LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 217, 13 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The s.s. Rarawa, according to au Auckland message, was to have sailed iroi'i the Manukau Heads last night at eiglu o'clock, and would thus !>■• unlikely to connect with this morning'* express. The Imperator on a recent trip cur ried safely across the Atlantic 4HBI persons —the greatest human cargo ever carried by any sea-going vessel. Of these 3641) were passengers and 1332 were crew, A newsboy was the victim of a contemptible fraud on Saturday evening (says the Auckland 1 Herald). A youth purchased a paper from him, tendering a coin which appeared to be a halfsovereign, and received 9» lid change. When lie had gone the boy discovered that ho had been given a gilded farthing. A number of bystanders, who vouched for the truth of the story, helped to make good the boy's loss. The will of the lato Mrs. S. A. Rhodes, of Wellington, after providing legacies from £4OOO downward for relatives, leaves £SOO to the St. John Nursing Guild, £SOO to the St. John Ambulance Association, £SOO to the Young Women's Christian Association, £IOOO to the Wellington Boys' Institute, and smaller amounts to other institutions. The residue is to be divided equally b>*w#en Victoria College, for the educaSDri of women, and the trustees of the Boys' Institute. Because her husband did not kiss her enough, the. wifo of a wealthy man in Antwerp complained to a magistrate. Because his ardor in this respect had cooled since they were iirst married, she charged him with loving somebody else. The husband told the magistrate that his wife wanted so many kisses that sho made his life a burden. An expert witness was called, and he said that after three years of married life a wife could not claim more than three kisses a day, so the wife's complaint was dismissed. The following candidates were successful at the theoretical examination held in connection with the Trinity College of Music in December last (possible marks 100): Hilda Margaret Bishop, 91 (Miss Smith, L.A.8., L.T.C.L.). Advanced junior honors: Ethel G. Throßsell, 100 (Miss Smith), Dorothy U. Blanchard 93 (Miss Smith). Preparatory: Oswald McHardy, 95 (Miss Ila Henderson, A.T.C.L.), Elsie M. Honnor, 93 (Miss Smith), Ella Francis, 78 (Mrs. Bollinger), Myrtle Walker, '7B (Mrs. Bollinger). "We in New Zealand are trying to show the world what we can't do," said Mr. D. Robertson, referring to the arbitration system during the nrogress of the boilermakers' dispute in Wellington on Tuesday. "If a business man goes to the bank for an overdraft, the first question asked is: 'Do you employ labor!' If he does, no advance is given. This is due to the continual increase of the men's wages, which does not seem likely to stop. The prices of our manufactured commodities do not increase in the same proportion, jind this can't go on," he added. In the Magistrate's Court yesterdav, the Defence Department, charged A. C. H. Gatton with failing to attend a parade of the senior cadets on February 12. : Sergt.-Major Bond stated that Gattan had been ab3ent on this date without leave, although notified on the sth ult. to attend. lie was fined ss, without costs. Walter Lewis Pellew was also charged with failing to attend a parade on February 19. Pellew stated that he went to Waitara on this date an 1 was unable to "et back in time, owinT to a defect in his motor cycle. He was convicted without a fine. The charge against Harold Hedley for failinr to attend a parade on February 16 was withdrawn by the Defence Department. Sergt.-Major Bond prosecuted in all the cases. The Patea Freezing Works are now going full swing ahead in the temporary premises they have erected since the ffre. It is just three weeks since the directors decided to work on in a small way, and 400 sheep, and up to 30 cattle per day are now being handled. For many days after the killing started, the boiler and digester were without a cover of any description. However, a temporary shed has been built over the boiler, while the manure-house is nearing completion, so that before another week is out the works should be in a position to cope with considerably more cattle than they can handle at present. The Patea Press understands that the shares are being taken up very readily, but they are still short of the minimum number set down as being required before the directors will consider re-building. The way of the practical joker is so often akin that of the mentally affected that it is difficult at times to differentiate when drawing conclusions as to the reason of some foolish act '(says the Auckland Star). A case in point is reported from Takapuna. List Saturday night at about 11 o'clock, a Takapuna tram was coming at a fairly con-' siderable speed down the inclino towards the wharf when the powerful lights affixed to tho engine indicated the presence of a prostrate form right across the rails. Driver and fireman at once noticed that the figure was clothed in a blouse and skirt, and the brakes were jambed on hard. There were a good many passengers, and the suddenness with which the emergency brakes were applied sent them sprawling out of their seats iu all directions. It speaks well for the keenness of thj driver's look-out. and the promptitude with which he acted on emergency, that he brought the fast-traveling tram to a standstill before the prostrate figure was reached. What would have happened to the foolish miscreant who caused all the trouble had tram officials or startled passengers been able to lay hands on him, remains unsaid, however, for the figure was only a dummy, made of straw, and dressed in a woman's clothes, and no one was within cooee to answer for its presence there. A FAMOUS ANNUAL REDUCTION The Melbourne's annual reduction and stocktaking sale is an event that attracts buyers from far and near. These sales are not the usual kind where low prices obtain on special lines only, but are noted for the genuine reduction on all goods in the company's stores with but one exception, namely, women's shilling stockings. Every visitor to the store may see the regular selling price (marked in plain figures) and note how much the usual prices have been reduced. There is no attempt at de- : ception. The. plain figures in black and white are there for all to see. Genuine solid savings are to be made on ' regular everyday goods and the people I know it. Hence the widespread popu- i larity of the Arm's great annual reduc- , tion Bale. Reduced prices om everything, from Saturday, February 88, t« 1 Saturday, March 21.

Auckland Exhibition will be open for Easter, and lip to Anri! 18. A child died at Whaugurei lust week through outing-over-ripe pen-lies. There will be no ea y hours for ladies at tile Municipal Baths th'l3 morning. North Auckland wins the district court competition and £IOO at the Auckland Exhibition. The Bell Block school held its annual picnic yesterday on Mr Fairfax Cholmelc.y'.s property near the Bell Block railway stallion. There is a good deal of sickness at M&rtinborougli at the present time. A number of young people are suffering from 11 form of enteric fever. The Marton borough is evidently not to go begging for money. An Aucklander wrote offering a loan of £SOOO, but though the Council could finu good uses for the money, they did not accept the offer. Count Stallila.ua PiVzdziccky, a Polish nobleman, owning an ealate'of 250,000 acres, 157 palaces, castles, hotels and dwelling-houses, and securities worth over 5,000,000 dollars, has decided to liquidate his property a'hd emigrate, declaring fhat the political conditions make life unbearable in I'osen. The education of the Maori is not being put to good uses, as a blacksmith in one of our backblocks can testify. It appears that a native was engaged 011 a shearing station, and during the period of his residence in the district he had some service rendered by the blacksmith to the value of 3s. On the day he left he went to pay his bill, and offered a cheque for £7. The blacksmith gave £6 17s in change, and later on found that the cheque was a clever forgery. No trace of the Maori can be found. A most interesting discovery of rooa bones has been made by a resident of Masterton. The bones include a complete set of legs, the height being about oft 4in. The bones arc of great thickness, the toe bones being some Bin in length. The remains of a smaller bird were also found, while quite a number of other bones were also discovered. The valuable find was made in the Lower Valley. A pioneer resident of I'ahiatua informed a Herald representative that in 1883 a number of settlers 1,. that district sent to Maatcrton for their first mob of sheep. Cull ewes were then purchased at from is to 2s a head. When the sheep were distributed among the settlers the cost to each man was found to work out at about 2s. What a contrast, he pointed out, in the prices then and on Tuesday last, when cull ewes realised 18s!