LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 87, 3 October 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Fitzroy bowling green is to bo "pen for play on Thursday. Twenty-one settlers of the Ratapiko district have petitioned the Taranaki County Council to approach the Government to obtain the extension of the telephone system to Ratapiko. As the regulations are now, it is understood, being remodelled for country telephones the application was deferred.

Anglers in the Tnglewood district report good sport .for the opening day of the season in the various rivers round about. Some good bags are chronicled, one enthusiast, as the result of two or three hours' sport in the Ngatoro, lifting eight fine trout, averaging about li/.lbs Several other good togs are also" reported.

The Rev. -T. W. Burton, who returned from Wellington on Saturday night, informed a News reporter that'the Sundav schools Conference, to discuss the ■worjc of the Sunday schools and schemes for its improvement, did good work. The principal decisions were in the direction of better training of teaehers and grading of subjects for the different classes. As a ratepayer I venture to express a hope that the Council in dealing with the small birds nuisance will not, as in past seasons, offer a price for small birds' neads. the practice encourages cruelty. Some boys leave the eggs to hatch in order to get the extra price for heads " Mi 8 r r °/, e W - X - Stephenson, of -lanki, to the County Council, and the letter was read yesterday-No con*

splendid crowd gathered last night at the Salvation Army Hall to hear Lieutenant-Colonel Birkenshaw in his very fmo lecture on "The Scottish Covenanters, which was given in a, very able manner, the lecturer makinexcellent use of his story. The evening was by m> means wearisome, as lectures often are, but bright and intensely interesting. Captain Larson sang '"All e way" and '"Jessie's Dream." Mr. E Do-ckrill occupied the chair. The new road, known as Wniwaka road, which takes the track of the former railway line between the Old Hospital road and Paynter's Lane, is now sufficiently tanned for a cab to be driven over lite whole length. This road runs through the centre of the Chilman estate, and will eventually be quite an important thoroughfare, as it is the continuation of the street which the Borough Council proposes to form from Cover street, -by way of Leach street to the eastern side of the Ilcnui river.' A novel boycott is announced in a letter which the Otago Daily Times has receded that purports to be signed on behalf of the children of llotslyn and Kaijoorai, who have been collecting cards that are issued with » particular manufacture of chocolate lollies. "We have found," the letter says, "that there are a few numbers that cannot be got; in fact we have not come across one vot who has got them. We, have come to the conclusion there, that it is an imposition, and have decided not to buy anv more, of these chocolates." *

The frost on Saturday morning appears to ha ve been very severe on "early girdens around Waitara. Early potatoes and tomatoes were almost completely front-bitten. Mr. (}. V. Tate, who is growing about thirty, of the leading varieties of potatoes, most, of which are new importations supplied for test purposes, into the colony this season. These varieties were up' and suffered severely. Strange to say two varieties Mr. Tate had in in another situation ready to dig did not take the frost. Samples shown our reporter yesterday were very fine for this time of the year, particularly as it was only nine weeks since the seed was planted. If Germany would admit meat from Australia and New Zealand at a moderate tariff it would open "up a very large market, is the opinion of Mr J. A. 'Robertson, vice-president- of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce, who passed through Auckland the other day. He said there had il>een an agitation in Germany to allow Argentine meat into the country but the Government would not allow it, as its aim was to make Germany selfsupporting. Mr 'Kobertsoii' has Visited Canada, Great Britain, and several other countries with a view to finding new customers for Australian products, and he was particularly impressed with the possibilities of developing a trade with Germany.

Itumor hath it that the Government has "intentions-" with regard to Stratford. Preparations are in hand for the widening and strengthening of the railway bridge over the Patca river, just outside the station yards, and the railway line to Toko iind eastwards is being laid with heavy metals, with a view, it is said, of allowing heavier engines to travel that way. It is also stated -that the railway engine-sheds at Ilawera are to be moved to Stratford in the near future, this step following naturally upon 'the growing importance of the latter town as a junction. Wiseacres see ill this a sure indication that the Opunake railway line will junction with the existing system at Stratford. So far these prophecies lack confirmation, but our informant assures us that there are more unlikely things. ' A deputationist to the Taranaki County Council yesterday pleaded in broken English for improvements to a road. lie gesticulated as rapidly as he spoke, and whilst the most of his harangue was just about unintelligible, it was evident that his principal grievance was that he couldn't bring his pig to market. "Can't take piggy market." he pleaded, with outstretched arms. "1 kill pig for mv wife, my children. Too much meat my home. fiood-bye. Tank yon." And he sat down. Asked if he were prepared to subsidise the Council's expenditure, the ratepayer shook his head vigorously, and beamed on the Council. "Jfy pccsness pay te tax; County Council malcee roads."* That was his opinion of the responsibilities of local bodies, an opinion, bv the way, which is very generally held. ; IT IS THE RESOLVE

