LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 44, 1 June 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Train arrangements for the New Plymouth Winter Show are advertised. We .understand that the exhibits by local tradesmen at the winter show will be of particular interest. An exhibit that is sure to be attractive to all will be a model working .plant showing the refining process of oil from the Tarana'ki Petroleum Company's bores. In consequence of a mishap at Waipu'ku to the engine of the 4.M0 train from Xew Plymouth yesterday, the mail train did not reach town until 0.30 last evening. The usual 7.30 train did not arrive until some time after the mail. The London County Council is making arrangements for enforcing some rather extraordinary powers which it secure:! about three years ago in a- (lericrai Powers Hill. The medical officer, or any person authorised by him, may enter common lodging-houses to "examine the persons and clothing of inmates/' ana when of opinion that the .person or the clothing is in a foul condition he may give such inmate notice to submit himself and clothing, within twenty-four hours, to be washed. A systematic search for dirty people is now to ibe 'begun. Mr. W. Thompson, of Standon Bridge, has just completed three-quarters of a century as a member of Standon (England) church choir, which is believed to be a record in that country. He sang in the choir before the accession of the late Queen Victoria, and took part in the Coronation service. In those days the church music was iprovided by a clarinet, fiddle, and bassoon. Later a barrel organ was introduced, which the rector's valet used to turn, there being only one tune for hymns of each particular metre. Mr. Thompson is in his! eighty-fourth year.

An inquest was held at Willenhall, Staffs, recently, on Mary Wolverton, aged thirteen, who was drowned in a 1 carnal in the presence of three youths. One, a young lad, stripped and went in, but struggled out again when his two friends disappeared. The coroner said that the young men were only asked to stand by and help the pluckier little one to get out after rescuing the girl. This they declined to do, and it was hardly conceivable they were Englishmen at all. Had it not been for the two craven cowards, the girl might have been saved. He could not blame the little one so much as the two hulking brutes who left a girl to die without the slightest compunction. The Excelsior Lodge of Oddfellows held another of their series of "socials" in the lodgeroom, Gill-street, last night. There was a good attendance of members and friends. P.G. Bro. P. R. Pepperill presided, and the following:. programme was rendered:—Pianoforte solo, Mrs. Mc-verley; song, Miss Carthow; song, Mr. Leon Melsaac; violin solo, Mr. B. Llght'ban.l; song, Miss Guildford; pianoforte duet, Mrs. Moverley and Miss Lepine; song, Mr. Neil Melsaac; pianoforte solo, Mis* Waugh; song, Mr. Lightband ; pianoforte solo, Mr. Hoskin; song, Miss Rea. At the conclusion of the musical portion 'supper was handed round. The hall was then cleared, and a pleasant hour was passed in dancing.

A beginning with wireless weather reporting has been made in New Zealand (says a Press Association wire). Though. it is not promised, that much will follow for some time vet on Friday night the Pioneer, reaching through the ether from Wellington, caught the Cambrian off Norfolk Island, about 800 miles away, and had some speech. The Cambrian gave full particulars of the weather away out in the ocean, the 'barometric reading, humidity, direction of wind, and so on, and this information was promptly conveyed to the Eev. D. .C. Bates. It is the common practice of warships off the Australian coast to ethergrardi the weather, and it is expected that' New Zealand by «nd by will get similar news from His Majesty's ships and vessels of the mercantile marine.

At the Agricultural Society Committee meeting on Monday night the following resolution passed at a meeting of farmers held at Kent road in connection "with the Iblackberry question was read: ''That the T.iranaki Agricultural Society be asked to communicate, with other kin-| dred societies ia the Dominion to getj their support in devising some means of dealing with the blackberry pest, and that the secretary be asked also to write to the Agricultural Department in the' United States as to any information they might have for the destruction of' the blackberry by means of a blight, and also its effect on other plants." The committee, without any discussion, were unanimous in agreeing to the request, and in addition it was decided to write to the Agricultural Department of Tasmania, whore it, is alleged the blackberry difficulty has been satisfactorily overcome.

