NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7380, 5 February 1902, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

A Chinese edict issued appoints Wang Wen-shu Second Secretary.

To-morrow nominations close for the Egmont County Gun Club meeting.

A dust explosion occurred at Hond's Colliery at Coahuila (Mexico), killing one. hundred men.

Force of long cußtora. The jurors in Wellington are still being summoned in the name of Queen Victoria.

The British Admiralty has ordered a submarine boat one hundred feet long, which will be the largest and finest in the world.

Mr J. L. Perry and his son (long resident in this distriot) are leaving Gisborne this week on their trip to England. They travel in the Medic from Sydney.

Stnd and flock rams, especially Lincolns, seem to be selling particularly badly this year, judging by the reports we see in several exchanges.

A short earthquake vibration ooourred at Sydney on Sunday, and the rumbling lasted a, minute.

In a northern contemporary appears an advertisement for " a man able to kill and drive a cart."

The polling on the proposal to raise a loan for surface drainage for the borough was proceeding as we went to the preßS.

The question of the admisßibility of newspaper reports of judicial utterances was feisoußaed in tbe District Court on Tuesday. The Judge said that in his eyes such reports had no value.

Creditors in estate of late W. H. Bennerbassett are asked to send accounts 'to Mr C. A, Budge, agent of Public Trustees.

