LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 83, 28 September 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The outward English mail via San Francisco, despatched from Wellington on tho 25th ult, reached London on the 26th inst.

The Stratford County Council has declined to adopt the resolution passed by the Patea County Council for the regulation of motor traffic on the ground that it would cause endless confusion.

A meeting of New Plymouth carpenters and joiners was held last evening, but after 'a certain amount of preliminary business was transacted, the meeting was adjourned till Saturday evening.

Children who did not receive their Coronation medals will be glad to know that th« balance of the medals ordered for school children has arrived, arid 250 are being forwarded for distribution to the schools in Taranaki.

Chartering a large hopper dredge is a fairly costly affair, but in securing the use of the dredge Whakarire from the Wellington Harbor Board the Xapier Board considers it has made a good bargain at £IB7O a month. This covers rent, insurance, wages, repairs, oil, coal, water, accident insurance, and other items. In addition there will some £9O to £IOO to pay for fees and other items.

With ifgara lotne. laying of the foundation stone of the new District High School at Stratford, Mr. T. 11. Pcnn, secretary of the School Committee, informed the Education Board yesterday that tho Prime Minister had intimated that ho would be pleased to perform the operation early in October, if possible. The 'board left in the hands of the chairman the making of arrangements for providing tho foundation stone.

At yesterday's meeting of the Education ißoard a letter was read from the secretary to the Fitzroy committee as follows: "At a meeting of the Fitzroy school committee in reference to the writing at this school the following resolution was passed: That the Fitzroy school committee takes exception to the remarks passed by Mr. Morton at the recent board meeting re tho writing at the Fitzroy school, and also to the Fitzroy school being singly mentioned, and they wish the Board to give them definite particulars as to what show or shows he referred to."—The letter was received without discussion.

"His Majesty the King is presenting some- portraits of himself and the Queen for distribution to primary schools in educational centres'of the Dominion. Two copies are available for your district, and the following distribution of them is suggested. Kindly let me know at once if you agree to this or wish to vary it. Schools: Central and Stratford." The above is a copy of a letter read at yesterday's meeting" of the Education Board. The hilarity and mild sarcasm which greeted it were in marked contrast to the twaddle usually talked by leaders in education when addressing .school children on loyalty. "I am directed to inform you," writes the Secretary for Education "to the local education authorities, "that a. recommendation baa recently been made to the Government by the United Fire Brigades Association to the effect that fire drill should be held in the principal public schools periodically, say, once a quarter, when the superintendent of the local brigade would instruct the children what to do in case of lire. It. was stated that many fatal burning accidents are largely due to the. lack of knowledge of how to act in the circumstances. The suggestion is transmitted to your Board for consideration and such action as it may deem advisable to take." No action is being taken by the Taranaki Board.

The cwhre party and social held in the Broughiuii street hall last night in aid of the funds of the Western Park Board was even more largely attended than the very successful social of a month ago. The ladies' committee had made admirable arrangements, particularly in the supper department, and the enjoyment of the guests was inevitable as it was hearty. The tournament prizes were won by Mrs. Oalchert, Miss Reid, and Messrs. Robinson and McLean, and were presented by the Mayor, Mr. G. W. Browne, who is also chairman of the board. Mrs. George's orchestra supplied excellent music, and Mr. W. McLean was M.C. It was announced that the third and final social of this year's series would be held in two or three weeks' time. '

The newspaper controversy that has hecn raging between Professor Fox, of Botany, ami .Mr. Bray, naturalist, of Manly, over the value of a. snake-poison antidote ended last week (reports the Sydney Sun). Professor Fox visited Mr. Bray's residence, and the differences existing between them were thrashed out. At the commencement the debate would have out-shadowed the discussions at a suburban council, but as the talk went on, and each became calmer, a kind of understanding was arrived at. Professor Fox made the suggestion that he should provide a target for an angry death-adder, without the right of suggesting where the fangs should penetrate. He wished to prove conclusively that the snakes were, not tampered with. He would organise a body of medical and scientific men for a snake-hunting expedition. Mr. Bray could bring friends, too. When the snake was encountered the professor would invite it to bite. Then his antidote would prove death or success. But it would prove a success. He knew that: it had done it before. Mr. Bray agreed to this, and said he would induce his scienlilic friends to come with the expedition and prove the value of the antidote.

At the. Education Board meeting on Tuesday evening Mr. G. A. Adlam questioned tlit: wisdom of closing schools on the outbreak of a me«sles epidemic. From his own experience, lie said, he was convinced that this was a mistake, for when measles appeared in a district they had to run their course, and would get through that course more quickly if the children assembled as usual in the schools. He had noticed that during these measles holidays the sick and the well and the convalescent mixed and played together as usual. In a discussion which followed the Rev. J. MaArthur asked what effect of the low attendances during an epidemic would have on the grade of a school or the salary of its teacher, and the reply of the, chairman went to correct the erroneous impression very generally existent that the teachers would suffer, for the regulations provided for such matters, and it would take a very big fall in the average attendance over a very long period to have the effect of lowering the grade of a school. Mr. Morton was of Mr. Adlam's opinion that the schools should be kept open in order to hurry up the epidemic. The, Hoard came to no decision on the matter, so that the committees will retain the privilege of closing the schools for epidemics, of measles or otherwise.

