LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 261, 27 March 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tiia Au.-traiian mails, ex Manuka, at Wellington, will arrive here on Thursday evening. English ami American mails, via San Francisco, arc not expected .here now until Friday afternoon.

The following term holidays will be observed in the Taranaki education district this year: —Winter,"from May 23 to June 2: spring, August 22 to September 1; summer, December 19 to Februarv 2, 1014.

There is on view in Mr. A. S. ITasell's window a beautiful- specimen of brown trout in line condition, weighing nine (pounds which was lifted yesterday afternoon by Mr. R. Birch from the Wauvakaiho River.

To-night a special patriotic programme will '.in! submitted at the Empire Theatre 1 in honor (if the Taranaki veterans. The .programme will include Edison's "The Charge of the Light 'Brigade," "The Victoria Cross," a film of the survivors of' those participating in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Residents of Tariki, are. agitating for a telephone exchange to 1)0 established in that, township as a sub-exchange to Stratford. Already some, six or eight business people and settlors have intimated their • intention of joining. Tariki is now connected by telephone with Ratapiko, and the first telegram was transmitted over the, line yesterday.

The executive of the, Frankloy Road Sports 'Club has decided to add a tug-of-war to iho list of events at the sports gathering to be held in Mr. Okey's paddock on Thursday next. Teams will be limited to seven men', aiid the entrance will be Is per man. It is a sweepstake event, but if five' or move teams compete £2 will be added. Already three teams have entered, and a good contest is therefore assured.

A meeting of the Taranaki Arts and Crafts Society was held recently, when it was decided to hold a Sketch C'lub Exhibition during the second week in June in tko ISrougham street Hall. Artists in Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston and Waiirrauui are to be asked to forward pi<:t;>ro< for exhibition. Tickets for admission will be Is, which will carry with the:;: a chance in an Art Union which wi'i be held in connection with the exhibition.

Compulsory military trailing is clashing with the attendance at the night classes at the Technical College. At yesterday's meeting of the Education Board, the director (Mr. A. Cray) reported as follows:—"With regard to the night classes, the numbers are not so encouraging, nor do t anticipate any areat increase in the immediate future. The great dillieulty to be overcome in this connection is the number of drill nights. However, T hope to be able to produce a scheme by which the difficulty may be, at any rate, partially obviated.''

A meeting of the committee having in hanil the entertainment of the Taranaki war veterans this (Thursday) evening was held'last evening. All the arrangements were reported to l>c well forward. and a successful and enjoyable evenins* should result. The, Veterans will a!t'.'ii:! the Empire Theatre at 8 oYlo'u, when a special patriotic proirranune of ]jk'tlii'os will he screened to tlie accompaniment of the Empire's full orchesl ra. and at nine o'clock the derail* will inarch to the Brougham stiv t Hall, where a supper, catered for by Mr. Wooller. will be laid, and a toast list gone through.

Now that the Baptists of New Plymouth are laying the foundation stone of their in'w Tabernacle, a few items about the old. Oil! street Church may be of interest. The present church was built about 48 years ago—either 1804 or 18«;> -bv Mr. .Taylor, who was both architect and builder. The foundation stone of that building was laid by the Rev. ilohn Whitelev, the Wesleyan Missionary to the Maoris, and who was afterwards killed !>v them at White Cliffs. There a're still with ns several who were present at the inaugural function nearly half a century ago. anil who will probably be at the stone-laving by the Rev. Frank Hales this afternoon at 5 o'clock. N.Z.E. EASTER TRAFFIC. Passengers are advised to cheek their basaoge through the New Zealand Ex press Company when travelling, r* Easter, and avoid the rush and scramble The company calls for baggage, cheer it on, receives and delivers at far enti charging only fee for cartage. Advise the company sarly. Don't dela.y till last moment.

Writes an Awakino subscriber:—''The- * Te Kuiti business and professional meil: are as keen as mustard after our busi-.-ness, but the people of New Plymouth. . don't worry us, apparently being asleep." The duck weight-guessing competition: at the East End picnic 011 Easter .Monday has ljQ.cn won by W. Nash, of Devon., street. The exact weight of the duck was 41b 120z., and Mr. Nash made the nearest guess.

In 1881 Dr. Gunther estimated that there were over 220,000 named and described species of insects. Since that date the number has been increasing at a rate of almost 10,000 a .year, so that at the present time the number of described insects must be approaching half a million.

the latest thing in the way of freak entertainments in London is what is known as a baby party. One was held the other evening at Bayswater, and was attended by about a score of literary and artistic friends, all of whom were dreaded us tobies. The. guests indulged illbaby games, and generally acted the part, of babies.

The first meeting of the Awakino County Council was held on Saturday last at Awakino. Mr. €. Leech was appointed chairman. The seat of the county was fixed at Waitonguru, within' 24 miles of Te Kuiti. The banking account is to be opened with the Bank of New Zealand, Te Kuiti, and Messrs Earl, Kent and Howartli, of the latter town, were appointed solicitors.

