LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 42, 30 May 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poultry brought big prices :<t miction on Saturday, laying birds and tiio.-,e living indications' that way being largely competed for. v

Archdeacon Boyce, presiding at the annual meeting 01 the BritiVh Empire League in Australia, remarked that he did not care for the term "lady" when the one of •woman" could be'utilised. Incidentally, it reminded him of an occasion when a little boy knocked at his door and remarked breathlessly. "Please, sir, there's a lady lying drunk in trie church vard."

Plans of the proposed Eltham Town Hall and municipal buildings, prepared iby Messrs. Rough and Uullill, were lai 1 before the local Borough Council la-t week, and the Town Hall Committee recommended their adoption. The estimated cost of the Town Hall is .i.l'.'.sj. and of the municipal olliees and public library £2175, exclusive of furnishings and architects' fees.

The enthusiasm of a Waihi resident during the reading of the proclamation of King George V. at Waihi caused inconvenience to several of his fellow-citi-zens. This gentleman gave vent to Ins feelings by ringing the firebell, with the result that several members of the liiv brigade hastily donned their uniforms and made all speed to the station, only to find that the supposed alarm w.s intended to be a note of joy. A belief has gained currency among a certain section "of the police "force that Inspector Culleu, of Auckland, is to be appointed Chief Inspector, and that his removal to Wellington on that account will take place in a few days. Enquiries made by a Post representative show that the report is without foundation. It is generally understood th-.it the position of Chief Inspector will not be filled for a considerable time—perhaps not for months—and it is practically certain that no changes in the disposition of the force are in contemplation.

A further area of 10,000 acres of Hau-1 raid Plains (formerly Piako Swamu) land will be opened by the (Government for settlement on the optional tenure in November. The farms will range between 150 and 250 acres, and much of the land is cf the best quality available, so that a ru.*h of selectors may be expected on similar lines to the recent ballot, when 5552 persons applied for the 110 sections. Drainage operations are being continued, and two contracts will probably be let shortly for the big diversion of the Piako river known as Wright's canfli. The secretary of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, Mr. E. P. Webster, has received the following telegram from Mr. Thos. Mackenzie, Minister for Agriculture:—"Your favor of 21st instant, and I would ask you to accept and convey to the members of your society my thanks for their kind invitation. Should Ibe able to make my. arrangements fit in, it will give ine great .pleasure to open the show on the Bth proximo, and will be with you unless unforeseen circumstances arise preventing this. With every good wish for a successful career for your society."

A mean theft was perpetrated on Saturday afternoon at the Recreation Grounds. Mr. Addison, a member of the Civil Service Football Club, bad been acting as gatekeeper for the Association, and when he left the gate he had in his pocket twelve shillings out of the takingn', which are never very large at Saturday football, but which would soon largely increase if the matches were nil up to the standard set on .Saturday. But we digress. Stripping for play, Mr. Addison left the money in his pocket in •the dressing shed. After the match he found that some light-fingered individual had been through his pockets and annexed all the silver, leaving hrm three coppers. Another of the players was relieved of half a crown from his clothes.

Acting on instructions received &t the last meeting of the Taranaki County Council Mr. Ellis (County clerk) nas prepared a statement apportioning the debit balance of the Omata. riding, as at March 31, 1910, between the present Omata riding and the Okato riding, on a valuation basis. The valuations of the respective ridings are as follows: Omata Road District £75,759, Upper Burford 'Road £21,510, Barret Koad £135,250 £232,528. OKato: Oinira Road District £100,470, Tataraimaka Road £57,758. Okato Road £108,372, Werekino Road £37,389 The overdraft at time of division stood at £1717 Is 3d, and the apportionment works out as follows": Omata Riding £744 3s 2d, Okato Riding £972 IBs Id. ■ I

The ".pride of the Alpine fauna," as the Indians call it, is slid to be rapidly disappearing. Unless the law intervenes to protect it in a few years the chamois will be nothing more than a memory, living only. in the verse of Carduwrs, "Piemonte," or as an object in the museums. One thousand chamois were killed in 1909, mainly on the Alpi Lepontine, 800 having been sold to various markets, while the remaining 200 fell to the rifle of the poacher before and after the period fixed for legal sport, and were distributed among the smaller Alpine inns. Indeed, this estimate of 200 clandestinely slaughtered is, as the compiler of the statistics referred to says, "well within the mark," and strengthens his appeal to the Italian Government to exercise- still greater surveillance if tne chamois is not to .become as extinct as the dodo.

