LOCAL AND GENERAL.
Wanganui Chronicle , Issue 12856, 2 May 1912, Page 4
About this newspaper
LOCAL AND GENERAL.
The Gisborne Borough Council has secured a loan of £75,000 from the A.M.P. Society, at 4} per cent., with £ per cent sinking fund. Extensive, .alterations are at present going on at the place lately known as -Jefferson's Stables. In a little whilo this will be known as " Draflui's Motor Gar-age." Tho Government is considering the setting-up of a Itoyal Commission to inquire into the decreased purchasing power of wages, and other questions associated with tho cost of living. Tho personnel of tho Commission is likely to bo announced 'at ian early date. A London cable says that Miss Amy Castles has signed a contract for a five years' engagement at the Imperial Opera, at Vienna, commencing in September. Dolly Castles lias. been engaged to lead the new musical comedy ait New York in August. Mr. Parr, in a speech at his installation as Mayor of Auckland yesterday, outlined an important scheme for relieving the tramway and vehicular traffic in Queen Street by diverting the traffic from the eastern side of Queen Street to a new circular route. Tho Auckland Board of Education has resolved to insist upon private schools conforming to the regulation making regular attendance of children on tho roH compulsory, requiring school managers to supply a monthly certificate of attendance, iand instructing the truant officer to tako action where the law is ■not complied with. Tho largest estate certified for stamp duty during the month of April was that of Fred G. Clayton, Auckland. £35,155. Other estates over £1,000 in .tho Wellington district were: —Esther Sutherland, £8,315; Joseph H. Angrove, £5,778; Ernest L. Joblin, £4,27(5; Nika Wai-ata, £2,250; John Wafcrson, £1,894; Edward L. Kirkland, £1,142; James Lett, £1.092; Mary A. Norris, £1.085;. and Thos. Minogue, £1,081. i Another old settler, in the person of Mrs. Augusta Nickel, of the "Waverly district, passed away quietly at tho ms-iclenon of her son, Mr. G. Nickel, on Monday night. The cause of death was syncope and old age, deceased hay- I ing reached the age of 70 years. The | Lat^ Mrs. Nickel arrived in New Zealand from Germany 35 years afeo, and resided at Alton for many years, coming to Waverley vivo years ago. Four tons —Messrs. E. Nickel (Wh-angamomona), F. E. Nickel (Meremc.re), C. Nickel; (Gisborne), G. Nickel (Waver- Ir-v), and one .daughter, Mrs. S. G.ood| win (Hawcra.); are." I?ft to mount thfir I<JKS.
It is etsated that a proposal is afoot a/niong trotting enthusiasts to make a i race-track on the river flats at Gon- ] ville, Bear Imlay station. i On Sunday morning a landslide noav ] Mangaweka- dislodged about 300,000 ' tons of earth,- blocking the Rangitikei Biver, which was in high flood, and causing it to cut a new channel. A recent visitor-to-the Chinese slum quarter in Wellington found quite a large number of the inhabitants in bed at 11 a.m. In his opinion the Chinese get far too much credit for industry. I There wove no bankruptcies in Wellington last month. Only seven bankruptcies havo been recorded since the beginning of the year, five''of-them being in March. " For the first time in three seasons a class in beekeeping has not been formed at the Hawera Technical School. The , director stated at Monday night's meet- ! ing that this was due to the highly I unfavourable season. Speaking at a function at Dunedin ; on Friday, Mr McCallum, M.P. for Wairau, said that if he had been able to attend the caucus, things might have turned out in a different way for Mr , Millar. He was sorry that Mr Millar was not Prime Minister. The "Dannevirke Advocate," which , was formerly known as the "Bush Ad- { vocate," and which was established in ■ 1888, ceased publication on Tuesday ; last, the proprietors having sold out to • the company owning j"The Evdndng News." In pursuanco of his ischeme to reorganiso the traffic branch of the radlways, tho Hon. A. M. Myers proposes to appoint two traffic superintendents—one for the North and one for the South Island. They will travel about and as- ( certain the local conditions and will then lyeport to the general manager, Tv the Taranaki district picture entertainments are being utilised to provide funds for uniforms and other ex- ' penses for Boy Scouts,- a,ud also to enable the boys to visit Wellington to welcome their Chief, General Bade a- , Powell, who shortly arrives on a tour of the Dominion. I "It's extraordinary a man of his age coming into court, and saying .he can, neither read nor write. What's our education system worth p" said Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.MI; at tho "Magistrate's Court, Christchureh, on Friday morn-' ing. referring tea witness"3o years of age, who 'had pleaded ignorance of court procedure as ho tumid neither read nor write. The "Pelorus Guardian" states that, a dastardly act of vandalism was per-^1 petrated on Messrs. McCallum Bros., '. at Meadowbank recently. Two valuable draught-horses, valued in the ng-, gregate .at £100, were found to hav<> been poisoned, one being dead when _ discovered' and tho other being in ft "dying condition. j A ' correspondent of the London Times" pointed out during the miners' j strike that many of the men had never j known' the real truth of the movement, and. had never understood the meaning of the minimum wage. One miner exclaimed to the correspondent.