LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 130, 10 September 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The business set down for hearing at the Supreme Court next week is not voluminous. "To the Aucklanders there is only one city in New Zealand, and that is Auckland. There is only one rich district in the North Island, and that is the northern gumfields."—Mr. M. Fraser at the Chamber of Commerce meeting last night The Valdares, trick cyclists, made their appearance in Devon street yesterday morning mounted on a single wheel, without handle-bars. Their performance on these unique vehicles attracted a good deal of attention—nearly as much as the bull had done a few I minutes earlier.

At the Chamber of Commerce meeting, a protest from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce against the census returns asked for by the Labour Department was referred to the Council to deal with, the members of the Chamber, with one exception, being unaware of the nature of the demands, which Mr. Baker saia would necessitate a large amount ol extra book-keeping. The J. J. Patterson bankruptcy case received brief mention at the Supreme Court at Napier on Thursday. He was applying for his discharge in bankruptcy, but! Mr. Cresswell asked for leave to withdraw the application, as litigation was pending between ' the Assignee and Mrs. Patterson. When this was settled, he would make the application. The request was granted. Mr. Cole puT the -'finishing touches" on four of the Park Club's tenms courts yesterday afternoon, and the fifth will be out of his hands in a day or so. The ground is now being dressed with lime, and banedust will be spread in a day or two. These fertilisers will be given fully a week to sweeten the soil before the grass seed is sown. Seed and fertiliser will be liberally used, to ensure good results and play as early as possible.

Mr. C. Leech, secretary of the Awakino Fanvers' Club, in a letter to the Chamber of Commerce last night, wrote that at a meeting of settlers at Awakino on September 3, it was resolved to bring under the notice of the Minister for Public Works the necessity for erecting a bridge over the Mokau river, to replace the existing ferry, and the meeting asked the assistance of the Chamber. —A resolution was carried ac-

cording to the request. Mr. E. H. Tribe, secretary of the Pukekura Park Board, is anxious to see a more decent entrance provided to the park leading out of Shortland street, Vogeltown. The Vogeltown path is very largely used by Vogeltown people as a regular thoroughfare, for it shortens, and improves the daily walk to business. This being so, Mr. Tribe thinks, they would probably subscribe to a fund J for providing a pair of handsome en-1 trance gates and for the earthwork re-j quired to widen and improve the present narrow and hollowed-out track. Mr. R. Cock, the chairman of the Board, is interesting himself in the also, and has promised a donation of two 'guineas, as well as to assist in organising functions with a view of "raising the wind." Enteric fever has been prevalent to an alarming degree amongst the Maoris of the Waiapu district for some months past, and though the Public Health Department has supplied advice and medicine the mortality is running high, making inroads on the native, population of j the East Coast. Despite the gospel of health that has been preached zealously for years by a few of the younger generation, superstition dies hard amongst j the Maoris, and it is stated that much of t the mortality that occurs can be traced I as being directly^due to the tohungas, and to the manner in which the native ' people cling to their old-time remedies I and methods of treatment of the sick. Faith in charms, decoctions of herbs, and immersion in cold water is still prevalent.

