LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 285, 24 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Australian mails, ex ' Maunganui, at Wellington, arrived by the express last night. At Pahiatua yesterday twenty local farmers were lined for possessing liceinfected sheep.

Vital statistics show that Christchurch is the healthiest as well as the most beaiitiful citv in the Dominion (says tlui Lyttelton Times). Auckland is at the other end of the list as regards the death-rate.

The Prime Minister informed a Times representative on Tuesday that included among the Government measures at present on the stocks were an Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, Shops and Offices Amendment Bill, and a Land Bill. The tot.'ilisator investments for the Dominion from October 1, 1912, to April •2, 1013, amount to £1,889,01(5,' showing an increase of £375,793 over the same period of the previous year. It is estimated that this year the Government will receive £IOO,OOO as revenue from the racing clubs.

Messrs. Stewart and Clifton, of Mokau, are purchasing a passenger oil launch, built at Auckland. The owners intend to run the launch on the Mokau River, and the vessel is to be fitted up with all modern conveniences. She will have a guaranteed speed of ten and a half miles per hour, and will be ready for running about the first week in August. A representative of an insurance company reports that heavy losses have been sustained by insurance companies during the last twelve months through destruction of property by fire. There have been fires in small towns, and particularly so, it is alleged, in communities where business has been languishing. He advocates emphatically the necessity for a coroner's enquiry into every lira

Our readers are reminded that the Chrysanthemum Show is being held this afternoon and to-night in St. Mary's Schoolroom. Everything points to a successful show. All the wall space has been reserved for displays and in addition there will he the competitive class, decorated baskets, bowls, vases, mantlepieces, etc. It is 12 years since a chrysanthemum exhibition was held here and lovers of flowers should endeavour to attend. Parents should warn their children against playing about the work proceeding at Manakorihi hillside in connection with the approaches to the new bridge. Last evening a small boy was standing close in to the hiJI, when suddenly about five tons of stuff came down, including' a large stone. Fortunately the boy had the good sense to move outwards quickly and no harm resulted. The earth, however,, came away without any warning, and the escape was a remarkably close one. —Waitara Mail. The whole of the time of the Hawera Magistrate's Court was occupied on Monday afternoon in the hearing of a case against James Miles, charged with an offence against a little girl under the age of 16 years at Meremere on April 11. After the evidence had been taken (says the Star), accused, in reply to the usual warning, said he had nothing to say. He pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme' Court for sentence. Mr. Kenrick, S.M., was on the Bench, and Sergeant Griffith prosecuted. For about six years there has lain, at TTatrick's slip, safely housed, but unknown to the general public, a very old Maori war canoe. It is in a fine state of preservation, and is probably the best model of this ancient type of fighting craft existing in New Zealand. Mr. Hamilton, of the Dominion Museum, has endeavored to purchase it for removal to Wellington, but the Wanganui Museum has a prior claim, and is now negotiating for buying it. The canoe is 66ft long and Cft Gin wide and is made of kauri.

Arrangements are being made to give all school children free passes by rail to view the New Zealand on her visit here. The Chairman of the Board of Education yesterday, in reading the circular to that effect." stated that the Education Department would probably have to refund the cost to the Railway Department, and he thought that the children living away from the railway line should also be considered. It was accordingly decided to endeavour to obtain a 'subsidy to assist in conveying Children awav from the line to the port on the occasion of the warship's visit.

The question of teachers attending the Territorial C amp was discussed at the Education Board meeting yesterday. The Chairman stated that a teacher at Tongaporutu had asked for leave to attend the Camp, and as lie understood that teachers were exempt, he had refused permission. Mr. !<• Masters asked why teachers should be. exempt, when he knew of business men, who had to let five men away to Camp. It was resolved on the motion of Messrs. Adlam and Kennedy, to forward an application to the Defence Department for an exemption for the teachers in this district from attending the Territorial Camp during the time the schools are open.

The Duncdin Star understands that it is the intention of the Government to make several "calls" to the Legislative Council before Parliament meets again. The number of fresh appointments mentioned is four, and, seeing that the Council is reduced to but 38 members, it cannot be argued that the Government would be "swamping" the Upper House by the increases mentioned. In his predecessor, in his long-retained position as Leader of the Opposition, and in Mr. Hardy, his old partv Whip, Mr. Massey should find two eminently experienced ex-Parliamentarians who would be thoroughly at home in the fighting which seems to be before the Council. As to who the remaining two appointees would be, there is a much wider field for conjecture. Possibly one of them may be member of the native race, who, what with Mr. Parata's advancing age and Mr. Wi Peres forfeiture of his seat, have insufficient representation in the Legislative Council as at present constituted.

BLANKETS, RUGS, OVERCOATS, ADVANCE SALES. AT THE MELBOURNE.

