LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 379, 3 May 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Xew Plymouth's vital statistics fori April were: Birth--. o7; deaths, ri: mur-j riages, 115. j A lirst offending inebriate, who luiu j been arrested on >-.tUirday evening on j a charge of drunkenness in a publL'i place, and who was subsequently bailed j out, failed to answer to the charge in the Police Court yesterday, and Air. 11. i'. Russell, the presiding justice, inflicted a line of os and costs, with me usual alternative. The usual weekly meeting of the Hope of lSgmout Juvenile Temple, No. zj, LO.U.T., was held in St. jlary's Hau last night. The Temple was opened by the C. T. (Sis. U. Powley). The attendance was very good. One candidate was proposed, but being too young was not initiated. The business for the evening was the installation of officers. The Banner was won by the sisters. The number of false rupees coined in China and detected in India is so iarge that it would seem that some kiud of mint must have been established for their manufacture. The rupees are not of base metal, but of good silver, the enormous 'profits to be secured by placing them in circulation mating it unnecessary to run the risk of detection by the use of alloy. These rupees, says the Pioneer, are so well struck that it is dillicult to detect them as spurious except by expert examination. ,lt is common talk that one of the big stock, land and financial nrms ot Wellington proposes establishing a Taranaki agency. There can be absolutely no question that if New Plymouth were selected for the warehouse ana oll'ices.it must give the town a distinct fillip, and would have the effect of increasing the trade at the port. In that case, asks a correspondent, why doesn't the Harbor Board step in and offer one of its leaseholds near the railway station at a nominal rental to the first l>ig "house" that will take it, and guarantee to erect suitable buildings and commence ■business right away? Speaking of tne Argentine 31 r. Tlios. O'Neill, of Wellington, who spent some 23 years in South America, said niapv of the oldest and wealthiest families on •the land in the Argentiue are <>f Irish extraction. There are the Caseys, the -McGuires, the Duggaus, the GaynoVs, the Lynches, and many others. Most of these are now, llr. O'Neill says, in the second and third generation, and in most cases tliey speak Spanish, many a Casey or Mct.uire not understanding Knglish at all. Feeling against England is very keen among tueni. A man gets on very well in Argentina if he gives out that he is English, but better still if it becomes known that he is Irish.

• in moving that the Hoard plate on record its high appreciation of the services .rendered 'by .Mr. W. \\\ Smitii, Curator of the Recreation Grounds, Mr. Corkill reminded the members last niglit that Mr. Smith liad made a considerable personal self-sacrilice in order to remain here, he having refused a more remunerative position under a municipality. Mr. Hughes, in seconding the motion, regretted very much that lack of funds prevented their curator from giving full scope to his undou!>ted energies and capabilities. in acknowledging the compliment. Mr. Smith said "Pukekura Park is a magnificent place, and only the scarcity of funds prevents its proper and rapid development." " The parent who allows a live-ycar-old boy to go and sail a model yacht oil that pond deserves to lose the child," was the pronouncement of Mr. F. P. Corkill at the Recreation Grounds Board meeting last night, speaking upon the report of the Curator that a little boyhad fallen into the water whilst thus engaged. Lt transpired in the discussion that thtjre were two lifebelts kepi, for use in ail emergency, but tiiev were both kept in the locked-up shed, al-1 though even this fact was not generally known, lt was deemed unwise to leave them outside, for the youths 01 New Plymouth were too destructive, n couple of lifebelts having been hacked to pieces! iii the grounds some years ago.

The usual weekly scission of the Egn'.ont Lodge, Xo. 112, 1.0. G.T., was .held in St. Mary's Hall last wight. The C.i'., Bro. J. C Legg, presided over a good attendance of members Sis. Airs. Legg was elected V.T. for the present tena. The officers gave their (juarterlv reports, which wore adopted. The Librarian re- ! signed, as he was unable to attend. Sis. j A. Loesch was elected in his place. The j business was (he installing of new officers by (iratul Chief Templar Bro. J. TJiggs. who was assisted 'by Bko. N. T. Maunder and Sis. Hartnell.' The l'ancy Kail- Committee re])(»rted that the-bazaar matters were well in hand. Next week the liaal arrangements will be completed. Urn. J). ('. Legg brought greetings from the Anchor of Hope, Dannevirke. Star of Ni'wton and Star of Wellington. The wheels of justice, we are told, grind slowly, and apparently the .Justice Department is built, upon' these lines. There lias recently been a good deal of trouble in South Tarnnaki owing to do lav in appointing -i. relieving Magistrate. The same conditions are apparently going to prevail here. Mr. H. S. Fitzherbert, S.M.. is away on extended leave, due to illness, but no step has yet been taken to appoint a relieving magistrate. Thus there is a little block in the conduct ot Court work at this centre. Justices of the Peace are not allowed to deal witn cases involving over a certain amount, and several cases must stand over until the appointment of a Magistrate. Judgment summonses are entirely beyond the province of the justices, too. The legal profession and litigants will be pleased to hear of an Appointment. This emergency fully supports the attitude of the Taranaki Law Society in asking that a permanent re-f licving Magistrate be appointed for tnc 1 X. r'J) l.,l:ui:!. <

■Nothing definite lias yet been done in regard to the disposal of the Taranaki Oil Company's bores at Moturoa to British capitalists. The directors, however, hope to bring the negotiations to a head to-dav.

Zachaeus, tlie nian of short stature mentioned in the Scriptures, isn't the only man who has found it useful to climb a tree. Yesterday morning Mr. I!en Tippins, the Roro'igh inspector, might have been observed snugly ensconsed in a tree that commanded a view of a portion of the King's highway in an outlying poition of the borough. wasn't bird-nesting, either. "Bell' has for some time been su;e that u certain young cyclist ued the footpath frequently at this point, but so far he had never bee# able to catch the bylaw breaker. This time, however, from h;s perch up aloft, he jnade a sure catch.

It is not generally known that the position of secretary to the Recreation Grounds Hoard carries with it no remuneration. When 3lr. Tribe first took up the duties it was quite understood that he was to be paid, but he lias steadily declined to accept honorarium or salary whilst the finances oi the Hoard were in such an unsatisfactory position. In replying to a hearty vote of thanks passed at last night's meeting. ill*. Tribe said he considered every man should do some little thing for the benefit of the town in which he lived. This was his "little bit," for he didn't dabble in local politics, or anything of that kind. lie took a verv warm Interest in the grounds, and certainly would :iot accept payment from a Board whose members were individually and personally responsible to the bank for an overdraft arranged in the interests of the public.