Mr. Herltert Chappie lias (says a London correspondent) .l>een working at the construction of n remarkable instrument, which is said to give the tone of a •highly-cultured human voice—it has long been the .ambition of makers of this instrument to invent something of this' kind. Mr. Chappie's invention, which is obtained in various sizes, will have a range of 25 keys, whereby any musician will be able to play hundreds of songs '•••• one record only. Thus, after securing one record, say, of Tetraz/.ini. it would be .possible to play any music suitable to her voice, whether she had sung it or not. Further, it is stated that with the necessary set of records set.on the instrument it would be quite easy for any musician to play any solo, duet, trio or quartette with a range of two full Octaves. Mr. Chappie 'has applied for patents, and he is about to arrange that his instrument shall be placed on the market. In size it is quite small. Men's Suits.—Worsteds in particular, our reputation for carrying the best in these is established. This season's are particularly nobi>y, are cut in the very latest style, with hair-cloth fronts, good French canvas ,put right through th« coat, and very good linings. They're branded "The Prestwell," and you won't see their equal in New Zealand. Prices 255. to Cos.—THE KARtI, Devon Street, j New Plymouth.—Atlvt.

The Orcpuki Advocate learns that additional plant for the Orepuki Smelting Works is now on the way from England.

An amusing illustration of the strong-lv-marked individualism of a young New Zealander oeeurred on the !) o'eloek train to Papatoetoe on Monday (says die Auckland Star). At Newmarket a boy of about five years of age boarded the train, and commenced walking from one end of the train 1; 'iio oilier, passing from carriage to carriage with perfect ease. Finally some passengers stopped the child, anil in response to questions elicited hU name and address, also the fact that ho was going to Palmeraton North, and that his 'mother was at home. He was then handed over to the guard for safe-keeping. The latter remarked that he h;ul noticed the child l>oard the train at Newmarket, but as there was a gentleman getting on at the same time as he naturally inferred that the gentleman was looking after him.

History, the genuine study and instruction of it in New Zealand schools, was severely dealt with at the late conference of secondary teachers. According to the principal of the Wellington Girls' College (Miss McLean) sixth form pupils up till now. have had a ridiculously inadequate grasp of history unless they had .passed through the junior forms of a secondary school. ''lt is almost a standing joke that historical reference will not be understood," said Miss McLean, "and 1 know that mine is not a 1 solitary experience." Tho blank ignorance if English history (the speaker added) would be amusing if it were Bot disquieting. The ignorance of Scriptural history was, it was stated, even more marked. Herewith two relevant stories: One girl seriously wrote that Beelzebub was one of the twelve apostles! Another, after some questioning, ventured that Palestine was somewhere in India. "This," said tile speaker, "lroni girls who have passed the sixth stnndard—the last named was the holder of a .proficiency certificate! From such 'proficiency' may CJod, in good time, deliver us."

Writes a London correspondent:—The Hon. Robert McXab is still rendering great help to the cause of universal military training by speaking under the auspices of the National Service League. He has addressed two ibig meetings this week —one at Leeds and one at Paddington. The Leeds meeting was very successful. Referring to the dangerous policy of "muddling through," Mr. McXab said: "I hear all round me the expression, 'Oh, England will see it through'—and nothing is done. There is a feeling in your distant .part of the dominions that things will go rough at the next scrap." They had a feeling in Australia and New Zealand that if the worst came to the -worst, they were going to be the two French provinces, Alsace and Lorraine. They were determined that if the worst came to the worst, and there was a .settlement in this country, there would be a settlement at the other end of the Empire. After referring to the lowering of the standard of physique in the British army, Mr. McNab dealt with the industrial effect of universal military training. It was said in his own country that if they took young men away from their civil employment they would disorganise labor. Who was the greatest competitor the English nation had now? it was a country that took nearly every man out of his industrial life for years and put him into the army, where he was trained and made a man.