LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 221, 29 December 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Twenty-four and a half million letters passed through the London General Post Office during Christmas week. There have been practically, no Taranaki bookings for the Marlborough Sounds excursion, but nearly all the accommodation provided by thfe Mokoia has Ibeen secured. On Tuesday the s.s. Corinna loaded at New Plymouth the record shipment of butter for .the season, consisting of M,8(32 boxes, all of which is to be transhipped to the Tainui at Wellington for Home markets. Old-age pensioners are advised that the Postal Department has arranged to pay their pensions on Saturday, 31st inst., from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. The Money Order and Savings Bank branches close at 1 p.m. on that date. The members of the Park Tennis and Croquet Club expect a good gathering at the opening of the courts next Tuesday afternoon. Players are reminded that the club does not provide tennis balls this season, nor croquet mallets. The ladies of the club are to provide afternoon tea.

A veracious resident of New Plymouth states that grass is so prolific in some .parts of South Taianaki that almost pushes over the cattle! Something like the complaint of another man, who complained because there was so much grass on his place that he had difficulty in finding his cows at milking-time! The Circle Magazine has the following: —A doctor related the following story: "I had a patient who was very , ill and who ought to have gone to a warmer climate, but whose means were insufficient, so I resolved to try what hypnotism would do for him. I ihad a large sun painted on the ceiling of his Tooin and by suggestion induced him to thinkit was the sun which, would cure him. The ruse succeeded and he was getting better rapidly, when one day on my arrival 11 found he was dead." "Did it fail, after all, then?" asked the doctor's hearers. "No," replied the doctor; "he died of sunstroke!"

Sir Joseph Ward expects to leave either Wellington or Auckland on March 6 to attend the Imperial Conference and Coronation in London. He proceeds via Vancouver, Montreal, New York, and Liverpool. After attending the Conference and the Coronation he leaves for Wellington via Sydney, and expects to arrive back at the 'beginning of August, a few days after Parliament opens. The session wiJT last six to eight weeks. Parliament will meet a month later than usual. The Premier says less than two months should suffice for all the legislation required. He cannot fix the date of -the elections, but they will be before the end of the year. Some excitement was caused in Wellington on Sunday afternoon, when a prosperous looking bull took charge of affairs for some time. The animal was chased down a side street off Mannersstreet by about 20 young men, who drove valiantly as long, as the bull consented to keep going forwarl. As soon as the animal turned towards the, main street, however, the party of drovers fled like chaff before the wind. The bull then entered upon a gallop through the principal streets, his mere appearance ensuring him a clear passage. He was last seen heading towards Newtown, clear of obstructing humans, and casting defiant glances at the tramcars.—Dominion. The death is announced from London of Captain Alfred Hutton, an uncle of Lieutenant-General Sir Edward T. E. 'Hutton, who was Commandant of the Commonwealth .Military Forces from l'9ol-4. Captain Hutton was one of the finest swordsmen in England. He was born at Beverley, Yorkshire, in 1840, and as an ensign served in the 79th Highlanders in 1860; later with the 7th Hussars and King's Dragoon Guards. He was a founder of the Central London Throat and Ear Eospital, and president of -the Amateur Fencing Association. Among his publications are: i; CoId Steel," ''Fixed Bayonets," "Old Sword Plav," "The Swordsman " and "The Sword and the Centuries."

It is the custom (for many people to growl at every form of New Zealand legislation; yet, when they come down to bedrock facts and learn what is being done in other countries they find, on comparison, that our. own legislation is no) so oppressive after all. There was a bit of a squeal last session about increases in the death duties, 'but the Legislature of the State of New York has raised the maximum of the death duties from 5 per cent, to 25 per cent. This will interest those British capitalists who, to save a six per cent, income tax, have deposited ' their securities in New York banks. Th tendency right through the world is to' make rich people contribute, more to, direct taxation thanitAey. have done in the j P ast - ......; ,|i ' ! ,v,' 'limb "'

- We are in receipt of a copy; of that valuable publication, the Official Year Book, for 1910. l Prom Messrs E. Griffiths and Co., local agents'of the Royal Exchange Assurance Co., we have received a most useful aiid well-got-up easel, blotter and file. Christmas meat sold at Smithfield. market totalled 12,340 tons, whereof 3008 tons were British, 1000 North American (but English killed), 4028 American refrigerated, 1431 Australian, and 2428 tons Continental. Pearce, the sculler, left Wanganui yesterday for Foxton, and will return to Sydney by the steamer leaving Wellington on Friday. He contemplates taking six months' spell before rowing again.

The protest aginst Stevenson, winner of the Supplementary Underhand Handk cap Chop at Eltham on Tuesday, on the grounds that he commenced before his time, was upheld. The first prize ol £lO goes to Weston, Johnson taking second, and Andresen third. Our Pohokura correspondent writes:— We have a large rifle club here, being about 50 strong. We also have plenty* of trophies promised for competition. We had a very large children's picnic here a week ago, when both young and old thoroughly enjoyed themselves, the settlers and public works men subscribing about £l7 towards the prize fund. There was a big run on the Daily News throughout the province yesterday. An unusually large edition was printed, but the papers were soon sold out, and later in the day from threepence to sixpence was offered for single copies. The public of New Zealand dearly likes its newspaper, and misses it greatly when it fails to emerge at holiday time.

