LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 216, 12 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlie Dunedin Savin-:) Bank Trust h:u (loiiatod £7fio to the *>iedioal School Kxtension Fund. The Xl.th Regiment of Territorisils will leave for the annual camp, to be held at Takapau, on Sunday, April 2(1. Takapau in situated between Damievirke and Napier. The Hull (Yorkshire) Chamber of Commerce has asked other chambers northward of the Midlands to support the direct steamship lino now being established between Hull and New Zealand. Wellington residents are complaining of the "fishincßs" of the water drawn from the Wainui-o-mata reservoir. It has been ascertained that the trouble is caused by a water weed, which during Beeding time gives off an oil which'taints the water. The Taranaki Agricultural Society intends to approach the Jockey Club for permission to have the competition rings on the racecourse ploughed and regrassed, this work havinj? been promised gratuitously by several members. Mr. L. A. Nolan has been deputed to bring the matter before the club. The Palmerston North Borough Council is about to submit a proposal to the ratepayers for the purchase of the gasworks at a cost of £IOO,OOO. At the last meeting: of the Council the Mavor announced that the loan would be divided into three sections, as follows: £65,000 for the purchase of the works; £SOOO for acquiring land and buildings for showroom and workshops, and £30,000 for extensions and additions. Another ease of typhoid fever was admitted to the New Plymouth Hospitaf yesterday, from the same locality as the three cases previously ndmit'.rs. l'eople would be well advised to boil all water and milk before use, as during the dry weather cattle readily seek the creeks for water and may pollute the streams. Iyphoid has been traced also to the fact that a cow drank polluted water and, transmitted the typhoid germs to her milk. Steps are being taken to trace the source of the typhoid cases in New Plymouth. The disease is contagious, but not infectious. A well-known Wanganui banker had a peculiar experience the other day (says the Herald). He was walking down the street carrying some small live cartridges in one of his pockets. He was smoking a pipe at the time, and meeting an acquaintance, put his pipe in his pocket where the cartridges were. Later on he was startled to hear an explosion coming apparently from his pocket, and found that ona of the cartridges had been heated by the lighted tobacco and had exploded. Fortunately, no more serious damage than a hole in his hat was the result, but had the bullet gone any other way than upwards there would have probably been more serious consequences. Over 420,000,000 gallons of oil were imported into the United Kingdom during 1913. The growth in the oil trade is astounding. Whilst illumina-ting oils appear to hold their ground, enormous advances are being made in the use of motor spirit and fuel oil. The demand for lubricating oil also rises yearly. Seven years ago the Thames Haven oil tanks received but 7000 tons of motor spirit in the twelve months. Last year they received 230,000 tons, the equivalent of 71,508,510 gallons. This is an increase in less than a decade of 3000 per cent. The present annual consumption of oil fuel in the navy is estimated at 200,000 tons. The contracts for this fuel are divided between the Mexican and Roumanian oilfield«. A wonderful hope that sometimes that terrible plague, consumption, will die out is held by the' report of the Local Government Board, issued on January 21. Careful reading of this report—it is over 400 pages long—make it quite clear that tuberculosis is decreasing in England. Even in those great centres of tuberculosis diseaseLiverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield—the. scourge is dying. Modern sanitation may possibly account for it, but it can only account for a very little. Tuberculosis kills men in preference to women. The report says: "For males at most ageß Liverpool has the highest death rate, Manchester coming next. For females Liverpool again has the highest death rate, the death rates in Manchester and Birmingham having a similar course, that of Sheffield being somewhat lower. It is not unlikely that some of the excess of both Manchester and Liverpool is caused by the immigration of casual laborers. This would include the immigration of natives of Ireland, among whom the average tuberculosis dejith rate is high. Tintotal share of migration in producing these high phthisis death rates cannot be determined at present. The tuberculosis death rate of these cities has shown great reduction." One of the most remarkable operations of modern times was recently performed on a young man named Joseph Anderson, of Newcastle (N.S.W.) He was working about 12 months ago on the Australia mine a,t Kalgoorlie when he was injured in a blasting explosion, a piece of rock an inch and a-quarter long entering the.inner and upper side of the orbit of the left eye. It lodged in the porous bone of the skull and tore through the duramater, one of the coverings of the brain, necessarily lacerating the brain itself. The wonder is that he survived it. He paid visits to local doctors, but they were unable to remove that piece of' rock. Then he went to London, and in St. Bartholomew s Hospital a wonderful operation was performed. To remove the rock, the eye had to be pulled out and downwards towards the left ear, and so large was the fragment that the operators found the greatest difficulty in getting it out. Anderson returned to Australia a few days ago. There is n large scar over his left eve, and he has practically lost the sight of that eye. "i!ui 1 havo lost the rock, too," he' said, "and that was a great thing, wasn't it? Did 1 keep it? Not inuch. I had it in my brain for six months and eight days, and that was long enough. When the congress of medical men from all parts of the world was being held in London had to come down from the North of England and exhibit myself. They all agreed that it was a wonderful operation." Perhaps the most astounding of all is that, although Andersen's brain must have been considerably lacerated, he suffers neither headache nor any other nervous symptom. Paul Dufault'g work is the acme of vocal art, and he sings with rare dramatic fervor. His fine impassioned utterances create a sort of dramatic atmosphere, and convert his songs into a vivid tone-painting. No matter how widely divergent the moods of his progress may run, Dufault is yet able always to present the work in hand convincingly, hence his audiences are held in the hollow of his hand,- and tears and Bmiles are brought at will.

A proposal h being considered to change the name of Palmcrston Xortli to "Manawatu." The Patea Harbor Board has secured its loan money (about £80,000) rom the A.M.P. Society at a cost of five per cent. The Wellington Milk Vendors' Association will raise the price of milk from April 1 to August 31, to fivepeuce per quart.—Press Association. A very large contingent of Maoris arrived at Waitara yesterday from the South. They are en route to Parihaka, and are breaking their journey lor the Atiawa sports at Waitara to-day. Whilst Mr. Herries is at Opunake various deputations will wait upon him in connection with the Oounakc railway, West Coast leases, and other matters. After leaving Parihaka, Mr. Herries will proceed to New Plymouth. On account of there not being sufficient water on the Patea bar for the Hawera and Kapuni to make the passage »f the entrance, the hnvo gone into Wanganui to await an improvement of conditions at the northern »ort (says the Wanganui Herald). Competition for stock has become >o keen in Queensland that prices have advanced by at least 7s (id per 1001b. The price of meat in the retail shops have been advanced by Vid, and in some cases Id per lb; and this is regarded as only the beginning of a considerable advance in values. An important land ale was held at Christchurch yesterday, a' which the Babrazil Estate, Rakaia, was sold. Altogether 2424 acres were sold, at an average price per acre of £26 10s. This is understood to be the biggest sale of land at over ±'2o an acre held in the Dominion.—Press telegram. It does seem incredible, but nevertheless it is stated to be a fact, that among the many hundreds who witnessed the New Zeaalnd championship swimming events at Blenheim recently, was one individual who had not seen anyone swimming before. In a well-watered country like Xew Zealand this is truly remarkable. "The history most of us were taught at school was little more than blood and fire—battles, who won them, and isolated dates," remarked Mr. W. 11. Hornmingway, in speaking to students at the Auckland I'niversity College a few days ago. "We heard nothing of the silent army of workers and business men, and what they achieved in moulding and developing- the Empire." The speaker was referring to the value of a course in modern history.