- "What is fcho)meaning of this mineral wager" i Amongst the saved from the Titanic there was reported to be a one-year-old | child. Tho "Carterton Daily News" is informed that a well-known Wairarapa ■ resident has communicated, with the : American Consul at Wellington, offering to adopt the child, and asking that in- J quiries bo at once made with that object. - The "Inangahna Times," in referring to the county nuances says: "We stand absolutely breathless. Our overdraft today is, with cheques to be. presented, £9,265.' Six montlis >ago the overdraft, was £0,563. The rise is nearly £3000— nearly £500 a month, practically since the new Council was put into office. The c-oming month is one that has to be faced: It is a dreary outlook." An ■interesting operation was wjitnessed last week at a shoeing forge, Te Kuiti, wlien a team of bullocks were ' shod.. The bullocks are intended ■for | hauling on' the roads, and the shoes are for protection against" tho metal. Vn-* fortunately, metal does mot extend a1 sufficient distance to enable, the hauling to be done by'horse, yet the protection is necessary for the bullocks , . j The gold "export from the West Coast ■ for the first three months: of this year .;was. valued at .£87,156, compared with.! £109,313.5ent out in tho corresponding period of last year. Auckland main- j' tains it's premier i>osition with an export for the three months valued at £200,309, while Otago comes second, a long way .behind, with £110,869. The West Coast is third on the list. I The.Hon. J. A. Hnnmi, cluitting with j some pressmen at Woodville,' said he was very pleased that the educational question was not brought into the domain of party politics m this Dominion. It was kept on a higher plane, and he trasted that it would cont'inuo to oc- j cupy a high position. " Men of both sides of tho House worked with the one common object of procuring the most efficient education for the young people, j A young man named John Sinclair., ' while duck shooting on Mr. Ewan Camp- • bell's property on No. 1 Line yesterday,' was accidentally shot in the leg. {<i was in the act of rising from the groua-J at the moment, otherwise the acculonu might have been more serious. A number of shot lodged in the leg, inflicting painful, but not serious, injur-; ies. The sufferer was Drought in «uid i attended te by Dr. Wall, aftervavds going to the hospital. I While chatting with a reporter last evening, the Hon. Ell remarked that it;, vi 27 years since he last visited' Wan- ' gunui. Ho then came here by the Huia, v! and the Minister seemed to have some- j what unpleasant recollections of tho ( trip in this mighty craft (which is still running, but in a more modernised form). Mr. EU'h visit to Wanganui was on that occasion Aery brief. Ho caught the train and went on to Wav- • orley, which was as Jar as the railway ' t then wont, afterwards going to Pari- ; I haka. As is only natural, Mr. Ell now! j notices a tremendous/ improvement in' W-annanui. I i Mr. G. Hogben, Inspector-General of i Schools, who;i civ his way to Auck- | land, broko his journey at Palmerston North on Tuesday, in order to look in£o tho matter of the application of i the Wanganui Education Board for a 1 grant of over £4.000 for the erection of a new school in brick in Botanical Road. In company with the local mem- - ber of the Board, Mr. G. H. Bennett, Mr. Hogdnn pJiid a visit to the site, ■ i with which he expressed himself as boing well pleased. A visit was also paid to the College Street and Campbell : Street schools. Mr. Hogben left again by the 3-30 express for Auckland. — "Standard." j An attempt, to persuade some of the j loading citizens of Auckland to enter ( national politics was made by the Minis- j tor for Internal Affairs at Thursday opening's gathering in the Auckland Town Hall. Speaking in a semi-jocular vein, Mr Ilussell (Minister -for Internal ( Affairs) said he was quite satisfied that i hoforo vory long the chairman of tho ; Harbour Board, the Mayor, and a num- j her of their public men, would enter a ' widrT spheie of activity—he hoped on the Liberal side of politics. If all of Ihein1 did not take seats in the House of itopresentativesi-jt might be expected j that* some.: of thorn might occupy seats in the Legislative Council. '
