LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 328, 2 March 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr. H. S. Fitzheruert, a firstoffending drunk was convicted and discharged. There will be no sitting of the Magistrate's Court next Tuesday, owing'to the Courthouse being required by the Supreme Court, which opens that day. Thus the Wellington Post on the recent cadet encampment:—"'Altogether, it was a carefully ordered occasion trom first to last, and Major McDonald and his cadet officers are to be warmly congratulated on the successful issue." Definite dates in connection with the coming tour, of an English Northern IJnTon lootball team have not been arranged. Six matches, it is said, will .be played, which, in all probability, will Include a test match in each oi the four . centres. I "The biggest speech I ever made in my life," declared Lord Kitchener after I the State banquet in Wellington last I Friday nig'ht. It was certainly double | the average length of Lord Kitchener's brief utterances, and was important, for it gave 'New Zealanders a pretty pla ; n indication of what hp will recommend 1 regarding the Dominion's defences. A tender has been accepted for the construction of the Oto'ko viaduct, 31 miles from Gisbornc, on the GisborneMotu railway, the successful firm "being G. W. Griffiths and Co., Westport, at a price of £11,773. The viaduct will be constructed of steel, with two big centre girders of lattice work, and the .side piers of solid concrete- The girders -will be of the solid steel plate type. The total length of the viaduct wili i.-e 370 feet, and the two principal spans will each be of sixty-six feet, the height from the ground being ninety feet. The foundations are to be of concrete. Mr. J. J. Boyd, the enterprising projector of the Araraoho Zoo (say? the Wanganui Herald) has been advised that the Government will not permit the importation of pumas, foxes, leopards or cheetahs. Mr. Boyd contends that the regulation giving the Minister power to prohibit the importation of dangerous animals was meant to be used with discretion, and was never intended to apply to animals which are meant to be shut up in strong cages m J a Zoo. If, he asks, pumas and cheetahs and leopards are too dangerous to import, why did the Minister allow the importation of two lions and a tiger some time ago? Also, why is he willing to allow the importation of two polar bears if his object is to exclude dangerous animals? Most of the animals have been bred in captivity, and ..are perfectly quiet, and in any case they will be kept in cages ton strong for them to break The cage wIiToTT has been prepared for the leopards cost £2OO, which seems to suggest a certain t amount of strength and safety. The leopards, pumas and foxes were bought 'two months ago in Sydney, and Mr. Bovd has to pay keep there till he gets the necessary permission to land them. The cheetahs were bought in Ceylon, and are now on their way out from there, but if the Minister persists in his extraordinary objection they cannot be landed. Mr. Boyd, however, does not mean to let the matt'T rest, and intends to take fresh steps to convince the 'Minister that no danger wTll result from allowing the animals to land. DR. SHELDON'S DIGESTIVE TABULES Are a positive cure for Indigestion,' Flatulence, Heartburn, Acidity of Stomach, and all Stomach Troubles. Price 2s fid per tin of 80 Tabules. Obtainable cycrywhere.

