LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 58, 2 April 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thc High St-hool spurts, which were 1" have been held ill the liecrcation Crounds yesterday afternoon, were posLpuiicil until to-morrow (Saturday), 0:1 account of the showery weather.

It is understood that after allowing for interest and sinking fund, the New Plymouth electric light department will show a jirollt for the past year of between XIIIIIU and XI4OU.

The euchre party held on Wednesday evening in aid of the West End school gymnasium fund was very successful, file prizes were won liy Mrs. (J'J)riacull and .Mrs. 0. (.Icorge, and Messrs W. Perridge aail Hawkins. In the S.M. Court yesterday morning, before .Mr. 11. S. I'itzherbert, S.M., several eases of drunkenness were dealt with. A lirsl offender was convicted and discharged. J. U. Cathro, charged with procuring li([uor during the currency 0! his prohibition order, was discharged as a drunk and lined 10s and costs on the other charge, being ordered also to .pay .111 Is for medical treatment. John tirill'ey. who had been (■hinged with drunkenness in Klthiini after spending a night in Hie country jiartly clad, came up on remand, and was ordered lo pay the costs of medical attendance.

A report reaches us (Wellington I'osl) from a well-known authenticated source that 011 .Monday last the passengers for Auckland by the express 0:1 the -Main Trunk line received a great scare when descending the Spiral. It i s assorted that the train travelled down the incline at such a rate that the occupants of the carriages were thrown olf their seats. The maximum speed allowed is A3 miles an hour. The express was about two hours late at ltanrimu, hut it reached Auckland only twenty minutes behind time. Prom "what we have learned it would scent to be a matter for ollicin] enquiry.

The capital entries received by the New Plymouth Caledonian Society for the annual sports 011 Easier .Monday assin,. the most successful meeting in the Society's history. The introduction ol field events, for good prizes, is a novelty that will no doubt be greatly appreciated by athletes and public alike. Amongst these events, the wrestling should attract good fields. Much of the two shies is worth .15, the prizes for the Cuiiiuciiaiid style beimr kindly donated by Mr. ff. !•'. llcAlluni, proprietor of the Coffee Palace. For the Highland events, intimation has already been received of competition from Xapier and Wa:iganui.

There must be a limit to the amount of reading matter a magazine editor can afford i 0 yivo for «ix]»eiicu, and wc thought tin. Xw Idea had n ,ad„,d that .om.darr with its last enlargement. Hut the April issue comes aluim- w ith the notice tliat there is still another chaii",J»r Ihe hetter. | t . j ri eight pa„es 1,i..,„!r i» printed on better paper, and decided | improvements in general ..,.(-„,, le m . jiwji made. The editor aimoir.ices tl'ial iu response lo a general demand immure 'fashions, lie lias engaged iv,i expert to control a complete fashion section This opens with an authoritative article on the trend of la-liion. ~i nd U t.dhnnd l).v sixteen pages of the vciv latent dcsigns—l;i(l in all.

X»tt- Unit tin- railway authorities „o T, Ww,i will, the raihvav !;;;;■'. '-»w*io.i ii..n u, O n0r.,,,,.!, It..mini slmuhl 1.-vcl up th, .It-t-p lioll,? w I "I H.-ilsuii street :,ear the eemelerJ piles. X» ..niMvill gainsay Hie fa, ; t HiaY l.« work „,.„!» ,loi, W . The depress!,,,, '■' H'i'-«ln.el ,s siieh «(„ ,„. lk ,, i t ■«'>eie upon liorsello-1,, ,„,<[ t |„, hl , w||(| liav.- <K.-<-» H io>. t „ vi-it U,e „. 1,. r .v f rmil

(..<• M, u st ( Ms(,. l |y,jN,i-Uon of tin- h',,,,,,,,,!! ■'"<» from F.hroy ami- th, mut0,,,,,,^ II «•■ liie=,.-,i<-.. of Hie railway line prm'ntCil any imnroyoiiioiit Tl,i •;. Hi.,) ~ i "'""'" l - l In* is a ma Iter t: % ' w °" ga °'' t,lc "Hemic):! of tl 1 ,),o 1 .0, 1R ] l eo 11 „c.,F.so fi ti„ a t, sc .o„ imi t.

