Local and General.

Waipukurau Press, Volume I, 6 April 1906, Page 2

Local and General.

:O: Mrs Swain, teacher of music and painting, has a professional notice in another column. Mrs Swain is an experienced teacher; included in her work is that of organist in four churches for about fourteen years. Waipukurau will be visited on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and intimation may be left at Annand’s shop. Mackay & Co.’s auction sale in the mart to-morrow, at 2 pm. Some of the entries appear in advertisement.

MrE. Houseman reminds visitors to Waipukurau races that he will have charge of the outside luncheon booth. Patrons may rely upon being well served. The Railway Department gives notice re issue of Easter holiday excursion tickets.

Mr C. C. Smith, of Makotuku, son of Hon. W. C. Smith, M.L.C., has been appointed a Justice of the Peace. , Mr D. Annand’s new advertisement in this issue contains something of especial interest to the ladies.

Major Crawshaw, who served in South Africa with the Second New Zealand Contingent, has been appointed secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board at a salary of £4OO a year. M ajor Crawshaw has served 17 years in educational positions in the colony. He was specially mentioned in despatches with Captain Chaytor by Lord Roberts for gallantry in action under General Paget. The sentence on the boy Thomas Quinlan for the murder of Mrs Gregory at Sydney has been commuted to penal servitude for life.

It is announced that special evangelistic meetings wiU be held in the Waipukurau Town Hall on Sunday at 8 p.m., and in tenL during next week at 7.30 p.m. All invited.

Mr Jones, who has been assistant master at Waipukurau school for the past year, leaves next Thursday to take up a similar position at Hastings. Pending a permanent appointment, a female teacher will probably temporarily fill the va-, cancy here. In reference to the main trunk railway line, an authority says it seems probable that the railheads from north and south will meet early in 1909, in the neighborhood of Makatote or Mangan ui-a-te-ao, that is, about 212 miles from Wellington and 216 from Auckland.

Included in the Town Board overseer’s report was the following —Cleaned watertables on part of Northumberland street, and reformed Cemetery road ; cut down trees overhanging Racecourse road, and repaired fence at approach to traffic bridge ; ordered timber for kerbing footpath, most of which has been received and prepared for putting in.

The twelve natives sentenced to death at Pietermaritzburg, S.A., for the murder of Police-inspt. Hunt were shot on Tuesday, the firing party consisting of police. Three head chiefs and a hundred indunas were brought to witness the shooting. The cable says they were much impressed. No doubt. It is probable that the chief prize at the forthcoming pigeon-shooting will be £2O; also sweepstakes and a number of valuable trophies. Owing to the absence of the hon. secretary (Mr Fleming) the programme in detail has not yet been published, but it will probably be ready for Tuesday’s issue.

That children should be herded together for hours every day and beaten or otherwise punished if they fidget, talk, or are inattentive to an uninteresting teacher whom no adult audience would tolerate for five minutes, is . . grotesque, unnatural cruelty both to teacher and the children. —Geo. B. Shaw, in Great Thoughts.

The census will be taken on the last Sunday in this month. Mr Annand is sub-enumerator for this district.

Mr W. Ecclestone, the heaviest man in England, who weighs 38st 61b, and possesses a fairy-like waist of 6ft sin, is the landlord of the Coach and Horses at Stonebridge Park, Willesden.and is well known in sporting circles. Mr Eccleston has made a study of fat men, and thinks he may write a book on them some day. He is convinced that the ordinary theories that laughing makes us fat and worry thin are all false.

The announcement made that Mr Harris and family intended leaving the district was incorrect, Mr Harris only being absent on a periodical business trip.

Says a Wellington paper: “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep,” is taken very literally by shepherd Archdeacon Williams, of Hawke’s Bay. His sheep flock numbers 79,772. We do not think it right that any person should possess such a wealth of sheep while undoubtedly a fair percentage of his spiritual flock find it difficult to even secure a forequarter of mutton. The number of ratepayers in the Waipukurau Town District is, we understand, 103.

All European armies have certain extras weekly in the way of food. Sugar is given in England and France, two gallons of beer in Russia, half a gallon of wine in Italy, 31b of fish in Spain, and soz of butter in Belgium.

Last year’s cricket social, held on Easter Monday night, was a pronounced success, the weather being fine and the attendance large. With the former condition prevailing on this occasion there is no reason why the social to be held on race night should not be equally successful. At anyrate, the committee of ladies and gentlemen intend to leave nothing undone to warrant it being so. Good music has been secured, and all other details will be attended to. Tickets for the social aie now obtainable.

