LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 94, 6 September 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A great deal of interest (says the Standard) is being taken by flaxmill employees in the coming ballot which will decide whether the Flaxmill Workers' Union -will secede from the Federation of Labor or not. Two maintenance cases were set clown for hearing at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, but owing to the absence of the Magistrate (Mr. A. Crooke) at Opunake, were adjourned by Mr. J S. S. Medley, J.P. J A Maori's love for money, whether the sum is small or great, was evidenced at Port Awanui recently. The Maori Land Board secretary was paying rente in the Waipiro Block and a native journeyed -ID ! miles from Lottin Point specially to collect his share, amounting to' half a crown. The kinematograph views of theround-the-moiintain race which were taken yesterday morning and afternoon were"developed at once and were shown amid much enthusiasm at the Empire Picture Palace last night. This is a feat of local industry which is highly commendable to the enterprising propiretary of the picture show. The views will be shown again to-night. A Masterton gardener claims fo have discovered a method for producing a yellow sweet-pea. It he is successful in"his experiment, J, e will be £2OOO better off than he is to-day, for the Sweet Pen Society of England is offering that amount for the production of a vellov flower. J

The New Zealand Sports Protection League has now a membership of nearly 100,000. Miss Ester Marcy, of Chicago, is suing the Dean of the the University of Chieago for £20,000 damages, because she was expelled from the student body of the University for wearing a hat that eost ,£SO. One of the sons of the man Beck, who haa been arrested at Norsewood in connection with the death of his wife, served with distinction in the South African War. A tablet to his memory was erected at Norsewood. Mrs C. Weller, aged 92 years, who played the piano before Queen Victoria at the Great Exhibition in. 1851, gavo a few selections at the piano during a concert given to old people at Stratford Town Hall a few weeks ago. "Can't hear," said Mr Isitt in the House of Representatives the other day, whon Mr Buick commenced to speak, "Go down and get your hair cut and your ears cleaned, and then you'll be able to hear," retorted Mr Buick. Elegant language! The day is not far distant when there will be acute rivalry between Wanganui and New Plymouth (says the Wanganui Chronicle). There is a certain amount of rivalry now, and while we do not admit any superiority in the quiet-going capital of Taranaki, we must acknowledge that New Plymouth is, for the time being, ahead of us in the matter of har•bor facilities. Ocean-going vessels can how enter under the shadow of Mount Egmont. This certainly is an advantage and one which must "pull" trade. -It is an advantage which Wanganui hopes in the not distant future to have. At the meeting of the Patea Harbor Board on Monday a letter was received from the Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, stating that a loan of £SOOO from the Post Office would be available in two months' time, as desired by the Board, "the understanding being that if at any future time it is considered necessary by the Department to require the Board to promote legislation to authorise the striking of a special rate, this will be done." The chairman (Mr. Christensen) and Mr. Pearce, the member for the district, were specially thanked for their painstaking services in the matter.

The Maori has often been called lazy; at any rate, there are many natives who do not iake kindly to really hard work. But Bishop Crossley, who has just returned from a tour through Taranaki district, was much impressed with the industry which is being shown by the natives in some parts of this- dairying province. The native land has in many instances, he says, been individualised, with the happiest results. The Maoris are building their own homes on their own land, and they are carrying out dairying operations successfully. Theii conduct and occupations are testimonies to the fact that in this district at least, the Maori, when he works, can be successful. A fight with an ostrich, which resulted in the death of a man named .Pexter. has-occurred on a farm near Kimberley (South Africa). Two men, Messrs Pexter and Cullen, who were shooting, were attacked by an ostrich. Mr Pexter attempted to keep the bird off with his gun, but it made a rush at iliim. Mr Pexter slipped, the fall causing the right barrel of his gun to discharge, with the result that his right 'arm was terribly mutilated. After falling to the ground the man was again attacked by the bird, whereupon Mr'Cullen shot it. Mr Pexter was removed to the hospital, where his arm was amputated. He, however, succumbed to the shock. Probably no Royal lady of any time has been so intimately related to such a large number of kings and queens as Queen Alexandra. Her father and mother were king and queen, 'her husband was a king, her mother-in-law was the late Queen Victoria, lier son is now king of Great Britain, her daughter is Queen of Norway, a sister was for some years Czarina of Russia, and is now Dowager Empress, one brother was the late K?ng of Denmark, another brother is King of the Hellenes, one of her nephews is Czar of Russia, another nephew is now King of Denmark, and another nephew, who is also her son-in-law, is Kin<r of Norway, while a fourth is destined to be King of the Hellenes.-Westininster Gazette,

The Belgian's Government's, plan for making Antwerp the largest port in the world is described by Hie American Consul-General in Belgium. He says the plan calls for the betterment of the course of the river Scheldt by mindin" off the sharp bends within'five miles downstream from Antwerp. The Antwerp side of the river is to be thrown back and curved so as to present, with the existmg quay system, a regular concave water front about SV, miles Ion"' leaving the existing inner "dock system intact. The left bank is also to be thrown back into another curve a little farther downstream. There, is nothing to -prevent the building of the river walls at once, and if this is done they may be completed in four or live ye'are 'The total length of the proposed deep-water qiuys along the river front may be earned to 10% miles.