! I •«<'.-iI ..iv ( ~to,-< of ilu aeroplane have tl« In W, „, ? t„„ eo.upleti,,. what , >ev '< nvo„l.,«llv a I '■l" investment (say. iI IP Tin.™). Ilmanoplan, whicl, isth.^nvntinnof l'i,H,n,n"'rn ''','" r,, '-f*«f- Hi-rival from -to ,i " s JJ y" l,vh """ l «»?■«•,,„!, j hlk, "■"'» in the work-"'t-nd Zm':;; it'"? 1 ,lm ! ; . il: is | | . , . <». {rue Hie niacin,,,, a "■;• «>■ "I'ial "idth. a >ri g ina) fes .' ,' H ' ra l,,,1, ! 0lli ' , 'l wliiH. ll,„ i„ V o„ lnr!< I ' l ' lM " < fnr '"'Pi'iif will prove sueti::!:,;;;.:™;:™!: 11 ;.^ 1 ' fidoi't MI ' ~1, " ~llt," "", " »"olI...ircoa. ,

Just arrived. a t Twi-rSM'a n„. 0 , ,"" ? k."' 10 "" ffe " t3 ' '>o»ts, .11* l f*' nl » l Pliiorta,n m1,m1.? If "* • f" tS '' aD<l childtra ' m k A &'' by reliable li.n imW.e at prices that can't he Lenten.

I A fnv ilrms Hinnnl fv n „i T1- K> ? ii siile ]]=t : ~ jron's dungarees 2s M, rnras raps «?,]. mra . s „. lits Ss J" llu- pound rnliirtion. men's saddleIwcril trousers 7s lid, mon's livneeg Sd, 'lira « and linys' Inuirtkevcliiofs 6 far 1« l'<;v S 'k:iH-<.r, from ] S lid. The Kasib* Altoral ion Sale,—AM,

Probably Uic biggest bit of entile dealing experienced in the W'yndham district for many years lias taken place during Uic past fortnight. The buyer was Mr A. Townley, of Dunedin, and his purchases nunc to between 1500 and 1000 liead of horned stock. In all it is calculated that 300,000 acres of Maori land will ultimately be opened for settlement in the Hot Lakes district. The lirst block of 40011 acres, between liotorua and To Ngae, will be opened next month, and a block of 11,000 acres, between Lakes liotorua and lioloili, will be leased for milling purposes. Mr. Julwin (.leach cabled from Sydney to Lieutenant Shacklcton a big offer in the shape of a guarantee for a lecturing tour of the principal cities of Australia, namely, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, en route to London. The oiler will also command the exclusive rights of the biograph pictures takI en in the expedition.

A writer in a recent magazine lias worked out the money cost to JJritain of :i life and death struggle with, Cierniany. If Britain is successful, the war would mean the piling up of u national debt the interest on which woidd come to over .Ceil,ooo,ooo sterling per annum ; if unsuccessful the interest would tot up to about sixty million a year. These are war expenses alone, without taking into consideration the loss caused hy destruction of property and loss of trade.

The Commonwealth (government's Old Age Pensions Trust Fund now has it* credit i'.">4ii,U2l, and will by the end of the current financial jtar reach the toi of nearly .1750,000, which will lie sufficient to enable the Treasurer to inaugurate the national pensions system with nearly six uiontlin' payments to the good. The first year's payments are expected to absorb '.C1,."i1)0,00b a year for the veterans of industry imil those who have been permanently injured while in pursuit of an honest calling. Dr. -Mason (Chief Health Ollicer) has received a telegram from the Mayor of (lisborne informing him that all his suggestions in connection with the sanitation of the town would be given effect to. tiisborae's turn of typhoid has created general alarm there, and there are still i\) eases under treatment. It is proposed to close up old. wells, make better provision for drainage, with a viewto a permanent scheme, and to generally put the town on a better sanitary footing than it has hitherto occupied. Considerable interest is being taken in the fate of six .Masteilon hotels, following their closing as licensed houses oil .I one 30. Considerably over .C 100,000 worth of property is involved, and it is stated on very good authority that overtures have been made for the. purchase of two of the hotels by banking corporations, which have branch businesses in Jlasterton. According to the statements made by commercial travellers, there will be a good business ia Masterton for at least one first-class temperance hotel.

In the dredgeiuastcr's report to the Tiniaru Harbour Board, it was ftatcd that to complete the dredging inside to .'iOft below low water will require the removal of about 430,000 ton oi spoil, and to give a depth of 20ft at low water in the outside channel about 300,00(1 tons will have to be lifted. Taking the ijuaitities dredged in 1008 as a basis, the completion of the deepening scheme will take from two and a-half years, working a single shift. This does not make allowance for any silting that may occur h the meantime.