Southland is evidently not all clear dP rabbits, for one day last -week » Mutbitei in the Wrey'e Bush district WMt able to produce a tally of 173. »ni next morning he had 300 t» Si« ClCClt. Mr. H. Helm, who is to take *k« Wanganui East technical classes t* building construction, machine dr&irmf •and geometry, met and enrolled Aem pupils last evening. Apologias yerfc pftccived from three others who infceal to join the classes. A demand has sprung up in MeUkMisao for groper (says tho "Southland News'*) and a firm of merchants at the BIuC has received vn order, for two thousand* cases. A fairly ,large shipment fien* over recently realised 6d per pound im the Victorian capital, which is o, better avei'age price than retailers obtain ¥or it in Invercargill. The officers of tho Ashburtoo* Oouo|f Council have been most suooeeaf vi; im the collection of .Tates. Of "the general rate for 1910-11 the amount opUedfeabl* was £6910 13s Id, .and the amount collected up to March 31, 1912, £6866 16» Bd, leaving £41 14s 5d outstanding. Owing to a sufficiency of funds on ka&d the Council did not strike a general rate over the whole of the county fkw the financial year of 1911-12. A team of riflemen, representing 4k» Education Department 'of New South. Wales, will in all Drobability mftk« % tour of the Dominion in the latter part of tho present year. It is intended,,, if possible, to arrange a series of matches with Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch .and Dimedin. The National Rifle Association of New South' Wales has written to Col. Collins, executi?* officer of the Ddminion Kifle Association, an regard to the projected trip, 'aTid the letter has been forwarded «* to the Education Department. Tho other day a well-known, crtrioe* picked up a letter of credit for £200, :pf which £120 remained io be operated' upon (says the Napier ; "Telegraph**). He communicated with the police, and handed over the document, with ta-. structions that when the owner <£(&* found he should be asked to give noi less than £1 to the funds of ttoe Napier Hospital. The owner (a visitor from Sydney, well knovyn in the ikesfisrk&L world) was duly discovered, but ;h» point-blank refused to comply "with. *&• request that ho shouldl enrich th« fund* of the hospital. He Baid the letter yrOM uot a .negotiable document, and, &©r«-fore, was valueless to the finder. i Some further particulars hay© jbeem gleaned from Father O'lleilly, procurator of St. Patrick's College, about *n* ■jiiew college site at Pahnerston Nortel The colleg authorities intended building upon a block of twelve'acres trhicfe they possess at Upper Hutt, but thfo, proviingi- ;i/bo: small, Tthey decided upon purchasing some" one hundred; acres a* Palmersion. The negotiations for tfeh« purchase of the property were closed Dm Friday last, the first deposit being gjjaid lon Saturday morning. The new polleg* will ..rank as _one of, the . finest irakitutioiis of its kind in Australasia. It wiK be lighted, with electricity generated pit the premises," and will be fitted iritfc stH modern conveniences. The spacious grounds will mainly bo laud out loo: recreation purposes, handball and team's courts will be made, and a larg» area, will be set aside for football tmi cricket." It is also the intention of 4h» authorities to build swimming bathe ftpr, those who do not like to use the rivier, which bounds the property.—"Poet." In tho course of his reply (a* ik« "social" in his honour at Wellington pa Monday evening, Mr James Mockenei*, the new Surveyor General, made am ek>-. qnent and touching appeal on behalf of the backblopks settlers. "I hope," fe« commenced, "I am not trenching d* politics, but let your railways got o »"«*& for a year or two, and let the money be devoted to getting the men who li»y# only a track at present some mot of access to their holdings. Many peopl* Cannot reach the Main Trunk line srifchout, going twenty or thirty milesi I*et the railways,rest for a bit, and lefc aw hayo good—l don't, wish to see extaraTa{Zjint—roads; but just ordinary access tfc their homes in the baekblocks. (Loud applause.) What these people thare *• contend with makes a terrible toll of the bush., Imagine six children carried over mountain tops on mother's wnd father's; backsj. dying before aid of any ""Rind; could be made available. I knpir of iyomen, who* rather than- iretuni to then* isolation in the far back, commit suicide. One runs against this not one* but dozens of times when travelling through the back districts. Nothing fe really more necessary than making roads in' the far back." . .'■■' Th^ore -are frequently heard complaint* of short weight ,in packet and uncut goods. A DuMedin man says that lie esatered a grocer's shop, asked for a pound , ol' tobacco, • received eighit sticks, and paid, 5s 3d. Having heard men talk « bout short weight tobacco he asked H» sliopraau to weigh this parcel, land #h* request was complied with, th© shopman admitting, that it did not weigh a pound. The buyer tested tho. weight himself a* home, found it a good deal short, and thought he would go a step further lsj seeing tho grocer himself. The grocer weighed the tobacco, and said that half a stick more at least was neededl, to make a pound, but that he sold tvs &• received, and would not cut the sticks. The purchaser then saw the inspector of weights and measures, and that officer r.iiid that his function -was merely t» test scales and weights. Tho aotual weight of the tobacco was. 14|oz. , Preparatory arrangements have beea made by Wellington scoutmasters in oaniiection with the approaching'visit of Lieut.