LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12629, 17 October 1905, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The new Municipal gas offices will be officially opened this afternoon.

The scale of charges to be made at the Waverley-Waitotara Racing Club's meeting appears in another column.

Mr. Hine -will address the electors of Momohaki at the Public Hall on the 19th instant.

The latest addition to the Telephone Exchange is No. 285, Mr. James I. JVJuir, monumental works, advertising end general agent, Taupo Quay.

The innoculation regulations applying to young cattle to guard against the infection of blackleg hav.e now be-an removed from the country between the Wanganui and the Patea Rivers.

Wo desire to draw attention to the alteration of the day of the "late Mr. Atkinson's funeral, from Tuesday to Wednesday, owing to some members of his family being unable to arrive until Wednesday.

Captain Edwin telegraphed as follows at 12.23 p m- yesterday: Strong winds to gale from between north-east ar.d north and west after 16 hours from now, glass fall, tides good, sea considerable, indications for rain.

Tli© four -oils of Wellington fcave been completed and printed, ami aro ready for circulation. The following mi-©, tho numbers of names ou th^; respective rolls :—Wellington Rast, oßGtf ; Wellington. North, 6516; Wellington Central, 6011; and Newtcwn, 7869. Newtown is said" to have the largest roll of any electorate in the cclcny.

We giye a final reminder to subserlbcrs and frieii.ls .cl t.j Agronomical Society of the annua. meeting at F. R; Jackson arid Co.'s upstairs rooms, Ridgway street, this (Tuesday) evening. The chair will be taken by Mi. H. Sarjeant, president of the Society, at 8 o'clock, and we hope to see a large attendance at what should prove a very interesting meeting.

Eferr Kubelik has covered himself with sctot and glory by acting as stoker on the engine of an express train hired to convey his concert party over a 60 miles journey in Wales. He shovelled coal in his shirt., sleeves, mopped the perspiration off his face with tow, and found the whole experience interesting. In his own more effusive style, he describes it 'as "magnificent, enchanting, thrilling."

"The Weekly Press" announces that its next issue will have Wanganui as its principal subject, no less than six pages, containing forty-four illustrations, being devoted to our town.. A Mature of the number will be the contrasted views of Wanganui old and new, 1842 and 1847 being published on the same page with 1905. A very beautiful panorama of the town is reproduced from a specially taken photograph, and with the pictures is print' c.l an historical account of Wanganui founding and progress.

A youth employed in <a'solicitor's offioa in Wellington met .with an unpleasant. adventure the other night. As he was cycling to his home through the Hutt between 9 and 10 o'clock, .oom<» one fired at him, evidently, believing that he was the "ghost" whose nppesranee in the district of late has caused some excitement. Tho cyeV.s(; felt that he had been struck by something below the shoulder, ;;nd on reaching home he found that sv sma 11 bullet or leaden pellet had g'Hi-j. clean ttiough his" coat. ~ . -, ■'■;'*■■ ■" We take'the fallowing".from- ".'& London p'apeF: Since -Jitttiiapy" if fif£y 'mor&; towns in Ohio^haye yoted^ori the Kqtio?' saloon question,; , .•Qjt.£hemrforfcy*iw»>steiS; clared for prohibition. l elections. closed 127 saloons. "No fewerjtHan. 645 ( towns, villages, and cities in Wisconsin are without liquor-lice'nseH In> the State of M<amoiwould-be sellers have move(l"the: Iggislatua'e to; again take'a with ia view totreduco the law: The' Legislature,' by,4 r 'a vote of 101 ;to 32 ■:rejected 'the;-"'plea > and passed an Act for, Jlettier-^eWlorfling the law.'.'-. ..-■-.■•..': v:-..';;! -h':u>i-': ■/.-;. "?■■•■•■

A few days;'ago ay Sydney ;*a\vspape? (writing of the wteck bfijtSer^oow. Mot ana) referrecl ; to' rock-bound ico^st of:. N?*^-"2Jeala.nfl.'' Thereupon Mir.,fP. A-. ?Hiil?psV a''former-; Mayor and rToW^ 01e:rlE of Auckland; now r^idenp'";in^sydfleys^-ifarotevtQ;,'the.: journal; pointing' tfut^ jthafe-.the,- adje.c-, tives were <quite '■]. undeserved._"". ''Afte.i a hailf-ceritury.'s residence" in' New Zealand," he continued, 'T can, I think, say that in thj.North Island there has not beeyi a wrepk;!'a yeai-, and few, if <any, in Auckland.'1 * The coasts are well lighted, and the harbours many, and easily accessible."

