LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 221, 12 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Gold was first discovered in Xew South \uiR-s on January 1:', 1851.

The tradespeople of Kaponga are unanimously in favor of the Saturday half-holiday, provided other town's fall in with the proposal. A two-year-old bullock which was Killed at the municipal abattoirs at Timaru turned the scales at 1000 lb. It was the largest bullock of its ever killed there. °

We have made arrangements with a Xew Zealand authority on poultry matters to conduct a weekly column in the Aews. The first article will appear in Saturday's issue, and will be found highly interesting and instructive. The new 2Vid stamp of the Union of South Africa is the first stamp to bear the effigy of King George V. So keen was the desire of collectors to gain possession of it that there was a great rush when it was issued, one collector purchasing £>lo worth of the stamps.

It is understood that trouble has arisen in connection with the new coinage, which may delay its issue. The design of the King's head has been executed in too high relief, a defect which will prevent stacking at the mint and the banks. Probably a new die will have to bo struck.

It is not generally known by school committees that extended power is given under last session's Act to establish continuation classes, and to enforce the attendance of children from fourteen years to seventeen years of age. Already some committees elsewhere arc taking advantage of the power. The Rotorua Times is not complimentary to some of the local Maoris. It records an instance 01 a Maori blacking a visitor's eye because he trod on the native's toe coming out of an entertainment, and another case of a Maori molesting a party of palcehas and interlarding threats with oaths. Besides these cases, petty thefts o{ money from tlie pockets of competitors at sports gatherings are the order of the day.

Bathers arc warned that the small variety of land shark commonly known as the sneak thief is about, and they would l>e well advised to be careful of their belongings when indulging in a dip in the briny. One gentleman at least complains tliat he has lost all the small change—not a very large amount, fortunately—that was in the pockets of his clothes, vl.ich he left hanging for a while in the East End bathing shed. During the past year 845 eases were enteied in the civil iiirisdietion of the New Pnn'outh Magistrate's Court. The cases brought !v Europeans against Maoris nuni'ie-cd 72, of which 30 were tried. Tliii total lunount sued for was £477 17s -Id, ami the amount recovered £213 18s 3d. Of the 773 cases entered concerning Europeans, 3!(7 were tried. The total sum sued for was .€11,722 14s Gd, and the amount recovered £-1070 10s 4d.

A novel suggestion has been made by the Clinton branch of the Farmers' Union in relation to farm labor. It is that the Railway Department -should be approached with a view to permitting notice boards to be placed on the walls of railway stations, so that members of unions could place notices on them indicating what labor they required at harvesting or other times. Laborers travelling by train would then be able to see at a glance where and what work was offering, and the farmers would be in a position to obtain the labor required without any expenditure of time or trouble. The suggestion will be considered at the next meeting of the Otago Provincial Executive of the Union.

A wedding party leaving on the bridal tour by any particular train, always attracts a large gathering of the fair sex (and occasionally a few of the. other sex) to farewell them. Yesterday there was an extra large crowd to witness the departure, of the afternoon south train, for had not three fashionable weddings taken place, and was it not confidently expected that at least two of the newlymarried couples would be leaving by that train? Thoss who assembled were, however, doomed to disappointment, for tlio train steamed out with the usual crowd of every-day passengers only, both wedding parties having commenced their tour per motor-car. one joining the train at Lcppcrton and the other at Inglewood.

Moikle. addressing a number of people from the Port Chalmers band rotunda last week, went over the welltrodden ground of bis grievances and his claim to larger compensation than has yet been given to him. He announced that aftei the completion of his present tour of the Dominion in support of his claims he would go to London to tell the British public, from the foot of the Nelson monument, where New Zealand was, and what it was," and that he would go to America in regard to a legacy left by a relative. He further intimated that he would be back in New Zealand in time for the general election, when he would make re-election difficult for some members of Parliament whose action in regard to his claims for compensation he strongly condemned. Enquiries have been made in Christchurch concerning the allegations that Christehurch brewers refused to supply beer to residents in the Ashburton county during the holidays. The answer returned was in eaeli ease that holidav orders were in many eases left so late tiiat they could not be filled, and that the demand especially for two-gallon kens of beer, was altogether in excess of the supply. Mr. E. Nordon. secretary of the Licenced Victuallers Association at Christelmrch, asked if he had any comment to make on the complaint, said he supposed the (liristehureh brewers had consciences, rliey had not enough small kegs to meet the demand, especially from the Ashburton district, and in the circumstances l they could scarcely have kept the monev forwarded.

