LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 298, 11 May 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A witness stated in the Masterton court that he was in the habit of always carrying a sum of about £SO around with him. Apparently he has a supreme confidence in his ability, to take care of himself. Uniformed officers are now making a canvass of Oiristchureh city from door to door, enrolling territorials between the age* fixed by the compulsory training .scheme. The authorities have taken this step to prevent evasion of the provisions of the Act. The usual weekly session of the Egmont Lodge, 1.0.G'T., was held in St. Mary's Hall last evening. The Chief Templar, Sister K. White, presided over a fair attendance. Four new members were initiated. The District Guard, Bro, •). C. Legg. installed the new officers as | follows.—C.T., Bro. G. W. llartnell; P.0.T., Sister E. White; secretary, Sister! L. White; assistant secretary, Sister R, Head, financial secretary, Bro. •!. Legg; treasurer, Bro. F. E. Pepperill; Guard, Bro. L Pepperill; Sentinel, Bro. 11. Kie.kctts; .Marshal, Bro. H. S : mith; reporter, Bro. J. C. Legg. The rest of the evening was spent in harmony.

On Sunday ;i New Plymouth resident who was driving homewards from the waybaeks of Xorth Taranaki called in with his better half and a male companion at a hostelry in Waitara, intending to have tea and at the same time to rest the horse, which had given signs so unmistakable of his tiredness that the male portion of the party had had to walk most of the way from Ureimi. The local guardian of the peace appeared on the scene and took their names and addresses for being illegally on licensed premises. The case will probably come on shortly, but meanwhile the ' travellers have the recollection of a very enjoyable tea, which was soon forthcoming.

Since the Harbor Board election, Messrs D. .!. Hughes and W. Wells, who contested the Waimate seat, have been indulging in a wordy battle in the local paper. This is how" Mr. Wells puts the portion:— "As regards being a fighter, had that been written a few years back 1 should have read it in a different way, but when a man gets up to 50 years lie must take a different course, and I can stick like a. postage stamp when it is licked. 1 propose to Mr. Hughes that he retire and that each of us deposit .ClO, the loser to give it to the Catholic and State Schools for prizes and contest tlie seat over again, neither of usto do any platform speaking, as it might end in us saying unpleasant things about each other. The worst of it is it might be true, and it is a bad thing for neighbors and fellow directors to fall out."

A Mormon elder, who is now at Christchurch, made the following statement to a Press reporter last week:—"Everywhere we go we have 'polygamy' (lung at, us. It is absolutely a foolish and wicked prejudice. Even when polygamy was allowed—and it has been abolished by the. United States law for over 20 yearsonly three per cent, of the Mormons were allowed a plurality of wives, and they were the best Mormons in Salt Lake City. People seem to be absolutely bliild to the fact that it is illegal to be wedded, to more than one woman in the States, and this blindness is the worst stumbling block in proclaiming our propaganda. The true Mormon is a moral man. Our 'Word of Wisdom,' as we call our Bible, forbids the use of all alcoholic liquor, tobacco, and even tea and coffee. We can eat meat only in the cold season. Isn't that a simple enough diet?"

An experience with a whale, rather too imminent to be quite pleasant, liefell two Wellington young men and a resident of Johnsonville. on Sunday. The party put out from Paremata in a 2Cft launch, and anchored for fishing in about 2.1 fathoms of water a short distance to the westward of Mana Island. The "fishermen" towards evening were engaged in admiring a particularly fine sunset, when a dark form of huge bulk rose some 500 yards from the launch. It presently disappeared, and the party w.ere engaged in discussing what it might be, when, somewhat, to their consternation, the sea parted quite close to them, and there, .spouting right alongside, was a rather uncouth-looking whale more than twice the length of the launch, and consequently over 70ft in length. The monster put an end to the period of tension by sounding, and, when next seen, was half a mile away, and close inshore to Mana Island. The party did not wait to see any more of him.

