LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 262, 15 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The body of the late Wray Palliser Finch was exhumed on Tuesday, and will be re-interred in the Karori Cemetery, leaving by this morning's mail.

A Crimean veteran who died at Nottingham recently at the age of 88 years used to be a big man in the Grenadier Guards, in his prime he stood Oft Sin in his stockings.

The usual 7.28 train arrived at New Plymouth at 8.35 last night. The train was running late and was side-tracked at Inglewood so as to enable the mail train to run up to time. Some Sydney boys recently hooked and hauled up three sharks off Manly. They measured 13ft., 10ft., and Oft. respectively. Bathers just before were unconsciously almost alongside this shoal of sea monsters.

Correspondents are requested to observe the rule that newspaper contributions should be written on only one side of the paper. Writing on both sides causes considerable inconvenience, and ofttimes annoyance, in a newspaper office.

The other day the atmosphere of the Bruce County Council office was redolent of small birds' eggs and heads. The day's record was 185 dozen eggs and heads, supplied by a number of local boys and girls. One girl brought 47 dozen, and proudly intimated that she had more at homo!

An unattended horse attached to a milk cart took fright at a motor-waggon in Currie street yesterday morning, and essayed a bolt. It had not got properly under weigh before it was stopped in front of the News office by two passersby. The youthful driver took matter* very philosophically, however, and came sauntering to the scene as calmly as possible. He was evidently i» no hurry, even if the horse was.

The council of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society has appointed Messrs. T. H. Phillips, J. S. Colmer, C. Penwarden, and H. Chapman as a sub-committee for the Rahotu district. These gentleman will act on behalf of the society in looking after its interest in game and fish in that district. They will have similar powers to that of constables in dealing with persons who transgress the society's shooting and fishing laws. Taranaki holds the premier rifle shot position this year, as the result of the annual competition just concluded at Trentham proves. In addition to the championship coming to the butter province, the next event of importance, the Champion Rifle Teams' Match was won by the Ohura Rifle Club, whose team consisted of the two Williams, two Lovedays, and G. Currie. This club has only been in existence three years, and is practically a backblocks club. A meeting of the Egmont National Park Board was held yesterday morning. Mr. F. Simpson presided, and thenwere also present Messrs. S. PercySmith, •C. Goodson, A. Budge, F. 11. Wilkie, J. R. Hill and W. A. Collis. Apologies were received from Messrs. A. H. Moore and G. A. Marchant. A deputation consisting of Messrs. Newton King, C. W. Govett, M. Fraser, and E. Griffiths waited on the Board .and submitted amended proposals with reference to the new hotel. After considerable discussion it was decided to grant a lease to the trustees of the guarantors on the amended conditions put before the meeting, subject to the approval of the Board's solicitors.

After opening the Ohura Agricultural Show at Nihoniho on Wednesday, Mr. Jennings, M.P., came overland from Mangaroa to Whangamomona. Fifteen years ago, when Mr. Jennings and a party left Davis and Sladden's camp, then situated this side of the Whanga saddle, this journey took the party six days' uncomfortable travelling. On this occasion Mr. Jennings left Mangaroa on Thursday morning, and was in Whagaimomona in the afternoon, when he visited the railway construction works, which are now right into the township. He left next morning for Stratford, visiting the Whangamomona tunnel. This is a curiosity in its way, as a descent by ladder down two shafts has to be made before reaching the level where the men are working. He was in Stratford before three o'clock in the afternoon. Great activity in road work in various parts of the Tangarakau Gorge was observed, where six different camps of road-men are engaged in some difficult work.

