GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 86, 7 May 1909, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

Siberian butter (says a Home paper) is of verv good quality, while much of the secondary colonial, both Australian and Xew Zealand, with which it conies into competition, is not so good as it ought to be.

The Dunedhi Star, in referring to the marriage of Hiss Ottawa}' with "Carol Redwood" (-Amy Bock), understands that it will b c necessary for Miss Ottawa}' to take proceedings under the Divorce Act to have the marriage annulled.

Elder George Bowles, of Utah, United States of America, has arrived in Hawke's liav to take over the charge of the Mormon work at Xgatarawa, where that body has purchased 130 acres' ot land for 'the purpose of erecting sehoo.s and workshops for the instruction of the natives in agriculture and useful trades

Mr. James Stirtoii (according to the Duller Miner I claims to have discovered the secret of Maskelyue and Uevant s world-famous illusion entitled "Will, the Witch, and the Watchman," which claim, if proven, entitles Mr. Stirton to a reward of £SOO offered by the company. Mr. Xlii'ton lias given several private porEuriniuiccß to the complete satisI faction of those prosuit. A syndicate has been formed for the ■purpose of exploiting the discovery.

"I am a lumper on the wliarf, and since Christinas my earnings have averaged £1 a week,'' said a defendant in the Magistrate's Court at Wellington the other day. "There is no more work to be found, and there are plenty of others in the same fix; work is' s» slack."- "How much have you been spending in drink V" the defendant was asked. "I have no money to buy drink," was the reply. "I've not even beeu able to earn enough to buy boots." With regard to the epidemic among horses, a Cliristcliurch pressman was informed by a veterinary surgeon that although a very large percentage of the horses in the province are affected, comparatively few have had to bc withdrawn from work, but owners have been considerably inconvenienced, the affection producing constitutional disturbance and rapid falling-oil' in condition. The disease is contagious, and very easily transinitled, and il is thought that the public wilier-trough is a means of spreading infection.

■Mr. Adam HcCrackcn, the inventor u mortite, a now explosive, left on Satut day for Melbourne, en route for Euglant to'give practical trials of the explosiv at the renuest of the British Admiralty lie has letters from the New Zealan Government and the Commonwealth Go vernmi'iit asking their representatives i London to give him every assistance i his mission. A large number of th Christchurch shareholders' in the syndi cute which lias been formed to cxploi the. invention met and .wished Jli McCraeken success in the sale of his in vonlion to the British Government (say the Lyttelton Times). Tlie Wellington Post thus refers t Mis's Powdrell, the new tenuis ehampio of Xew South Wales .—"The Doiuinio champion is just in her prime, and he tennis will improve should she add th volleying tactics of the Australians t her play. She learned the game i' Taranaki, and most o'f her practice ha been done at her own courts in Pater She is a lady who carries her honors i a most unassuming maimer, and th securing of the championship in Sydnc, will make her more eager than ever t advance the sport. She now holds' th Xew South Wales, New Zealand, Tarsi naki, and Wanganui championships/' Two wedding parties at St. Matthew'! Auckland, had a most harrowing exper: ence last week. One wedding was time to take place at 3 p.m. and the other a 3.30 p.m. The bridegroom of the ih's party arrived punctually with hi groomsmen, but his bride was lat( Xearly half an hour passed, and "Tliev was' lie. waiting at the church," in i most distressing state of mind. In th meanwhile the carriage of the secom party put in an appearance, but the ap pointment of the first party blocked th l way. ft then became a question whethe the clergyman could work in the tw< ceremonies in the remaining half-hou before Hit' fatal hour of four. Bride grnom No. 2 strode up and down tin churchyard, while his bride waited ii the carriage. When the strain wa: reaching breaking-point a pair of car riages drawn by galloping horses pullet up at the church, and the missing bride elect with her father and attemlnnl bridesmaids were ushered into tin church. The Rev. Mr. Oillam made s'horl work of the service for party Xo. 1, ami in an incredibly short space of time fom happy people were made two, and all was gentleness and peace. Judge E. Sim, of the Xative Land Court, is being retired, as from the eml of the present month, under the Government's reorganisation scheme. Judgt Sim is' a comparatively young man, ami it is less than two years since he was appointed to the Xative Land Court Bejnh. That Bench has I ,i very niucli depleted during the last few months hv retirements im d deaths. Judges SelliSinilh. Sim, Johnson, and Mair have been retired, and Judges Reeves and Edger have died, leaving now, out of all original Bench of eleven members, only Chief Judge Palmer, Judges Jones, Giifedder, ltawdon, and MeCormick. It Is hoped to establish a new s'eheme in connection with the Xative Land Court, under which there will be fewer Judges and less travelling, and the natives will be encouraged to come forward more quickly with their cases. The Native Appellate Court is also to be abolished as a standing tribunal. Under the new system the C'liief Judge of the Xative. Land Court will decide if there is a prima facie case tor an appeal, and if he thinks there is, the appeal will he heard by any two of the Xative Land Court Judges. Incidents in the extraordinary s'tory of Amy Bock's most recent escapade are still being related (says the Olago Daily Time?). One told is that hv a bookseller in George-street, who states that under date 17th April he received a letter from "P. C. Redwood, care Ill's. Otlawny,'' from the Nuggets, Port Molyneux. in the following terms:— "Will you kindly forward me per rail immediately on receipt of this one largo family Bible to the above address. Enclose account of same, and I will remit you the amount." The words' ''family Bible'' certainly bear some significance in the light of ,-ecent events. Incidentally, the Bible was not sent, the, bookseller asking for an indication o'f the price of the book required, and receiving no further reply. Another story concerns a popular hairdresser. Amy Bock, as Percy Redwood, wanted her hair cut. and once, when driving about the city with her "betrothed," she stopped her cab before this particular shop and entered. She had to wait, and as she calmly sat reading, the attention of (he other customers was 1 quite caught by the curious-looking little chap. While receiving treatment, at the hands „f an assistant, she was bright and chattv. and she left the shell nn established lavoriie. A few weeks late,- she returned, and again had her hair cut. an.l again, when she left, the men who |,ad attended to her told each other that she was a ••thorough little gentleman." Her appearance was effeminaie. but the hairdi'essers' never suspected that she was a masqucradcr. ami their astonishment when the denounient came can be better imagined than described. His, |t ( „.| ; also wrote to a well-known labor agent in the following terms: ''Would you be good enough to let me know if von have any vacancies for station manager? T have been used to station life since bo,'hood, and therefore should know some-1 Hung about it. 1 have not been employed outside ray own father's run. Jiitl managed it for liim for some nine v'eari. If you can irel me a good place it would j mean a tin note in vour pocket | Stamps enclosed for reply." |