At Opunakc on Saturday evening, the Hon. R. McKenzie said his promises were like angels' visits—few and tar between. He had only made one promise in his life and that'was a matrimonial

one. A deputation ham the Stratford] Chamber of Commerce waited on the Minister for Public Works on Tuesday in regard to the Opunakc railway. Mr. McKenzie'* reply wns on ilie same lines as his replies to the deputations of the i other towns. j When Baritone Oasipoff was singing a difficult number in the Opera House at Hawera, a person put his head in att the door and shouted, "Fish, flat fish." Ossipnff and the pianiste stopped. The said person was summoned and fined 10s for disturbing a meeting. David William Crozier appeared at the Police Court yesterday morning before Mr. C. 15. Bellringcr, J.P., on a charge; of drunkenness. As it was his second appearance within six months, he was convicted and fined ss, or in default twenty-four hours' imprisonment. Three days were allowed in which to pay the fine. There was a fair attendance at the sale of the Opunakc Motor Transport and Carrying Co.'s plant and property, which was held by Mr. Newton King all Okato yesterday." Everything was sold at the hammer. The garage, char-a-banc, and lorries were purchased by Mr. F. W. Court, who, it is understood, is representing a local syndicate. Mourning stationery, which has been in use in all the Government Departments since the death of King Edward VII. '.ias, from the beginning of the present week, given way to the usual white paper. The mourning was in three stages: First a deep black band round the edge of the paper; then a lighter band; and finally a black triangle in one corner only. Mr. Redmond, in his address last evening, remarked that one of the first facts that struck him on his visit to this young country was the extraordinary "up-to-dateduess of New Zealand people. Everywhere he was shown various industries, viz., dairying, freezing, oil springs, and also most modern methods of agriculture. They were, he said, the most intellectual, enlightened, and up-to-date 'people he had come iu contact with. "Other people's children" is the name of a highly amusing but also highly improbable story of the troubles which befel a kind-hearted lady who undertook to look after some little nephews. They got her into all sorts of trouble, and got into it themselves, of course. A local lady took a couple of little boys on Tuesday to spend the afternoon in the Recreation Grounds. The peacock, the guinea-fowl, the ducks, and an improvised swing kept the young heroes' attention occupied for ,a time, but then, by way of providing a little.'variety, one of the boys fell headlong into the. pond. The. lady promptly went aftethim. and brought him hack to terra firma. Canadian papers announce the death of Dr. Frank P. Lundy, of Portage la Prairie. Recently he drove 50 miles across the prairie, got caught in a blizzard, and slept all night under his upturned cutter. Such an experience was no'novelty to Dr. Lundy.' He belonged to the swift-passing type of prairie doctor that went the trails before there were railroads. In all Manitoba there was no character better known. He went to Portage in 1882, when the caravans of Red Eiver district came honking up from Fort Garry en route to Edmonton, Battleford, and Calgary. Portage, now the junction point of four railways, three of them transcontinental, was then the point where the old trails diverged. He was never known to send a patient a bill; and he was neveir known to need money. I A special meeting of the St. Aubyn Town Hoard was held on Tuesday night. T-he balance-sheet for the year 1010-11 was confirmed. Subsequently the ordinary monthly meeting of the board was held. Mr. Collis waited on the board with reference to the roads inj the Whiteley Town District which have not yet been dedicated, and it was resolved that the board take over the roads provided the trustees defray all costs of dedication. It was Tesolved that all defaulting ratepayers be proceeded against. The chairman and Mr. Lcaland were authorised to sign the rate book. The resolution passed at last meeting that the rate for the ensuing year be iy 2 d in the £, this amount to cover all rates and expenses, was eonfirmed. An application from the Methodist Church for a street light near the school was deferred. Mr. C. Evetts was appointed foreman, and Mr. C. E. Savill poundkeeper. Discussing the census returns, the Christchurch Press expresses the opinion that the census returns as a whole will not give New Zealanders any cause for pride, when they see the progress that is being' made in other parts of the Empire. It says:—"Not only is the birth-rate restricted, but there is the most unreasoning and stupid fear of immigration among a section of the community. Anything more despicable, and, we will add, more inhumane than the fuss that has been made about the introduction of the Sedgwick boys, it is difficult to conceive. What is wanted in the future is a systematic opening up of land for settlement, and the equally systematic introduction of the right class of settlers, carefully selected. The Auckland people, who' are painfully parochial in most things, are quite right in urging that the large area of waste Native land in the North Island should be brought into profitable cultivation."

