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Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 63, 16 March 1910, Page 4

Page 2: Sporting and commercial. Page 3: Country correspondence. Page 6: British politics (the Spectator's summary). Page 7: "A Whirlpool of Fire"; "Hailley's Comet." A property in the centre of New Plymouth, ■comprising 77 feet frontage with four shops, has been sold to Raliienstem Bros, for £9500.

At the court this afternoon a, prohibition order was granted against a Coast resident, the order to apply to the Waipawa. and Pahiatua licensing districts.

Dr Frederick Cook, the explorer who might have discovered the North Pole, seems to have left America in a big hurry. He even forget to pay his typiste. Miss Rose Weber, a. New York stenographer, lias been given a court judgment against him for £l6 wages, and ha,s attached has bank account for that amount. [ .

Mr Church ill stated in a speech at Dundee last month that before Mr Herbert Gladstone gave orders for the forcible feeding of the suffragists he tried the process on himself, and had an-egg and milk put through his nostrils. So little inconvenience did he feel that he could talk perfectly well during the whole time of the operation.

At Bow . Street (London) Police Court on January 25 a taxicab driver applied for the issue of a summons against a lady who 'had refused to pay her proper fare. Mr Plowden, S.M.: "What was tlhe fare?" Applicant' saad it was Is Bd, awd the lady refused to pay more than Is 6d. "And you want to sue her for twopence?" "Yes." A summons was ordered to be issued.

I have never marked a man in my life," siaid Bob Fitzsimmons when speaking to a Chronicle reporter on the question of brutality in the prize-ring. He went on to say that he always tried, to knock his opponent out quietly, so as not to disfigure him. "But a knock-out can surely not be considered 1 gentle handling?" queried that reporter. "Oh," laughed the old champion,' "all that is needed is a little tap on the chin. Than, you wake up and ask why the other man won't go on with the fight." "Because you've been counted out," explains the referee. "And that's all there is in it," cowckided the veteran.

The following extract from a letter from the Rev. T. G. Hammond (superintendent of the West Coast Maori Mission) was read art the Methodist Conference in Dunedin : "We have just had a splendid Maori meeting at Okaiawa. Just fancy a Sunday morning service—a Maori choir, sixty strong, led by Pep era Rakiua's son; over a thousand hearers, with the Native Minister and party. Haddbn preached, and a £5 oolleotion. This amongst the rankest Parihaka people, Avho at one time would have hunted us! The change is coming fast. H addon surpassed himself. Carroll said it was one of the finest things he had listened to."

The monthly meeting of the North School Committee was held last evening, when there were present: Messrs Webber (chairman), Frame, Punch, Eaton, and Rev. Robertshawe. The headmaster -reported that the average attendance for the month was as follows:—Number on the roll, 323; average for the month, 302.2. Cbr- ■*- respondence was received fi-om the Education Board, notifying the appointment of Miss M'Pherson as fourth year pupil-teacher, also that Miss Hilda Ross had been appointed a probationer. The secretary was instructed to draw up a, generaL report for presentation to the next meeting Several small accounts were passed for payment, and the meeting then adjourned. One of the strangest experiences ever recorded in maritime history is that of the crew of the British ship Mermaid, which was wrecked in Torres Straits in October, 1829 (says the New York Maritime Register). The crew were saved by the war vessel Swiftsure, but three days later the latter foundered in a gale, aill hands being saved by the man-of-Avar Governor Ready, which also foundered soon afterward. The three erews got ashore- safely, a;nd in less than ten days were rescued by the Comet, a revenue cutter. A few days later the four crews and the crew of the Comet were cast adrift again, the Comet sinking because of a leak. All hands were saved by the Jupiter. A week or two later 'the Jupiter capsized, and the six crews were again adrift, but were again rescued. This ended the bad luck, during which not a life was lost, and all the rescues were made by vessels which accidentally sighted the sufferers.

Yesterday afternoon Mr F. G. Cowp'er, chairman of the Comity Council, Mr Harris, county engineer, and Mr Na.t3na.ii, Government engineer, paid a visit to the Maunga road deviation, with a. view to ascertaining the most advantageous way of expending a Government grant upon the work. The party found that the deviation on the proposed line would be an expensive work and would necessitate a bridge of about live chains in. length, which would be an expensive undertaking. In fact the whole work appeared to he so big that it is t-liO'Ught very doubtful if the Government can be induced to support it. Mr Nathan and Harris have, however, decided to return to the deviation and make another inspection with a view to finding out whether it is possible to secure a .shorter site for a. bridge. This morning the pairty, accompanied by Mr Ross, M.P., proceeded to the Waitahora and Mangatuna. districts, and I expect to return this evening. |

The price of butter in Dune din has been increased from Is Id to Is 2d per lb. The increase is due in a degree to the drought recently experienced in Otago.

