LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 270, 11 May 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, of Eltham, has consented to contest the Egmont seat at the next general election in the interests of the Opposition, against the Prime Minister. The industrial schools of Prussia, says a trade journal, had 400,000 pupils in I!M)B—nearly 14 per cent, of the population. The Postmaster-General notifies in the Gazette that postal matter addressed to "David Ross," or "Ross and Bradshaw," Poet Office box 101, Wellington, will not be either registered, forwarded, or delivered. Before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yiesterday morning, a further remand of a week was granted in the case of a middle-aged man, who was arrested on a charge of helpless drunkenness. The services in the Whiteley Memorial Church to-morrow will be conducted in the morning by Mr. 11. T. Peat, and in the evening by the Rev. J. W. Burton. The evening subject will be "The Fatherheart of God." The monthly service for men will be held in St. Mary's Church to-morrow afternoon, at 3 o'clock. The preacher will be the Rev. A. H. Colvile, and his subject is "Dives or Lazarus—which is the better man?" This week's meet of the North Taranaki Hunt Club took place on Thursday a.t Mr. E. W. Wheatley's property at Sentry Hill. Next Thursday the club will hold the meet at Omata. Prior to the hunt they will be entertained at luncheon at New Plymouth by Messrs. A. R. Standish and B. Chancy. The committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society is endeavoring to arrange for special trains all along the line on the occasion of the winter show, which will open at New Plymouth on .Tune 5. The new building which is to house the show is now well under way, and should be completely covered in to-day. Entries of exhibits and application? for space continue to be received in large fljftb® l3 - '

The present selling price for circle eggs as supplied by the Taraanki Egg Circle is 2s 3d per dozen. A meeting of the creditors of John Hodgson, of New Plymouth, marine engineer, will be held at the Deputy Official Assignee's office on May 20, at 2.30 p.m. It has' "been rumored that another Liberal organ is shortly to be started in Dannevirke, to replace the Dannevirke Advocate, which recently was ibought by the Evening News proprietors. A speaker at Thursday night's function at Tariki mentioned the n'eed for the establishment at Tariki of a pollingbooth in road board elections. Mr. 11, Trimble, chairman of the Moa Eoad Board, subsequently explained that the Road Boards Act provided that there must b>e only one polling-booth in a road district which was not divided into wards.

Consequent upon their hopes with respect to the County Council reserve not having materialised, thfe Taranaki Agricultural Society is looking in other directions for suitable grounds for its autumn show. It is understood that the committee has several sites in view, but has not yet come to a definite decision. Under the circumstances, it is extremely unlikely that the new grounds will be ready 'until the 1914 show. Mr. John Burns thinks that every woman who keeps more than two cats ought to have a ; poor-law child quartered on her. Apparently, a good many children would be provided for in this way. An approximate census of animals compiled last year puts the number of cats in the United Kingdom at 7,850,000 —nearly as many cats as there are families. f!eraianv, with a much larger population, has only 450,000 cats. The record kept by the registrar of births, marriages and deaths for the Auckland district shows a large increase in the number of marriages celebrated so far this year, compared with the correi sponding months of last year, and the year before. During the four months just ended there have been celebrated over 100 more marriages than during an equal period last year. It would appear, also, that marriage by the registrar is growing more popular, 124 having been so performed this year, as against 89 for the same period last year.

The Hon. G. Laurenson will not be able to be present to-morrow to give the address at ithe New Plymouth Brotherhood, but he has promised to return in about a month's time to fulfil his promise. Owing to short notice other gentlemen who (have promised) to assist later are not ready for this week, so Mr. Burton will again be the speaker, taking for his subject, "Personal Freedom as an ideal of Jesus Christ." The Garrison Band will be present oh the platform, and will play sacred selections. A fine feature of the gathering will be the men's singing under the direction of Mr. W. M. Perry. The attention of tlu\ Federal Minister for Customs (Mr. Tudor) was recently drawn to an attempt made to import into the Commonwealth a patent medicine which it was claimed on the label was a positive and certain cure for all diseases, and could be taken in any quantity without danger. It was to be sold at a high price. The Minister caused a sample to be tested, and the analyst reported that the medicine consisted of sulphurous and sulphuric acids in water. He at once ordered the destruction of the misleading literature accompanying the. consignment. Mr. Tudor took similar action recently with TCgard to an alleged cure for consumption, large quantities of wmch were imported into the Commonwealth. The enterprising manager of a leading music hall in England, realising what a star attraction the chairman of the Senatorial Commitlc of Enquiry would be, cabled to that gentleman on the subject, lie .sent, a very handsome invitation to Senator .Smith to visit London and deliver a lecture, or series of lecture, on "Navigation, and the Safety of Liners at Sea." Tlie seriousness with which the oiler was treated was evidently greater than that with which it was made, for the gentleman who has made himself so mienviably conspicuous in tiie Titanic enquiry replied, stating that acceptance of the oifer would be inconsistent with his position as a senator. It was, in fact, impossible for him to come. After spending Christmas in Poland Jgnace Paderewski went back to his Swiss estate at Morges to pack up for a live months' tour in South Africa. Thence, after a short rest, he hoped to go to America. The huge sums earned in America have vanished and, though tired out, the great pianist must set to work again- instead of quietly composing •-at home. Generosity and rash speculations have dispersed his fortune. He keeps quite a court at Morges, where no appeal for help is disregarded. Though 51 years old, Paderewski still enjoys the 1 adoration of crowds of women, whom his wife wards oil' as best she can. lie is a most devoted husband, and never receives a fair visitor without consulting her. She generally is present at the interview, to the discomfort of the admirers. She is live years older than her husband and is heartily sick of touring, but always goes, as he, feels lonely without her.

