LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13523, 3 November 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

«** Register ! Register ! Every person entitled to vote at tho coming election should lose no time in making sure that his or her name is on the roll. Further, as part of Wanganui is now in the Patea electorate, and as changes of residence have also affected many people’s voting rights, they should also make, sure that their names are on the right rolls. They should apply at once to the Registrar of Electors, whoso office is in Bon Accord Chambers (next D. McFarlano and Co.), Ridgway Street.

A second newspaper is to be started at Tnuranga this month. ,

An “old identities’ association” is being formed at Te Kuili, King Country.

During the last fiscal year New ■ Zealand purchased more than jEll.ooo worth of American patent medicine. Green peas are already in heavy supply in the. Nelson district. Otaki grown crops arc also ready for marketing. At Union Town, Pennsylvania, .Miss Gerald Fitzgerald married Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis privately. They havo. left to reside in Europe.

In some parts of the Otago and Southland provincial districts the bush is overrun with opossums, which aro proving very destructive to fruit trees.

A prominent Wairarapa dairyman recently expressed the opinion to an Age reporter that the utility cow of the future will bo the Holstein-Ayrshire cross.

Reports which have reached Masterton from the various outlying stations indicate that the wool-clip this year is likely to ho quite up to the standard of former years.

As a result of the shipping strike, Foxton storekeepers have raised the price of kerosene Is 6d per case, and sugar Is per hag, to cover the coat of extra railage freight.

The strawberries that have come forward in Auckland so far this season have been of poor quality, as the weather has hut little favoured the growth of fine berries. Boxes for the lierries have been ordered to the number of about 400,000, and nearly all of them are in hand. A Stratford firm has recently had a unique experience (writes the Stratford Post). About 13 years ago a man who was living in Stratford ran up an account totalling about £6, but ho left thn town without paying and without leaving any address, and a year afterwards the amount was written off as a bad debt. Just the other day. however, the firm received a letter enclosing the amount from the man, who stated that since leaving Stratford he had bet'll uniformly “hard up," and that the present was the first occasion on which ho had been in a position to pay.

Wo draw onr readers' attention to some remarks in. our leading columns on the necessity for all voters to immediately satisfy themselves, not only that their names are oh the roll, but that they are on the right roll. Changes of residence and alterations of boundaries have led to some confusion in the minds of certain electors, but many of them take no steps whatever to rectify matters, and if they do not do so at once they will perhaps lose their votes. The advice given in onr editorial columns should therefore bo taken note of

The fanaticism of some of the opponents of compulsory military training often leads them to indulge in foolishly extras vagant language, says the Christchurch Press. “This does not matter in Now Zealand, where the public can appraise their assertions at their true value. But it is very different when, for no apparent reason’ save a desire to injure the country of their birth or adoption, they make ridiculous statements to the people of the Old Country, whose ignorance of New Zealand conditions may lead them to believe what they are told. One of these individuals, writing ..lately from Wellington to a Yorkshire paper, declares that ‘military persecution and the . fighting spirit of a few are permeating this fair land from end to end.’ He pictures parents and their sons being ‘dragged'' through the courts,’ and boys. being ‘thrown into gaol’ for upholding freedom and conscience. Horrified Yorkshiremcn are informed that ‘the country now appears to take upon itself the appearance of a huge military camp in the theatre of war,' and that according to the latest threat our law will not allow the opponents of conscription to marry. Surely, after all this, it was unnecessary for this unpatriotic soul to warn Yorkshiremcn, ns he did, against coming to New Zealand so long as the law is in operation. But if the warning deters any other person like the correspondent from coming out here, it will have done some good.” The Press then goes on to quote from the sermon ""couflv delivered on the subject by the “e'v. J. A. Luxford. of Wanganui, with which cm; readers are already familiar, and describes it as in admirable contrast to the “silly and hysterical" misrepresentation alluded to above.

