LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 161, 25 November 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An Invercargill telegram states that Sir Joseph Ward has consented to represent the Invercargill Importers' Association in London, in their endeavour to obtain direct shipments to the Bluff.

Mr. W., H. Hagger, officer in charge of the Christchurch branch of the Department of Labor, states (says the Press) that more people this year have adopted Saturday voluntarily as the half-holiday than in any previous year, and so far as he has ascertained all have been well satisfied. Most of the coal, timber and gram merchants, and the painter* as well as others in various trades, have adopted the week-end half-holiday. Housewives in Dunedin (says the Dunedm correspondent of the Lvttelton limes) must face the probability of having to pay from 2%d to 3d per lb for potatoes, at any rate up to Christmas, when local potatoes will conic into Me market in bigger quantities. The season has been a most backward one and in many cases seed has -been planted twice, only to be found rotting in the ground. As an indication of how tiling stand, it may be mentioned that old potatoes going.to Sydney have brought as much as £lB a ton, or nearly 2d per lb

A hundred ami fifty men employed on the Stratford-Te Koi„- a railway work* were discharged last week. This makes the number put oil about .WO. or half of the whole staff. This is the time of the yew- when the best progress can be made with railway construction work, and it is a thousand pities the Government cannot see its way to prosecute this important national work with something like the vigor of its predecessors. This action a very much like putting the clock back but we were forgetting that for pro-res-' s.vene«,. as well as for immaculatencss, IZ n a « d I,iia lICVer !uul a Government like the present Reform one'

The lovely weather yesterday afternoon attracted a big gathering rf ZT le 'to "Aotea," Messrs. Sole Bros? chamE : grounds. This « one of New Pl™ O K recognised beauty spots, and thHSit I #, * Was ]ookin S *ts best. The wealth of fern and the magnificent foliage for which New Zealand bush l noted were greatly admired by the tlnong that sauntered atom* . the well kept paths beneath the leafy shade to the strains 0 f the excellent music discoursed by the Waitara and New Plymouth hands. Local volunteers took up a collection in aid of the funds of the band and from the happy mood in which the afternoon s outing had placed the. people' it will be surprising if the result is not substantial.

The danger of allowing children to play about on the cricket field, even though in proximity to the boundary, was forcibly exemplified on a couple of occasions on the Recreation Ground last Saturday afternoon, when two children had narrow escapes of behi"struck by the cricket ball. On the first occasion two little girls were standing near the score board when a ball driven bard by the batsman struck the board with a resounding crash, brushing en route the brim, a fairlv wide one. of the youngster'* hat. A little later two small boys were snugly seated on the roller viewing the game intently when another hard driven ball landed'on the roller right between them. Needless to narrate, they at once vacated their position.

Bones of a luinian giant have been discovered at Ellensbiirg, North-West Canada. The size of the thigh and other hones indicate a lnsm at least right feet high, and from his massive structure he must have weighed over 20 stone. The skull is most' remarkable, the Express says, its massive size and enormous brain space marking it out from other prehistoric skulls.' "While the forehead slopes clown somewhat," Mr. L. L. Sharp, chief of the survey department says, ''the width between the ears and the deep well-rounded space at the back of the head are convincing testimony of high intelligence for a primitive man. The head has no resemblance to the Tndian skull, and T am convinced that this skull is of a prehistoric race of people, who inhabited this part of America some time prior to the Indian control."

_ There .would appear to be something like an epidemic of appendicitis in Auckland at present (states the Star). At the City Council meeting recently the Mayor (Mr, C. J. I'arr) stated that no fewer than three of the, public library attendants were at that moment in the same hospital suffering from the complaint. All three had been seriously ill and it had been necessary to operate on them. "It's a most extraordinary coincidence," added the Mayor. Councillor P. M. Mackay stated that at the present moment three of the nnrses at the hospital were ill with the complaint ::nd had been operated on. Dr. Magnire had told him that there was little doubt that the prevalence of the complaint was due to the epidemic of influenza which existed at present. "An extraordinary thing," commented the Mayor, "is that. ten or fifteen years ago no one ever heard of appendicitis."

The blight that attacked potato, bean and other crops in New Plymouth a couple of weeks ago seems to have in many eases been shaken ofl'. The crops are now making good progress, though they are unusually backward. Some miscreants have lately stolen some cuttings and ferns from Pukekura Park. The person who would rob the people's own beautiful grounds would stick at nothing. It is a pity lie, or they, cannot be laid by the heels.

Bamboo grows splendidly in New Plymouth. A resident recently planted some giant bamboo. He was surprised at its growth. In twelve days it grew ten feet, and then started making branches and leaves, since which the growth has not been so abnormal.

One of life's poignant tragedies. A couple of weeks ago a young man, resident of' New Plymouth, went south to claim his bride. List Monday the newlymarried couple arrived in New Plymouth, the wife being in somewhat poor health. She steadily grew worse, and on Saturday passed away. This morning the young fellow has the mournful duty of conveying the corpse of his bride to the homo of her people in the south. So much that is tragic and pathetic can happen in a fortnight. A master printers' deputation waited on the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, Minister for Customs, in Dmicdin last Friday, and brought before him certain disabilities under which the trade labored. It was pointed out that the last Government returns showed a falling-off of 400 in the number of printers employed in the Dominion. The Minister, in the course of a sympathetic reply, said that provisions to meet the wishes of the deputation would be made when tariff revision came up next year. It is told of Sir George Reid that during the Australian High Commissioner's visit to New York a negro preacher in a Ninth avenue mission, speaking of the growing power of the negroes in politics said: "Yes, bredren, he cullud community do have much to be proud of. Look at Booker Washington. And go beyond the shores of dis great and glorious county, look at de High Cockplorum from the South Seas who am now visiting this city, and who am being entertained by de best in de land. "When he white folks do honor to a great chief from one of dem cannibal islands der am great hope for de cullud citizens of de United States, sure."

Something like a record quantity <of dairy produce went over the Patea' bar on Thursday (reports the Patea PrcsM. The Wairau, a steamer belonging \o Messrs. Levin and Co., which lias befen. engaged by the South Taranaki Shipping Company to take a few cargoes to Wellington, left in the. morning wijth 100 cases of cheese, and the Maiuv ht the same time wiiii 2300 boxes of butter. Both vessels came in on the title of the evening before and were loaded during the night. The Kapuni, which also arrived on Wednesday evening, wont out yesterday evening with 11#5 eases of cheese. The cheese taken by the Wairau and Kapuni is for shipment per the Tainui, and the Mana's butter, for the Tongariro. Estimating the value of cheese at £3 los per ease, and that of butter at £2 18s per box, the three cargoes which went over the bar on Thursday represent the huge • sum :of £15.444.'