LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 373, 26 April 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In recognition of the brigadesmen's work at Saturday's fire, Mr. J. H. Parker has donated £3 as to the New Plymouth Fire Brigade. To show the necessity of farmers using every effort to eradicate Bathurst burn a well-known ITawkc's Bay sheepfarmer has been advised by his London broker that the burr deteriorated the price of the wool by Id a lb.

It was reported at the Fitzrov householders' meeting last night that the matter of forming a battalion band for the cadets was on the tapis, but there were difficulties in the way, and it would probalblv not 'be till the next householders' meeting that a definite pioposal would be made. There was an unusually large attendance at the householders' meeting h the West End School last evening, consequent upon the interest taken in Bible reading in schools. Unfortunately the minister mistook the time of the holdin" of the meeting, and turned up at 7.30, the disappointed crowd dispersing at 7.20.

Four suburban residents have recently lost valuable milch cows under peculiar circumstances. Painters, renovating the 'respective houses, had left their paint about, and the animals, which have a decided penchant for paint, especially white lead, imbibed freely, with disastrous results. Owners of cows should be careful not to allow them near a freshly painted house or leave paint about where the animals can reach it.

At a meeting of lady vocalists held last, evening at Mr. C.' H. Anderson's studio, corner of Powderham and Mt. Edgccumbe streets, a Leidcrkranz and Liederspiel Society was formed. About twenty-five ladies were present, and the following committee 'were elected:— Misses Baker, Collis,-Ilarrc, and Gideon, and Mrs. A. Williams. Mr. C. IT. Anderson was appointed conductor, and Mr. S. L. Mark hon. secretary. Intending members are asked to kindly-communi-cate with the secretary, who will be pleased to supply all information.

With reference to the extension of the abattoirs district, the town clerk (Mr. F. T. Bcllringer) -has received the following letter from the Department of Agriculture: ''With reference to your letter of the 12th instant in regard to the extension of the abattoir district, I have the honor to inform you that the Crown Law Office does not uphold the objection raised by the Taranaki County Council, and I am therefore placing your borough's application with the County Council's objection thereto before the Hon. Minister of Agriculture for his decision as to whether he will exercise the power conferred upon him by the Act."

That the age of circumlocution is by no means dead is evidenced in the procedure which the Patea County Council has to follow in approaching the Public Works Department on any question in connect ion with road administration.

The Council has first to forward any proposal in regard to the expenditure of a grant or similar matter to the Public Works Department at Wanganui. Thence the communication is forwarded to the Department at Stratford. From Stratford it is at length forwarded to the Department at Wellington, and return communications travel by the same circuitous method back to the Council. —Press.

The insurances on Messrs. HaFienstein Bros.' building damaged by fire on Saturday evening amount to £2IOO, £OOO being with the Phoenix Office and £ISOO with the South British, both companies having reinsurances. Hallenstein's stock is covered by a total insurance of £ISOO, being made up of £3OO in the Alliance, £3OO in the Royal, £250 in the Royal Exchange. £250 'in the Commercial Union, £250 in the New Zealand, and £l5O in the Sun. On Mr. Deare's stock the insurances are: £SOO in the National, £3OO in* the Standard, and £SOO in the North British. Reynolds and Co. are covered by £SOO in the Alliance and £SOO in the Australian Alliance, while the Club's furniture is insured for £325 in the Commercial Union.

Writing to the Auckland Herald, a correspondent says: ''l saw in the Herald a few days ago a wire from Wellington giving particulars of the beesting cure for rheumatism. For the lipefit of sufferers from rheumatism and lumbago I can give them a much easier and simpler cure: A small dose of Epsom salts taken regularly every morning, either before or at breakfast. I take my dose in a cup of tea (and after a few mornings you do not notice the taste of the salts). I have been a sufferer for over forty years, and have tried all kinds of cures, without any good results, until I heard of the salts two years since, and I can vouch for the fact that I am now free from both

rheumatism and lumbago. Several other people in the town have also been cured under the same treatment." Mr. Goodacre, president of the Employers' Association, referred to the Powderham-street bridge at the meeting last evening. He had made verv careful enquiries, and found that the'bridgc. if present plans were adhered to, would not fulfil requirements. It wo „ )( j not have, the necessary stability or finish, and that instead of a full-width bridge they would have a 22ft structure. As president of the Association, he felt he would be lacking in his duty by not interesting himself in the matter.' with a view to rectifying the mistake, and so he and others had gone to the ratepayers with a petition protesting against the. erection of the narrow bridge, and asking that the original idea of a fullwidth bridge be given effect to. This petition had been largely signed, and would be presented to the Council at a special meeting this (Tuesday) evening. He had been warned against "falling in" over this matter, but he knew the position, and would not be deterred from carrying out what he considered his dutv.

Fnr Oni.dren's HaelriTi<» ai- thW. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, 1/6 2/6

j Taranaki oil shares 0011(111110 to adI vauce. On the Auckland Slock Exchange yesterday they fetched as high J as 14s. j The recent ~orth Island Band Contest held in Wanganui resulted iu a prolit of .-C-20.-). The gross receipts totalled CHS3. Mr. Overton, who accidentally shot Michael Quirke during the Powelka chase, had a horse nominated for the Timaru races, but under the circumstances it was withdrawn.

