LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 183, 9 January 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A pure while sparrow was recently discovered in the Temuka district. Wirth's circus will open at New Plymouth on or about February 10th. - We are in receipt of a very handy "Usher Dairy" from Messrs. Goldwater Bros, and a "Simplex Perpetual Calendar" from the N.Z. Express Company.: The paths along the Huatoki river look much better for the cleaning they received last week. The noxious weeds on the banks, may receive attention soon. Charged with incurring debts and liabilities with no reasonable expectations of paying, a man was found guilty at Auckland and sentenced to four months' imprisonment. During the- year just ' closed 196 building permits were issued in Inver-cargill-for structures estimated to cost about £IOO,OOO, or nearly double the amount spent in 1910. . ' At the County Council meeting yesterday, Foreman Jones, reported' having collected W/ 2 dozen eggs and 26y 2 dozen birds' heads during the month, while Foreman Holmes collected 35 dozen and six heads. ' ' Harry Stevens, son of Police Sergeant John R., Stevens, of Bloomfield, New York, has been.discharged from hospital in a normal condition after being treated for the 'transfer of his heart from the right side to the' left (says an American exchange)., -,-, ... ;..; An aphjs! is, ; proving destructive to celery and. other, leaf garden crops this season in Masterton. A local gardener, whose vegetables have been attacked, reports that this aphis had formerly been a stranger to him, and was certainly the worst pest of its kind he has ever had to contend with. 'The Mangorei Dairy Company is manufacturing 60 boxes of butter daily, this being rather less than at this time last-year. It is expected, however, that the supply will last longer this season. The tests range from 3.4 to 4.7. One creamery, Mangorei road, has an average of 4.1. The Duke of Fife is the only man living who began a meal as an earl and finished it as a duke. The meal was his own wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace. His title was Earl of Fife, but Queen Victoria announced during the reception that she had raised her newlymarried son-in-law ,to the rank of a duke. A r; contemporary, referring; to the recent Maori conference at Parewanui, near Bulls, says that "the feminine dressed creations ranged frdm the latest thing in. hobble skirts and tanned shoes, to the plain block sugar-bag garment with no noticeable waistline, worn by tattered Urewera antiquities who shoed a fine contempt for shoes and stockings, and a liking for-big pipes and strong tobacco." How eoon the pleasure of a summer afternooni may be' spoiled was fully proved at th.e East End yesterday afternoon. A lady dressed in fashion's latest style, silk dress, '-picture hat, and Summer parasol, was standing upon a log with the waves playin gat her feet and making a pretty picture; The scene was suddenly changed by a wave a little bigger than the rest causing thei log to roll, and; £jie, lady and all that was pretty ' was' rnrxed : ''With ,water, N sand, and log. She says she ..will not forget her visit to New, Blymbuih.

An eiatnple of Wow town sections have been changing hands during the past nine months was manifested (says the Te Kuiti correspondent of the Auckland Herald of Friday last) when the town clerk -finished, the, compilation of the electoral roll to be used in connection with a loan proposal of £7035 for an' electric lighting installation at an early date. The last roll was. compiled in April, and> since then transfers to the extent of 160 had to be made on the new one. Sections were often turned over several times before the final transfers were made. There is at present a lull in the sale of town property, but vendors are hopeful that the market will brighten as soon as people have settled down after the holiday season. A new plan for clearing a crowded hall without a panic was successfully tried by a Chicago policeman. A fire had broken out in the rear of a theatre. This policeman climbed upon the stage, raised his hand for silence, and spoke as follows: "Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to see one of the greatest fires for years go outside and look to the south, half a mile away. Take it easy as you go out Don't break the furniture, because the management says you can come back when you've seen enough of the fire, and you'll want to use your seats again." Bapidly but without disorder the overwhelming majority of the audience made their way into the street. There remained only 20 or 30 perons who' were not curious enough about fires to take so much trouble. As soon as the others were out of hearing, the policeman spoke again but in a more peremptory tone"Say, you fellows, beat it. There's a big fire in the barn back of this place, and you'll be burned to death if you stay a minute longer."