The "Patea Press" states that Captain W. Petersen, pilot to the Patea Harbour Boa-vd, met with a nasty accident on Thursday morning. He was coming down the steps leading across the railway line when he slipped, fall* ing to the bottom. Though knowing something was. wrong, Captain Peterson stuck t& his duty, admitted the Muna fand let her out on the same tide. He then came up to Dr. Simmons, who, on examination, found that Captain Petersen had broken his collarbone and two ribs. As the pilot, though able to direct vessels crossing the bar will be unable to do any hard y>iprk, Mr. S. Lawson will act as his assistant until ha has fully recovered.

Messrs. Jackson and Co. have withdrawn the 300 wcoily hoggets from their Wanganui sale.

The current number of the "Canterbury Press" contains a fine lot of pictures illustrative of sights to b& seen by visitors to the International Exhibition.

The Garrison Band will (weather permitting) give an open-air concert in the Rotunda on Monday evening next, commencing at 8 o'clock. By special request, the fantasia "In Coonland" will be included in the programme.

A general meeting of the Wanganui Young Men's No-license Club will be held at Messrs. F. R. Jackson and Co.'a rooms at 8 o'clock on 'Thursday evening next. Every member who can do so is requested to attend.

Members of the T.Y.M.I, are reminded of the general meeting of the Institute to be heid to-night at 8 o'clock. Further arrangements will bti made for the annual picnic, to be held at Waikupa on November 9. A full attendance is requested.

The Manawatu Flying Club held an old birds' race from Fordell on Saturday morning. There were 35 entries, the winner turning up in A. Allan's bird, who covered the distance in 55 minutes. H. Mayo's and T. Richard'a birds were second and third respectively. The club is receiving an encouraging amount of support, one donation of £2 2s. being sent in on Saturday.

The committee to arrange the programmo for the grand concert in St. Paul's Hail on Thursday week are ren hided of the meeting to-night in the T.Y.M.I. rooms at 7.30 sharp. The concert, which promises to be stich a success, is in aid of the ■ Wanganui Hockey Association's ground fund, and should be largely attended. Tickets may be obtained at Goss's, tobacconist; I'ergnson, bookseller; and from the secretaries of clubs, or the secretary of the Association (Mr. S. W. Oliver).

At the meeting of the Board of Governor's of the Wanganui Girls' College yesterday, Miss. Gilford was granted twelvo months' leave of ab-J.-noo to visit Paris for ths purpose of oxteuding her knowledge of French, on condit.on that she returns to the College, and was granted £75 as a bonus) for taking charge of the College during Miss Fraser's absence. Miss Ross was appointed junior assistant, and the Principal was authorised to make other necessary arrangements. It was decided to ask'? Mr. Joynt to present tho prizes. ' •

Says an exchange: The exorbitant price of potatoes just now makes one pause and consider whether he will consign the indispensable tuber to the domestic pot or. return it to mother tarth, and thus provide for future requirements; One ingenious individual in the Otautau (Southland) district has> hit oh a plan, of his own to secure both those desirable ends—to provide a meal and procure seed from the self■* sumo "sup." This is how it is done, but we do not give a guarantee with the prescription:—Pare the vegetable in tho ordinary way, but take off a thick peeling, say, up to a quarter of an inch in the case of large potatoes. Cook the inside and plant the peel, which will, our friend assures us, return just as good a crop as if the whole tuber were planted.

At the Police Court yesterday John Whitta 1, alias John Bibbie, was acquitted on a charge of having used obscene language in front of the Mangan.ahu Hotel on October 5, within the Hearing of passers-by. On a charge of refusing to leave licensed premises VKhen requested to do so, the same accused was fined 40s. and witnesses's Offenses (£4 13s. 4d.) in default 14 !. ctays' imprisonment. A. young man j jvfas fined 10s. and costs 25., for smoking in a , "non-smoker railway car--t"rjfag&, and refusing to leave when requested to do so. James Dunstan was .fined 10s., or 48 hours for drunken-;--i\fess.;■„; For committing an indecent act, he ,was sentenced to- a week's imprisoijnient, arid to entering the Criterion' Hotel during the currency of a prohibition order he was fined 10s., in •default 48-houri,....

.London: (says a. correspondent) has. become familiar with two distinct classes of American millionaires. One is the cheerful bran new millionaire, who is often fond of display and notoriety to-a- childish extent, yet very plural and likeable as a rule. Tho other—this the man of many million,!. --is^ apt to be reserved, distrustful, taciturn in speech, and even more .susceptible' to critical scrutiny than the type of Englishman who is always i*ady to .isuspecb you of a desire to rj.rl.icu!e him. Picturesque writers have sometimes described" the members of this sm£fl exclusive class of rich Americans as being ready at any time to cut each other's throats, in the financial ser.se.,. yet we have had five of them, whosa combined fortunes are estimated at' £50,000,000—William Rockefeller, George Jay Gould, George Westing-, house, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Henry Payne Whitney—living in amity and apparent security under one London hotel roof at the »ame time. What profitable custom for this fortunate hotel, tho reader may think. On thi» contrary, apart from their expenditure on spacious suites of rooms, they have been frugal to the point of asceticism. They have no entertainments, dressad plainly, and dined off the simplest food. Mr. Rockefeller, the owner of £20,000,000, has been the most disappointingi He is practising the simple life rigidly, and permits himself no stronger beverage than milk. .And when they meet at dinner, these millionaires do not say a word about slocks, oil wells, or railways—they talk about tho weather.

