LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 38, 25 May 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"The Caledonians," a very successful musical troupe, are shortly visiting New Plymouth. At the Education Board meeting last night a vote of condolence in connection with, the death of King Edward was passed. Japan contemplates making a 'oig increase in its navy. Officials have already arranged to submit to the next session of the Diet a programme providing for a gigantic expansion. The adjourned annual meeting 01 :ae Acclimatisation Society was to have been held lust night, but owing to tne paucity of the attendance the meeting was further adjourned to June 21. Letters of administration of the estate of the late Mr. Henry Dennis has been granted to his widow by his Honor Mr. Justice 'Edwards, on the motion of Mr. Thos. S. Weston (Weston and Weston). On the motion of Mr. Thos. S. Weston (Weston and Weston) Mr. Justice Edwards has granted probate of the will of the late Mr. Henry Spry Matthews, of the Junction road,'to the widow of the deceased. A batch of sixteen recruits who have just completed tneir term of probation at the Police Training Depot were sworn in as constables last Friday. The men are being drafted to various stations throughout New Zealand. Emil Vandervelde, the well-known .Socialist writer and thinker, and leader of the Socialist Party in the Belgian Parliament, asserts that on the dav prior to the operation which he underwent the late King Leopold transferred to the Baroness Vaughan £1,200,000 worth of Congo 'bonds. These bonds sould not be traced when Belgium annexed the Coivio territory. ° i The committee set up by the Education Board to consider the appointment of an organiser for technical work recommended to the meeting last evening that the Board invite applications lor the position at a salary of £21)0 per annum and expenses, and that it be essential that he be qualified to teke agricultural and dairying classes. The'recommendation was adopted. The following school districts failed to elect committees recently:— Raupuha, Mangahume, Tikorangi, Huinangi, .Pohokura, Newall, Maliakau, Waihi.'cnrrington and Puniwlmfoau. No results have been returned from Tahora and Hukkama, so it seems safe to assume *hat no committees were elected at those places either. The Board will advertise fresh meetings for the above places in accordance with the Act. Some little, while ago, according to a private letter received from Riarotonga, there was a rather startling revival "of an ancient native custom. Two or three Rarotonga graves were desecrated at night. The bodies were dug up and removed to the beach and burnt. It seems, says the writer, that the spirit of the departed ones had been worrying or haunting their friends or relations! arid the above to the native mind was the only way that the spirit could be laid. A lady writes to a northern paper thus:—'"Sir,—Kindly publish the following suggestion in your valuable -paper, viz.: That every married woman who has reared a family of more than live children, for each child over five in number, to receive a bonus of £5 per head from the Government. That would, I think, encourage people that get married to rear large families instead of none at all. I think the above would be a benefit to the Dominion. Hoping the public will agree with my idea." The following is the copy of a letter received at the Education' Board, meeting last night:—"Yours to hand yott lesl me to send my boy to school your own common sense ought to know if the teacher won't have him at school it no use me to send him. She told me the other night she wouldn'ot have him kick. I. told to write and tell you so. I iwill 'send him to another school until we get sensible teacher, and 1 then 1 •will send him back. P.S. You can write to the cdmmittee and get full particulars."

Mr. Chomleley, noxious weeds inspector, interviewed the County Council on Monday, and urged expedition in gazetting ragwort and gorse as noxious weeds in those portions of the county which ■were until recently road boards, and as such the local authorities "under the Act." The Council decided to'take the necessary steps without delay, and seemed favorably disposed to agree to a suggestion to increase the .payment for birds' heads and eggs, on account of their agency in spreading blackberry throughout the district. At last night's meeting of the Education Board the instructor of agriculture (Mr. R. McK. Morison) reported that he had concluded his second round of visits to the various schools that had taken up agriculture. There was a marked improvement in nearly every case. Where there are so many genuine attempts to carry on the work, sometimes against very adverse circumstances, it was inadvisable, he said, to make too close a comparison. The Norfolk school were successful in winning the Stratford Horticultural Society's taniier with a splendid exhibit of vegetables. He could not, however, close without specially mentioning the Oaonui gardens, which were a model well worthy of being copied by the sterner sex (the Oaonui school is conducted by a headmistress and assistant mistress). He also stated that a definite promise of farm seeds for next season free of cost had been made and he hoped also to get sufficient flower seeds «nd manure. The ball held in the Theatre Royal last night under the auspices of the North Taranaki Cricket Association was a very successful affair, although not sc largely attended as might have been expected. About si hundred couples were ■present. The. ball-room was effectively draped with bunting, and in honor of ■Empire Day portraits of the late Queer. Victoria and the late King Edward were prominent features of the stage decorations. Capital music was supplied by Mrs. Woods' orchestra, the time being excellent and the tunes well selected. Messrs E. Humphries and T. South-ill were the M.C.'s. The supper amusements were excellent in every particular, and the supper-room decorations were very effective. The cricketers' ball of I!)lo,'the first ball of the season, will long be remembered as a most enjoyable affair, and the secretary and committee who were responsible for its arrangement and conduct have evenreason to be weill satisfied with the results of their efforts. There are several reasons why "The ■Tash," that popular shop for men's rt'ear, gives much better valu: than most stores. In the fr«t vjloc?, tl.w/ buy for cash - ;ecur-» ■ • ■ • seo-unis'; and then, again, amlh aat is >••' n.ade in the colony ':n-~- mport '• emsolves from thf manufacturers, thus savin" the warehouseman's profit. These two things alone made a considerable differenrs, enabling them to s;.r,ply voi- with aonest -roods at bed-ek vrives. A?;: :o see M> ■'• bovs' oi' rfins frcu, S.- 'ld. -.- TV- 's from 12s an'." you'll be ;ot>- : ><' the values.—

A >plciulid view of the comet was ob« tained last evening tit nlmut six o'clock* when the moon was totally eclipsed. ■Says yesterday's Stratford Post:— "The" vice-regal railway carriage was attached to the express train for Wellington when it passed through Stratford this morning. Presumably its occupants were wrapped in slumber, as the blinds were all drawn and a pair of (possibly vice-regal) braces dandled in simple, homely fashion across one window-pane." At a meeting of the Opunako Railway League on Monday, the following motion was carried:—"That if the Government cannot see their way to construct the Opunake-Eltham line out of public money as all the other lines have been construeteJ, that the Prime Minisiter be a<ked to fulfil the statement made to a deputation from this League that he would introduce legislation allowing a line such as thi9 to be built on the settlers' guarantee of 3% per cent, on cost of construction, and the Prime Minister ■be asked to give a definite reply to the above; and, further, that the OpunakeKltham line it>e placed as No. I on the list under the proposed legislation"