GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 129, 18 October 1912, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

Two patients in the Auckland mental hospital died on the same day last week, and were buried side by side at Waikumete. By a singular coincidence, the names of the patients were Currie and Eice.

There are 6826 persons engaged on co-operative works in the Dominion—--152 artisans and 3266 laborers on railways, 43 artisans and 3030 laborers on roads, two artisans and 45 laborers on water-power development works, and 161 artisans and 1725 laborers on public ■buildings. Two Wanganui citizens (Messrs G. \V. McCaul and L, E. Bassctt) when in New York recently had an interview with Mr. T. A. Edison, the great inventor, who referred to the storage, battery tramcar as follows:—"It will give you every satisfaction. It is the right thing for New Zealand."

One very serious phase of the mumps epidemic (says the Feilding Star) is the form of delirium contracted by adult patients in certain cases, and it is alleged that nearly a dozen sufferers from Palmerston and district have had to be sent for treatment to the Porirua Mental Hospital within the past few weeks. From all parts of North Canterbury (says the Lvttelton Times) very satisfactory reports of the results of the lambing are coining to hand. Percentages of 130 to 150 are common, and higher ones are mentioned. For instance, on Mr. D. D. Macfnrlane's estate at Kai-kouj-a, a separated lot of 60 ewes dropped one lamb short of 200 per cent. Thus Professor Helleman, musical judge at the Dunedin competitions after the preliminary trial of the mezzo-so-pranos:—"So far as I know there are three kinds of ladies' voices—soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. Sometimes we hear of mezzo-contralto as well. Some of the competitors seem ready to enter for everything, and I would not fee surprised if they dressed in men s clothes and entered for the tenor, baritone and bass sections as well. It is time they tried to discriminate as to which class they belong."

The intense nature of the demand for domestic servants is aptly illustrated by a tale that is being told in Christehurch now. A person in England wrote to a friend in Christehurch, saying that a •domestic lie knew was coming out. She was a very good girl, and he would be pleased if a suitable place could be found for her.. The friend in Christehurch told others, and one 'of these cabled to Hobart, lest there should be any doubt about securing her assistance. But even so she was not in time, for another lady had cabled to Perth. On the recommendation of Mr. Herbert Baillie, librarian of the Wellington Free Public Library, the Post and Telegraph Department has instituted a system that enables books to be posted to subscribers from any free public library at the rate of Id per lb (or fraction of lib). The idea at present is only an experiment, and for that reason only extends to the Wellington district, in which there are 35 public libraries. As the average weight of a modern novel is only lib, the innovation, it is believed, will be welcomed by many, particularly by residents in the country. "Tiny Town," like other important places (says the Auckland Star) has a Jlayor, and an election contest is to be held during the presence of its populace in Auckland. The retiring Mayor is Hayati Hassid, 30in high and 50 years old. llis policy .of Conservatism is being assailed by Arthur Huhle, 34in high and 24 years old. The latter is a Liberal; and it is also possible that the Labor interest will be represented in General Armstrong, aged 50, whose political propensities have always been made evident in Tiny Town. The selection will rest with visitors, and ballot-papers are being distributed.

. "New Zealand is all right," declared Wiliam Wright, a burly Scot with an American flavor to his native dialect, to an Auckland Herald representative. "I have worked in all the big cities in America, Canada and the Old Country, and I consider this is the working man's paradise. In the States a laborer gets 8s for a 10-hour day, he,re he gets 8s foi> an 8-hour day. But the New Zealand 'lumper' thinks lie is badly treated, and is. clamoring for more. If he had a taste of life in rougher parts he would be glad to c-ome back again. There is too much federation talk here, though, and I am sorry to see many of my own countrymen on the 'soap-box' leading the feather-headed creatures on."

•Doorkeepers at the House of Parliament (says the Eltham Argus), have to be particular as to whom they admit, strangers being precluded from the lobby as far as possible. A new M.P. entered the sacred precincts a few days ago and ■was accosted by a watchful guardian. ♦"Are you looking for anyone?" said he. "Oh, no. I am not looking l'or anyone in particular." was the reply,. The guardian looked severe and then said, "Well, are you working here?" "Well, 1 believe I have got a job in these buildings," replied the stranger. "Oil! it is all right then; you may go in." Next day a confused-looking messenger was busy explaining that he was not aware that tlie stranger lie had accosted was , the new member for Egmont. A hint that the scheme of cheap carriage of -fish by post is not going to be extended was . given .by the PostmasterGeneral last week, when replying to an urgent question from Mr. Buxton, who wished to know why Canterbury residents were charged 4d per pound for transit while the cost in Otago was 2d for the first pound and Id per'pound afterwards. The Minister could only suggest that the experiment was first tried in Otago out of compliment to the originator, who lived at Shag Point. The system, he added, was only in its experimental stage. The regulations were prepared in winter, when the weather was cool, and it was easy to convey fish without inconvenience. Until lie was satisfied that the lish could be conveyed in summer-time without inconvenience he could not definitely promise his questioner that the scheme would be generally applied throughout New Zealand. '•I am doing my best to turn all the working men into' Tories," was a remark once made by the late Mr. E. J. Seddon. When the bystanders laughed ironically, ill-. Seddon'explained that lie was endeavoring to improve the position of the workers,'and added, "They have only to ■>-et a cottage of their own to make them first-class Tories." An illustration of this occurred in an Auckland tramcar recently (says the Star). Two working men were'discussing the position, and one, who remarked that he had scraped jhard to get a little four-roomed cottage for himself in the suburbs, had no hesitation in stating that he was utterly opposed to the lminicipalisalion of the trjiniwavs service, giving as his reason that i-either the 'State nor the municipality could run anything as cheaply and as well as could 'a private company. "Once a thin" gets under the management of public "bodies," added the philosopher, whose trousers evidenced that lie had been working amongst the clay and was therefore a genuine son of toil, "then influence gets to work and the billets are filled with loafers."