"Why Lord Minto?" many people asked when the position which Q icon Victoria used to describe as the riost distinguished that a British subject could occupy, was allotted to him. There were several other men available of usperior intellectual capacityLord Milner, the Earl of Aberdeen, Lord Balt'our of Burleigh, the Earl of Crewe and other?. Whether Lord Milner was offered the. viceroyship is not definitely known, nor is he likely, to give out "the smallest hint on _ the point himself. He is a safe and silent person. It is thought that he may have declined on the ground that he needs more rest. The Earl- of Aberdeen is certainly an able man, and, like Lord Minto' has graduated in the Canadian Governor-Generalship. Buthe is on the Liberal side in home politics, and the gift lay in Tory "hands. Lord Minto possesses qualifications oi a sort which sufficiently commend him to a Government grown rather tierd of what the Germans call groessemvahn (swelled head) in the* conduct of Indian affairs. He is very tactful, kindly and good humoured. There are other likeable qualities in his composition, which are scarcely possible in a strenuous and ambitious administrator. The military men will welcome him, for he has been a soldier himself. Then, he is a typical Englishman in his sporting tastes—a daredevil rider, an eminent authority on fox hunting, and a dead shot in a big gamo hunt. And as an official he will ba industrious and obedient. The Government, it is believed, would consider any higher qualifications than theso dangerous at present in India.

It matters not what size of crops, th<» Floating Elevator: on the McCormick Binder will handle them. Agents, Williams and Harper, Wanganui.

All tho banks in the colony are observing Friday, 20th October, "Trafalgar Day," as a special holiday.

Tho inquiry by a judge of the Supreme Court into tiio audit system will open at the Supreme Court, Wellington, to-morrow.

A Wellington wire says that at a well-attended meeting of delegates from various branches of the Civil Service, it was unanimously resolved that tho Civil Service Superannuation Bill receive the hearty support of this meeting, and that the Government be thanked for introducing it, and urgently requested to endeavour to pass it into law this session.

The Wanganui Pigaon Flying Club flew a race from New Plymouth on Saturday, an air-line distance of about 82 miles, which was covered by the first bird in 1 hour 47 minutes. The result was:—Mr. C. Rylands' Waikare Ist, Mr. W. Wakeley's Silverly 2nd, and Mr P. Mailman's Kia Ora 3rd. The club are indebted to Mr. Phipps, of New Plymouth, for liberating the birds. '

Sir Joseph Ward was occupied all yesterday morning with a representative deputation urging the duplication of the railway tunnel at Penrose, the practical result of which was the undertaking that the railway line would bo duplicated, but not the tunnel, and that on completion of the work the deputation should .appoint ten representative men. and if they are not satisfied that the lino is capable of meeting the demands upon it, the tunnel shall also be duplicated.

At a meeting of the executive of the Legislative Committee of the New Zea^ land Municipal Association yesterday, the secretary submitted a memorandum relative to the municipal superannuation scheme, and also a draft of a Bill irtended to incorporate the Association raid empower it to frame a municipal superannuation scheme to be approved of by an Order-in-Council. The com lTiittso approved the Bill and also decided to recommend it to the Municipal Conference next July. A memorandum and draft of the Bill are t4 bo circulated among the various City and Boroagh Councils in the colony.

We have with regret to announce the death of another of Wanganui's old identities, in the person of Mr. James Atkinson, who passed away yesterday at his daughter's residence, at the age of 85 years. The deceased arrived in Wanganui in 1847 with the 65th Regiment, of which he was a; sergeant. On receiving his discharge in 1858, Mr. Atkinson took up land on tho left bank of the Wanganui River, where, he resided until he joined tho gold rush at the Thames, fie returned to Wanganui in 1871, and resided here till the time of his death. The deceased saw cocisiderable service during the Maori war. He was in charge of tho colonial transport in the first advance under General Cameron, and at the time of his death was in receipt of a pension for distinguished service on the East Coast. He leaves a, number of sons and daughters in various parts of New Zealand—Messrs W. and J. Atkinson, Wanganui; James Atkinson, Waihi, Mrs. P. Shendan, Wellington; Mrs., G. Buckley, Ohingaiti; Mrs. D. Hogam, Wanganui; and Mrs. J. Gibbs, Melbourne. To the sorrowing relatives we tender out sincere sympathy.