LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 102, 27 May 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Schools in the Taranaki education dis ' triet will close for the mid-winter holidays oil Friday, the 18th inst., and re- ( open oil July sth. Mr. 11. .1. Gilbert, one of the delegates to the Friendly Societies' Association, 'denies that he lias any intention oi visiting the Clifton Lodge of Druids, as was stated in a paragraph in yesterday's issue, unless lie is invited to place his views before the members on tae question.

A local shootist complains to us tiiat although the shooting season has opened the local Acclimatisation Society has not yet held its annual meeting, ile points out that the Society should lie up an 1 doing in the matter of procuring pheasants for liberation at the end of this season, as next* season will be a close one for game, t The West End School Committee re cently took a poll upon a propusal to alter the school hours. Of the parents 17'2 voted forjUie hours to be lrom nine o'clock to 110011 and one o'clock to three o'clock. Only 1-1 supported tlie present hours, and 11 an alternative proposal. The alteration asked by the majority has been ratiiied by the education authorities.

At the annual meeting of the New Plymouth Boxing Association last night Mr. L. 11. Webster presided. Ull'ieers were elected for the ensuing year as follows:—.President, Mr. L. B. Webster: vice-presidents, Messrs. (!. Cray, A. R. Standish, C. 11. Weston, A. E. Sykc.s, 1). McJlvriile, C. Clark, ,1. Smith, E. Whittle, W. Eraser, Dr. Fookes, nad H. Okey, M.P.; committee, the president, secretary, and Messrs. A. Lovegrove, J. J. Stagpoole, and Bailey; lion, secretary and treasurer, Mr. A. L. C'aappcll. A progressive programme was mapped out for the season.

Those who were present at St. Andrews' Church last evening to hear Dr. W. I'orteous, Missionary to India, give his lecture on that strange country were afforded an intellectual treat. Tinlecturer, who hats a masterful grip of his subject, dealt with the life and customs. of tire people and referred to th;; history of the country since the days of the Eas't India Company. The illustrations. shown by lantern slides, were particularly interesting. Dr. Forteous' mission in this country is to I secure funds iOr the 'erection of a hos- | pital in India.

At the meeting of motorists last night *Mr. J. 11 Parker said there should have .been no need to call, a public meeting to discuss the question of toll-gates. Tne Automobile Club should have attended to the matter. But it was a moribund affair, and' not a live institution as it should be, ready to take up matters of this kind in the ordinary course. H • trusted that the club would be revived, and the motorists thus associated would see that they did their duty by tli - settlers in the country. Then the motorists would find that they could tlu more successfully approach* local bodies in regard to matters affecting them.

At the conclusion of the formal business at the meeting of motorists hi*l evening, Mr. W. C. Nixon suggested that the County Council should lie asked to enforce the by laws with regard to lights on vehicles. The average country vehicle was destitute of lights, some of them had only one, and to drive on a country road at night was to take one's life in one's hand. At any rate, the approach of vehicles without lights brought the heart into the mouth pretty frequently. The other mgiit, between New Plymouth and Ingle wood, he met twelve vehicles on a mile of road,-and not one of them had a light. There would be a big smash one of these •nights, and then the settlers would "nave the matter brought forcibly home to •tlieiu.

The manager of the liristol Docks lias had an interview with the High Commissioner for .New Zealand, and tli" Jatfer has undertaken .to go to liristol

>i)inc time this month on a visit uf in- , rfjM'rj ioij. He will probably await the arrival of Mr T. K Dunne from New Zealand, in order that the new Trade Commissioner may accompany him on bis visit. There appear u> be excellent prospects of development of direct trade with Xe\>'| Zealand, as Bristol command* withii) a circular ai'ea of 10!) miles a population of no less than ten millions —nearly a third of the population ol England and Wales. ought to he aide to absorb at least one-sixth of the expnrts of New Zealand produce,and in return it can send „,/parei, corrugated iron, candles, paints, Mationarv, gas and oil engines, leather, lioor and oil clothe, angle iron, bolts and nuts, soap, and other goods manufactured in Uie city or the immediate neighbourhood. Mr \\\ -1. Kent, a Krj*tol merchant who visited New Zealand last year to study this question of direct trade, says It is a I reasonable hope that KristoJ should see ■within the next two years it trade of one and a half millions value brought to its docks, if Bristol merchants in butler, cheese and meat will give preference to imports brought direct to Bristol Docks. Now that it is proposed to build an Australian Navy, a description of the work and the everyday • happenings on 11.M.5. "Powerful" of the Australian squadron should be of more than ordinary interest. A very well-written article by one of the officers of the " pottej-l'u!" appears in the June issu»\ t*f JJft'j a;jd we are especially pleased with tile iJja#y illustrations printed in the article. Newjy every phase of the many activities of a warship have been photographed, and we think have nevr before been as well shown. The same number of this magazine contains another of tiie bushranging stories4»y J)r Kitchen, Jjje dramatic tale of Fran); iJardiuer being the subject. " Mow I Found the Cojdea Mi].''" is another article of Australian ints-rfst. and in it <! former prospector tells bow I'e was the ily*t to prospect in the ironstone in which )he has been so richly found in W.A.'s 'Mbdden Mile," and how b" found the actual deposits that were lloated into the large companies thai have proved so profitable. New Plymouth has scared up an inci- ' dejit in which a young lady and a love of Jinery figure largely, but her escapade compared ill with one or two reported recently from the south. Her in-each i)i tlic rules uf society was caused by a desire to •• shine " at the Killcs' ball 111 other rvening, ami she hadu'J the "necessary." Tije young woman in question was l)ai-y |)i\on, a hotel employee ol twenty-two years of age. Iler preparations for the ball had gone as far as the purchase of a dress, costing U4 Ills, ami an opera cloak, costing C2 ">*, from Mr. \V< i'ellew, draper, New Plymouth. But it appeared that sh • had stolen tin- of C 7 10s, out of which she paid lor these articles, from a I'eMow-cniployce Mined Mette Anderson. a box belonging to she had broken into and abstracted the money. Before she could even doll the attire she was arreted on a charge of theft of 'this money. On Tuesday she was brought; before Mr. H. P. Fiizherbert. S.M.. ami pleaded guilty to the charge in a very tearful and penitent manner. It being her first oll'ence the Magistrate deal! lenientlv with her. Alter reprimanding her severely, lie omvicled ami lined her IV2, in default II days' impri'sonincnl. adding that she was to remain in custody until the line was paid. The amount was paid out of wages due t'i her. Sergeant lladdrell j stated that Mr. IVIIew had agreed to j refund the money paid for the dress and cloak on the latter being returned, they nt»l having been worn vet. .Miss Anderson would therefore obtain a refund of the money stolen from iter. Sergeant lladdrell added Ihat. accused seemed jo have got into company that was not good for her.

