LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10041, 11 May 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Kev. Bain McDonald will conduct an after-mission service tonight in Knox Church. The electric light account of the Patea Borough Council shows a credit balance of £197 on the past year's working. The councillors regard this as eminently satisfactory. To-morrow is the last day for receiving entries for the Trinity College of Music, London, Examinations for 1910. Entry forms and prospectuses can be obtained from the local secretary, Mr H. S. Claughton, L.T.C.L. Litigation in the American courts concerning.moving picture patents, which has resulted in a victory for Mr Thomas A. Edison, has revealed tiie fact that Mr Edison receives £1,450 a week in royalties from the moving picture business in the United States.

The golf competition to have been played on Saturday has been postponed owing to the death of the King.

On account of the death of King Edward, the opening shoot of the Masterton Morris Tube Club has been postponed until Tuesday next 17th inst.

It is a coincidence that the lete Mark Twain wrs born in 1835, the .vear of the comet's previous appearance, and died on its reapj this year.

Mrs Mackay, of Kuripuni Street, has a duck of this seaons's breeding, thet, starting at five months old, has continued to lay an egg every day for two months, and is still laying. The duck is a half bred Rouen.

From the beginning of last July to the middle of last month Victoria shipped 13,0365 tons of butter, against 6.314J tons, during the corresponding period of the previous season.

Machine milking is rapidly increasing in popularity with farmers. One agent says he has booked more iriachines during the past month tlian ne did for the whole of last season.

A householder in Stratford, who has recently had reason to believe that his stock of firewood diminished with undue rapidity, decided one night to await events beneath the shelter of a hedge, and in due course effected a capture—a woman—to whom an appropiiate caution wa3 administered.

The water diviner has rot been successful in the- Tokoinairiro district, Otago. He indicated a number of spots a ssuitable places for investigation, but none of the bores have thus far produced water., One farmer has sunk over 70ft, . and will go deeper, and another has gone down over 20ft without meeting with the desired supply.

The famous Ross nugget, "Roddy McKenzie," which was drawn for in an art union bv the Totara Hospital Committee at Ross was won by Mr Percy Cohen, of Reef con, the winning number being 3,131. The funds of the hospital will benefit to the extent of about £SOO as the result of tbe art union. The nugget Is said to have been sold by the lucky winner for £4OO. -

The latest from America. Profeßsor Percival Lowell, director of the Flagstaff Observatory in Arizona, has just announced the completion by, the people of Mars of a new canal' 1000 miles long. He has succeeded ia photographing it. Water, he says, has been turned into it, and between the months of May and September vegetation has appeared in a part of the planet's great desert where there as none before. \

The action brought by Briscoe and Co., Ltd., to recover £1,069 13s from. Ibe Auckland Harbour Board in respect of damages alleged to have .been sustained by the destruction of explosives in the powder magazine explosion, which occurred in Auckland Harbour a few months ago, is to he tried before a judge and special jury of 12 at Auckland, on Thursday, June 2nd.

As stated by the Auckland business people, it is estimated that the loss to trade in Auckland through the closing of Government: House would mean anything between £2,000 and £3,000 per year. Another indication of the Government's determination to close Government House is the fact that the large brick stablee, recently erected on the grounds, have been leased to a resident of Princes street at 35s per week.

A rather painful situation ia arising in connection with the ruling of the chairman of a householders* meeting at Christchureh tha* a medical man was not eligible for a seat on a school committee. The chairman was pressed for his reasons, and finally stated that a > long period of years ago the gentleman in question had been convicted of a serious, charge in a criminal court, and the Education Act made such a conviction a disqualification as jar as school committees are concerned.

A humorous light was let in upon the discussions of the Wellington Presbytery by the Rev. J. K. Elliott m introducing its moderator, the Rev. W. J. Comrie, at the farewell meeting to Dr Henry. "We just,go to that Presbytery," he declared, "and we fight like deviis for the glory of God. (Laiighter). The moderator has had a very bard and thorny seat of it indeed " (Laughter). Mr Comrie. explained that the meetings were not quite so bad as,had been represented. "We feel ;strongly on some points, we are perhaps a little fond of debate, and the chairman haa points of order, etc., to consider,, but we don't—please don't suppose that in our private meetings we fight like devils. We do love as brethren."

