LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 301, 15 May 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The price of flour advanced ten shillings a ton on Saturday in sympathy with the recent rise in wheat. Land in .Southland is going up in price. A farm near <!orc, which sold eight years ago at .€4 an acre, realised £ls an acre last week.

Fishing in Hawke's Bay waters has come almost to a standstill. Flounders are remarkably scarce, which is said to be due to the disturbing of the spawning grounds by trawlers.

Timaru importers arc complaining oi the inadequacy of the railway goods shed, which at times is so crowded with merchandise that they cannot get at the conßignmentß wanted.—Press Association.

There are some pretty large families living in New South Wales. At Newport there lives a fisherman of 70 years with 23 living children, the youngest twins, aged 3 years. And the wife of a Katomba engineman has 27 children, all living.

Notwithstanding the low rates charged, the State telephones in Sweden arc producing an annual profit of approximately £250,000, which is equivalent to a 10 per cent, dividend on the invested capital. The long-distance system, at the rate of Is for (100 miles, has greatly contributed to the success that has been achieved.

An important principle was affirmed by the Petonc Borough Council on Monday evening in its decision to the effect the librarian be notified of all oases of infectious diseases reported to the council, and that all books returned from premises in which cases of infectious diseases are reported to exist be isolated and disinfected. The motion, which was proposed by Councillor Piper, was carried without dissent. It was incidentally mentioned that six cases of infectious diseases had been reported that evening. "Progress," in its. issue for May, gives delightful accounts of the two Government Houses, Auckland and Wellington, with some excellent illustrations. Mr. Hector's interesting paper on pin-hole photography is carried on. There is a whole field of knowledge of motors in their latest business aspect, with a picture of the new Club House in Pall Mall, just built for the Automobile Club, which is described as the mlost sumptuous club house in the world. The number contains, among much interesting matter, Professor Biekerton's latest writing on his great subject. In reply to a question as to the public holidays to be observed Jiext month brought before him when in Christehurch by the Mayor (Mr. T. E. Taylor, M.P.), the Hon. J. A. Mfillar has telegraphed that he finds on enquiry that May 24th will not be observed as a public holiday in public offices; that June 3rd will be observed as the King's Birthday; that June 22nd, Coronation Day, will no doubt be generally observed throughout the Dominion, and that there will be observance of the anniversary of the Heir-apparent's birthday (June 23rd).—Press Association.

A meeting is to be held in the Town Hall on Wednesday next under the auspices of the Xcw Plymouth branch of the Employers' Association to discuss the question of public holidays, and to endeavor to come to some definite and permanent understanding; with regard to them. Briefly, we understand, the proposals are: That till such time as a Saturday half-holiday is made compulsory and universal, 'all holidays falling on any other day than Monday or Thursday shall be kept on the Monday following, except Xmas and New Year Days, Good Friday, or any day that may be proclaimed as a holiday bv the authorities, but that every influence shall be used to prevent, as far as possible, nnv day except Monday or Thursday being so proclaimed; and that in all cases where a holiday falls on any dav other than Thursday*, the Thursday half-holidnv in that week be not observed. The meeting is a public one, and is open to any business man or employer of labor, whether members of the Employers' Association or not. For Influenza take Woods' Rreat Peppermint Cure. Never fails. 2/6, 1/6.

A proposal is on foot in Wellington to have Parliament House grounds thrown open to the public.

Last November there 'were -seven am, a half hours of sunshine in London, and six hours in January. In Canterbury a party of six guns on private property at the iSelwyn secured i) 3 pukekos. There is a fine show of birds this year.

An unfeeling London solicitor has unearthed an old Act of Parliament, still in force, which renders a bride liable to penal servitude if she understates her age.

According to the Levin paper, it is not generally known that a ton of grain can be shipped to England at less cost than it can be landed at Levin from the South .Island.

There is a decided flutter in the property market just now, aays the Patca Press, several town sections having changed hands during the week at satisfactory figures. It is computed between 3000 and 4000 cases of apples, and over 1000 cases of pears, have been sent away by Tauranga growers this season. Next year a very big increase in the yield is expected, as a large number of new trees will be then bearing.

The policy advocated by the late Mr. Seddon of "keeping the cradle full," has evidently some strong supporters in Napier. According to one census schedule there is a family living in town consisting of 17 children, notwithstanding IS' others have died.

The Evening Post states that the Hunk of New Zealand, recognising tlmt the State is one of its principal customers, has resolved to give a quota of its business of insuring its premises in New Zealand to the State Fire Office. T'.ie proportion going [o the State will l:e about one-fifth.

Glass that is unbreakable lias been produced for tlio first time at Baccarat, France. The new process has been successfully applied to the manufacture of lamp chimneys for use in coal mines containing much five damp. The glassmaKers of Baccarat have also succeeded in increasing the elasticity of the glass. Fcilding Star got the big mushroom of the season—ll inches in diameter and 10 inches high. But a Rangiora settler! can go one better. He has a mangold so big that his weancr pig ate its way into the mangold and went to sleep there, out of sight. Will somebody come along with a-good big Taranaki miracletale or freak-story? At Auckland on Friday Mr. Kettle, S.M., gave his reserved judgment in the case of a breach of an award, holding that a penalty could be enforced against a bankrupt though the action would be against the creditors. He agreed that it was important that legislation should be provided to meet such cases. He fixed a fine of £5 and costs (7s). Germany's remarkable prosperity has again been revealed by statistics published in mid-March, showing that 1.500.000 foreign workmen are employed in that country. There are approximately 800,000 foreigners holding industrial positions, and 700,000 who arc agriculturists. The importation of these foreigners is necessary, owing to lack of German labor. Auckland restaurant-keepers are considering raising their tariff, the more expensive cuta of beef having gone up almost 100 per cent., while chops, sirloins and tripe have advanced by 50 per cent. A leading restaurant-keeper, who attended the meeting, says that unless the butchers gave way and allowed a discount of 5 per cent, prices would have to. go up.

