LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9704, 29 January 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A branch of the Union Bank is now open at Hunterville. In Queen street yesterday afternoon a small sum of money was found, the owner of which may obtain it on application to the police. At the Police Court, yesterday morning', before R. H. Turton, S.M., Percy Cobb pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a cart without lights, and was fined 5s and costs 7s. Mr and Mrs Bland Holt have decided to visit New Zealand shortly-; as B.H. faceuaiisly terms it "a blooming tourist-the first time in my life I nave essayed to play the part." According to the "Settler" the Minister for Railwaya has intimated that Mangaweka will be placed on the list of stopping places for the Main Trunk express in lieu of Ohingaiti. A Sunday school is to be opened at Kuripuni, in connection with St. Matthew's Cburch. A children's service will be held in the Kuripuni Town Hall, to-morrow afternoon, to which children and parents are invited.

j The matron of the Sol way Home desires to thank a resident for a gift of fruit. Donations of fruit are always welcome at the Home, and ft this fact were more generally known the thanks of the matron' might have to he more frequently recorded. ».-■■■/•" The battle of Bothasberg was fought on February 24th, eight years ago, and Lord Kitchener will arrive in Wellington on the v anniversary. The Seventh New Zealand Regiment hold their dinner on the date as usual, and the Field-MatshaJ, who has great regard for - New Zealand soldiers, has been invited. '

On the 20th inst, the sum of £21,000 was distributed by the Stratford banks in milk cheques. Even during last month the roads were so bad in Ohura district (on the Stratford-Ongarue route) that cream had to be packed to the factory. The warm and continued Wet leather experienced of late throughout Taranaki has had a good effect .in checking the fall in the milk supply. The i T n. Dr. Findlay, Minister of Justico and Attorney-General, has just received word of his appointm3nt as a governor of the London School of Economics and Political Scienee, of which Mr W. P. Reeves, the late High Commissioner for NewZealand, is the director. Major Alfred St. George Hamersley, who has been elected Unionist member for the Woodstock divisiun of Oxfordshire, was for a long time a solicitor at limaru. He removed to Vancouver some 15 or 18 years ago, and later to England.

The export of Fiji bananas duringDecember (says the "Fiji Times" of December 25th) will be a record. The six steamers sailing during the month take nearly 150,000 bunches to Australia ana New Zealand. We are credibly informed that the exports for 1909 will total about 10,000,000 bunches. The Rev. A. Hodge is giving a series of scrmor.s on some of the important life problems as illustrated in the experience of Job. These subjects are attracting good congregations. The subject on Sunday night is "The Persistence of Human Personality and Union with the Divine | Spirit," Job 27-3. Adjutant and Mrs Greene, the officers in charge of the Salvation Army Corps in Masterton, are having their farewell services on Sunday as the following Sunday they will be at the large gatherings organised in Wellington in connection with the congress to be conducted by Commissioner Hay. The Adjutant takes his final leave of Masterton on February 10 th. The enormous number of small birds in the Temuka district is shown by the quantities of eggs and heads taken to the Temuka Road Board office every Saturday by boys. The price is threepence per dozen, an on a recent Saturday £25 was paid out (siys the "Lyttelton Times"). The largest number taken at one time was 162 dozen collected by a boy from Rangitata Island, and on that day another boy from the same district took n 100 dozen. Lots of from 50 to 90 dozen are fairly common. A man with his wife and two children, passed through th's district (says the "Otaki Mail"), on foot laßt week. He was seeking work, and knew not were to find it, and they were dependent upon strangers to give them a little food to carry them on. The man was asked how he provided for his wife and His reply was that When he got half a day's work he saw that they got good lodgings and food. For himself be did not care; but he hoped to get work as he travelled along, and he and his wife could manaee very well, as she was a good cook and needlewoman. A labour war on a mild scale raged at Waikokopu recently, when the s.s. Weka was there loading up, says the "Guardian," without any preliminary muttenngs in reference to what was coming, the wharf lumpers suddenly struck for an advance of wages from 8s to 10s a day. Capital would not budge, and the Labour was equally determined to get tne extra 2s if possible. However, by working short handed the vessel got away, but two days later than she should have been. Further developments are awaited.

The quarterly meeting of the Bjasterton Cemetery Trustees was held yesterday. Present—Messrs E. Feist (Chairman), C. E. Daniell, H. J. O'Leary and W. An apology was received from and "leave of absence granted to Mr P. Gordon. Treasurer's statement showed—Receipts £53 Is lid; disbursements £54 6s lid, balance on October 29tb £44 Os Id, and at date £47 15s Id. Accounts were passed for payment amounting to £5 5s 6d, payment for accounts already paid amounting to £36 Is 4d was confirmed. The sexton reported the number of interments in the past year was 72. The cemetery is in good order. Twelve loads of metal were authorised,,and three chairs. Messrs R. K. Jackson and H. J. O'Leary were appointed a works committee for the ensuing quarter. A great many people seem to have very shadowy ideas as to their" responsibility to the proper authorities ! when the little stranger makes his or her appearance in the tamily. For it is a constant source of perplexity to the registrar of birth's, marriages and deaths—the failure of parents to register their babies. They will give the usual and " necessary notification of birth within the three da*ys of that event, as required by the Statute, and then consider they have done with" the registrar until the next makes its appearance. Such,, however, is not the case. For until they have registered the child, in the eyes of the law it is nameless, and the parents are liable, moreover, to a very substantial fine for their neglect. The law sets forth that within 62 days of* its birth every child must be registered under the name it is to carry for good or for ill through lift,'.