Tuberculosis last year accounted for 588 deaths in the Dominion, or at a rate of 6.05 per 10,000 of the population. This is the lowest rate, except that in 11M)5, when it was 5.70, in the last ten years. In 1002 th° number of deaths was 617, or a proportion of 7.73 per 10,000. If residence in the Dominion be taken into consideration, only 340 persons known to have been born in New Zealand died from this disease in 1909, a proportion of 5.58 per 10,000 of the estimated native-born white population. Tuberculosis accounted for 8.93 per cent, of the deaths from all causes in this country in 1903. In comparison with England and Wales and the Australian States the deaths from tuberculosis per 1000 were lower in Queensland, but a South Wales than New Zealand, but a great deal higher in England and Wales. His Majesty the King still retains a keen interest in Colonial affairs, judging by the following extract from a private letter received from Captain \R. S. Matthews, who is now undergoing military training at Home: "Last Saturlay morning the King and Queen came to our barracks to inspect the Army School of Cookery, which is in the block of buildings where the men's quarters are. They came with the Connaughts and a large staff and suite in six very fine motor cars, the King in the undress "kit" of a Field Marshal, and Connaught the same. The regiment wos paraded in "walking-out" dress, which means full dress without any arms, and wearing belts, white gloves, aiid peaked caps, not bearskins. They really looked very smart indeed. While the King was inside looking at the kitchens, Connaught stayed outside with a lot of the staff, and Bruche and I were on the left of "D" Company. Noticing N.Z. on my cap and on the collar of my blue frock coat,Connaught left his guilded staff and came over to me and asked a lot of questions and had quite a. long talk, and shook hands, most affably when we had finished; he is a most charming man with a thorough genial manner, free from any kind of stiffness, and I liked him at once. While the King was inspecting the field kitchens, the regiment was drawn up in a quarter column with the officers in a line in front, and Bruche and I were placed on the right of the line close to the Queen and the other ladies with her. When the King had inspected the Regiment he stoppea and had a few minutes' "yarn" with Bruche and me, and seemed much interested in what we were doing, and what we hoped to do in our colonies on our return. He was all smiles, and as friendly as possible, and we all agreed ■Mini- li» J- .'.inlii ,| ,-J'- ; '-».-„ II , T

A thrilling story of castaway Cook Islanders is reported l>v the British Resident (Mr. Eman Smith), Rarotonga. Two boats, containing 1U persons in all, put off from Atiu to Mitiaro, but were driven out of their course by bad weather. The boats finally separated when out of sight of land, but one of them containing a compass reached Aitutaki five days out. The other boat was. picked up by Mr. A. G. Hobbs and his"boys" at Manuae under most dangerous conditions for the rescuers as well n.s the saved, as a heavy gale was blowing and a high sea ran over the reef. The party of nine contained a woman, whose life was despaired of when the mail left Manuae, but the men all recovered. They had been 12 days out, and it was reported that they had neither food nor water.

Here are some queer instances oi ; testamentary dispositions. iNot long ago a Berlin manufacturer left £SOO, the interest of which is to be spent on the free distribution of beer weekly to the frequenters of his favorite bier■haiis. More recently, a testator at Tunbridge Wells, England, left elevens friends 500dol apiece "to invest in port wine or anything else they like.' John Redman, a friend of Charles James Fox, who died in 1798, by a codicil in his will enjoined his executors to keep his houser on for a year after his decease, and to>' visit it frequently, taking friends with them, "that each corner may be filled to> help drink out the wine in the vault."' He added that "holding my executors in such esteem I desire them to pay all' the legacies without the wicked swindling and base imposition of stamps that smell of blood and carnage."

The troubles that harass lawyers who try to get valid leases of Maori lands for their clients is shown by the fact that in a small block of land at Kai»poi, only fifteen acres in area, sixtytwo owners have been discovered, and the end of the list is not reached yert r as some of these have died and their shares in the land has been split up. by succession orders to other Maoris. One of the sixty-two owners claims on the one hundred and forty-fourth of a. share, another on the one thousand one hundred and fifty-second, and another on the two thousand three hundred and fourth. Lawyers who deal with thte class of work slate that the intricacies of Maori custom in this respect are so bewildering, and call for so much investigation, without compensation, on account of the size of the area, thai it is not worth wasting time on. The same law applies to the North Island, but there large blocks are dealt with, and the remuneration is more in keeping with the amount of work that has to be done.

Sunday (School entertainment and lecture by Sergt.-Ctfajor Telford, "A Soldier's Story of South Africa," in the Oakura Hall on Wednesday, 14th inst., at 8 p.m. The services in Queen Street Church to-morrow will be as follows:—Morning, at l'li. Rev. John Nixon; subject, Heartache and Heart's-ease. Evening, at 7, Rev. J. Laird. All seats free.—Advt.