LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 198, 25 September 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Volunteers will hold Church parade to-morrow, Dominion Day. It is understood that an extra express, leaving Wellington at 9 p.m. f»r Auckland, will begin running on Ist November. The object of the scheme is to enable passengers to sleep over the less thrilling portion oi the journey and have their senses alert for a daylight inspection of the grandeur in the middle of the island.

Last evening a goodly number of people gathered ill St. Mary's OhureJi to hear a recital of organ music gw«n bv Mr. R. Xevillo Benaud, the churc.l organist, assisted by Mr. H. Spencer Salt and the choir. It was an excellent recital, the programme being well chosen and rendered. Our report is m- | avoidably held over aud will appear m our next issue.

Flat Bsh seem to have deserted Hawke's Bay, which used to swarra with them, according to the manager of » local fish company- The round fish a-e not so bad, but then, ho says, there is only one kind of round fish for which there is always a market, and that ia the blue cod.' Probably feed has run very short in the old fishing grounds, and the fish have gone elsewhere lo live. The Xapicr waters have been pretty well fished during the last few years".

Recently Mr. Atua was made the recipient of'u presentation from tile West End school committee in recognition of his valuable assistance at the recent school concerts. Now ii is a very Unliable custom in the Maori race that no man receives a present without making another in return. So at tlie West Jv.nl school function .Mr. Atua, after tendering tho customary greetings to the committee and to Mrs. Dowling, head teacher, presented her with a couple of beautifully-made flax baskets, pois, and other articles of Maori manufacture. The gift was suitably acknowledged.

A rumor has been in circulation that the high explosive mortite lias been remsed by the British Government, an! is now under offer to the Germans. T\v .secretary of the New Zealand syndicate which owns the explosive states that the rumor is entirely contrary to facts. Negotiations with the British Government are now proceeding in London. He received the following cablegram recently from the syndicate's representatives in London; "Excellent progress; our anticipations fully justified." This means, lie believes, that the inventor of the explosive hopes to sell it to the British Government. The price asked is £2,000,000.

A lovb of flowers may be carried too far, as four Pelono youths found to their cost recently. Dr. Perry, a local medicp, utilises his spare time in growing daffodils, and possesses the reputation of owning some priceless bulbs, while his blooms are the envy of the neighborhood. Recently Dr. Perry delivered- a lecture on '""Daffodils," illustrated liy the exhibition of some of his choicest varieties. Fired by the belief that there was a fortune in the golden bloom", the youths raided the doctor's

garden anil became the illegal possessors of sonic of his cltoicest varieties. They wire haled before two justices at l'etone recently, convicted, severely admonished, and discharged. America is trying to solve the backblocks road problem by using layers of sawdust in regions where there is a clayey foundation, and reports from the States indicate that the results are ro markably good. Later accounts demon- : stratc that another product, pulp liquor, from the paper-making mills, is being turned to admirable use on cfty roads. A substance which was onco turned into rivers and lakes, polluting them and poisoning the fish, is now converted into a road-preserver. A cheap preparation made from wood pulp refuse :s mixed with water and is spread on the roads by an ordinary sprinkler. Tt allays the dust, hardens the surface of the road, and resists the wear of automobiles.

The photographs of the Taranaki Rifles, which were presented to the r«tiring officers of the corps on Thursday evening, were very generally admired as masterpieces of the photographer's and illuminator's art. The photograph was excellently taken by Mr. Hanna, and the men were capitally "spaced" by Coi-or-Sergcant Lister. Then the pictures were well ununited, and the illuminttion done by Mr. A. Lee, of Messrs Hooker and Co.'s staff, was most artistic. Thf hamUome oak and gold frames were tlie work of Messrs Bellringtr Bros., but Messrs Hooker and Co. were the actual contractors for the whole of the work, the maimer of whose execution would have done infinite credit to any lirm in the principal centres. The presentations will be placed on view today in Messrs llellringer Bros.' window.

