LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 73, 16 September 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The business people of Kangiora are so well satisfied with the results of the experiment of dosing their shops at ">.:io p.m. during the winter months that they have decided to continue doing so all the year round. There arc jl2 public domains in \ew Zealand, aggregating 81,2(15 acres. The reports from the controlling boards indicate that the improvement of the dojnains in previous years has been steadily continued during the past year.

Speaking on the subject of physical culture before the Teachers' Institute in ellingtou last week, j)r. \V. Kyngton Fyff'c declared that he would insist upon definite attention being given to the exercise of swimming, the sport to lie preferred beyond all others as the most satisfactory system of physical development. "Hut 1 doubt," lie said, "whether in this so-called democratic country we should ever be able to insist upon these tilings."

"I have been much struck by the patriotic prejudice of the New Zealand consumer," writes the British Trade Commissioner in his report lor I!) 10. "in favor of British goods. When foreign articles hold the market the question is generally one of price; patriotism will hardly carry people so far that they will pay, say. :!0s a ton for fencing wire because it is of British make, unless they are thoroughly satisfied that they are going to get a proportionately better article than the lower-priced (Jcrinan or American make."

A somewhat remarkable incident reported .from South Cantor!bury. As th<goods train was travelling between Albnry and Kairlie, inland from Tiinaru. the driver noticed two doys standing lieside an object lying in the snow at the side of the main road. Fairlie, it may be stated, is aibout IOAOft above the level of the sea. On further investigation a man was found to lie huddled up and in a dazed condition. His face was bleeding and his clothes were soaking wet, but no bones were broken. It was subsequently ascertained that tile injured mtni. was a farmer, who had left Allniry for his home on horseback. Apparently he had 'been thrown or fallen off. anil the horse had bolted; but the faithful dogs remained. The dogs appeared to ha disposed to resent any interference with their unconscious master, and when he, was removed to the van they leaded in and accompanied him to (Faiwie,

An additional street light is to be erected in Mine street, beyond Marley street. The St. Aubyn Town Board has applied to the Borough Council for the erection of six street lights in the town district. The Borough Council received a letter last night from the St.. Aubyn Town Board, granting the Council permmio* to run trams over any streets or roads in the town district. The services in the Whilelcy Memorial Church to-morrow will be conducted by the Rev. W. A. Bnrlev, M.A., of Ala mi in. The morning subject will be "The Friendship of Christ.'' and the evening "All things new.''

The dress circle in the Theatre is to be seated with modern tip-up seats. The directors of the company have accepted the tender of Air. C. X. Johnson, whose design is of a handsome upholstered chair, strong, roomy and comfortable, built on a cast-iron frame.

Every heavy rain causes a Hood at the corner of Devon and Morley streets, and every time the municipal authorities have to send a man to shovel away a deep deposit of tilth. Residents have complained about it, and last night Cr. Buttimore mentioned the matter at the Borough Council meeting. The engineer had seen the place, and had reported suggesting a remedy. The work, as recommended by him, will be .done. About a year ago we published a paragraph to the effect that Air. J. C. Smith, in making steel from Tarauaki ironsand, had come to the conclusion that there was some strange metal"which gave the steel exceptional hardness, but he could not locate it. Air. E. de C. Clarke, geologist, in reporting on the ironsand ores, mentions the presence of vanadium, which has the quality of hardening steel, and is a very valuable substance. It somewhat resembles silver in appearance, is very brittle and infusible, and nnoxidisible either ,bv air or water.

The Fire Board lias requested the Borough Council to see that the fire exits at the Theatre Royal are kept clear during the progress of entertainments. The matter is to be brought under the notice of the Theatre Company, but a decision is to be sought on the question of liability for keeping these passages clear after the commencement of entertainments. Cr. Clarke, speaking on the matter at last night's meeting, 6aid the Theatre Company was certainly responsible until eight o'clock, but after that the firemen were in charge, and were in attendance to look after such matters.

'.Hie Borough Council's rule is not to lay water services in streets outside the borough unless the applicants pay the cost. Residents in McLean street, Fitzroy, arc very anxious to have the water reticulation service extended along that street, and the question was discussed last night as to whether Fitzroy, having voted to merge into the borough, is entitled to receive better treatment than the other suburban districts until the amalgamation is an actual fact. Eventually the Council appointed the Alnyor to meet those interested, being anxious not to cause any delay to people who were reported to be about to build in that street.

The report of Air. E. De Iv. Clarke, (iovernmcnt (ieologist, »n the Xew Plymouth geological survey, contains an interesting reference to Tarauaki ironsand. lie states that in >oine localities very large accumulations of almost pure magnetic ironsand occur at many places. However, the pure iroiMud has been sorted by the waves and wind, so that it forms only a thing covering to a more hetwogeoneous sand. It would, therefore, be advisable before any erection of smelting works is undertaken, to carry out a thorough and exhaustive sampling of the ironsand deposits. It is probable that the Xew Plymouth ironsand also contains vanadium, and, if so. its commercial value as a source of steel may be notably increased, provided that not more than oO per cent, of the vanadium is lost in the smelting and steel-milking processes.