J. Arnst, the well-known cyclist, Iclt Cheviot on Thursday hist to accompany his livother, the champion sculler, to Canada and England. Before leaving the Dominion, however, ,1. Arnst will try lo lower the Dimcdin-Cliristchurch cycling record, and if lie is successful it is his intention... to compete in the six days' cycling race to lie hold in New York next December. Between this and then, in England, the Continent, and .'America, if there is time apart from looking after his brother's interests, it is his intention to compete :n any cycling events that may lie suitable. Several cases of till-rolibing and petty thieving from shops in Masterton by a gang of small boys arc reported. One of the boys concerned was caught redhanded in a confectioner's shop last week, and money alleged to have been stolen found on him. The boys' relatives were communicated with ami further investigations and confessions revealed the. fact that n number of boys had lor some time past carried on a system of till-rolibing and petty thieving. Fortunately the amount of money stolen from tills was small, while the other "spoil" consisted of chocolates, boot polish, and similar goods of a convenient size, which could be slipped into a boy's "jumper." Tradesmen of all descriptions who arrived in the Dominion by the Corinthic have (says UkIN.Z. Times) called at the Labour Department for information and work. There were about fifty, of whom twenty were booked to other parh of New Zealand. Fifteen farm workers and general labourers were assisted to obtain employment, several other men were sent to billets ill Wawkc's Jlav, whilst hotel hands and stewards were advised where employment was likely to be found. A, nmhlicr of clerks and terracotta workers cannot be placed by the department and will have to shift fo;themselves. According to one official many of the men—those who have paid their own passages—are not the stamp which might be called "good workers,' and are altogether unsuitable for filing those positions which are unoccupied. A farmer who was fined for not keeping down Califoruian thistles writes to the Otago Daily Times expressing his surprise at seeing the weed growhig in the Dunedin gardens and in other parts of the city. The wonder would be if they ■were not there, (says a writer in the Oaiuaru journal). They are everywhere down South. The Taieri is carpeted with tiiem where the Hood waters have carried the seed and they are iiot scarce in the Clutha district. Catlins is fairly decorated with the Canadian brand of the divine plant. Indeed, the time is | coming when a fat revenue will be derived by the State out of the lines paid by those who tail to exterminate the Canadian, r,, r j t wil i [„, u „j V( .,. sa |_ every man will have a patch he can call His own How it is to lie kept down, much ess exterminated, is a problem which I has not yet been solved. |

An extraordinary ease cam,, before the Court at (iisburne the other day. \ man in business in that town was ai-es-led 011 a charge of wifc-deserlio-i, ,„„[ the police asked that the ease be remanded to Christcliurch. This was objected lo by counsel for the accused, who said that two years ago the accused ami his wile had a disagr nent at Chrisiclinivh and agreed to separate, lie eonveved to "is wile pioperh- |„ t |„, Vil|il( , ,„■ L . |(|(|(l and a business yielding .u;, ~ , V( , t .| ; j(| / gel her with .C4U ill cilsll. lie left Ch'ri,!church himself with Xi in his pocket. Ihe .bench adjourned the case for a week, upon defciidiinv. entering into a bond and depositing. .i\-,0. Of course the other side of the case has yet to be' heard; but it seems an extraordinary slate of affairs if a man can be arrested for lailure to support his wife when she has K ol through ,C4(I, property worth ■CKIOO, and a business yielding' U2IJO a year, in the course of two years " '

Tin- arrangements made f, )r j|,. ■|{ o „ sl> . ell's lninthijr trip in Afrit;, rigidly exju.lcall uninvited persons fsavs' , tlic'\,. H iirk correspondent of t| H! j) a i| v |,; x . ■''ess), but .Mr lloosevelt will lind thiit ie is ia for u strenuous time Already February 2) every berth on the sin,, j'„ vhich lie sails has been booked by a host pf [photographers, biogrupli operators, ■inematoirraph manipulators, lecturers,' " special " writers, and idle curiosityseekers. Mr Roosevelt has contracted with Scribner'g Magazine to write the reports of his hunting expedition for no iless a sum than £IO,OOO, but he will not '"' " i'.Y one to (Inscribe lu's experiences. When lie arrives at Nai-ohi tin town will be filled with special dr.scriplive writers, each determined willy nilly, I to be as close to the hero of the expedition as possible. Outsiders will be exeluded, bin nevertheless at every railway slaliiPii. nl. every camp, and n't every stopping-placc the ex-I'resident will be siiupsliuited and cincmatosTuphed williiiul cessation. Nearly every important American newspaper lias made nrranpjeuieuU to have a "war corrospflidcn'l'■ on the spiil. Xot a del ail i s lo be missel. It remains to be seen what the ex-. President will have to say to his unin- j viled quests when the expedition starts from Nairobi. |