LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 299, 14 June 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

«*■ By ballot the Borough Council decided yesterday to place its accident insurance risk with the Phoenix office. The registrar discovered a number of unregistered canines at the Dunedin Dog Show, and prosecutions are to follow. Anti-militarists must be fairly numerous in Wellington, as 450 young men are shortly to be prosecuted for failing to attend Territorial camps. The overdraft of the Wanganui Agricultural and Pastoral Association, which five years ago stood at £I3OO, now stands at a little over £2OO. About ten houses are now in course of erection at Palmerston, where the Government has acquired 30 acres of land for the purposes of workers' dwellings. On his wife's application, a prohibition order was issued by Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, against a remittance man, a resident of Fitzroy. The Parapara Ironsand Company's works at Moturoa are expected, to recommence operations in a couple of weeks. The remodelling of the buildings owing to destruction by the recent fire has been completed, and the engineers are now commencing to fit up the machinery. The Christchureh branch of the Post and Telegraph Association has carried a resolution expressing indignation at the Postmaster-General's circular regarding gambling, and requesting its withdrawal. The association elected Mr. Newman and Mr. Brice to represent the. North Canterbury and Hokitika districts at a conference to be held in Wellington. Nothing is known as to the cause of the outbreak of fire on the Old Hospital road on Wednesday evening, which razed to the ground a house owned by Mr. Skeet and occupied by Mr. Herman Brown. The building was insured in the United Insurance Company for £2OO, and the furniture was covered by a risk of £250 in the National office. ■ The lecture on India to-night in the Whiteley Hall should prove more than ordinarily interesting. The Rev. Mr. Burton has travelled through that great : country and is familiar with the customs of the people and with some of their languages. The lecture will he illustrated by a large number of lantern slides prepared from Mr. Burton's own photographs and views of the Mutiny cities, scenery, palaces and temples will be shown.

..Mr. R. IT. W. Bligh, of the White Cross League, will address meetings in the Empire Theatre on Sunday, talks to men and lads over 14 years at 3 and 8.30 p.m. on the strength of parity and dangers of impurity. An address to women will be given at 4 p.m. on their influence in the promotion of purity. Mr. Bligli was here four years ago and held successful meetings. His work was very favorably mentioned at the last conference of the Teachers' Institute. They urged the Department to promote teachers on sex purity. The Taranaki Egg Circle, which commenced operations on May 1, has now a membership of 33. Reporting to the meeting of the circle, the committee stated that it was confident that the membership would be largely increased as the aims and objects of the circle became better known, and as keepers of poultry realised the benefits of co-opera-tion in the marketing of their produce. Eggs to the number of 243 dozen had been dealt with during May, and this quantity wo,uld be more than doubled in June. A committee was elected as follows: Messrs. TSoulton, Cameron, Pott, Scott, and Webster.

A long-felt want has been supplied by the advent of a club-house run by the New Plymouth Girls Friendly Society in the old Anglican vicarage premises. The building which has been renovated and redecorated throughout, is replete with all modern conveniences and comforts, and should be largely patronised during lunch hour and at other odd periods, by girls whose employment takes them some distance away from their homes. The homo is tastefully furnished, and the main room contains a piano and facilities for writing and reading. Privileges which will be appreciated, are those which allow girls to bring their own luncheon for consumption on the premises, with the addition, if desired, of a cup of tea or cocoa, for the small sum of twopence. The kitchen is well fitted up, and eggs will be boiled for those who bring them. The hours will be from 12 noon until 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. until ft p.m. if possible. Yesterday the club 'house was thrown open for inspection by the public, a unmber of whom availed themselves of the opportunity.

Mr. .T. B. Connett presided over the thirty-sixth annual meeting of the New Plymouth Investment and Loan Society (permanent), which was held this week. The annual report read as follows:—The directors have pleasure in presenting the thirty-sixth annual report and balancesheet, and have again to point to the flourishing state of the society. Shareholders will note that the revised and reduced scale of charges has been appreciated, as shown by the satisfactory increase in the advances during the past twelve months. The directors have, as usual, carefully reviewed the securities, and in all cases report that the position is entirely satisfactory. The rntirin" directors are Messrs. T. Furl oner, jnn" and W. C. Weston, who are eligible' a ml offer themselves for re-election. Two auditors have to lie appointed at the meeting and their remuneration voted. The services of the former auditors Messrs. ,T. <3. McTtellar and 0. F. Foot,-, will again be available. The chairman' moved the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, and remarked that in spite of the competition bv (he various State lending departments borrowers had availed themselves larrHv of Hie society's funds. The -.notion was second ed by Mr. W. F. Brookimr. mul carried and the retiring directors were reelected. Messrs',! S. McKVllur and (\ F. Foote were re-appoint"-! auditors. The directors were accorded a henrfv vote of thanks, and voted the u'ual remuneration. Mr. J. B. ConneH has been re-elected chairman of directors.