Another smart piece nl' work was performed on Thursday evening by Constable Sloath, ol' the Wellington police force, who some time ago saved the lil'o of ;i child on Lambton Quay at considerable. person risk. A two-horsed call was proceeding along Manners .street in (he direction of Willis street, when a portmanteau became dislodged and struck one of the hor-.es. The pair pair hounded forward, causing the driver lo fall oir his scat and, for the time, to lose control while the side of the call crashed against a verandah post. Tile homes wore proceeding at a fast gallop, mid when about to charge the busy iiir iersection of .Manners and. Willis streets Constalhle Sleath jumped in front, seized the horses' heads, and though dragged j some distance, managed to hold on until .the team was brought up. Beyond slight ' damage, to the cab and a shaking lo its two occupants, no damage »a> done, dun, witnesses testify, to the constable's coolness and remarkably quick action. The. demand for urban and suburban telephones, said Sir .loseph Ward at the letter carriers' dinner, which was held in Wellington recently, was growing rapid- [ ly. In the Old Country, it was (lie exception to find a telephone in a private liou-e outside a town, and in nine out <:!' I ten of the ordinary houses of the cities there was no telephone. In N'ew Zealand. however, the telephone habit was growing apace. and we should be up-to-date in every respect. An officer was travelling round the world on the business of the Department, and 011 his return the best system available would be selected, to enable a cheap and thoroughly ell'ective service to be given lo the public. He was sanguine that before very long a decrease in the charge would be made for subscribers at a distance. One could not help recognising that people who lived fill or 100 miles from the chief centres of activity required cheap telephonic communication. Additional facilities would also lie given in regard to private lines. (Hear, hear.) A correspondent of the Tnglnwood liecord wrote: —lie was a weary traveller cro-sing Mount Messenger, attired in dungarees, a. jersey, and big slouch hat, wlucll to a certain extent hid his features. Slnng over his shoulder he carried a sugar hag partly full. A district; resident on passing him said, '■ Hullo, Powclka!" whereon the man dropped lii.s head, quickened his pace, and passed on without a word of reply. A little later 011 we find this same weary traveller 20 odd miles up the Mokan river amongst the buslifelling camps looking for a job. lie is unsuccessful, anil a friendly launch landed him at the mil], when he parted through the hush towards Awa.kino. The future peregrinations of the wenry traveller did not trouble the minds of the hard-working Imsliics until suddenly, last Thursday week, the launch Swan came thumping up the river, on hoard of which were Constable Warneford, of Mokau, and two detectives. The person who had passed our travelling friend 011 -Mount Messenger had given the Sruits of his keen perception to the police. Warner's Rust-proof Corsets, universally popular.—Advt. A MODERN REMEDY. Dr. Sheldon's New Discovery for Coughs and Colds gets to the root of the trouble, and effects a permanent cure. Price, Is 6d and 3s. Obtainable everywhere. a ...„

Thursday's football gate takings were £21!) lis '714<1. A mail for Auckland and nort.li will close to-diy (Saturday) at 11 a.m., for despatch per Corinna. According to a Levin paper, between l(K)i) iind lfiOO dozen eggu arc being supplied to the Wellington market each wi'tk from Levin. 'lhe Mangatoki Dairy Company h 3£ decided to consign its season's butter output, in preference to selling, though it hid an oiler of 11 ; ;4<1 per lb. According to Die Chief Justice, it is not possible to steal land. He stated in the Supreme Court -'it Masterton the other day that to accuse a man of stealing land was net a slander, because land, not .being movable, could not be stolen.

Colonel Kllis lias received a letter from .Mr. 11. Oltcy, M.P., informing him that the petition for military pensions for New Zealand veterans has been referred to the Government by the Public Petitions Committee for favorable consideration.

The enormous increase of small birds is much complained of in various districts irr Ashburton County. One settler laid a bag of poisoned grain round some Btrawstacks. and by night time had picked up in the adjacent plantation 635 dead birds, mostly sparrows.

The Indian census has been successfully taken. The country was divided into 2,000,000 blocks, with elaborate plans, showing railways, roads and rivers. The Shan States, Sikkim, and the Andaman Islands were included in the return, 'the savage tribes of the iNicobar Islands delivered,, notched sticks, indicating the (strength of their lighting men.

