LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 238, 27 February 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlie medical inspection of school children is assuming practical shape. The Taranaki Education Hoard has been supplied with weighing machines and heightiueasurin.iT standard*, which are to lie <ent to the larger schools in the district over grade IN". In a letter to tnc Hoard, the Department pointed out that it .might occasionally lie necessary, at least for the present, to move them from one school to another, and it was advisable that the schools the Hoard selected should be suitable centresStratford, Inglcwood and Waitara, for instance. The post ollice scheme hv which fruit consumers arc able, through its agency, in purchase fruit direct, from growers has not been a brisk affair in Wellington (says a correspondent). It is too early to obtain a general idea of its success, but local experience suggests that city dwellers have not lieen able to benefit much. (irowers complain loudly about the wretched price obtained through auction, but sonic of (hern, at any rate, have not encouraged consumers to do away with the middlemen, their quotations for small orders running to double Hie price at which similar fruit is being sold hv the case at the door by hawkers. A Central Otago grower, for . instance, scared otf a prospective customer bv asking los a ease for apricots. The freight to Wellington would have been 4s 2d in addition.

The memorandum issued by the Education Department, imposing fresh conditions in regard to the free-place tenure and making this conform to the Defence Regulations, was before the Taraliaki Education Board yesterday. The communication was received without any comment. With a view to keeping fresh the memory 'if the. life and death of Captain Scott and his companions (says the | Otago Daily Times), and to express in I tangible and more lasting, form then' j heroic struggle against the elements, as ! well as their single-hearted devotion to duty, the executive of the Otago branch of the Navy League proposes to present a framed copy of Captain Scott's last message to all schools (some 45 in all I where there is a school branch of the. League. The message will be specially printed, and will be headed with a portrait of Captain Scott and a brief statement of the facts surrounding his death. The Technical College has embarked 011 a new d iparture in the shape of a wireless telegraphy class. It has been

brought about on account of the overtures of a number of the employees at the local Post Oflic?. It appeared, reported the Director of the College to the Education Hoard yesterday, that if they obtained a knowledge of ''wireless" there was a chance of their getting positions as wireless operators on hoard vessels trading to and from New Zealand. The men in question only required to become well versed in the theory of wireless, as they could obtain practical experience in their everv-day work as telegraphists. Onp of the most successful concerts held in Oaonui took place in, the schoolroom on Tuesday evening. The proceeds were in aid of the school prize fund and the takings amounted to £l2 15s. Mr. J. Young (chairman of the school committee) presided over a large attendance. A feature of the entertainment was the splendid performance of the school children who who gave several action songs and the like. Their success spoke volumes for the assiduous work of Mr. Evetts. and Miss O'Rorke, who

trained , the young performers. During the evening very acceptable items were given by Misses Cook, M., and N. O'Rorke, D. Jeffreys, Stevens, and Messrs. D. Penwarden, T. Hughson and Taylor. Mr. A. Lusk gave a very creditable exhibition of club-swinging. Mr. Knowlos presided at the piano, and daneing was kept np until a late hour. During the evening Mr. Young returned thanks on behalf of the committee for the generous support of the public. Frank Griffiths, at the Redruth Court (South Australia) last week was successful in obtaining a verdict of £3O from Minnie Escott, daughter of W. E. Escott, of Koonoon'a, for having failed to fulfil her compact to marry him. His claim was for £2OO as compensation. Evidence was tendered that the plaintiff wa3 put to considerable expense on account of the promise, as he bought the engagement ring, purchased a dwellingbouse, wedding ring, furniture, etc., I known to,the defendant, he engaged Rev. Mr. Hovd, of the Anglican Church, to conduct the marriage ceremony. The date fixed was altered several times by Miss Escott on the plea that her father was opposed to the union. Still defendant gave plaintiff hope, as she was considerably over age, and, she said, bad decided to please herself. In giving a verdict for £3O, with costs, the judge remarked that the plaintiff had been treated in a shameful manner.

