LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 171, 28 October 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Au offer of £ 1000 per foot has been received liv the owner of a Queen street (Auckland) section. Thirty-five yearn ago the top price for similar land was ,t25. The casual colonial! A young husband brought before Mr. Riddeli, S.M., on a charge of maintenance, offered 4s a week as support for his wife. The Magistrate ordered him to contribute 15s weekly. At a meeting of the Avenue Eoad Club on Wednesday night it was decided to donate £1 Is to the Xew Plymouth Beautifying Association towards the fund for the improvement of Fori Niger. Whanganui wants to be spelled correctly—with the "h." It does not matter much. Taranaki has a place that most people call "Tatteramack." We frequently laugh at newehums' pronunciation of Maori. The Government are being asked by Mr. Okcy, M.P., whether they wih carry out the wishes of a large section of the people of the Dominion by bringing down legislation, so that the question of Bible reading in the public schools may be decided by a referendum of the people. The caretaker of the Northern Mountain House (Mr. T. R. Ryan) writes:— "Intending visitors will now find the forest at its best, with the bursting of flowers into bloom. The road is in splendid order, and both house and cottage are smiling under a new coat ot paint, with the expectation of being well patronised this coming season." • The authorities are repairing the root of the Dominion Museum in Wellington. The priceless treasures the rain does not rot are being eaten by wood borers. The backyard is full of overplus Maori carvings. Once the Government threatened to make Mount Cook gaol a museum, but the ancient ruin that still harbors our national curios, rats, rot and worms, still does duty.

Tlie Government is issuing "house safes" to the people. They are delivered to depositors locked, and the money deposited can be taken out only at the Savings Bank office, where the keys are kept. When brought to the office the safe is opened and the amount counted in the presence of the depositor, and then entered in the pass-book as a deposit in the usual way. The following are the officers of the Defence Cadet Corps recently established at the New Plymouth High School, organised by Mr. A. P v . Ryder, the science master:—Captain, A. 11. Ryder; Ist lieutenant, F, Clarke; 2nd lieutenant, C. Morris; colour-sergeant, C. Day; sergeants, Lusk, Goss, Whitton and Martin; corporals, Mander, Grant, Thomson, Bacon; bu'gler, L. Richards. A local merchant informs us that the paragraph we copied from the Dunedin Star and published yesterday, to the effect that the.public have not benefited from the remission of the duty on kerosene is incorrect. He states thai the duty of 6d per gallon was taken off on September 18, 1000. About one month previously the wholesale price in Wellington v,'&4 Is 5d per gallon. The price now is liy 8 d per gallon, and has been as low as to Bd.

The first annual meeting of shareholders of the Motor and Transport Company was held yesterday at Pungarehu. Being a particularly wet day, there was a very poor attendance of shareholders, only about twenty being present. Tlu report and balance-sheet, as already published, were adopted. The retiring directors (Messrs. R. Morrow and J. C. O'Rorke) were re-elected, and Mr. G. W. Rogers (Opunake) was re-appointed auditor. At a meeting of directors held subsequently ilr. was re-electea chairman. In presenting a trophy to the men of the Powerful last week, Sir Richard Poore referred to the sportsman whose sport is all played from the pavilion. '"lf I were a legislator," said the Admiral, "I should like to bring in one law, to compel all the spectators at football matches to be football players, present or past. If this were done we should have fewer talkers, knowing nothing at all about the game, and more players, and a consequent improvement an the national physique." "New Zealand looks pretty good to me," says a Wanganui resident just returned from a visit to America. "I have met many New Zealanders in my travels, all doing well, but their eyes are ever turned towards their ' island home, and, without an exception, all intend coming back soon. There is no place like New Zealand for a New Zcalander. Life is so pleasant in this land," and conditions of labor so well adjusted i that a New Zealander is spoiled for resi- J dence in Canada or America."

A Church of England clergyman at an evangelical conference in Sydney referred to the haphazard way people brought up children to be baptized, and the superstitious notions some parents had on the matter. One minister said people had told him that their reasoh for having their children baptised was that the children throve better after baptism, and therefore they would like to have tliem "done" early. Several clergymen spoke of the need for having baptism always performed on Sundays at the church service. The Rev. Begbie said when he had objected to baptising children on week days parents said, "We will go to the Methodists. They will do it." "If they want to do that," he said, "let them go." Some people who had a superstitious fear on the subject of baptism said to him, "We wanted to come here because it is a lucky church." Another speaker mentioned that some Presbyterian ministers would not baptise children unless both parents attended at the public service when the sacrament took place. Considering the large number of tickets that had been sold, and the excellent evening's entertainment that is always assured when a concert is given by the Xew Plymouth Orchestral Union, was confidently expected that the M hitelev Hall would have been crowded last night. Early in the evening, however, torrential rain fell, and as a result the attendance of the public was exceedingly small. Accordingly, Mr. Lawn announced that the concert would be postponed to a date which would be announced later. Those present, however, were amply repaid, as the orchestra rendered the selections. "Tancredi," "William Tell," "Boccacio" and "A ?pp.i.ish Carnival" in fine style. Mrs. Barton, ot ITawera, also favored the audience with a song, "When We Meet." This lady possesses a beautiful soprano voice, which she uses with considarable feeling, and her next appearance will be awaited with interest. aliss Butl.n played the accompaniment. Li<rht refreshments handed round by members of the Orchestral Union terminated a .verj .enjoyable

