LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 54, 22 July 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Five blocks of greenstone from the greenstone mountain have been sent from Greymouth. They average about 3cwt. each, and vary in size, the dimensions in one block being 4ft in length and '2ft wide. They were being sent to Sydney as samples, and the discovery promises to 'be one of the most famous and profitable yet made in New Zealand.

Money must he scarce in Featherston. A travelling theatrical company which visited the town the other night had fixed the charge for front seats .at 2s, and this price was considered too high by the members of the British public, who were prepared to pay Is only. As the time for commencing approached, and hardly anyone had entered the hall, the management reduced the tariff to Is, and the strike was declared "off."

There was again a large attendance at the Brotherhood meeting in the Good Templar Ilall yesterday afternoon. Mr. Henry Brown was in the chair. The soloist was Mr. J. A. Haslam. The Rev. •J. H. Roseveare delivered an able address on "The Incredibility of the Gospel Narrative," which was followed closely by those present. During the afternoon it was announced that the speaker next Sunday would be Professor T. W. Mills.

A curious discovery was made by workmen whilst pulling down a house in Grey street, Auckland, last week. When removing the lining of one of the rooms four revolvers were found between the lining and the weatherboards. They were in a splendid state of preservation, but some paper underneath them was in pulp, and it was evident that they had been in their hiding place for a number of years. The house was the first to be built in Grey street, and at one time was occupied by Sir George Grey. The peculiarities of the English language were portrayed in a striking yet humorous manner by Prince Dikran at Palmerston North recently. At tho mission school he attended English had to be spoken at meals, and two of tho lads, one being himself, quarrelled as to the contents of a pickle jar. Were they pickles or preserves?' The teacher explained that both words were used to describe the same article. Later, when one of the lads came to pray, his prayer was, "0, Lord, pickle us," instead of "0 Lord, preserve us." On another occasion the Prince was asked the time, lie replied "two and a-half," meaning halfpast two. His error was imperfectly explained to him, and on visiting a shoe store there was a general laugh when he asked for "sir.; half-past five." meaning five and a-half.

C'lialtiiig with a well -known authority' on Saturday, a News reporter was informed that the condition of the dairy herds throughout the district was at present very superior to what it was this time last year. He recalled that, last year, the cows came through the winter in a dreadfully bad condition, which fact had materially affected the milk supply. Commenting 011 their improved condition, he said they would come into profit this year in the flush of the season, and indications pointed to the fact of the coming season being a good one. So far as young cattle were concerned, our informant—who is qualified to judge—had a different tale to tell. They had, he said, gone through the winter very badly. The mortality among them had been very considerable, so much so that it would considerably affect the price of springers for a couple of years, and dairy stock generally. He attributed this to the wet season following on improper feeding and rearing. He referred particularly to the rearing, whieh he contended fell a long way .short of being efficient. The young cattle were under-fed in this respect: They had plenty to eat of a kind, but they' were not provided with sufficient nutritious food stuff. To his mind one factor in the bad condition of the rising generation of cows was the advent of cheese factories. The more Taranaki went in for cheese—he himself was neither interested in cheese nor butter—the more intense would the trouble become. Skim milk provided nutritious food, but whey contained very little of this quality. In conversation with a News reporter last week, the Mayor referred to what, he considered a long-felt want in the town, in the shape of an up-to-date tourist hotel. He said he was satisfied that if proper accommodation for tourists «nd holiday-makers was provided, hundreds who at present went elsewhere would make New Plymouth their Mecca. New Plymouth had so many outlets dear to the heart of those on pleasure bent that it should be the natural tourist centre for Taranaki. He added that in a very short time the scenic beauties of the Mokau river would be exploited, while the new Mountain House would be in full swing this coming season. "I do not think," he proceeded, "tli,at- the town is doing enough to keep the people here when' (hey da come. YVO ought to make it sufficiently attractive so that they would be pleased to stay here and spend their money. When the Mokau river is opened tip, all tourists ought to bo able to spend at least two days iu New Plymouth itself. A lot of our baekblocks farmers betake themselves and their families to Auckland for their holidays, whereas there ought to be sufficient inducements in the way of accommodation to make them spend them here." letting down to details, Mr. Browne said thai what was wanted was some up-to-date establishment, conducted on a big scaie. where suites of rooms would be "available for oversea visitors. Attached to it should l>e large grounds, containing croquet, tennis, and bowling greens, and the like. To his mind it would be a good thing for a company to take in hand.

