LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 221, 30 December 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

, A rather peculiar compensation claim will probably come before the Auckland courts shortly. The statement of claim, which is being filed on behalf of a laborer, sets out that plaintiff was employed scraping the inside of a ship's boiler at Auckland, and that steam was' 'accidentally let in so that the man was scalded and injured for life. The amount claimed is £3OOO.

The Lake Wakatipn Mail states that 'an enterprising resident brought the floor of tile gold office of the Queenstown branch of the Bank of New Zealand prior to its being taken up. His object was to lift the floor and wash up the gravel immediately below it in order to save any gold that may have been dropped during the process of weighing. As the result of his wash-up he received a return equal to about 25s worth.

The Gisborne Times praises the zeaJ of Mr. J. Townley, chairman of the local Harbor Board, who has for the past fortnight made it a regular practice to go down to the river entrance every morning at 6 o'clock in order to see how the dredge Maui is progressing. The Maui is cutting a channel in the river, 120 ft wide and diOft deep, at the rate of from 15 to 20 feet a day. She has nlready excavated about 500 ft of the channel from the seaward end, and there remain some 650 ft to dredge until she i meets the channel she cut when t-work/; ing outwards. _. I

Prom the G. W. Lawrence Co. we are in receipt of a pretty wall calendar and card case.

'We have to acknowledge receipt of 10L1 calendars from the 'Westport Coal Co. and the Hooker Printing Co.

A Dunedin message states that Mrs. Gould won the Otago ladies' golf championship, and Mrs. Todd was second. "The Dollar Princess" will be presented by the J. C. Williamson Comic Opera Company at the Theatre Royal, New Plymouth, on February 20. A first offending inebriate was before the local Court yesterday morning, and was convicted and discharged. Mr. F. Bellringer, J.P., was on the Bench. The Wanganui tramways had a very busy time during the Christmas holidays, the takings for the four days being £.182, or £SO more than for the asme period last year. It is understood that the old bova and present pupils of Nelson College residing in Taranaki intend to hold a reunion in New Plymouth in the first week of the New Year.

Prom all classes.of shopkeepers are heard splendid accounts of the business done at Christmas time, money being plentiful and purchasers in increased numbers compared with last year. Especially was this the case with butchers, confectioners, and stationers, and at the fancy goods and toy shops. The hotels and restaurants also report being exceptionally busy. At Christchurch yesterday the Typographical Association Conference resolved that the executive be empowered to open negotiations with employers with a view of holding a joint conference to consider a Dominion award, and, failing a satisfactory conclusion, that the unions be empowered to apply for district awards, and that the appoint a representative to assist unions where necessary.

In spite of the enormous numbers of eggs arid heads paid for by, the Canterbury county councils and road boards, the small birds seem to be more numerous than ever in South Canterbury, and everywhere in the crops immense flocks are to be seen busily feeding on the ripening grain. Some farmers have stuck up scarecrows in their crops, but the birds are too impudent to take much notice of them. Sparrows seem to be losing their fear of man, as they are less careful now in their choice of a place for building their nests; consequently the small boy brigade has a good time gathering eggs.

Messrs. Bellringer Bros.' (New Plymouth and Stratford) great advertising competition, which terminated on Christ-, mas Eve, resulted as' follows: First prize (first-class tourist ticket, North Island, and £5 cash for expenses), Mrs. Josh Boon, Stratford; 2nd (Anchor handsewing machine, value £6), Miss Lina Andrews, New Plymouth; 3rd (silverplated hot-water kettle, value £3), Roy James, Stratford; 4th, Ryder Hill, Stratford; sth, Miss Elsie Williams, New Plymouth; 6th, Miss Eva Rudings, Stratford; 7th, Mr. H. E. Thomas, Stratford. Ten additional prizes have been awarded, winners of which will be advised by the firm by letter.

. The Victorian military commandant, Colonel Stanley, went to Queenscliff the other day to inspect companies of the Royal Australian Engineers and Royal Australian Artillery at the fortresses. The inspection was greatly interfered with toy the unpleasant weather. The artillery were inspected* inside the fort walls instead of on the recreation reserve. As soon as the commandant had been received with the general salute a heavy rain squall caused all ranks to run for cover. That is all the Argus tells its readers about the inspection, but it adds, without any hint of sarcasm: "Colonel Stanley returned to town thoroughly satisfied that the permanent men garrisoning the forts at. the Heads were efficient." .

Apropos of the complaint in reference to the train which ran from New Plymouth to Stratford on Christmas Eve, returning empty, the Stratford stationmaster, Mr. J. B. Campbell, states that his instructions were to send the train back empty, so that he could not issue tickets to passengers by the train. The train did not leaw Stratford until about 1 a.m. on Christmas Day, and it is not certain that there v.ould have been many people anxious to travel at that time of the day. If passengers had beert taken it would have necessitated the stationmasters at all the intervening stations turning out to put the train through, and consideration for the officers no doubt prompted the conduct of the Railway Department in the matter.

The apathy of New Plymouth people ■in most matters pertaining to the welfare of the town, which, of course, is their own welfare, is remarkable, to say the least. Such a splendid advertisement of its natural assets as the beach picnic on New Year's Day drew only half a dozen people to the Town Hall last evening, and His Worship the Mayor—than whom none is more enthusiastic in appreciation of the aestheticism of our town —failed not to refer in pointed terms to this unfortunate trait in the popular character. Visitors have referred to this matter time and again through our columns and in conversation, and have marvelled at the fact. "There is another thing besides your oil and your 'harbor," they say. "Why don't you boom your place as & health and beauty resort?" New Plymouth, wake up!

