LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 221, 18 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There were no cases set down for the weekly civil sitting of tlie .Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth yesterday. Tlie people in and around lAiildinj; are seriously consider"- - tlie proposal of establishing co-operative stores in that town. In connection with the fraud* on the Customs in Ohristcliurch, the Sun states that several suspected nersons have left tlie Dominion, and that extradition proceedings will probably be instituted. The Napier Harbor Board nas decided to purchase a drudge for the puijuse of constructing an embankment across the inner Harbor, and expects to nuke a start with tlie work, which 's to carry the East Coast railway line, within three months. The new valuation of the New Plymouth borough has been convicted. The total value is stated at £101,(113. This is £ll9O less than tlie total value shown by the hist valuation, and only 54 objections to valuation have been lodged, as against 227 objectors to the previous one. The Assessment Court will sit on April 2. St. Patrick's Day was yesterday honored in New Plymouth more in. the breach than in tin observance, the only holiday-makers being tlie banks and * indry of tho Government offices, the Opu mike races and the concert in the Holland Hall last night making up the sum 'total of the celebrations, except for 'green-ribboned buttonholes;-and the fluttering of the (lag from the post office (tower.

Ih'e stream of colonisation in Siberia ,H productive of results in Western American fashion. M. TregubofJ djring his recent journtv. found that tlireu end a hall million colonists settled there between 1908 and 1912. Freight motor cars now facilitate traffic on stretches up to 100 miles off the trunk line. On what was bare steppe only throe years ago, when the late M. Stolypin toured Siberia, prosperous town 3, sucli as Slavgarod, have arisen with electrical stations, and power-houses, veterinary and sanitary institutions, and other establishments of a permanent nature. The Meat Trust in Australia is adopting the methods that maka money. It has secured the services' of two of tho smartest men connected with one of the bigge3t meat concerns in Queensland. One is reported to be receiving £3OOO per annum as against £IOOO vhieh his Australian employers Daid him, ai.d the other £ISOO in place of some £7OO or £BOO. The Bulletin argues that "this country doesn't yet generally understand the value of big pay, but the Yankee will teach the lesson. Unfortunately it will be at the expense later on of Australian stockowners and stock consumers, unless the Trust is going belie all previous history." The following are the conditions drawn up for the big tug-of-war to tie held on the East End bathing reserv* on Easter Monday:—Five men a side, pull to be on battens 4in x 2in, 4 feet between each batten, pull to be fi-i«tt, (3 feet from centre), start to be by pistol shot: teiii"? may sit or lie, rojii! must be free. The nominations wlli oe •2s Cd per man (12s (id per team) and the total prize money will be £2O. which will be divided as follows: £ls for first prize.and £5 for second prize. Mr. E. Whittle will act as judge, and Mr. J. Bennett as starter. Nominations dose with the secretary, Mr. W. 11. Fletcher, or Box Sii, New 'Plymouth, on Thursday, April 9. Enquiries from outside teams are already to hand.

