LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 211, 12 October 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Newton King has received the following ealile from his Sydney agent re hides" " Unchanged." There have been several inquiries froi i outside firms as to the Borough Council'* contracts for .bridge- construction, and ti> give them time to take out the quantities the time for receiving tendurs has been further extended until Monday next. The proprietors of the Outlook (a Duneilin Christian weekly paper) roccitly oll'ered a prize for the best essay on the '" Life of Joseph," and out of !W competitors .Miss Rita Stitt, ,of Opu.mki. was uwarded first prize, with the maximum number of marks (100). There is talk of the sneak thief, au:t the small boy gets the blame, "lnc other day an adult was seen manoeuvring u duek'» egg through the wire netting fence of a suburban property, the said property not being his own.' The implement used in the operation loolod suspiciously like a golf club! "Button-holing" of borough council li.ii>. 1 hy applicants and friends of applicants for positions in the municipal service is rampant. In all future advertise inents calling for applications for positions there will be the formidable anlioiiinrmeut that'" any applicant cinvas,iug a councillor will'bc disqualified,'" or words to that c/l'eet.

The usual forlnightlv meeting of ib,. Loyal Kgmont Lodge i.0.0.F. was held last evening, llro. A. Duller, N.G., presiding. There was a good attendance of members and the quarterly balancesheet was read and adopted. ' The sicku.'ss experienced |,y Uic lodge was the Heaviest on record. One candidate was initiated, and the lodge closed at the usual hour.

;lt is stated that the Retereatio 1 ') Grounds Hoard and the Garrison Hand are to be jointly interested in the series" of concerts to be given in the grounds by thr band during the summer months. I'lie move is n good one. As a wateringplace New Plymouth can hardly be said '(i over-reach herself in providing openair music for the large numbers of visitors to the town.

The Hope of Kgmont Juvenile Temple (No. ■>■!) 1.0. G.T. met ill St. Mary's Hall last night. The Temple was opened by CT. Si.|or T. Council. The atte:idanc; was very large. Three new members Here initiated. 'l'lie banner for best ttenibuice was. won by the brothers for the week. The programme for the even ing was it lecture by the Rev. Chapman, entitled, -.lake Siincock." The lecturer wa-' areorded a hearty vote of thank, lor his address.

The usual weekly session of the Egnoal Lodge (N"o. 112) 1.0. G.T. was held in St. Mary's Hall last night, when the C.T., llro. (!, ||. llartnell, presided over a good attendance of members. Bro. •I. C. Legg brought greetings' from 21) different lodges in Australia and England. The programme for the evening comprised readings and short papers, the different papers being well debated. llro. ('. I'ellew gave a mouth organ solo and llro. 11. ltieketts a harp solo.

The prospectus is almost ready for issue in regard to the flotation of a company to absorb the recently-formed New Plymouth Wood Supply Company. It is understood that there will lie 3000 shares of £1 each offered, and already the promoters are assured of oyer ii thousand being taken up. The companv will work the rata firewood on the Upper Carrington Road on -Messrs. Davics' and Collins" properties, and will take over the existing company's plant, contracts and rights. The present concern deals only with wholesale linns, but the proposal is for the new company to retail ilhe firewood direct to the eon-

If Ne«- Zealand paid 10s a head for naval defence, as she has no excuse whatever for doing, she would spend .£BOO,OOO a year instead of £.170,000 on the Navy, and it would entail less personal sacrifice on the inhabitants of tlie Dominion than an equivalent sum docs to the people of Britain. We can afford to squander millions on alleged development works for our own benefit and I profit, we can spend £-250,000 a year, according to the Premier's own admission, on an overstaffed Public Service, wo can five ihousnnds for Antarctic exploration, foreign chartiics, ele., «>nt when it. fiiinc-. | 0 1 lio plain, coinnion'dul.y of putting up pound for pound with tie' people of Great Britain to maintain an adequate navy for the defence of the Empire, we fail completely to "make good."—Cbvistcbiirch News."

Mr. Newton King wrote to the (lorough Council last, r night that he intended holding a horse fair at West's stables, New Plymouth, on Monday, loth ins't.. I I'neludcd in the catalogue' 'would be a j number of young horses, and as it wou'l | not be piissibic to lead them, be would be glad if the Council would grant a permit for them to he driven throug'i the streets on that day. Councillors were in doubt as to their powers to suspend Ihe by-law, hut were quite ready to "wink" at the offence, rather lhn:i hamper the business of the townspeople. The town clerk, however, brought under their notice the permis sive by-law which gave the Council power to temporarily W aive any by-law whose operation might cause undue, hardship or expense without correspond ing benefit.

