LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 227, 23 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Acting-Chief Postmaster advises that deferred cables at half rates are now accepted for all the Porfcugueie colonies.

The usual monthly meeting of the Taranaki Provincial Executive of the N.Z. Farmers' Union did not eventuate on Thursday, not a sufficient number of members being able to attend. Many sharks have been seen in Auckland waters this season. The other day a young man bathing at Takapuna was pursued by a large shark. He swam for the shore, making as much splash a» he eould, and escaped with a slightly lacerated leg.

J At the Courthouse yesterday mprning, . the Registrar, Mr. J. Terry, read the /reserved judgment in the civil case, . heard at the last Supreme Court sessions, in which Francis Weston, land | agent, sued Francis Montague Mills for i f 100 commission alleged to be due on a ■'sale of land. Judgment was for plainI tiff for £SO.

The Chief Postmaster desires to draw I public attention to the . "Home Safe." which has been introduced by the Po3t Office Savings Bank Department with a view to encouraging thrift in the homes qf the people. ,The safe is of bronzed steel, almost burglar proof, and may be opened only by the Savings Bank officer, he alone holding the key. Its use costs depositors the nominal sum of one shilling.

An attempt was made to refloat the s.s- Manahau, which ran aground re* cently on the south spit at Waitara, yesterday morning, but the attempt failed. On the evening tide another attempt was made. The Tainui succeeded in moving her some distance, when the Manakau capsized on to her side. By yesterday the masts and funnel had disappeared, and the vessel appeared to be fast breaking up. Another record has been scored by the Dairy Company. Mr. <J. H. Buckerridge yesterday morning received cabled advice from his principals, Messrs Henry A. Lane and Co., London, that a consignment of Hawera cheese, ex Arawa, was sold at a price that will net the factory a shade under 7y g d per lb f.o.b. This is the highest price realised «o far. The cable added that the market is slow but firm.—Eltham Argus.

BSs Excellency the Governor, Patron of H.M. Veterans' Association, and General. Godley have been invited to the function to be given to the Taranaki War Veterans on Thursday evening next. The committee who are undertaking the arrangements desire to thank the following gentlemen for unsolicited contributions and promises of assistance:—Hon. Oliver Samuel, His Worship the Mayor, Archdeacon Evans, Messrs. T. Furlong, J. C. Legg, F. W. Sandford, and Webster Bros; also another gentleman who has kindly offered to guarantee expenses.

A cable message published last week announced the death, at an advanced age, of the proprietor of the Buenos Ayres newspaper, "La Prenza," and stated that he had left a fortune of four millions sterling. This newspaper is not only the most influential, and has the largest circulation in the Argentine, but it has the distinction of being more magnificently housed than any other paper in the world. The paper was first published thirtv-six years ago, and a writer who saw a copy of the first issue describes it as "a wretched little twopage sheet, abominably printed, and with not a single advertisement." Now it varies_ between ten and twenty pages, including many pages of advertisements, and its circulation a few vears ago was said to be 05,000 a day. The building is magnificent. The writer just quoted has seen most of the well-known newspaper buildings in different parts of the world, "but no one of these approaches the superb marble building of La Prenza, with its Louis XVI. reception room, concert hall, decorated in white enamel and gold, with «rimson damask chairs, private suites of apartments (bedrooms, bathroom, salon and kitchen) for distinguished visitors, and numerous reading and consultation rooms, where free medical and legal advice is given to all who seek it." The whole ollice. reception rooms, composing rooms, and all, is thrown open to visitors on two days in the week, and high-class concert's and refreshments are provided. The building and its equipment cost 110 less than £1.000,000, hut the property was so valuable that' the proprietor was able to leave .C-1,000,-000 behind him.

A Warner's Bust-proof Corset will do more for a woman's figure than any other corset made. Every pair guaranteed by local drapers.—Advt.

A move is afoot in Wellington to persuade Sir Joseph Ward the Mayoralty there. . It is stated, that one nf t'.w ;ncn Sir Joseph Ward intends to proceed against for libel is Mr. Martin, late organiser for the Opposition, hut now organiser for the Trade.

The love of the cat for its home was fully exemplified in Hawera recently. A householder, desiring to give his cfit away, took him to a house seven miles distant. The cat was tied in a sack, so that lie could not see his way, and was taken to liis new home in the pouring rain. The wet day was chosen as it was believed this would deaden the cat's sense of smell. The household received a surprise this week when in walked the domestic pet after an absence; of ten diays as if he had never been away.—Star. . An ingenious local inventor, who reiides in Christchurch, has produced a hat pin designed to silence the protest against this article of woman's attire. The pin has a point that holds down when pressure is applied to an unobtrusive button on the ornamented head. The wearer puis the pin through her hat i/i the ordinary way and then presses the button. The perilous point at once ceases to threaten, and does not return to its nprmal position until the button is pulled out again. The action is secured by means of a steel wire passing through a very fine brass tube.