A lady who lived at I'o/.cHt Mad never been perfecllv well; Till, quite "limine, Slt ( , tried Laxo-Tonic— She's a dill'ercn' <torv iu (ell. u\u : tonic pn.r.s.'io'/.d u-.ui is (id. —Bullock &, Johnston, Agents. Xe»v Plymouth.

\VA(if!A. X.SAV. Mr. A. Skuddvr. Wajrga, N.SAV.. ■ writes n* follows:—"! have taken J)r. S'n.ldon's l) ! jjes.live Tabuks f»v indif'Mkm, and found them splendid. I reconnncTid them tr« all inv friends.'-' T)v, Shfldon'ri Digestive Tabnles are an nnernnlled preparation for the cure of Indi«re.Btmn and all Stomach Troubles Pnre Ps Od per tin. Obtainable every MicrA.

The liiverdnlc Co-operative Daiiv Com- i pany is putting in a combined churn i and butter maker, ami will In' inauufae- j hiring butter uflcr June 1 sL. The fac-1 lory will be open every oilier day.

An ugly iik'iilent was cleverly averted last night in tile theatre by the presence of mind of .Mr, 11. C. Davie,-i. Within a minute or two of the rising of the curtain a paper shade covering a candle on the piano eiuight lire ami was unobserved bv those on the stage. Not so the audience, amongst whom there w».« a flutter of perturbation. There came little cries ot "Fire! Fire!'' from their midst and one or two called out "The shads—the lampshade!" Then Mr. Davies'liappened to look behind, and, seeing the shade burning, quietly went and put it out while still acting his part. The pompous butler came in and ceremoniously re,moved' tne shade and the incident pasttol oil' in a laugh and loud applause.

Widows are no longer to be allowed to act as dummies in rcupcct to family estates. The Prime -Minister said lecently that the evasion of death duties in New Zealand in some cases amounted to a scandal. No end ot devices were employed. Testators sometimes left huge fortunes to their widows, no doubt w'iili the understanding that the wido,vg would make gifts out of the estates, and thus saw tlie tax upon bequests. Xobody, said Sir .Joseph Ward, can object to a widow being clear of duty upon suih property as is necessary to* amply maintain her in comfort according to her station, but wlien it comes to an amount that no woman can utilise or squander there is no reason why a reasonable duty should not be levied, and ,we do not intend to allow these evasions. "The brightest rqtot in my memory i» that of New Zealand." writes Mr. l'rankliii .Matthews, of the New York Sun editorial stall', who visited the Dominion with the American licet. "We bad that swifl, uproarious time ill Atiitralia that you read about," he continues in a hitter to >lr. T. E. Donne, but of all the places that we visited Xew Zealaikl'is the one that has mv heart-strings' lied hardest, and the one I long most lo revisit. I :Ai booming New Zealand its the most beautiful country in the nvorld, and in some respects tile most interesting. 1 want to be kept informed of your, doings., and tell them to our people, so that we may realist that not only do vou exist, but'that von are diwng work for.the rest of the world as well as for vonrselves in your mam interesting fields' of labor.','

the hearing of evidence in connection with a " boneless meat" prosecution was commenced on Friday last in the Burgh Court Hall, Glasgow. In December.last, it may he remembered, 488 cases of New Zealand boneless meat, consigned to Messrs Caldwell Bros., dead meat salesmen, were condemned by Mr Trotter, veterinary surgeon to tht' corporation, as being unfit for human food, and subsequently Police .ludge Maefarlane granted an order for the destruction of the meat. .Messrs Caldwell Bros, appealed against this order to the High Court of Justiciary, and that Court recalled the order and remitted the case to the Magistrate for hearing, with power to proceed in the same cause as , might be just, f understand the '"inquiry" is likely to continue for eight often days (writes our London correspondent under date April Bth.) Statistics show that, compared with tile shipping subsidies granted by other countries, japan is at present expending I more money pel* ton of her total tonnage than any other nationality. For instance, the Nippin Yus'cn Kaisha. whivdi maintains a special betweei Yokohama and London, receives irom th c Government a million sterling aiinua'ly —about the same amount as it pavs in dividends; so that it has been working for years without earning a profit: Tlwn. again, the South American line of the Tovo Risen Kafcha. is in receipt of a grant of £70,000, while the total "m----ports and exports between .lapan and South America only amount to about £.30.000. the strife is being watched closely by the British and other competing lines which suffer most from the State-aided Japanese steamers, and it believed in many quarters that retalia-tion-may be resorted to in ease the proposais now unde r consideration in Japan for increasing the subsidies are not revised.