The .burden of the strenuous life sits heavily, he admits, upon the Veil. Archdeacon Cnlder. "We don't live as we used to do," said at a meeting ut Auckland recently. "Tliere was a time when we used to conic home und put our slippers on and sit down; -but i dbn't believe I have seen my slippers for six months Neither have you, 1 dare say. We don't buy slippers nowadays." A new law has been enacted in New York to .curb the activity of the "Black Hand" and other secret society extortionists. The measure distinguishes betwei ii kidnapping .by a parent and kidnapping by other persons. The maximum penally for parent kidnapping is laid down at ten years' imprisonment, but for the other class the minimum is ten years', and the maximum iifty years'. As punishment for extorting money by means of threats, imprisonment up to twenty years is announced an the penally. and the definition 'of the term "extortion" has also been extended.

Who is the oldest person born of European parents in New Zealand'! As lar as can be ascertained that distinction belongs to Mr. T. C. Williams, of Auckland, who was born at Stewart Inland in 1827, and Mrs. S. Uowycr (a sister of the late Mrs. Hannah Lethbridge), who resides at Kaeo, near VVlmngaroa. was bom at 'l'e Puna, in the Hay of Nands, in August, 1828. Bi-liop VV. 1.. Williams was born at Paihitt on July 22, IK2O. Next oil the list is Mrs. Kemp, who was born at Paihia on February 23, IS3O, and lives at Kerikeri in a house that was built by the missionaries iu 1810, and is the oldest standing- in New Zealand. As announced in our advertising columns, the liishop of Auckland is paying a vi.-it to the Archdeaconry of Taraimki. (in W'edne.-ilay and Thursday next be will hold a conference in New Plymouth for all interested in the church's welfare. Some very important religious topics are to be dis-ciiv-ed at til-.- meeting- of i];e conference, e.g., the age of continuation. religious education in d'.ty and Sunday schools, etc. The liishop will lie chairman at all meetings. On Thursday evening a missionary meeting will lie held in the Good Templars' liall, when addresses will be given on the Home, the Maori, and the Melanesia!! Missions.

"If the cap liis." Sjii) the Hon. 0. Samuel in the Legislative Council. "There a.rc so many decrees of mental iulirmity. We ait <u' us have k now it men at large whom we have every reason lo believe tu lie more or less ins:uie. I have known many, am! I lmve known I hem tor year-, in.il, f.li. y were not in such respect insane as to lie, muter the present law, taken ami detained in an asylum." The Hon. Hair: "Von are looking very h.ml at this side.'' The lion. Samuel: "I iliil not intend 10 look that wiiy. IT necessary, I can assure the honorable gentleman that the present company are excepted from my observation on the ijiK'-,; ion of insanity, and that i:i- se:i-couscio;isi!ess misleads him!"

Among the recent visitors to New Plymouth has liren a .Mr. A. Turner, of J'aimers ton North, who considers that the Tara-tinhi capital has the making of Ihc pretties!, and lio.~t town in New Zealand for holiday-makers and as a sea-ide resort. He considers that municipal administration in New .Plymouth is decidedly slow and behind the times, and the town needs a Council with more "go' in it. lie strongly advocated an electric tram .system, which he was conii'lent, would pay hand-omclv. directiv as well as indirectly. [j ( , pointed nut. in Ifalmn'-ii'ii ilie tailing and sanding of the footpaths hail been cheaply dune, the good tool paths adding 1111.e'h to the appwranee uf the streets,—Palmerslon Standard.

Strong «xvi-|.!ion U taken in Ipistintrs to the disfigurement „f various buildings by means 01 glaring advertisemenls displayed im them. A correspondent of a Napier pap r refers to l!ie subject, and -tales that two men. hailing, lie understands, frott: Wellington, are travelling round the Dominion olloing to piiul the names of iirms t !K! vailing* and hoardings along the main road. Having seemed client* Ihey then set to work, and, without asking anyone's permi>sion, paint name-, ;tnd various signs galore. One road near Hastings that was once a beauty spot, has now been made a horror. H is suggested that a ,by-law be passed by (lie County Council, making such outrages impossible, just as the (lovernment, makes illegal the posting of hills on teligraph poles.

Aii accident (uvurred in Devon strop! east on Thursday night. Four young men wore driving; home (o lutrlowofni from the football mutch, ami tliev w-t-upU'd but oni! gig. ,j u .4 ; ,t tlie'llob>on street .intersection of Devon street thi» horse got 011 to the footpath and lip against a paling fence. Then he shied acro-.s to the other s-ide of the road, cap.-ized the and threw his freight out. Two were able to continue the journey, but two, .lean Nicholls and (icorge McKenzie. were injured, and were removed to Mrs. Pott/Cambridge House. Dr. was called. Xieholls was found to lie from slight concussion of the brain, and had some out-; about the head. JlcKonzie hud his hip injured. Dr. l'ookes took both men to the hospital in his ear.