Eats, they say, desert a sinking ship. But the rats on the Devon had no time to do that (says the Wellington Times). Only the forepart of the vessel now remains sticking up out of the water. It is swarming with groat black un-' rats, as large as small oats, and much more tierce. Some time ago, when more of the Devon was above w" • - '1,..., is now, the man who was left on board found it impossible to sleep. At present tugboats do nut like to approach too near for fear of some of the hungry vermin transferring themselves to better quarters. It is hard to see how the rats manage to exis' at all. unless they feed on one another. This is the survival of the fittest with a vengeance, and the last rat of al' will be a worthv specimen for a museum to secure—in fact, a giant of its kind. A twelve-year-old boy was put on the train by hi> mother at New Plymouth the other day, his destination being Wellington. At I'almerston (says the Standard) he got oil' the train to hav a stroll, and discovered that he had lost his ticket. Nothing daunted, the youngster determined to walk to the Empire City, and after spending a night in the Square, his bed being a hard seat, he set oIF on his long journey. Fortunately for himself, however,' lie took the wrong road, and after a weary tramp found himself in Ashhurst. The boy then started on his way back to I'almerston and Sergeant Willis hearing' of his arrival at Whakaronga sent a telephone message asking him to come to the police station. In a short time the plucky little fellow f.rrived with his hoofs over his shoulder, dusty Silt undaunted. He was provided 'with food and lodging for the night and was then handed over to .Mr. ]<\ Aislier, the relieving oll'iier. who purchased a railway ticket and sent the bov on his inter- , rupted journey to Wellington, Toll-gafcs came in for vigorous condemnation at the hands of Mr. T. Mi-Phillips at .Mnnaia yesterday, when the Opunake railwav was being urg",i on the notice of the Minister of Railways, lie said the Waimatc county was hemmed in—he might almost say fortified -to such an extent that they could mil get out to the ra'hvay line unless the\ paid for il in till shape ei tolls. Til',- cartage to the ra 'way wiheavy, and it was a bun', no have to |U.V 'tolis „n fop of that. The deferent counties were tn'king of erecting thirty or forty toll-gates—one al almost even- corner ill Taranak' and it was a blot on the fai- fame of N'.-w Zealand that this " barbarous system should continue. It was a cumbersome ami expensive way of Mllecting revenue. There was something to he said for ilie counties having to maintain the arterial roads, but the county boundaries wanted revising and adjusting on some belter system than now obtained He thought the Government should 'ace the whole question of abolishing colls and readjusting county boundaries so that each would have through communication. If this were done doubtless the question of subsidies would have to be considered and adjustments made in favor of counties having extra traffic to maintain. The toll-gates were hecoming unbearable. At Home they were done away with long ago, and if the present Government were true reformers they should take one of the most essential steps and abolish them, and then set up a committee or board to go into the whole matter of adjusting subsidies as between the different counties. —Hawera Star. The Vest-Pocket Kodak is the perfect miniature camera. The Davios Pharmacy have them.

Quite reccntlv a (Jliinauiiiu went bankrupt iu Welliueton, and anoiher ease is reported from Muslerton. On Thursday afternoon Wong Way Kec a gcoee'', tiled. This is the only Chinese bankruntey recorded in thai town for many yeans. A't H'awera, recently. MUs Kubv Roberts, the world's chagnioii ladv billiardist, eoneede<l Mr C. E. Holland £1)0 in a game of .TOO. Miss Roberts won. Holland'* total being 40(1 when ... lady reached ">oll. The lady's liv.,. break was one of 52. At Napier on Tuesday, sitting in Chambers, Mr. Justice Edwards made an order, on the application of Mr. 11. li. Lusk, for the defendant, for a special jury in the slander action Deck v. Heed, the parties being both medica. practitioners at Waipawa. While driving a flock of slucp near Charlcville, Queensland, recently, the two drovers rssted under a box tree. A heavy rainless cloud gathered sudden ly overhead, and a Ikrli of lightninu killed one man instantlv and stunneo the other. It was three hor.rs before the latter came to himself, to find his mate lying dead beside him, ;.nd their horses dead also.

We have been asked to explain that the nomination of Miss Veta Gilbert in the Carnival Queen contest wes made by the Dresden Piano Corn-am- mere', temporarily, by wire. The actual no nees are the New Plymouth Operatic Society and the Taranai i '"-:;<-. i. cieties. The committee notifies that free coupon votes not i the beJlotboxes at this morning's nine o'clock clearance will be invalid.

During the ladies' ,ju;..pine competition at the Waverley A. and I'. Show yesterday, Mrs Becker nnil Miss Ada Nixon, well-known Wanganui riders, were thrown from their horses. The former regained consciousness after treatment, and is being attended to at tliv Moumahaki State Farm. Miss Nixon was taken to a Wanganui private hospital, suffering from concussion. Both are progressing.—Press wire. In the latest batch of papers to hand from London appeared the following paragraph by a note-writer:—"Never in the history of modern England, 1 am told, were servant girls so scarce as they are now. I have : ust heard of a lady who replied to a girl's advertisement for a situation, received no reply, and went to find out why. 'Oh,' said the girl, 'l've taken a place already. I have 127 answers to choose from!'"

