LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 97, 14 October 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is stated that the yearly cost to the Oovernni'ent of keeping rabbits in check is nearly £30,000.

During the month of September 25 ships entered the port of Waitara, ol a total tonnage of 1115 tons, and 27 were cleared, of <i total tonnage of 1210 tons. It is expected that the Napier gaol will be closed within the next few week* in furtherance of the centralisation scheme. The prisoners at present confined there will be sent to the new prison farm in the Auckland district.

The past season has been a record one for rabbits at the Mataura Freezing Works, 47*000 crates having been put through, as against about 41,000 for the previous year. The largest number previously put through in a single season was something like 44,000. The opinion of the solicitor of the Municipal Corporations' Conference is that a councillor, who is a member of the Kaiapoi Domain Board, is not disqualified as a member by reason of accepting wages to the extent of £2O for work done in supervising the cutting of the Domain timber.

Whitebait has been coming up the river in large quantities during the last few days (says the Blenheim Express), and consequently large armies of both old and young are to bo seen on the river banks at all times of the day scanning the water for the small fish, and in some cases large quantities have been caught in a short time. A French doctor, M. V. Fischer, advocates a complete reversal of the present method of making-up 'beds. You must have you head on a level with, or lower than, your feet. H pillows are to be used they must be under the feet. The result, he claims, will be amazing, being a sure cure for insomnia as well as a preventatives of nightmare. Astronomers are directing attention to the remarkable phenomena which the planet Jupiter is presenting this year. Formerly Jupiter shone with its own lijrht in the midst of its eight satellites. It has lost its proper brilliancy, and is going through its first stages of its planetary life. Jupiter is regarded by astronomers as the world of the future.

11l Australia the demand (if the State banks for notes appears insatiable. (>Meial estimates of the. number renniro.d have long ago been exceeded, and the issue lias gone well over the £0,000,000 mark. H promises to roach before the end of Xovombor the £10,000.000 face value authorised by regulation. As the officials are confident that the 10s note to lie issued as soon as machinery arrives will he exceedingly popular, an Oriler-in-Council has been issued extending the authorised amount: to 11-2.00.0,-000.

The services in the Whileley Memorial Church to-morrow will bo conducted iliy the Rev. -I. \V. Burton. The morning subject will be, "Desire v. Duty"; and the evening sermon will he on "The Healing Forces in Nature."

Trams will be running in Xew Ply- I mouth in the year liiM.—Prophecy by) .Madam Mora at the Theatre last night. j At the Patea Magistrate's Court a ' young man was lined €1 for having distill bed a meeting. The facts were that defendant, duping an address at Alton on no-license, had taken into the hall some stuff in a bottle which gave off a very offensive smell.

The latest theatrical story: Mr. Andrew Higginson's method of memorising his parts is an extraordinary one, and although be is a very quick study, he confesses that in no other attitude could he remember a single sentence. He places his 'book on a chair, then kneels down, and puts his head between bis hands and commits bis lines to memory. In this way be studied the important part of Lord Eynsford in ''Our Miss Gibbs." One day his landlady surprised him in this attitude, and, thinking he was at prayer, softly withdrew. Next day it was all over the place "that one of'them actor chaps hud gone and got religion." A curious legal action was heard at Neuchatel. To find out the character and reputation of a young man who had asked for his daughter's hand, a well-to-do tradesman applied to a private detective agency, and on receiving favorable .information he consented to the marriage, and gave, his daughter £4OO as a dowry . The young man, who in reality had a bad reputation, spent the £4OO in dissipation, and neglected and finally deserted his wife, who returned to her home. The tradesman brought an action against the agency to recover the £41)0, alleging negligence and misrepresentation. He won his case.

A curious position has arisen in regard to the insurance on a house which was recently destroyed by fire in Christchurch* The policy in one office expired on the day of the fire, and a fresh policy, starting on the day of the fire, had been taken out in another office. The fire occurred at 2.30 p.m., and the first office states that its cover expired at noon, while, the second office states that its cover did not commence till 4 p.m. There is a difference of opinion at present as to which office will bear the loss, or whether either office will have to bear it, but it is confidently stated that the matter will be amicably adjusted. "The position is said to be quite unique in Christehurch experience.

Readers of the October issue of Everylady's Journal, which is just to hand, will find in this excellent magazine all the good features which distinguished it under its old title of "The New Idea," in addition to several others. Noteworthy in this particular number are two fine special articles, the first being the best description we have seen of how ostriches are farmed in Australia, and the second being a picturesque account by a woman writer of the Investiture of the Prince of Wales. Mr. Charles Barrett—the wellknown nature-writer, who describes the farming of ostriches—explains the whole method of 'handling the birds and obtaining the plumes. He supplements his letterpress with a dozen capital photographs. A Philatelic Congress and exhibition of stamps is to be held in Sydney shortly under the, auspices of the Sydney Philatelic Club. Several donations have been received, amounting in all to CWO, and a number of gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded. The congress is being supported by four societies in Australia and one in New Zealand, having a total membership of four or five hundred. A souvenir stamp is being prepared, of which about (iO.OOO will be circulated. One of the finest collections in Australasia is that of Mr. H. L. White, of Belltrees, Scone, New South Wales, estimated to be worth from £20,000 to

£30.f)00. The present King, himself an cnthu.sias.tiic collector, is patron of the Sydney Philatelic Club, of which he was formerly honorary president, an honor shared by one other Society only, the Roval Philatelic Societv of London."

New York is reputed a wealthy city, but the methods adopted by some of the citizens to secure a share of the elusive dollar do not commend themselves to Mr. S. Day, who returned to Sydney from America last week. '"lt is the boast of the residents of New York," said Mr. Day, "that they never use taxicabs. Ido not blame them for exercising such judicious caution, after the experience I had with the drivers of these vehicles. The people know that a systematic swindle is being carried on, but they refuse to either warn or protect strangers. Naturally,. I fell a victim, because I was innocent of the way in which drivers conduct the business. I have never seen a people so crazy after money. They stretch the strong arm out for foreigners the moment they arrive. The taxicab drivers are nothing but brigands, and the hotelkeepers are almost as bad as bushrangers. It seemed to me as though they would not stop short of anything to gain a few extra dollars."