At Woodville, two prohibited persons were each fined £5 for being on licensed n promises, and a third man was fined £3 n and costs for procuring liquor for prohibited persons. a Messrs Bobbins and Hardley, the depu- 1 t tation appointed to attend the Fire "Underwriters' Conference at Wellington, left by fc train this morning. On Tuesday Mr j Bobbins received a very encouraging wire 1 from the New Plymouth branch of the Underwriters' Association. Mr Wallace Brownlow, the well-known j oomic opera artißt, recently seriously in- ] jured his back by a fall through an un- <] protected door at Sandriugharu House, Sandringham, Victoria. He has now issued a writ against the Sandringham j House Company for £1000 damages. £ The Municipal Council of Paris have hit 1 upon a capital idea for encouraging citi- ] zeaato beautify the city. They give an i annual prize to the architect and the builder of the most beautiful building j erected during the year, and allow the j owner to deduct 50 per cent, when he pays , his taxes. ] Lieutenant Heyle, a young German cavalry officer, has ridden on horse- , back from Metz to Bucharest, a distance , of 1400 miles. He covered the distance in , 25 days, and on arrival in Bucharest his horse was too weak to stand. It is expected that Lieut.- General Lord Methuen will return home from the Cape shortly, and that he will be given an important appointment in recognition of his splendid services during 1900 and 1901 in the Western Transvaal. j On the 18th March, the Kawhia Block of 1 53,000 acres will be open for selection, j The land is situated from 12 to 29 miles I from Kawhia harbor, and some of it is within from 19 to 26 miles of the Te Kumi railway station, on the North Island Main Trunk Bailway. The Bale is one of the most important which the Lands and Survey Department has brought forward for some time. A settler on the Toka-Rahi Estate has informs a representative of the Oamaru Mail that something has attacked his paddock of fifteen acres of oats, as fine a crop as he 'has seen. The pest, whatever i it may be, is attacking the roots, and then I the stalk falls and withers. He has spent hours in trying to find traces of the Hessian fly, but failed. He has a suspicion that it is the grub of the humble bee, as he has found them in thousands in Swede turnips when thinning them. At St. Mary's Church, on Tuesday afternoon, an event of considerable interest took place in the wedding of Mr P. M. Pratt, well known in athletic circles, to Miss B. King, daughter of Mr H. King. The church was prettily decorated for the occasion, and the service was choral. The bride was dressed in cream lustre, trimmed with 1 chiffon and satin, and was attended by her Bister and two little nieces as bridesmaids. Mr H. M. Payne was best man. The Bey. 1 J. A. Jacob conducted the ceremony. The happy couple left the church to the strains 1 of the Wedding March. The honeymoon is to be spent in Auckland. 1 The lady traveller for the Tracker Euca1 lyptua Company, who has been sent by ' them from Australia, and who is now 1 touring New Zealand, will be here at the I end of the week to make arrangements for establishing agencies here and in the surJ rounding district to place the Tracker brand of eucalyptus on the market. The company's artist, who is in Wanganui at the present time, will be here also to secure hoardings for displaying notices. J A tale from the front. An officer in , South Africa recently wrote to a certain • gallant general asking for leave to take 1 his wife up to Bloemfontein. In reply, ' be got back his own missive with this . blue pencil comment on the back : "Officers upon active service (under the rules) are not allowed animated comforts." One has heard travellers speak of " animated discomforts," but what do the ladies say to a service which regards them as merely the anti-type of the pulex 5 irritans ? 1 Preparations are being made by the 3 Boman Catholics in all parts of the world > to celebrate the Silver Jubilee this year of q the Pontificate of Pope Leo Xllt. An international committee has been formed j to carry out the necessary arrangements, I and it bus been decided to present the Pope , with a tiara of gold, which will be inlaid 1% with diamonds, at the cost of £50,000, the 1 gift of an Italian lady. The names of the , donors of the gift will be inscribed in an 1 album for presentation to his Holiness, and, 3 as part of the jubilee celebrations, pilgrim1 ages will be made from different nations and countries to Borne. ', Sir Charles Dilke has suggested that the £ guerilla warfare in South Africa should be I met as it was met by the French in |, Mexico. When the French occupied the capital of that country, they found 9 that their difficulties were just begin\x ning, as all Mexico swarmed j with guerillas. They started counter- „ guerillas, and the Mexicans were beaten at their own game. In British general- - ship there is much to unlearn. If the c colonial soldiers had been given a freer hand, there would have been no .war in South Africa to-day and no question as to n methods. • With regard to the parcelling out of the 6 Upper House appointments, said to be in »- contemplation, the Wellington corresponr dent of the Cbristchurch Truth says it is whispered that a prominent local brewer ;~; ~ who is at tbe head of a private railway r concern now under offer to the Government s has very strong chances of pulling off a I seat. Another will probably be offered to I some nominee in the Labour interest. c Hope, born of long ministration to the O Government cause, fills so many breasts if that there is bound to be a row, whoever r wins the prize. n Here is a curious explanation, to be found in Winston Churchill's book, as to c how word " state room " came to 5 signify a luxurious and roomy cabin, c There was an old fellow named Shreve, a who ran steamboats on the Mississippi, and in whose time the cabins were cur!C tamed off. This' old man built wooden 6 rooms, and he named them after the II different States — lowa, Kentucky, and so ( jj on. When, therefore, a passenger went on board, he'd say to Shreve : " What D 'state' am I in, cap?" And from that g river has the word "state room " spread all d over the world. 6 At tbe Taranaki County Council meeting, 0 the Parihaka Foreman reported that ho [_ could repair the very worst places on the Opunake-Eltham road with 300 yards of ° gravel. Cr Grey protested against money « being thrown away in carting river shingle, ir which at this time of year would not bind. 'f Cr McDonald concurred. Cr White said a water-washed shingle blinded with clay would be effective. He advocated that the a road be repaired as proposed by the fore5 man. On the motion of Cr Grey, it was a decided that the foreman be authorised to , obtain tenders for caning metal to repair • the Eltham road, with power to accept the 6 most favourable, and to do the repairs. x The Oamaru Mail is informed that tbe B potato cropß in the North Otago district ), are suffering considerably from an attack [j of blight. This is what is known as tbe greenfly, and is found thickly upon tbe ' shaws, whicb, as a result of the attack, 5 wither away prematurely before the tubers 8 are properly developed. It is feared that g the yield will be greatly diminished, and one 1 practical farmer has ventured the opinion 2 that where the pest has made its appearance a there is not likely to be more tban a n quarter crop. The fly has been known to 1. attack potatoes in previous years, but in k those cases the injury was confined to the earlier varieties. This year, however, the 6 Derwents are the sufferers, and as these y constitute the main crop the loss is likely 3 to be very serious. B The application of the principle of the 5 phonograph to the violin is the latest jj musical curiosity. The result is the Stroh violin, which is claimed to be the only scientific violin ever made. The * inventor, Mr Stroh, has done away I, with the body of the violin, and for it n has substituted a circular flat diaphragm, or sound-box, five or six inches in 6 diameter, which is fastened to the side of 6 a wooden tube, to which the strings are r affixed in the usual way. The neck is 0 usaltered. The bridge of the " Stroh " oscillates almost imperceptibly as the bow is drawn across the strings, and the oscillation is conveyed to the diaphragm by a small pin. It is the oscillation of the air within the diaphragm that produces the sound, which is given out by an aluminium g trumpet. The instrument produces the tones of an ordinary violin, but it is claimed that the tones are richer. A curious discovery was made by the r farmers who were engaged fighting the 8 recent fire at Brae Springs, nearAlbury '6. (N.S.W.). They were at work on a high granite range, and were raking 'away the n burning debris, when a stone was precia pitated into a hole in the rocks, and was heard to strike against a tin. The men investigated, and, orawling through a small a hole, discovered a large cave, containing, »' among other things, sheepskins, tallow, ie soap, a quantity of new oornsaoks, and clothing. Nearly all the articles have been tt identified aB property stolen from farmers is in the surrounding districts. The existence y of the cave was hitherto unknown, and is supposed to be the store-houße of some 3) persons who are systematically engaged in [ B sheep-steeling and other robberies. il The Presidentjofjthe United States is to have a new executive building to live in at tt Washington, which will cost over £200,000. g The Washington correspondent of the London Express states that a bill appropriating this antount has just been intro- , duced in Congress, and will be passed. The necessity for the new building arises from tbe overcrowded condition of the a White House whenever the Presidential ti occupant happens to have a large family. The plans for the building are be be if selected by President Boosevelt. It is to s comprise a magnificent dining-room and a reception rooms on the first floor, and s Cabinet room and offices for the President and Executive clerks on the second floor. A nice present] for} Christmas—Solid 1 r silver brooches two shillings eaoh. B, W Sargent, Jeweller, Hawera.— Advt. '