A narrow escape from a s t'ious shooting accident was reported from Hinc Street yesterday. A senior cadet was experimenting with Bonis dummy cartridges of local manufacture, and in the course of his "quick-firing" practice with these one of them, in which a cap had inadvertently been left, proved its iden tity by despatching a bullet through the wall of a neighboring house, into the kitchen, and subsequently into the oven. No further damage was done, but the fact that these "dummy" cartridges were furnished with service bullets seems to warrant enquiry. — -Ixl-jlJulLbz. to Mrs Bartoi) J .at Hawera acknowledging receipt of a further- £5 foi 1 - the Senior Cadets' Challenge Cup fund, Mrs Godley expresses her thanks for the liberality of the neonle, and adds: "We have got nil the money wanted, and all the cups are now in the Dominion. We are having them engraved with each company's name, and we hope before the ond of April when Sir Tan Hamilton holds the big parades of senior cadets in 'he various districts, tn have the name oi' the winning cadet for the ,- ear on'tacn cup, and get Sir lan Hamilton to present them. It will be a great occasion for the cadets and for the parents too, who, I cxnect, will come in hundreds to look on. There ■ will Tie a medal also for each winner to keep himself. The fund was closed at £2049."

Mr. 1. B. Clarkson, who has just returned from a visit to Canada, found business-very bad in the western part of the Dominion, due t<> the fact that out there they had hollowed money very rapidly, and during the hist six months supplies of money had been ent off. T>> Hood of loan money eaused land booms and 3iinilar movements, and men took 'nil advantage of them; but when korrowing became impossible land values dropped, speculators were forced out of business, anil a good mai l " got out of the country, lea vine liabilities behind. There was a large amount of unemployment. Tn Toronto early in January it is >aid that there were 30.00!) unemployed, from 10,000 «« 20,000 in Winnipeg, and from 10,000 to l. r >,ooo in Vancouver. The result of the shortage of cash and unemployment was that rents dropped very heavily. Tn Vancouver they went down to one-half or one-third the usual rates. Cenernllv sneaking, business in Canada was hampered bv lack of capital, and many merchants were seriously overstocked. Tiates of interest were very high. Last October the Hospital Board in Winnipeg was paying (I per cent, on its overdraft, from 8 to 10 per cent, could be obtained on first mortgage, and bank rates run from fl to 10 per cent. T?<- comparison, business Incn in New Zealand were well catered for in the matter of money. Advicis from Opunake stale that midnight on Thursday was heralded by a booming sound like an old Waterloo field gun being fired off, 'ollowcd by screams and sound 3 from Mr. Plow Thompson's residence. Investigations disclosed tltat the "enerator for supplying the house with pas had hlown up. ami that a double tragedy had been miraculously averted. It appears that the natives had been celebrating the burial of a relative that had taken place that dav and the explosion occurred under the following circumstances, narrated to the Times by the owner of the house. "Tn the earlv eveniii" I fill him ii|i with carbide and he go all right. Year l-> the liifht go out, and T ask f.orrie anil Willie, mv lads, to put more ••arbide in, thinkiier the carbide was ■i-iedr hut T must have forgot to put ■■■•lcr in. The boys take out the car-

'-.!<■ >ln'lf aiv! put in fresh carbide. Thcv got a match to have a look to see if 1i ■ go alright, when. puff-bang! and Willie who was sittinjr on the table (lanolins' his l«prs, pot knocked over with p'ece of the generator. Lorrie, he get blown out of the door; by gollv T nenrl ■ lose the roof of the house." Little Willie was severely cut about the face and hadlv hurt. Lorrie escped serious injury. getting wet and covered all over with carbide stains. It will he some days before tjje native lad will be able to do without bandages, as he received nasty outs about the faee. RICKED HIS BACK. ■'l ricked my back severe'y and wn* ■liable to stand upright." writes Mr. Tims. 11. Vlaher. Ebden, Vic. "I had seen Chamberlain's Pain Balm adver. Used for strains, and thought I would see what it would do for me. The first application save me relief and I was quite myself again after using only a ouartcr of a bottle." \ll chemists and storekeepers. Get the Habit!— Buy .your Photo floods from the Davies Pharmacy.