In the course of improvements on the Old Hospital Road the Fifczroy Town Board removed an old landmark in the shape of the bridge over the old railway route, replacing it with a filling. This necessitated lowering the 10-inch water main, which formerly ran under the bridge. This was taken in hand by Mr. T. Smith, borough turncock, and the borough staff. Commencing at 7.30 on Wednesday morning, the men worked continuously until 5 p.m. yesterday—a long shift of 33% hours. During that time 10 chains of pipe were lowered a depth varying from a foot to nine feet. In order to complete the work with as little inconvenience' as possible, a new pipeline was put down on the filling, and the old pipe-line out and joined to it. The old pipes were put down 26 years ago, and were at that time guaranteed for 30 years. Now, within four years of that time, the pipe cut showed very little signs of corrosion, and looked good for at least another 20 years.

A very old atad well-known gold miner of the Westport district, Mr. Alfred William Pearee (better known as "Cockney Alf") has recently received some good news (says the Hokitika Guardian). A long time ago Mr. Pearee (who is now seventy-nine years of age) left London and came out to the colonial goldfields. Like many others, he lost touch with Home associations. Some months ago Mr. Streeter, of Fairdown (where Mr. Pearee resides) observed a newspaper advertisement inquiring for one Alfred William Pearee. The advertiser proved to be a young man in Canterbury, who was seeking a missing uncle. A meeting was arranged at Greymouth, when Mr. Pearce's identity with the person required was established. It appears that on her death in England, forty years ago, Mr. Pearce's mother bequeathed him .€3OOO. The money has accumulated at "compound interest, and has now reached Si, considerable sum probably about | ■ £20,000. The necessary legal papers to establish the Westport man's claims have been dispatched to London. The story covers a little romance of real life.

Mr. A; F. Mailde, working-manager at the Kaupokonui Dairy factory, in addition to losing all bis clothing at the recent fire, also lost' £ls in notes, reports the Waimate Witness. A Sydney cablegram states that at the Sydney General Post Office during Christmas week 115,800,000 letters, post-cards, and packets were handled, compared with 4,500,000 at the previous Christmas. There is an enormous disparity, which suggests a mistake somewhere. The London General Post Oliice handled only 24V0 millions.

The Electrical AVorld gives details of the equipment of the transport department of Messrs Gimbel Bros.' New York Departmental Stores with a service of 150 delivery waggons by the Edison Storage Battery Company. Sixtysix of these waggons were to" have been supplied by Christmas and the remainder in the new year. The journal says that "few single installations have had concentrated upon them the degree of investigation, forethought and detail consideration given to the one in question.'* In acknowledging a vote of thanks at Eltham the other day, Dr. Valintine said that in this country they had a first-class hospital Act, and one which would tend to greater economy and efficiency. If the provisions of the 4et were taken full advantage of, he, tie chief health officer, would only have to deal with 36 local authorities instead of 385 as at present In carrying out the Act lie relied on the sympathy and cooperation of the local bodies, and he was sure of that.

Mrs. Jane Morris, who resides in Jackson County, near the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains, in Kentucky, is. the greatest mother in the United States, if not in the world. Mrs. Morris' claim to greatness lies in the fact that she can boast of a total of 518 descendants, nearly all of whom are living, and not one of whom has been accused of crime. "Aunt Jane," as she is called, lives with her son near the little hamlet of Sand Gap, and her descendants own and occupy most of the land in Jackson County. She is eighty-six years old, and she says she expects to live to be a hundred and, to see descendants of the fifth generation. Mrs. Morris' husband died twenty years ago, six years after they had brated their golden wedding. She never married again, and, remarkable as it may seem, the entire number of descendants are from this one union.

The London police are enquiring into three clever bank robberies. Two of them are said to be the work of the ' same man, who recently entered the | offices of Messrs Drummond, banker?, , Charing Cross, and presented two cheques of the total value of £250. They were apparently drawn by a well-known customer of the firm, and, there being no difficulty about the signature; the money was paid. The same afternoon he visited the Henrietta-street branch of the London County and Westminster Bank, and produced two more cheques of the total value of £250, purporting to be signed by, the same gentleman. No suspicions were aroused, and the money was paid. The third fraud was perpetrated at an earlier date, at the branch of Messrs Barclay and Co., in Victoria-street, where the sum obtained was £640. Here a cheque had been abstracted from the let-ter-box of a firm carrying on business in the neighborhood, and the endorsement had been forged. >

■Writing to the Sydney Morning Herald from London, under date October 28, Sir H. W. Lucy says: "By chance I have, during the last few days, been associated with an eminent authority on naval affairs, in the direction of which he takes an active and important part. He is no politician, and I do not know whether, in discharge of his duties as a private citizen, he votes at Parliamentary elecj tions for Conservative or Liberal candid- . ates. But he knows the truth about the [ Navy, and he told it me, briefly, without I reserve. Up to the present date he, i acutely jealous for the maintenance of full naval strength, is satisfied. The Admiraltyprogramme, accomplished and projected, leaves nothing to be desired. But, he says, we are now approaching a critical period. With the Navy Estimates of next year is bound up the quesof British naval supremacy. Mr. McXenna, with full knowledge of the necessities of the situation, wSI be compelled to ask his colleagues in the Cabinet .to consent to considerably increased revenue. Judging from former experience, a section of the Cabinet, numerically small, but personally influential, will resist the demand. On the issue of the struggle will, according to this unprejudiced expert, depend the continued efficiency of the Navy."