A fat wether, the property of A. Daysh, of Clareville, Wairarapa, is said to be the champion heavyweight of New Zealand, if not of the world. He is six years old, height 2ft lOin, length from nose to tail sft lin, girth sft sin, weight 3361 b.

Irish drill sergeant: “ Now then, smarten up, there! Hi! you in the rear, there, can’t you see that you’re not behind the man in front of you!” The Duke of Sutherland is not only the largest landowner in the British empire, his estates in Scotland alone extending over an area of a million and a half acres, or more than a sixteenth of the kingdom, but he also owns much property in Florida, Wyoming, and Canada.

Acceptances for Waipukurau races are due by 8 p.m. on Monday. Two well-known Waipukurau residents are to be married this month.

A serious accident befel Mr J. Maher yesterday afternoon. It appears that after delivering a parcel at a bouse in the vicinity of the Presbyterian Church he was about

to get on his cab when the horses moved forward, Maher missing his holct and failing under the wheels.

The cab went over him, one wheel

badly lacerating his thigh from the knee nearly to the hip. The cut was a bad one, necessitating the doctor putting in several stitches,

and Maher seemed to be in con-

siderable pain. When the accident occurred a number of neighbours congregated and rendered every assistance possible. No bones were broken.

« Mr T. Nicholson has moved into his new residence. The contractor for the budding, Mr F. Gore, has completed the work in a highly satisfactory manner. At Waipawa Court yesterday, twenty settlers were proceeded against by the inspector of stock (J. Harvey) for exposing for sale sheep infected with lice. Each was fined £1 and costs.

A Waipukurau resident relates a rather gruesome experience. Some years ago he visited Gisborne, and sought a bed at the Argyle Hotel. The attendant showed him' to a roon which contained two beds. One bed was occupied by a man lying on his back, with mouth open. Our friend spoke, but received no answer. In the morning, the visitor noticed that his room companion was still lying in the same position, but asked him a question as to what time breakfast was on. He received no answer, and closer inspection satisfied him that the other was dead. The landlord was informed, and an inquest held that day, the medical evidence showing that deceased had died of heart disease, and was no doubt dead when first seen by the narrator. The inspector and three members of the board are to report on the advisibility of having a shed in the Waipukurau school ground fitted up for holding dressmaking classes and imparting technical instruction.

Only one tender was received for the erection of bath, etc., at the local hospital, and this was considered too high. Dr Godfray is not in favor of adding native girls to the nursing staff. On Tuesday Mr G. Lomas conducted a very successful trial of the Deere disc plough, for which implemeht he is local agent.

Taihape and Taumarunui are eyeing each other across the Waimari'no forest with horrible jealousy, increasing as every load of railway material goes through, as each fears that the other will be made a stopover station when the long journey from Wellington to Auckland comes to be time-tabled. Taumarunui had an engine shed erected to hold twelve engines, and for a while it felt strong enougti to forget the insidious promptings of jealousy. But now it is calculated that as the 267 miles from Auckland to Taihape is “just a nice day’s journey,” some traitor official may declare Taihape the stop-over station. Taihape reciprocates these fears exactly. and would like to see Taumarunui obliterated from the timetable. As a matter of fact, the journey from Wellington to Auckland will only be 428 miles. It should be possible to maintain throughout the speed of the Christchurch express, and that means covering the distance in seventeen hours. It is hardly likely, therefore. that there will be any “ stopover.” Such an arrangement would not popularise the railway journey but would rather induce people to travel by the present faster route. —N.Z. Times.

Councillor Merrikin has given notice of motion to give effect to the request of the Waipukurau Town Board, asking that they be allowed to collect county rate on conditions mentioned in last issue

At the meeting of the local lodge of Foresters last night, three candidates were initiated and two others proposed. Bro. Scruby» C.R., presided. There was a good attendance of members.

At the last meeting of the Waipukurau Road Board the following members were present—Messrs P. Gow (chairman), Huggins, Groom, Butler, and Williamson. Quantity of general business was transacted.

The Hawke’s Bay district of the Farmers’ Union held its annual meeting at Waipukurau yesterday. The Chairman said he was sorry he had not a congratulatory report to lay before the meeting. During last year every branch without exception had shown a want of vitality, a slackness and carelessness that was extremely regrettable. The union finished last year with 542 members, and this year there were 367, a loss of 200. The balancesheet showed a debit balance of £95 6s Bd, but it was pointed out that there was a guaranteedfund of £4OO so that the union was in a good financial position. The subscription was fixed at 6s per member.

A hurricane at Tahiti killed 120 people. A big native meeting is being held at Te Hauke. Mr W. J. McGrath will be a candidate for the Napier Mayoralty.