LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 324, 25 February 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Police Court yesterday nioinin«, Messrs D. Berry and J. • Boon presiding, a first offending drunk was convicted and discharged. An amusing story was related at the Congregational Union meeting, . land, on Tuesday, by the Rev. A. -IAspland. It was about choosing suitable hymns for particular purposes. He mentioned that at a certain gaol where the warder chose the liymns, a Congregational minister in New Zealand was astonished to find the first hymn opened: "Free from the law, oh happy condition"! j The proposal to establish freezing works at Tauranga, in the Bay of : Islands, is not (states a Northern exchange) being very enthusiastically taken up. Mr. William Barnett has been writing strongly to the Bay of Plenty Times complaining of the apathy displayed by farmers. There are, he says, fat lambs at Tauranga at present without a buyer at 7s. and fat sheep which cannot be disposed of unless 1 sent to Auckland and sold at half-cost to the grazier. The conclusion he arrives at is that unless a better market is obtained the sheep industry cannot make much progress in the district. "We do not," he s'ays, ''require a very expensive freezing works for a start. We want to embrace other by-products besides frozen beef an'i mutton, such as canning meat, bacon-curing, poultry, eggs, fruit, etc., and also the making of manures for the district." REXONA, The Rapid TTealing Ointment, cures wifn remarkable rapidity sores, ulcers, burns, cuts, bruises, eczema.,, chilblains, and all diseases of the skin. Sold in triangular | pots at Is fid and 3s. Obtainable at Bullock and Johnston's,

An entry of between 550 and GOO competitors is anticipated for this year's championship meeting of the Dominion Rifle Association.

The renaming of Palmcrston engages attention from time to time, many holding that "Palmeiston North" is far too large an order for the ordinary business man's correspondence in a world which is essentially one of rush and hurry. Some of those who det'ire a change suggest a Maori name, but one (evidently a great admirer of the present Mayor) hints at the name of a well-known city in Tennessee, America. His suggestion is ''Nashville."

The new lighthouse at Capo Brett, which has been in course of construction for some eighteen months, was lighted this <veek. It is of a uniqi.a variety (the only other one of the kind ill the Southern Hemisphere is in South Australia), and it is anticipated that it will be a great aid to the safe navigation of that part of the coast of New Zealand. The tower, which is painted white, is at an altitude of 510 ft above sea level, and the powerful rays can be seen for a distance of thirty niiies.

The large number of unvaccinated children at present in New Zealand formed a topic in Dr. Purdv's presidential address at the medical congress in Wellington. "This," he said, "is not due to the fact that the majority of •parents hav.- conscientious objection to vaccination but because they think It will be •'.' pr.oug 1 .! to have children vaccina.- \'i smallpox aitO-cks -i and that ' ,-iwnce-- a vsro ation are l smote. If there >s on* jeet on which the medical proiession is united, it is fhe nbsoiut? safeguard of vaccination and the dangers unvaccmated children run. I need not dilate on the reasons for this consensus of opinion; it is' a settled fact, and should be known to the public at large. I have vaccinated thousands of children, and adults, and can conscientiously say I have never seen any ill-effects neai oi remote that could be traced to vaccination. The little operation performed with due safeguards safeguards that every medical man adopts —is absolutely free from danger, and, moreover, causes' at any rate to the infant no pain, and seldom even any inconvenience. As age increases, vaccination is apt to cause a good deal of pain and distress, but there is practically no danger in its use." •

The district meeting of Oddfellows at Petone adopted the following resolution: "That this meeting expresses regret that the Government found it necessary to drop section 15 from the Friendly Societies Act, seeing that at a conference of delegates of friendly societies held in Wellington on 21st May. 1900. this section was agreed to by a very large majority, and that the officers of the Friendly Society Registry Office showed how necessary it is for a scale of adequate contribution to be adopted for friendly societies. Further, that the Government be urgently requested to reintroduce the section as an amendment to the Act." Touching upon pending legislation in rcgarcl to national annuities, Bvo. J. Kershaw, speaking at the gathering, remarked that, far from nullifying the universally good effnets of the operations of friendly societies, the Government should throw out sufficient inducement for people who had not already done s'o to join their ranks. "If," he continued, "we unite, our numbers are so enormous that we could so work that the Government could have the schemes brought about in such a way that they would work hand in hand with us. We have so much at stake." he added, "that it behoves us to be alert.''

