LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 109, 7 June 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Xewton King received the following cable from ins .Sydney agent re hides: " Lights further advanced." " Buddo " has evidently arrived, bringing with him a sharp tall in the temperature. The, exceptionally mild weather ruling up to the present iias been more genial and springlike than has been experienced at this period of the year for a long time. The central (ire-bell rang out an alarm about 7 o'clock last night. The outbreak was discovered amongst some rubbish in a small back office of the Xew Plymouth Express Company. 'j'i lo brigade w-.is soon on the scene, but, fortunately, was not rcipiircd, the lire having been extingiiisned by a bucket brigade before any serious damage was done. There was more than an element of mystery surrounding the outbreak. In our report of the discussion on the harbor proposals at Friday nignf's meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Mr. Penn's motion was made to read: i- Thal this Chamber regrets that the New Plymouth Harbor Board, in the absence of the chairman and treasurer, and without due consideration of the Board's business, has thought lit to adopt a radical departure," etc. This should have read: " .... in the absence of the chairman and treasurer on the Board's business, has thought lit,'' etc. The error occurred through a suggested alteration having been interlineated, but not adopted. A Tuparoa correspondent of the Auckland Star writes:—"A rather amusing incident, or scries of incidents, occurred at the church last Sunday evening. First of all, the parson and other members of the church arrived before the. key had done so. .Some sal on the doorstep and another rang the bell. Then the service was delayed while the lamps were it i When it was time for the offertory, tinplate could not lie found, and there was a delay then. Finally someone's cap was passed round. People looked more solemn than usual: I suppose because they fell inclined to be otherwise. All stoo 1 up as the minister passed down the aish to the vestry door, )vlw.re he. came to a full-slop, as "it refused lu open. Finally, one burly member of the congregation turned his back on it, and with one application it was forced open.

I Thus u Home paper:—New Zealand'* offer «1' two Dreadnoughts is not tin only noteworthy feature of that conn try! There, ol iill colonies, is the great ( est leniency shown to criiniiuils. Thin ill one gaol, ut the north of the Soiit': island, a prisoner may keep a racehors.and is permitted to transact b»sine>; concerning it. I'.i the -same gaol well licharcd prisoners are allowed an after " noon out occasionally "on their own.' I'rison authorities in -New Zealand an believers in the moral effects of openair. Jn one of their institutions the newly-arrived misdemeanant is allowed the choice of living in gaol or outside it, tents lieing erected at the hack. Tliis system ol' sending people to gaol 1« v letting llicm live outside lias, however its disadvantages, in one case the "pris oners" resenting Imrsli treatment in the way of a "lock-mil," lifted up tin "gaol " and deposited it far awav in tin Jiusli. The Clifton County Council has received a sheaf of replies to its circular advocating an amendment of Hie Local liodies' Loans A<' ' - 'vide for differential rating in specnu loan areas'. Several county councils got over the problem easily' by ordering the letter to be "received." These were Wallace, Taicri, Clutha, i'atea, and Waimate (Canterbury). Several others, not being affected by the proposal, were disinclined to support the amendment. These were Wairarapa South, Commanded, and Kiwitea. l'iako is satislied with the .present slate of the law, and Featherston councillors reckon the matter is one for the Counties Conference to discuss'. The Stratford County Council replies that ill (Mining areas an endeavor is made to make the boundaries fair. Ilorowhcuua has moved in the matter before, and is prepared to back up Clifton, ltrucc. Cook. F.gmont. and Opoliki Councils also approve of the proposed amendment, and the Opotiki Council' adds a suggestion that the principle of differential rating for special loans might be extended to whole dis'triets as distinguished from special districts. Tn past time the first thing done to a. burit or noabl wins ito exclude tihe air. To do this Ihe tiW urn fau] ,fu either apply a paiH'te of oil and flour or el.se banlage il.he sKil'led part, thus addTlig to life sufferings. All that i.s now necessary i : to a-m/.Y <'lninilvrl , ji.irs Pain Bailui. This Jiwinent givis immediate relief. I*o ,l:«e!ls Hie part in one-third I Hie li'ni:e taken by any oitJier npplicaj lion; bill what is nrore wonderful still is tr.hf there it-- in:w any soar left after Chamberlain's Vain lialm is used, For iUie by all cjiemints mid storekeepers. A love'v vonnir Hly of Forbes, The pKll Laxo-Tonic. absorbs; She. rosea it perfection For lic.i'Mi and complexion— Voii!) i-ornno'ta, seienkcs, and orbs' LAXOTOXfC PTT,LS, 10y s (l and la OdUuiloek and Johnston, Agents, ftw Plymouth, '

