LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 289, 1 May 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There was a slight earthquake at about nine o'clock last night.

The Lord Chamberlain lias notified leading dressmakers that hobble skirts will not be allowed at Court functions, says a London cablegram. Yesterday morning there was a fire at Bell Block, a farmhouse, owned and occupied by Mr. P. J. Sheehy, being burnt to the ground whilst the occupants were at church. Returns of the number of births, deaths, and marriages for the New Plymouth district for the month of April arc supplied by Mr. J. S. S. Medley (Registrar): Births 22, deaths 7, marriages 7.

Farmers in town on Saturday were very well pleased with the warm, moist weather which has prevailed lately, as it has caused the grass to come on wonderfully well, and there should be a fair supply of winter feed. At a meeting of card players held in the Rolland Hall on Friday evening, it was decided to form an Hiberian Card Club. Mr. Groombridge was appointed captain and delegate to the Association, and Mr. Martin Shivnan vice-captain. The shooting season opens to-day. A number of local sportsmen have travelled _to various parts of the province in the hope of securing good bags. Some have gone even as far as Foxton, where game is said to be plentiful.

'llev. F. H. Spencer, agent for the British and Foreign Bible Society, preached appropriate sermons to large congregations at St. Mary's Church yesterday morning and at the Whiteley Memorial Chuich in the evening, in connection \Vith the tercentenary of the Authorised Version of the Bible.

Entries for the forthcoming winter show to be held in New Plymouth on June (, S, 9, and 10, are coming in very well, and numerous applications have also been received for space. Farmers are reminded that entries for Messrs E. Griffiths and Co.'s £lO 10s watch competition close on May 27th, and that it be advisable to bear this in mind and save a sufficient number of swedes prior to turning their stock on to the swede patch.

The Sheffield Choir, which has set out out on its tour of Australia and New Zealand, comprises 200 members, nnd an ingenious idea has heen adopted to prevent the luggage of the singers getting mixed on the journey. Each member has been allotted a number, which in figures Gin. high, must be painted' on Jus boxes in different colors, according to the voice of the singer, as follows" First soprano, light red; second soprano, dark red; first contralto, light yellowsecond contralto, dark yellow; first tenor, light blue; second* tenor, dark blue; first bass, light green; second bass, dark green.

On Saturday morning, in the Magistrate's Court, before Mr. H S Fitzlierbert, S.M., Frank William Hetiierington pleaded guilty to charges of having been drunk the previous day whilst in charge of a horse in Dawson street, and also with having procured liquor durin" the currency of a prohibition order. .Sergeant Dart, who prosecuted, stated accused was so drunk that be did not even recollect being arrested. The prisoner, who had lately been attended br Dr. Wvlie for alcoholism, was suffering so much from drink that Dr. Wvlie had to be called to attend him in the cells, and considered he should be remanded for medical treatment. J his the Sergeant concurred with, and accused was accordingly remanded for a week. The Court will then consider the advisability of sending him to an institution for inebriates, as desired bv his friends.

Fifty stolen bicycles He unidentified in a. shed at the Christchnroh police station. They represent to their owners probably a value of nearly £SOO, but what is left of them now might not realise on a forced sale as much as £SO. They are the collection of city constables. Every dar cycles are found in city or suburbs. There is little chance of detecting the culprits. A business is made of bicycle thieving. This is proved by the mass of parts that have been recovered by the ipolice. Perhaps two cycles are stolen and the good parts interchanged to make a good serviceable mcvcle. which has the virtue of bein? unidentifiable. The rejected parts find their way to the police station. There "iT , PR that have been sawn through, old wheels, rusty handlebars, old chains, but nothing serviceable. The parts' that the police get are dearly the rejects of a nefarious trade in stolen cycles. The police receive reports of' losses daily. .

Last month 2874 persons arrived in the Dominion, as against 2550 for Inst year. The number of departures was 4481, last year 389/5.

A Napier land agent reports having sold for the quarter ending March 31 seventy-four separate town and country properties, representing a capital of ovei £IOO,OOO.

An extraordinary occurrence happened near Cambridge '(states the Waiknto Independent), wjiereby the driver of a vehicle received serious injuries to his head. He was returning to Hamilton driving two horses in a brake. Suddenly a couple of men jumped into the vehicle, one of whom seized the driver and, remarking "Out you go," violently hurled him from the seat on to the roadway. The victim of the cowardly action received very serious injuries to the side of his face, and was otherwise badly shaken. The plethora of sheep in Southland is amply demonstrated by the heavy yardings at the regular sales. Statistics show that there is an increase of sheep in Southland as compared with previous years, and owing to the drought prevailing in the north of this island, there has been no demand from that quarter. This, coupled with the fact that Birchwood, Merrivale, and Five Rivers stations have thrown practically the whole of their flocks on the open market, fully explains the surplusage of sheep which at present prevails.

"People at Home who think that the inhabitants of New Zealand live in whares would be greatly surprised if they could visit some of the fine residences of settlers, fitted up with all modern conveniences," observed Mr. T. E. Sedgwick to a Times reporter. "I am quite convinced," he added, "that when the attractions of life in New Zealand are better known at Home the immigration of farm laborers and of women and girls for domestic service will be greatly increased. Up to the present the knowledge in England of conditions out here has been confined to the attractions of New Zealand as a tourist and health resort."

Mr. Stanley Shaw, superintendent of St. Mary's Sunday School, paid a visit yesterday afternoon to the infant Sunday School established a few months ago in Vogeltown by Mrs. Dabb, and conducted, by the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Neal, at their residence. There was an attendance of over twenty, and there were some absentees. Mr. Shaw recognised that there was good ground for the contention that it would be wise to provide a suitable building. A site is available, it is understood, having been set aside by Mr. Skinner in a sub-division of property in upper Vogeltown, but this is too far away from the centre of population. An attempt will probably be made to secure a site near the Oil and Freehold Co.'s woTks.

At the annual meeting of the Stratford Acclimatisation Society on Thursday, Mr. W. J. Morrison referred to the necessity of putting a liberal prcie upon hawks' feet (says the Stratford Post). At present the society was spending a-great deal of money in importing pheasants, but the hawks were playing havoc with the young birds, and he considered the neighobring societies —New Plymouth and Hawera—should co-operate in the direction of a war of extermination. Subsequently Mr. Morrison moW in this direction, and it was understood that if a favorable reply was'not received the question of indorsing licenses would be considered. He also suggested the appointment of an outside committee for the purpose of conserving the interests of the society, aTi3~iF"waS "agreed T<>' recommend the council to make appointments in the various centres. By this means it was considered a more vigilant watch could be kept upon the nefarious practices of the poacher. Only those who have occupied a seat on the Borough Council—and, of course, their long-suffering wives—know the amount of committee work which falls to the lot of the city fathers. With a view of simplifying matters, and lightening the load of the indivdiual councillors, the suggestion is offered to the Mayor that in setting up the committees it might be advisable to allot groups of committees to groups of councillors. For instance, three councillors might be chosen for the baths, reserves, and by-laws; three others for another group, and so on; with the exception that, as hitherto, the whole of the council should comprise the works and estimates committees. By adopting such a system it might be possible to minimise the number of attendances at the Town Hall Which the present system demands of councillors by summoning for one evening one group and tranflacting all the business to come before three or four committees.