"To my mind thsre is no doubt who will win the sculling race on the Zambesi. Arnst will row the head off Barry*" So eays Mr T. E. Donne, the New Zealand Trade and Immigration Commissioner in London. Mr Donne saw Arnst defeat Webb bn the Wanganui River, and he has seen Barry rowing on the Thames. "Barry," he says, "reminds me a good deal of Webb, although he ia not so pretty a sculler. Webb has the most finished style in a boat that I ever saw, but he hadn't the stamina to hold out against Arnst, and neither has Barry. Arnst is not a pretty rower; he has no style; but what a grip he can get on the water! Yea never saw such driving power. X can't see that Barry wi.'i have any chance at all against him." A great many other New Zealanders are also of the same opinion.

A gentleman who has just returned from a visit to the Chatham Islands spoke to a Christchurch Press reporter in glotving terms of the opportunity for sport which the islands afford. 'Wild cattle and wild plga are seen frequently, and wild ducks, teal, and black- swan are plentiful. The black swans have increased so enormously that they have become an absolute pest, and are seriously reducing the ducks and teal by their exorbitant demands on the duck field. The islanders have waged a systematic war on the swans for the past tew years, but in spite of the fact that they gather tens of thousands of their eggs yearly, there Is no perceptible falling off in numbers. The extermination of the black swan promises to become one of the problems of the Chathams in the near future.

' The annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union is to be held in Wellington, to.-morrow. Messrs A. B. Charters and B, Chapman, the Wairarapa Union delegates will be present.

Litigation in the American courts moving pictu r es patent?, *which has resulted in a victory for 'Mv Thomas A. Edison, has revealed •the fart that Mr Edison receives a week in royalties from the moving picture business in the ■United States.

Amongst the business to be dealt "with at the annual meeting of the -New Zealand Rugby Union in Wellington to-morrow will be that of purchasing a portion of the old Mas"terton Showgrounds and the grandstands by the Wairarapa Rugby

"I am, to say the leaGt very much to find such an agitation in Auckland over this question of erecting a new residence in Auckland *on'Government House grounds," declared the Hon. G Fowlds, Minister : for Education. "'Ever since I became for Education I have been working to secure this site for a university, and I expected nothing but praise from the pfople ol Auckland when I succeeded."

Quite a pleasurable flutter of excitement went the rounds oi the

hospital Committee of the Hospital * and Charitable Aid Board at Dunedin, wnen the chairman, Mr J. Loudon, read that a certain benefactor had presented the institution with ;a box of money. On reading the letter 8 second time it appeared that the donation ( took tbe form of a box of honey.

The Maoris up north are greatly perturbed over the appearance of Halley's comet. They ave evidently been reading the disqieting accounts of what the tail of the comet is likely to do as it brushes across the face of our plabet Maori has expressed his intention of knocking off work till after the comet's perihelion passage, as it was no use doing any hard graft till he knew whether he was to be burnt up or left alive.

The steamer Kipple has just finish- • ed the year's sheep-carrying from the Chatham Islands to New Zealand, and will now take up a regular ranning, leaving Lyttelton on the first • day of alternate months, beginning on June Ist. During the first season she made seven trips with sheep, totalling 8,987. Of this number only fourteen were lost, notwithstanding the fact that a great deal of bad weather was met. All the sheep had : to be put on board at the islands from boat 3 and slung up with a winch, as there was no jetty alongside which the steamer could lie.