Asked as to the conduct of the crowds at Christchurch at Christinas time (says a Christchurch message), Inspector Kiely said that it had been in every wayexemplary. He had been in and about the city on Christmas Eve, and had been much impressed by the orderly behaviour of the huge crowd. For sobriety and good-natured gaiety, he said, they would be hard to beat. The Hon. Thos. Mclvenzie, Minister in charge of the Tourist Division, states ■that he hopes to visit Taranaki some, time in January. Moumahaki will occupy a portion of the time, and Mount Egmont will also be included in the itinerary, as Mr. McKenzie wishes to make himself fully acquainted with the possibilities and requirements of the Mountain House. Having just spent a week at the Mount Cook Hermitage and explored the* glacial region. He will be ableto cojnpare notes relating to these interesting sections' of his department.

The observance of Christmas Day on Monday prevented the addition of at least one to the horrors of "Black: Christmas." Duriilg the afternoon there was a tremendous landslide at the prison quarry at New Plymouth. The faceof the quarry now being worked is somewhere abput sixty feet in height, atod when there is a full obmplement of compulsory labor, about twenty or more prisoners are perched About it in all directions. Had the landslide taken place whilst the. quarry was fully manned there must have been a very ' heavy loss of life. That axemen and sawyers appreciate the good work done on their' behalf by Mr. F. E. Hardy, the ptopular secretary of the Eltham carnival, was shown yesterday, when Messrs. C. Miley (Australian champion) and D. Pretty (New Zealand champion), accompanied by Mr.. A Hansen ■ and others, visited the hospital at New. Plymouth and made a presentation to Mr. Hardy. The presentation took the form of an electro-plate hot water service and ink stand, bearing the following inscription: "Presented to F. E. Hardy, Esq., from axemen who competed at the Axemen's Carnival; 1910."

With regard to the message alleged to have come from the Duco and picked up on the beach at Southbridge recently, the Marine Department states that, on perusal of the vessel's articles of agreement, it was found that there was no man of the name of Peterson on board the steamer , when she left Wellington for the Chatham Islands. The message, which was jvritten on a Dunedin Jockey Club's card for February 26, is at present' in Wellington. Reference to the calendar shows that February 26,1910, was five months after the Duco left Wellington. In the: face of these facts it seems as if the thing originated from Dunedin, and the Department wish this information to be taken as final proof that the whole affair is a hoax.

Few people fail to recognise the convenience afforded to every member of a household by the possession of an almanac and directory such as is issued annually by.the Hawera Star. A copy of the 1911 issue—which, by the way. •has reached its twenty-eighth year of publication—now lies on the table, and' after a perusal of its contents the only conclusion that can be arrived at is that it is not only a convenience and an education in itself, but an absolute necessity in every household .in every hamlet by the sea, or in the country, as well as in the business establishments of town and country. For the infprmation contained in this compendium is varied jn the extreme, the contents erabracing references of interest in every phase of life. Mr. Parkinson, proprietor of the Star, is to be congratulated on the general userumess and the efficiency of the almanac.

A considerably amount of building is going on at present in Eltham, a noticeable feature being the part reinforced concrete is playing in the operations. A fine new building, as up-to-date as any structure in the Dominion, has just been completed by Mr. J. Pease apd let toseveran tenants. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson has just finished building a substantial and commodious .biograph replete with every convenience and lighted by electricity generated by his own plant. Mr. Wilkinson is also erecting a motorgarage and sample rooms, besides g building to be used as a manufactory by the company running Gane's milking machines. The same enterprising gentleman is having plans prepared for still another big building, it is said, which will |oclipse anythirig jyet erected in Taranaki. This will be let .to tenants. The new municipal theatre is under way, together with the municipal chambers. The former will be in wood, being about the only wooden structure now being erected; the other will be in ferro-con-crete. The Bank of Australasia and the Bank of New South Wales are also rebuilding, they preferring brick, a material, by the way, which ia not much favored in Taranaki. Quite a large number of residences are also being put up, and of superior kind, too. Altogether,' Eltham is making substantial j progress, and in the course of a little i while must rank as one of the best built towns in the Dominion as it is one 1 of the most prosperous. 1 FOT FORTY 'YEARS. Chamber'.- j's Cough Remedy has been' in use ne <• 40 years, wWoh'is time tc thorour *est its qualities, and mo case 0' >ld resulting in pneumonia, when 0?> -uoeriain's Cough Remedy wasj;. taken, has ever been reported to oths ■ manufacturers, whioh leads us to believe, it ,to bg xa .-preventive. 6f ;13»t U dangerous disease. Sold andistorekeepers.-' ''y-