At no other period in our whole history have we been enabled to offer such astounding values in staple goods us at present. Various reasons may be adduced to show the reasons for this happy state of affairs, wider buying scopedue to the increase in the number of our branches—and foresight in forward buying when the price of wool was low. Our Ave Taranaki stores distribute such a huge volume of merchandise that manufacturers and "jobbers" are eager competitors for our ''spot" cash business, with the result that we buy and sell at prices that make our competitors fairly wonder "how it's done." Just as we benefit by our 'spot" cash buying methods, so does the buyer who deals at our stores, because the savings effected bv us are in turn passed on to him, thus consolidating our goodwill and increasing our s;iles. The savings on these offerings are fine examples of the benefits derived ""by shopping at the Melbourne. Three-quarter bed all-wool white colonial blankets, 16s Od pair; large double-bed size, 19s 6d pair; singlebed grey blankets Ss Od pair; rugs, 5s lid to 15s fid; little boys' overcoats, 5s lid, Gs Od to 10s Od; ladies' lovely raincoats, 22s fid; men's rubber coats, 255; heavy tweed coats, 39s Od; Hydrotite, mats. 37s 6d; men's grey raincoats, only *2s 6d.

It is reported that Mr. Charlie Taylor, of the Taylor-Carrington Co. of entertainers, has received a legacy of soma £4OOO from family lands, and, with Mrs. Taylor (Ella Carr'ington), shortly leaves on a trip to England. A beginner at golf was on one occasion (says the Argonaut) tiiking an unconscionable time to get round a seaside course near Edinburgh. Several holes had been "played" in a manner which produced a look of disgust in the face of the caddy. letting badlv bunkered, the gentleman tried several clubs, one after the other, without success. Turning to the caddy, he enquired: "What should I take now, boy?" To this the caddv promptly replied: "Ye should tak" the 4.25 back to Edinburgh."

A deer-stalking expedition ended rather disastrously recently for a young man named Archer at He bad the misfortune to pierce his fooi with a bullet whilst getting through a fence, the hone being shattered. ithout aid, he had to scramble down the hillside, and he then rowed in an open boat to his home. Hp afterwards received attention at Ilavelock, and was then conveyed to the Wairau Hospital, which institution he will leave shortly, as the .wound is progressing very favorably.

The history of the sword was deal* with in a lecture by Lieutenant-Colonel Iloth in Sydney last week. Incidentally, he told of the origin of customs that arc still observed. The courtesy of women and children preceding men arose, h# said, in the days of the cave-dwellers. As soon as an alarm of danger was sounded the women and children were hurried into the caves out of harm's way. It was due to this primeval instinct, he stated, that so many men lost their lives when the White Star liner Titanic, sank. Another relic of the days when swords were solely used in battle was the present custom of reversing arms nt a military funeral. It arose through the dying soldier kissing his sword, which, when reversed, looked like a crucifix, and served this purpose.

A case of some importance came before Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., in the Christehurch Magistrate'* Court last Thursday. The Kaiapoi Woollen Company claimed from Edith Davis, an exemployee. £42 Is Bd. made up of £25 for breach of agreement, the balance being for steamer and railway fares, which plaintiff had paid on behalf of defendant. The defence was to the effect that defendant bad not -been given congenial work, nor work which he had understood to bp/ defined in the agreement. The Magistrate said lir felt sympathy for the girl, since her work had not been congenial. However, she had entered into the contract, and its contents were quite clear as to what she would have to do. She might have been careless in reading the circular, but she had no right to break the contract, and the company was entitled to damages. These were assessed at £ls general damages and £l7 Is 8d special damages.

Writing of the New Zealand a correspondent says: Tllis great battlecruiser, though she is on what is practi-. call a peace "show" cruise, is ready to fight at a few minutes' notice, and it may be that some day she will be at death grips with foreign Dreadnoughts. And what provision has been for Sealing with the wounded? The sixty-six men manning and fighting in each of the four great turrets with their 12-inch guns are sealed inside in the hour of battle, but their number includes two well-trained first-aid men. who must deal with the wounded until such time as the.y can be got out for the attention of the surgeon or chaplain. For dealing with wounded men "distributing stations" are provided on warships. There are two such stations on the New Zealand. One is situated immediately below the sick bay, and the other is on the same side of the ship, but well forward. These distributing stations are the cockpits of modern wnrships, but instead of beinc placed right at the bottom of the ship amidships, they are situated behind the armor belt running fore and aft'alongside the ship's side, and between the two armored decks, the lower of which is the curved or arched protective deck enclosing the engin# and boiler-rooms. They are small lrfw, rooms completely steel sided, and it is marvellous how anv surgeon would find room to carry out his work of operating on the maimed and mangled bodies of wounded men in such a small compass. All the paraphernalia of a modern oper- • ating theatre is provided in each distributing centre.