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To win a wager. MeJvin C. TTuey, a farmer, living near South Bend, Indiana, lias succeeded in producing an ear of corn containing kernels of ~red, wntte. and blue. Hie orwvthm! Copper King, Reginald Ward, who is a great-grandson 'Of the famous Artemus Ward, has had his affairs placed in the hands of the United States Bankruptcy Court. .He has ijnt yet submitted any statement of his liabilities. Mr Ward explains that his embarrassment was due to a slump in copper properties ami that it was only temporary.

The recent >ciznre in various English parts- of steamers aimed and carrying munitions of war, which it is suspected were intended for the Portuguese Monarchists, has raised the question as to whether King Manuel is abusing the right of asylum that, lie enjoys in England. The young exile is personally very popular, and many frieiuls have advised him that there ale excellent precedents for dethroned rulers endeavoring to got back their own.

The discovery in a cave in the Aland Islands (<Julf of Bothnia) of a stone coffin containing a skeleton, food, axes, and implements of the Stone Age, excites much interest in scientific circles, lit is surmised from the. character of the weapons and implements that the remains date back to 3000 8.C., and that, the Aland Islands being then submerged, the coffin was lowered into a depression in ihe gravelly sea bed, which could alone account lor the wonderful preservation of its contents. Extensive excavations are contemplated in the vicinity.

-An extraordinary sequel is reported in connection with a recent wedding between the members of two well-known Sydney families. The bridal pair went to the Blue Mountains for their honeymoon, and spent a happy time. Returning to Sydney last week the bride was immediately removed to a private hospital, where she was operated oil for appendicitis. Her condition was serious. In the meantime the officiating clergyman was also attacked by the same complaint and was operated on, and two of the guests who wore present at the wedding are also under the care of doctors suffering in a similar manner.

Mr Frank Bull en has introduced a Hull audience tv the delights of whaling. It was a singular thing, he said, hut he had never seen or heard of a shark attacking a man when there was a whale about. He had seen a man washed off the back of a whale, and although there were 200 or 300 sharks all round the whale they never paid any atcnt.ion to him at all; He spent the whole of one Christmas afternoon on the back of a whale, which, in rolling had wrecked the boat. They knew the sharks were underneath, and the problem they tried to solve was haw long it would take them to get through the basement and come to the superstructure.

.Southern police have, it is said, received good information that rowel ka haa reached Australia, but no effort has 'been made to bring him back. The genera! opinion i~ that he is better out of the conn try. aiul that if he is going to cause trouble it will be cheaper for Xew Zealand if it happens somewhere else. There is no doubt that the prison clothes washed up from the lmrbor were those belonging to the escaped criminal, and the general opinion is that lie (jot 'away on a timber ship trading between the West C'oast and Sydney that was in the harbor on the nijrlit Powelka broke gaol. The boat was searched on arrival at Sydney,, hut Powelka was not on hoard. One of the crew admitted, he was put ashore in a boat along the coast.

The vanity of human -wishes has been amusingly illustrated in the sequel to the reported disco-very of a petroleum well on tli© Bouverie estate 11<-ar Northampton (says the London Daily Mail). Great excitement was caused in Northamptonshire by the report. Visions arose of the fair country being converted into a 'busy oilfield, oil which local Rockefellers would build up great fortunes. But a local scientist. Mr Beeby Thomson. i'Mt.C.'S., has dispelled the dreams of wealth. Mr Thomson declares that the pails of paraffin that hid been pumped up from a. water well had percolated from leaky lxarrels in adjoining farm buildings. The fact that the oil burnt freely was an obvious proof, as in its crude state paraffin is thic-k and greenish in color, and has to 'be refined.

For every hundred boys 011 the Dominion school roll there are 91 girls (says the Education Department's report). Last year (100!)) it was pointed out that according to the census of 100(1 there were, in Xew Zealand, between the ages of five and fifteen. 07 girls for every 100 bovs. Deducting the number of scholars over fifteen years of age, we find that in New-Zealand schools there are only 00 girls to every 100 boys. Using' the same tests as were used in last year's report, we lind that the proportion in the ease of children between live and seven is HO to I<W. It would therefore appear that the discrepancy is evenly distributed over the whole school age. and that it arises chielly from the fact that there arc a certain number of parents who think that it is not so liecessiry for a girl to receive as sound an education as a liov.