Medical inspection is now proceeding at New Plymouth of cadets who are ready for drafting into the Territorials. The first batch of boys was put through last night. The New Zealand military year begins on the first day of next month, and the Defence authorities have 1 issued instructions as follows with reference to registration:—(a) All persons who will attain the ages of 14 to 22 years on or before 31st May nert, who have not already registered, are required <to do so. (This does not mean that anybody who was over the age of 21 last year, when the scheme was put into operation, is affected; the age of 22 only refers to those persons who neglected to register last year.) (b) All boys attending any primary school who will attain or have attained 14 years of age on 31st May, 1912, or if they remain at such primary school beyond the age of 14 on 31st May of the year in which _tbey will have or have left such primary school. Registration of boys attending primary schools may .be made by school authorities on behalf of the boys, (c) All male persons who have not attained 22 years of age temporarily absent from the Dominion, not previously registered, must do so within two months of their return, (d) All male immigrants who between the ages of 14 and 22 must register within six months after arriving in the Dominion, (e) All male persons who, owing to u change of residence, have ceased to reside in an exempted aflea, must register within thirty days of sucih change of residence to an area not so exempted. If registration has already been made, the person must produce his record book to the nearest area office, (f) Registration forms may be obtained at any military office, police station, or post office, or at schools throughout the Dominion. Such forms must be correctly filled in and posted or handed to the nearest military area office not later than the 31st May, inia

What's the refuge of the wheezer?

'Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. What's the halm for every sneezer? Woods' Great Peppermint Curt. Not a house should he without it. Not a nurse afford to flout it; Friend of all, both rich and poor, Here's long life to Peppermint Cure. 12

The guarantee fund of the Auckland Industrial Exhibition has now been in-1 creased to £ls,<ioo. 1 Westport is the only town on the West Coast where Thursday is observed as the half-holiday. All the other centres have selected Wednesday. Two Hawera residents have submit-! ted figures showing that their poultry liave returned them .£1 per lien for the year, without any forcing or special attention. The Dargavill • correspondent of the New Zealand Hen Id estimates that 3000 pheasants were shot in that district dur- j ing the first two or three days of the shooting season. There was also a heavy slaughter of pigeons, shootists being under the impression that they were not protected. A sum of £7OOO from the pennies paid for the use of deck chairs on Manly Beach (Sydney) seems a surprising figure, but that is the acting-town clerk's estimate of the gross takings from these conveniences up to the end of the new contract for the chairs, which is for four years. For t'he period ended March, IDI2, the gross total earnings of these beach- seats showed an increase of £344 over the figures for the previous year. Presuming the same rate of increase is maintained during the next four years, the foregoing sum of £7OOO is estimated as the probable gross takings. Of this sum the Council's commission would be £317-4. The successful tenderer pays the Council 41 1 /,. per cent, of the receipts. The Eketahuna Express publishes a prediction from a well-known Wairarapa sheep dealer to the effect that a sharp rise in the price of sheep will take place next season. Tie bases his calculations on the fact that the phenomenal season has been responsible for a largely increased number of fats, stating tliatSO to 100 per cent, more fat sheep have been railed this season than last. He goes on to state that ''the logical conclusion, then, in the face of the small lambing perc.entj age as compared with the year previous is that there must be fewer sheep alive. Already there is a large shortage in the South Island, and this must be reflected on the North Island market. Again, strange though it may seem, in face of the quantity of grass about, anyone who cares to inspect the flocks will find that the hoggets are not doing nearly so well as in previous years, and there seisms nothing that can avert In avy mortality among them."