LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 124, 12 October 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Whitebait are being netted in large quantities in Canterbury rivers. The.Court of Appeal reserved its judgment in the Merchants Associations' appeal in connection with the alleged sugar trust prosecution; The Minister for L'ublic Works lias notified the Taranaki County Council that provision will eb made in* the Estimates for the present year for £SO previously Voted for the Upper Mangorei Road. The fortnightly Now Zealand Products Export leaflet shows the quantity and value of the principal products passed through the Customs for export. Taranaki:—New Plymouth 998 cwt butter (£5730), 205 cwt cheese' (£5(54), 100 hides (£97), 022 skins (£121); Patea 107 cwt butter (£507), 4 tons tallow, (£114). Writing to the Taranaki County Council, the Wanganui County Council emphasises the need to rectify the unfairness in the incidence of local taxation, such as sinall, grazing runholders are suffering under, and invites its co-operation in the following resolution:—"That in view of the necessity of the continued 'heavy expenditure on roads in districts passing through lands 'held on the small grazing run tenure, the Government be urged to grant the right of conversion to freehold to lessees of the said lands, thereby making the collection of an adequate rate fair to the lessees who are now suffering an injustice by the present mode of rating, anil that a copv of this resolution be sent to the Prime Minister."

Captain Stevens, officer commanding the No. 8 area group, Taranaki, kas written to the Taranaki Education Board as follows:—"There are several vacancies in Taranaki, especially in the senior cadets, for officers, and' I have always contended, as I did recently before the Education Commission, that the very best material for creating officers for a citizen force is the school teacher, who, from his association with boys, his habits of discipline, etc., should make an ideal Territorial, and especially a senior cadet, officer." He also asks the Board to make it known that those teachers anxious to join the Territorials and senior cadets should apply direct to him and he will be pleased to give what information lies in his power. The services in the Wliiteley Memorial Church to-morrow will be. conducted in the morning by Mr. H. T. Peat, and in the evening by ttlie Rev. J. W. Burton. The evening subject will be, "The Problem of Pain and Suffering in Nature." and will be the last of the series of addresses on special subjects. The Rev. F. Hales will occupy the pulpit in the Baptist Church to-morrow at both services. In the evening the ordinance of believers' baptism will be administered to nine candidates. The baptisms will be immersion. The pastor will preach on the ( subject of "Baptists and Baptism."

At Normaaby on Wednesday Sir. Andrew Hunter was married to Miss Carrie Winks.

Mr. J. B. Campbell, stationmaster at Stratford, who has been away on sick leave, returned by last night's express.

The Ohristehureh Fire Board last night approved of February 25th as the date for the Fire Boards' Conference, to be held in Gbristctburch.

The Awatuna Dairy Company has decided to support the new South Taranaki Bacon' Company by taking up shares according to the proposals. According to Dr. Pomare, Hie Maoris have lately increased in numbers, and are now living under good conditions

with regard to sanitation and hygienic matters, and also exercising more ca>re in bringing up their children. It is reported from Reefton that a find has been made on the old Russell and Dillon claims at Painkiller, showing great deposits of stone. Assays taken average 17dwts, and some specimens are calculated to yield soz of gold to the ton. Wanganui citizens are considering inviting the Canadian ■ Cadets to spend three days there, including a two-days' Wanganui River excursion. Free passes for the same, to the numbe-r of seventy cadets, are being extended by Mr. Hatrick, of the Wanganui River service. Record prices for dairy cows were obtained at a dispersal sale of a dairy herd, which Messrs. Freeman R. Jackson and' Co. conducted at Nukumaru on Tuesday. Dairy cows realised up to £l3, which is a record for the district for cattle of the same .class (says the Wanganui Herald). The Woodville Examiner says the Reform Party Government struck a piece of luck in Woodville last week. Two or three weeks ago the late Mr. Burnet, who died on Friday, arranged with the Government for an annuity, for which he deposited £IOOO. All the papers were signed and deposited, and nothing was paid by the Government! An extraordinary story is reported in the Berlin newspapers of a police raid on a famous "all night" restaurant in the Prussian capital, the establishment having gained some notoriety through a number of its male habitues donning male attire. As a sequel to a number of complaints, the police entered the premises and arrested an actress who was in the habit of giving nightly performances in the restaurant. The police also took the names of all those present with a .view to charging them in the morning. The detectiveb, however, found that they had to do with a party of "society" ,people invited there by a well-known German princess. The lady forbade the police to molest her guests, but the unfortunate actress was taken away and sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment.

« Palmerston North was startled the other Sunday morning by the strange sight of a number of angry Chinese pharging after a troop of youths in the centre of the town. The youths scattered with such agility that the only capture was that of one young man who had taken refuge in the police station. It appeared that mischievous youths had thrown a volley of stones upon the roofs of the Chinamen's dwelling at the market gardens and thus annoyed them. The captured man, however, convinced the police that he was not one of the aggressors, and he was released. The sequel happened when a mechanic confessed to the magistrate that he was one of the stone-throwers, and was fined 10s. A mate of his is due to make a similar confession shortly.

A tragi-comic account of true love that did not run smooth is given in the sober columns of the offiical North German Gazette. A youthful Berliner became deeply enamored of a girl whom he used to meet in the street. He attempted to make advances, which were indignantly repulsed. , Finally he learned her name and address, and emboldened by his passion, decided to go to see her mother, hoping to win parental support for his suit. He had not fully explained the circumstances of his admiration, when the mother, exclaiming, "So you're the fellow, are you?" suddenly fell on him with a carpet-beater and belabored him without mercy. Hurriedly he fled downstairs and into the street, closely pursued and buffeted. Passersby joinetj. in the chase with cries of "Stop, thief!" A policeman sprang into a taxi-cab and quickly overhauled him. With a last effort the luckless lover was about to jump into a passing tramway car, when he was arrested and conveyed, amid the jeers of the crowd, to the police station. There his story was at first derided, and not until the mother had been sent for was he at last released.