LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 219, 19 March 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Water is running across tlie Awahuri road, near Mr Whisker's, in considerable quantities. Dr. W. A. Logan, of Wellington, who recently went Home, has successfully undergone an operation for internal ulceration. The streams round the town are All in flood to-day, owing to the aeavy rain, but so far no damage is reported. The new culverts put across Kimbolton road have proved quite equal to carrying off tho water. Out of respect to the late Mrs Gillanders. the excursion to the Moumahaki State Farm, advertised to take place on Thursday next, has been postponed till Wednesday week, the 27th inst. At the Fire . Brigade Conference yesterday afternoon, a delegate from a southern brigade who had been locked up for drunkenness that morning while in uniform, was ordered by the President to retire from the Conference and remove his uniform. The man expressed regret for what had happened and obeyed the order of the President. Mr Ernest Cargill Cutten has been appointed a Stipendiary Magistrate, and will be located at Napier. Mr Cutten was born in 1867 in Dunedin, i and was educated in England and also at the Boys' High School, Dunedin, and at Otago University. He was judge's associate to Judge Williams for some time, and has been in practice at Naseby for the last five years, and took a keen interest in public movements in the district. During last January 6267 men were ■ employed by the State on co-opera-tive works in the colony. Of these, 324 artisans and 3500 labourers were j employed by the Public Works De- j partment, all but 138 artisans and j 128 labourers being engaged on rail- | way works, the North Island Main j Trunk Line absorbing 2147 men. The i Department of Roads employed 2443 j labourers, the Wanganui district ' having 299 men, Wellington 266, ; Rotorua 265, Auckland 2.90, and Taranaki 262. ■ Mr S. Pull, storekeeper, of Coly- | ton, has sold his business, and in- j tends leaving for Mastirton shortly, j Mr Pull and his family have made themselves useful citizens during their residence in the Colyton district, Mr Pull as a member of the School Committee and in other ways. and Mrs Pull and her daughter in various branches of Church work. ' They will le;ive a gap which it wil) t not be easy to fill. | The following dates have so far j been fixed by tho New South Wales Rugby Union for the New Zealand team's visit: — New Zealand v New : South Wales, in Sydney, July 13th and 20th; New Zealand v. Australia, in Sydney, July 17th: New Zea- ; land v. Queensland, in Brisbane, | August 3rd and 10th ; Now Zealand j v. Australia, in Brisbane, August , 17th; Australia v. New Zealand, in , Sydney, August 24th. i There is considerable competition at . Petono between the Gear Works at I the West End, and the drainage I from the Manure Works at the East ! End in the matter of smells. Tho ' hitter is said to be due to the \ Hutt River Board blocking np an i arm of the river to form a lagoon j into which the manure works drain- ! age goes. The strength of the ! smells suggests the possibility of ! their being converted into perfumes, i with a little judicious thinning out. A very large and well attended school picnic was held in Mr Chas. Mills' paddock, Colyton, on Saturday. The weather was fine, and a thor- j oughly enjoyable day was spent, the j grounds being all that could be de- '. sired for a gathering of this sort. | Tho members of the Colyton School j Committee conducted the affair, being ably assisted by Miss Shortal!, j mistress, and Miss O'Brien, ass is- j taut mistress. Lihevnl supplies of refreshments aud the usual picnic games filled in a good' day's programme. „ Mr H. W. Lucy, writing to the Sydney Evening Herald, gives the following specific for influenza, which is said to have wonderful success: — "Puro phenol, Calvert's No. 1, liquefied (prepared for internal use). Take an Boz bottle, put in 24 drops ol phenol and -Joz of glycerine, mix well together, then nil up the bottle with water, and shake well. Dose: Two tablespoonfuls iv a wineglass oi water every three hours; children under 3 years one desertspooniul, between 3 and 10 years' one tablespoon ful." It is estimated that 1000 men arc on tho Poseidon goldfield. Fresh j discoveries are expected. In one caso 500 men are working on five acres, turning over the ground to a depth of about 4 feet. In one their united efforts produced three nuggets — 14Soz. s Joz, and 4oz. On another claim there was a portion of ground avoided by the searchers on account of a colony of ants having settled upon it. A miner annihiiat- j ed th-:> colon y, and took from the j spot gold to the value of £iOOO. "Resident" writes from Kimbolton: — In the midst of the people at the Kimbolton sports on Wednesday ; a speller played several games of chance on a small table, and extracted many shillings from the local youths and men. Each year these spellers contaminate our country gatherings, and it is