LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 174, 27 August 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The National Bank intend erecting a new establishment at Dunedin at a cost of £30,000. There is a possibility of a new theatre being erected on the site of the Strand Arcade, Auckland, destroyed by last week's fire. A chain worn by Sir Francis Drake, by whom it was captured from a vessel in tlie Spanish Armada, is now worn by the Mayor of Plymofitli.

The annual horse parade under the auspices of the Kgmont A. and I'. Association will be held at Hawera on Saturday, September 18th. Mr. Justice Edwards on the 21st-insl., on the motion of Mr. J. E. Wilson, (.'ranted jirohate of the will of the late Miss Prudence Ann Smith to Mr. Stanley John Smith, the executor named in the will.

Gifts of four keas and six kiwis have been made to the Emperor of Austria by the Tourist Department. The birds are for the Emperor's private zoo at Sehoenbnmn, and they will be ready for shipment in a fortnight.

An old settler residing between Auckland and llelensville was lamenting the other day the slow running of tiie trains on that line and said it took two minutes longer to go between Auckland anfl llelensville to-day than it did 20 years ago.

There seems to be no scarcity of boys in Wellington just now, as was revealed by an advertisement inserted )ly a business man in tile Post. One office bov was required, and over fifty applied for the position. A similar vacancy in the same linn three years ago only attracted three aspirants for the position.

Mr. G. 11. Green, M.L.C., of lanilra, near Forbes, N'cw South Wales, is building a ninety-roomed mansion, which is dicing constructed on the most modern jilan, On the estate is also being erected jjne of the largest s'ijos in Australia, circular in shape,' forty-live feet high, with a diameter of twenty feet. On tlie top is a tank, to hold 750,000 gallons of water, which is constructed of reinforced concrete, wound with eight miles of wire.

The Hon. (!. Fowlds states that the success of tlie "School Journal" is now beyond any doubt 'whatever. The policy of publishing illustrations, and the selcc. tion and arrangement of the readiig matter, have brought it into marked favor with tlie children, who in m.iuy ways show their appreciation of the editor's woik. On several occasions "Mr. Fowlds lias been in schools when copies of the little journal were distributed, and he lias noted the pleasure shown by the children and the expectancy witii which they have looked into the pages.

| News from Japan by mail state* that I this year tho season, so far. lias bee:i very favorable to the crops. The barley crop is larger than ever, and silk statistics show that the production of cocoous this year is greater than last, and the figures suggest a highly prosperous season. If the rice crop happens to d" equally good, says a correspondent, it would be a record vear in agricultural ( inducts. Japan's finance is now on a much firmer basis than formerly, so iintr-h so hilt she is able to pay oft* (iO.IHHI.OOO yon of her national debt this year. Among the new enterprises that Jre springing up 'with China exports U , the shipment of beans from North I China, and no less than ten large: steamers have left for Europe, loaded. Three thousand tons of pork has been I shipped during the past month from I Hankow to Lojidon by one of the P. and O. steamei'B, j

America, where nobody seems to have time for anything hut hustling after the "almighty dollar", is not given overmuch to pure sentiment, but a little cercmonv which was recently performed on the Potomac River, and which was inaugurated about seven years ago, has | a very pretty touch of sentiment. Tt I consisted of sending out to sea a boat i laden with (lowers—red roses, yellov daisfN. red, pink, and white carnations, and bank* of fern. The (lowers were a tribute to the victims claimed by the ocean during the preceding year. The boat was started on its course in telepresence of ijvciit crowds of Spectators, who stood bari'-hf'iuled as they sang | 'For those in peril on the sea/ and a* the little craft with fragrant cargo was borne by the tide towards Chesapeake Hav the warships and merchant vessels in the river dipped their flag? in respectful dilute.

in his University .lecture at Sydney recently, I)r. IToilgkin, after referring to the free amusements provided by the Uoman Emperors as a cause. cout:i jutnrv to the downfall of the Empire, said the devotion of the Hritish people, both at Home and in the colonies, to games and sport, such a* horse-racing and cricket., did not altogether conduce to the ibiiiMin<r up of a strong ami noble | nation. Mr. Richard Teeee, in seconding a vote of thanks, which -was moved hv Professor Wodhouse, referred also to hero-worship ami the idol of sport, and •said that though he admitted the salutary results to he derived from mflnly j sports, he thought that the undue prominence given to-day to sport. and the growth of the spirit of h-vUie'iUm in Great Britain, were subjects calculated to give the peoplo a very serious cause of anxiety,

Land in the main street of Waipukurau is now realising aa much a&" £25

Many well-informed people regard the current rumors of a threatened collapse in the Home market for cheese, as being Jue chiefly to the ingenuity of buyers. Racing is now in a more parlous state .in Johannesburg than in New York. | The Government have now stopped the publication of all hotting news, and no I j i)t»Uing of any description is allowed except On the racecourse, and in addition it lias been decided that racing can only take place on Saturdays and public holidays.