Never hesitate about giving Chamberlain's Cough Remedy to children. It contains no narcotic of any description and can be given with confidence. As a quick cure for coughs and colds to which children are Biisceptible, it is unsurpassed. Sold hy ell chemists and storekeepers. ~, ~,,,

Mr. T. C. Ellis, formerly of Southland,has purchased an estate of 75,000 acres in the Riverina district, New .South Wlailes, at a cost of AJIOO.OOO. There is an epidemic of mumps in Invercargill •at the present time, and a family of ten, including the father and mother, are down with the complaint. Mr. J. I). Rockfellcr, who would give half hit huge fortune for a good' digestion, U forbidden by.Am physician to eat anything which' lias l>ecn cooked, not even bread or cakes. His diet is confined to uncooked meat, with eggs and vegetables. ■Lust week at Perth (West Australia) a newspaper agent, Henry Pazey, was so infuriated to find no supper on returning to his lodgings that he drew a six-cham-bered revolver and fired at the landlord, Nicholas Clark, the bullet fortunately missing its mark. He was disarmed and arrested.

A well-known Bluff resident had a peculiar experience the other day. A stranger accosted him and persuaded him to enter a billiard saloon for the ostensible purpose of having « game. The stranger created surprise by rapidly running a rule over the resident in a professional manner. On being questioned by the victim as to what it all meant, the stranger was profound in his apologies, saying, "It's all right. You're six inches too long. I'm Detective Blank and I thought you were Powclkal"

A rabbit trapper at Southernficld (Tasmania), named Percy Shaw, was last week fatally shot by'his seventeen-year-old son. Trooper Gore went to the scene of the occurrence and found the body of Shaw lying about fifty yards away from his house with a large wound in Ws right breast. It appears that Shaw was about to go rabbit-shooting, and handed a loaded double-barrelled gun to his son to hold whilst he let a dog off the chain. The boy was playing with the gun when it exploded and shot the father.

As a result of the crusade against the insanitary conditions under which, in certain instances, the food supply of Auckland is supplied, there has been drafted a set of drastic by-laws dealing with premises from which food is distributed, and it is supposed to license all butchers, and to impose rigid conditions as to cleanliness, the keeping down of flies, etc. In the event of noncompliance with these regulations the licenses may be cancelled; there must be no open shop-fronts, and elaborate provisions are made for banishing the rats and flies from all premises affected by the regulations. Some thrilling experiences have fallen to the dot of Gaoler Parker, who was savagely attacked by a prisoner at Gisborne recently. On one occasion, when he was warder at the Lyttelton Prison, the prisoners mutinied. They almost strangled the chief warder. Mr. Parker was then attacked, but he succeeded in overcoming his assailants. On anothej occasion, at the same place, one notorious prisoner got out of his cell in the middle of the night, and was attempting to 'let the other prisoners out and escape. Mr. Parker heard the noise, and tailed them up in a corner with a revolver, and signalled for assistance, thus frustrating serious trouble. This is an age of advertising. We cannot do business successfully without, it. Recently, when the Chicago papers stopped publication for three days, business in the city stores was practically at a standstill. I remember when certain largo establishments in New York (masted that they did not advertise, or said that a satisfied customer was the best advertisement. Tiffany, Hrokaw Brothers aird other well-known houses did not advertise, but they do to-day, and so does every large concern. In those days the 'merchant sold his goods over the counter, and the manufacturer sent out his salesmen, but to-day -people buy the goods which they want and which they know .something about because of the information given by the advertisements. —Herbert S. Gunnison in Leslie's.

Tho Begum of Bhopal was determined to make tho most of her Western visit. She lately epent a. fortnight in Geneva, and shopped surprisingly while there. According to the correspondent of the Daily Chronicle in that city, she arrived with eight-two boxes and left with 2W, which filled two large trucks and were crammed with Swiss goods of all kinds. She cleared out some jewellers' shops, the message states, and bought 4022 gold and silver watches. A round number of thousands would have been open to doubt, but the particularity of that additional 22 is remarkably plausible. It is pleasant to think of a Huns or a Fritz, sunning himself in his doorway in the intervals of selling trinkets, to whom appears the Begum with a. casual demand for a thousand or so of his best timepieces. The correspondent's comment that "such a customer has not visited (ienovu since the time of Byron," gives, surely, a disappointingly inadequate idea of Fritz's emotions.