A numbrr c.f skis have been imported to Christchurch from Norway. This sport, which is so popular in Europe, is likely to become a favorite pastime in the Southern, parts of the Dominion. The Mica Company, a Christchurch syndicate, i-. exploiting (lie lodes of, mineral near Charleston; Three or four men have hern at work for some weeks and several boxes of the product have been shipped away for analysis and report.

It is report. (1 that .since the mishap to the Titan:- the White Star Linesteamers will in future carry two wireless operators, so as to keep an incessant vigil. The Zealandic, which recently arrived at Auckland, is carrying two operators. The London Daily Mai] states that as a result of the recent wild speculation in American Marconi shares on the London Stock Exchange, "bulls" who bought heavily in May have lost over £2,000.000. This amount will have to be found when the reckoning day arrives. The date of settlement has not yet been fixed, but it must soon come. Mr. Melvin Vanniman, the American journalist, who has just completed the construction of his airship, the Akron, in which he hopes to be able to cross the Atlantic, made a trial flight in New York recently. Mr. Vanniman was quite satisfied with the test, and declares that the Akron is an improvement on his last airship, the America. Twenty-six years ago on Monday tht disastrous Tarsi wera eruption occurred, The catastrophe stands alone in the his tory of New Zealand in the extent o\ the devastation it caused. Unexpectedly, the volcano announced its activity only by a preliminary succession of earthquakes, and then commenced to belch lava and ashes. Lake Rotomahana, which has since restored itself, was emptied by the southern bank being blown away, and the famous pink and white terraces were destroyed. The Maori villages of Wairoa and Te Ariki Were wiped out, and the livea of six Europeans and 95 natives were lost.

j The petition in favor of the amalga- . mation of the St. Aubyn Town Board district and a portion 'of the Moturoa district with the. New Plymouth Borough, which is now in the hands of the Minister of Internal Affairs, was signed by almost every elector whom it was possible to see. Many of those on the roll are absentees residing in other parts of the Dominion, and a large number of those shown under u residential qualification have left the particular di.s----1 trict affected since the roll was made j up, and thereby lost their qualification. The area of land comprised in the petiI tion is approximately 785 acres, made up jas follows:—St. Auliyn 45.5 acres; Moturoa 330 acres. The number on the combined rolls is 437. of whom 221 have signed the petition. One hundred and twen-ty-two have left the district, are living in other parts of the Dominion, are abroad, or are dead, leaving only 111 unaccounted for, and of the latter many would probably have signed if they could have been seen. In addition 29 possessing electors' qualifications, but not yet enrolled, have signed the petition. The district is thus almost unanimous in its desire to join the borough. It is hoped that all legal formalities will be completed and the area merged in about two months' time, leaving the ground clear for the tramway proposals. The evidence of two witnesses was taken at the Magistrate's Court yester- ? day morning, before Mr. A. Crooke, I S.M., set down for hearing at Lower I Hutt. The parties were Messrs. J. L. .Barlow and Co., plumbers, Lower Hutt | (plaintiffs), and A. J. Ingley, settler, Bell Block (defendant), and the amount of the claim was £35 ISs, which ineluded costs of a judgment, obtained , last February against a third party. Mr. Nicholson represented the plaintiffs, and Mr. Frank Wilson appeared for the de- ; fendant. Evidence was given by Joseph : Ingley, of New Plymouth, father of the defendant, and the defendant himself. The claim is for certain work alleged to have been done on a property at Lower Hutt, owned by the defendant, and at one time, owned by a Airs. Pawson. Joseph Ingley deposed to having authorised work to the amount of £1(1. at. the instance of Mrs. Pawson, whose agent lie then was. Beyond this Barlow and Co. had no authority to linderlake work. Arthur J. Ingley,' the defendant in the action, said he never ordered any of tho work claimed for by the plaintiffs. He did not even know that it was I being carried out. In short, he was in I no way responsible for it. The defend- | ant, who gave evidence at length, sought to show that at the time the work was carried out the property was really held by Mrs. Pawson. It appeared that the property was owned by Mrs. Pawson, but the transfer to her 'from Ingley was subsequently set aside by an order of the Supreme Court, so that the question arises as to whether she was really ipso facto, owner at the time the drainage work is_ said to have been authorised. : A bright and interesting little production, in the shape of the initial vol- | ume of the New Plymouth Boy' High School magazine, has reached this office. It contain!* 85 pages of excellent printed matter and photographic illustrations of subjects of interest both to present-day , cholars and to old-boys. In an editorial, it enlarges on the reasons which more than justify the existence of a school magazine. Inter alia, it states: "In order to have a flourishing school, all the various institutions must be maintained with enthusiasm. To knit all these organisations into one concrete whole, is the function of every school magazine, and it* work is therefore of paramount importance. It also acts as a powerful stimulus among the ever-increasing ranks of the old boys, by keeping them in touch with the institution which guided their first intellectual footsteps." The. magazine, which is excellently got up, contains chatty notes about football, the cadet corps, shooting, swimming sports, the gymnasium, cricket, the .library, and the agricultural class. Most interesting is the column devoted to a historical .sketch of the school, which was opened in February, 1882. In the "Boarders Notes," the writer has taken full advantage of the fine scope offering for good-natured chaff, while "Reminiscences," (by W. Raw.son) is an article which should appeal to many whose schooling days are long sine* over. The whole is rounded off with an interesting article from the pen of Mr F. Kelly, of Awakino, comprising advice to those boys who intend to follow a farming ife. On the whole, the school magazine may be congratulated on having scored a distinct success with this its maiden number.

