LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 269, 23 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual general meeting of the New Plymouth Operatic Society has been postponed till Thursday evening next, March 30.

A slight earthquake shock was felt locally shortly after seven o'clock last •vening. Again early this morning, at 12.23 to be precise, another shock was experienced. | The sale, under distress warrant, of the Standard Oil Company's plant on the Carrington road, will not now take place, the claims against the estate having been satisfied. The mail train was crowded last night. Among the passengers were a largo number of delegates to the twenty-sixth annual convention of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which opens here to-day. A sub committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society is engaged in arranging a schedule for the forthcoming winter show. It will be submitted to the general committee at its next meeting on Tuesday evening.

The outward English mail despatched from Auckland via San Francisco on 11th February reached London on the 20th inst. The Aorangi, with an American mail for New Zealand, left San Francisco on the 20th inst. During the last few days a canvass has been made of the town for donations towards the prize list of the forthcoming winter show. The response so far has been very gratifying, hardly a refusal having been met with. Blackleg has made its appearance among stock near New Plymouth. One farmer, it is stated, lost some 20-months stock which had not been inoculated. Inoculation has been proved to be so successful in preventing the spread of disease, that it is marveljous that any farmer can be found who lias not taken advantage of it.

A deputation, consisting of Messrs. F. P. Corkill (chairman), MacDiarmid, F. C. Bellringer, members of the Advisory Committee of the New Plymouth Technical School, waited on the Education Board yesterday, and asked that the name should be changed to Technical College. The Board resolved to ask permission from the Education Department to allow effect to be given to the request. A mimher of settlers in the Pukearchue and neighboring districts are interesting themselves in acquiring, under the Land Settlement Finance Act, the estate of Mr. Watkins, containing 030 acres. The land is unusually good, and highly suitable for sub-division. We arc asked to state that anyone wishing to participate should communicate at once with Messrs. A. R. Davis and John Skinner.

This evening there will be a granu display of fireworks ill Pukekura Park arranged by the Park Board. The Garrison Band will also assist with a fine programme of music. The funds realised will be devoted to the improvement of that magnificent asset of our town known throughout New Zealand as thu "Ref." There should therefore be a large attendance, for not only will a good evening's enjoyment be provided for the small sum of one shilling, but that shilling or a large percentage of it will be spent in a way that must directly benefit the town, consequently the more shillings the greater benefit.

The "blow-up's" at the petroleum works may be welcomed as a sign of | success by those interested in the company, hut the residents in the immediate vicinity rather dread the subterranean disturbances. One gentleman informed a News reported that he has had his garden ruined by the oil sprayed on it, owing to the wind catching the crude oil as it was thrown into the air. Even full-grown pumpkins absorbed the petroleum, which made them unfit to eat. The housewife, too, has a horroi of the spurting wells, as clothes are sometimes sprinkled. The informant says that while he has the interests of the industry at heart, lie wishes some steps would be taken to minimise the unpleasantness. lie suggests that No. 3 derrick should be topped like the other erections, so as to confine the oil! more 'effectively. .

On Tuesday, Captain Mills received notification that he is again under arrest for alleged insubordination.

The Inglewood Brass Bjnd appears for the last time before the puiilic tonight; at any rate, so tile local papci says. Let us hope that it's tijne has not yet come.

It is understood that under the new Territorial system the Taranaki battalion will be raised to 1000 strong, and the headquarters of Hie mounted divi sion will be at Hawera, and that of the infantry at Stratford. MrJ. Liddel Kelly, the well-known New Zealand journalist,' is interesting himself in an endeavor to secure the clemency .of the Crown for Lionel Terry, the man with nininti-Clime.se kink who murdered a celestial in Wellington a year or two

It is understood that nothing further lias yet been done in respect of the demands of the workers in dairy factories, says the Hawera Star. The present arrangement comes to an end in a few months, and a new agreement has been asked for, but as a condition precedent the representatives of the dairy companies desire that the workers shall act through a registered union, and this aspect of the matter is under consideration.

