LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 121, 31 August 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. - i , The Wellington-Naples despatch of | the 22nd July arrived in London ott--1 the morning of the 28th. ] James Donovan was arrested in New Plymouth by Constable O'Xeill yesterday J'afternoon, and will be charged with the j theft of money at aitotara. , The following have been elected & school committee for the new Oeo school district:—Messrs. Linton, Purden. Skev•ington, Heka'ka and W. Mud ford (cliai*. man). •Saturday's meeting of old. soldiers toj discuss the position of their chums upon I the public funds promises to be interesting, some of those concerned, having a considerable grievance against the powers that be. ' A meeting of tlie ladies! committee of the Taranaki Rifles' ball was held yesterday aiternoon. The Mri. G. Tisch, presided, and the committee made the arrangements necessary foi the conduct of the function. A. rumour was circulated yesterday i that the Taranaki Petroleum Co.'s No. ,2. derrick was afire. The report, iorI tunately was incorrect. - The large volume' of smoke seen in that directio* came from a rubbish fire near the de»ricks, started on the manager's instruct tion for the sake of safety.

A most interesting undertaking has recently 'been completed in Denmark—the building of a vessel modelled on the lines of Noah's Ark, as described in Genesis. The vessel is 30ft long, sft wide, and 3£k deep, these measurements being one-tentk of those given in the Bible. When launched the tiny vessel proved quite seaworthy.

The curious career of a revolutionary who interpreted woman's rights in her, own peculiar way has just come to» a tragic end. Marie Scmit was a schoolmistress of pronounced Radical tendencies in the province of Smolensk (Russia), when her revolutionary fever brought on a delirium' which became epidemical. She organised a band of dauntless Anarchists. The black 'knights took to highway robbery under the command of Marie, who was attired in male clothing. Once they attacked a monastery near Pskow, leav« ing several of the monks dead. Eight members of the band, were condemned by court martial. Marie Semit has now'been sentenced to twenty years' penal servitude, but must undergo trial for two other raids and murders in the province of Smolensk.

The following civil cases were decided by default in the S.M. Court yesterday mornijng:—W. R. Wilson (Mr. ; Johnstone) v. Malcolm Loveridge, claim £33s (costs 10s); Shuttleworth Bros. (Mr. Quilliam) v. L. G. Horn, £8 19s 5d (£1 5s Cd); Edward Dingle (Mr. Wright) v. Harry Eva, £5 2s (£ 1 3s fid"); samev. Arthur -Norman Cliff, £7 8s 44 £1 3s Od); same v. Herbert John Cornwall, £l4 4s 7d (£1 10s 6d ; ); E. L. Hiunphries (Mr. A. Bewley) v. Emily Bilton, £2 14s Od (13e); Wilstfn and Grey (Mr. F. E. Wilson) v. Alan Alexander Cuthbertson, £4 3s 7d (17s) j Ellen Walsh v. John Francis, £1 (ss); E. Griffiths and Co. (Mr. Quilliam) v. J. H. Taylor, £7 15s (£1 6s Gd); Catherine E. Hart (Mr. C. H. Weston) y<William Lowe, £o 16s (£1 12s).

The Maori who lavs his cash with the bookmaker, drives a keen bargain with the bootmaker, or argues "form" with the street-corner punter, is blessed with, a convenient memory when it comes to court proceedings. He then finds that he knows no English, perhaps because the time occupied by the interpreter gives, him time to think. A young Maori,, named Rewi, forgot his English yesterday morning when he appeared in court to defend an action brought against him by Jacob Tisch, formerly a storekeeper at Fitzroy, for the recovery of a debt of £1 17s 7d for groceries supplied. Mr. C. H. Weston appeared for plaintiff, who proved delivery of the goods. The defendant, by means of an interpreter that he assured the court was a necessary feature in the lieaning, absolutely denied all knowledge of the goods, but admitted that he had had an idea of escaping payment owing to Mr. Tisch's retirement from Mr. 'Fitzherbert, S.M., gave a. very emphatic opinion concerning the defendant's truthfulness, and gave judgment for plaintiff for the amount claimed and costs.

An interesting discovery of animal bonea has teen made in the Mowbray Swamp, Smithton, Tasmania, and the theory has been formed that they are tho remains of a diprotodon. This is ail extinct marsupial, which held the same place among the Australian mammals as do the pachyderms among the fauna of other continents. Mr. E. C. Lovell, of Smitihton, when ditching in the swamp a'bout sft below the surface, discovered the remains of a large animal. The ■bones evidently ibelong to a quadruped about the size of a horse. The lower jaws are very massive, and are like those of a marsupial, having two large teethin front. The back teeth are very similar to those of a horse, but somewhat larger. The joints of the backbone vary in size, those at one extremity—the lower, Mr. Lovell thinks being about double the size of those at the other. The head is somewhat similar in shape to that of a wombat, and about the size of a ibullocVs head. Most of the :bones are in a very fair state of preservation, but the head is ,somewhat broken. Mr. Lovell has not all the bones, but tie has no doubt that most of the missing paris could be found by .further excavation. Messrs. H. A. Stratford (president), H. Dempsey and F. A. Tyrer, representinw the Taranafei branch of the Teachers' Institute, waited on the Education Board last night in connection with the teachers' classification and promotion scheme recently adopted by the Board. Generally speaking, they said, teachers approved and we Itemed the scheme, but they asked 'how it was intended that the promotion scheme should be carried out. It was considered that the standard wae too high, as, under the present scheme, if one of the eighth or ninth grade schools was to become vacant, the Board [ would not be able to fill it from t'each--1 ers in its own employ. It was also considered that "environment" was largely out of the teachers' hands.. A further query was as to how incoming te&ob* l er would be marked. Reference was made to thg necessity for an appeal board in cases in which a teacher was transferred! to a lower grade school. It "was suggested that two members of the Board and a representative of the Teadvers' Institute should form this tribunal. It was suggested that in lieu of tlx* marks allocated for "environment" they be awarded to - teachers who have qualified in some special subject-, and! thus give an incentive to a fctciuiance at Saturday classes. After a lengthy discussion, in the course, of whidi tho inspectors explained the working of tlic selloine to the deputation, it was decided refer tho matter to the inspeih tors ftiv a reply, tho dejnitaiion cousin*t<> fonnnlutc, in vn'H'mc, their ob« jivlioiis aiul. suarj^sUona.