LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 70, 19 April 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

I The local paper states that the Paten Harbour Hoard, which has no rating power, has expended K20,IH)() on the construction of harbour improvements, during file past six years. Wireless telegraphy was put to a novel use at Eureka. Australia, recently. A steamer a hundred miles out at sea milt word that a sailor had fallen from the rigging and described his injuries. A Eureka doctor telegraphed back a prescription for the man's treatment.

An Irish priest was asked by one of his fleck to explain what a miracle wan. "(lo en in front, Pal, while f Jhink a bil," niiid Hie priest. Presently he went up quickly behind Pat and gave him a great Wick. "Did you feel that, Pat?" asked the priest, "Indeed, i did, your riv're-.ice." "Jt would have been a'miracle if you bad not," said the priest.

I 'Writes Mr D. .1. Hughes to the 11a- ( tVfi'ra Star audit the I'atea harbour:—

"I am told that wool and tallow have been lying waiting to get away for a considerable time, ill fact one importer told me yesterday he has bad tallowlying there, for months. This should not be, and the Board are not doing their duty by taking produce in if they cnnnol get ii away. The poor man cannet afford treatment like that."

Victoria, one of the States of the Commonwealth, still retains the late Queen's head on some of its stamps. Letters thus stamped are now regarded On their arrival in London as not stamped at all, and charged double on delivery. One uf the persons thus penalised asked the reason way at SI. MarliaVlelirnnd and was told tbnt the time of grace (six tear-.) after a change of sovereignty hud now expired. So the sooner King Kdward'-s head is .-faiuped all over Ids dominions the better for the peace of mind—and pocket—of all his siibjccK

t Tlie opening of the 'Main Trunk line lis affecting this coast (says tin- I'nlen Pre-s). I'ntil recently the residents of flu's district depended eiitlrelv <m ll,e West coast of Ilia other Island for their coal. The lluntly mine has now become a strong competitor in (lie trade. We are informed that the freights bv rail from Untitle lo Pat can re lower than bv sea from Ibe West Coast to Patea. The coal trade to this port, once a nourishing and growing business, has lately, on account i.f the lack of vessels, fallen invav. and if on the lop of this the charges by rail are lower (ban by sea it is no( very long before the sea coal trade will have sunk to infinitesimal pwpurtinuj,

.Tack Johnson, the boxim, el|i,n,|iiqn,. '•talked big" on h's arrival In Vancouver about the ease with w'lieb lie punished Tommy Burns, and about the prejudice Australians had shown against him. ll t . found prejudice in Vancouver, too: lone of the good hotels would give him a r/'iom. Johnson lost no time in sending word u, Jim Jeffries, offering to light him at anv time at three weeks' notice. Jeffries had been talking Us he were willing to meet the champion, so JohnIson sent his nttoruev f„ see If he could get something iu black and white. p,„l Jeffries prefers to do without Ibe black —especially in fi nil ling. It is thoinrbt that all his talk about meeting .Johnson ; - merely a device (o popularise the Minlcville turn iu which he is now appealing. 'A remarkable Icticr. wiille:i bv James Hartley llirdstall, niied 21. an' arih.-iil socialist, who shot liiui.-elf on Similar.! February ii. was read at the inquest ~l Collie. Lincolnshire. The letter was in the following levins:—"Farewell com'"'les nil! I write a Ii r Iwo that von mav forgive me this rashness. I am tired of It all: the appalling mass of poverty. (|„, j,|. ( .at, injustice, tyranny, the,helplessness, the struggle for'justie'e, the awful indifference of people to the suffering of (he poor. th,. pomp and lilslli "»' misery, (he tears are too iiiueh for me. Heaven and Hell know how 1 have fought fcr right. 1,, i still I" Hie great Xiilliir.gness without "a ! Pang.' A verdict of suicide duriu.r j,,. samly was relumed.

