LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 324, 10 June 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During the month of May 22 vessels of an aggregate tonnage of 5011 tons entered the Waitara river, and the same number were cleared outwards.

Whilst Mr. K. Webster was unpacking Island oranges on Friday night he found amongst them a centipede fully eight inches long. The reptile has since been preserved in spirits.

During the past week the premises of three business firms have been burgled in Feilding, the loss, in each instance being considerable. The depredations are accredited to an organised gang. The Lancet has lately said that tobacco smoking produces deafness, and leads to an early death. Mr. Henry Burling, of Waikanac, is 110 years old. He has smoked for 92 years. He isn't deaf.

At the meeting of the Waitara Harbor Board yesterday the question of improving the mouth of the river was discussed, and it was resolved that the chairman be authorised to communicate with Mr. Leslie Reynolds, C.E., and ascertain on what terms he would visit Waitara and lay out a scheme for dealing with the sand difficulty at the heads.

The Petone workshop employees are dissatisfied with tile method employed in paying them their wages. They say they are hustled about like a mob of sheep going through a race, and they reckon it the hardest day's work in the month when pay hour arrives. They are preparing a monster deputation to place before the Minister the inconvenience of which they complain. At a meeting of the Opunake branch of tile Farmers' Union, a resolution was passed urging upon the Department of Agriculture to have a residence erected in Opunake for the Inspector of Stock. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Rcakes for his lecture at Opunake. Mr. Forsyth exhibited several grub-in-fected potatoes that had been imported into Taranaki. Great interest was shown in the operations of the parasite. The progress being made in the widening of the wharf under the supervision of Mr. Henderson is exceedingly satisfactory. In spite of the broken weather, 53 piles have been driven. The full number of piles have been driven to a length of 180 ft. from the root of the breakwater, and a row of single piles has been driven for some distance further on. Practically no difficulties have been met with, and the sinking is •much easier than was anticipated. Each pile is being driven in "the harbor bottom from 10ft. to 12ft. Another of the series of euchre parties was held in the Westown Hall ; last night, when thcie was a good attendance, seventeen tables being occupied. Additional interest was attached I to the gathering as besides the usual tournament for prizes, a match was I played between Westown and Frankley road, twenty players on each side. On counting up, the contest was found to be very close, Westown scoring 143 and Frankley road 142. The prizes for the | highest individual scores were won as follows:—Ladies: Miss Bendal! (12 games), 1; Mrs. Potter (11 games), 2, after playing off with Miss N. Autridge. i Mr. Ced Sole, with 13 games, won the gentlemen's first prize, Mr. Boswell securing second prize with 11 games after a play off with Messrs. Norris and S. Lobb. Afttir supper dancing was in- | dulged in to excellent music supplied 'by Mr. Pearson. Mr. Taylor also played an extra, whilst Mr. Ridland made a capable M.C. A return match will be played at Frankley road at an early date.

Dr. A. K. Xewman, speaking itl the Wellington Philosophical Society 011 Wednesday night, referred to his recent travels and his successful endeavors to collect data for his hook 011 the origin of the Maori. He gathered much that was useful in London, with the help of the Anthropological Society, and other learned bodies. Then he went to Holland to study the Malay exhibits in the museums, and on to India, where, during his stay at Benares, he found many evidences confirming the theory that the

Maoris came from that country. "The Maori people in I ndia were a very great people indeed," he said. Ho obtained some carvings from Tibet, and found them purely Maori in character. He went on to Burma— conquered by the Maoris in the year 1000. ITe found that pataka houses were built there, and the native greeting was "teminoki"—which was almost the "tenakoe" of the Maori. He was not surprised to see a little Javanese god like Kongo, for the' Maoris lived a long time in Java. Their traces were also discernible in Sumatra, Borneo, and other islands.

Smokers will be -wry to hear that medical opinion in (ircat Britain is growing almost firm on the tobacco question. The latest warning is contained in the 1 inncet, and the taincet has" already shown the deadlincss of everything so often that smokers will be relieved to know that it i* from that quarter tha latest scare is launched, A French physician, it seems, has discovered that smoking promotes deafness, not, by direct irritation of the passages, but, as the Lancet's Paris correspondent records, "by the well-known effect of nicotine on the vaso-motor system, which produces vascular hypertensive phenomena which are not compensated in the gravity of the tympanum." We greatly doubt whether even this blast of medical slang wilf disturb the ash on a single cigar. What most people who smoke in moderation will want to know is why these doctors will insist on worrying over tobacco. In excess it is harmful; nobody doubts that. But in moderation it is not, so far as the average man is concerned. And the picture of Mr. Henry Burling, the Waikanae centenarian, comfortably smoking his pipe, will probably appeal more strongly to the average smoker than a complete lile of the Li licet. —Dominion.

