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Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 64, 14 September 1908, Page 4

Mr and Mrs J. Drummond leave the Old Country on their return journey to New Zealand on Thursday next.

The Eltham County Council has accepted, the offer of a local syndicate to lay 30 chains of road from Eltham to Opunake with concrete blocks at £10 -per chain; the Council to pay only £5 per chain if six months' trial is unsatisfactory.

Feilding railway returns show that the number of sheep and lambs exported last year increased by 34,695 over the previous year, the total this year being .144,366. Feilding held pride of place regarding the export of pigs, the number being €080.

It ia reported that the Rev. T. T. Thomas, 8.A., who is in charge of the Methodist Church, at. Dannevirke, lias received a very pressing invitation to take an important circuit in the northern part of New Zealand at the end of the current -term.

One of Dr Sven Hedin's most terrible experiences was during a journey he made in Thibet, when lie suffered agonies owing to the high altitudes at which he and his party were travelling. "The experience was weird and awful," he says. "Even to unbutton one's coat meant acute Eain and tension to an overwrought cart, which literally was at the point of breaking. My only safety lay in the fact that I never left the saddle for a single moment, from piorning till we pitched camp in the evening. Had I done so, my heart would have given way." The horses, too, suffered severely. Out of 45, 44 succumbed, and 30 out of 39 camels also died on the way.

Says the Herald: — An interesting camparison of the fleet celebrations in Auckland, Sydney, and Melbourne has been received^ by Mr L. J. Bagnail from an Aucklander who saw them all. This gentleman writes: — "The decorations of our. -little city far and away exceeded those of Melbourne, and were equal to, if not better, than the decorations of Sydney. The fleet' itself showed to better advantage in the Auckland harbor than in the beautiful harbor of Sydney. The beauty of the battleships was entirely lost through their being divided into groups, and crowded away in different bays in the Sydney harbor. The weather, too, both in Sydney and Melbourne, was not at times at its best during the celebrations, and this had a very depressing effect on the whole of the proceedings." .

Mr Clement Wragge, F.R.G.S., who, while Government' meteorologist in Queensland, achieved a reputation for his weather forecasts, is now on a. lecturing tour in India. A few weeks ago he made the alarming statementthat "the . rainfall in Australia will now fall off, but the coming drought will probably be not so severe as the last." Mr Wragge, in replying to his critics, wlio .declared tHat it is .impossible to forecast _ seasons, says: — "Moore, of Washington, and Ellis, of Greenwich — with deep respect to them — belong to what I may term the old conservative school of meteorology — and I claim that it is possible now to forecast seasons ahead, with a large percentage of accuracy. We must remember that this is an age of rapid scientific progress, and that porgress is the primordial law of the universe. And I make this statement as a professional meteorologist of 27 years' standing, during which I have devoted most careful study to the subject. Much light has been thrown! on the matter since the discovery of radium and the nature of the ether and of etheric vibrations set up by the storms and hydrogen flames in the. sun." '

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On page 2: Cable news;, leprosy. Pago 3 : Sporting news ; H;B. Land '. Board. Page 6 : Football news ; Antarctic expedition. Page 7: Tuberculosis-— is it hereditary??:: mis- , sing vessels ; Somali pirates. At the Police Court ;-.sris morning, an offender, charged witJt^roiiken-; ■ ness, was fined ss, the amount of his bail.

A Press Association telegram at Cambridge states that a poll of ratepayers at-Carnbridge hasdecidod by ft majority of 20 votes to borrow £9000 to erect andfurnislr a-town hall.

The birth of an unusually large number of twins duririg.,the past two, months has been recorded. Weilvngtori headed the list with 13 pairs, and Christchurch is second with 12.

