GENERAL NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 59, 30 July 1914, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS

A sadly poignant instance of life's uncertainty . was furnished on Frida,morning (states the Rat-tihi Call) by the death of Mr. T. Lander, one of Ruatiti's first sett era. A few days ago. -Mr. Lander returned to Ruatiti from Hawcra, where lie 'had attended the funeral of his brother, who had been carried off by pneumonia. Arriving at Ruatiti, Mr. Lander found himself incapacitated by indisposition, which he took for a common cold, sickness having pieviously been unknown to him. He remained at a neighbor's place for Severn, days in this state, and at length, yielding to advice, he allowed himself to be Drought lo Kaeti.hi, where he arrived on Wednesday, ami it was then discovered that he was suilerinjr firorn pneumonia in an advanced stage, and that his condition was very serious. Despite all possible attention, he expired quietly on Friday morning. In a speech delivered by Mr. S. P. J. I Theirvc, Lloyd's chief surveyor, before j the Lireenock Philosophical Society, the ' following reference to the foundation of tlie now world-famous Lloyd's was made:—Towards the latter part of Ulie 17th century the growth of the British (mercantile marine had reached such a stage that the owners of ships, the merchants who sent cargoes across tlie sea, and the people who took risks of insurance upon the ships which carried those cargoes, began to feel tlie want of an exchange clubhouse, or other such place where they might, meet daily and mutually transact shipping business, t'oll'ce-hou-cs had recently conic into popularity in London, and business men found it convenient to use them for the purpose of such; meetings. A certain Edvfard Lloyd kept one of these establishments, iirst in Tower street, and thereafter in Lombard street, and it was to his coireehou.se that shipping people gravitated for the daily exchange of news. This enterprising proprietor conceived the idea that by providing lib customer-! with.- reliable intelligence regarding the ships in the decks he 111i5.it incidentally benefit his business. lie therefore ecmmeneed by supplying written, and subsequently print'.l, sheets containing sundry records :;l shipping for the information of those visiting his house. And so by degrj-s there, was formed at Lloyd's eon V- . the nucleus of a marine insurance corporation and a registration anil , classilication society, the issue of wliicii ' one sees to-day in Lloyd's, at tlie Royal Exchange, in Fendiurch street.

"Baiting" tin: umpire after a match is becoming quite a habit with supporters of h-.-iiten tea in-, in the Association football games in Melbourne. The epidemic broke cut afresh on'iSatiirilay, the 4th hist, 'it l'rahran. V. Pritehard, who had an unpleasant experience in being stacked a foitnight ago at the Hawthorn ground, was again the subject o( attention. Jlis umpiring on Saturday at Toorak Park did not please a number cf lol\>l supporters,, wlio voiced their disappiova! a; lie came off the ground at- the conclusion of the match. About J.iO people, chiefly women, and hoys, hung round the ground for about twenty minutes, and when the umpire came out and was making foi the fail way stition, an attempt was made to mob him. Women headed the mob. and such epithets as "Rotter'' and other objectionable names were hurled at Pritehsrd. Sergeant Wardly. with five eonhad anticipated the demonstration, and came to the assistance of Pritehard, and with the help of several Port Melbourne players and officials, separated him fiom tin; crowd. The mob followed up until the umpire and his escort came into the narrow passageway leading to the Toorak station . The police blocked this passage until Pritcnard was safely taken to the railway station. A stone was thrown during the demonstration, but no one was hit. Not to be baulked of their prey, the crowd rushed round by a longer route to tin; station, but the umpire w,is not then visible. At the station the police found a boy with his pockets full of stones. They relieved him of the missies.

The largest private deal in land in Otago for some time foils just been effected, the Kefi'och estate;, owned by Mrs. H. McDonald, having been purchased by Air. llichard Yardlcy, of Lumsden. The estate was formerly part of the Moa Flat Estate, and comprised 8048 acres, all sheep and cattle country. When Mrs McDonald purchased the estate seven years ago 't was carrying 40(H) sheep. The improvements effected by Mrs. McDonald enabled her to keep down the rabbits and the carrying capacity w;us increased to between 11,000 and' IiOOO sheep, "with other stock. The price for tin l - property, including 10,000 sheep, is said to be about £72,000. Mixed metaphor is always laughable. Its use is very prevalent in public bodies in New Zealand, and even within the precincts of Parliament House. But it would be hard to beat an example which recently occurred in a speech of a wellknown' public man in Wellington. Referring to a certain class of meii). lie fiist of all figured them as having their wings clipped, then imagined them liciiij. lood in a line, up against a wall; and i: n e'.imnx declaimed against the ! frk'tioi. that would ensue.

Admiral Togo's son is visiting I'lngland to investigate market gardening methods. He admired many of our .methods, but wa.s struck by our disregard for some of the finest of all manures. They are now actually exporting large quantities of fish manure all the way from England to Japan. "We know'the value of it, and you don't," was the Japanese verdict. But whether this !h true or not l'lnglish growers are almost panic-ssUic-ken by the deliciciU'V in manure of any kind. "A few years ago,"' says a correspondent, "tlie London nnu'iicipaHtios gave ! awav the road sweepings. Now they ! sell them at a price which steadily in-n-eases, and miany farmers' of arable i laud near towns are beginning to wonI dcr if the Wheat which is low in price i; worth the price of th- inaiuire. There is. indeed, a famine in the nautral lerI tili-cis, and it is likely to grow worse and worse. The prospect for the mj tensive cu'tivator in Kiigland, or even the wheat farmer Hi an extensive 1 scale i- depiVssinglv complicated.