So far as Catholics are concerned, the introduction of the Nelson system, c so far from settling: the educational difficulty, would only replace one grievance by another. We object to the paganising of our public schools. Bnt we object also—so long as Catholic money is used for the maintenance of them,—to the Protestantising of these schools. And this is the necessary result of introducing Bible "lesson?. Even if the lessons are giveri without explanation, the objection holds. . . . The Nelson sys

tera is simply a device tor getting round the legal and much vaunted "neutrality" of our public schools.— New Zealand Tablet.

The Hon. Geo. Fowid3 uportsthat the number of junior cadets enrolled to date was 18,989 and 2,510 scouts. The latter had nothing to do with the Boy Scouts movement, but they consisted of boys attending small schools with an attendance of from five to fourteen, where it was not possible to form junior cadet corps. The total cadets and scouts to date was thus 21,899, whereas the total at the end of last year was only 13,000. There • had thus been an increase already this year under the new scheme of 8,899. The number of units had also increased from 310 to 649.

Writing from Germany, Mr Von Reden, a former resident of the Eketahuoa district, states: —"Things loots pretty black here politically. The bulk of the people are becoming more and more Socialistic, but one cannot blame them. They have little or nothing to say in the government of the country, have to pay very heavy taxation, and are trodden uppn and annoyed by a most ippoient and brutal police. It will come to an explosion some day. At present it is only prevented by the police and a ■ great display of .military power. I am sure I am not much of a Kadical —in fact, in Now Zealand was looked upon as a Conservative—but really do not blame the people if 'they begin to kick against the pricks a little."

Wool-classing is, it appears, a subject of very thorough study in South Austral''*, The system by which students are taught there was recently explained to the Wool--013886™' Board in Sydney, by Mr J. R. Matthews, an expert under en-

-gagementwith the Agricultural Department of New South Wales. He that the students went through a three-years' courae. In the first .year they worked for three months, and then, if they could pass an examination, took up a practical course of sorting and skirting on stations. They were laught the value of wools • and how to classify them according to the trade demand. Then they were examined by a Government Board, -and entered for another four months. After that they went to the stations "for a second year of practical work, and were trained and examined by I the Board in the classing of fleeces. Mr Matthews knew of no student who bad obtained the diploma under four years of apprenticeship. NO HOME WITHOUT A PIANO.

To make and keep home homely, you need a piano in it. Thanks to the Dresden Piano Company's honest and reasonable system of deferred payments, there are piano 3 in thousands of New Zealand homes, and the number increases daily. The four best pianos are-

The Beoadwood Thb Bonish . The Lipp The Stetnavat A big new shipment of tfcese famous • and delightful instruments has just arrived. If you are thinking of a Piano write or call now. The Dresden Piano Company Carry very large fctooks, so that there is not the slighest difficulty in suiting all tastes and requirements. If .you want a good, reliable, instrument, at a reasonable price, go to the Dresden Piano Company, Limited, Wellington. M. J. Broot es, North Island Manager. •Local Agents : Inns and Goddard, (next "Club Hotel).

A meeting of the Wasterton Football Club's junior and third-class players will be held in the Y.M.C.A. on Thursday.

The Nelson Freezing Company has installed a cool chamber, upon tha most modern principles, for the storage of apples, with a capacity of six thousand bushel cases.

Kabbit merchants, says the couthland News, are disappointed at the small quantities comi..g lorward, but are hopeful of an impruvement in that direction. Prices at the present time are 6&d per pair, with half-price for undersized and rejects.

There will apparently be plenty of work for tha bushfeller in the Wairarapa and Forty-mile Bush districts this winter. Several 1,000-acre blocks of bush are to be fellei, while innumerable areas from fifty acre 3 upwards are to ba put to the axe. An unusual sight was witnessed a few days ago at a funeral on the out- | skirts of one of Taranaki's back country towns. The vehicle containing the coffin was driven by a younglady, and the butial service was road by the local hotelkeeper.—Taranaki Herald.

A military dispatch for instructional purpose? took place a few days ago between Cobden and CoJac, Victoria, a distance of 38 miles. A mesage was dispatched from Cobden, and it was delivered in 1 hour 25 minutes. It two minutes a reply was sent, and it arrived in 1 hour 3 minutes. The average time per mile was 2J minutes.