-General Baden-Powell. At *h» rally to be given on May 30th the Bauwera, Carterton and Blenheim troope will be present. On .that day a display of first-aid, bridge-building i and Booufr cm ft generally will be given*. Tli© fallowing days for instruction and examination of various troops have.boon fixed : Monday, for first-class map reading .ami drawing, reporting and judging distances; Tuesday, signalling, fire construction, and compass reading by fefe*r.nd class; Wednesday, first-aid, display by first class; Thursday, signalling for second class; Friday, signalling and cooking for first class. A souvenir number of the paper edited by the Kelburn* troop will be published in honour of the General's visit. The Kelburne troop has also received instructions to meet the Dominion.' Commissioner, Lieutaenfint-Coloncl Cossgrovc, on his arrival on May 19thI.—"Times-" Says tho Wellington correspondent «f the '.'Lyttelton Times": Wellington V ;i busy ci.snt.ro for the bookmaker, despite the discouraging facrfc that under ih* law he is a criminal with no right i» &e tho street or any other place, nor tho post office to carry on hie "'business." But tho people who go to raoe meetings or know just a little of street happenings in this city, say without hesitation, that not only does tho booKmaker flourish, but there are more bookmakers now than before tho passing of tho restrictive legislation. It is no "exaggeration to say that eighty peopi* who prosper by the art of taking wagers could be seen in Wellington within an hour on their busy days, when itliey come out openly into tho street, mostly outside large hotels, and briskly take bets and money from patrons vrhm seem not to worry about the possibilitgr of a policeman viewing tho illegal triaaifwoctkm. One flourishing centre of .tin* craft is in Taranaki Street. It ea&oltt* the factory worker mostly, while ibes^ ■are wharf branches of the fro*tcriiity-:4oiag a big cash trade.
Mr' W; T. 'Jennings, .ex-Member for TioimaTunuu is spoken of dn political oircks (saya a conteinporary> as the liberal candidate for the Stratford seat a*j th© next, elections. .
A Napier resident who has just* teiarned from a visit to Gisborn©, is asiounded at the progress• the■ town-has made during the past four years, when, lie states, he was offered a section in the centre of the town for £500. J& making inquiries for the allotment the other day the price asked was i-IbOU.
Potato digging has commen-oed in Southland now (says the Southland ■"News"), and from reports to hand the •Waiau district crop will bo a very poor one. • I Oh the farms in- the Westerii District, "where considerable .. areas were planted to help clean the. land of thistles the yields are on the light side, feiit'the samples are clean and fair sized.
The challenge issued by the Wellington carters' tug-of-war team to any team in the Commonwealth, has <states the Sydney correspondent of-the Post, under date 17th April) been accepted *y aMr Michael Fitzpatrick. Mr Fitzpatrick stated that he had a team that would null the New Zealanders for any sam from £200 to £500. ' It is Mrltepxntraek's desire that the contest should tia decided under the auspices of the Kngby League in Sydney; but if that is not possible, he is prepared to take his team to New Zealand. .
There is <« general complaint in tha Kurow district at present concerning *h<3 shortage of farm labour. A fanner with whom an " Otago Daily Times ' reporter hal a conversation last week Mentioned ..that this year he had only 150 acres under crop, while last year 'he had 450. He could nob procure labour fior love or money, though he tried for it in Timara, Oaniaru-and Dunedin.and therefore decided to content himself with ISO acres, which he and his sons Harvested themselves. It is not right, Jin contends, that the Government «bn»ld be employing men on co-operative works to the.'hindrance of farmers. '• Next year," he continued, "I will 1-javo 15 acres and no more under crop, and Q3io of my neighbours will hare «rx!>' t:> none at>all. Until labour is avaiiabla wo will not do anything; be<i».',ist-! vc: cannot work the land without labour." The- result, he. says, will be $hat thci price -of the- loaf will increase, smd the position will then "be forcibly impressed on the public.
c Writing- on Ma-rch 23. tho London corrcapondemt of the " Ota^go Daaly Times" remarks that there i<j.evidently -some mystery about the design of the ,aow stami>s for New Zealanj], It was announced last, summer thafj .the com'Baiiasion had been entrusted to Mr Bertiuhjj MacKennal,, A.R.A., ijiie .distinguished Australian eculptor, and Mr JWacKeniiial actually, proceeded with.ihp work. Latterly, however^ it has been atated over and over again tbaj; Mr H. ■Mnley Richairdson, the well-khpwn Wellington artist, is doing the stamps; and Me MacKeiinal has now made a. sbate-ment -which gives furtheT ground for believing that there has been some hitch. .He says:." I have designed the stamp for New Zealand, though I have nevei' «een one, and I fancy that in some of "Bhe other cases (British Crown colonies) they have used a head from my coin. This was not approved by me, but of course the photographs have been published, and one cannot help it. The design was from special studies of his Majesty." ■ ■ '' ■-,'■■
