LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 145, 16 July 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tn reply to a letter dated June 22, j the secretary of the Chamber of Com- . melee, Mr. H. Bedford, has received a ! eommunication from the Minister of Railways to the ell'ect that it has' now been decided to place the Xew Ply-mouth-Breakwater line on the same footing as other port linen, and ships' goods will be charged according to bill of lading, or by 'weight or measurement, at the option of the Department, provided that the charge shall not be computed, on more than twice the actual weight of any package. This alteration will be brought into operation at an early date.

A young mail named Cyril Seobil] was arrested last night by Constable O'Ncil on a cliarge of false pretences at JiltUam. 'J'iie Stratford Technical School will present a keen entry in tile technical classes at the Taramilri Poultry Show 011 Wednesday and Thursday next. It is surprising the lack of geographical knowledge -of their own country possessed by some people who .should know. The latest evidence appears in the current number of the Auckland Weekly News, which describes a picture of Market Street, Blenheim, as " a busy centre of the. Nelson Province." j

The biggest show of men's and boys' suits in Taranaki is to be found at the Melbourne. In comparison, prices here will be found lowest always, whilst satisfaction is guaranteed whether you buy a man's all-wool tweed suit at 255; oi' a high-grade (las tailor-made suit.

Whether resulting from « flpraln or from rheumatic pains, there ifl nothing so good for a lame shoulder aa Clamberlain's Pain Balm. Apply it freely and ruJj the parts fiporottsly a t each'application, and a* quick cur': is certain. For sale by all chemists and storekeepers.

A very medical marriage took place in J Melbourne recently. The bride was an I M.8., 8.5., rod tJie bridegroom was a doctor. One of the was a I doctor, the best man and the three groomsmen were all medical men, and I the guests included four women doctors I and seven men doctors. The bride is now Mrs. Dr. Viva Simmons.

While Dr. W. H. Hosking, of Masterton. was fastening a minute glas's tub* containing radium to a tiny metal rod, holding one thread with his teeth, tlie emanations from the radium inside the tube caused the latter to explode with I a noise resembling a detonator, scattering the valuable contents into the doctor's mouth and over a blotting pad (says the Daily Times). The doctor lost no time in thoroughly washing his mouth to prevent risk of possible after effects. By the aid of the X-rays, he was able to collect about half the lost radium from the blotting pad. Recently a reporter of the New Zealand Times met a baker's carter. Speaking about the depression, this carter mentioned the ease of a man who had been in constant work for two years ut a reasonable wage. This mail became worklcss. On the day after he ceased work he went to a former mate and asked for the loan of money to carry on. This the friend refused oil the grounds that a man who lias been constantly working for two years should not be penniless immediately after he left it. The .carter told the story to illustrate the general unthriftiness th,;t characterises many people who moan about their unemployment and desire that other people should pay for their lack of common-sense.

The manager of a large Wellington j establishment which supplies most 1 things other than edibles and moisture told a Times reporter that a man came ! to him last week mentioning that he j was about to get married. Would the : lirm furnish the home he had not yet obtained? The applicant said that lie would pay ,one pound per week in payment of the debt to -be contracted. He was' asked how much he -would deposit as an indication of his bona lides. He was surprised at the question, and replied that ho liad nothing to deposit. Approached as to the size of his bank balance, he replied that lie had no account, and, in fact, had no money at all. He, was hurt that the iinn would not take the risk of entirely furnishing the house of aanan who had no security to give and who is as mortal as the rest of us.

A Wairarapa. jeweller received an unpleasant surprise recently. A lady customer came to him* and bought several trinkets. She was well dressed, aiii carried a .mull'. Tile jeweller was astonished, .when the lady inadvertently laid her mull' on the counter, to see a silver-mounted trinket-box, which she certainly had not bought, just showing I from the silken 'folds of the liana- ' wanner. The jeweller said nothing, ibut attracted the customer's attention elsewhere, and while site looked away he deftly knocked the IrinkcUbox from its lodgment and partly covered it with his feather duster. The lady, jus't upon leaving, looked at the counter and saw the box, She did not say anything, titlier, nor start, nor blush, nor do anything silly like tiliat; she just said, sweetly, ''Good morning," and walked out. Some of the "softer" sex are evidently pretty hard cases.

•Tile Jtasterton Times states that it I has seen a copy of a Bill entiled, "Tim Native Land Settlement Bill, of 1910," which is intended to "Speedily settle'' the la mis of the Dominion, owned by the aboriginal natives. It would have been well for New Zealand if a step ofj this kind had been taken a dozen years] ago, because then we had 110 landless men amongst us. It would have been well, too, for the Maoris, because the imlividuaiisation of titles and a gentle compulsion to make their land re-pro-ductive would have braced them up, and stimulated them to be self-reliant. Even now the "taihoa" element is' discernible. That Augean stable, consisting of the Native Department, the Native Land Courts, and the Maori Land Boards, .is not to be swept away before the year l!lI,'i. Still, we hope to see the House pass the Bill, as it is better to have such a reform late than never to obtain it.