The tender of R. J. Scott, of Stratford, hus been accepted for the erection of the Pohokura station building* on the Stratt'ord-Ongarue railway. The following paragraph appears in the Metal Worker: The campaign against llies has reached that point that a price has been placed on the head of this domestic insect. According to newspaper advices, a price of 4 cents per 100 is paid oil llies in the district of Columbia. Many of the boys enter witk vigor on this reign of slaughter, ana something more will be done to abolish the propagation of typhoid fever. Some remarkable bowling was witnessed in a cricket match at Yarmouth, England, last month .between the Methodists C.C. and a team of visitors. The Methodists lost five wickets for one run, all the men being clean bow.ed bv J. Brace. The next wicket added 37 runs, and then J. Johnson finished oil' the innings by bowling four men with successive balls. If New Zealand were fully settled, and were possessed of the great secondary industries which can only follow in the wake of a great agricultural development, she would carry with ease many millions of people, and be in a position to secure for her swarming population other lands and other opportunities—as Britain has done in the past.—Auckland Herald. A fierce and fatal revolver battle took place in one of the low-down restaurants in the "Tenderloin" district, Xew York, on the !)th inst. The lively nature of the combat may be judged from the fftct that over 100 shots were fired by those who took part. Two people were killed and five were injured. Several dozen women fainted, and when the police arrived the miscreants who had been the leaders in the affray, and whose bullets had found billets, had escaped.

Mr. Geo. M. Wilford, son of Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., chairman of the Harbor Board and Mayor of Wellington, has passed with merit in the following subjects at Glasgow Technical College: Chemistry, electricity, dynamics, natural philosophy and mathematics. In mechanical drawing Mr. Wilford headed the list with 100 per cent, marks. He is serving his time at Messrs. Denny Bros.' shipbuilding works at Dumbarton, and, later, intends to gain further experience at Pittsburg, U.S.A. Mr. Geo. H. Dixon, until recently one of , the proprietors and the manager of the X.Z. Free Lance, will leave Wellington for Auckland shortly, and many ot the city institutions will miss him. Mr. Dixon was manager of the famous "Alt Blacks," and is chairman of the Management Committee of the N.Z.R.U., and secretary of the Xorthern Bowling Association. Before going to Wellington ten years ago he was as popular and necessary in Auckland sports circles as he has been in Wellington, and Aucklanders will be glad to have his expert services and his immense enthusiasm. once again. Mr. T. E. Taylor satirically asked in the House if. there were any permanent artillerymen who were used as chambermaids., The only uses to which these gunners are put are clerking, marking on shooting ranges, pitching and striking tents for volunteers, cleaning c&mps for volunteers, policing cities at elections and other times and places, doing guards at various public buildings, acting as carters for social functions with gun-horses and artillery waggons. They are detailed as servants, gardeners, instructors, orderlies, and are otherwise used. When they are not required for use or ornament bv the civil authorities and the military authorities don't need them for duties outside the scope of their real service—they man the guns.

A romantic story of tne airman, Mr. Moissnnt, was despatched from Washington by Renter's correspondent. According to the records of the State Department Mr. Moissant, before taking up the study of airships, took a daring part In the troubled politics of Central America. The State Department was informed in 1907 that at the instance of President. Zela.va, of Nicaragua, lie headed a band of fifty Xicaraguan convicts, who had been promised their liberty in the event of a successful insurrection in Salvador. He armed them with Mauser rifles and three rapid-firing guns and started to conquer the little Republic. The adventurous I>and invaded Salvador as far as Sonsonata, where Moissant's followers became discouraged, and insisted on returning as the Salvadorean army, several thousand strong, was ready to crush them. But Moissant, it is said, refused to turn back before ho had entered the town and exacted tribute. Subsequently Moissant was sent to Switzerland and France to study aeroplanes which General Zelaya wanted for his army. In an address delivered at Christchurch last week, Mr. Opie (chairman of the Education Board) said that he had recently received a copy of tie Japanese Times, which contained a summary of the views of 40 eminent men of Japan on the probability of an overflow of Asiatics into the attractive countries in the South Pacific Ocean. Tliesfe public men of Japan said that there were in China 400,000,000 people, and that vast population was rapidly increasing.' The Chinese were an intelligent and industrious race, and already they had moved out into Cochin, Burma, Siam and the Indian Archipelago. That great wave of foreigners was already beginning to wash upon the shores of Australia, and it was only a question of time when it would sweep over New Zealand as well. From the Japanese journal it appeared that their ambition would find an outlet in an endeavour to found a great empire in the south that would rival the importance of Britain in the north.

Leading Chinese are stronsly opposed to the Commonwealth Immigration Restriction Act. Mr. W. Yinson Lee made "The day will come," he said, -when Australia has a better understanding pf the Chinese people. The average Aftstralian thinks that the local Chinese gardener is a general type of Chinaman, Trot when a few of China's multi-millionaires, merchant princes and better-class Chinese, with their wives and families, visit Australia, it should alter the impress*h. At present they will not come here, an they consider it undignified to submit J» the humiliating Immigration Restrietjtap Act. Annually, hundreds of them, jfi Europe and America, and there is a Immcially organised Cook's tour them. Your commercial agents in lip East cost thousands and thousands df pounds yearly, but they are praeti«jj| doing nothing in China, and they tw practically unknown. It is in the'hands of the Australian people to alter HRpolicy of shutting out the refined and better classes of Chinese, and when that is done, Australia's trade will increase by leaps and bounds, and it will lead to n better understanding of each other."

, Ladies.—The Corsets we most strongl-y recommend are the Warner's rust-proof, a| they are right ahead in point of fashion, design, and guaranteed to comfortablr fit your form: but in addition to all this you can wash them as safely a* jour UOSLXii Delta" Caawwau *,