An exceptionally large cargo of caseoil was brought from New York -:by the. Vacuum Oil Company's chartered steamer Collingham, -which arrived at Auckland on Wednesday, She had on board over a million and a-half gallons of oilmade up as follows":—887,203 gallons) of petroleum. 391,200 gallons ■ of benzine, 208,810 gallons of naphtha, and 21,(500 gallons of turpentine. The cargo will be put out at Auckland. Wellington, Lyttelton, Tirnaru and Duneclin. What may accurately be called a death trap exists 011 Brooklands road. The elements had caused it large hole to be made at the side of the road and this has been fenced in, leaving just sufficient room for a vehicle to pass. This would (perhaps not be quite so dangerous but for the fact that it exists immediately around a sharp and dangerous bend. The meeting of a motor-ear and a tradesman's cart will one day almost inevitably occur at this point, and the consequences will be serious.

A tent and sleeping bag, abandoned on Mount Cook iby guides eighteen months ago, were found in good condition in the surface of the Hooker Glacier, four miles from where they had 'been left, and at 2800 ft lower elevation. The pressure on the accommodation at Mount Cook Hermitage, which has caused inconvenience and prevented people from going tliere during mid-summer, lias now relaxed, and recent visitors report that the roads and tracks are in good order. The telephone clerks have to answer some queer calls at times. The other day a local tiny dot rang up the Foxton exchange wit l .' the request, "I want my daddy." Acting on this meagre in- . formation, the clerk good-naturedly made' the connection, and the little usurper of the telephone having gained one point now desires to hold converse with all kinds of mystic, characters who loom big in fairy lore. The telephone is her doorway to mystery land. In the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. E. Page, S.M., Henry Francis, Smith was brought up on remand,' charged with having committed ail indecent assault upon a boy. The evidence of the boy and a relative was taken, and the Magistrate committed

accused for trial.,at the next sessions

of the Supreme Court at New Plymouth. Accused reserved his defence, and asked for the services of counsel, under the next Act. This His Worship did not allow, as he did not consider that, the case came within the scope of the Act.

Something rare in the shape of a pure white kiwi was recently captured on the Tarawera estate, in the Taupo district. The bird was about half-grown, and when seen by the writed had been in captivity about three weeks, so that there appears to 'bo every possibility of it surviving the effects of its altered mode of life. As soon as the Tourist Department .became aware of its existence they despatched*a man from Eotorua to obtain the bird; but the figure at which it changed hands has not transpired. It is stated that the birds' future home will be in Wellington. Only two such birds have previously been heard of in New Zealand. The Otunui correspondent of the Taumarunui Press writes: —"Some fancy prices for fencing are being paid about here. .1 know of one contract, labor only, for which 23s a chain was paid, and another one at the same figure is under way. For another '2fis was asked, but

no business was done. These prices have, audi are being paid where timber is scarce, and it makes one wonder why settlers will not try iron fencing. In the' South iron fencing is erected at a cost of £SO per mile, everything included, and it should be possible to do the same here."

Misfortune befel a voting Gisborne lady who went out in a launch recently trv see a friend off iby the steamer. Returning to the tender, which was just about to draw off. it was discovered she. had left her purse aboard the big steamer. A gallant man stepped forward, and, taking the purse from the girl friend, declared her ability to drop tile article into the hands of its owner aboard the launch. However, his aim fell Short, with the result that the purse, fell into the water, and with it disappeared not only a fair sum of money, but a valuable 'gold presentation watch.

There is some hare-brained individual at. large in Gisbonie at the present time who may have to pay dearly for his pranks (says the Times). He has got it into his head that it is a capital joUv to victimise the local medicoes by inviting them to attend imaginary eases of urgent sickness. \As an example of the wicked and unnecessary trouble to which he has been putting the local doctors recently, what is reported to have happened on Saturday last may 'he mentioned. At great inconvenience to himself, and in face of the fact that other real cases of sickness ing~at,teiition. a medico hastened' to respond to a call to attend to what was described as an urgent ease over a mile and a-half from his residence. When he arrived the occupier of the dwelling house which was mentioned in the message immediately explained that he was not the first practitioner that had been cruelly hoaxed that day to her knowledge. Only an hour or so before a brother medico had called at her house on a similar fruitless errand. But that was not all. She also informed him that still another doctor had turned up at her house that same morning, only tobe annoyed to find that he also had been hoaxed.

UP NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. "When mv children. Rita and Robert, had croup I was up night afer nk'ht with them and was quite, worn out." writes Mrs. Annie Temple. 11 Albert St., Brunswick. Vic. "I tried different medicines but they did them no rtood. Then, on the advice of ft friend, I tried Chamberlain's Cough Reinedv and it proved a God-send to me, for it gave thein inR |fiii+ relief."—Sold by all Chemists and Storekeepers, ..