LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 195, 16 February 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Taramiki Countv Council has received notification from the 'Public Works Department that land taken for the Uirrington-Franklev cross road has been proclaimed a nub'iic road. The •boot-importing business of Mr John Grayson has been purchased bv Mr R. ,1. Dearc, who will conduct it under an personal supervision, i„ addition to that at present carried on v him at the "Boot Arcade" in l) C v .'a street. A Timaru press message states that the Timaru Post, .evening newspaper, was ollered to public auction on Saturday. There was only one bid, namely, £iO01). The pi-.,i>crty was nassed in. I lie auctioneer mentioned the assets were valued at £14,000. A man, a Paris psychologist says is \ happy when he has something definite to make him happy. A woman, on the other hand, is happv unless there is definite to, make iher unhappy. The reason of this is, he adds, that woman's sense of responsibility is small. She is content to enjov the present without worrying about the future.

Ihe Radway Department is actively taking m hand the matter of lessening the dangers of traffic at the various level crossings in the district. The Taranaki County Council has been asked to see that trees on properties abutting on the level crossings at Durham ltoad and VVaitara Road are cut back, so as to afford to drivers of vehicles a betlor view of the trains as they near the crossings in question.

There was a large number of bathers at the East -End bathing reserve yesterday. Great interest was manifested in the life-saving demonstrations which were given by the New Plymouth Lifesaving Club's team. The team includes some strong swimmers, and the efficiency of their work yesterday showed them to be a distinct asset to the reserve, giving, as they do, an additional measitro of safety to bathers. A well-dressed man walked up to the door-keeper of Rpringlield Gaol, Essex, anil nskud for the gate to he opened, as he had finished repairing' the organ. Ho gave the name of Griflin. The doorkeeper could not find his name on the visitors hook, showing that he had entered the gaol, and refused to open the gates. A warder was culled who identified the alleged organ mender as one of the. prisoners. 'The man had hidden himself in the exercise yard, and had .stolen some clothes from' the elflcers quarters.

The gas service in New Plymouth has been productive of not a little malediction among housewives and others during the past two weeks. It lias never been more erratic, the pressure going oil' just at the time when it has been most needed. Those employing gas in business operations have been seriously inconvenienced by the vn "aries of the service. The cause of the frishtfullv bad gas or the inadequacy of the pressure we do not know, but it is about time the Gas Company realised its obligations to consumers and provided a more efficient and reliable service. There will be no dearth of amusement in New Plymouth this week. On Wednesday evening the Paul Du fault eoncert takes place at the Theatre Roval; oh Thursday evening the Royal Artillery Band will give * performance at tho Theatre Royal, and next Friday afternoon in Pukekura Park. On Saturday evening the Royal Pantomime Company will present at the Theatre Royal the pantomimo "Old Mother Hubbard." Every evening there will be a pictnre entertainment at the Empire Theatre, as well as at the Theatre Royal; when it is not otherwise engaged.

Special train arrangements have been made by the Railway Department in connection with the visit of the Roval Artillery Band to New Plymouth on Thursday and Friday. The band will Rive an open-air performance on Kriday afternoon, and a special train will be run from Hawera into New Plymouth and back at time* convenient to suit the entertainment. Residents of the large district this setved will thereby be provided with means to avail themselves of one of the best of the few remaining' opportunities for hearing the band, which will only plav in Auckland for about a fortnight longer. The schools belonging f;o the Moa Schools Association will bold their annual picnic at the Breakwater on Thursday afternoon next, February 19. Arrangements have' been made by the Breakwater Seaside Committee to supply hot water free to all, and have arranged for launches to run from the wharf at moderate rates. The committee has also erected a tent, to act as a temporary dressing-room for the men. The ladies have a dressingroom on the beach. It has been decided not to issue any further permits for the sale of soft drinks, etc., other than those at the Breakwater; but any side-shows will be permitted to take up a position on the heaoh.