It was on a Saturday afternoon 111 Wellington, and the tram was crowded with ladies rushing home for . lunch. They talked loudly, they do so, so that any ignorant person can benefit thereby. One gushing maiden said: "T washed my hair this morning, and really, do you know, when I do this. I ciya do nothing with it; T am slue it must loo]< awful!" This observation drew public attention, to the fact that the lady's hair was the most genuine tint of gold. "Mine is just the same," said the maiden with raven tresses, "I can do nothing with-it when. I wash it; it gets beyond my control." Just then a schoolboy in the corner put his foot in front of a friend who was* making for the door, "What did\ you db that for?" snarled the victim. "Oh, really. William," said the other, with a fine gush of all'ectatioii, "I couldn't help it; I washed my feet this morning, and I can (In nothing with them ever since." Needless to sav. then the discussion terminated. Probably the most costly game of cards 011 record (says Ml'.' Thornton Hall, author of a newly-published book, "Roads' to Riches'") was that in which the late Mr. (Jeorge MeCulloeh, chairman of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, was the loser. The famous Broken Hill silver mine, which has since yielded millions of pounds, hail recently been discovered bv a7i Australian boundary rider, and a syndicate of seven, of whom Jlr. MtCulloch was one, had b'een formed to finance the working of it, One day, while sitting in a tiny shanty at the loot of Broken Hill, MeCulloeii ollered :i fourteenth share in the mine to a young miner named Cox for £2OO. Cox would only oll'er ,t)2t), ami after much haggling it ivas decided to settle the dispute by a game of euchre, the terms being that if Cox won he was to get a share for ,1)120; if McCulloch won ho was to lie paid CISO for it. McCulloeli lost, and for the ridiculous sum of .-U2O, Cox became owner of the share, which, only six years later, was valued at £1,200,000.

hchooF of the notorious Thaw murder trial arc still apparent. The London .1 elegraph's New York correspondent, writing on 24th May, says: "American counsel are permitted to sue for tlwir fees, -anil Jlr, Clifford Hartridge, who defended Harry Thaw in his murder trial, is availing himself of that privilege. Mr. Hartridge claims, inter alia, £BOOO as 'hush-money paid to conciliate pel-soils who would otherwise have injured his client.' 1 furry Thaw has always : been rather thrifty in paying professional' bills, and, aided by his motlicr, is now putting up what he calls a 'very good light against extortion.' lie has (lie advantage of being immune from arrest, because lie is in a State lunatic iisyhim, while his propertv has been transferred to trustees, Both Ill's. Thaw and her son rate the services of Mr. Hartridge rather low, and decline t.O reimburse him without full particulars' of the sums alleged to have been paid, in 'hush-money.' which so far are not forthcoming. Harry Thaw issued a statement yesterday in which lie says' that the affidavit published by Mr Hartridge in support of his claim for sums spent in. hush-money has no foundation ill fact. Both Mr.'Hartridire and till' Thaws have taken, the newspapers' into their confidence, and are issura"then- statements to them for puWica''tion. and the strife, as revealed to-day. promises still more interesting developments." '

AVaikiiline's centenarian, Mr. Henry' lui'ling has been in New Zealand sine* JS4 -, »»« founts his children, grandchildren and great-gandehildren by the hunmui 1 i 10 last " private census indicate.: OOfJ descendants. He was 100 last birthday, J.ay Ist, and appears to have quite enough vitality to greatly extend his wonderful record. When visited by the Minister of Education (the Hon. George , "Ids) recently, Mr. Burling was sufteiing from a cold, caught through, attending a. football match to kick-oil". J He sturdy old imin was facetiously advised to give, up football and leave it to tlie young fellows, but he replied, "1 nint done yet!" When the Mint-ler ■ noeked at the door it was opened by a white-haired man. the centenarian's son not the oldest— aged seventy. He lias an elder "In-other aged eight-two, and one who di.nl many years ago would have been eiglity-four had he lived. His .rthcrro married at Bow Church. * heapside, and the family intend making an cilort to secure a copy of the mar' I'iage record, as it would'furnish proof, beyond all dotubt, of the centenarian's nge. flic old man is almost blind, es the result of an accident, but his faculties are otherwise still good. He told with, great gusto the s'torv of his mar-. I'iage how his wife became dreadifully •'i raid that the clergyman would mix uii the ladies—lie was marrying couples at [ the time. "f wasn't a.fraid; 1 didn't wind—at least, that's what I told her," chuckled the aged joker. He takes a short 'Walk and washes his long snowy nair in a, stream of mountain water every fine Jay. Draughts have no terlor for him, and as for that very general complaint, indigestion: "The only thing that would give me indi"es'Uoir would be having no grab to eat!"

„ the largest map of its kind onn^ 10 wnr ' 1S a map, nearly -000 square feet im area, representing ugandi,t. MoveHhan a third of the total trade of Turkey falls !to Cgnstaatkwple,