LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 88, 10 May 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

> '» | Th ( . Waimatc Witness' recently charg- , ed our local contemporary with publish- ■ iiig " tn >' actual terms of the harbor loan , at a time when the information was i coiilidential and when the publication ; was likely to detrimentally, a/feet the ; negotiations.'' The llorah'l disclaimed ■ having done so, and the Witness lias ; withdrawn the charge. It .was the i "Daily News" which lirst published the | particulars, lief,,,-,, doing so> IIOWCVer,l IOWCV er, , we were satisfied the publication of the . terms could pos'sibly do no harm or > affect the negotiations in th ( . slightest , degree. Had the position been other- . wise, the information would have been J withheld from publication. Those, who , arc acquainted with the part we took - throughout the Harbor loan proceedings ; will understand that we would not have . been a party to a course that would 'a ; any way have hampered the Board. . I lie publication „f the information af- • iected the loan in no wav. As In the ; information having hoen '"confidential" • Wl ' ,'';"' ° n ,'- v *»>■ i''«t it ceased to be ; c.inlidenlial an hoiir after the Board . meeting rose, (he terms of the loan then ■ being known to dozens of townspeople. , In these circumstance, we have no apology 4a make forgiving publicity 1o ► the information.

. Mr R. M'Xab, ex-Minister for Lands, is so (irmly convinced of the need for compulsory military training in jj pw Zealand that lie has decided to slump the country as a missionary of the cause He will he one of the speakers at the mootmg in U ellington next week (savs the Dominion), and he will afterwards ad dress a meeting i u Auckland, and tl> n come southwards, speaking at the principal towns of the Dominion, lie anticipates Hint ],y (he opening of Parliament he will have visited nearly every cleetora te. Cryptic letter from a cheerful indigent to a Wairarapa solicitor:—"About that 12s. wot you rote, i carat pav il, lint if) will give me a fortnit i will pav it imagetly, i don't no wot this world is eoinhi" to. i en nit get any nionev and i can't pay nobody, the other day i had some money Imt it was goru before i got it. Vours trully." The solicitor decided to credit the ]•»*. as "had debts." Mr M'Xnb. in a lecture at Wellington recently, gave a hnjipv instance showing how history keeps up in Xcvr Zealand her old habil of repeating herself. Captain Cook ehose (>upcii Charlotte Sound as a base for his Aulai'ctic expedition of 177:1, and now, after more tha-i a cenlnry, another Antarctic expedition started from Lyttelton, no great distance away—the cxpctlitiuii of Lieutenant Shacklctou. Mailami- Melba, ]iursued the world over iliy autograph hunters, conceived the happy idea of charging half-n-croivn for each and devoting the result to some charity. Already she' has been able to hand over .1:1,000 m <|uitc a short time to English charities and in the Colonies "nils IrH'ii handing substantial sums from the same source iu each centre. At Wellington quite a considerable eheip'i was handed over to Mother Mary Auhcrt for her Ilonie of Compassion. One of the Kltliam Masonic visitors to Xew Plymouth on Wednesday evening unwittingly bumped up against the dignity of labour. Jt happened thnswise. Hi' wished to give his boots a polish ami went to one of the porters of the hotel ill which he was staying and said "Would you mind telling me where the shoebrushes are kept, as I would like to clean my boots before T go out t" The porter replied "' I am not on duty now. I don't come on until 10 o'clock." ''But I don't wish you to clean my boots, I only want vou to show me where the brushes are kept. I will clean tliein myself." "Oh. I'm not on duty, I don't come on till 10 o'clock," and away marched the dignilieil porter, whose feelings had been lacerated to (heir innermost core at being asked to .perform a common civility whilst lie was "not on duty." This is a specimen of the wretched, paltry incidents that are frequently happening and il much to create friction. The small favour that Hie silly porter was 100 churl ish to grant was performed by the landlady herself willingly and cheerfully.— Argus. Prices that make you smile:—(lev.ts' chrome Bals, standard screwed, usu"l price lis Od, now 10s Gd; gents,' heavy chrome hoot, nsuail price Ids fid, now 12? fid; gents' hox-ealf, best boot, usual price lfls fid, now 14r. lid; goats' heavy kip 15s (Id; AH Black football boots, sr-lid toes, spikes to order, 12s Oil: clu'Tia football hoots, hard toes, youths' 0s (id, gents' 10s fid. We've got to clear these lines righ'taway.—A.B.O. Moot and Shoo Co., Devon Street, New Plymouth.— AM. For Influenza take Woods' Great .Peppermint Cure*: .Neverfails.,,T/6.autl ;