A man named Marsh, living in Ameiira, who, thirty-five years ago had bequeathed to him by a wealthy aunt, an old Bible, has recently found £BOOO worth of -bonds between the pages. Mure!) had not opened the book befoie, and it was only on account of an argu- [ ment that he had occasion to refer to I one of the Psalms and thus made the welcome discovery.

Mr. Roberts, of Typella, Llanbrynmair, South Wales, met his death in a remarkable manner on July 3, while engaged in shearing sheep. The fiheop which he was shearing struggled via lentlv. and struck the shears with its feet, the sharp point of the blade to be driven into Mr. Roberts' throat. The niai.i arlcry was Revered and he died svithin three minutes.

Thanks to thn astuteness of the Oor ■nail rosarinns. tlie blur rose is 110 longer to lie counted among the myths of the Horn] xvnvlrt. ft actually exists, ami \va« exhibited {says tlie editor of Gardening) at tlie Tloval Horticultural Society's exhibition by Messrs Win. Paul' and Son, the famous rose-growers. It was raised by a German grower, wh< sends it out under the name of Veilchenblau, lull it will lie known among English gardeners as the blue ranvhler. Overwhelmed with grief at tlie success of her action for divorce, Mrs. Oelamontanya, of San Francisco, committed suicide in New York. She obtained a final decree of divorce from lior husband, whose second wife she was. She was dining with Mrs. Margaret Patton, an .intimate friend, when a huge bunch of lilies arrived from lier divorced husband, with a •note wishing her good luck and happiness. "He's not such a bad fellow, after all," she murmured, and a few moments later went into an adjoining room and shot herself. The sale is reported (says the Waimatc Witness) of Mr. W. Powdrell's J2l acre farm on Sutherland road to Mr. Mills, of Rahotu, at the substantial figure of £OS per acre. This constitutes a record in the price paid for dairying land in the district, hut the property in question is looked upon as one of the most productive farms in the neighborhood. For the last three years it has yielded to its owner the sum of £I2OO per annum. Other land in the vicinity also produces big returns. One 45-acre farm produced £SOO last season. Mokoia, in South Taranaki, is one of those flag stations where the mail trains may be stopped by would-be passengers who desire to travel a specified distance according to the regulations. The other morning the South mail train was signalled to stop hv a man, the only occupant of the platform, holding up lioth hands in approved fashion. It being presumed that his intention was to travel, brakes were applied and the train came to a stop. The consternation of the guard and engine-driver and the amusement of the passengers may be imagined, when the individual referred ro, ia the coolest possible manner, says the Star, posted a letter in the mail van, and then signalled the driver to get a move 011. Writes Mr. Felix Mcdnire, ex-M.P. fcrj llawera, to the Ilawera Star:—"We cannot forget that the Tiritish Emp-.re consists of a great number of possessions and dependencies in different parts of the world, all of them relying for defence and protection mainly upon the Imperial command of the seas. No other Empire lias been or is so constituted, and it is therefore nccessarv that nil the different parts of the Empire should work in harmony. This has been fully recognised bv Sir Joseph Ward. He knows that the Empire owes its existence as it is to-day to the fact tliat Great Britain has had a fkw, he has not forgotten 'Trafalgar.' Sir Joseph Ward's cable, endorsed 'liv Parliament and backed by the people of the Dominion, has done more for Imperial defence than any other event which has taken place during the past seventy years." What is probab?y a unique experience for Xcw Zealand is the presence in Auckland at one time of two turret-del steamers, a type of comparatively 'v cent origin. It is not many years sin.:c the type was a curiosity j„' these'pirts and it is still an object of much interest 111 the part of landsmen, despite the tact that a Union tramp of this design has paid frequent, visits to our ports. The German steamer Walkure, which arrived from New York Via the South, 's |'(wsiblv the largest steamer of the tur-ret-deck type which has visited New Zealand, being -a vessel of 3!152 tons. She berthed at Quay-street jetty, but exception is taken to her occupying this position, owing to the fact that she has carsio of oil, the inflammable nature of which is regarded as a menace to adjacent premises. Shortly after the arrival of the Walkure, the Koromiko. 2270 tons, another turrest-dcck steamer, belonging to the Union Company, put in an appearance, and after a short stay at Queen-street wharf she proceeded uf to Chelsea to put out a large cargo of raw sugar. It cannot lie said that thi6 type of steamer is finding considerable favor with shipping companies, out where suitable cargo is offering it has advantages over the ordinary type that cannot be overlooked, as considerably more cargo cau J>e carried in relation t" registered tonnage, and consequently ithas its place in tlie mercantile marine.