LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 244, 5 March 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Port Chalmers Borough Council has decided to erect a cairn on Height Rock to commemorate Captain Scott and his companions.

As there appears to be a misapprehension about voting powers at to day's poll on the tramway scheme, it is well to understand that the wives of ratepayers, as well as ratepayers themselves, have votes, provided their names are 011 the roll.

There will be a total eclipse of the moon on the 22nd of the present month. It will last for five hours and a half, and the moon will be above the horizon all the time. She will enter the shadow at i).4M p.m., and leave it at 13 minutes past one in the morning. The Eltham and Mangatolci Co-oper-ative Dairy Companies' Bacon Factory shows a profit for the past fourteen months of £1530. The company has now been enlarged, and in future will be conducted by the dairy companies named, and Nornianby, Opunake, Awatuua, Pihanui and Kapokonui companies.

A defective chimney was the cause of an fire yesterday morning in the laund'ry of the Public Hospital, which is situated some distance away from the main building. The fire which was between the ceiling and the roof was promptly extinguished by the stall', without practically any damage being done. Various local bodies at Ilawora. including the Hawera Borough Council, County Council, Tradesmen's Association and Chamber of Commerce, on the initiative of the latter body are holding a conference this month to consider the inauguration of a motor service between Hawera and Manaia and the neighboring beaches.

On Saturday next tlift children of (lie i local schools will hold their annual swimming sports at the Municipal Baths. An excellent programme with substantial prizes has been arranged, and as no entrance fees are being charged there should be good entries. The function, due to the immense enthusiasm of the children, is one of the most interesting and entertaining of the year. The Opunakc Times understands that there is likely to be a considerable increase in the cargo received at the port of Opunake this year, especially in heavy' loads. Mr. Newton King is. at present arranging to land some two .hundred tons of slag and other manures, if suitable arrangements can be made. It. is likely that a large proportion of the trade up the coast will come in over, the Opunake wharf. .Kltham people are moving in the direction of erecting a memorial to the memory of the late Dr. Harrison, who was practically the only practitioner in the district for some years. At a public meeting on Wednesday evening it was resolved that a fund be raised by public subscription among the people of Kltham and the surrounding districts to provide a suitable memorial to the late. Dr. Harrison. The Mayor of Ilawera (Mr. A. W. Gillies) forwarded a cheque for £5 ss, together with an apology for his absence. It is expected to raise £3OO. and the form of the memorial will be decided later.. The feeling of the meeting was that it should be a district one, and not a town one.

Several common jurors were excused from duty at the Supreme Court yesterday. The first man got off on the plea of deafness, and the next by virtue of the fact that he was a fire-brigadesman. and therefore exempt. In the case of another man summoned to exercise the obligations of citizenship, it was explained by the Crown Prosecutor (Mr. C. H. Weston) that he was detained at Mokau in charge of a motor car containing a number of sight-seeing journalists. After commenting on the fact that this was really no excuse, his Honor remarked: "It is a journalistic picnic, is it not? Well, I suppose we must always recognise the power of the Press. I will not fine the man. As for excusing him. he has already excused himself!"

Some time ago representations wore made to the Minister of Railways for the issue of excursion week-end tickets to Xew Plymouth and vice versa. .Mr. Barm by mentioned this matter al a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce at Hawera on Monday afternoon, saying it liad been referred to by Mr. Merries when lie passed through Tlawera recently. The Minister, in effect, said the question was one for the General Manager to deal with. Mr. Barmhy added, amidst laughter, that he had informed the Minister that lie was not agreeable to the issue of the tickets, unless they were issued at both ends of the province, so as to give the people in Hawera an opportunity of visiting their friends at New Plymouth. and their northern friends an opportunity of spending the-weelc-end in Hawera.—'Star.

His Honor (Mr. Justice Denniston) and Mr. T. M. Wilford, (counsel for the accused) crossed swords oil countless occasions in the Supreme Court yesterday. Mr. Wilford was very vigorous in his cross-examination, and his led His Honor to protest that counsel was talking at the jury and endeavouring to influence them by insinuation. In his retort, Mr. Wilford blandly remarked: "The jury to me. Sir. at the present moment is a blank wall!" "Oh, Mr. Wilford," rejoined the Judge, ''vou stand up and tell me that after my experience of the bench." Mr. Wilford persisted that both his thoughts and his eyes dwelt far away from the jury. It was a blank wall, as far as he was concerned, until he came to his address. "Sir," commented Ilis Honor, ''you are treating them as an absorbent wall. Every line of your cross-examination for the last quarter of an hour has been deliberately addressed for the purpose of conveying to the jury a number of statements educed through the inactive medium of insinuation." "All J have to say," replied counsel, "is that I have no such complicated object in my mind. My whole mind is taken up with my cross-exam-ination of these witnesses, except when Your Honor interrupts me, when my attention is distracted. Your Honor has evidently not read my thoughts very well." TTis Honor ridiculed counsel's explanation, exclaiming that it was asking too much to presume that the jury had not sufficient intelligence to see through Mr. Wilford's methods. "I will." he continued, "tell the jury to brush them aside." "That is." gravely rejoined counsel, "my sheerest wish." Becoming piqued. TTis Honor exclaimed: "'You are not talking to a novice, sir!" 'That is so," was the quiet rejoinder, "1 was mot practising at the Bar when Your Honor was."

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On page S iif this issue the supporters of the trannvay proposals have sn extended advertisement regarding 1 the poll which is to lie taken to day.

To-morrow a picnic is to be held at 'fikorangi. when among other things a cricket match between a New Plymouth and a local team will be played. One of the slaughtermen at present employed at the Waingawa freezing works i- said to be a champion at his business, lie claims to be able to dress two carcases of beef in thirteen minutes. The. record for the world is two carcases in eleven minutes.

Mr. Will'ord's method of addressing a jury did not find favour with Mr. Justice Demiiston at the Supreme Court yesterday. "1 cannot," lie exclaimed, speak too strongly on such a method of addressing a jury, lie has no right to address to a jury arguments which he, would be ashamed to put before a judge." Mr. Wilford protested that he had no desire to influence the. susceptibilities of the jury, and the incident thereupon ended, but before long judge and counsel were again in close grips.

The Chapman-Alexander Mission opened last night in Christehurch. There was a, large attendance, and the mission was welcomed to the citv by the Mayor and the Rev. Dr. Irwin, chairman of the local committee. Mr. Chapman gave an eloquent and stirrin? address in which he emphasised the objects of the mission, and stated that the party was here "to stir up the city of Christehurch. and move the district, and to convert thousands of people." Much enthusiasm was displayed. The mission is to last three weeks .