Bishop JuliuS Ms little sympathy with people wiio olect to spend their lives in hotels and clubs in order to avoid the inconvenience and expense of conducting establishments of their own. In his sermon to the Mothers' Union at the Anglican Cathedral recently (reports the Lyttelton Times) he said that this class of peopie absolutely gave up the home because • they could not be bothered with servants, and because they thought it was much cheaper to live in hotels. He asked whether this way of living was good for the country. It was' no doubt very comfortable, but it was one of the best means of cultivating selfishness that he knew. The class of people who lived in hotels had no parish and no local interests in the people around them, and they did not care twopence for the city in which thev lived. They did not belong to Christchurch any more than tliey did to' Auckland. or to Auckland any morp than they did to Melbourne. They were merely Xo. 22 i n an hotel, and thev had just about as much soul as one would expect to find in No. 22. Tf one made a request to them for assistance in anv wo, they replied: "N„ ; I am fm]v in l" I\° iv ■' Hm " nt in tho P'T-ish."' Vo doubt their life was very comfortable wenp, and they were relieved of •in infinity of inconvenience, but it was one of .pure unadulterated selfishness, and cut right at the root of home life.

_ ' l(> medical congress at Wellington, tin- president (T)i\ Purdy) said that muel, good might lie done'if . Dopartment took over the registration of marriages. "Tt has boon suggested." ho contended. •'•that no ono )o a owed to issue a license to marrv tiu> prospective bride and bridegroom present certificate* of good health sin-noil i )v a } P ,j aU[ . ,|„ a n,c r , ( ] 1 iea piactitionor, avlio lias known the parties for at least six month-;. Xo-y. I <l° not believe in this or any met'aed of dragooning people. It has also been suggested to raise the minimum ninrliago ago of a man to 25. and a worn,in to 21. which would, according to T)r. Renton 1. decrease degeneracy. pauperism and disease. Also that 110 man over Go should lie given in marriage unless the woman be over 43. Again, [ although recognising that such regul.i----j tions would be good for the race in ono sense. vet one must admit that one can carry regulations too far when o''e interfere* with the sacred rite- of Hie people. As to ages. in New /Ccab'-id a man of -?H is eoual. as a rule, physically, to a. man of 2."> in England, and a woman of 21 to an Englishwoman of •2". Tf marriage was. indirectly, even brought under the jurisdiction of :h" at least an attomv-t might be made bv the is*uo of pann'alots to people marrying telling them some useful physiological facts. . . ' . Schools for mothers might be established in large centres. . . . The best immigrants to Now Zealand are strong and healthy children, born in the DoI minion." [ Gorman drill lias superseded British methods of training in the Afghan army.

A fire was discovered this morning at about 1.45 in premises in Devon street occupied by Messrs Letha'jy Bros., umbrella manufacturers, and Mrs. Milsom, confectioner. Constable O'Neiil gave the alarm, and the fire brig.uk> soon got the fire under. Mrs. Milsom is away oil a holiday. Mr. l/'thaby was sleeping on the premises. He returned there from the theatre about il fie clock last night, lighted a candle in the din'iig-room, and went to bed, being -awakened again by falling articles m the dining-room, where the fire apparently originated. Insurance* are unavailable.

The directors of the Egmont Box Factory have decided not to work on Friday and Saturday, in response to a request of the Elthain Rifle Volunteers to allow members of the corps who are workers at the factory an opportunity of going to Wellington with their comrades for the inspection by Lord Kitchener.

Last night the headquarters companies of the Taranaki Battalion '»utvaineil for .Johnsonville to attend tie camp m connection with the visit oj Lord Kitchener. Despite the wet weather. there .was a very large attendance eu to witness their departure. Tile other companies attached to the battalion were to entrain at their respective stations.

Yesterday morning rain set in and continued steadily throughout the day. It was fairly general throughout Taranaki, and coming, as ft did, after such a long spell of fine weather, was of incalculable value to the farming community. T : ;e fields and pastures look much '.Tighter iov the refreshing moisture, llain was also badly required for the roads, which were commencing to cut up. It was unfortunate for those who take an interest in outdoor sports that it fell on the half-holiday, but the inconvenience suffered by a few is as- nothing compared with the benefit that will be conferred on the mar.y.