LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 392, 18 May 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The railway goods-sheds will be ciosea on Friday. It is .stated there are between two ana three hundred empty houses in i'nlmerston. Owing to the 20th being a public holiday, some of the dairy companies intend to issue the monthly cheques to-morrow. All Association football matches in. Taranaki will be postponed this week out of respect to the memory of His late Majesty King Edward VIl. A fruit grower in the Nelson district has sold 4500 ca.ses of fruit oil' three acres of orchard this season. The Nelson Colonist says there are plenty of other yields in the district that run this close. The Clifton County Council applied to the band Board yesterday for one acre in Taratia: township to be set apart as a site for a roadman's cottage. The Bonird decided to obtain a. report from the ranger nipon 'the matter. The Auckland Herald says it is not beyond the bounds of .possibility that the broader education of women, physically and mentally, is responsible for the gradual passing of the brutal husband and father, 'and it may result in his complete extinction. At the Land BoaTd meeting yesterday the Crown binds Ranger reported upon the application of the Rev. N. Hyde that a portion of section i,j, block 0, N'jvtimaru, be set aside as a site for the Primitive Methodist Church at Huiroa. The Board could not see its way to accede to the request. Out of fifty applications under the Race Meetings Act for permits to hold race meetings, only two have been declined by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. D. liuddo). The reason for refusal is that tue clubs affected are .said to have failed on previous occasions to properly conduct meetings on their courses. Wellington's newest .gasholder is the largest in the Dominion, if not in Australasia, having a capacity of 1,000,1100 cubic feet of gias—only a day and a half's supply for Wellington city. Some idea of its size may be gained When it is stated 'that when full the top of the (holder is 120 ft from the level of the ground, and is no 'less than 150 ft in diameter. It is understood that the receipts and expenditure on 'the New Zealand Rifle Championship meeting, which was held in March last, have shown a fairly substantial deficiency. Previous rifle championship meetings at Trentham have resulted in balances on the wrong side, but the debit balance on the last occasion is understood to be considerably larger than those previously recorded.—Times. A meeting of ladies was held yesterday afternoon in connection with the Rifles' annual balk The ladies, however, were •unanimously of opinion that the date proposed (ftbh June) was too ?oon .after King Edward's death and the period of national mourning, and declared in favor of postponing the function indefinitely. It was agreed, however, to give the Rifles ta; social evening later on by way of compensation. sLast night was the usual practice night of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade, ibut no practice was held, the brigade adjourning as a mark of respect to His late Majesty the King. A resolution expressive of the sense of loss sustained by his death, and expressive of sympathy with tlte Queen-Mother, was recorded on the minutes. It was decided to turn out for the memorial service on the day of the King's funeral, the firemen to muster in uniform at the Central Station half an hour before the advertised time of holding the service.

Dr. Crawford, one of the Southland I delegates to the -sew Zealand Rugby Union's meeting, said, facetiously, that he was interested in the preservation of child life and thought that football was as important «a 'liunranised milk. Speaking in support of more encouragement being given to schools in outlying districts, he mentioned that his 'Union received all 'kinds of requests for assistance. One recently receive., was from j a country schoolmistress, who intimated that 'heriboys desired to play football and' asked the union to ".please send along a size oig enough for six boys." His Worship the Mayor has received a telegram from the Premier to the effect that the united service in Wellington on the day of the King's funeral will be held at 2.30 p.m., and he suggests a simultaneous service throughout the Dominion. In another message hp says: "I have arranged that where memorial services are held throughout the Dominion on Friday, the 20th, the military forces, including Defence Cadets, shall attend, and I will be glad if you wiW confer with the officer commanding the district. So far as the School Cadets are concerned, the officer commanding these cadets has been requested to co-operate with you." When a fire occurs in the town, and the fire brigade turns out, as in the case of the recent midnight conflagration in Devon street, prevents it spreading to adjoining premises, the grateful property owners forward donations to the ibrigade. An impression 'has, we are told, got abroad to the effect that that money finds its way into the pockets of the firemen. This is quite wrong. The money, like all other revenue, goes into the 'brigade fund, and is used for the purposes of the brigade. This is a purely voluntary brigade that does such excellent work for us in New Plymouth. Were it otherwise, those donations would doubtless dwindle down to nil. A further section of the StratfordOngarue railway, eleven miles in length, extending from Te Wera to Huiroa. is expected to be opened early next month. One of the Ministers of the Crown will attend the opening ceremony. When the first two sections of the line were laid the Department underestimated the amount of traffic to be carried, and it 'has been found necessary to relay the line from 'Stratford to Huiroa' with 'heavier metal than was put down at first. An additional section of twelve miles from Te Worn fo Pnhnkurn is practically comnleted. with the exception of a tunnel thirteen c'hains in length, which should be finished to-day. A good deal o fthe formation is done past the tunnel, but the lines are not vet laid. The progress of the work will be delnved' for some,time before it cln rpjHi Whimyimomona, six mile* past Pohuikiirn, bv the construction of a tunnel thirty ichains in length, which has just heen commenced.—Exchange.