How money is made. Mr. Bcrtshuw, of .Manaiit. who recently bought a farm at Kakaramea, at £45 an acre, has disposed of it at an advance of £IOOO on> iiis purchase. I ''l am ready and willing, while preserving the solidarity of the Irish party, to I go haml-in-hand with democracy of £ng- ■ land as in the past, to destroy the House jof Lords,'"—Mr. John Redmond, M.P. Says the Otago Daily Times:— An officer of one of the local volunteer com- • panics is reported to have decamped within the last few weeks with the turn of £2O, the property of one of the locaJ j shooting funds. His present address is ' unknown. Government officials, a<s the result of investigations that have just been con- , eluded, reports that the chief of every | bureau in St. Petersburg either stole or accepted bribes in connection with the lvusso-.lapane.se war. Twelve officials in Kiel admit having received bribes of from £BOO,OOO to '£2.000,000. Circumstantial details of a plot by the friends of Ferrer, the Spanish Socialist, who was executed some little time ago* to assassinate King Alfonso on French soil was discovered recently. The detectives who learned of the plot took every precaution to protect the visiting monarch. Alfonso got back safely to Madrid. It is not more than three years since the Otekaike Estate, in South Canterbury, was cut up for closer occupation, land since the settlers entered into pos--1 session of their holdings the settlement lias advanced rapidly. The farmers are j now busy sowing their winter wheat, but as the ground is very dry, it is not an- : ticipated that it will germinate miles* ■ timely rain intervenes. The pupils at the Otekaike school now number a fact that is particularly gratifying to the parents on the settlement. A sunfish, a very uncommon visitor to these shores, was found at the Point on Wednesday (says 1 the Kaikoura Star), evidently having been washed ashore by the easterly sea that prevailed early in the week. The monster is of a rough circular shape, with body 10ft long, 7ft deep, and 2ft fiin through. Behind, are two vertical fins—evidently the fish's , 'propelling power—the space between the tips of which is 12ft. The skin is' very nty*d and rough, and the flesh appears milk wliite, and the mouth and eyes are extremely small, ludicrously so for such a huge body. In a statement presented at the annual meeting of the Northern Steamship Co. last week it was stated that "the loss of passenger traffic in our New Plymouth service through the opening of the Main Trunk railway led to a conference at Wellington with the authorities of the Union Steamship Company in June last, at which the then chairman of the board, Mr. J. H. Upton, and the manager were present. It was then decided that, as there was not sufficient traffic to maintain two steamers in the service, one should be withdrawn, and we should carry it on as a joint service on equitable terms. The arrangement so far has worked satisfactorily." The systematizing of Xew Zealand's public holidays is the difficult task the Hon. D. Bud do has m hand. He in formed si New Zealand Times representative that considerable variation of opinion was show si on the subject, but the proposal to group as many as possible of the holidays at the week's end received a great deal of favor. "No doubt," he remarked, ''the public will be pleased to have finality in the arrangement of these days, so that all services, public and private, will have a uniform practice. At the same time the subject is hedged around with considerable difficulties owing to the fact that the Banking Act specifically lays down that certain holidays which are not generally recognised by the industrial community are to be observed !bv the banks. lam at the present time trying to arrive at something definite, and to arrange a list which would be generally applicable and ns far as possible convenient."—Press Association. , An illustration of the coolness of unprincipled men was afforded last week i at the cost of Several tenants in houses in Vincent street (says an Auckland pnpcv). |A young man of respectable appearance and good address called and stated that the usual collector was away for a fortnight's holiday. He intimated that lie had called for the rent. When told that the usual time was Tuesday, lie promptly remarked that he had called a day earlier owing to the holiday. Some , of the tenants fortunately had not the money ready, and the collector obligingly offered to call again the next day. As a matter of fact he way careful not to do so. He, however, succeeded in collecting altogether £2 lis fld, ajid gave receipts for the same. The imposture was not suspected until the real collector called the next day, and told the tenants that they had been swindled. It is also stated that £lO worth of rents were collected in a similar maimer in Ponsonby road.

A laughable scene was witnessed in Devon-street yesterday afternoon. A man dressed p'rincipally in a much-worn velveteen coat, bearing the usual quantity of tinselled ornament, marched into the roadway near the Bank of New Zealand corner and deposited a bass drum on the roadway. After much balancing and adjusting he managed to place his stool and drum in the correct relative positions, set up cymbals and triangle. and placed an accordeon near by. Then. setting his cap in position convenient for the reception of the metallic favors of the little crowd that was gathering, he fastened a drumstick to his right foot and a piece of steel to the left. Then 'he appealed for funds, and notified that when the coin commenced to come in he would begin his entertainment. Presently he started. Bang, bang, and a skirl and a screech. What was that? Horrors! it was opposition. The "Caledonians" with drum and pipes were marching down the street. The "one-man-band"' ceased his clever entertainment and put on his boots.

A WOMAN'S CONFIDENCE AND A GRMT SALE. To win a woman's patronage at the cost of ,her confidence is not the policy of "The Melbourne." Every "bargain advertised in the great Rebuilding Sale is exactly represented. It would. Ik* folly for it to be otherwise. The great object in holding this sale is to reduce stocks as rapidly as .possible, in order to make room for the 'builders. All the stock has been marked down, and the prices quoted show sayings so genuine and apparent that you will he convinced that we intend to solve this stock-re-ducing problem in a quick and efficient manner. There's no room for a single thought of the ordinary buying and selling methods in this situation—it's purely a matter of making room for the builders in a restricted space of time, and it has got to ,be .done. -We will do it by vigorous and effective price-cutting. We're certainly enthusiastic about this sale. It not only means record-breaking prices, l>ut it means the widening of our value-giving reputation in an unforgetable manner. And that is what we continually keep m mind when we inaugurate a sale like the one now under way. For Chronic Chest Complaints, Woods* Oreat Peppermint Cure, I/O, 8/6.