The southern portion of the 'Frisco aail was brought down by express this aorning. A good deal of damage was done by fire .t Paul's brewery, New Plymouth, early his morning. Captain J. Reid, District Adjutant, is to mve command of the Auckland volunteer liafcricb during the absence of Colonel Navies in South Africa. It is likely that tb.B District Court busiless uncompleted on Friday will have to be postponed till a later date, as Acting-Judge Kenny has other pressing engagements, fhe balance may be taken by Judge Kettle. At the Supreme Court, Wellington, complimentary reference was made by the bhief Justice and the Orand Jury to the services rendsred in the interests of justice by Inspector Pender, whose early retirement lrom the police force has been announced. Constable Salmon, who got a nasty fall trom ahorse a few days ago, is likely to be incapacitated for a month or so. . Constable Clarke, of Wanganui, is here on relieving duty. The Palmerston North butchers have protested against the use of the Longburn freezing works as abattoirs by the local Borough Council. Dr. MaoGregor, head of the Hespital and Charitable Aid Department, will piobably leave for the Old Country shortly, on a holiday trip, ;News by the Ventura, at Auokland, states that the crew of the schooner Alice Maedonald, which recently put into Samoa in a leaky condition, mutinied. The schooner waR still at Apia when the Ventura left, and her crew refused to continue the voyage, because, as they stated, she was not seaworthy. His Honor Acting-District Judge Kenny is a believer in btringent cross-examination to test the credibility of witnesses, provided always that the questions are relevant to the case in issue, and not put purely for personal motives. At a meeting of the Native Council at Te Oreore, Wairarapa, a resolution was passed by the Maori women, and ordered to be sent through the Council to King Edward, expressing disgust at the German press criticism and approbation of the manner in whioh the war is being conducted. Much discrimination (remarks the Poverty Bay Herald) has to be exercised inregard to Native evidence as to the age of Maori old age pension claimants. ' The Native mind is very vague as to dates, and a year or two more or less is a small matter to them. la the granting of pensions Mr Barton is very particular as to the class of evidence adduced in support of the statements made that the Native claimants are over the age of 65 years. In several cases Mr Wi Pere deposed that the Natives applying were older than him self, and he was 65. He stated that when he was a child two rather vigorous female applicants were grown women, and used to ■ carry him about. Notwithstanding the M.H.R.'s testimony, Mr Barton, after a keen glance at the claimants with their " potaes " off, adjourned their applications for further proof of age. In doing so, His Worship remarked that he had to cancel a certificate in Wairoa a short time ago where a Wative minister had given evidence that the pensioner was over 65 years of age. It was afterwards proved that she was only 50. Satisfactory reports are to hand concerning business at the poultry export depots in the four centres of the colony, and the outlook for future operations is regarded as very encouraging. In four weeks, 3000 head of poultry have passed through the Christchurch Depot, and (says the Christchurch Press) large supplies are still forthcoming. The quantity prepared for export at tho Dunedin Depot for the same period has been limited to 1000 birds, but it is understood that many more will be coming forward within the next few days. Those interested in the breeding and rearing of poultry should bear in mind that the Agricultural Department has plenty of enquiries for birds for export, and the present demand is very keen. Our Dunedin correspondent states that for months past two-thirds of the birds sent to the local poultry depot have been rejected as unsuitable for export. Many of them are noticeably diseased — even passed birds when plucked have been thrown aside time out of number, owing to the evidence of tumour, hydatids, etc. Under the circumstances, it seems ridiculous to allow any poultry to appear in shop windows without a safeguarding brand being insisted upon as is the case with ordinary butchers' meat.