Otero will be a great naval display at Spithead tb farewell the Sing on his departiire for India. It 'will be seen from a cable in another column that sugar has advanced 10s per ton as from to-day. Mr E. J. Evans has been nominated for the 'seat on the Wanganui East Bprough Council, renedered vacant by the retirement of Cr. Willis. The office staff of the A. and.P. Association have been kept busy all. the latter end' of the week in classifying the large entries received for the November fixture. .A complete list of entries will be available early next week. , The s.s. Hawera, which is now being built for - the Patea Shipping Company, will be launched from the maker’s yards at .Auckland on the lOfli prox., and will be fitted for sea and put into commission as soon as possible. ' Mr Lloyd, solicitor, announces in our advertising columns that he has removed from Kimberley Chambers to offices iu Ridgway Street. The entrance is through the National Mutual life (Mr Vance’s) office. ■ The Weather Bureau reports as follows: —Westerly winds moderate to strong, but there are indications for a change to. southerly moderate to strong, winds, freshening after 16 hours; expect showery and changeable weatherf glass fall, but rise after 16 hours, and weather probably colder; tides moderate, pea moderate. Part of the Garrison Band’s test music for the Christchurch contest came to hand by yesterday’s mail. Among the music is the march “Lights Out,” and “Liszt,” in a very similar setting to the piece already played by the Band at the last Wanganui contest, though there are several additional movements. The-other selection will be from “Tannhauser.” We personally regret that in our issue of Monday last, oyer the nomc de plume of "Freedom,” what appears to be a personal attack on sinne office-bearer of the local Prohibition tyarty was permitted to appear. The intjoductioa of personalities into the discussipb of .public matters is always to be deplored, and it was quite an oversight on 'our part that' what ■ appears to be a personal-attack by an anonymous writer was permitted to appear. The committee of the Wanganui Agricultural Association desires to acknowledge with grrteful appreciation the following additional donations to its prize funds; From the Wanganui Licensed Victuallers’ As.cciation, ,£2O; Mr Arthur Harding (Siberia), £4 ; Mr H. .1. Cameron, £2 2s; Mr Herbert Jackson, .£1 Is; also* a promised special prize for next year for pointer* and setters from Messrs Griffiths and Hclntosh, of Blenheim. The -Garrison Band, under Conductor Wade, w.ll give the following programme in the rotunda on Sunday afternoon, commencing at 3 o’clock;—Overture, “If I were.Kbg”: march, “Senator”; glee, “In this Hour of Softened Splendour”; grand contest: selection, “La Heine de Saba”; glee, ‘Here’s Life and Health”; selection, “The Champion”; march, “Henry’s Triumplal." Given fine weather, there will no d*ubt be a very large audience present,’ as tie programme is an excellent one, and the hand is in good form. The demolition of old buildihgs in tbr Avenue, with a view to their sites being covered by new business premises, goes steadily on. During the last few days tie buildings on the Maria Place frontage of the Catholic, Church property have been pulled down, there is but little left of the shop on the Avenue corner, and the. Presbytery is now half demolished. Higher up the strefet-buiiding operatiorie are actively going on at the old Technical School site, wjiile higher up still there is now but little left of the old Collegiate School '“buildings, the appearance of the latter blocs, now that fences and buildings are almost gone, being quite altered Cr. J. W. Poison, in the course of hit remarks in reporting the result of the opposition that had been set up to the Harbour Bill when it was before the Local Bills Committee of the House, at the Wanganui County Council meeting yesterday, touched upon Mr J. T. Hogan’s attitude in connection with the measure. He stated that it had been suggested by articles in the Wanganui Press that Mr Hogan was to blame for not getting the Bill through. As far as he was able to gather, this was not correct, for Mr Hogan, he thought, was prepared to effect a compromise, but that the town members of'the Harbour Board met and would not agree to such a course. At Mr Pearce’s meeting at Aramobo on Wednesday, Mr C. E. Mackay put the following question;—-“It is proposed to reintroduce the Wanganui Harbour Empowering Bill next year. Objection having been taken to the rating area- as originally defined, the Government will probably be asked to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to recommend what area should be included and what portion of any necessary rate should be borne by each part of such area. In the event of the district included in the new Bill being fixed in accordance with the recommendation of such a Commission, will you support the. Bill if returned to Parliament ?” Mr Pearce replied that if the Commission were composed of an independent man like Mr Short (who sat here recently on the Bridge Commission) he would be prepared to support the Bill. The City Band, under the; direction of Mr Buckley, continues to ris6 in the estimation of the music-loving .public. The band is kept continuously einployed, and affords much satisfaction both in their suburban concerts and other functions. Their playing is a great improvement on the old form shown, and has. inspired the members to put forward their best efforts in producing good music and splendid programmes. During the summer evenings the band will give a series of openair concerts in various parts of the borough, which should be the means of giving considerable enjoyment to a large section of the community. The first programme of the series will.be given next Sunday evening on the River Bank, near Calver’s corner, commencing at 8.30 o’clock.

Yesterday afternoon the new additions to the District High School in place of that portion destroyed by fire, which have already been in use for some time, were officially opened. ' A large number of parents and friends, including the Mayor (Mr C. E. Mackay) and the Mayoress, and the chairman of the Wanganui Schools’ Committee (Mr W. Bruce), were present. Messrs Mackay and Bruce each spoke briefly, the Mayor remarking on the fact that the two fires which had taken place at the school had resulted in it being .rebuilt on larger and better lines than before. He advised the pupils to apply the lesson to be derived from this to their own lives, and to resolve, whatever difficulties or adversities they met with, to rise above them, and become better in their lives and characters. Afternoon tea was afterwards provided, forming a conclusion to a very successful gathering. The certificates won by the various pupils were also presented during the afternoon.