According (o the Mayor (Mr. G. W. Browne), it will be fully live months before the Council will be prepared to table (i loan proposal embodying a tramway system. By that time he hopes the money market will be more favorable to the borrower than it is at present. After Or. Clarke and the town clerk have been to Sydney, and furnished their report on the Edisoti storage battery ear, the Council will engage a thoroughly competent tramways engineer to report upon a system for New Plymouth. Jlr. Browne told a News reporter that the only other loans which might possibly be put before the ratepayers this year would be for water and electric light reticulation in the new areas recently absorbed by the borough. He said that the borough engineer was at present engaged in drawing up a report on the projected water service to these outlying portions of the borough, and the electrical engineer was similarly engaged in connection with the electric light. Questioned on the subject, the Mayor admitted that many of the streets and footpaths in the borough were in sad need of repair, but explained that nothing eonld be done until the Greater New Plymouth scheme was an accomplished fact, when the borough engineer, as soon as his hands were free, would be asked to bring down a comprehensive report on the streets of the whole borough. This would include all parts of Greater Xew Plymouth, and the outcome would probably be a loan proposal—not in the immediate future —to put the whole of them in order. For that, reason the work had to stand in abeyance for the present, as the Council did not want to enter upon a patch-work scheme. Mr. Browne was emphatic that no loan proposal would be launched until t!:a money market was fit. For Children's Backing Cough at night. Wood's Great Teppermlnt Cure 1/0, 2/f

Tu the course of legal argument in the bookmaking case against John Scott, in Wellington, last week, Sir John Findlay remarked that he wished to make clear what was an indisputable position in law —that the calling of a bookmaker was still a perfectly legal calling. It had never been otherwise, and in 1908 express interpretation had been given, so that if a man made his whole living by bookmaking he was still following a calling which was quite legal. And to bet was a perfectly legal act. It was only betting with certain persons and in certain places which were illegal acts under our most recent legislation.

"All's fair in love and war" is an old saying which by long usage has come to be accepted—whether rightly or wrongly —as a truism. And this serves to introduce a little story which is now going the rounds in the city of Dunedin. It is said that a 'gentleman who is well known in local athletic circles, and a lady who hails from an Otago country town, were quietly married by the PiegUtrar one morning last week, and that on the very same afternoon another gentleman waited on the Registrar and applied for n marriage license, naming the lady who had been wedded in the morning as his bride-to-be. Of course, under the circumstances, no license was issued.

A ship's doctor last week (says the Xew York correspondent of the Daily Express on May 0) carried out a surgical operation by wireless telegraphy wliilo he was four hundred miles away from the patient. A laborer on Swan Island, a lonely wireless station in the Gulf of Mexico, crushed his -foot so badly that it was obvious it must be amputated. There wero no doctors and no medical books on hand, and no one at the station had ever attempted any surgery before. The wireless operators sent out a call, which was picked lip by a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, four hundred and twenty miles away. A surgeon on this vessel sent a reply message telling the men on Swan Island how to go to work. The injured laborer was operated on successfully, and the patient insisted on pressing the wireless key himself, under the guiding fingers of the operator, to send the doctor his thanks. He is reported to be making an excellent recovery from the operation.

A Chinaman who has resided in New Zealand for some years, and has lately been visiting his native country, was an eye-witness of the Chinese revolution, hut did not take part in it. ]!eing in a position, consequently, to view the revolution from both sides, he was able to form an idea as to the rights and wrongs of the old Manc-hu dynasty. The new Republic has found favor in his eyes, and he is of opinion that China is relieved of a great obstacle to its jiiV,gross. Tlitf revolution was bloody in the extreme, as iilany as 1500 being killed in the streets of a city on one occasion. The country is now settling down, and public enquiries are 'being made into all matters that affect the community. The new President was elected for ten years, but is eligible for re-election. China, in his opinion, will now go forward -by leaps and bounds. Industries are being fostered, and everything possible done to promote commerce with foreign nations. The revolution has been the saviour of the Chinese nation.

Another slight digression oil tho alleged degradation of spoken English in the Dominion enlivened the academic atmosphere of the Education Commission at Wellington on Thursday afternoon (says the I'oit). Mr. A. Heine, acting headmaster of the Wellington College, introduced the subject with some specimens of corruption in language as in ''haouse" for "house." Mr. Firani at once seized the opportunity to firing once more under the notice of the Commission the pronunciation among the so-called '"upper" classes for the vowel "i," as "faine" for "fine," "taimc-table" for "time-table," and so forth, quoting about fifty instances. Dr. Heine agreed that this was a dis'inct vulgarity, more common among women than men. lie thought it might be due to a desire on the part of the "classefl" to get away in the pronunciation of "faine" as far as possible from the corresponding vulgarity of the "masses" in "foine." Mr. Pirani added that, curiously enough, at least two lady witnesaea before the Commission—two principals of leading secondary schoolshad been guilty of the "superior" vulgarism.

An. indication of Auckland's prosperity and incidentally of the way in which the tram habit grows on a community, is given in some figures published in an Auckland exchange regarding the city's tram service. It has now been running ten years. The population of Auckland at the beginning of the decade stood at 67,000 and the tram service was started with 43 cars, which were considered sullicient to carry the people. But while the population has increased by nearly 50 per cent in the period under consideration the number of cars has gone up by nearly 400 per cent. The original estimate was based on the experience of English towns of the same size where 40 cars had been found ample for the population, but Aucklanders evidently wanted trams badly and have found them becoming more and more indispensable to their existence. There are now no fewer than 120 cars on the road and in addition there are 20 new ones approaching completion, while the company, having in view the increased trafiic at the coming Dominion Exhibition, have placed an order for still another 20 cars to be completed early next year, which means that Auckland will then have over ICO cars in U3e.