Writing editori.il))' upon the reccni visit of the Hon. R. McKcnzic, Ministei of Public Works, to Inglewood, th( Record says:—One very pleasant portion of the Minister's conversation was that, in which he com bat ted the idea that Ministers travelled for banquets, It is far beyond contradiction that the usual custom is to banquet a Minister, probably under the idea that "he's kindest when he's fed," and there is no doubt that a banquet would give greater and pleasantcr opportunity for discussion than any other method of meeting if it were not for the fact that the whole time of a banquet! >fei taken up in eulogising the guest, and everything that is his, in useless and nauseating platitudes, when often enough one half of the speakers, next day, will be doing all in their power to upset his political career, a circumstance of which the guest is perfectly aware, and smiles up his sleeve as lie hears the eulogistic, though deceit-laden, words drop from the lips of his eulogiser. Time has shown him the value of words, the ballot boxes have shown him the deceitfulness of wh.it he hears. What further use has h* for post-prandial platitudes 1 WITCH'S CELEBRATED HERBAL OTXTMEXT. Have you a bad leg, with wounds that discharge or otherwise, perhaps surrounded with inflammation and swollen, that when you press your fiusers on the inflamed part it leaves the impression? If so, under the skin voti have poison that defies all the remedies you have tried, from which, if not extracted, you never can recover, hut go on suffering for all time. WITCH'S OINTMENT ; s a won . derful cleaning and healing agent, which undoubtedly should merit a trial. Price, Is Cd and 3s Od. All chemists throughout the Dominion. , I

It was forty-eight years ago on Satur day since the first locomotive was land' ed at Lyttelton.

A renmrkablc eel has been discovered in the Fiji Islands. Jt has a peculiar formation in its throat which causes it to whistle when excited.

A very high tide rose at the Whangarei town wharf on Tuesday, the sawmills being Hooded in the vicinity of the water front. The water covered the roadway to « depth of I Sin., causing great inconvenience to belated pedestrians.

Sir John McDonald, a pioneer Scottish motorist, has made an interesting experiment. He stood outside Charing Cross Station, London, for 35 minutes, and during that time counted !)35 motor vehicles, as against only 115 drawn by horses.

Auckland is preparing to spend £130,000 in paving the principal streets, and £IOO,OOO for making, forming, kerhing and channelling secondary streets. This money is to be borrowed in instalments, beginning with, say. £75,000 during the first year, and the balance spread over a period of six or seven years.

An accused, with many previous convictions, came before the Napier court, and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. Accused: "Well, send me to Auckland or Wellington gaol; I don't like Napier gaol." Hie magistrate: "I'm afraid you'll have to go there. We don't give excursion trips, you know."

Potato crops are turning out exceptionally well in Southland. A local paner states that the yield, taken altogether, must be quite ft third better than last year, and in addition there is a much larger area than usual under potatoes. In the Orcpuki district alone it is estimated there are 6000 tons of potatoes to go on the market,

It was recently announced that Mr. Alf. Warbrick, of Rotorua, had been approached by « company in London with the view of taking a troupe of Maoris to England in Time for the coronation of King George V. The trip has been abandoned on the advice of the Hon. Jag. Carroll (Acting-Prime Minister), wlio considered the time given to make ar» rangementu was not sufficient.

An item in the general orders abolishes the use of kilts as an article of appareli in the defence forces of Xcw Zealand. This means the extinction of all Highland corps in the dominion, an announcement which will call for a lament from the bagpipes in every corner of Xew Zealand. .Strenuous efforts are being made to havo the Highland uniform retained, at any rate for full-dregs uniforms.

An immigrant, who came under the heading of domestic, on one of the direct liners to Xew Zealand a few weeks back, reported to one of the officers that she had lost--her."character,", as references are styled in England. She was recommended to interview the captain, and as a result was furnished with: "This is to certify that lost her character on board the s.s. , on the voyage from England to New Zealand." In moving a vote of thanks to the Irish delegates at last night's meeting, Mr. Okey remarked that the statement that an Irishman was not competent as an administrator was a libel. H« had sat on road boards and county councils with some most capable Irishmen, and was now a member of the New Zealand Parliament, where one Irishman was at the head of affairs and another Irishman leader of the Opposition, and no one could say that affairs were conducted by the Premier of the colony in such a way that anyone could hav* any objection.