LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 361, 12 April 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A specimen of the Chilian pumpkin .was exhibited at Oamaru last week. The monster weighed 961b and measured sft Oin in circumference. There were some startling Powelka stories current in town yesterday. In one of these the man was credited with having killed eight policemen. No wonder "the policeman's life is not a happy one." '•l'm beginning," remarked the lecturer, "I might say that I have come to the conclusion " The burst of enthusiasm which the audience let loose at this juncture struck the lecturer as constituting a rather doubtful compliment. There's a fine fat shag in the big lake in the Recreation Grounds. The white swans don't like him a bit, and yesterday morning made several flights to escape his attentions. The shag seemed to enjoy the fun, for he followed them up, •■■ ■ • • ••> --.-.J~< -ui»-- >.. A Wairarapa dairy farmer Is busy finishing a new type of milking machine, which he claims will do the work that the various milking machines in the Dominion are doing, while the initial cost ,of the machine will be considerably lest.

The New Plymouth Borough Council; has not a penny of the past year's rates! outstanding. The Town Clerk is. to be warmly complimented upon the achievement. Mr Bellrbiger has done the same: thing before, and deserves the thanks of the ratepayers', for a fully-paid rateroll isn't inswted upon in the conditions of his engagement

A young man named Scott, who is a /food swimmer, caused a sensation at, *tanly, Sydney, by going in a place indicated 'by signal as dangerous. He threw up his hands as if in difficulties, and when a member of the Surf Club swam out to his assistance, he stood up and walked out of the water. The Magistrate characterised his conduct as heartless and cruel, and calculated to prevent persons in real distress from receiving assistance. Scott was fined £3, or one month's hard labor. The mere fact of a man having attained eighty years of age does not always prevent him from performing feats of endurance that might well tax the power of some of the younger generation. Recently Mr. T. Warner, of Masterton, cycled to Morison's Bush, a distance of about twenty .miles, in a little under two hours. Not a bad record, surely, for a man who is eighty years of age, and who did not learn to ride a /bicycle till he was seventy. A practice has developed at the M? Canterbury fat stocic market (Addington) whereby buyers have left it to a few of their number to purchase all their requirements, the lines of stock being subsequently divided among the mom- , bers of the ring. This stifling of competition is to be put down. At Wednesday's sale the auctioneers, through one of their number, told the dealers that such tactics would have to end, and that in future no sub"-division after a sale would be permitted. Report says that the dealers intend to abide by this edict.

Several days ago the railway station 'at Ongarue, on the Main Trunk line, iwas broken into and a case of beer tampered with. With such a bait in a prohibition country, it was only natural to expect that the station would receive am other visit,'and so Constable Owen took up his watch there to be ready to receive any midnight visitors. Last Sunday two men were seen to catuiously ■approach the building and force the door. The constable then made himself known and arrested a man named John Thompson. The second man, Duncan Mcßae, go? away, but "was captured shortly afterwards. The prisoners were taken to Te Kuiti. where they were charged and remamlf>d.

At the Stratford Police Court yesterday, before Messrs. J. McCluggage and J. Sexton, J.P.'s, two men named Peter Neilson and Harold Ketturer were charged with having broken and entered the house of Fred. Close, a butcher, and stealing therefrom a suit of clothes and sundry other articles, the whole being valued at about £4 3s Gd. Jiividence was given of the two men having been seen in the vicinity of the house, of the fact that the house was empty all day and that it had been entered during that time, and of the finding of several of the missing articles upon the accused. Sergeant Cullen conducted the prosecution. The accused men asked no questions, pleaded guilty, and were committed to the Supreme Court in Wellington for sentence.

New Plymouth people, or at any rat a portion of its population, were pre pared last night for a copy of the Pahnerston "polka" game. But the lo i cal Powelka did not realise. At about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon there was 1 a loud report from the gaol or Its* en-, virons, followed almost immediately by the ringing of the prison bell to sum- ! mon the hard labor gangs from the' quarries. With a public mind sieething with interest in the fugitive Powelka at Palmerston, what more natural than 1 the creation of a fairy story of an escaipee from the local gaol? Of course the story went round, and it went down. I But that's the extent of our sensation. Nobody got away at all. The resound-! ing report was that of the last blast of the day in the gaol quarry, and the' bell rang in the usual way at the usual j time. i

New Zealanders pride themselves) on their loyalty. They don't always, show it. For instance, the opening bars of the National Anthem, played at the conclusion of a performance, don't bring ■our young men to attention. They're; regarded rather as a signal to gather up wraps and umbrellas and make for l the exits, "to avoid the crush." There are exceptions, and fortunately they are many. But the observance of little matters of this kind are pleasing, andi of .s'eatimental value. Some men effect a compromise, and, as though ashamed' of their respect for the King and afraid I of the action of the air upon their! miniums, stand awkwardly with hat lifted half an inch from the head, between finger and thum. If they thought anyone was looking they'd do even less. But if they were "Mafficking," doubtless they'd go the whole hog and pitch the potae high in the ail-, no* caring whether they ever saw it •njrain —until the morning! After all the tendering of this ordinarv mark of, respect to the national strain'is all thatr many of us will ever be asked to do fori our sovereign lord the Kins. These re-' marks are suggested by what took place, at the "Besses" concert yesterday. I