Mr. Robert McNab, now on hi« way hick to the Dominion from England, proposes to start a lecturing tour in the interests of the Captain Cook memorial •fund curly in July. He has just been making extensive researches in England and on the continent into matters connected with the early history of New Zealand, especially that part which concerns Captain Cook, and he has prepared many lantern slides and has collected much fresh iiiloiiuuon deaJing with the subject. The Picton and Sounds Promotion Society is now arranging for a course of lectures. Starting at Invercargill on Friday, July Ist, Mr. McXab'» proposed lectures, as arranged by the committee will be given ut Dunedin, Oiimnni. Timi.ru, Christchtirch, Auokl.'.iid, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Pal-mci-'Sin North, Xapier, Wellington (July 15), Nebon, Picton and Blenheim. Robert Git*on, a Hull fisherman, landed at Hull recently, via Ix-it'li, after terrible experiences in Iceland, (iibson was one of the survivors of the trawler Thomas Hamling, and iw.hen that vessel w-as wrecked in the Far North her crew went ashore and started on «, journev over fields, of snow and ice in an attempt to find shelter and food. Gibson had the misfortune to break a leg. His comrades carried him for a considerable distance, but eventually had to leave him. He wias placed in the shelter of an ice hillock and covered with all the clothes and blankets the castaway seamen could spare toim. Gibson fell into a deep sleep. When he woke he found beside him an Icelander, who had ridden ■up on a pony. Eventually the injured man was brought to si place of safety, and then shipped to England, and though saved from what appeared to be a terrible fete, he will .be a cripple for the rest of his life.

A question of "practice" cropped up tt the S.M.. Court yesterday morning. Mr. Govett partly opened the case for the plaintiffs in a civil action, and then, announced" that, following the usual practice adopted in this Court, he would now call on counsel for defendants to state the nature of the defence. Then he sat down. Mr. Grey, who appeared on the other side, said he had never heard of any such practice either in this Court or any other Magistrate's Court. The practice didn't exist, nor, as far as he knew, had it ever existed. Mr. Govett said advisedly that for years it .had been the practice in this Court far the plaintiff's counsel to request, and for the defendant to give, a general idea of the defence. It was obvious that in the absence of pleading such. a. course must save a good deal of time. Mr. Grey remarked that Mr. Govett had not been frequently in the Court of late years, and might easily (be mistaken. The Clerk of the Court, he felt sure, would bear him out. At the same time he .had no objection to give an idea of the defence, which he accordingly did. Apropos of the unveiling and dedication of a window in St. 'Mary's Church. Parnell (Auckland), to the memory of Bishop Cowie, a. writer in the New' Zealand Churchman thus sympathetically refers to the laite Prelate:—"Everyone remembers his bearing, dignified, affable, and free, anl his attractive, winning presence that seldom failed to charm opposition into acquiescence and support. Few, however, were aware of the extent of his knowledge, 'the soundness of his judgment, his keen insight into character and motive. A certain reticence and self-restraint were natural to him, and his gentle responsive spirit, far from party strife and controversies about sacred things, fitted him to be the faithful guide rather than the fearless leader. He loved to walk with ins felkwmen by the waiters of quietness and bear them company in the paths of pleasantness and peace. Of private life in the ordinarr sense he had none. How could he? He was master of a house whose doors were ever open, and a giver of wide, unostentatious hospitality, in which was still observed a chivalrou* and patriarchal custom—the children of the house were proud to wait upon their father's guests."