time the Committee of the sports made it their business to suppress the evil so that rcsidens in the future will be able to take their families and stroll about the grounds and enjoy the events without the fear of coming across these octupii, whoso presence is tin insult to the community. Mr Thomas Hall, of Paimerston N., died at Eltham on Saturday, aged G(i. Mr Hall was an old resident of tho Paimerston district, and was highly respected for his many good qualities. He arrived in the colony with his parents in the early forties, having been born in Coventry, England. He resided for some years at the Hutt, and about 30 years ago removed to Rangitikei where he was engaged in farming pursuits. After also farming land at Sandon, Feilding, and Stoney Creek, some fifteen years ago he settled in Palmerston, where he carried on a business as a ooachbuilder. lie leaves a w idow and nine sons and one daughter, among wdiom are Mr Fletcher Hall. Mr W. Hall of the Rank of New Zealand staff, and Mr Harold Hall, of Palmerston, Mr W. Hall (Levin). Mr Herbert Hall (of Feilding). and Mr R. Hall (Pohangina). The daughter is Mrs Charles Smith, resident' in Honolulu. Mr Andrew Cray, of Wellington, has received a letter from Mr Charles E. Russell, author of "Tbe Greatest Trust in the World," " Soldier of the Common Good," etc. After acknowledging receipt of certain press criticisms forwarded to him, Mr Russell goes on to say: — "Of course, in all tlieso matters the triu* basis of est ima to is comparative. lam quite well assured that New Zealand to-day represents no very groat progress compared with what the New Zealand of twenty years from now will show; but on the other hand, compared with somo other countries that I have visited, her state shows an advanco which is well worth the most careful attention. I know 7 fewthings that aro harder to make the people of New Zealand, at the same time.' understand how badly off we are m this country. When I tell New Zealanders about the cbndition of industrial and capitalistic autocracy that we have reached in America they think I am dealing in slight exaggerations, and when I tell Americans that New Zealand manages to exist without trusts and without the interference of corporations with political rights ,they are slow to believe that such a condition is possible. In what I have written so far on thia subject for publication I have tried only to address my fellow-' countrymen. Consequently, the newspaper comments in New Zea- , land, though gratifying, have nothing to do with my purpose. Possibly some day I may be able to say something to a New Zealand audience on conditions in the United States, for on these matters surely both countries need enlightenment. It ought j to do us good to know how you get along, and it ought to do you good to know what have been the results in America of unrestricted greed and aggrandisement. I hope some day, J perhaps, not in the very distant fu- 1 ture, to return to New Zealand; a ' country for which I have sincere and i abiding affection."

Sporting ;uml Supremo Court news will be found ort the first pa go. Mr and Mrs A. Carty returned to Feilding from Wellington to-day. A number of photographs of the Feilding cadets, taken at the Camp in Christchurch, aro on view iv Milson and Coles' window. It is pointed out to U9 that the date for the commencement of the early closing in the Kiwitea County ii March 25, not April 25. Word has been received by the Secretary of the Feilding Bowling Club that the Marton Bowlers cannot visit Feilding to-morrow. The match is indefinitely postponed. Mr and Mrs A. E. Russell, of Paimerston North, have returned with their two daughters to the colony after a two years' sojurn in the Old Country. Persons sending in their returns to the local Factory Inspector should stamp the envelope in the ordinary way. No communications can be made with the Inspector marked on Public Service only. Correspondence sent in this way is charged for at double rates. The Paimerston Waterworks suffered somewhat severely by the heavy rains experienced yesterday and last night. It is understood that a suspension bridge across the Tiritea stream, on which pipes were laid, has been washed away, and in many other respects the works have been damaged. A sad circumstance in connection with the suicide of Thomas Mitchell, at the Thames, the details of which were telegraphed tho other day, is that the shock proved too much for a brother, who now lies in the hospital in a critical mental condition. The brothers were much attached. The survivor felt the loss keenly. The 3rd Wanganui Battalion (Rangitikei) will leave Marton Junction for Christelmreh on Wed net-day by the mail train well over 300 strong. A strong contingent from Hawera. Eltham, and Waverley are attached. Major Saunders, the officer commanding, will have one of the largest battalions that have yet visited the Exhibition camp under his command. The Manawatu river is in a flooded state to-day, and in consequence the protective works