LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 217, 22 December 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As satisfactory bookings have been made, tlie Union Company has definitely decided to run the s.s. Mokoia on the Marlborough Sounds excursion trip. She leaves Wellington on the 31st inst. Some misguided individual selected midnight as the time for a promenade near the gasworks last night, clad only in Nature's garb. K diligent search was made a little later, but he had made himself scarce.

The growth of settlement in the Hawke's Bay district may be guaged from the fact that during the past 12 months the County Council have added the names of 250 additional ratepayers to their books. Scotch distillers have decided to lower the prices of the new grain whiskies by at least Id per gallon, despite the fact that production is being substantially reduced as the outcome of the increased license duties. Last year the Scottish distillers curtailed -their output by five million gallons. "Buck Sclmapper" writes to the editor:—ln answer to the paragraph in this morning's paper about the fish that are caught at Moturoa, let me say that anybody relying on fish caught at Moturoa would starve, for there hasn't been a fish caught there for three weeks, and the public has to depend on imported fish. Miss Muriel Joscelyne, of London, a smart young woman who, though still in the bloom of youth, has spent ten years in drapers' shops, has just won £SOO by keeping her eyes open while doing her work. It was a prize offered by the Drapery Times for. the best essay written by an assistant on how to start business with £SOO.

Speaking at a meeting of the Secular Education Defence League in Wellington, the Rev. H. Van Ste'veren rather belittled, the differences dividing Christian a,nd Jewish ministers of religion. "We 'have no hell," he remarked, '"'and that is a great thing, you know! For the rest the 'only difference between us and the Christian ministers is that we tell people how to live, while they tell people how to die." Auckland should have no reason to complain of strawberry-growing from a remunerative point of view. This luscious fruit is sold in the market at the rate of Is to Is 6d per lb, as compared with the usual Home retail price of 3d to 4d per lb for the famous Dr. Hogg and the shapely British Queen. At Is to Is 6d per lb wholesale for strawberries there can be but a limited consumption (states an exchange). A motorist at Ormondville has been ordered to pay £lffl) as damages for blowing his horn negligently. The evidence showed that as soon as a trap, containing two ladies, hove in sight of the car, defendant commenced and, for some appreciable period thereafter—several minutes, at least—continued to sound ihis motor-horn, which frightened, the horse, which collided with a telegraph pole, with the result that both ladies were shot out of the trap on to the grass, and one was internally injured. The, accident caused a floating and twisted kidney. .

'Buses will run at frequent intervals from the centre of the town to the garden party at lower' Vogeltown to-day. Mr. Cock's grounds are a mass of bloom, and all the arrangements for an enjoyable afternobn are complete—except that the weather is not guaranteed. Gol4 brooches are offered as prizes in the decorated go-cart, push-cart, and doll-cart competitions. Threepenny motor-rides ate part of the scheme, and everyone should have a trip through the rising Vogeltown suburb. Children and grownups are all provided for, and, by the generosity of friends, the Xmas trees will l>e heavily laden with articles of all kinds—toys and fancy goods predominating. The Farmers' Union Advocate of Saturday says:—We have reason to believe that the regulation lately issued by the Health Department prohibiting the sale of butter containing excessive moisture in the Dominion is being ignored, and that butter is being sold with as much as 22 per cent, of moisture in it. Some factories which have in the past made butter with over 20 per cent, of moisture still continue the practice. Steps should be taken to ensure that the regulation is properly carried out, or else this regulation should be revoked . It is worse than useless as things are at present, for while it is in force people naturally think that when they buy butter the authorities see that.it is butter, whereas nearly one quarter of the article is composed of water.

A writer in an American paper says:,— There are farmers who make their lives narrow and hard and to youth hateful. They fairly drive the youths away. There is noexcuse for this. The farmer's boy is entitled to his vacations, to reasonable hours, to his social relaxations, his visits to the citv. P>ut among the many thousands of boys who have been impelled towards the city there is rising a wave of reaction. Among the new generation of farmers' boys, intelligent, readin" papers. books and magazines, getting an insight into the world's realities without hardening and dispiriting contact with them, there is forming also an opinion that the country is the better place, the place for greater enjoyment, surer returns ; fewer temptations and saner and more satisfactory existence. < j At Cambridge, before Mr. F, O'B. ! Loughnan, S.M., Rachael Sloman was charged with assaulting her husband, Harris Sloman, on November 14 last. Mr. Buckland appeared for complainant 1 , ! and Mr. Norton Thompson for defendant. This was a very painful and peculiar case. Evidence was taken, much of it being of a disgusting nature. Complainant appears to be a man of about 60 years of age, and his wife looks about half that. It appears they were married some 1.6 years ago. and had since lived in Auckland and at Sydney, but separated, owing, as the wife said, to Sloman wanting her to live an immoral life. On the other hand, Sloman made allegations of misconduct against his wife. He came to New Zealand, and gained a living by hawking, and subsequently settled down in the neighborhood of Cambridge. Mrs. Sloman. hearing that her husband was living with another woman, cam? to Cambridge, and met Sloman in the police constables' office, where thev had a wordy warfare; and a little time afterwards she met him at the back of the premises, when, she stated, he called her a filthy name, whereupon she reached a whip crop that lav near and gave him a o'oc.l thrashing. Complainant admitted 1 his wife could and had beaten him many times, and he wanted her bound over to keep the peace. Defendant was convicted.' and discharged, the Magistrate saying that 'She ihMrbeen-grefttly provoke&A.i.v...

Two inmates of the Westporfc Qki \ People's Homo, both over 70 yearsofagty have left the institution with the object of entering upon a prospecting expedition. Forty years ago one of the two ■: found encouraging prospects in the country to which they are about to turn their attention, and he and his mate have now set out to further examine the ground. Prospecting in the wild West Coast ranges at 70! Last week Mr. William Jamieson, one of the members of the original syndicate that formed the Broken Hill Milling Company in I®B4, was entertained by a number of his friends at dinner at the Australian Club at Melbourne, prior to his departure for London. During the course of his reply, Mr. Jamieson read two agreements, never before made public, relating to the purchases by him of two one-fourteenth shares in the syndicate. The documents showed that he paid £IOO for one share and £llO for the other. He remarked that if he had held on those shares he could have made £ 1',500,000 out of each of them. There"" was a very large attendance at the Queen: street schoolroom last even* ing when the pupils of Mr. Golding, assisted by friends, gave a very fine concert. The various itemß were much appreciated by the audience. Pianoforte solos were rendered by Misses Bruce, Inch, A. George, O. George, Taylor, Lye, Sisley and Sole. The entertainment opened with a pianoforte duet by Miss* Iris Boulton and Mr. Golding. Vocaf items were given by Miss Cant, Mrs. trolding, Mr. Henrichs, Mr. Clarke, Miss H. Guilford, and Miss D. Guilford. Th« Rev. Guy occupied the chair, and during the evening' presented the London College certificates to the successful candidates at the recent examination. Mr. Golding accompanied the various vooal items. A very pleasant programme wan brought to a close by a pianoforte duet by Misses Eileen Lye and Olive Incß, after which supper was served.