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, before Mr. H. S. Fitzherbert, S.M., judgment was given for the plaintiff by default in the following cases: Newton King (Mr. D. Hutchen) v. Arthur Hickford, claim £52 14s, costs £5 6s; John Grayson (Mr. Hutchen) v. Bruce Wallace, £1 (8s); William Nixon (Mr. A. R. Standish) v. Alexander Ross, £1 8s od (Cs); H. A. McCleland (Mr. F. E. Wilson) v. A. E. Nesbitt, £5 18s (18s Od); A. B. Bullot (Mr. Standish) v. Wni. Huse, 14s Od (ss); W. 11. San'gster (Mr. Quilliam) v. Ned Ramaki, £1 (12s); same v. Charlie Topuke (12s); same v. Geo. Ramaki, 16s 8d (12s); B. C. O'Dowda (Mr. Standish) v. Standard Oil Co, of New Zealand, Ltd., £ll4 0s 8d (£5 17s); E. Erlandson (Mr. Standish) v. Standard Oil Co. of New Zealand, Ltd., £B7 10s (£4 13s Od); Henry Dyne (Mr. Standish) v. Standard Oil Co., £OB 3s 4d (£4 4s); J. E. W. Henchman (Mr. Standish) v. Standard Oil Co., £sl lis 4d (£3 15s Od); A. E. Turner (Mr. Standish) v. Standard Oil Co., £37 12s (£2 14s); Percy Maee (Mr. Standish) v. Standard Oii Co., £25 (£2 14s); A. C. Marr (Mr. Hutchen) v. 11. E. H. Claridge, £4 13s 2d (10s); Wm. Rowe (Mr. Standish) v. Wm. Taylor, 14s Id (13s); Alice Simpson (Mr. Hutchen) v. Wm. Pratt (otherwise called Rangi tel Heinga), £64 4s 5d (£4 18s). Judgment summonses were dealt with as follows: B. H. Chancy (Mr. Hutchen) v. W. R. Arthur, order made for payment of amount claimed, £3 17s Od, within seven days, or in default seven days' imprisonment; J. Lawn (Mr. Johnstone) v. Thos. Conroy, £4 Is fid (no appearance of defendant), order made for payment of amount within seven days, or in default seven days' imprisonment; same v. Pipi Leatherby, claim £4 12s fid. Defendant, who appeared, made an offer to pay £1 per month. Judgment was given for payment of full amount forthwith, in default seven days' imprisonment, order to be suspended provided £1 per month is paid.

A Press Association cablegram from London confirms the sailing of the barque Margit, 1241 toii3, for New Plymouth, direct.

Writes a Taranaki man from Blenheim:—''Ever been in Blenheim? It's about the last word in casy-goingness. But it is charmingly pretty, passive and prosperous."

A Stratford livery-stable keeper is now the proud possessor of Sir .Joseph Ward's landau, for which he paid at auction a little over one hundred guineas, probably about a third of its cost in London. In the infant room of the Stratford School last week, the little bodies made !)8 per cent, of possible attendances—i.n excellent record (says the Post!. 'J he average attendance for tli.i whole O ci>ool was 037. A record was put up one morning, when every ihi'd on the infart. room roll was :i attcn-l wee.

The keeper of a private hotel in Wellington recently told members of the Arbitration Court that he was doing well up to about 18 months ego. His boarders, however, were all tradesmen—artisans and they had nearly all gone away to Australia or somewhere else. Consequently business had suffered seriously in the succeeding 12 months. In the last six months, he added, he had noticed an improvement.

Another instance of how the law may operate after a considerable lapse of time is afforded by an arrest made in Wellington on Monday night. In the" year l!)05,"at Masterton, a man named Charles Williams, alias Doyle, received a sentence of one month's imprisonmeiit on a charge of assault. Before serving the sentence Williams disappeared from Masterton, and was a "wanted" man until Monday night, when Detective Casscls and Mason placed him under arrest to undergo the term of imprisonment. Some thirty teachers from Wanganui and South Taranaki spent an enjoyable picnic at 'tile Patea beach on Saturday last. Mr. Thomas, of Eltliam, gave a history of the spot, and Mr. Strack, of Hawera, told the old Maori legend of Taranaki. A contributor to the Patea Press, writing of the picnic, said: "The stories hoard gave added interest to an already interesting spot. When one was told that through a love quarrel Tongariro 'kicked out' Taranaki and formed Lake Taupo, and that his track to the sea is now seen in the Wanganui river, and also that wherever the lonely mountain rested lakes were formed, as at Ilnwera and Oeo, one got a clearer insight into t!i» workings of the mind of the savage Maori and his picturesque methods of explaining nature's handiwork."

Canon A. D. Tapper Carey, M.A., one of the Anglican missioners recently in New Zealand, told a Home interviewer on his return that what struck him especially about the colonies was that everybody seemed to be well off everywhere. "We in England," he said, "sec men down on their uppers, but in the colonies I saw no poverty whatever, nobody out of work, everybody well fedtall, healthy men, with plenty of beef in them." The canon is most enthusiastic about New Zealand. "It is a wonderful country," he said, "and the climate is very fine. It is a paradise for working men." He describes the Mission of Help as most successful. The churches were crowded everywhere, and the people most responsive. "There's nothing like travel to broaden one's mind," concluded Canon Tuppor Carey.