ANXIOUS MOMENTS. One of the most anxious times of a mothers life is when her little ones have croup. There is no other medicine so effective in this terrible malady as Dr. Sheldon s New Discovorv. It can he safely given and bo depended upon. No mother should ever lip without a bottle 111 the house. Is Gd and 3s. Obtainable everywhere.

Life insurance companies are beginning to realise the perils of aviation, and policy holders in some of them are debarred from indulging in the sport, winch entails the risk of cancellation. At Monaco recently the Duke of Westminster s powerful motor water racer, the Ursula, made an average speed of forty-three miles an hour over a course about four miles in length. The Ursula is fifty feet in length, and has a total horse power of 800.

A Xew Zealander who recently paid a, visit to the Old World, during "his stay in Germany, paid a flying visit to Stockholm. He got into the train at Herlin, and never left it till he reached Stockholm, twenty-four hours later, the train running on to a huge ferry steamer \\ hich made the intervening sea iouriiev in eight hours. '

A most remarkable fatality is reported from one of the Pittsburg steel mines. An employee was carrying a lamp of steel when he came within range of a powerful magnet used as a crane. The unfortunato man was caught up like a flash and with such terrific force that the impact caused injuries from which he subsequently died.

A youth has been remanded nt Napier on a charge of stealing from St. Patrick's Cathedral a portion of a crucifix, also stealing a sum of money from the donation box of the Cathedral Club. The portion of the crucifix alleged to have been stolen was removed from the.Cathidral the day after Christmas, and was later returned in fragments, and deposited on the steps of one of the entrances to the edifice.

A recent visitor to Germany states that wonderful progress is befng made everywhere in that Empire. The population is remarkably thrifty, and Germany now beats France and England in point of volume of her post-office savings bank deposits. The traveller was impressed with the fact that he had not visited one German city that was not well built, clean and orderly. Berlin, as a model of cleanliness and beauty, stands m the foremost rank of modem cities. The same could be said of Hamburg, which is now only second to New York in point of its great harbor accommodation.

Two ladies had a very unhappy experience in Christchurch last week. They were walking on the footpath when a motor car on the road overtook them. As it drew near it swerved across the road to the wrong side, close to the footpath, and dashed through a puddle of muddy water close by them. Watsr and mud were scattered in all directions, and the ladies were bespattered from head to toe, their pretty dresses being ruined. The driver of the car rushed heedlessly on, but fortunately the ladies and others who saw the occurrence detected the number of the car, and hope to hear further from tile owner.

On Thursday afternoon a drowning accident wag just awrted at Napier by Mr. L. Ashworth. A gentleman and two ladies were bathing in the surf just off the end of the baths, where a sudden drop in the. beach causes the waves tobreak with a dangerous curl, N'one of the party could swim, and when a wave swept one of the ladies off her feet and drew her out the gentleman endeavored to save her, but was also swept off his feet by an incoming wave and dashed on the beach. At this juncture Mr. Ashworth, who was on the top of the bathg, saw the dangerous condition of affairs and leaped to the ground, a distance of 18ft, and plunging into the surf <|iiickly brought the lady ashore. Both she. and the gentleman were dazed and greatly exhausted, and but for Mr. Ashworth a fatality might have occurred.—Telegraph.

In fin interview with Mr. Lysnar, of Gisborne, Mr. Edison instanced his own inventions. There were over 0,000,000 men employed in connection with the* He showed him a model of a concretehouse, which hp ivas endeavoring to haveperfected, in order to assist the laboring man. He stated that he was trying to make a house suitable for the poor, aswell as the rich, by making a home out of concrete. He said: "I am making amodel of a workman's home which will have all the appearance of a 3000 dollar house, cast in a solid mass of reinforced concrete and very ornamental, designed! by the highest grade of architect, and within the reach of the day laborer to buy. No repairs and no insurances will be required. It will last for all time. It will be painted with concrete paint. The best grade of workman's house, with nine rooms, will cost 1200 dollars, say £240, and, for the laborer, with five rooms, 750 dollars, say £130."