says that a well-known local resident has'just eomjdeted a 52 days' fast, as the result of which he claims to have been effectually cured of what has hitherto been regarded as an incurable disease.

"New Zealand's offer" has evidently touched a responsive chord in the heart of one practical young New Zeala'nder. A Christchurch schoolboy has written to the Premier: "Dear Sir Joseph,— I am sending a shilling for the Dreadnought."

A rider of interest to local bodies was added b>' the jury at the inquest on the Maori, ltangi, killed on the Auroa road. It is to the effect that it be a recommendation to the local bodies having control of the roads to pass by-laws limiting the speed at which motor-cars should be driven.

Oood progress is being made with the erection or the Maori War monument on Alar-land' Hill. The contractors, 'Alesrsrs Parkinson and Co.. of Auckland, have notified the secretary. Air. W. Ik Cordon. that the monument has arrived in Auckland, and will be shipped to Nvw Plymouth, next Thursday,

I'll the course of a discussion by the Wellington Industrial Association, concerning Local Industries Week and the best means of interesting the cliildren, Air. D. llobcrttsou expressed a desire to see >ehool-chiidren encouraged to show something more than their ability to write es>ays. Personally, lie was interested to know whether girls could make their own clothe*, and 'whether the hoys could make barrows. Ivssay* were ali right, but ihU wa- more important. The idea met with >ome favor, hut it was pointed out by Messrs. .\. Drown and Watson that u«» tuition on technical lines wiu given at the public *<-hools. On account, of the dull times prevailing in the towns a number of so-called smart men take to canvassing jobs in 1 the country, and sometimes their methods are not" of the best. In lonely country places, where the head of the , household may be away at a distance attending to some of the many duties of the farm, these canvassers come about and very often use a good deal of bounce when things are not going just as they would like. Only one day this week a farmer's wife, says a correspondent of the llawera Star, who was alone in tiie house, was severely threatened by canvassers because she would not buy what they wished her to buy. I understand the matter is to be put into the hands of the police, and more may be heard of the incident. \

.Mr. F. 'Hirtles left the "News' 5 uiliee thirj morning at 3 o'clock on his roadster bicycle, with the object of establishing a road record beU\coa New Plymouth and Wellington. He expects to breakfast at llawera at l> o'clock, and a Wavcrlev gentleman is preparing all manner of good things for him there. Wanganui will be reached at HI.IJO, Hulls 1*2.15. I'oxfou 2 p.m., Otaki >\ p.m., and ihe Dominion ollice. at Wellington, at s o'clock. 'Mr. Hirtles arrived in New I'lymoutli yesterday afternoon, after a , cycling journey in easy stages from Wellington. He found that tlie roads had l deteriorated considerably since he journeyed over them a few months ago. Thi! task lie has set himself involves an average speed, including wtoppageri, of lit miles an hour, or ;tU»ul I,> milea an hour in actual travelling, lie is riding a. three-speed machine, geared to (>."», SI. "awl 110.

All ol.jort Ifoiolh of an inch iu <thiinvtt'r I'nn Ir- dUcrmi'il by the huniiui Young Willie was given a_ lron t, Aikl 100 much unwisely did cut, Ue felt very ill, And was given a pill. Ijaxo-Tonic; he's now on lus feet. IiAXO-TONIO HIXS, 10'/ s d and Is (id.- 1

The nearest point to the North Fole previously reached is 114 miles from the goal, Lieutenant Pearv in l'.Wti establish-! ing that record anil carrying t lie Stars and Stripes thirty miles buyoud the limit of the subsequent best achievement, that of Captain Cagni stx years before. It will thus be seen tiuit the j record of polar exploration rests with Shacklcton and his men.

The ELtlium Argus reports thut Air. 'Griffey, whose disappearance we referred to yesterday, las turned up again, having been found on Mr. Luxton's property on the liu Road. He was eventually brouglit before the .Magistrate's Court, ■ the lion. W. Carncross ami his Worship the Mayor presiding, 011 a charge of drunkenness. He was evidently ill from (exposure, and after being medically treatment. The Hawera Star reports that when found the man was wearing ,ouly a shirt. Regarding tlie Press Association message from Wanganui, published on Wednesday, to the effect that thevo was every prospect of » strike of coal miners on the West Coast 01 tlie South Island, there is no trouble of the kind brewing in the Auckland district, so far as tlie

mineowners art aware, inquiries made by a Herald representative on Wednesday amongst representatives uf the various coal mining companies, elicited the information that everything is working satisfactorily in this district. The report from Wanganui, moreover, is looked upon as an unlikely period to he selected hy the unions for a strike. Then.- are, at all events, no symptoms r»f trouble in the Auckland coal mining districts, and it is not thought likely that the strike predicted in the .South, if it occurs, will spread to the North,

A meeting of ratepayers was held «» Thursday night to consider a proposal to borrow by way of special loan the sum of £.10,000 for the purpose of the construction of coal-gas works in the borough of Eltham, Ugnting tnu ur-weU and jmblic places and supplying gas to the inhabitants. There was a representative attendance, the Mayor (Air. T. (!. Stanners) presiding. Tlu> Mwyor, la hii opening remarks, said that most of the ratepayers were aware that the lighting question had been before vfie Council for a numbei 01 and the Council was of opinion that tlie time )»ad now arrived when a better scheme of lighting than tin; present one saould be adopted. The street lighting was wretched and altogether behind the times. Councillor Parrott moved, ''That this meeting is favorable to the gas--1 works loan proposal being submitted to a poll of the ratepayers." Councillov j llill seconded, and after a long; discus- [ sion the motion was carried, only ouc j dissenting. Thu estimated cost of the installation is 4.7,000.