About fourteen years ago a girl named Fawcett, a resident of Mclntyres. Victoria, had the misfortune to break a needle in one of her arms. Recently the broken piece, one inch and a-quarter long, after travelling up one arm and across the body, came out of the other arm, leaving no ill-effects.

At the conclusion of the annual meeting of householders at the Central School last evening the scouts were paraded under Scoutmaster Mclsaac. and some interesting drills were gone through, including ambulance work, artificial respiration, and flag-signalling. The lads showed a keen interest in their work, which was 'performed in a very creditable manner.

An unhappy young man,, isavs the Star, caught the Powelka panic badly at Auckland on Friday, lie called at the police station and told the constable whom he met, that he was being pursued by Powelka all over the country, and asked to 'be supplied with a valuable gun with which to earn the £IOO reward. The policeman did not give him the gun, and in case the man might get one somewhere else, he put him under restraint. It was a bad case of lunacy.

The "sna.pshotter" misses few chances. One of the features of the castaways' experiences when the Pericles wa* wrecked was the action of a passenger who. on ascertaining that the ve=sel was sinking, went down to his cabin, seized his camera and appurtenances, and. making his way to the deck, coolly awaited the last boat. His intention, which was subsequently carried out, was to snapshot the Pericles in her last moments. Ho took seven shots from boat, three of which have given practical results,.

A Munich professor has invented a remarkable sick-room clock. When a

button is pressed an electric lamp behind the dial throws the shadows of the , hands, magnified, ii.pon the ceiling, so i that invalids can see it from bed without craning their necks or putting themselves to any inconvenience. The Czar : is the proud possessor of a unique clock which records not merely the passing j seconds, minutes, and hours, but the j days, weeks, months and years. The clock was invented and manuracnt.-cd ! by two peasants, who .presented it to the | Emperor as a token of their loyalty. ! In St. Petersburg, too, is to be found a j clock having 1)5 faces, indicating simultaneously the time at DO different spots on the earth's surface, besides the movements of the earth and planets.

I At the Tradesmen's Association meet- > ing last evening, the president (Mr. 11. i Goodaere) referred to the apathy dis- ! played by townspeople in regard to local | politics. He regarded it as lamentable ! that a seat on the Council should go j abegging. as recently was the case, and that it was necessary to hunt around ; the town for someone to fill the position. I Some life, some activity should be ui- ! fused into local affairs. Perhaps the Association had been lacking in its duty. The Association, however, had not been treated as its importance and standing ; warranted. It hau no representation on the management of the Technical School. In other places the Tradesmen's Associations were the first institutions consulted. Then in regard to the electrical tram scheme, the Association was never consulted, nor any of its officers appointed to the provisional committee. The' Association should certainly have been consulted. Tt was the duty of the Association to shake things up and enI deavor to bring about a more healthy ! interest in local affairs.

The French people's rooted distrust of banking institutions and their fondness for keeping their savings at home is sometimes attended with comical consequences, says the Paris correspondent of a London paper. A thriftv dame who lives in the St. Lnzare quarter possessed 1-1020 in notes and gold. She couid think of no better place of secretin!.' her hoard than in a tin box fastened to the drain pipe outside her window. Here, she argued, it would be safe from prowling thieves. But she had counted without the wind. A gale displaced the precious -box-, and in its fall it struck in the back an industrious concierge, who was busy sweeping the courtyard. That functionary, having recovered from bis surprise, and being unable to explain the descent of the box of monev. took it to the nearest police station. He was busy furnishing the somewhat incredulous commissary with his explanation of the mysterious treasure when the owner of the box burst into the office to report its disappearance. It was handed °ver to her with an admonitorv word to find a safer place for it in future. ft is stated by the Yokohama Chamber of Commerce that Japanese fishermen in the southern part of Saghalien have discovered enormoiislv rich beds of pearl oysters. Tiic beds have been worked for some time in secret and Hie quantity of pearls is said to be so proat ns to threaten prices all over the world. The hitherto rare bl-.ek pearls of good quality, and a peculiar .vclloy pearl, are reported to have been found in quantities, as well as file best quality of pearl usually seen. At oresent the supply of pearls ami nearlshell eomes from the. Torres Strait,, \nrthwestern Australia, Ceylon and the IV. sian G„]f. The Spaniards, after their discovery of America, got pearls several po.nl:s along the shom< of , fiuf of Mexico, and also alon* th p. eiftc eons of Central America T, fines necklace of black p , ttrU U one belonging to the Cro,!n ieweh col' lection. Tt is formed of twenty law '.and perfect pearls valued at' apiece Tt came to 'England from "the collection of the Electors of Hanover In the eighties the twentieth pearl' which had 'been missing for nearly -V, O years was discovered" at Vienna and offered for purchase to Queen Victoria 'who at once secured it.

™?lJ An 'TILL TO-MORROW! 5 S ' ttle t co!ds th «t Srow into bi« colds the b.g colds that end in consumption and death. Don't wait til] tomorrow to cure the little colds, for one dose of. Dr. Sheldon's New Discovery for coughs and colds will break up a" cold if taken at the beginning. Dr. Sheldon's New Discovery is a safe and never-fail-m? Remedv. Price. l s Qd and 3s 01-O 1 - tainable everywhere.