LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 223, 20 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., granted a land agent's license to Mr. Walter Vincent Young.

The Palmerston Radium institute fund has just received £IOO from an anonymous donor. The total now exceeds £2300.

A workman was yesterday to be seen making very necessary repairs to the seats on the Esplanade, near the Terminus Hotel.

In a letter to the Magistrate's Court recently, a defaulting territorial naively referred to his defection as being in connection with "terrortorial" parades, a mis-spelling which perhaps unconsciously indicated his attitude of mini.

There are' some speedy dogs in the back blocks. A motorist through Egmont Village recently states that °a collie dog endeavored to race his car, and for a distance of som 100 yardß, actually maintained a speed of i! 0 miles per hour by the speedometer of the car. It sounds almost like a fisherman's story, but he vowed that it was correct.

The Government has acquired 1000 acres in the Tiratu Block on the outskirts of Dannevirke at £lO per acre The block comprises 7000 acres, and it is likely that a considerable portion of the balance will be purchased by the prown for settlement purposes.. The cheques paid ranged from £SO to £3OOO. The land is admirably suited for dairying. In the Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth yesterday, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M, William de Grouchy Ogier appeared on remand to answer to a charge of embezzlement of the funds of the Inglewood Borough Council. On the application of the police, he was further remanded to appear at Inglewood on Thursday next, the previous bail being extended until that day. The "tango" craze is reported to have taken complete possession in Wellington. Women dance it in the tram-car. at the wash-tub, at business, by the fireside, in and out everywhere. Men whistle it, sing it, and do everything that is possible to do with it betwetn drinks. The dogs bark it by day, the felines caterwaul it by night. It is "Tango," "Tango," "Tango"—and all things else go "bang-ho." A general meeting of the Employers' Association is to be held in the Council Chambers to-night when action will'be decided upon regarding co-operating with the Harbour Board to secure an improved shipping service to this port. This is a matter of very great importance, to all local importers especially, and it is hoped that there will be a good attendance so that the executive may have the pleasure of knowing that they are representing the opinion of the majority of local importers. The life of a man who goes into the country to minister to the spiritual needs of the people is not always free from inconvenience. At a meeting of the Auckland Presbytery it was stated that when the present minister of Tuakau district arrived some months ago the church grounds were choked with weeds, and the buildings were in a state of disrepair. In fact, the church was so neglected that blackberries were growing through the windows. The minister, who had never put a leg across a horse before, found, also, that he had long distances to travel over bad roads. He bought a horse, and faced the position with courage, and now it is reported that he is a fairly good horseman; and, further, has organised working bees, and had the grounds cleared and the church painted. An extraordinary observation was made by Mr. E. H.' Patterson, of Auckland, while on a visit to Java recentl.'. Java is less than 600 miles long, yet has a population of 37.000.f1n0. Mr. Patterson said he was assuror! hv merchants in the island that notwithstam .]g the 'immense and apparently overcrowded population there is an actual shortage of labor there. No one seemed able to assign any cause for this except that the Malays are luzv. He thought,.himself, that this condition was duo. to It lack of white supervision. A Mahn could take a piece of land that one could walk over in a minute and raise from it enough to keep himself for a year. He would never willingly work unless he wanted to buv something that he could not make himself and the consequence was that he very seldom diu work.

An unfortunate mishap happened to the steamer Wctere on Tuesday mornin" when going outward to Mokau (reports the Waitara Mail). Following the usual practice, the vessel left earlv on the tide and she met a rather heavy sea when near the bar, a sudden squall striking her broadside on. This turned her out of the channel, but even then no harm would have been done. Unfortunately, however, the propollor struck a boulder, and one of the blades was so bent that.it jamhed, and .the steamer was thus rendered helpless. She then slewed-right round, head on to the beach, and was driven up near tlr south wall. The Wctcrc lav there comfortably when the tide receded, but at low water it was necessary to remove some boulders so that there should be no obstacle in her wav when the time came to pull her into deep water. Anchors were laid out seaward, and line were made fast. At 1 a.m. the winch was set going, and a quarter .of an hour later the Wetere was again afloat. Except for the bent propeller, no damage was done, and that boin» straightened, the vessel was enabled to leave for Mokau on Wednesday morning. '