I A commercial traveller who is now visiting Auckland, and who makes occasional visits to the Commonwealth, tolA a Star representative that, in his opinion, Sydney is leaving Melbourne behind in the way of volume of business transacted. '-'Every time !• visit Australia," he remarked, "I notice how very busy Sydney is when compared to Melbourhe, J and I feel confident that business in Sydj ney is on a permanently sure foundation, not a question of temporary boom, with a slump as an aftermath. Whether it is attributable to the rural development of the State, better seasons, or other causes, I am not prepared to say, but that the capital is enjoying marvellous prosperity must be admitted by the leastsanguine." j There are now between four and five 1 hundred artesian wells in New I Wales, in which water has been struck, j the total yield being considered over one hundred million gallons per 24 hours. In most of them the water tises to the surface, while in others it htts to be obtained by pumping. Over three million acres of land are thus supplied with water, through somewhere about two , thousand miles of drains. Irrigation is proving the salvation of. a vf s rv large area in New South Wales. About iy 2 million acres are now receiving attention in the same direction, other wells being driven, involving the construction of over a thousand miles of drains. All these undertakings are in more or less advanced stage. Although there are many large areas of bush awaiting burning in the King Country, the following story gives a good example of what a stroke of luck may mean to a settler. Messrs Baranberg Bros, who had 1500 acres of bush ' to burn in the Ohura, were those that benefited. Mr. C. B, Baranberg and one of his employees left with a party of men to assist in firing the bush, both taking up positions at the extreme ends, with j the men marshalled in between. A sig- | nal was arranged when all hands were | to start firing, lint both Mr. Baranberg and his man deemed it inadvisable to start the bush and set off to meet each other at the arranged point and inform j the men along the line that they-, were j not going to proceed. However, there was one individual in the gang who went . to sleep at his post for a minute or two, j and then suddenly awakened. He j thought that he had been asleep for a j long time, and thinking thkt he liad missed the signal arranged, which was a gun shot, set fire to his section. The position was then realised by all hands that the bush was on fire. They immediately got to work with the intention of making the best of the blunder. The result was a splendid burn, and grass' seeders are now "busy sowing. The man who went to sleep on duty is now the hero of the station. Considerable excitement has been occasioned in industrial circies (writes an American correspondent) by the' announcement of a cheap *nd practical substitute for rubber and otner substances that meets the hardest tests. The inventor of the article, which is made fyom any waste fibrous substance. is John D. Hall, a wealthy resident of Philadelphia. Tests were made kit Dumber before a committee of unimp";>.ciu!)le scientists, I but the identity of the inventor was not disclosed. Upon the announcement to the world of the favorable verdict of ,the scientists, however, newspaper reporters succeeded in unearthing, the modest inventor. Cotton stalks, corn stalks l , and other fibrous material, hundreds of thousands of tons of which are wasted every year, are the raw material of the rubber substitute. Not alone can tha inventor make a substitute for hard rubber, equal to and in many instances superior to hard rubber itself, but lie can also make fibre, porcelain, cork and hon). The substance is made at a cost greatly below the cost of rubber. George R. Henderson, a mechanidal engineer, known all over the United States, who was a member of the committee of scientists, said of the discovery: "I consider the invention a wonderfui one. It is destined to become a new world material, with illimitable commercial possibilities. It promises to be of inestimable value not only to the electrical industry, but also in many other industries of our modern civilisation." Already a prominent New York financier has offered to organise a £10,000,000 company for the manufacture of the product. Mr. Hall is holding the offer in abeyance. He does not seem to be anxious to make money out of it for himself. "I want to dispose of the process where it will do the most good for the greatest number of persons," he stated. The dominant idea in his mind is to benefit the Southern States by providing a use for cotton stalks. He proposes to bide his own time in determining what he will do about manufacturing and marketing the product.

The morning service in the Whiteley Memorial Church to-morrow will be conducted by the Rev. C. L. Carr, and in the evening Rev. J. W. Burton will take as his subject "The Methodist Conference and Heterodoxy."

IT IS THE RESOLVE to obtain the GENUINE EUCALYPTI EXTRACT which will procure for you « remedy of sterling value and will protect you from having your health injured by one of the many crude oils and 80-calle'd ■Extracts" which are passed off by unscrupulous dealers as "just as good," and which are, according to authentic testimony, very depressing to the heart. The GENUINE_ SANDER EXTRACT is absolutely non-injujrious, and brings instantaneous relief in headaches, fevers colda, bronchial and gastric affections,' and its great antiseptic powers protect from future infection. Wounds, ulcers, burns, sprains, are healed without inflammation. SANDER'S EXTRACT is endorsed by the highest Medical Authorities, and is unique in its effect; purity reliability and safety are its dispunishable qualities. Therefore, «et the GENUINE SANDER EXTRACT;' insist, if you have to, but get it, and derive the benefit. Ee sure and get. the famous Roslyn Writing Tablets, fid or Is each, from loJal drapers and storekeepers.—Advt.