LOCAL AND GENERAL

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 290, 13 June 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Messrs Braik and Strong, Wanganui Education Board Inspectors, are at present conducting a special examination of the pupils at the Feilding High School. The sulphur thrown off by the gas heaters in one of the Blenheim places of worship on Sunday last caused every person in the service to start coughing. There was nothing for it but to turn out the offending heaters, and endure the cold as in the days of less luxury. The instalments of fines inflicted upon the Canterbury slaughtermen in connection with the recent strike, continue to come in satisfactorily. Of the £600 due, between £300 and £400 has been paid, the money being received by the Labour Department at the rate of £25 per week. The members of the Feilding Presbyterian Young Women's Bible Class yesterday afternoon entertained the married women of the congregation at afternoon tea in the Presbyterian Hall. Over 100 invitations had been sent out, and a large proportion responded. A pleasant gathering was the result. Charles Masson, an Ottawa hockey player, has iust stood his trial for manslaughter by causing the death of another player in a game at Cornwall, Ontario, and has been acquitted. The Cornwall Telegram, reporting the trial, says the result lias caused .a feeling of regret in Cornwall. It was no venomous prosecution, but the people of the town think it high time something should be done to purge lacrosse and hockey of the mankilling element. A peculiar protest was made at the meeting of tho Ashburton Hospital Committee on Friday, when the chariman (Mr Davis) objected to the presence of a reporter who had on a previous occasion seriously misrepresented him. This person, he alleged, had taken the trouble to "report direct and deliberate lies, and he did not cure about sitting at a meeting where that reporter was working." Other committeemen were of the opinion that publicity should be fiven to their proceedings, and so the usiness was ■proceeded with, the offending pressman remaining. The many friends of Mr Claude Tatton, who received very painful injuries through a 'blow from a hockey stick when playing for the Phoenix a fortnight ago, will be glad to learn that he is making satisfactory, though necessarily slow, progress towards recovery. Not only were several teeth broken, but also portions of bone, necessitating two operations for their removal. The unfortunate occurrence goes to show the wisdom of the india rubber guards with which most hockey sticks are furnished by players. In this instance the victim was not using one, and his opponent's .stick flew up his and inflicted the injuries. — Times. Some funny evidence is given in the Arbitration Court. Ono witness was J asked by the Union representative i whether the cost of living had increased, and he said yes, particularly rents, bread, meat and potatoes. In crofcs-examination, he admitted he had been paying 9s a week for a fcur-roomed house, within half a mile of the Post Office for the last three years, that he had heard rents had j increased and that he knew of a house let for 16s a week that the owner had refused 18s for. In re- I gard to potatoes, he did not know I that they were cheaper than last year, j he did not know the price of meat or j of bread because he did not purchase i them. In fact, ho thought the cost j of living had increased, he had heard ! so, but lie didn't kaow! j By the North Island Main Trunk Railway, the total distance between Wellington and Auckland will be 426 miles. Of this distance, 336 miles ! are now open for traffic, leaving a ' gap still to open of 90 miles. The '. section from Taihape to Mataroa, j 5| miles, is now being open for traffic, and a further length of 18 miles will probably be ready for opening within a few months. These two lengths, together with a further.disance of about 25 miles at the north end between Taumaranui and Raurimu on which goods traffic is also being carried, and the further section between Waiouru and Rangitaua (10 miles) on which the rails are already laid, reduces the gap (on which considerable constructive work, still remains to be done) to about 32 miles. The whole of the works along this distance are manned so as to ensure their completion by the end of next year, end a considerable part of the construction is so far advanced that it is anticipated that by January next the distance between the rail heads will be reduced to only 12 miles. ! :

We understand that the widow of | the late John Ballance is suffering fro/a diphtheria in Wanganui. i Judging by the first meeting, tho I Feilding Fire Board wil be an oxv«?l---1/ sit body. The insurance repr... »-■ l ,ives showed no desire to act i... a niggardly manner, and they facilitated the business in every way. A special meeting of the Wanganui Education Boa:d will >„ held on Monday next, insi.. «d d Jro regular meeting on W cunet>day, at aia request of the Chairman, who has to attend the Arbitration Court at Napier, at < the latter date. I The Marton School Committee ; proposed to line one of their Techni- j cal School rooms with the aid of the j pupils in the woodwork class, but j they were warned by a local carpenter ! that if they did so they would be j liable to a penalty for breach of award ! Mr David McKenzie, a machinist at the Petone Railway Workshops, has decided to stand as a Liberal candidate for the Hutt seat at next j general election. Either Mr John Duthie or Dr. Newman will be invited to stand as Opposition candidate. The Hawke's Bay Education Board proposes to appoint an expert to or- j ganise manual and technical classes throughout its district. It is suggested that the board should pay { half the salary and travelling ex- j penses, and that the other half should be contributed by local governing bodies, agricultural societies, etc. It is also suggested that the director should be appointed from England. W© have received from the publishers a copy of "The Native Companion," an Australian monthly magazine of literature and life published by Mr T. C. Lothian, of Melbourne. It is artistically produced, and contains articles, poems, etc., of a very choice literary character. A notice appears in the magazine that Mr E. J. Brady, the well and favourably known writer of Australian verse, is about to be appointed editor. A great deal has been made in the typographic il case before the Arbitration Court of the idea that printing is injurious to health. At Wanfanui yesterday, a printer of about 5. pale, emaciated and weakly, gave evidence that the printing trade was very unhealthy, that ho had suffered fioin pleurisy and pneumonia, and that the doctor had told him that it was brought on by the weakness engendered oy the nature of his occupation. Cross-examined, he said that he had worked a good deal of overtime, that besides that he milked a cow before he went to work and after he got home, that he did a bit of gaidening, nnd that he worked at night clearing the gorse off his section. "Unhealthy work," commented Mr Pirani, " and you complain of the conditions of your work, when you fill in your odd time like that!" A deputation of four representatives of the millers cutting timber at Bennett's railway siding, two and a half miles beyond Taihape, was introduced to the Acting-Minister of Railways (Hon. Mr McNab) by Mr Remmington, M.H.R, yesterday. Tho deputation desired to get greater facilities and cheaper rates for the transport of white timber from the siding. It was stated that there was eight years' timber in sight for millers. The Minister promised to consider the proposals made. A request was also made that the trains passing Bennett's siding should stop there for the purpose of picking up and returning children, who would then be able to attend school at Taihape. There were thirty-eight children of men employed at the mills near the siding who would be benefited by the granting of this request. The Minister gave a sympathetic reply, and stated that he would see how the arrangements could be carried out by the department. — Post.