LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 253, 4 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The primary schools had a holiday yesterday. In the Magistrate's Court yesterday, morning, before Mr. H. S. Fitzhcrbert, • S.M., a first offending drunkard was convicted and discharged. It' is understood that the Government will shortly take into consideration the question of establishing one or niortt cancer hospitals for the Dominion. At a meeting of the Taranaki Licensing Committee at noon yesterday a transfer of the license of the White Hart Hotel from Charles Clarke to William George Emeny was granted. Mr. C 'H. Weston appeared in support of the application. The Okato Hotel is changing hands, Mrs. E. Little having sold her interest to Mr. Booker, who takes charge to-day. Mr. Booker is the son of the licensee of the Prince of Wales Hotel, Auckland, who was formerly licensee of the Lake Takapuna Hotel. A day or two ago Messrs. E, Whittle and W. Birch, members of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society, liberated 1500 yearling rainbow trout at the Meeting of the Waters, Mangorei. The fish were in excellent condition, and were taken from the hatcheries in the Recreation Grounds.

Dr. Clark, an ex-member of the British House of Commons, had a good word to say for the climate of New Zealand, after a tour. Before leaving for Sydney he stated that he considered that the'climate of the North Island was the best he had experienced in his many journeys to various parts ot the world. He had no reason to change his opinion after his third visit during the past thirty years.

A gentleman resident in Hastings has received a cutting from a Dutch paper published in the Transvaal, where it is recorded that five ostrich chicks were sold at £lO5 each. The gentleman, who is interested in ostrich breeding, said tke climate of the Dominion is in every way suitable for ostrich rearing, but our birds.are inferior, and as in the case of sheep and cattle, a good strain would have to be introduced before success would be gained. A Hawkc's Bay settler was charged with cruelty to animals in shooting at and wounding a bull. It appeared that a neighbor's bull had strayed on to his property, and when he tried to drive the animal off it had charged him, and defendant, in self-defence, shot at the animal, but did not wait to see the effect of his shot, being not too particular about the order of iiis going. On hearing the explanation the magistrate entered a conviction and discharged him.

Tt is wcll-kno,w amongst trout-anglers that eels are responsible for the wholesale destruction of yoling trout, and an incident happened a few days ago at the hatcheries . in the Recreation Grounds that proved beyond doubt the rapacity of the "tuna." Two members of the local acclimatisation society proceeded to the ponds t« secure fish for liberation. In one of the concrete tanks the first cast of the net brought up a two-pound eel, but no trout. It was subsequently discovered that the eel had devoured all the young trout that had been placed in the tank. One of the evidences of progress in China, reported by the London Times correspondent, is that at an international tennis tournament held recently in the grounds of the British Legation at Pckip the first prize for mixed doubles was won by a member of the Wai-wu-pu (Foreign Office) and his partner, Miss Liu, the daughter of the new Minister to London, and among those who watched the matches there were almost as many Chinese as foreigners. Most of them were ladies, for Chinese women arc now heginning to follow the example of their husbands and to mix in foreign society.

Prior to the Opotiki show, a local journal, "in holiday vein," gave a few points to visitors, the following items being culled therefrom: —"First and foremost: Opotiki is not heaven, but it's mightyadjacent to it—in fact, some of us will never get any nearer." "Opotiki has a few white elephants, mostly public enterprise, (Note: It's one-time famous cow is defunct)." "Opotiki is the only township in New Zealand which is worth living in. and if you've any doubt about it, ask anybody who has a farm for sale —land agents for choice." "Opotiki, finally, is a sweet place to get into, but a dickens of a place to get out of." A fairly solid reminder that the Valley of the Waitara has not always been the peaceful settlement it is to-, day was given by the finding of a cannon ball on Messrs. W. R. Wilson and Co.'s property, Waitara West, a few days ago (says the Mail). The shell was bored into, and was loaded with 31bs of lead bullets, evidently intended to scatter with concussion, but in this case the "messenger" failed in its duty, though probably in hurtling through the air it caused sufficient consternation to achieve the object desired. The ball and its contents have been left at the Mail office, where they may be inspected by the curious.

The Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister for Tourist and Health Resorts, has circularised county councils throughout the Dominion regarding, the fact that tourists and others travelling throughout the Dominion are frequently inconvenienced by the absence of finger-posts, where roads diverge, while in some cases where finger-posts have been provided the signs have become broken or otherwise illegible. The Minister would be glad if the councils would take such action to make adequate provision for the assistance and guidance of travellers. At the Clifton County Council's meeting yesterday it was pointed out that finger-posts were prominent at most junctions of leading roads throughout the county. The council did not think it necessary to take further action in the matter. YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND

Thai »v vMoiis vne (jomroercial eucalyptus Oil, which is now bought UP at 6d per lb. weight and bottle, and, on account of the large profits, pushed, you are exposing yourself to all the dangers to which the use of turpentine will expose you—irritation of kidneys, intestinal tract and mucous membranes. By insisting on the GENUINE SANDER EUCALYPTI EXTRACT yon not only avoid these pitfalls, but you have a stimulating, 9afe and effective medicament, the result of a special and careful manufacture. Remember: SANDER'S EXTRACT -m----bodies the result of 50 years' experience and of special study, and it does what is promised; it cures and heals without injuring the constitution, as the oils on the market frequently do. Therefore, protect yourself br rejecting other brands.

