LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 307, 24 June 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On Wednesday afternoon, in the Good Templars' lodge room, the W.C.T.U. will hold a social afternoon to celebrate "White Ribbon Day." A public congress of ex-convicts is to be held at Bucharest shortly for the purpose of forming an international association of men who have been in prison. The promoter is M. Constantin Danesco, who has himself served various sentences of imprisonment, and who declares that society is cruelly unjust to ex-convicts. He believes that these unfortunates may be helped by an international organisation. The only qualification for membership must be a certificate showing that the candidate has served at least two years in prison, and that he is desirous of leading an honest life. M. Danesco is inviting ex-convicts from all parts of the world to the congress, which will be presided over by an aged Roumanian ex-prisoner, who was at one time sentenced to death, but afterwards reprieved. The new twenty-four-hour railway timetable was put into practice at all the railway stations in Paris on May 1, and the system is being extended throughout the entire country. A correspondent states that the new way of telling the time caused some bewilderment to travellers, w.ho enquired for trains quite unconscious of the change. When told that train so-and-so was to start at 13 o'clock or at 21.50 they looked in amazement at the employees. Many did not understand, and wondered if the station hands had suddenly gone mad. It was of no use turning from one puzzling guard to another to ask the time in plain language. They all had received the order to speak only in the official time-table language, which they repeated with provoking gravity. "Good heavens! liaae all these people gone mad ?" exclaimed elderly ladies who could not understand the change, or who had not been warned of it. At all their exclamations the station employees retained their imperturbable demeanor, and spoke of 14 o'clock and 19.30 as if it had been a current matter for the last hundred years. Two graceful and impressive fetes, which should live long in the memory of the British and French nations, were held on Friday and Saturday, April 12 and 13, at Nice and Cannes respectively. The first was the occasion of the unveiling of the statue of Queen Victoria at Cimez, outside Nice, and the second the occasion of the unveiling of the statue of King Edward VII. at Cannes. The first part of the Nice fete took place at a spot overlooking the bay. French men-of-war steamed past in the deep water quite close to the land, and meanwhile there were exhibitions of flying overhead by some of these consummate French air'men. Next there was a march past of the troops, among them a large detachment of British bluejackets, who marched to "A Life on the Ocean Wave," played by a French naval band. The British detachment was a larger armed force than is often landed on foreign soil. At the unveiling of Queen Victoria's statue —the sculptor is M. Louis Mubert—the chief speech was made by M. Poincare, the French Premier, and Sir Francis Bertie, the British Ambassador, represented the King. M. Poincare's review of Queen Victoria's life created widespread attention for its dignity, sympathy and insight.

The latest addition to the numerous fortunes that have been lost in unsuccessful attempts to establish newspapers is that sunk in the effort to provide London with a new evening paper. Eighteen months ago the Evening Times wag announced, with a great flourish of trumpets. It was in many respects an admirable paper, and made a hard fight to secure a footing. At the outset it had the financial backing of several wealthy members of Parliament. But the tremendous coat of establishing a newspaper in the metropolis proved too much for its resources, as it proved too much for the resources of the Tribune not long ago, which, after spending about a quarter of a million, was compelled to cease publication. The Evening Times during its brief career is stated to have lost nearly £BO,OOO. It has now been forced to give up the struggle. "We did our utmost," said one of its chief promoters, to keep on, and only closed down when we saw that if the paper continued we should not be able to pay 20s in the pound. The staff was loyal to the end, and during the past few months the members have been working for practically no salaries at all. It has been a hard struggle, and I must say this: We have had nothing but fairness and good fellowship from all our rivals."

Mary, Marv, quite contrary, Why are you sneezing so When Woods' Great Pepperniinl here, And bids your cold to go? Go get a spoon and take a dose. And smile once more at me; With the redness gone from vonnose, And your eyes from the liot. t(v <>:■■■

The TTawera Acclimatisation Society is paying sixpence per pair for hawk's feet, for which it has, during the past two seasons, paid out £4O. The other day forty pairs were received from the Pihama district, and twenty-two from the 'district. It is expected that hawks will be largely reduced in the Hawera centre this season.

The Feilding Star remembers a supper Ben Tillett gave to Carl Hertz in Wellington what time Ben Tillett tourned New Zealand—some ten or twelve years ago—and Ben's drink on that occasion was champagne. Ben Tillet, who is fiftythree years of age, is secretary of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers' Union of Great Britain and Ireland. He started work in a Bristol brickyard in liis eighth year, was working on a fishing smack at twelve, then became apprentice to a bootmaker, next joined the Royal Navy, out of that into the merchant service, and finally settled down in London as a docker. He has been an alderman of London, is a frequent lecturer, has written much on Socialism, and has made many attempts to get into the House of Commons. But Ben has always been too dangerous as a Syndicalist to get up out of the ruck into the larger life. Poughlceopsie, New York, w*» the scone of an unusual wedding, when Mr. George Walksr, aged 67, and "Mia* Frances Aiken, aged 00, were married by tie aid of an tcousticon. Both bridii and bridegroom have been deaf for oyer 30 years, but by means of the instrument tlioy were able to hear the usu*} questions and make the neoessary responses. The ceremony took place at the home of the bride, and the officiating clergymen were the Rev. Charles Cookman and the Rev. Charles Walworth. The acousticon was fitted up in the drawing room, bride and bridegroom being seated on either side of the table, each holding a recorder. The clergyman, standing in front of them, conducted the service according to the methodist form, and when the necessary questions were asked bride and bridegroom replied distinctly. This la the first wedding performed in America in which the acousticon has been used. The first aero-cab actually constructed 'has been built in France for the use of M. Henri Deutsch do la Meurthe. The cab body of the aeroplane will seat six passengers, who will be enabled to view the country above which they arc flying from the windows, which are made of mica. The airman's seat is forward of the cab body, against which he leans, and a speaking-tube is provided through which the passenger,s may communicate with him. The machine is a Bleriottype monoplane, and is unusual in that it is probably the first of these aeroplanes so constructed that the operator and passengers are carried beneath the plane instead of above it. The propeller, instead of being forward of the plane, as in ordinary monoplane practice, is in the rear. The gasoline tank and motor occupy the space usually reserved on monoplanes for the airman and his passengers. Another change from the usual monoplane construction is the addition of a forward elevating plane. The propeller is exceptionally large and powerful, and the motor develops something over 100-h.p. M. Henri de la Meurthe is one of the foremost patrons of aviation in France, and was one of the first to aid aerial progress in the form of a substantial prize. One of his latest gifts to aviation was the aerotechnical institute at St. Cyr, near Paris, which cost something over £20,000. W.C.T.U.—A social afternoon will be held to celebrate "White Ribbon Day" on Wednesday next, 20th inst., at 2.30 p.m., in. the Good Templar Lodge-room. A collection will be taken up, and the goods in hand sold to help the funds for Ma'ori work. Members and non-members are cordially invited.