erected at Hoko\*hiti by --be Paimerston Borough Council have been considerably damaged. More land in the vicinity of Mr Snow's house has been washed away. The Education reserve in the same locality lias also been reduced in size, and it is now apparent that the protective works will prove an absolute failure. Lieut. Engineer Wheates approached the Taranaki Petroleum Company on behalf of the Admiralty with regard to the supply of crude petroleum for naval purposes. The company mado an offer to supply 200 barrels daily right away, or if the Admiralty laid pipes to the wharf, to supply any quantity required. Lieut. Wheates communicates with the Admiralty at once. At the Christchurch Exhibition on Saturday Major C. T. Tatum, Commanding No. 3 Regiment (Wellington) Mounted Rifle Volunteers, experienced a painful accident. He was watching the shooting in a rifle gallery among the side-shows, when a bullet' rebounded and struck him in tbe right eye. The eye, however, was not penetrated, and no permanent injury is expected. M. Moussac, Mayor of Lieuran-les-Boziers (France), dropped lifeless while out walking recently. The following day he was being put into bis coffin, when a friend thought he detected a slight movement of the pulse. A doctor was hastily summoned, and pronounced the "dead" man to he alive. M. Moussac, who was in a stato of catalepsy, remained unconscious for some days. A song titlo party was held in Foxton tho other aftei roon. The titles submitted by a number of ladies created much fun, were original and ingenious. Tho prize for the most original title was won by a lady who, with much difficulty, had hunted three fleas and successfully harpooned them and boro the spoils of the chase to victory, her title being "Pilgrims of tho Night." — Levin Farmer. The New Zealand Herald has received a letter from "One of the Victims" complaining of the losses sustained by storekeepers and others owing to some of the men on the Main Trunk line leaving the district without paying their debts. lie says: "If there is more of this kind of work, business people will be compelled to close their books to credit, and the consequence will be rather awkward for the Public Works Department .ts most of the men who come up have to get credit- for a time." A Southland correspondent writes: — '• Jt may not be generally known in Canterbury that, with all the high prices for land ruling there and the g<"ciiil pre vail ing land hunger, there are thousands of acres down here in practically one compact block in its \ irgin state awaiting selectors or syndicates with capital and go. The Seaward Moss, including a big portion of tht' Seaward Hush recently destroyed by fire, extends for a distance of about twenty-five miles froni the Bluff railway, with a breadth ol six to ten miles, and is as yet, with the exception ol a little draining and clearing here and there, in its natural state. The land, which is owned partly by the Crown and partly by private individuals, can, I understand, be bought for Iron! 5s per acre upwards. Tho most of low land is suitable for flax growing, and only requires draining to assure a profitable return from this profitable coin modit.y. The hill varies from two to twelve feet into tlie Waituna lake. Tho country rcquiics only systeinatf ral draining, and. of coi.rsc, a deal ol capital would bo required to carry this out. The capital, needless to say, would ho sunk for a few years until the flax grew aud the peat settled down. In years to como a big a;:a of this couniry will undoubtedly compare favourably witb some of the Canterbury agricultural dis- • if I w*ro back in Sydney with ! -y ticket purchased for 'Frisco, I v. .uiUl, Un >wing what I now know, veil if :• ;>d remain." This sentence i . culled from a private letter written ' y ,:<i lO.gli h builder who left Australia I s( year I'or the stricken (ity. ; lie coiTt'spuiident gives an appalling description ol affairs in the California!! capital. "The town is in fc:- (■■■«) wiih thug.-* and gasnipers," he saws. " Someone is .■:):..{ daily. Oile is are clubbed and i-f.bbcd. Three women were shot about a week ago not a hundred yards li.-'ii where f ;,:u <•■.• :iying— in th*-> heart o*' the city.- One- night last w"ek — the letter is dated January 1 -Jlli -we. had a slight earthquake shoe!, Tlin weather is en hi and mir-enibl*'. All trades are having broken time owing to tbe rain. There if ■ itt lo continuous work; quantity not quality is the watchword. It is heart-breaking to see how work is sr.miped. Any workman in any part cf the world would be a fool to come here if h: can get work where lie is. Everything is union — bootblacks, hodcarriers, dish-washers, .and waiters, and the different classes of labourers have each a union. Bricklayers and painters pay oO dollars (over £10) to enter their respect ivo unions. Carpenters pay 30 dollars (over £'G), and tho wages range from 41 dollars to 7 dollars per day. Labourers earn, when working, 3 to 4£ dollars per day. If I were back in Sydney," etc.