The successful tenderers for the 175,000 Coronation medals ordered by the Government were Messrs. McGruer, Thomson and Co., of Fcilding.—Press telegram. A very large number of people near Wellington are picking blackberries this year, and sending them in tins to the Wellington market. Every day about 20 kerosene tins arrive. Every tin contains 301b of the wild fruit. The price obtain--led at the auctions is 2V4<l to 2 , / 2 d per lb, which is equal to .is l%d to lis .'id per tin. One woman's cheques have amounted to £fi a week.

A lady correspondent of a Sydney paper wonders if the wearers are awaxe where the rich .sealskin jackets that they prize so highly all come from. "The chances are," she maintains, ''that, if they are visitors from Australia, enjoying a trip Home, they may have met some of those "seals' before, on a rabhiter's cart, o:i the way to the depot." She adds that "many a fond husband who takes back from London a costly sealskin jacket as a present to his wife or daughter .night just as well have stayed at home in Australia and shot that seal in a back padd>'Ck.''

Local votaries of the rod are somewhat exercised in mind at the action of the authorities in charge of the weir at the Waiwakaiho bridge in not allowing pasasges to be made to enable the trout to go up stream for spawning purposes. It is reported that quite a number of splendid fish have recently been found dead on the banks of the river between the weir and the sea. As fish have been frequently been observed leaping on to the weir and floundering about on the wire netting, it is considered by those competent to express an opinion thai the trout become knocked about and exhausted and then die.

An analysis of the totalizator takings at the Dunedin race meeting shows that, the receipts of the machine have increased by about £14,000 compared with last year. This represents to the club, at 7 1 / 2 per cent., a sum of £IOSO. If twenty bookmakers had been registered each day at an average of £2O, they would have produced £I2OO. It is open to question, therefore, whether the club has derived any benefit from the abolition of the bookmaker. The country, however, has made a distinct gain. At 2'/ 2 per cent, it has secured an increased revenue of .£350, to say nothing of the tax upon the larger takings of the club.—Masterton Age. American magistrates sometimes take upon themselves to administer the law. A wife-beater was severely handled by a Pennsylvania magistrate, to whom an ill-used wife, a frail and delicate woman, had shown cuts and bruises on different parts of her body. She asked for some protection, and a warrant was issued for the man's arrest. When the delinquent appeared in court the Magistrate left his desk carrying a heavy whip. "I cannot control myself in the presence of such a brute," he exclaimed. "Take off your coat and get down on your knees." The magistrate then lashed him until he rolled over howling. "I'll teach you to strike your wife," said the indignant magistrate several times, nnd he desisted from Hogging him only when the man promised never'to strike his wife again.

liast night It rained—and the lights on the Carrington road were not more brilliant than usual. A harmless citizen proceeded to town and another came from thence with an umbrella held well

down to stem the southern torrent. The citizen moving north got the point of the umbrella just at the top waistcoat button, and stood patiently by awaiting some announcement for the typical democrat. "WellS" growled the man with the umbrella. "Well?" said the man with the bruised brisket, "I —cr — | thought you might be going to 'beg pardon.'" "1 didn't hurt yer, did It", said the courteous owner of the umbrella. "Not much," panted the damaged person. "What the are yer growling about then," hissed the owner of the umbrella. It was a lesson in manners, and a type of method particularly common in some communities. A serious accident happened on Thursday in the Manawatu Gorge, states the travelling correspondent of the Dominion. While driving home from Pahiatua, about six o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley, of Ballance, were precipitated over a cliff in the gorge, falling a distance of about (K)ft. The horse shied, and backed, and overturned the trap, which, with its occupants and the horse itself, went over together. Mrs. Bradley sustained a severe concussion of the brain and a fractured arm. Mr. Bradley, wonderful to relate, was practically unhurt. Mrs. Bradley was afterwards driven to the Pahiatua Hospital by a gentleman named Mr. Cameron. She was discovered to be in a very critical condition indeed. In addition to concussion of the brain and a ...broken arm, she had also had a severe shaking, and had sustained other minor injuries. The trap was badly damaged, but the horse escaped any serious injury. A correspondent scuds the Christehurch News a story from the We.st Coast which he says is true, concerning a wood-chop-ping competition that occurred in the backblocks. It was a handicap, and the champion of the district, commonly called "Big Bill," was on the scratch mark. The starter sent the limit man away, and at frequent intervals the other competitors whirled in. There was a long wait between the last of the handicap men and the scratch man, but at length Big Bill got the word and went off like a whirlwind. He won handsomely, and of course was cheered by an admiring throng, with exclamations like "He's a ono-er!" and "Ain't he a snorter'" The only spectator who did not enthuse was a little Irishman, who Wanted to know what all the fuss was about. He was told: "Why, Bill, of course. Didn't you see him win? He beat them all."

'•Win!" exclaimed the Irishman, "ami why shouldn't he linve wan? Sure, he didn't start till the other* were tired'"