"You wouldn't think," said a watchmaker in the course of a conversation with the representative of a Northern paper, fthat it would make any difference whether a watch is wound up in the morning or at night, but it does make a good deal of difference. When a watch is wound up at night, 'coming out of a warm pocket, and laid down o< hung up in a cool place, the mainspring will contract by the cooling of the metals. Being wound up tightly, all chance of contracting has been shut off, and the spring is much more likely to break. If, however, the watGh is wound up in the morning, having partly run down through the night, there is room enough leit in the Jbarrel to contract. Another reason why it should te wound up in the morning is that the spring will then have more power, and thus will be in a better condition to resist the disturbing movements of the bearer during the day time/*

Burglars broke into the Carterton Railway Station, on Thursday night, but got nothing. An entrance was made by forcing the window. It is the second time within twelve months •that the station has been burgled.

Two lads, named Maurice Pointon and Joseph Haughey, pleaded guilty at the Wellington Magistrate's Court, yesterday, to thirteen charges of breaking and entering and stealing goods valued at about £33. They were committed for sentence. Mr Purcell Webb, who has been spending his Christmas holiday at Wangar.ui, will preside at the Knox Church organ on Sunday next, and will resume teaching on Monday. Special services will be held tomorrow by the local corps of the Saltation Army to larewell Adjutant Green, who has been transferred to Petone. On Wednesday at S o'clock a pub'ic meeting of welcome will be given to Commissioner Hay and Mrs Hay. It is reported that Mrs Johnston, •wife of the late Hon. W. Johnston, "flighden." intends cutting up her Kopani estate near Awahuri into small farms. This should bo good news f. r the district, as the land is admirably suited for dairying and should be the means of bringing a number of new settlers into the district.

The driver of the New PlymouthOpunake motor 'bus, unlike the generality of bus drivers, will not allow any member of the fair sex, m matter how attractive or persuasive she may be. to occupy the box seat on the 'bus immediately alongside him. The reason of this is not that he is by any means a misogynist, but that he is afraid some accident may happen through their excitability. The other • -day, whilst driving down the coast, ,a lady passenger made a sudden grab at his arm, ano as both hands are required to manage his vehicle, particularly when passing other traffic on the road, he has been compelled to adopt the above sensible rule. Almost any old-time coach driver can tell of narrow escapes from accidents through nervous lady passengers making a erab at the reins.

Two hemispheres have been laughiDg at the exquisite joke that Mr .Carnegie, suddenly called upon to go bond for his chauffeur, convicted of exceeding the speed limit, was obliged to confess that he had not a cent, in bis pocket. This looks like an accident. It was actually a mat- ■' ter of daily custom. During a recent - visit to London Mr Carnegie told me (writes Sir Henry Lucy in the "Sydney Morning Herald") he never carried a purse, and rarely had any loose silver in his pocket. One of bis servants usually travelled with him, and, when necessity arose, acted as purse-bearer. He did not explain upon what idea this freak of a multi-millionaire was based lam not at all sure that it was not secretly conceived as safeguard against frittering his fortune away in the eleemosynary shillings and half- • crowns.

The athletic reporter of the /"Auckland Herald" is responsible for the following interesting paragraph- —In converjation with "Gunner" Moir (who is coming to Masterton next week), on Monday evening, he told me that he was deter- - mined to meet Tommy Burns again. He had issued a challenge, and had hopes of meeting him at an early date. The "Gunner" said that he was not himself when he met Burns in London. He was kept waiting in the ririg for a considerable time before the American put in an appearance, arid this coupled with the tact that the world's championship and a purse running into several thousands 'of pounds were at stake, unnerved hin.. He is confident that he could . .raalce a better showing against Burnt; now. Moir would like to meet heavyJ -weight boxers during',hi?|tour|;of New * Zealand, and is also willing to spar with well-known amateur heavyweights.

It is not often that domestic dramas Sn real life attain their climax in the publicity of a crowded railway platform, but on Saturday many of the people who were waiting at the -Christchurch station for the departure of the through steamer train for Lyttelton witnessed a remarkable scene. A young woman was standing on the platform with a little child in her arms, when a man rushed

. frantically up to her and gained possession of the infant before she had time to recognise him or his purpose. Then, by .frequent repetitions, he impressed the bystanders with the facts that his wife had left him in Auckland, that he had followed her to Christchurch, and that he was utterly careless of her future so long as he had his child. A constable and. a police sergeant went to the assistance of the distressed mother, ■ who eventually agreed to join her husband provided he would undertake to support her. Apprently the required guarantee was given, for the parents and the child left Christchureh together for Lyttelton.

A new knitting machine is for sale at the knitting depot, Queen street. An advertiser wants to purchase - two good lurchers or a retriever dog. ! Messrs Dalgety and Co., Ltd., add to the entries for their next Pahiatua stock sale. Particulars of a bull impounded from Colomba road are advertised by rthe poundkeeper. • Casement curtains is a special line with the Scoullar Company. Particu • lars nad prices will be furnished on application. Miss Elsie Richards, certificated pianist of Trinity College, London, will resume teaching at her residence, Cole street, on February Ist. At the Masterton Auction Mart, today, at 2 o'clock, Mr J. R. Nicol will sell several well-known trotting horses on account of Mr Tai Te Tau. The Town Clerk, Mr W. T. Mansfield.notifies that the Hosking Memorial Baths will be open on Sunday only between the hours of 7.30 and 10 a.m. The first term of the Girls' Collegiate School, Church street, wH| ■ begin on Tuesday week, February Ist. The Principal, Miss L. E. Hampton, B. A., will be at home on. Mon- ' day afternoon from 3 till 5 p.m.