Up to the present time thirty barmaids in Christchurch have applied td be registered under the provisions of recent legislation. It is expected that about sixty will have been registered when the time for registration closes, at the end of this month. Fairly large numbers in the city, it is understood, will not register, and, consequently, will leave the vocation.

Quite recently the Dunedin tramways department was called upon, says the Otago Daily Times, to pay a certain sum of money to one of its conductors who was compelled to go off duty for a time as a result of injuries received through coming in contact with the unprotected point of a lady's hatpin. A second case has now occurred where a conductor received a wound in the face from a protruding hatpin, and if lady passengers are to persist in disregarding the warning contained in these two incidents it will be necessary for the department to take some action in the matter.

The method of using one's watch as a compass is as follows:—Point the hour hand directly at the sun. A line drawn through the centre of the dial half-way between the hour hand and twelve o'clock points directly south. Twelve o'clock noon must be reckoned, i.e., the sun has not arrived in the south before, and has, of course, gontj past it after. For instance, at 0 a.m. the line would pass over IX., and at 6.p.m. it would pass over 111. At 8 a.m. it would pass over X., and at 4 p.m. it would pass 11. Needless to say, perhaps, that the watch should be going, and- correct.

The Greyraouth correspondent of the Lyttelt#>n Times states that for alx>ut six yp/rs the ten-year-old daughter of Air. and Mrs. J. Stewart, of Kumara, has been suffering from deafness, and apparently was getting worse. Syringing and other treatments have been carried out without effect, but the other day Dr. Phillips, by the aid of electric light, discovered a piece of foreign substance in each ear. The obstructions were removed, and on examination proved to peas. The peas had evidently been put in by the child when very young, and had lodged in her ears for the past six years. Very vague particulars of a burnin<» fatality that occurred nt Kaihon, near Maromoka, over two months ago, have l"* t . fl ' t " C(I thtoa reports Auckland hears Wnnngarei correspondent. From what can be gathered, the wife of a Maori named Tningaroa Wa left hor children in the house while she went chasing a wild pig. By some unexplained means the two elder children managed to set fire to the house, and lied "in terror. Un her return the mother found the house burnt to the ground and the infant child incinerated. Beyond a little talk among the locally-formed Maori Council, nothing was done in reporting the matter to the authorities, YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND That r,y using the Commercial Eucalyptus Oil, which is now bought up at'(ld per lb weight and bottle, and, on account of the large profits, pushed, you are exposing yourself to all the dangers to which the ine of turpentine will expose yon—irritation of kidneys, intestinal tract and mucous membranes. By insisting on the GENUINE SANDER EUCAL>T?TI EXTRACT you not only avoid these pitfalls, but you have a atim, ulating, safe and pffective medicament, the reiult of a special and careful manufacture.

Remember: SANDER'S EXTRACT cmbodies the result of SO years' experience and of Bpecial study, and it dooa what is promised; it cures and heals without mjurinj the constitution, as the oils on the market frequently do. Therefore, nmWt yourself by rejecting other br»ndg, *•

James Stirton played a piano for Btt hoiirs at Invereargill, and established, a world's record. The fact that little reliance can be placed on promises given to candidates at election times was strikingly demonstrated in Oamaru. One of the candidates for a seat on the harbor board there received a petition with 40 signatures attnehed, from a particular district, asking him to stand, yet less than half that number of votes were recorded in the district referred to for this particular candidate.

A Dominion representative has been informed that Wellington butter wholesalers have met and considered the question of raising the price at which butter is sold to the retailers. It was expected by some before the meeting that the conference would result in a rise of Id per lb, but it is now stated that those present failed to agree, and that for the present there will be no alteration to which all are parties. A quarrel about the price cf a kiss led to the loss of two lives near Easeg, in Slavonia, on November 22. Two young people, George Michelitsch and Marie Uippitch, who had just become engaged, were walking in the evening on the bank of the Dran river, when Michelitsch was heard to ask the girl for kisses on account of their impending marriage. She gave them, but in return said it was only fair if she also got an advance on the housekeeping money for furnishing. He agreed, but when she said she wanted half a crown for each kiss he became furious. Hot words and boxes on the ear followed, but the passers-by only laughed at the lovers' quarrel until they saw the man push the girl into the river. As she fell she caught hold of his coat and dragged him in after her. The swift current carried them away, and both were drowned before their bodies could be recovered.

Mis 3 Elizabeth Asquith, who is only thirteen years of age, is a young lady of extraordinary ability. She is an accomplished French and German scaolar, and has a wonderful command of the English language. She is said to combine the best intellectual qualities of the Prime Minister and Mrs. Asquith. She is a great favorite with the members of the Cabinet, and is quite one of the "charntcers" of Downing Street. In fact, a member of the Government remarked recently that Miss Elizabeth Asquith ought to be in the Cabinet herself. She nag inherited from her father his extraordi* ary powers of concise and lucid speech, and strangers are often much surprised to hear a young lady in short frocks uttering sentences which would be worthy of Mr. Asquith himself. Although so mentally gifted, Miss Elizabeth, who is full of humor, possesses none of the defects of the precocious child.