•j Few men fan boast of having made 1 1 the trin from Australia to America anil ■ bad; again liy themselves before thev i had ventured into their teens, yet there • \vcrc two juvenile passengers' on the I lianroto. passing through to Sydney • who are within tliree davs of having ' accomplished the feat, if it may he a.i i called. The lads are Kocl and Theodore . Sliepherd, aged 13 and 11 years respec- , tivcly, who, having travelled to San , Francisco six months ago to join their father, have since 'become orphans, and are now journeying hack to Melbourne at tile call of th?ir grandfather. Strangely enough, their story, told to a Woniinion reporter on 'Fridav, concerns Wellington. The father of the two litth chaps (who confess to be "sick to death of travelling") was Mr. Jolm T. Shop.herd who some thirty months ago was Jin the employ here of Messrs. Gordvn j and (iotdi, for which firm he worked «or three or four yours. The hoys, when much smaller than they are now, travi,i U \ Tcw Xm]!IHA "«« their own," at the hchest of their father, and liv.d with Mr. Millcn. then in charge <A Messrs. Hannah and Co.'s boot shop at Dannevirke, and wove there when the ate Air. Shepherd went to America over I two years ago. Six months ago, when he had settled down into stendv work with the Pacific Coast Paper Company, I Willi headquarters at San Francisco, he called his hoys across the Pacific, and t again the little men set out hy the nselves across half the world. They were only there a few months, when M:\ Shepherd died of apoplexv. and once more they had to strike the trail for Australia. . .) • i. ;yw

There's a line brood of wild ducklings to be seen on the big pond in the Hecreation (irounds just now. Hay they escape the rats and eels! A lad about sixteen years of age who was undergoing medical examination prior to being permitted to join t r ie training-ship Amokura remarked quite seriously: "I nave already had eight years a't sea." "On what ship?" queried the sin prised doctor. "On the coalhulk ," replied-the boy as seriously as before.

The Government have no power to interfere with the licenses now that they have bpen granted by the Licensing Committee, but Parliament has a perfect right to legislate for the prohibition of all licenses from the territory that was intended to be affected by the native owners' petition to the Governor. Fre»trade in alcohol was abolished in this' country more than sixty years ago. The licenses in the King Country were issued by a legally-constituted authority, and ttley must remain until they have run their legal course. By that time Parliament should have taken the ncecssniy steps to nrevent their being renewed.— j Lyttelton Times.

"I find that many thoughtful and patriotic Americans arc alarmed at the wave of reckless imperialism which, in certain quarters, is assuming dangerous proportions,"' writes Mr. F. A. Atkins in tile Christian World. '"Twenty ye*is ago Hie United Scales navv cost just over £4.000,000 it year. This year'the cost is £27,000.000. Tim population l us increased 35 per cent., lint the naval expenditure lias advanced COOppre r cent. America is spending 72 per cent, of the Government income for the cost of wa,s, past and present, and only 28 per cent, for peaceful government. The combined cost of the armv and navv is ov<:r £00,000.000 a year." The two 25,000ton battleships, the construction of which was recently authorised by Congress, have just, been laid down, and ar> each to cost £2,000,000. Two 30,000ton battleships, which will cost a great deal more, a r ? included in the 1010 pro- . gramme.

"The feeling in the direction of com- p pulsory service in England is" growing I very fast," remarked Lieutenant-Colonel Chaytor to a Wellington Times reporter. The host was being made of the Territorials, but those interested in the nation's defence were hoping for something better. Trained men were essential in the event of war, and the people would clamor for the best men to be kept 'or home defence. People at Home were beginning to fear that war was probable, and that it was well to he prepared for it. Metz, which he visited as part of the Staff College course, he found an immense fortified camp. Everything in Germany appeared to be made to coordinate with the military services railways, telegraphs, and State utilities generally. _ His visit to Germany impressed him with the unity prevailing on the question of national defence; even the Socialist regarded that as a thing apart from his ordinary programme, and voted for it. Whatever Germany sacrificed, it would not be defence, lie was glad to hear that the feeling in New Zealand was in the direction of universal training; it would do England good, if only for the physical improvement. The Hawera Star comes in for some severe handling at the hands of a Hawera cleric. He is delightfully 'brief, and he has the good taste to send his criticism to the editor of the nearest daily paper, the Eltham Argus. Here it is:-—"On behalf ot the numerous Methodists in South Taranaki, I must thank you for your very interesting appreciation of the life-labors of the Rev., W. J. Watkins. T am only sorrv that we do not get such notices'of good men or good work in the paper circulating in Hawera. We try to bear with becoming humility the possession of such a writer as the Hawera man; a writer who gives . .one the impression that he could write a better play than Shakespeare, produce A better novel than Dickens, preach a ■ better sermon than Liddon, and certainly i prepare" a better budget than Lloyrlficorgc. The criticism upon the 'Eng--1 lishman's Home' is remarkable when ■ bishops and statesmen liave received the ■ play with cordiality. There are many : who very much regret that we are so > restricted in the 'flews circulating i throughout this district. There is a studied silence upon topics of interest , to many of us; good worE yeccivc.Omt: I scant notice, while the religions suseepll- , bility of the majority is outraged b" . the publication of the results of Sunda'v Methodist Minister, Hawera."