LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 258, 1 May 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is held by a number of fruit-growers that New Zealand will before long be sending large consignments of fruit Home. Large areas have been, and are being, planted, principally in apples of the varieties that have proved to be the best adapted for export and sale on European markets. Considerable interest is being evinced at the present time in the work of a number of Maoris who are preparing a canoe in the Pukekohe East district. The work has been undertaken by a party of Rangariri natives, who obtained a splendid kahikatea tree for the purpose. The diameter of the tree at the butt is 4ft flin and its 'height Trill permit of the canoe being '77 ft in length. The canoe is to be named after the district in which the tree was grown, and when completed will be carried by 35 natives over a distance of 2>/ a miles to Bucldand, from which station it 'will be railed to the Waikato. Men still wear their hats in church in many parts of Holland (says the Daily Chronicle). Moreover, smoking in church is not considered irreverent by the Dutch when service is not in progress, and flic ministers themselves indulge in this practice. Altogether, according to a recent visitor, ''Dutch Protestantism is a very j comfortable form of religion. You keep 1 your hat on in church, and that saves you many a chill; you talk freely, and in your natural voice, not in a whisper; you have a neat housemaid in white cap and apron (and nothing is more cleanly and charming than a Dutch servant maid) to show you to your seat or to offer you a chair; you liave nice drab pews of painted deal all round you, and a cheerful two-decker pulpit above,"

The directors of the National Insurmce Company have declared an interim dividend of Is per share. Shortly after two o'clock yesterday morning a sharp shock of earthquake was experienced at New Plymouth. The Clyde correspondent of the Dunedin Star reports a heavy fall of snow in the back country for two days. Great loss of sheep is feared. It is anounc.ed that his Majesty's ship New Zealand, the Dreadnought cruiser presented to England by the New Zealand Government, will visit New Zealand immediately after commissioning, probably early next year. The demand for land in the Feilding district was fully demonstrated the other day, when Mr. Ernest Short disposed of twelve sections of land (portion of l'arorangi estate), comprising 2333 acres, at prices varying from £l6 to £2B an acre. The aggregate value 'of tho land disposed of amounted to £40,123 7s fid. There is keen inquiry for the remaining sections. A slip on the Main Trunk line near Erua, about live miles south of Waimarino, held up the down express from Auckland for just over three hours on Monday. The delay also affected the clearing of the down New Plymouth mail' train through Marton by about half an hour, as the express was given precedence for right 'of way. The line is now clear. In view of the far-reaching effect of the Local Government Bill, it has been decided by the Minister for Hospitals (the Hon. G. W. Russell) that in addition to several copies already sent to chairmen of local bodies, a full supply will be forwarded to all members of local bodies throughout tho Dominion, in order that they may familiarise themselves with the proposals. These should be iri the hands of local authorities in a week's time. A claim for £3, alleged to be due on account of the services of a horse which travelled the TJrenui district, was heard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. The defence was that the defendant was guaranteed a foal, which, however, had not materialised. After hearing several witnesses, the Magistrate (Mr. A. Orooke, S.M.) non-suited the plaintiff, with costs to the amount of £3 Is 3d. Mr. A. H. Johnstone appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. A. Bowley for the defendant. There was a large audience at the Empire Pictures last night, when a special programme was screened, for the Bov Scouts' benefit. On the occasion of a great Scout rally at Windsor, the King inspected 40.000 Scouts from all parts of the United Kingdom, and several interesting views of this camp were depicted. Another picture shown was "Saved from the Gipsies' Hands." In this film two Boy Scouts and a messenger track a gang of gipsy robbers and recover a valuable penrl necklace. By their applause the local Scouts showed keen appreciation 'of the action of the proprietary of the Empire in interesting themselves on their behalf. The coach travelling from Mahoenui to Te Kuiti on Thursday, with eight passengers on board, was capsized over a twelve-foot bank, no one, however, being injured. The cause of the accident was the breakage of the pole while negotiating a deep rut, which caused the horses to bolt. The driver steered the team round two corners, but came to grief at the third. The top of the coach was smashed in. and a boy named Knox" pinned underneath, but when extricated the boy was found to be unhurt. One -of the passengers was a lady. Three of them had jumped out before the capsize. Mr. C. K. Wilson, M.P., who was on board, said he had never seen the roads worse. A curious little experience was related by Mr. Bevan Brown, headmaster of the Christchurch Boys' High School, in a lecture which he gave at Canterbury College on Saturday evening on his recent trip to England and the various places of interest he had visited 'on his travels. In the course of his remarks (states our correspondent), Mr. Brown said that while travelling through the Riviera he found himself with four strangers. Happening to mention Christchurch, New Zealand, he was overheard by one of his carriage companions, who turned to him and asked him whether he knew the late Mr. T. E, Taylor, with whom the speaker was acquainted. One of the other travellers then entered into the conversation, and stated that his wife was living in New Zealand. The. third stranger next owned up to having been born in this country. Only the fourth party remained silent. „ On October 13, 1!)09, Francisco Ferrer was shot in the trenches of Montjuieh, Spain, by virtue of a sentence of the court-martial dated October 9, 1!)00, which condemned him "as author and as chief of the rebellion" at Barcelona, to the punishment of death, and it was ordered that all compensation for damages caused by tho burnings, sackings and deterioratoon of property happening thereby should be met and discharged out of the. property of Ferrer seized by the authorities. Ferrer's friends have never ceased to proclaim his innocence, and on December 0, 1011, the Supreme Tribunal of War and Marine at Madrid gave judgment that Ferrer was not in any way connected with the events of Barcelona, that none of the. persons prosecuted in connection with the events acted under his orders, and that in none of the numerous trials (there were some 2000 in number) that followed upon the insurrection has any trace been found either of the participation or instigation of Ferrer. Among the r.ituals of the Tribunal No. 0 relates that: "Considering that Ferrer, not having been condemned in any of the judgments given independently of that for which he was executed, the embargo placed on his property cannot be maintained. The embargo is therefore removed." M. Forand, in whose favor, as testamentary executor this decree is issued, has now returned to Barcelona in order to received formal possession of some of Ferrer's property at the hands of the civil governor, a fresh decree of the Tribunal having ordained that the books of the Escucla Moderna (115,000 volumes) shall be handed over to the heirs. As the alleged subversive character of the "Escucla Moderna"—in his latter days the Tuling passion of Ferrer's life—were relied on by the court-martial as aggravating proofs of Ferrer's guilt. This new decree adds fresh reasons for the ■revision of the trial.