LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 39, 26 May 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. R. H. Campbell, well known throughout Taranaki as a licensed victualler, has .purchased the interest ot Mrs. R. Nicholas in the G'rosvenor lioie!. Ill'the Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr. C. E. *Beil,ring'er, .1.1'.. James Xevin was fined 10s for drunkenness, in default forty-eignt. hours' imprisonment. Owing to time lost in the work of tinschool «t Fran'kley road during' alterations, the Education Board agreeu yesterday to the proposal of tlie school committee not to close the school for midwinter holidays. The Egmont Village school committee has stated to the Education Hoard it» opinion that children ought to lie taught to rend the time from the clock., and that the Board be requested to make representation ito ttie proper ijuarter to have the subject introduced' into the syllabus. This matter is surelv within the bounds of the discretion' of the teacher, without special direction, and thus it would appear from the Hoard's resolution '"that the committee ue informed that the time is allowed to he taught in the schools." The value of .New Zealand's princinal products entered for export during the fortnight ended loth .May is £7!i:i,.>33. compared with £1,!)53,18(i for the full month of .May. 1!)()!). Details are: Wool £154,2!)1), gold £108,18(1. butter £23..wi, cheese €(i4,!)t)4, frozen beef £31.114, frozen mutton £65,(>!)5, frozen lamb £122,844, wlreat £22,703, oats mil, •potatoes £3B, hemp £22.017, tow £lOOl, kauri gum £ 13.130. grain and ■pulse other than wheat and oats £3BOI hops £OB3, skins £77,451. hides £38!)IJ, tallow £43,10!), timber £8305.

A noteworthy improvement to the town will be the new additions to the Melbourne Clothing Company's premises. The firm, finding their present premises too small for their fast-growin<r business, have taken over the adjoinim; premises recently occupied by' Mr. J. W. Thomson, -and are also going to rebuild at the rear of their present corner shop. A modern plate-glass front will replace the present front, and other extensive additions are to be made. When completed this enterprising firm will have one of the best clothing stores outside the large centres. A well-attended meeting was held in the Town Hall, Whangamomona, on .Saturday, 21st May, when it was unanimously carried that a public library be 'formed in Whangamomona. .Sub/crip''tions to the extent of £3O were promised, and books to the number of 150. With this to start with the library should very soon be an accomplished fact. The annual subscription was fixed at 10s. The following committee was elected:—Messrs. V T. A. Bradley, Alex. Klee, K. McClugga'ge, H. Towler, 'and D. R. Hight. Mr. A. Klee was elected secretary and treasurer. The Borough Council on Monday declined an application to extend the electric lighting system to several new houses recently erected and in course of erection in Vogeltown. The extension was favored by Councillor Browne, the chairman of the Electric Lighting Committee, but councillors protested against 'further additions to suburban lines in the face of the committee's frequent complaint that the plant was carrying its maximum load and the constantly recurring request for additions to' t!:e iplant. Councillor Browne replied tint the extensions were necessary, and that the Council should be nigh'ly gratified that the demand had so increased as to overtax the installation of plant. But one or two cottage connections would not greatly affect the position. A correspondent writes to a contemporary as follows:—Much has been heard lately concerning the difficulty of getting men to attend church. 1 'was somewhat surprised on Sunday evening to see qwite a number of young fell««'» waiting outside a certain church just •prior to the close of the service. At ■■-t 1 thought .they were attracted uy the strains of sweet melody that emanated from the sacred building as the congregation sang the final hymn. But when <the .worshippers poured into the street the mystery was solved, for then each young man'"paired off" with the 'particular "fair one" for whom he had evidently beea waiting. Ladies seem to be able to attract men to the church gates—it is rather a pity that they cannot -prevail upon them to attend the services. Here is a grand opening for missionary zeal of which members oi me •fair sex shou.d enthusiastically avail themselves!

At Monday night's meetin.tr of the Borough Council Councillor Fred. 73**11ringer, the chairman of the Hospital Board, was subjected to a cross-examina-tion by Councillor (Gilbert upon the question of hospital charges. He asked if, in the event of the Hospital Board appointing three medical men to the hospital, the extra medical fee, sometimes charged to .patients for operations could be done away with, and if the Hospital nurses could not replace the extra medical man ami thus save expense. The answer was to the effect that the three medical men had been appointed. The extra medical fee was a matter for the superintendent. If at any time -e thought it necessary to call in an extra medical man he did so. and the fee wis charged to the .patient if he were in a position to pay it. He added that the name of the extra medical man called in was included in the maintenance bill submitted to the patient, but Councillor (lilheut said this was not always done. Councillor Wilson cut short further explanation of the iposition by rising to a •point of order. He pointed out that under the new Act Mr. Bellringer was not the representative of the Council on the Board. The Mayor upheld the contention, and the Council passeu <m, to other business. I