A hoekfey match; was "played on the Ormondville - Recreation Ground on Satxirday between a team from, the ladies' club and seven men with skirts. Tho^ame was watched^ by a large crowd, and caused much-amusement, and resulted in a win- for .the men by two goals <to 1. Mr F. B. Curd refereed; '

We regret to have to record that. "Mr C. J. Johnston (the manager of the Gas Co.) and his wife havo sustained a sad bereavement' in the death; of their infant daughter, Amy. 'The- 1 fihild"; had been -seriously ill for some little time, but despite every attention passed away this niormng. Mr and Mrs Johnston" Will' TiaytT'the warm symiyathy.of their, .friend^ ;in their bereavement/ 1 . < v s:' r.n

A proposal to extend the Wellington farriers and general blacksmiths' award to Danneyirke is to come; before the Arbitration Court ai? Napier. Several local blacksmiths met at Messrs Paterson g.nd Co.-s office- on Saturday evening for the purpose of. signing a. : me^moraifdum protesting against the award being extended to Dannevirke. Mr David Anderson, has been appointed delegate to attend the sitting of the court.

The discovery has been made that the water rate for the coming year in connection with the Masterton Borough Council has been wirongly struck, and. a special meeting. of the council is called for this evening to remedy affairs. In receiving the water rate notices, burgesses were ; fairly st«g-^ gered at the very large increase, and as no reason was given for same, an indignation meeting of ratepayers was to have been held, but lias been rendered unnecessary by discovery of the mistake. ;-,-. •. . '•*

After investigating the local conditions at Palmerston North, Mr Chant, representative of the proprietors ©f the Heenan destructor, recently installed at Wellington, has recommended that the Borough erect a Heenan destructor, capable of destroying all the trade and private house refuse, at a cost of £8000. The heat from the destructor would be available to generate sufficient steam and would provide sufficient horse power to light the Opera House, Council offices, Square and street, perform other municipal services," and operate small motors. . The monoy saved by these means/ would, the expert estimatea, be sufficient to meet the interest and sinking fund on the loan and to ipay the annual cost of working both, destructor and electrir plant. .

The ordinary monthly meeting of the. Makotuku School Committee; was held on Saturday evening. Present: Messrs C. F. Wright (chairman), V. Baxtosh, D. and J. Carmichael, D. Mann, and C. R. Mitchell (hon. secretary). The master's report stated that the roll number was 113, mid the average, attendance 98 for tto past month. Several families Jaad recently left the district, but laut week the names of nine<nW children were added to the roll, which brought the attendance up to the old standard. During the month Inspector Hill, had held his progressive examination. The visiting committee for the past month reported that the dividing fence between the school grounds and Mr Hanaii's was i» a . very bad state of .repair. It was decided to put two new strainers in, and Mr Mann was appointed to get the work done. Messrs D. and 8. Carmichael were appointed visiting committee for the ensuing month. An account for £2 10s was passed for payment.

The Earl of Dudley, the #evr Commonwealth Governor-General, «s still a comparatively young man. Born in May, 1867, he is the youngest of the great British Pro-coasula. His experiences have been manifold. On leaving Eton he travelled Tound the world, visiting all the colonies. In 1895 he became Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, and at the 'time of the Boer War served in the Yeomanry Cavalry. Soon after his return, in 1902, he was made Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, remaining in that post until the* late Government went out of office. LordDudley's romantic marriage in 1891 to Miss Rachel Gurney is an incident in his life which is sure to appeal verjp strongly to the sentimental side of the warm-hearted Australians. Th« beautiful Miss Gurney was the daughter of the Quaker banker^ diaries Gurney, who met with misfortuafr, and gave up every penny of his money to- his creditors. Lady Dudleyis an accomplished musician. She sings sweetly and plays the piano in a finished manner. It was, indeed, whispered at one time before her marriage that she had thought of taking up a professional career as a concert singer. She paints and draws cleverly, and has decided talent as a designer. As a linguist she exoefe, speaking French, German, and "Italian with ease and Hj^»cy. Her great energy and spirit will bo promptly recognised and admired by everyone she meets in the Australian Comm««wealth. .