Local and General.

Waipukurau Press, Volume I, 4 May 1906, Page 2

Local and General.

:<): The annual the auspices of the \\ iwpW’a Rifles will take place in the oddfellows Hall, Waipawa, on 4 24th instant — Empire Day. A and juvenile dance will be held on t he 25th. Tenders for ploughing work on Waipukurau racecourse close next Thursday.

There will be no Road Board election. Messrs H. Beachetn and J. Blackmore having withdrawnMessrs A. H. Mackay, P. F. Wall, and Joseph Williams are declared elected. Bostock and Wombwell’s Circus performed before a large audience at Waipukurau; with the exception of a few chairs, all availabe space in the big tent was occupied. Taken all through the entertainment provided is of considerable merit. The exhibition of foreign beasts and birds is the best yet brought to this colony, likewise the elephant (said to be 122 years old) is the biggest introduced, and quite naturally the menagerie received great attention from the public. The variety pefbrmance given by tne numerous company of artists left nothing to be desired in that di reci ion, many of the acts being extremely clever. The management informed us that owing to bad weather the tent could not be used at Pahiatua, Woodville, nor Dannevirke.aud peformances were given in halls; that with the exception of Masterton, Waipukurau was the largest audience siuoe leaving Wellington.

At the Waikukurau Road Board meeting the other day, Mr Kemp’s offer to repair the Flemington road for £lO was accepted. On the suggestion of the Hon W. C. Smith (whose opinion had been sought) the board decided to collect a |d rate over the whole of the district for the maintenance of the big bridge; the Town Board to be charged with a fair proportion of cost of collection. In eight years the Road Board’s liability for this bridge ceases, and the Town Board will then have to arrange for its maintenance. The Road Board, on Mr Williamson’s motion, decided to give notice to strike a general rate of |d, to be confirmed at next meeting. Earthquakes do not agree with the nervous system- When the earth trembles in duration fi?r a second it excites the nerves considerably. A continuous wpbble of the earth for about five minutes would send half the people mad. The nerves could not stanzd the stain.

•. ’ < Mr W. Adams, uar,ter, etc., has a business notice in another column. ' Game shooting is now in full swing. Among big bags reported locally are —Mr Saiiihbtlry 48, W. Lomas and E. Marsh 74 between them. Dr Godfray, Mr Gilbertson and others also secured good bags. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman s home life is of the happiest, and as he is enormously wealthy —rumour has placed his animal income at £5O 000 —his life has never heen clouded by financial anxieties, lie is, however, a man of simple habits.

Wild hilarity possessed the otherwise even tenor of the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board meeting last Monday, when the following letter was read from a lady who desires to procure a little child for adoption : —“ Secretary, Charitable Aid Board, New Plymouth. Dear sir.—l have been trying to get a little boy or girl for some time unsuccessfully. 1 asked Mr B—to help me, and he told me to write to you.” When order was restored, the Board was understood to instruct the secretary to reply that the Board at present is unable to comply with the request. —Taranaki News.

The Christchurch Press on Monday published, as a literary curiousity, asketch from Bret Harte’s Harte’s work, written probably 30 years ago, in which the prediction was ventured that San Francisco would be totally engulfed by an earthquake about the end of the 19th century. America goes in for big things. The San Francisco fire was the biggest Bare up yet produced on earth, thinks a contemporary. A five-year-old Waipuk boy was asked what his father did. “He only works,” was the prompt reply. Oil of good quality, and clean, continues to flow from the petroleum bore at New Plymouth. Mr Phair, the manager, who has had experience in Canada and America, says the prospects are exceedingly goou ; he believes there is au unlimited quantity of oil in Taranaki. Shares have gone up considerably. A Yankee story : —A gentleman fell from the top of a lighthouse then in course of erection. At the base of the brickwork column was only the hard rock upon which it was founded. Death seemed certain. Just as he reached the bottom, however, a large wave or swell broke over the rocks, and he fell as upon a cushion. He was swept off the rocks with the receding wave, swam a little distance, and was then picked up absolutely unharmed. The workmen who witnessed the accident aver that the swell which saved his life was the only big enough one t >at broke that day. Be that as it may the matter is sufficiently marvellous without embellishment. The hero of the adventure is alive and well to-day. Captain Edwin predicts strong winds, and rain. On Wednesday evening Mr T. Tuohy received some injury to head through being thrown from his horse.

At the circus the pelican was following a small chile, who said : *• That duck wants to bite me !”

A sculliug race between Stanbury and G. Towns, for £5OO a-sidu has been arranged to be rowed on the Parramatta river on July 28.

The Railway Department will issue excursion tickets on 9th and 10th instant for Hawke’s Bav races.

There was a good attendance at Mackay & Co.’s land sale on Tuesday, but several lots were passed in, highest bids not reaching vendors’ reserves. There was spirited competition for a suburban section of forty odd acres offered by Mr J. J. Bailey, and it was eventually knocked down at £25 5s per acre. A section of 5| acres brought at the rate of £6O per acre; -f-acre section, with two houses, £230. Some deals have since been made privately. The Meikle Commission is sitting at Dunedin. Yesterday Meiide was severely admonished by the Judges for contempt of court.

The British Government has a surplus of £3,466,000. The Alay or, with his usual kindliness of heart, took a supply of apples in a paper bag with which to feed the elephant. He was much perturbed, however, when the gigantic creature unceremoniously seized the bag from his hand and promptly swallowed apples, paper aud all. His worship had fears about the effect on the animal’s interior economy, but was solaced by an assurance from Capt. Bonner that the elephant could, without injury, swallow anything except corrugated iron, anchors, anvils or the promises of public men.—H.B. Herald.

May Day in Paris caused much uneasiness, and twenty thousand peisons left the city. Alany persons were arrested for refusing to move on.

“ For a revenue of £50,000,” says an Australian paper, *’ Tasmania sells herself to the Tattersail business, oae of the most gigantic vices of the age.” The Bradford wool market shows an upward tendency. Rain set in this morning.