In the course of an interesting lecture on astrononTy recently, the Rev. F. i'. Fairclough. of Dunedin. siid that biologists and geologists claim that life has been uninterrupted on the earth for at least a hundred million years, and that in Chat time there bas been no cosmic calamity which would require life to start afresh. Will, there is at least one suggestion of considerable knock from a I collision. CVym Alountai'.i. in Arizona, is I a similar hill I oil ft hiarh. In the centre is what, wis thought- to be a crater three-quarters of a mi'c wide «inil (inOff deep. T»he country is limestone, and fhe strata about the hole are much sniiisjied. There is no trace of volcanic material, (leologists say the hole and the hill wove made V (he plumb fall of a tHeinendous pn-roovih-.— :) small planetoid, in fact. T!w> Sn> ; tli-(i:i::'ii Institute lias put down a number of borts. some very dee;i. but Miev hiv not found Ta< big shot. Strange to -:i'-. however. <ev-! oral large masses of nvteorie iron have j been fume, iu the neighborhood, and all i (lie largest aerolites known belong to that «hle of the earth, from fireenland to Mexico. Ancient trees grow on the hill, and the thing happened thousands of years ago. Xo doubt it caused a. constderaWe earthquake. Was it the head of a comet, or only a stray wanderer? Send your order for printing to the "Daily New*" Printery. Prices rfght and satisfaction guaranteed.

A queer accident is reported to kav« ■happened to Mrs. llemi, a Maori woI man living at Canvastown, the otheß afternoon. A pig got under the house, and in stooping to drive it out the ashes of Mrs. Hemi's pipe fell on a stray dynamite cap. On picking up the pipe the cap exploded and blew two lingers off one of her hands. A correspondent of the Oamaru Mail records the plucky action of Mr. Joyce the fireman on the Kurow train. *Oa Saturday morning, whilst the train waa at Ha'kataramea, one of the tubes of th« I engine burst, and but for Mr. Joyec*« J prompt action its arrival at Oamaru | that morning would have been considerI ably delayed. Wrapped in a sack, Mr. Joyce crawled into the smoke-box, and while the iboiling water and steam were escaping in all directions, plugged! the tube, thus preventing the fires from ; lieing extinguished. | Mr. Walter Curter, Government diamond drill expert, is visiting Orepuki to I make a thorough prospect of the shale I deposits at the Xew Zealand Coal and , Oil Co.'s works. Mr. Carter has (says the Southland Times) been employed for the past two years in boring operations at Witihi, but the Government has recognised the fact that the develop. I nient of the oil industry is a matter of national importance, and the work at Orepulki lias been given precedence over all other works where diamond unite have been employed. Dairy produce, is still flowing into the West Coast Refrigerating Co.'s store* (says the Press), although there is, of course, a great .falling-01l - j n volume of supplies as compared with the Height of the season. .Since June 30 there have been exported for Home shipment 54,480 boxes of butter (MOO tons) and 105,0/2 eases of cheese (8444) tons), a total of 10.000 tons. The total for the whole of.hist season was BSII tons. In addition, there are at present some 25(X> cases of cheese in store and on shipboard not included in the above total. A total export for the season of 10,000 boxes of dairy produce was predicted some months ago, but it is already evident that the total will .he greatly e» ceeded. By the time the season 'ends, the dairy produce export should easily attain the gratifying total of 11,000 tons. Apart from the consignments for Home shipment there are "at present in the grading store between three and .four thousand boxes of butter destined for Dominion markets during the winter season.

A trait for which the British people especially valued their late King was his personal courage. It was a quality inherited from tue stock from which he sprang; but no prince lacking it would have won the place he did in popular esteem. When, nearly 20 years ago r the ugly West End riot was afoot, and the London police were fighting what might have proved a losing battle with an infuriated mob, the Prince of Wales calmly watched the conflict at close quarters, smoking a cigar, and gave personal praise and encouragement afterwards to the hard-pressed constables. He was equally cool when the demented anarchist Spido fired .at him in a train at Brussels ten years ago. "I hope they have not hurt him," remarked the Prince when his assailant had been seized by many angry hands. If further evidence on this point were needed the fortitude with which the King faced his two last dangerous illnesses would nrove his metal. -[ shall go to the. Abbev in either case," he observed just before "submitting himself to .Sir Frederick Treves' hands, meaning, of course, either burial or coronation.