LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 80, 28 August 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Bistili.p of the diocese lias had the advantage of splendid weather during his visit to Taranaki, and his opinion of the province is accordingly very favorable. At the corner of Devon and Liardet streets yesterday a boy who was riding a bicycle collided wixh a motor oar, but fortunately no nanm was dome beyond a twisted cycle. A'proclamation was issued in Wellington fast night empowering ih» Supreme Court to act as a prize court in connection with captures, and seizures of | ships and vessels of the Powers at war with Great Britain. ' At St. Mary's Church on Sunday next anniversary services will be held, the Bishop of the diocese preaching both morning and evening. Swriii' collections will be taken up. There will be no Sunday School held on Sunday afternoon. It is authoritatively stated in Palmerston North that a well-known freezing company on this coast anticipates making a profit on one shipment only of £IO,OOO in excess of the- original profit that was anticipated before the war broke out. His Lordship the Bishop of Aucklandwill preside to-night at a missionary meeting at St. Mary's Hall, and will speak on the Maori Mission work. Rev. C Howard, of Stratford, will deal witn the Melanesian Mission, and Mr. H. M. Smith with 'home mission work. Proud little par from the Timaru Herald:—The men who enrolled with the Expeditionary Force at Christchurch were not nearly so fortunate as those who enrolled at Timaru, as the former were given no "comforts" such as were supplied to the men by tlie ladies here. A Timaru man whose son enrolled at Christchurch says that he would have advised him to go to Timaru and enrol had he known the difference between the way the men were equipped here and in Christehurdh. The present international crisis lias had a disastrous effect on the flaxmilling industry. A iPalmerston Standard reporter was informed by a well-known miller that, though about 75 per cent, of the mills are stilil working, it is expected that in the course of about a fortnight or so the majority of these will cease operations. There is a little demand for hemp in Australia, but none in England. In any case, shipping insurance rates are considered prohibitive. It is expected that the mills be closed, but no definite action in that direction has yet been decided on by the millers. As proof of the type of men joining the Expeditionary Force, an officer of the mounted troops mentioned to a Press reporter an incident which occurred at Lyttelton on Wednesday night, during the embarkation of hors'es from Southland to be transferred to the Pateena for shipment north, for which an officer and twenty men had been detailed. While putting the animals aboard the Patecna one horse slipped down between the ship and the wharf, and had sunk twice and was being drowned, when Trooper McKenzie, of Waimate, plunged in with slings. He dived twice under the animal and secured the slings around it. It was hoisted on board and quickly recovered. Referring to political matters, when interviewed by an Otago Daily Times reporter, Sir 'Joseph Ward said that, as far as the Opposition was concerned, the party battle was entirely suspended. The Liberal organisers were not working, and the liberal Party's publications were not being distrbuted. lie was not in a position to say what would be done when Parliament met again. That depended almost entirely upon the decision of the Government. His owii earnest desire, as leader of the Opposition, was to do nothing that would interfere in the least degree with the vitally important work of carrying the Empire through the greatest crisis in its'lhistory with flying colors. He felt strongly that party interests on both sides should be subordinated to the general welfare, of the nation.

[ Tlie residents of Fiji have been thrown I into a considerable state of excitement by news of the war, according to a report brought by the steamer .Kurow, which arrived at Auckland last Friday from Suva. Lautoka and Levuka. At Suva a body of defenders had been armed and forts constructed of bags of sand had been erected. The residents of the island ports were dreading the arrival of a German warship, and theli fears were increased by the fact that, up to tlie time the Kurow left Fiji no British warship bad been seen.' At Lautoka the Kurow encountered the French cruiser Montcalm and the Union Company's stcarneT Waitomo. The captain of the latter- vessel stated that the band and officers from the Montcalm had landed at Suva and paraded the streets, amid scenes of great enthusiasm.

At the Magistrate's Court yistcrday Sydney Herbert Gordon Doyle, an habitual criminal, was charged with the theft of two tie pins from the Waitara road factory, the property of Mr A Mpatnck. According to Hie. evidence of Deteetive-Se.rgt. Bodluun, the pins were found on accused When he was arrested on another charge- He -first stated that they were keepsakes, and afterwards that they were given to him by a Maori but he could give no description of the latter. His Worship said the. onus of proving the .property was- 'honestly obtained was upon the .prisoner, whose statement ihe could not accept. After hearing accused's record, was a very bad one, the Magistrate- sentenced accused to one month's imprisonment with bard labor, to be concurrent with his existing sentence of three months. An .order was made for the restitution of the property to the owner.

James Vanover (says the New York correspondent of the Daily Telegraph on June 20) died to-day as the result of a tragic duel fought on Saturday upon the summit of Cumberland Mountain, Virginia. Tho participants were James Vanover and Anderson Estep, who had been friends and neighbors since childhood. They fouglU clasping each other's left haiM. The battle resulted because Vanover objected to the attentions of Estop to his sister, a comely young woman. The men, both of whom are well connected and prosperous, rode to Cumberland Mountain, near Osborne's Gap, an* there fought. Vanover was shot through the body twice, and Estep was wounded three times. After the fight the duellists returned to Freeling, Virginia, where they lived. Both men having missed ther first shot in their hasto and excitement, they agreed on a • second shot and clasped liands. At the word, which was given by Estep, Vanover staggered'and fell heavily, causing his weapon to fly up, the bullet from the heavy revolver ploughing a deep . gash in Estep's shoulder. "Although I suffering from a mortal wound and scarcely able to stand, Vanover readily ' agreed to a third shot, which both then missed. After the last fire Vanover fainted from loss of blood, and Estep thought he was dead. For this reason he came into. Erceling with the, intention/so he claims,'of surrendering to the sheriff. Shortly afterwards Vanover, too, came down from the mountains, staggering and weak from a mortal wound in the stomach.. i .