LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 205, 4 October 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A slight earthquake shock was felt locally at 10.30 yesterday morning. The man McLean, arrested on a charge of theft of a bicycle, will be brought before the S.M .Court to-day. On the 2Slb nil., on the motion ol Mr. A. R. Standisli, letters of administration in the estates of the late Robert Forrest Munro and Isabella Margaret Monro were granted to Mrs. Margaret Munro, of Lepperton. By catching H.M.S. Challenger, the English mails, via America, and American and Canadian mail matter are ten days ahead of time-table date. The mails were taken on board the warship there instead of having to go ,f» Sydney to wait tho following New Ze'alantbound steamer. The mails bring letters dated 28th August.

A well-attended meeting of members of the Railway Employees' Society held at Stratford on Saturday evening, discussed the question of the present Minister for Railways' lavish exercise of els power of veto in cases recently heard before the Railway Appeal Board, and it was unanimously resolved to ur»e that the decisions of the Board shoivd he final. It was decided to thank Mr. Veileh for his manly action in resigning his position on the Board as a potest against the Minister's action. Mr. S. G. Smith, an executive councillor of t'lie Employees' Society, was present and addressed the meeting on the work -f the Executive Council and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his address. On Sunday morning another meeting was held at Wnipuku and the members i there decided to take steps to form a. branch of the A.S.R.S. Mr. S. ft. Smith addressed the meeting, which was the lirst meeting of-railway men held there. Mr. Ferguson, in proposing a lieartv vote of thanks to Mr. Smith', voiced the members' appreciation of their delegate having come so far to enlighten them' on railway matter;. The motion was carried by acclamation. '

j ' Mr. W. Cox, llumlTray-streot, Bathrat. Vie., writes: "I have been a great suffered from rheumatism, and havi:i<» obtained the greatest relief by the use of Chamberlain's Pain Halm, I cannot speak too highly of it. Whenever Heel the rheumatic pains coining on, I give' the affected parts a few and it always arrests the attack. I know several people who have us>d Chamberlain's Pain Balm, and they all speak in the highest praises of it."' Por sale by all chemists and storekeepers.

It is estimated that 100,000 tons of margarine is used annually in London. •This is live times the weight of all ttis butter we send, Tlie Hon. R. McKenzic, speaking to a deputation the other day, said there were enormous requests for railways, and he believed it would require .1130,000,000 to satisfy all tho demands made upon the Government. ' Mr. Dnwi', the illusionist who challenged Mr. Bailey, the medium, at Wellington, and Ims pursued the latter to Wnnganui, says: "I have known Bailey for years. It is not generally known, , lint Bailey ]> something of an amateur conjurer, "anil, in fact, when I had a sebool ot magic in South Melbourne some veins ugii I actually gave him lcs-. suns. ' He 'nils continued his studies, and his apporis arc the production of ' trickery."

" I've been in this' country since my I boyhood," said the Hon. J. A. Millar at last week's {unction at the Auckland Sailors' Home, "and during this time I have, put my hands to many things, for besides.going to sea, and being a politician, 1 have driven a bullock team, labored in a lemonade factory, and worked in a gold mine. I've been in politics twenty years now," added Mr. Millar, "and after live more years I shall probably retire from public life. Twentyfive years is a good innings for a punlie man."

It is stilted that farmers in tile And;, laud district, influenced probably by reports of unemployment prevailing, have been offering about os a week less fulfil mi hands than at Ihe beginning ot previous seasons. As the men available for agricultural npernhins have been absorbed, tile wages olfi-i-ed haw- gradually risen to tile, level of previous years. There is now a gn-aier demand for milkers and pliiugliinen than the Labor 1)?. pnrtment can satisfy, but farmer? a.-e inclined to be more critical than in former years, and only want experienced anil competent workers. The Mon Dairy Company's meetings of shareholders are generally provocative of a little amusement, sometimes a little excitement. Arguments often appear to narrowly miss the pugilistic stage, so ex

Inglewood folk will not be very greatly surprised to learn that firearms played a part in Saturday's annual coiTOliorec. None of the shareholders, however, took part in the shooting, nor was it serious. Members of "The Englishman's Horns" company were working at the back of the stage, and as the meeting had got from spicy to "dead slow," one of the "actor chaps" (as they were playfully called) produced a couple of property

rilles and 'let her go." The buzz of conversion ceased like magic, and a silence followed that could be felt. The shock soon wore oft', and the arguments re-commenced where, tlicy had been so violently interrupted. ■ Allwood, the lunatic who killed a woman at Dargaville on Wednesday, is (says the. Auckland Star) an elderly man, and is well known as the former nightwntclinian in Dargaville. In the early part of this year he displayed symptoms of insanity, the form taken being of an impulsive character; that 'fc, he heard voices, he said, and when those voices spoke to him he must obey. This is insaniti- of the most dangerous description, mid on medical advice he was si-lit to the Mental Asylum at Avondale. Mere he remained until last week, wnen he was dischareed. and returned home on Thursday night! It appears that for two or three duvs prim- to the tragedy Allwood. alio lives with his wife in a

little cottage opposite Mr. Kier's bouse, had be'ii In a most melancholy condition. The dftv before he sat in liis c'naM smoking all day. Several efforts made hv bis old partner in life to rouse ifim failed, and lie sat hour after hour without speaking. Tn a recent issue of a Wellington newspaper there appeared a letter over a signature, "A Friend of the Maoris," referring to the spread of Mormonism among the natives. In this letter it was stated that Mormon elders from America were being employed in native schools throughout the' length and breadth of the land; that they are impressing upon the minds of the children their tenets, conducting regular services in many of the pas, and thus spreading their faith, for the propagation of which the Government was thus alleged to be chiefly to hUme. Interviewed by the Star correspondent, the Hon. O. Fowlds. Minister fo r Education, said that so far as tliev relate to the Government and to native schools these statements are absolutely untrue. There are places where Mormons have schools of their own. and where they conduct serviees in the pas. lint, seeing that the law doe-, not hinder them, it is not the Government's business to take any notice of the fact. Certainly no Mormon has ever been appointed to' take charge of a Government native school. To the best of bis belief, no Mormon has ever applied for riicTi a imsition. As in the case of public school*, the instruction given in native schools is purely secular in character, though, in justice to the teachers, it should be stated that a great many nf (hem hold Sunday schools for the ohihlren. and thus impart religious .'u~truction, much to the appreciation of Hie Maoris.