"This was a particularly mean and dirty trick," aaid Senior Sergeant Bourke at the Wanganui Magistrate's Court on Monday, when explaining a case in which a man named Robert Penson, was charged with obtaining 10s bv means of a fraud. The man went to ii labor registry oflce in town, and the manageress obtained for him a position as kitchenman at a hotel in Inglewood. He said he had no money to go there and asked for hi fl train fare, which his would-be employer at Inglewood forwarded on request. He signed a paper stating that be had received the money. Instead of proceeding to Inglewood, defendant remained in Wanganui. Upon ono or two leading questions being asked by bis Worship it was discovered that accused had another position to go to when he went to the registry office and bad no intention of going to Inglewood. His Worship sentenced him to three days' imprisonment in Wanganui Police g-aol. That portion of the King Country from Uruti to Awakino presented quite a holiday appearance last week, and had roads and other distressing circumstances were forgotten for the time. Mokau led off on Tuesday with a wood-chopping competition, and some of the river boys were in great form. There was a good attendance at these sports, and the officials kept things moving. On Wednesday there was horse-racing on the. beach near Awnkino, a fair number of settlers being present. The stipendiary stewards were not required, as the. horses and riders were "triers," and this was quite evident to the spectators. The Carrington stable was in Ki-cat form, four out of seven races being netted. There was a -ood gathering at the Uruti sports on Thursday, which was a sort of olla nodrida meeting, aa it included wood-chopping, footracing, horse hurdlp-iumpintr, etc. Judging from the number of motor-cars present at the sports, Uruti will soon lose its reputation as a bao.khlock settlement, as some of the motors from' New/ Plymouth did the jowrney out in one hour's time,

The old idea to shoot in the dark with a revolver was to provide an electric device lighting the sight. A new device lias now been invented, which limits till light to a small circle, If the weapon 'be aimed at a wall, and the lighting device switched on, there shows on the wall a small luminous circle, and if the trigger he pulled the bullet will strike within that circle: The use of eights is thus obviated.

Ilerr fSlnpofl'ski, conductor, interviewed in Oiriatcluirch. said that Australia mid New Zealand, like other Englisu countries, were a prey to musical humhugs and charlatans.' The best means of combating them was the establishment of municipal or national conservatories. Tlie best means of cultivating the public taste was l>v means of municipal military bands. The light of publicity given to municipal enterprises would kill imposters. Hands were easier to organise than orchestras, and more attractive to the public—Press Association.

New Plymouth lias a delightfully situated racecourse and it was looking at its best on Wednesday and Thursday (says the Elthitm Argus). The viewacross country from the back of the grand stand is a glorious one. Near the ' tea rooms were some, beautiful beds of asters and phlox, and just below the tea room there is a gully clothed in all the glory of virgin bush. We doubt whether there is any town in the Dominion that can show more beauty spots of natural scenery than New Plymouth can show. K is a town with delightful surroundings. In connection with the paragraph in notes on the early days in Pa tea in reference to house rent, an old resident of Pa tea tells the local paper that he remembers the time when it was a common thing to be living in good houses absolutely rent-free. He himself, he says, was only paying 2s a week in rent for a very decent residence. Shortly afterwards he purchased two sections with a two-roomed cottage on each/ for a total of £l)3. The same gentleman also mentioned another instance of a house, which cost between £7OO and £BOO to build, being sold with a j large section for £2OO. Other houses were removed to different parts of Taranaki at the time.

A feature of special interest of the Paul Dufault season is the fact that Miss Pauline Binilcly, the Bendigo supra.ua, will make her first bow to a N*ew Plymouth audience. Miss llindley possesses u voice of remarkahle quality, which is said to be absolutely true niy.t indescribably sweet. So great is theinterest which the. young soprano has aroused in the Victorian musical public, that complimentary concerts were tendered her in both Bendigo and Melbourne, the latter under Viee-reg.il patronage, fh Miss ISindlcy's home city all the leading citizens have united in making 1 it possible for the gifted young singer to complete her musical education in Europe. Miss Bindley was to have sailed for Europe early iii January, but Mr. Dufault, hearing her sing, was so delighted with her beautiful voice that lie persuaded her to defer her departure until May, and to accompany him on his present Australasian tour, A pleasing feature of the l)u- - concerts arc the ducts by Miss Bindley and the popular tenor. J Tribute to the honesty of the average Australian black was paid by Mr. .lanivs Caldwell,, a Presbyterian ' missioiwry | worker, who gave evidence before the I Aborigines' Commission in Adelaide, last week. He tohl a story in support of his assertion that the honesty of the aborigines compared favorably with that of the whites. A little while ago, a sheepowner employed aborigine* to capture a particularly troublesome wild dog. lie offered £5 for the destruction of the boast, whicli was known to be within an area of land surrounded by netting. There were plenty of dogs just outside the fence. After several days' hunting, the aborigines came back and said they could not find the dog. They might easily have got one of the outside dogs and passed it off for the genuine animal. Mr. Caldwell, who has during the past six or seven years come in contact with the natives of the country surrounding Tron Knoh, states that some of them possessed horses and buggies or camels, and may be seen with a gramaphone or sewing machine. He considers that there ari> J aborigines iif the district capable of managing a sheep run under supervision.