NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue 70455, 5 October 1900, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

On fourth page : Church appointments, circular from the Dairy Commissioner, and other interesting matter. A man was sent to gaol for five days at Balclutha for swearing at his bullocks. Demonstrations of Marconi's wireless telegraphy are being given in Adelaide. This and to-morrow evenings, a gift auction and fancy fair will be held at Kaponga. The Maori charged with attempted wife murder at Taihape was arrested at 5 o'clock yesterday morning. The Takapuna will be replaced in the Wellington-New Plymouth-Onehnnga trade by the Mapourika as soon as the latter is ready for sea. A coastal paper informed its readers the other day that the Hon. W. Hall-Jones had accompanied Lord Banfurly to the Cook Island 3as aide-de-camp. A stupid canard was circulated yesterday, to the effect that a young man from Hawera had been killed at the Wanganui races. Of course the rumor was untrue, I but the purveyor of sensational news gained his purpose pretty well. The decision of the Government to held the peace celebrations on the Prince of Wales' Birthday does not meet with universal approval. In the first place, it is argued, the 9th November is a day of racing and other fixtures which must seriously militate against the success of the proposed celebrations, and in the second the occasion is of sufficient importance to be marked by a special holiday, which would be appreciated by school children and the bulk of adults.

An infants' school is to be erected at Stratford at a cost of £798 10s. New Plymouth is talking of establishing a museum. Captain Jaokson Barry hopes to have his new book out in December. Seventeen entries of factory butter from various parts of the North Island have been received for the Manawatu A. and P. Show, but there were no entries from the South Island. During the proceedings at the formal opening of a bridge at Ohingaiti on Monday, a little girl fell into the river, but was pluckily rescued by a boy. The bystanders raised a few pounds for presentation to the lad. Little Phyllis Perrier, who is gifted with a wonderful rower of mimicry, is appearing in the district townships to full bouses, and one and all are amazed at the child's gift. Those who have not seen and heard , her should certainly not fail to do so. Thb prices of admission are at family rates. To-night she appears at Otakeho, and on Saturday at Manaia. A correspondent writes:— "l am glad to see that an Amateur Dramatio Club has teen formed in Hawera, and trust the organisation will receive the support it deserves. When we find ladies and gentlemen willing to give the time and the trouble attached to staging plays for the purpose of raising funds to assist worthy causes, the public should not be slow to acknowledge the laudable efforts by attending in large numbers." A very nice and gentle curate, aaya Dean Hole, went to a Yorkshire parish, where the parishioners bred horses, and sometimes raced them. He was asked to invite the prayers of the congregation for Lucy Grey. He did so. They prayed three Sundays for Luoy Grey. On the fourth the clerk told the curate he need not do it any more. "Why?" said the curate. "la she dead ?" " No," said the clerk, " she's won the steeplechase." It has been suggested that in connection with the Commonwealth celebrations a race open to Australian yachts, the prize to be £1,000, and to carry with it the Federal championship, should be arranged. The explosion of a shell at Speotacle Island (near Sydney) on September Bth caused terrible injuries to George Halse, who was in the employment of the Government Ordnance Department as armorer. He was unloading a shell, whioh exploded, shattering both hia arms and causing other injuries, from the result ef which he died in the hospital. At the inquest on the body of George Watts, drowned in the Wanganui River, while bravely trying to save the life of a girl named Bessie Scott, one of the witnesses (James Miller, who held the girl up till a boat came on the scene) stated that she asked him to let her drown. The girl was yesterday charged with attempted suicide, but was remanded till Tuesday next. A reminder is given to farmers and others interested in the chemistry of the soil of the address to be delivered by Mr Dick, of Auckland, at the Borough Chambers to-morrow afternoon. Some doubt seems to exist as to whether the meeting is open for the members of the A. and P. Association only ; it is open to the general public, and it is to be hoped, considering the importance of the subject to settlers in this district, that the attendance will be large. The Norwegian barque Ellen, which left Vera Cruz with a cargo of locust beans, was abandoned in mid-Atlantic by her crew, who hailed a passing ship and left the Ellen to her fate. However., a Russian schooner came across the derelict, then on her beam ends, put men aboard, and towed her for over 1000 miles with safety into the English Channel, where London tugs picked them up and brought both vessels to Gravesend. A singular story of the Kaiser is (cays a correspondent to the Daily Mail) related in a letter received at the Foreign Office from one of our military attaches in Germany. The Emperor, it appears, has ordered that every Geirnan soldier proceeding to China is to be presented with a ring, the seal of which is a small box containing a virulent poison. If a soldier falls into the merciless hands of the Chinese he can swallow the poison, and so escape the outrages that would in all probability follow. Mr William Barclay, one of the early settlers on the Plains, died at the hospital this (Friday) morning. The deceased, who was a bachelor, had been ailing for some little time, suffering from a cold. He caught a second cold a week ago, when pneumonia supervened, and death occurred as above. He was a highly respected settler, of a somewhat retiring disposition, and our Manaia readers will be sorry to hear of his death. Several of his Glenn road friends journeyed to Hawera yesterday to see deceased, but his condition was so low that they were not permitted to do so. His ouly immediate relation in this district is Mr T. Smellie, of Manaia. The deceased was more commonly known as " John " Barclay. The Hawke's Bay Herald states that the Parliamentary visitors to Napier, particularly the South Island members, got a surprise last Saturday, when at dinner at the Masonic Hotel. Mr Frank Moeller, with enterprising forethought, gave them a taste of early spring products of the district. This took the form of new potatoes, green peas, asparagus, and tomatoes, and lamb. In moßt other districts these products will not be available for at least a month or two. At Wellington, yesterday, a lad named William Johns was driving a heavily laden dray down the Kavori Hill when the dray capsized, and part of the load fell on the lad, who had his thigh fractured, and was otherwise a good deal knocked about. Mactavish has been one of the managers of the local kirk for a long time, which entitled him to take up tho collection, but he wanted to be an elder. His nomination had been put off from time to time, for there were rumours that after the shutters were up on Saturday night some ensuing hours were not spent in preparations for the Sabbath. Beyond an undue amount of drowsiness at morning service, there was nothing to confirm this, and preparations for admitting Mac to the higher office were almost completed. But one Sunday morning, whilst the minister preached, and Mac slumbered and dreamed, something happened which accounts for Mac being still only a manager. Nearing the end of his sermon, the minister made an impressive pause, which was filled in by Mac crying out in a loud voice, " Jigger, marker." The secret of his Saturday nights was out, and the whole of the congregation knew it.—" Woomera."