I've biinled tigers iu llengal, 'And lions i,( Zambia's fall. The elenliant and -hippo., tun, The rhino, and Hie kangaroo: Hul, (hough I am a hunter bold, l t must confess I funk a cold, So -,vhen br-illii". T make sure Against sui'h risks: liy Woods' Great" - :. -Pllllftni'llilill, jjfln.iiAtl-i-U:i,v -..,.,. i - -jfiVoii

■Tlio Xew Zealand Times, in an evidently inspired statement, says in an article concerning the rank and lilc of the Civil Service: "It is not so much ■that they are Incompetent as that they have been allowed to drift into lazy and careless, un|)unctual, dilitory habits, in number!) of departments there is absolutely no discipline." At a meeting of Arnst's backers on Friday it was decided to accept Webb's diallong.. to row for the championship of the world. It is probable the race will be rowiil towards the end »l Jlav. The place where the race is to take place is not fixed, but if suitable arrangements can be made with lite Cuion Company the race will be rowed at Akaroa.

The news of the butter slum]) in London lias occasioned some concern in Wellington, and butter is down to an average of »..">4d per Hi, or roughly !)i/ s d. while the outputs of many factories were purchased at the beginning of the season at an average of ll'/,il per lb. On this basis the loss is l%d per Hi, or roughly Cl 7 10s per ton. in addition to butter already on the market, there

are heavv shipments afloat, perhaps the heaviest'that have been shipped horn Xew Zealand at this time of the season since the industry started.

Present grain values are booming Argentina, the prospecU of which country are described ill Buenos Ayres as "most brilliant." Last year Argentina

exported ;l.l!3(l.'2!)4 tons of wheat (say, IMU-IISiX bushels). 113.51)11 tons of Hour, l.lir>.">.(i.->(> tons of linseed, 1.7U.000 tons of maize, and 440,000 tons of oats. This year',- shipments arc roughly put down at :i.;iaO.OOO tons of wheat, 1.000,000 tons of linseed, 850.001) tons of oats, and an increased quantity of maize, though as the maize crop was not harvested any definite figure was impossible. Hut with wheat at 40s a quarter in London (.CO Cs 8d a ton), such exports mean a great deal of money. The Prime -Minister never gave his critics a bigger problem to solve than the question of iww to save .UiiO.OOU by Civil Service reorganisation (says the Wellington Times). Estimates of expenditure for the coming financial year are now being compiled by departmental heads, but nothing has "leaked out so far as to the actual details of the retrenchment scheme. The reorganisation contemplated must be very drastic if a quarter of a million is to be saved annually. This big economy could not be saved in salaries alone,'as—apart from the Kailtvay and Post and Telegraph services—there are not more than two thousand civil servants in the clerical ranks. As the average salary is under C 250, retrenchment simply at the expense of clerical employees would mean dismissing half of thorn. But this is apparently not goiug to be the principal feature of the scheme. The Prime Minister has left a good deal of important information to be made public in his policy speech, the date of which has not yet been fixed. Speaking to a reporter in Christehurcli the other day, Sir William Russell said that the fruit industry was making splendid progress in llawkc's Bay. A greater knowledge was being obtained year by year of varieties of fruits as required by the canning industry, and large numbers of private persons, as well as tilts Friinlcy linn, were entering into the industry. Large quantities of peas and tomatoes were now cultivated for the factory at Frlmhry. During the past year the output of green peas had increased about six-

fold. The disease of the peach tree, by scientific treatment, bad been almost extirpated, and large areas had been planted in peaches lately. The pear tree, if properly sprayed, gave excellent results in the districts. Quinces grew in places all over the plains, and were very prolific. It was probable that every year saw a hundred acres of fresh

land put under fruit. As Vile industry was becoming better understood it was being systematise!!, and better results were being obtained, and the prospects were very bright and hopeful. A good joke conies from the mount;-

Ed men at the recent encampment at Oringi. One of the men, who wan riding rather a young horse, lost the aniiuaF. and all efforts at recovery were unavailing. Subsequent events proved that the horse had strayed into the artillery lilies, and being taken for one uf the gun horses, was promptly put lllto service, No one suspected the true state of affairs, and the horse was harnessed up. although it had never seen a collar before. The artillery men are :iot generally depressed by the unruly behaviour of a horse, and after the animal had been subjected to several chaugesand doubtless several good hidings-it settled down to work, and assisted to pull his Majesty's guns during the manoeuvres. It was not until pile break-up of the encampment that the mistake was discovered. I{ j s „ow a moot point as to whether the mounted man is to recover damages for wioiu'ful detention „f f| u , horse, or whether "the artillerymen will claim compensation for breaking-in his horse to harness.-Dan- [ nevirke Press.