The total estimated population of New Zealand on March 31st was 1,028.384, an increase for the quarter amouuling to 7(171 persons. At a well attended meeting of directors of the Elthaiu Caledonian Society on Friday evening it was stated thai the finances of the society had considerably improved, and the membership totalled 100.—Argus.. The purchaser of a case of mm, at a local auction mart the other day got a bit of a shock when, on removing tne top laver of apples, he found the rest ot the box filled with potatoes. The pilferer had evidentlv had plenty of time in which to help himself to the apples. During the month of April there were slaughtered for local consumption at the New Plymouth abattoirs 131 cows, 41 bullocks' 15 calves, 525 sheep, 117 ] lambs, and 172 pigs. Compared with the corresponding month of last year, there are increases of 08 in the number of lambs'killed and 8 pigs, and decreases of a cows, 1 bullocks, 17 calms, and 48 sheep. "Do you know, the young man who is alwavs talking of his difficulties and wonder whv he never gets on?" asked Rev. Chapman at the Whiteley Church last evening. "He has," he continued,

'•but two ideas in his work. One is how to get a rise in his salary: the other how he may get off a little earlier in the evening. Men are in Parliament to-day as the result of the mastery of difficulties,' 1 The many friends of Mr V. P. Fookes, ' of St. John's Hill, were horrified to learn ' on Wednesday that he had taken his lite, i savs the Wanganui Chronicle. Deceased, who was sixty veins of age, was for some thirty years a "resident of the Waverley district, where he was highly respected. " Some years ago lie retired from his busi--5 ness as a land commission agent, and > came to Wanganui, taking up his rcsids ence on St. John's Hill. For the past

five years he has been unwell, and had consulted various doctors, who could find no organic trouble. Written'examinations for volunteer officers will be hold as follows on June 2nd:—At Hawcra Colonel Okcy will examine Acting-Captain Clark, Eltham Rifle Volunteers, for captain; ActingCaptain Wright. Hawcra Rifle Volunteers for captain; Acting-lieutenant Johnston, Hawcra Rifle Volunteers, for lieutenant; Acting-lieutenant Bishop, llawera Mille Volunteers, for lieutenant; Acting - Lieutenant Voting, Hawcra Mounted Rifle Volunteers, for lieuten-

ant; Captain Davis, Wairoa Mounted k Rifle Volunteers, for major. v In the course of his address' to young men at the Whiteley Church last evening, the Rev. J. (J. Chapman, referring to the bicvele free-wheel, said: The freewheel is a splendid improvement to the bike. Some people free-wheel too little; they are always lidgettr.ig and worrying about things and will not allow events a chance to work themselves out. Thev'frct about things that arc not worth the while. They strain at the gnat and swallow the camel. They want to free-wheel more; their life is too much on the stretch. Then others free-wheel too much. They stop pedalling at the critical moment. They give up" when it wants only a little more effort to ensure success. Some free-wheel in dangerous places, and let themselves jgo carelessly into circumstances of temptation. There are some risky tads which you cannot see round, and you don't know what is in front of you. The free-wheel k not for these. The cvclist never likes a puncture. When the wind is out of the l.uv it goes Hat, and progress' is slow ami painful. There are punctured men as well as punctured tyres—the spirit is out of them. Some Christians are easily punctured. A

mere pin-prick will do it. They take offence too readily, jump at conclusions, impute motives, draw inferences, and gel punctured.' Now. a cyclist can easily mend a puncture from his box of utensils. So a little bit of coimnonscuse kept liquid by a little forbearance will heal many a puncture immediately it is made. Better still, be puncture-proof.'

Something not to be missed—'.Maskolync and Devant's Mysteries at the Theatre Royal this evening.—Advt.