A feature of the numerous cases of absence from territorial parades dealt with at the Magistrate's Court .yesterday, was the infinite variety of excuses ollured by defendants. One youth said tiiat he had not attended because for six months he had been on tour with his brother, a hypnotic entertainer, for whom he acted as. subject. Later it transpired tiiat on defendant's own showing the tour did. not commence until January hist, and the Magistrate inflicted a fine remarking that hypnotic trances appeared to have dulled the period of time. Another youth remarked that he had not attended parade because since December last he had been unsettled in his plans, not knowing whether he would ho leaving New Plymouth or not, and so did not think it worth while to attend any parades. He had been absent, owing to this unsettled state of mind, from some 26 parades. One young feljow who was fined £2 and costs, was shown to have already expended £2 within a short per- \ iod, rather than go to parade, and yet another had missed 38 parades, but on rece.ving his summons had attended one on Thursday night, though strange to say, this effort at reiom did not moe the Magistrate to leniency at all.

AN EFFECTIVE r.^iEDY.

LaxoTonic Pills are a most effective remedy for cleansing the blood, thus removing the cause of pimples, blotches and other blemishes. Obtainable at Johnston Bros.'

About 1300 bales of wool have left Ongarue station this year, all coming from the Ohura district (says thaTaumarunui correspondent of the Auckland Herald). This is easily a record. 'The roads were in excellent condition, and farmers made the most of the opportunity of sending out their wool. Truth has ever been the privilege of poets. In an old book it is told that a Prince of Verona nuked Dante how Lp could account for the fact that in the households' of princes the court fool was in greater favor than the philosopher. "Similarity of onind," replied Dante, "is the world over the source of friendship." At a meeting of the executive of the Moturoa Regatta Committee, held at the Malva Tea Kiosk, Moturoa, yesterday, a letter was received from the New Zealand Railway Department granting excursion fares from Hawera and VVaitara on the train leavin* Hawera at. 7.10 a.m., arriving at New Plymouth at 10.45, and reaching the Breakwater at 11.5. The homeward train will leave the Breakwater at 5.10, and New Plymouth at 5.32 p.m. Nominations* for all events are coming in freely, and Will close tonight. By this time next year (states'the New Zealand Herald) there will be no Crown land worth mentioning left in the province. The last big block' is now Being surveyed, and will be open for selection earjy next year. It is called the Wliirinaki Block, contains about 40,000 acres, and lies along the Wanganui river for a distance of nearly twenty miles from the mouth of the Retaruke river. It will eventually; have an outlet to Raurimu, via the Kattieke; to Raetihi, via the Ruatiti; and to Wanganui, by way of the Wanganui river. At the southern end of it an area of 10,000 acres has been set aside as a native, reserve, and the mile-wide strip along the Wanganui river, which must be kept for scenic purposes, has also been surveyed off. A deputation consisting of the Mayor (Mr. Geo. Young) and Cr. F. Spurdle, representing the Inglewood' Borough Council;. Messrs. W. E. Percival, president of the Inglewood Chamber of Commerce, and Farquhar, president' of the; Inglewood Tradesmen's Association, met 5 the Hon. W. H. Berries at the Inglewood* railway station yesterday morning, in connection with retaining the turnstile opposite the station, which the Railway Department have intimated they intend closing. The deputation, which was introduced by Mr Okey, M.P., briefly stated its case, and in reply the Minister promised to look into the matter. There did not appear to be any reason, he remarked, why it should not be allowed to remain, though the Department mujt not be blamed if any accident occifrred.

Transportation is a great problem in this city (writes Mr. L. T. Reichel, of Wellington, from New York). Round about the JMty Hall over 100,000 clerks are employed, and these, with the countless other store employees, all make a homeward move between five and seven in the evening, and th resulting scene at Brooklyn Bridge Station is something to remember. The street cars, th.overhead railways! the Xew Jersey and Brooklyn tubes, and the up-town subway are rushed by a mass of jostling humanity, and it is everybody for hjm. self. The present subway takes .twice the number of passengers' it was built to carry. Trains of ten cars are rushed along it at express speed at the rate of one every 90 seconds! In each car the passengers are jambed as tight as they can be. I myself have been go tightly jambed in that I could hardlv breathe. During the rush hours special policemen are employed to push the waiting ipassengers into the cars, t.s the trams wait only about 15 or 20 seconds at the stations. The local trains are also crowded, and yet this subway is so well managed that during the seven years it has been runnin« there has not been a single life lost owing to an accident on the part of the company