The Taranaki Garrison Band will parade with the volunteers on Sunday morning next at 10.30 o'clock and intend' Divine service at St. Mary's Church. Jn the afternoon the band wM give a grand sacred concert from the band rolundn in l'tikekurn. Park (weather permitting), under the direction of Mr. Chas. 11. Anderson, Licen. IJ.M. Dip., commencing at 3 p.m. The following programme will be rendcreu* March, "Lo, He Comes; trio, "Oh, 'tis a Lovely Thing" (Hume); Creation's Hymn, "The Praise of GoiF (Beethoven); cornet solo, "Babylon" (Stephen Adams), soloist Mr. G. 11. Saunders; air and chorus from "Samson"; air, "How Willing My Paternal Love"; chorus, "Fixed in His Everlasting Seat" iHandel); five hymns of the great composers, viz., "Jesus, We Thy PromiseClaim" (Mozart), "Father, to Thee My Soul I Lift" (Mendelssohn), '"Come, oil My God, Thy Promised Seal" (Beethoven), "What now is My Object and Aim" (Handel), '"(> God, what offering shall I give to Thee" (Haydn); euphonium solo (part vocal), "The Village Blacksmith" (Weiss), soloist Mr. ,). Sturmey; chorus. Mass in C, "Thou Alone art Holy" (Beethoven); glee, "Winds Gently Whisper while She Sleeps"' (John Whitaker); vocalist, Mr. C. If. Anderson.

Relative to the supposed loss of the Waratah, a .private letter received from a former resident of Mornington, and dated Btii August, states that *'th« steamer on leaving Durban carried 93 passengers and nearly 200 of a crew, ft is feared she ran into a. cyclone and either turned turtle or collided with another boat. Our gunboats and tugs are all out searching for heir, but I am afraid they are on a fruitless errand. The fact of two oars marked 'Asiatic' having been -washed ashore gives some color ! i the theory of a collision. The South African coast is at all times a very dangerous one, and ships that encountered the cyclone lliat is known lo have occurred arrived here in a terriblv bartered condition. The disappearance of the Waratah h-ai cast a widespread I gloom over the city of Natal, for there were many South Africans on board as well as many Australians. A whole family named Turner who lived in our neighborhood took passages in the hi" steamer for England. One of them, a girl of sixteen, had a dream before leaving that the Waratah, when a few hours out from Durban, would run info a frightful storm, turn over, and •■•o down, and all -would be drowned. The dream had such an effect upon Die young girl that she was afraid to go by tho Waratah, and was very miserable about it. However, the entire family went, and it now seems as if tho dream has been realised."

Since federation Australia has-moved swiftly ahead. Andrew Carnegie once wrote: "The old nations creep at a snail's pace; the Republic rushes on with the roar of an express." There 1 lias been nothing so sensational in Australia's progress, but it has been very substantial. Since the colonies joined as States the population lias increased hy 509,900, and is now 4,275,300. The honors rest with New South Wales, -with an increase of 231,000. West Australia is next with 89,000, and Victoria third with 74,900. A further comparison of the figures for 1901 and 1908—the federal period—shows that the wheat production in bushels .has increased from 38,500,000 tc 07,000,000. The dairy exports have risen in value from £1,540 I 000 to £2,079.000. Instead of only 155.000, there are 270,000 factory hands employed. Tlie public revenue'has increased from £32,120,000 to £41,027,000. Bank deposits have grown from £91,457.000 to £113,004.000. Tile gold in banks has increased from £19,780,000 to £24,931,000. The savings banks deposits have risen from £30,800,000 to £40,167,000. The exports of pastoral products" have increased from £19,939,000 ba value to £30,542,000. This record —itself a golden guarantee for the future—taken i u conjunction with the liberty enjoyed*, the generally comfortable standard of living, and the efficiency of national services, is one of which the Coninioßwcalth might well be proud.

I Mrs. 1,, polers, Miramar, Wellington, N.A., says: "I can safely recommend Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Rcviedy to anyone suffering from pains in the stomach. A few days ago my little boy, aged six years, was suffering agony with this complaint. I only gave him a few doses of Chamberlain s Colic, Cholera-, and Diarrhoea Komedy, and lie was soon well and has not been troubled since. I think this remedy should be kept in every home." J-'or sale by all chemists and storekeepers.