The exhibits at the Mining and Geological Museum in George street, North Sydney, have been added tD by Mr W. H. Corbould, manager cf the Mount Elliott mine at Clnncurry, who forwarded a clear cry stal of selenite, containing several moving bubbles of gas and liquid. One of the gas bubbles moves through a spaea seven-eighths of an inch long, and forms a perfect natural spirit level. The exhibit is regarded as a most interesting and uncommon one.

Masters of vessels trading to Kawhia have for some months past complained of the depth of water in the harbour, especially at low water in heavy weather. Recently Captain Roberts, of the Rothesay," took careful soundings and found that the deep water channel had shifted considerably to the northward. Captain Roberts will make another survey, and in the meantime masters of vessels have been notified.

With regard to the question of the payment of the Government reward in connection with the recapture of Pawelka f J'he°fcion. Dr. Findlay states that it has still to be decided whether any person furnished information which led to the arrest ol the fugi tive. He would himself decide in what proportions the reward should be divided among the constables who took part directly or indirectly in the recapture. Whatever the result, the services of Pawelka's captors would meet with full recognition

Grain merchants in Christchurch state that the cable message from Sydney in regard to the supply and price of oats gives a misleading impression It quotes a prediction from the Sydpey Morning Herald that there will be a scarcity of oats and high prices, and alio a statement that New Zealand has a shortage of 6,000,U0G bushels. It is explained that the production m New Zealand this year, according to the Agricultural Department's returns, is 5,102,788 bushels less than last year, but this does not mean that there is a shortage, and that about 6,000,000 bushels will have to be im-

ported in order to make up a deficiency. As a matter of fact, there is no doubt that the Dominion will be able to meet all its own requirements."The cable message states tbat there is a shortage of 3,000,000 bushels in Victoria. It is thought tbat ss a mistake has been made in regard to New Zealand this also is wrong, and that •it refers to the difference between the yields for this year and last year, and not to a shortage in the quantity required for home consumption.

There will be four hockey matches at Lanadowne to-morrow. A charge of sixpence will be made.

The W.F.C.A. advertise m another column tbat they have some special lines in Men's blocked spring front leggings, and Hitchcock patent mechanical safety lamps.

Elsewhere in this issue it is announced that an election to fill three vacancies oil the Trust Lands Trust will be held on the 26th inst, Nominations close on Thursday, the 19th inst.

A full attendance of hockey players is requested at the meeting to be held to-night, in Mr Kankin't) Rooms. The business is to arrange for a dance in ai'J of i.he new ground find.

Messrs Chamberlain and Son announce that they have a stock of locally grown clover seed, also Algerian, Danish grey, Garton and Sparrowbill seed oats, and seed wheat, on sale.

Messrs J. A. J. Maclean and Co.'s sale of household furniture on account of Mr J. W. Cucnrane takes place to-morrow, at 1.30 p.m., on the premises, Upper Cole street.

I'he W.F.C.A. are advertising a new line in washing tablets, which are put up in la bottles. The f ablets are being extensively used throughout the Dominion, with most successful results, and are recommended to ail housewives. Mr A. Hendry elsewhere announces that in response to numerous requests he has decided to take special orders for the well-known Kaiapoi costumes and jackets. Tailor made costumes may be ordered from 70s and satisfaction is guaranteed.

Messrs J. E. Blade and Co., draw special attention to tha advertisement, appearing on page Bof this issue, of the sale of household furniture and effects to be sold by auction to-day, Wednesday, at 2 o'clock, at the residence of Mr J. King, 63 Hell btreet. Any person in want of household furniture should not miss this opportunity, as the goods to be offered are in first class condition, and are to be sold without reserve.

Customs and ior warding Agents -J J, CURTIS & CO y Customhouise Quay Wellington, will clear, your goods and forward to you, ot you may consign goods to them, and they will forward to their iltimate destination. Moderate charges