J Writes the Timaru Herald :-Childre,i 1 allowed without rebuke to race about among Ulieir elders at outdoor gatherings, 'bigger boys „r<j allowed to resent intcrfci-cueee with their rougher games in like circumstances, and 0 as youths they emulate each other in inipertinences to each other and to pass-ers-by in the streets-still without effec. Uve rebuke j t is not to be wondered at, then, that when a little, or even »«"*. older they think it '-fun" i„ „ mkc a disturbance at a public lucutiii-r the object of which they do not understand or care to understand| and they soon learn to ook upon public meetings as sources of amusement 0 ~ v ° mt complaint l, as been made of the "lack" of reverence in colonial youth," and what is meant by this, we take it is J"»t what we have described. Uolt fri'i'L 1 "^ 0 lmi !} k l ' o, "l*ii«t usually atibl.tethe evil to Jack of hoine-train-Jig. Ilia is surely an error. The root " 'h". evil is the ill-advised tolow .ace ot uncivilised conduct of youngsters , ■""'"*»' public, u tolerance Kilculatcd «;P°'l he well-traincd at home n «i ainly to make the ill-trained worse At the invcrcargill P o l it . t . Coun , t iiorh,) I i • ai, cu»ed-who was revolted to be in such a state as to make i- attendance an impossibility™!^ v 1„™« ll,lj, :", ni " 11 - '-«»<* in the' «a\ steps were taken with a view to !!„),!"?, i,"',' >"} m " woman eoniniitted, »'»'"l' l>c Inebriates Institutions \, t to .'"' ""'titiilioii where she would 're <*'«■ ',7' t ""'"t »u co.iutcHct t|,e ,„«„. ™-c winch at the present time is a seri- ''"" ■»«««■ to her health. |, appears however, that though legis'ulio,, ,~' V'" 1 I".'!""! 'with such" cases, ther'Hs •'; ™"t»* iiwtidilion of th, kind con- : eihplitcd by (1,,, Act. There are homes '" " '"' II I'abilual drunkards may oe ; i :,':;" | ", t " I " i '. 'OH legally an h^tua, "Oikard !»' a person „)» l las „,,,„ '". '' '"'""'•t"M of drunkeunes, witliiv l,!'' 1 " 1 ll,re " lil "" s - 'Hi 'lter was • l'»»"J' arranged by the Magistrate re'•"."nig a eoiivieti.m o„ th u first charge with a hue of f-111, in defanll two ' .""" lllls , I 1 JK'"I: Hie I not |,„ n, imposed i| ll„. „.„,„(,„ „£,.,,„„ (o sHy twelve n,„nths in the Mount M.-igdale'n'e H"'ut'- Ihe hearing „f the second clrir..,, : was adjourned sin, die. in the hope that what has been done will have the effect that is desired.

Ibe well-known sport, Mr. J. n. Mitciieil. had ii ,-,il, (Ui ,u ( .tlii,g experience ~.'"'", '•'" *■' "'''""K"' I'.v the Main I "ink line on Tuesday night isavs a vYaiigiiiiui exchange). j|e had purchased tlie champion hack, a Leolantis "IK, for his son Aliclc, and aftei- n the Irani had lelt Tuuinaruniii was preparing to make „ comfortable shakedown lor the iiignl. when die joltiii" of Ibe li'alu caused tin, l n iii n , wj|icl| |,n.| beep filled too toll at i-iiiiinaiuiiui i„ e\plode, scattering ll nrning oil i ;i all dil'H-liW. Mr. Mitchell, with great presence of mind. Immediately closed t|„. small door., leading Into (he horsebox, and tried to smother the Humes with' his overcoat, but without success. He liieu tried to throw out the horse feed, which was burning fiercely, but the llnmes drove him out of Hie'box. Hamving on to the foothold. Mr. Mildich ir„i||i|gi'd to attract the attention of a passenger, who communicated with the guard. The Westiiighiiuse brake was at once applied ami the train brought to a standstill, but not n moment too soon, as Mr. .Mitchell's cap was burned and his eyebrows and beard singed, Itulh doors were thrown open, and Ibe burning luggage, elc. pushed mil, and the train spi'd on IU way, neither horse nor man suffering aught, except a slight scorching In the case of the hitter, and the loss of a con I and travelling rug. The Patea Meat Works are very busy at present, three hundred sheen and thirty head of cattle being slaughtered dailv.