Mr. F. Henderson, superintendent of the '•harbor works, left for Wellington yesterday, where he will superintend the work of cleaning the Paritutu. Me is accompanied by his.wife,and daughter. A New Plymouth cyclist left a bicycle outside an office at an early hour'yesterday, and on going to mount it found that the forks were broken,"' by whom and how he has been unable to ascertain. At Gisborne last Friday Alexander McLeod, alias Smith, pleaded guilty and was committed for sentence for forging a cheque for £5 on the Bank of New Zealand, Napier. He was also remanded to New Plymouth, on a charge of forgery of a cheque for £8 on the Bank of New Plymouth at Waitara. Gilt sixpences are largely in circulation in Wellington, and are being passed off as half-sovereigns! The imposture, though crude in conception, has been carried out with a certain amount of skill, the word "sixpence" being neatly obliterated on the silver coin prior to its transformation in the gilding bath. A representative of a local firm met with a 'nasty accident on the Upper Carrington road last evening. He was riding down on a bicycle whew the front forks broke, precipitating him violently to the ground. His face was badly hurt, though no bones were broken. A settler kindly conveyed him to town, where he received surgical attention. A feature of the. Davis Cup dinner at Coker's Hotel at Christchurch on Wednesday' was the ingenuity displayed by, the chef. Not only were many of the fine dishes named in honor of tennis, but a large cake at the top table had on it in sugar two strenuous-looking men who were playing tennis on a dazzling white court in front of a crowd of spectators. The visitors were loud in the appreciation of the cleverness and good taste displayed in the pretty compliments paid to them.

Landed at Grimsby, one day last month, by the German steamship Gretchen Muller, H. Frenneson, the, mate of the Swedish barque Hestiaj told a thrilling story of shipwreck. The Hestia, with a crew of 11, was overtaken by a big storm while in the North Sea. The barque sprang a leak, had her boats and masts torn away by the heavy seas, and drifted helplessly before'the gale until she finally sank. The captain and all the crew had donned lifebelts, and Frenneson stated that he saw his companions swimming about for a time in the heavy sea, but is of opinion that ultimately all sank. Frenneson saved himself by seizing a part of the barque's cabin as it drifted past. This made him a sort of raft. A sea chest which he also recovered he lashed toHhe raft, and made an improvised sail out of some canvas. He had neither food nor water, and owing to the, heavy seas was unable to sit down on his raft. Drenched to the skin, he clung to the sea chest, and drifted about for 25 hours, when the Gretchen Muller sighted him and picked him up. He was then in a very exhausted condition.

An amazing gliost story was; told at Wandsworth County Court (England), before Judge Harington, when Thomas Henry Wrensted sued William Atkinson for £lO 13s 4d, rent due in respect of a house at Balham. Mr. Hanne,, solicitor for plaintiff, said that a very curious defence had been put in, defendant objecting to pay rent for the premises because, he said, the house was haunted by an old grey-headed man. Defendant left the house and declined to pay. after taking the premises for twelve months. The judge said to Mrs. Atkinson, "Was this old gentleman very disturbing to you?" "We lived there for some months, and it was.a matter of impossibility to. re-, main there." Mr. Hanne ?ead a letter from Mrs. Atkinson to plaintiff in which the former stated that it was "impossible to live in the house; it is being haunted by an old, grey-headed man. Some noises we have heard," continued the letter, "give us no rest. We have tried all the rooms to sleep in, but they are all alike. Big.bangs come at the head of the bedstead and wake us up. One of my daughters had her face slapped. .One night some brass rails were flung across the room. There are terrible bangs at the head of the bed and pattering up and down stairs. Our dog whines and is very restless, and last week he was let loose; the back door was opened and the dog admitted to the house, by whom we do not know. Our nerves are all unstrung, and we cannot live in it any longer. Our experiences have been something dreadful. The shadows of a man and a woman have been seen by more than one person." The judge said that a plea of ghosts could not be a successful reason for not paying rent, and gave a verdict against the defendant.