There is one man who will leave the Dominion with a very favorable opinion of it. It is Baron Von Droste, who has been on an'extended'visit to New Zealand, and is returning shortly to the Fatherland. Writing to a friend, he says: '"I have now seen most of New -Zealand, and I have formed the conclusion that we have not a country in the whole of Europe anything like it." The gardens at New Plymouth he characterised as unique and the best he had ever seen, not excepting those at Naples. The anti-prohibition demonstration at Mr. H. D. Bedford's open-air meeting on Saturday evening at Masterton, when the advocates of restoration eventually took charge, has caused unprecedented interest to be taken in the prohibition question, which is now the sole topic of conversaton (says the Masterton correspondent of the Wellington Times). The fight at the next general election gives promise of being the bitterest on record, and the contest for the Masterton seat will be a secondary consideration—a sort of side issue. Business men are beginning to express their views on the no-license question publicly. A correspondent, writing to Le Temps, Paris, from Timbuctoo, announces the discovery of the remains of the Scottish explorer, Major Alexander Gordon Lung, who was murdered by natives in 1826 between Timbuctoo and Arawan while exploring the sources of the Niger on behalf of the British Government. All previous searches for his remains have proved unsuccessful, but M. .Bonnel dc Mezie-Clazel, Governor of the Upper Senegal, discovered that Major Laing had been murdered and buried at a place called Saehb, 31 miles north of Timbuctoo. On digging at the spot indicated by the natives, he found the remains of the Scottish officer interred at a depth of 3ft at the foot of a tree.

The visit of the Acting-Premier to I Parihaka has been a source of great gratification to the Maoris of the coast, who have been having the time of their lives. When Mr. Carroll came on to New Plymouth he was followed by quite a number of admiring and enthusiastic compatriots, an motor-cars, traps, horses, and bicycles. When they reached town, they kept as close to their I 'r'angitira" as they could, and were not' a little disappointed when nightfall came. One or two of them even went bo far as to suggest that they be per-' mitted to sleep on the mat in front ot Mr. Carroll's room, to act as watch-dogs as it were, but this privilege, much to their chagrin, was denied them. There was lamentation, deep and sincere, when their great chief, a worthy successor of the prophets, Te Whiti and Tohu (as they described him), moved out of New Plymouth.

One swallow docs not make ,a summer, nor does the arrival of one. direct sailing boat make a full harbor, but we have unbounded faith in the future of this province, and we feel sure that the time is close at hand when direct boats from the Old Country to Xew Plymouth will be such a common event as to call for scarcely any comment (says the Eltham Argus). Another direct arrival will be the Lauderdale, a new steamer which, is coming direct to Xew Plymouth with a large .general cargo. These are significant indications and they must be very gratifying to all people who take an intelligent interest in the welfare of Tarannki and rejoice in its progress. The full benefits of direct communication will not be realised by the arrival of the boats we have named owing to the high rates for marine insurance that are charged by the various offices. However, this, we believe, is only a temporary drawback. Later on, when the port is better known, and confidence gained hv the insurance offices lower rates will prevail.

ilr. John Harrington, of Denniston, is visiting Wellington in connection with the legacy left to the Harrington family by his late uncle, Patrick McHuire, o'f Xew York. The history of this fortune reads like a romance. Mr. McGuire, when a youth, went to America from (la I way, Ireland, to New York, and through the influence of wealthy relations obtained employment in one of the important railways fifty years ago, and, being a shrewd young man, saw the possibilities of speculations in railway stocks. Success crowned his efforts, so much so that at the time of his death, a year ago. we are informed, he left seven million dollars, all invested in valuable railway stocks. The whole of this estate goes to the Harrington family, which consists of Mr. John Harrington, of Denniston, Mr. Barclay Harrington, of ITawcra, a:id Mrs. Cow, iate of Barrett's Hotel, Wellington, and now of Sydney, who will receive nearly half a million each. The legatees' solicitors are Messrs Hubble and Co., Xew York, who discovered the whereabouts of the Harrington family through the agency of the Union Bank of Australia.

A controversy is waging in the Wanganui papers in regard to harbor improvements, and. incidentally, to tho possibility of New Plymouth becoming a transhipment port for the west coast of the island. In the course of a letter to the Chronicle, Mr, A. Ila trick, the wellknown merchant, says:—"We are informed by the Department that the charge for haulage at New Plymouth ia 3s and 2s for wharfage, and not os as I stated. I am glad the 'Department has taken a hand (if only a back rowone) in this controversy. They should have also informed you that the 'Department' before handing over to the Aew Plymouth Board takes a further amount out of the 2s, The 'Department' will not allow the consignee to take delivery of his cargo at the Breakwater wharf. Oh no! That would deprive them of their 3s and the further slice out of the poor Board's 2s. The cargo must be taken to New Plymouth, and carted from the good's shed there to the merchant's warehouse or elsewhere, as the ease may be, at a further cost ot probably 2s for cartage, thus making a sum total charge of some 7s—a nice handicap indeed. No wonder that New Plymouth curses its unluckv star, "the Department." No wonder Christcbureh wants its canal. The port charges there! arc worse than New Plymouth'." ~