Mr. 1.. rtrcnan, Mackay, Shortland. Thames. X.Zf, snyfi: "There is no question about il, Odi.imbeiidin's Colb\ Cholera, and Diarrhoea r.enicdy is.the finest medicine that anyone ci,n use for Colic. Diarrhoea, or any similar complaint, I have need it and know (hat itgives every satisfaction. I hava recommended it to my friends and acquaintances and .have- never known It to fall." :to,ri:sale py .all cjicmists aijil v ßtorev

Members of the committee of the Beautifying Association, can obtain membership enrolment tickets from Hie Mayor who is president of the Society. Itesiclents desiring to prepare themselves for a visit from one of the the committee arc reminded that the membership fees are 2s (id for ladies and 5s for men. Mr. Tiseh has addressed a letter to Mr. Dcnipsey, headmaster of the Central School, "and Airs. Dowling, headmistress of the West End School, stating that he has succeeded in forming the Beautifying Association, and that in order to get tlie young folks interested in the work he is oll'erillg three prizes for ossavs from boys ami girls attending these schools, the subject to be suggestions for the beautifying of New l'lylnoiitli. The prizes will be 10s, 7s Jiil, anil ss, and Alessrs. W. W. Smith, curator of l'nkckiiru I'ark, and .Mr. (!. 0. lioiilton will act as judges.

A writer h a contemporary says: On mv second visit to Tauinarunui, after an absence of four years, 1 was surprised at the evident preponderance of Europeans to natives since my former visit. 1 mentioned this to a chief of a neighbouring hapn who was walking on the balconv of the best hotel waiting for lunch,'who replied: '•nit, plenty oi natives here; von see. I bet you more natives go past here before 1 o'clock than pakchas." "Ah right,' I agreed; ••I «ive von Is for everv native that passes, and von give me Is for every white man.- lie agreed. Kirst came two whites, then two more, then a lady, then another man—no Maoris. Thinkin'" the chief was regretting his bargain, I proposed to civ off, as 1 was nearly a pound to the good by HI a.m. He said. '• Xo fear! I go on. I double it every time, von like." So I thought the old fellow'had perhaps more money than was 'mod for him, and I agreed to go on-two more whites, two ladies—no Maoris—l must have r, «nlt thing on, when at 11.30 along comes a Maori funeral with lfM) followers!

The magnet that hoys of yesterday used for a tov to-day as men they arc employing as* a useful instrument ill their 'workshops. Within the last few year particularly it is being adapted to handle many shades of metals, all forms of iron and steel, from iron dust to scraps, or small junks to weights of •20,000 pounds. Jn fact, the world's largest magnet will lift as much as 50,000 pounds. The magnet is employed to break up imperfect casting, to hold Sheets of metal in position while they are being riveted in the, building of ships, to lift a ''sow and pigs" at the furnaces, also as a gigantic broom to sweep both the large and small pieces of iron, and in numerous other ways. Half a dozen kegs of nails may be seen travelling through the air, held by magnetic lines of force despite tlie wooden covering of the kegs. Even two or three men arc sometimes lifted from the ground, their feet resting on a metal sheet whidli is firmly held by the magnet. The flat style of magnet is availfor picking up metal sheets, from two to six at a time 0 one under the other, the number depending upon their thickness, These may he dropped by the magnet one afc v n time at tlie desire of the operator, provided he is clever in adjusting tlie switch at precisely the right intervals.