A stem of maize exhibited at the Stratford Horticultural Society's Show by Mr T. Webb, measured no loss than 13ft 2in in height—somewhat of a record for this part of the Dominion.

The Hokitika Harbor Board again has the distinction of having the annual balance-sheet returned from the Auditor-General duly certihed to and without any "tags."

A Hastings wires states that the Leather Rubber Company has accepted a. tender of £989 for the erection of a factory, to be completed at the end of May.

The railway passenger traffic shows a slight falling off compared with the pressure that has existed for some time past. This is usually the experience just prior to the Easter holidays. There are at present 232 newspapers published in New Zealand, and registered ait the General Post Office, Wellington. Of these 67 are daily, 32 thrice weekly, 26 twice weekly, 68 weekly, 4 fortnightly, 33 monthly, one every three weeks, and one every four weeks.

One of our local farmers says that his turnip crops have been ravaged by the fly this season. He has a field of 30 acres, and he is afraid that the whole crop is ruined. The shaws, or tops, look all right, but on pulling them they come easily away from the turnips, which arc soft and rotten.— Carterton paper. An effort is being made to raise £SOO in New Zealand as a contribution towards l the cost of a new vessel for the Melanesian Mission. England has already contributed £750, and it is hoped that a further sum will be raised in that country, making a total of £ISOO. Mr Alex. H. Turnbull, of Wellington, has consented to act as treasurer for the fund.

Busli fires were raging at Ohakune on Friday, and many residents experienced a rather rough time. In several instances families were compelled to make hurried exits from their homes. The fire worked in the direction of Gaminan's mill, and the hands had a trying time saving the bridges. No serious damage has been sustained. Two men in Tunbridge Wells (Kent) were recently fined 10s each and costs ss, for trespassing and endeavoring to trap rabbits. In New Zealand, where rabbits are trapped and poisoned in hundreds of thousands, and where people are paid for destroying them, it sounds strange to hear of men being fined for attempting to trap them, especially as the men pleaded that they, were short of food.

A pen of twenty very prime halfbred wethers with splendid fleeces, that had been grazed on the Christ's College Football Club's grounds, were purchased privately by Mr Jas. Knight at 17s. The sheep were sent to the Addington saleyards by Mr Knight and resold at 20s 6d,.t'he top price for wethers. Not wishing to make a profit out of the sheep, Mr Knight is presenting the difference, £3 10s, to the College Football Club, no yard fees being charged by the Saleyards Company, nor commission for selling bv Messrs H. Matson and Co. Our readers are reminded' of the annual St. Patrick's Day social to be held in the Drill Hall to-morrow evening. The floor will be in good order, and a first-class orchestra consisting of piano, violin,, cornet, clarionet, and bass has been engaged to supply the dance music. For those who do not care to dance there will be a variety of games, also a. good programme of vocal items and step dancing. The supper will be in the hands of a numerous ladies' committee, which is a guarantee that everybody will be provided for. A large number of tickets have been disposed of and the gathering promises to be a great success.

A correspondent of the Taranaki Herald suggests that the following facts may give some clue to the recent fires which destroyed 'Country churches:—At Patutahi a haystack was recently ignited by the sun's rays striking a bottle of drinking water left on the stack. In another instance in the same district a settler was sitting at a table, and a tumbler of water on the table concentrated the rays of the sun and ignited the ta.bleoloth and the man's coat. In a.niothiar Patutahi residence ia bowhof goldfish was situated on the hallstand, and in the early morning, shortly after the sum 'had risen, an timbrel-la in the stand was discovered to be on fire, the only possible conclusion being that the solar rays had j been focussed on it. The instances are all of recent date, and are vouched for by a reliable correspondent. A young resident of Addington, employed in the Railway Department 'and at present acting fireman on the llangiora line, who has been experimenting with flying machines, has constructed a model of an aeroplane. It has two rows of small planes with 14 in each row, and looked at from above or below resembles a diamond shape, from which the . top and bottom points have been cut off, leaving six si/des. The young experimenter has selected this model out of six that he tried. He says that he reckons to get considerably more lifting power out of it than can be obtained from biplanes of the same dimensions now in use, and that it will be lighter and .stronger tlian those now built. It will not be so wide and will take up Jess space. A working machine would be driven by a 50 h.p. engine, and would have two propellers.