I The Palnierston North Borough Co.iuoil decided last night to meet the Gis Company with a view to acquiring tiio works. The following are the vital statisti?? for the New Plymouth district during the month of February:—Births 27. deaths 7, marriages 10. The Palmerston North Volunteer Corps celebrated the death of the volunteer movement and the birth of the compulsory system ou Monday evening by a big smoke concert, at which all the corps were well represented and .vetjrrnns were alsol (present;. They inarched in procession round the town, and afterwards spent the evening ri toas'ts and music. Speeches were made regretting the death of the old system from a sentimental standpoint, but favoring the new system as a benefit to the British race. This evening, weather permitting, the Taranaki Garrison Band will give the second of the series of municipal concerts at the Esplanade band rotunda, commencing at S o'clock. The following selections will be rendcre'd, under the eonduetorship of Mr. C. H. Anderson:—Naval patrol, "Our Bluejackets" (Mcachen); lancers, "Up West" (Williams); waltz, "The Merry Widow" (Frank Lehar); grand selection. "Patience" (Sir,; Arthur Sullivan); intermezzo " Old Lov4 is Never Forgotten" (Vollstedt); waltz, V Gay Paris" (Felix Burns); serenade, " The Bells of Seville" (W. H. Jude); galop, " Odeousf Frcuden" (Latami); National Anthem. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday, C. H. Hodgson, of Sydney, sued Lafayette Keith, at present manager of the Taranaki Petroleum Co., on a judgment summons foT'the sum of til 42 G-; 4d, money owing on plant, etc., used in .a boring contract. Plaintin. for whom *Mr. J. E. Wilson appeared, had obtained judgment for the amount at the Supreme Court on confession. The defendant stated that he had made an offer of £8 per month, but this was not accepted. Plaintiff wanted £2O down and £2O per month. Eight pounds was yie minimum ; he would pay more when he could. Mr. Johnstone stated that this was a ease in which defendant required nursing. He was paying up his back debts pro rata, and if one creditor pushed it meant that he would have to tile. The Magistrate said he was not satisfied that he could make an order. Defendant had received £203 in the past twelve months, and had accounted for £lO5 in his evidence. This did not allow lor other expenses beyond hoard and contributions to his wife's relatives. Ultimately the case was adjourned for a fortnight to see if the parties could not come to sonu' arrangement. There is an old rhyme which illustrates' how a small cause may sometimes have far-reaching effects. It tells of a- lost nail which caused the loss of a shoe, which in turn made the horse lame. On that account the rider was lost, which resulted in the loss of a battle and a kingdom. At the present time a gentleman finds' himself in New Zealand instead of his home in Sydney (states the Sydney Daily Telegraph), because nis wife lost' twenty-five minutes trying to ring him up on the telephone. He had arranged to leave for New Zealand by a certain boat, but an hour before its departure his wife got a message, which she had to convey to him, telling him not to go. She rang up on the telephone, and was occasionally answered by various' of the exchanges. but she found it impossible to communicate with the vhrrf. After trying for twenty-five minutes the lady came into town, but on lier way across the harbor she saw tht steamer with her husband on hoard halfway to the Heads. And now the lady is wondering if her luis'.'and will carry out an oftrepeated threat on his return to Sydney—to get the family axe and chop Oie telephone off the wall.

The usual weekly sitting of the Magistrates Court; was held yesterday morning. before Mr. IT. S. Fitzherbert. S'.M. Judgment was given lor plaintiff by default in the following cases:Jifewton King (Mr. Quilliam) v. J. E. Bennett, claim £l2 Is. costs 18s; K. Griffiths and Co. (Mr. Qnilliam) v. E. Bennett, claim £3 lis 3d. costs 15s; Xathan and Co. (Mr. Weston) v. W, •). C. Blackstock, claim £3O 10s o:l,'costs £3 2s: V.'. F. Short (Mr. Nicholson) v. A. Birchail. eiaim r '£3 2s, cc-ts ISs; T:iranaki Petroleum Co. (Mr. Quilliam) v. F. W". W. Hubbard, claim £2O 13s id, costs £3 4s; same v. Jani:s Hughes. 13s lid costs; same v. Geo, Gee, id".nil £4 3s Sd. costs 10s; M*irk Johnson (Mr. Quilliam) v. W. R. 'Wil-on, i-l uni £1 Is 4d. costs ss; Mrs. Berry (Mr. Grey) v. Bridget Campbell, claim t'l. costs £1 12s (order also given for recovery of possession of tenancy witlrn a week). In the judgment summons case. ,T. .T. Stagpoole (Mr. Standish) \. 11. Early, there was no appearance of defendant. An order was mi d- for vh" amount claimed, £4 16s Od. to be paid within seven days, or in d.-fault seven dnvs' imprisonment in New Plymouth gaol.

I His Excellency Lord Plunket an orator w'nos'e accomplishment in this line is not fully appreciated in the Dominion. Writing of the State banquet to Lord Kitchener, the u'eli'ington Post says: "Lord Plunket, who is always brief and always full of point, may be especially congratulated upon his speech last night. As a patriot who is not of the wordy or spread-eagle type, but is never ashamed to proclaim his pride either in the Old Land or in this young country of his temporary adoption, he always succeeds in shining on these ceremonial occasions, when even the most practical speakers are often reduced to emptiness find commonplace. His Excellency's oratory always rings true, and always observes the golden oratorical precept of 'leaving oil' when done.' Yesterday lie was even brrefer than Lord Kitchener himself, yet in the space of three or four minutes he made not far from the best speech of the evening. In his selection of what he regarded as the most patriotic action jt this 1 country during his term of office, he showed what seems to us an excellent sense of proportion. It was not the Dreadnought nor the preferential tariff. He ventured to affirm that 'amongst the many patriotic actions displayed during his term of office none would be more deeply thought of or more highly re?pected by the statesmen and the people of the Old Land than the decision by the Parliament and Government—both Government and Opposition —and the Pres's that it should be the pride .and shall be the duty of every man to spend some short portion of his life in learning seriously how to defend his country and protect those whom lie loved,"'