Tlie services at the Wbiteley Memorial Church to-morrow will be conducted by the Hey. .!. W. Kurt on. The morning subject will be, "Touch the one next," and in the evening. "The Manliness of Jesus Christ" —a sermon to young men. —Advt. YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND That ny using the Commercial Eucalyptus Oil, which is now bought up at fid per lb weight and bottle, and, on account of the large profits, pushed, you arc exposing yourself to all the dangers to which the use of turpentine will expose you—irritation of kidneys, intestinal tract and mucous membranes. By insisting on the OENTJINE SANDER EUCALYPTI EXTRACT you not only avoid these pitfalls, Imt you have a stinv ulating, safe and effective medicament, the remit, of a special and careful manufacture. Remember: SAXPKK'S EXTRACT cm bodic.« ilie result of 5() years' experience and of special study, and it does what is promised; it cures and heals without injuring the constitution, as the oils on the market frequently do. Therefore, protect yourself by rejecting other tmndn. _ ....... ?fc -i

1 In lli« Supreme Court, on the motion of Mr. (juilliam (fiovclt and Quilliam), probate of tin- will of the late Mrs. Jane Street In J been'{punted to Henry Herbert and Joseph Horace Street, the executors named in the will.

Rabbiting has proved a particularly lucrative occupation during the past few months in portions of South Canterbury contiguous to the Waitaki River. Within five weeks one company of three men earned £59 each on a small run.

Four new theatres are expected to be erected in Wellington shortly. Messrs Fuller and .Sons anticipate being ready to begin the erection of the new His Majesty's Theatre in about six weeks time. A start 'will also be made with the new theatre which is to replace the Theatre Royal before the end of the year. When the theatre in course of erection for the Star Pictures at Newtown, and the prospect of a new theatre being erected for J. C. Williamson, Ltd., theatre-building in the Empire city promises to he particularly lively during the next 12 months.

It is not often we hear of bankrupts paying their creditors in full with interest added. A draper in an extensive way of business in Swansea, in Wales, against whom a bankruptcy petition was lodged, has just completed payments of 20s in the £ to his creditors, representing £II,OOO, with 4 per cent, interest added. His is a rather remarkahle case. He was a well-known breeder of horses, and, after showing at Olympia, he transacted some business remembered nothing till lie found himself on a liner bound for Xew York. In hi* absence, thinking he had absconded, the petition was filed . Immediately he became aware of what had taken place, he cabled Home for a postponement of the creditors' meeting, following as ,«oon afterwards as possible. After hearing Mr. 0. Burgess tell of liis experiences as a missionary in China at the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle the other night, one could not help feeling that the age of miracles is not by any means past —at least in China. These are some of Mr. Burgess' experiences when working inland in that vast empire. On one occasion, when a narrow street was on fire, and it seemed impossible for the missionaries' house to escape, Mr. Burgess prayed and told his neighbors to put their possessions in his place . They did so. and at the critical moment the wind changed, and the house was saved. When it appeared as if Mr. Burgess and his party must go without their breakfast ono morning during famine, an old fisherman, who had hardly been able to get a fisli in his net, made an enormous haul as soon as the missionary arrived. On another occasion the missionary's child was taken seriously ill. The speaker was away and could not get back. At a certain time of the day he heard a message from God, which seemed to say "and the fever left her." He jotted down the time of the message, and some days later returned home. Lo! he found that at that very hour, and on that very day the fever had left the child, and she was recovering. Another miraculous Divine intervention occured when the Chinese decided to kill the party. Mr. Burgess and his friends went into a house for shelter, and the Chinese decided to set firo to the place. After a prayer, however, a heavy thunderstorm came, and frightened the whole mob away. A few days later they again came on the same errand, but just at the. right moment a storm agaiu drove them away, thus saving the lives of the party. Mr. Burgess related a number of other exciting incidents, and his address was followed with much interest.