NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1937, 23 May 1888, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Star will not be published on Thursday (Queen's Birthday).

The skating rink is advertised to be open to-morrow evening from 7 to 10 o'clock. It being a holiday night, no doubt many will take this means to enjoy themselves.

We hear that an order for 2000 tawa butter kegs was received latefy by the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company. The order was given by a well-known New Plymouth auctioneer.

The annual anniversary celebration of the Wesleyau Church in Hawera will be held on Thursday (to-morrow) evening. There will be a public tea at six o'clock sharp, and Rev. Mr. Barley will lecture on Dr. Guthrie in the evening.

The new school building on the Skeet road, about four miles from Manaia, has been completed, except the chimney. It has been decided by the committee of the Eaupokonui district to have an entertainment to raise first funds for school pur* poses.

When asking a townsman, who is one of the best informed men on local matters in this district, as to fungus prospects, he said that there was a fair quantity being gathered lately, and that it was tolerably plentiful. It grows most freely when grass grows well, so that good grassgrowing is also good fungus-growing weather.

An Auctioneers Bill similar to the one which has been before the House for the last two or three sessions is again likely to be introduced by Government. It is understood that its principle will make auctioneers' license fees general instead ot local revenue, but that after collection by the Government the money will be distributed amongst the local bodies, so that country districts will participate in a source of income which now goes chiefly into the treasuries of the large towns.

In the course of a speech after the boat race with -Beach, Hanlan paid a high tribute to O'Sulhvan as a builder of the best kind of boats in the world. No American or English puller need fear to come out here and try for the championship, for he would guarantee them fair treatment on tho river, and fair and kindly dealing ashore. One thing he envied. Australian athletes more than another, and that was the heavy and generous backing they could get. There were no backers so free-handed as Australians.

Dr. J. E. Taylor, writing m notes on science in the Australasian, says : — A French chemist, M. Jacquemin, has shown that a certain species of yeast fungus (Saccharomyces ellipsoidens), when placed in a tartarised wort of barley, is made to yield a true wine of pleasant taste, and more nutritive than grape wine, inasmuch as it contains more respiratory elements. Moreover, it also contains an albuminoid substance and a larger proportion of phosphates calculated to restore the nervous system and the bony tissues. It differs from white {-rape wine by being copiously precipitated by tannin, while a portion of the malt may be replaced by crushed grain that has not sprouted. This wheat or barley wine is stated to be equal in quality and cheaper than that of pure malt, and tho vinous wort in question is an alcoholic fermentation of a totally distinct character from the ordinary yeast of beer.

A private letter from an old Wanganui player in New Plymouth, which has been shown to the Wanganui Herald, says " there can bo no doubt the Englishmen were entitled to the try. One peculiarity about the game was the number of the Bayly family represented ; A. and C. Bayly were playing (one of them as captain), G. T. Bayly umpired, and F. Bayly acted as referee." After most careful enquiry among thos6 who were close to the spot at th 6 time of the dispute, from persons well qualified to judge and of unquestionable probity, we are in a position to give a most positive denial to the above statement. The player who claimed the try, in the excitement of the moment, never took his hands off the ball, and was, consequently, not entitled to claim a try. The mere fact that the Englishmen, after the heat of the moment was pasßed, cheerfully accented the decision against them goes far to prove that they did not seriously question its soundness. The real fact of the matter was that Taranaki scored a try and the Englishmen a " try on."

Proof has recently been given at the Zoological Gardens at Halle that hybrids between the jaokal and domestic dog are capable of reproduction among themselves.

Mr. Maxwell's annual report on working railways shows that at the end of the financial year there were 1758 miles of line open", against 1727 miles in the previous year. Interest at the rate of £2 6s per cent, has been earned on the cost of the opened lines, which is the Bame ac for the Iprevious year. The expenditure has been reduced to .£687,328, being nearly £3000 lower than it was four years ago, and nearly lower than in the previous year, though there are nearly 300 miles more railway open than in 1885. The chief means of economy are improvements in appliances, engines, and roads, close head office scrutiny, and the application of local officers. On the average, nearly 200 less hands are employed than in 1884-5. The goods traffic has practically remained stationery during the year, though wool traffic chows a slight increase ; the number of passengers carried was 3,451,850, which is considerably in excess of that of any previous year. The total revenue for the year was £994,843, and the expenditure £687,328. The cost of repairing the damage caused to the Wellington seawall by the recent tidal wave is estimated at £1500. Part of the managing staff of the North Island has been amalgamated, extending the sytem of control at less cost, from which, under favourable circumstances, the General Manager anticipates improved economical results during the current year.

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