LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 196, 8 January 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The latest report concerning the progress of the General Booth Memorial Fund for New Zealand is that enthusiasm is being displayed, and already just upon half ~the required £i0,0013 lias beeft subscribed.

To give an idea of the large amount of canning that is done at Friiuley, it is interesting to note that on Christinas Day one machine shelled no less than seven tons of peas. Men, women and children are engaged in large numbers at the present time in picking peas. A Wairarapa paper must be held responsible for this: —A native, of eon•iderable avoirdupois, purchased a motor car, for which he paid £250. He wrote to the vendor, soon after the purchase, as follows: "Te motor you sellee Die 110 goore. He keep te berry too crose te wheel. You come take him pack." A thousand yards of tarred macadam are now ready for laying in Christchurch, and the city surveyor expects to have another road metalled during the present month. Already, counting tarred tops, there are 14 miles of road already treated under the new process. This is a small proportion of the whole city road surface of 140 miles, hut it is greatly appreciated by citizens.

A visitor, who had toured the roads to the east of Stratford, expressed his surprise at the spread of dandelions "and daisies on the dairy farms. It was particularly noticeable that, while some farms were clean and free from weeds, those adjoining were the color of an autumn sunset, being smothered witV buttercups, dandelions, daisies and the rest of that family of robbers. —Post.

Due. man arrested for insobriety at Christchureh on Christmas Eve expressed no anxiety regarding the security of bail so that he might spend Christmas Day a free man, lie explained to the watchhouse keeper that if he stayed in his cell ho would bo certain of obtaining a good Christmas dinner, whereas if he went out it would be problematical if he would obtain any dinner at all, and under those circumstances he had decided to stay. Wilson Barrett once had a lot of workmen re-decorating his private residence, ami. thinking to give them a treat. In; asked them if, after work one evening, they would all like to have seats to come and see him play iu ''The Lights of London" at the Princess Theatre. They said they didn't mind if they did, and, being given complimentary tickets, all went to witness, on a Saturday night, their employer's production. At the end of the week Barrett's eye caught sight, on the pay sheet, of an item against, each workman's name, which read: "Saturday night, four hours' overtime at Princess' Theatre, »*."

New Zealand tree ferns for the. adornment of the .Panama-Californiau Exposition of IDlf) are being supplied by a Duncilin linn, which forwarded a fourth consignment to San Francisco last week. The ferns, which were obtained from Stewart Island, are of the Dicksonia squarrosa, Dicksonia antartiea and llemifelei Smithii varieties. Four long, strongly-built cases were in the final shipment., each case, weighing over lialf-a-ton. and the ferns, with their heads lopped <>tr. were laid in these. The knotted, fibrous roots were, heavily saturated with water before the roots were packed, and immediately after their arrival in San I'raneisoo (hey will .be planted in -the exhibition grounds. Those trees in the previous shipments, which arrived in sound condition—a number, however, were broken in transit—are reported to have begun (o show signs ol growlli in about Ihn-o weeks after they were planted.

Motorists complain of the exceedingly <langerous practice indulged in by chM* ■ ren girls as well as boys-in 'varioirt parts of Taranaki, of standing i„ Uio middle of tlie roadway, some diHla»c6 jii fiont of an approaching motor ear # Here they engage in various antics until almost reaches them, and the driver is compelled to slow down, when tliey jump aside. ' . A London correspondent status tliat the Ue\\ Fred W. Hoys, whose church in Hawera arranged his present holiday, since Jus arrival in England, has toured, by bicycle and otherwise, the southern counties. Wales and Scotland, as well as visiting parts of the Continent. M r Boys sails by the Moldavia in January and before that will visit the Channel Islands, Bnttany, Paris, and the northcm counties of England. There is a strange irony of fate in connection with the death of Dr. Wilson of Palmorston North (says an exchange). He was always strongly opposed to operations in cases of appendicitis and recently carried 011 a. spirited controversy in the local press, discountenancing operations for that ailment. It would appear that he had at length to submit himself to an operating table for an attack of appendicitis, 'having undergone the operation on the Sunday, death! ensuing the following Tuesday evening.

Some anxiety was expressed yesterday as to the whereabouts of a young "'Oman named Edith Burgess, who was to have left Auckland on Monday for, New Plymouth by the IJarawa. Owing to the rough weather she cancelled her passage and after that all trace of her was lost until last evening, when the New Plymouth police were advised thati she had proceeded by train from Auckland to Marton. .She had overlooked the matter of advising her -parents, who live at New Plymouth. Hence the anxiety as to her whereabouts. A secret ballot of the members of all slaughtermen's unions throughout New. Zealand is being -taken on the question of whether the rates of wages recently, offered by the companies are to be accepted or not. The terms were submitted to the delegates of the Federation some days ago, but then the delegates rejected the terms until they had had time to take the opinion of' the members of the unions. This is being done by a iballot. and the ballot papers are returnable at the end of this week. Until the result of that ballot is known it is unlikely that any move will be made by either the meat companies or the unions in the matter of the dispute which has arisen.