A South Canter-bury innm;r : well j known for Ilia oratorical ability, lias just received an oiler from u philanthropist in ■tlio Dominion, of €1 per tlay nnil expenses, to stump the ennui;'}' against trusts and combines, particularly those dealing with the necessaries of life.

The latest from tin' King ('"""try onccrns a draper and Ills "drapery, lc was expecting a large case (if "soft ;oods" liy rail, and after repeated visits •o the station of one of the leading .owns in the dry area he was consideribly perturbed on receiving the followng short and eloquent note from the statiomnaster: "Your ease of drapery las arrived and is' leaking badly!" Now and again there conic from tire lorthern seas stories of lucky pearlers .vlio (stumble upon priceless pearls. These, however (says the Sydney Herald), arc few and'far between, for she majority of these lustrous gems are rery small] and rarely exceed a few jnrats. But there arrived in Sydney the other day a magnificent specimen )f a perfect "button" pearl. It -weighs' !3 carats, or 1)2 grains, and is one of the argest pearl s ever found in Australian ivaters. It was found on 20th March in the shell of a small five years' mollusc, jy the crew of tlio Sketty Belle, schooner, one of Captain George Smith's tact of pearlers. Experts have valued ;he gem at £SOOO. The Wuitara Courthouse, which ws» irectcd only a few months ago, is not i commodious building. Of course, the ueople who designed it could not have been expected to be sullicieutly gifted with the prophetic instinct to know that there would be a tremendous inush of legal talent to the town for the irst annual meeting of the Taumarunui Licensing Committee on Friday, accOmlanied by their numerous clients. The .•ciiiiirtcl table was too small for 'even ialf the solicitors engaged, and the applicants filled the body of the court, :he said ■'body" being about as wide as in ordinary passage. Three newspaper reporters got through their work on a ittle high table that had evidently been lesigned for a stand for a copying-press. [f AVailnra continues to grow as it has lone of late the Courthouse must soon )e outgrown by the requirements, and .'Xtension will be expensive, as the buildng is already within a foot or two of the street.

In licr latest book Elizabeth Oilman has somewhat to say of "The Charities' of Geneva. Switzerland!." It appeal's that there are some fifty of them, which must cover every possible want of that thriftiest of peoples, it cuu be nothing but sheer unavoidable misfortune thac brings a Switzer to ask, or need, charity. The central bureau was founded only 'forty years ago. To it the other charities of the city send complete lists of , their benolieiarics'. so that in its central station every possible information :s gathered, and the individual is attended by the particular charity most fitted to the case. A ;icw -thing is the employment of a woman who is a practical housekeeper to visit certain thriftless families. This woman gives lessons in | cooking meals, Sweeping or caring for rooms, and sees that these lessons bear fruit. At the "bureau of-aid by work," beside the inevitable woodya'rd, that seems to be the stopgap for 'the temporarily idle working-man, tlierc is an office where typewriting, copying, etc., is done iby a higher grade of men out if work. Popular -kitchens are run where, in a large building with separate rooms for men, women, and families, wellcooked iood is served, bread at one cent, soup at two cents, meat at six cents, and vegetables at two cents, and food can also be bought and taken home. This eating-house is said to be self-sup-porting, and others for working women, where the prices are slightly higher, actually pay a dividend, to the stockholders.