The groat strides that have betn made in the art of photography during the past few years make ua wonder where the possibilities of the Camera will stop. Expert photographers have actually succeeded in getting splendid photos of game on tlu! qui vive to escape the dogs close at hand. Fine work cannot he done with clumsy tools; it requires great care on the operator's pari,, and 'thorough reliability in the Camera, to talce successful photos of any kind. The latest models in Cameras are illustrated, described nml priced in a new catalogue published by Harringtons N.Z. Ltd. This catalogue should prove an invaluable help lo (he man who wishes to procure a high-grade camera for first-class work. Possession of a copy can be obtained by simply sending a halfpenny postal card, ben ring a request for the required copy, which will be sent free of cost bv re!um mail. Address post-card to 'HaringtoiK WE, Ltd., Willis street, Wel-gton.—-Advt.

A SydiK., | special Government Gazette has beea issued in thanksgiving of the good deliverance from the drought. A bomb by the Defence Department was thrown amongst the Territorials on Thursday (says the North Otago Times) in the form of a demand for 10s each as ' V.;.? '-.<: :ot being on parade on Monday morning last (King's Birthday). There being only 25 out of about 400" ' that answered to the roll-call, a con- ' siderable sum is expected to be collected '* The document states that all those wh« have not paid the demand within sevi-n days will, in due course, have to present themselves before the Magistrate, whohas been appointed to adjudicate in thematter. On this occasion rifles, uniform,, side arms and kit will be dispensed with, and it will not even count aa a drill. A. small but very enjoyable social was. held last night in St. Andrew's Hall to farewell Mr. and Mrs. Neil Mclsaac, wha are leaving the town for Wellington. A' short musical programme, which was much appreciated, was given by Misses Leitch, Stewart, Cannell, Goodacre, and Connett, Messrs. Asher, Reid, and Rev Mr. Roseveare. Mr. N. K. MacDairmid expressed regret and best wishes on be- | half of the maangers of the church, and from them presented Mr. Mclsaac with a fountain pen as a token of their esteem. Mr. Reid spoke on behalf of the choir and Mr. Ewing for the congregation. Mr. Mclsaac suitably responded. The social closed with refreshments, which were provided by the ladies of the congregation. A confession that a dream prevented him from sailing in the Titanic was made by Mr. J. C. Middleton, vice-presi-dent of the Akron-Canton Railway of Ohio. Mr. Middleton told the dream tolas friends ten days before the tragedy, and this is vouched for bv several wellknown people. Mr. Middleton says:— "I booked a cabin in the Titanic on March 23. T felt unaccountably depressed at the time, and on April 3 I dreamt that I saw the Titanic capsized in mid-ocean, and a lot of passengers struggling in the water. The following night I dreamt exactly the same dream. The next day I told my wife and several of my friends, and afterwards, on receiving cable advice from America that my business did not necessitate my crossing at once, I decided to canoel my passage." v The mother and sister of Mr. Charles Williams, the racquet champion of tha world, who arc residing in Wellington, have been informed that before the sinking of the Titanic, on board of whichhe was travelling to America to play a; match, he jumped overboard, and, supported by a lifebelt, which he had hastily donned in Ms cabin, floated about for a few minutes, but was ultimately picked up by one of the lifeboats. He told Lloyd's correspondent that a moment after he was hauled into the boat Captain Smith swam up to it, supporting a baby on his left arm and swimming with his right. "Take the child," he gasped. "A dozen hands instantly reached forth," said Mr. Williams, '-to grasp the baby, which was. at once taken into the boat." "What beeamw of Murdoch?" asked the captain. (Murdoch was the chief officer.) Someone in the boat said, "He shot himself." Upon hearing this," said Mr. Williams, the captain released his grasp of the gunwale, and slowly sank before our eyes."