The first session New Plymouth Technical School for J9ll will open on Monday next. The prospectus for .the session has just been issued. It is a comprehensive little booklet, and contains much information that will be useful to all those desirous of taking advantage of the classes. There should be many of these, because the objects of the Technical School are to provide classes to enable those engaged during the day to continue their education and prepare for various examinations, and also to give such instruction in various trades and occupations, both in theory and practice, as will increase the efficiency and ability of the worker. With these ends in view, the following classes have been arranged:—Languages: English, Latin, French, and elocution; Commercial classes: Book-keeping (junior and advanced), shorthand and typewriting. Domestic classes: Dressmaking, cookery, domestic economy and hygiene. Artisan and trade classes: Mechanical drawing, machine construction and drawing, building construction and drawing, plumbing, joinery, cabinet-mak-ing, etc. Capable instructors have been engaged. Regulations governing admission, etc., as wel! as a time-table for the session, are included in the prospectus, which may be obtained from any bookseller, or on application at the Education Board office.

During a number of years visiting of frontier settlements, now better known as backblocks, the member for Taumarunui (Mr. W. T. Jennings) has met some very interesting people, some with prefixes, and affixes to their names, in the way of titles and degrees, such as that possessed by Dr. Pangloss, L.L.D., A.S.S., in that good old comedy of "Pau! Pry," now so rarely seen on the stage. One of those met with in a bush district was formerly a follower of liars, and like Cincinnatus of old, when the war was over in the early days of New Zealand, he laid down his sword and took up the ploughshare. He was formerly band-sergeant in the Oath Regiment, and was a collector of military band scores. He has in his possession scores arranged by Bandmasters Daniel Davis and James Shanahan, of the 58th Regiment, some dating back to 1850, and written at Auckland. Amongst many are "The Governor Wynvard Quadrilles," selections from "Weber's Euryaiitlii," "Hallelujah Chorus," "Rorv O'Moore," etc. He has also the scores of Bandmaster Taylor, of the 05th Regiment, and many others, making a very interesting collection of music which soothed the residents of New Zealand sixty years ago. Tn reference to the above-mentioned bandmasters who were so well-known in the old days it is interesting to know that a son of Bandmaster Tavlor has recently retired from the Auckland Lands office, where he had been Receiver of Land Rcveue for a number of years. A daughter of Bandmaster Shanahan, so well and favorably known as the director of eoncerts for many years and choir-mistress Patrick's Cathedral. Auckland, is still teaching music in Auckland. Bandmaster Davis' wife, immediately after his death, entered a convent at Auckland, where she died a few years ago.

The death occurred at Pukeroro on Thursday morning of Mr. J. G. Ward, a well-known farmer. Mr. Ward had thq misfortune to be bitten by a rodent some months ago; blood-poisoning set in, and eventuated in his death.

An effort is being made to raise tlm necessary funds for the erection of new buildings at the Otago University. It is intended to erect a students' building and two large class-rooms, the cost of which will be about £12,000. The wife of an owner of a bathing shed at Dunedin had an unpleasant experience one morning last week. The woman had gone along the beach to see if the place were clean, and was about to enter when a man seized her from behind and pressed a dirty rag covered with idioform into her mouth. After a desperate struggle she evaded his grasp and 1 escaped. 'Unfortunately she can give no adequate description of him. The police are enquiring. In the Sydney Sun, a few days ago, the following cable message from Ottawa appeared:—"The Bill incorporating the All Red Steamship Co. has passed the Private Bill Committee. The company, which is strongly backed by British capital, proposes to establish a lino of 25-knot steamers between Blacksod Bay (Ireland) and Halifax, with a train ferry between England' and Ireland. It is claimed that this route will reduce the Atlantic passage to three and a-half days for the Pacific service from Vancouver to Auckland and Sydney." A person who has interested himself in the study of sly-grog shops told an Ashburton ' Guardian reporter that almost all the grog-sellers t are now giving up their risky business. He added that the police surveillance jis too thorough to allow the trade to be earriedi on to any extent, and the demand for liquor docs not warrant the risk of £SO fines. Whisky and beer could be obtained too easily from Chertpey and Rakaia for a man to have to wait for the cover of darkness to steal through the back entrance of a house carrying on the trade. Even those persons who somewhat extensively made tome-brewed beer do not care to take the risk of retailing it, as even in this direction the police are unusually alert, said the speaker.

The latest returns show that there are 5731 artisans and laborers employed on co-operative works throughout the Dominion, as follows:—Railways: Kawa-kawa-Grahamstown 261, Kawakawa-Ho-kianga 196, North Auckland 361; East Coast Main Trunk, Tauranga-Paengawa 164, Gisborne-Motu 355; Stratford Ongarue 373; South Island Main Trunk, north end 162, south end 88; Midland, NelsonInangahua 131, lteefton-luangahua 85, Broken River-Bealey 152; Westport-In-betli 170, Catlins-Wahnahaka 206. Buildings, 328. Roads: North Auckland 418, Auckland 253, Tauranga 80. Otoko 247, Stratford 736, Wellington 127, Marlborough 46, Nelson 1)4, Wcstport 02, Greymouth 162, Canterbury 39, Otago 36.