In some notes on American jockeys who managed to keep the money tfhev made m their palmy days, a New York distuct recently, and a friend pointed out a well-stocked dry store, and informed him that it was owned and run by the former jockey, Walter Miller. Later, they met the jockey himself, and it was 5f *° ?' ce °B-nise in the substantial oolong business man the former little crack rider fo r Mr J. R. K ee n e' g stable and other large establishments abroad. Miller retired with a S balance of over * 5 0,000, and b kt some real estate, owns three dry ffo od stores. Eddie Garrison, "Snappir" a other of the old timers, even befTeSloan" is racing a small string of horses aW the Canadian circuit, and doiiw pretty well but otherwise it is impossible to "Irs ™o m ° ney in A,nerica * W The Stratford Club's team of four debaters last night introduced into the ™V ft f e New Plymouth BrotC.ood a motion to the eft,ct that all remaining Crown lands should be disposed of on 80 year leasee, with renewal at revaluation; thc motion being so worded as o prevent trafficking in°th«e le aße holds; and providing that in the event of a lessee surrendering his lease he shall be .paid by the Stated the full his improvements. The' Rev. J W ]},„• ton, president of the New Plvmnntl, Brotherhood, presided. Upon !ft B Koy fell the onerous duty of deciding which ,„le had the better/rgumeni The matter adduced by the various speakers was, on the whole, well thought out am vas iollowed with great interest by a fair number of the public, the"nth-nd-ance having been a„■«,£, h the weather ami by numerous counter attractions. Points were «*•<,„ for argument order all(1 dc]iv ?" s: Rev. Reader 75, Messrs .oon _[.,, Masters 45, and .Staples <tV total 210. Ken-Plymouth: Messrs DoV by 00, Forbes 70. Read 85 . :j., rtnPll 0 ,. Bo by 20; making the grand totals ?00 and 230. Votes of thanks were a" re eree and the chain,,,,,. nml thp] he. earns were entertained by some of the lady f,,en,ls of the Brotherhood a a capifal snpp,,.. f or „. ]lich „ duly thanked. A return debate will be beld at Stratford shortly. '

Marriages are booming in Carterton. A local livery stable-keeper informs the News that lie hag seven wedding* to oater for this month. "Pelorus Jack" lias not yet returned to his usual haunts near the French Pass, and shipmasters are becoming anxious as to his welfare. Dr. Barclay, of Waimate, has issued a writ against the Workers' Union and the president of the Union, claiming £5Ol damages for malicious slander and libel. A farmer on the Main Trunk line claims to have produced a blight-proof potato after four years' experimenting. The new tuber is said to remain free from blight in a row of infected potatoes. It is stated that the first sheep to be imported to Mew Zealand were landed in Auckland by the Rev. Samuel Marsden in the year ISIB. Six years later eleven "bags" of wool were exported to Sydney, and fetched 2s Od per lb. A great effort is being made by the executive of the Amalgamated Society of New Zealand. Railway Servants to increase the membership of that organisation. Since May 3 last, 543 railway servants have joined the Society. A New Plymouth storekeeper opened up a bag of Marlborough potatoes the other day and amongst the tubers was one mammoth one that weighed just over 31bs. There were many, others weighing between one and two pounds. The variety was Beauty of Hebron. Mr. Russell, an ex-Aucklander, who for thirty years has been resident in Mexico, waited'on the Waitemata-Manakau Canal Promotion Company last week, and said he was confident of being able to get an American syndicate to make the canal, providing they got sufficient inducement. The company decided to assist Mr. Russell to get a Bill through Parliament. Telegraph operators in Wellington are now largely using typewriting machines for receiving messages. The postal authorities are encouraging the use of the typewriter, and have placed several orders for a number of machines. It is probable that in a short time the old method of writing telegraph messages in pencil will be supplanted entirely by the more up-t.o-date typewriting machine. The Holstein cow Manola, which was the ohnmpion of the Holstein herd on the Weraroa State Farm, has just completed her season's milking with a return of 20,40211)3 of milk, producing 674 lbs of butter-fat (says the Horowhenua Chronicle). These returns for Manola will no doubt be looked upon as the highest ever made in the Dominion. Two 'other Holstein's, which complete their milking this month, will, however, show considerably higher returns. It is possible that onions will be again 'fairly short in supply during the coming year (says the New Zealand Herald). Owing to the failure of the onion crop last season there was not so much seed saved as in former years, and growers are now finding that a large proportion of the seed is failing 'to germinate when planted. This means, of course, that a lesser acreage than anticipated will be put down in onions, for seed is now difficult to obtain. The shops that supply seedling onion plants are finding a difficulty in meeting the demands of private growers. Trials of a petrol motor car which it is proposed to utilise on Dominion lines are now almost completed, and it will be placed in commission shortly. In his annual statement to Parliament, the Minister for Railways says that the experiments being made in the Australian States with motor cars are being closelywatched. Full enquiries have also been made concerning the experience of foreign railways with regard to motor cars, so that when cars are being obtained they will be of the type that has been found most satisfactory in actual everyday railway practice. Wanganui is, so far. the only place in the Dominion in which compulsory attendance at continuation classes is in force. At the meeting of those interested in the work at Wanganui, a lady complained bitterly against compelling girls to attend such classes at night.When it was pointed out to her by the chairman that there were ro compulsory classes at night for girls and that they were held iii the afternoon, the lady said she had received many complaints from mothers against their girls who were out at work toeing compelled tu attend these day clasess, and the chairman read a copy of the regulations in which such girls were exempted from the compulsory clause! "The' natives were dying at the rate of from 400 to 500 ajday when I was in Hyderabad," said Dr. P. Mackin, of Wellington, who has just returned from a world's tour. ''Plague had "broken out three months previously, and the.two or three cases from which the trouble arose were correctly diagnosed, and the patients were isolated in a sort of compound, much against their will. The action of the medical man was resented so much by the natives that they broke into the compound and liberated the patients, and that without let or hindrance from the Nizam of Hyderabad. As the result of their stupid action the plague spread rapidly, until hundreds were dying every day. It was an illustration to me how little real power the British authorities have over the natives in matters of domestic control."