An unfortunate set of circumstance* has been operating against the commencement of the Napier tramway system. After considerable delay, the contractors secured about 11,000 hardwood sleepers and got them to Sydney. Here further trouble was met, the New Zealand, watersiders intimating thai cargo shipped on a vessel carrying an Asiatic crew would not be unloaded in New Zealand. Although it was impossible to get another steamer to take ths sleepers, the voice of organised la.bor was sufficiently determined to stop the shipment, which was to have come t« Napier in a Japanese boat. It is not known, just at present, how long it will ibe before the long-looked-for sleepers will arrive. For this holiday fish story the Southland News must accept responsibility:— The ferocity of an eel was demonstrated on Friday evening ,wlien Mr. W. R. Ronald, of Taramoa, who was angling for trout in the New River, hooked a five-pound trout. He had got his fish into shallow water, and was about to use the gaff, when he observed a largo eel, about four feet in length, making ior the hooked fish. Air. Ronald struck the intruder a heavy blow with the back of the hook of the gall', which caused it to plunge, and. rearing its head out of the water, the ferocious creature emitted a noise which, in some respects, resembled the growl of a dog. After the fish was landed the eel continued to swim round about in the water where the trout was taken from. A New Zealand actor-pony, Sandow, is creating a good deal of interest ill London just now. Sandow was trained by Mr. Ernest O'Neill, a New Zealand buck-jumper rider, under whose direction lie performs a series of amusing and clever tricks. He demonstrates his powers as a mathematician, readingly answering problems in the simple rules o"i arithmetic. When his trainer assumes the character of a won't-get-home-till-morning reprobate, Sandow shows iiow he would get his dissipated friend home. He 'meets some children coming home from school, who want a ride. All the boys are 'bucked off, but when a little girl mounts, Sandow walks demurely round the stage. It is said that he can perform for 25 minutes without repeating a single trick. Sandow has already appeared before Queen Alexandra. >

Morey and 3foore, Cash Drapers, lving street, have just secured a big line of ready-to-wear goods, consisting of dust coats, linen costnnles, silk blouses, underskirts, &'e., &c. This big lot is now in their showroom, and will be ready for sale on Friday morning at 9 o'clock, when buyers can take their pick foils lid. We understand this is a record'low price for such goods, and should draw a -big crowd.—Advt.

FIRE SALE AT THE MELBOURNE. We were successful tenderers ior several very fine lots of Salvage saved from Messrs. Arch. Clark and Sons' recent warehouse fire, The bargains are immense, and we predict the greatest sale we have ever held. Customers at a distance are advised that no mail orders will he filled on any account. These prices will convince how well it will repay you to make a personal visit; Women's kip and chrome dairy boots 5s Ud, Island hats 9d, Pan Dan hats 3d, boys' tweed kniejcers Is 9d, children's felt liats Gd, ladies' untrimmed straw hats 3d, boys' sailor straws 6d, men's coloured neglige shirts 2s lid, men's white handkerchiefs is 9d dozen, children's white Leghorn hats is each, hearth rugs 4s' lid, 5s 6d and 7s lid, lovely fringed door slips Is lid, men's odd tweed vests 2s lid, white drill coats 2s lid, Panama hats 7s Gd and 10s 6d, men's overcoats, towels, sheetings, &c., &c., at fire prices.

ANXIOUS MOMENTS. One of the most anxious times of a mother's life is .when her little ones have croup. There is no other medicine so effective in this terrible malady as Dr. Sheldon's New Discovery. It can he safely given and depended upon. No mother should ever Iks without a 'bottle, in the house. Is 6d and 3s. Obtainable everywhere.

EEXONA, the Rapid Healer, is an ointment which heals, with remarkable rapidity. Unlike the old-fashioned ointments, which are very slow in their action, Rexona speedily effects its relief after a very few applications. Sold in triangular pots at Is Gd and 3s. Obtainable everywhere.

GIVES INSTANT RELIEF. "For six years I have been a sufferer from Colic" writes Mr R. C. Philps, Dutton, S.A., "but now when I get these attack I take Chamberlain's Colic and Diarrhoea Remedy and And that it gives me instant relief. I can confidently recommend it for Colic or other stomach complaints; two or three doses will give instant relief." —All chemists and storekeepers.