The committee, delegated by the Education Board to report on the application of the Polynesian Society for a site i for its projected library recommended 1 that the Society be allowed to occupy, for a term of 42 years, a piece of land 60ft by 40ft, having a froniage of 40ft to Pendarvcs street, and immediately at the rear of the Board's offices, for the purpose of erecting a library thereon, conditionally on the plans of the building being approved by the Board, and subject to an annual rental of Is. T.ie committee stipulated that the Society shall erect the building within two years, and shall have no right to sell, remove or transfer it without tl:# permission of the Board, and should the building at any time cease to be used as a library or for other similar educational purposes, the lease shall be determined. It was also provided that teachers attending the Technical College should have access to the library for the purposes of study. —The report was adopted.

A young man at Tc Ai'oha recently j .wallowed his false teetli, and was admitted to the Hamilton Hospital in a somewhat serious condition. From the Hamilton Hospital he was sent on to the Auckland institution, and there underwent a successful and unusual operation. The teeth were located two-thirds of the way down his gullet, and were extracted with the use of a long tube, to the end of which was fixed an electric light. There were'three teeth on the plate, and the operation was made more difficult by the existence of two small gold hooks, which had been used in holding the plate in position. The patient was able to return to his home almost immediately after the operation. A more serious case of this kind has also engaged the attention of the Auckland Hospital authorities recently. A constable stationed at ITuntly swallowed his false teeth, and for a long time was seriously ill in the institution. Tn his case the plate was not located, but he was able to leave the institution a. little while ago. apparently a well man, despite the fact that the teeth still remain lodged somewhere in his anatomy.

At! interesting and striking incident was related at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland, the other evening by Rev. Dr., Doherty when addressing the Holy Family Confraternity in his concluding address. the twelfth of the series, on "The Church and State in France." In Ifltlti the lecturer was a student at the Irish College in Paris, and Mons. Rouvier was Prime Minister, and was engaged in carrying out the decree of his predecessor in olViff. Mods. Coombe, for tile suppression of the religious orders. One night a wholesale raid was made bv the military upon the religions houses, anil in the early morning the religious teachers and their students were ordered out from the seminaries and colleges. The Irish College was left undisturbed. While the students were at breakfast the rector informed them of what had taken place during the night and in the early morning in all the religious houses in Paris. The cook at the Trisli College, who was a devout French Catholic, upon his own initiative went up to the highest storey of the College and hoisted upon the flag pole the Union -Tack. The French authorities paused, and then gave the Irish rector three months to quit. Instead of complying, the rector communicated with the British Government, and the latter at once informed the French Government that the British residents must not be molested until the British authorities were first made acquainted with the facts. "That." said Dr. Doherty. "ended the matter, and every one of us thanked God that we were under the protection of England's glorious flag."

In the ehis- for Itolsleins yesterday, a protest was entered in the section for bulls born in July 1, 1012, on the grounds that the winner, Mr. A. 11. !Slreel's Pauline's Hoy. was over age. This was upheld and the prizes were awarded as follows: —Tiehbon iiros., 1 and .'S; A. 11. Street, Lord Oaklands, 2. The Xew Zealand llolstcin Kricsian Association's challenge cup, which was open for competition for the champion bull yesterday for the first time, and which was won by Mr. Newton King, was brought to New Plymouth last night by Mr. (ialachuu. the well-known llolsteiu breeder. It was on view at the smoke concert, and was much admired.

At a meeting of dog fanciers last, night it was unanimously resolved to form a Taranaki Kennel Club. A committee consisting of Messrs. A. T. Moore, J. 11. Baglev, (1. 11. Saunders, 11. Jirookes, and K. M. Doughty was set up to go thoroughly into the question of details and draw up a report to be presented to a future meeting, on a date to be decided upon. The Pros*- Association, which is meeting at Auckland, decided by an overwhelming majority yesterday to accept the New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion League's invitation to hold its next conference at Xew Plymouth. Wellington was the other place nominated. This means that the New Zealand Newspaper Proprietors' and the Master Printers' Associations will also hold their conference in Taranaki's capital. The Xew Plymouth Operatic Society has decided to stage "The Country Girl" for this season's production. The opera, while being, musically speaking, quite as bright, as "The Geisha," which proved such a success, is a great contrast as regards setting, and should prove another success for the local society. Practices | will be started early in April, and those I wishing to take part should make an [ early application to the secretary, Mr. I B. McEwen.