NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7629, 16 December 1902, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

. « Tho annual school concert will be held ( on Wednesday evening next (writeß our } Normanby correspondent), when a firstclass programme by tbe scholars will be presented, and, no doubt, as usual, the ball will be well filled to help provide sinews of war for the youngsters' picnic. It is rumoured in Wellington that an attempt is likely lo be made to repeal the Woman's Franchise legislation in order to, in EOme measure, weaken the prohibition vote in the colony. A prominent legislator has slated that a " pricked card " shows that such a proposal wculd be carried in the Upper Chamber by 14 votes. It is understood (say& the O-iinaru Mail) tbat at a meeting held last week the hotelkeepers of Oatnaru came to a decision thas if any of their number infringed the law in regard to selling liquor on Sunday, or during illegal hours, or by supplying intoxicated persons, he shou'd pay a fine of d£so. '• You have a State Bull at your I Sbow," remarked Mr Seddon at the ' Nelson Show banquet, and huge laughter prevailed in ihe room for Borne time. Mr Seddon nieaDt the bull "Earl of Drumdow,'' now in charge of Mr Cokmao, but (says the Mail) those present did not seem to grasp that interpretation till later. A remarliable instance of fecundity in sheep is reported as having (ak«n piuca at Carrum, Victoria. Two comeback ewes have produced ten lambs in eleven and a-half months, and all lived and thrived, two of tbe lambs having been ■ sold recently at 17s 6d per head. 1 Another two on the same farm has produced eight lambs in two years. I It has been common ta'k in Gore during the past few days (writes a Dunedin correspondent) tbat a local solicitor, in whom the trade places grea*. reliance, has bten offered >f be can upset the local option poll, and that be has expressed great Wuh ia his ability to do co A repo;t from Lismore (N.S.W.) states that au* attempt was made lately to rob Hicks and Co.'s bacon factory at South Lismore, bviwecn 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning. Mr Hicks fired on one man who was running away, but he jumped iuto tbe river and swam uway. Three arrests were mude. One man's back was riddled with shot. Further acquaintance with the Australian clip of 1902, as evidenced by the wools which have so far appenred on the show floors, on'y lends (says tho Pastorallbts' Review) to confirm the impression previously formed that a seriously large proportion of the Australian clip is very poorly grown, with little body, and wasty jo un extent which has nevt-r bsen equalled 6inee that year of unhappy memory — 1885. A group of " cockatoos " in South Australia petitioned tbe GovtrnmeLt for a mail bag, wbicii one of them, wiio ran a siuall store, agreed to deliver and fetch from the nearest postal towns-hip, 18 miles away. A bag was sent accordingly ; but seven weeks passed a>id it w<ts not returned, so the head office wro % e to enquire about it, and rtc. iv» d this reply :—: — <• The mail kum al) ji^ht ,* fh* is bunging on a nail in back so c, out not half full \et. May be I will be tiding i.i to Yelta next full moon and will b.-ioR her along." A meeting of aucionctrs and bu'chtrs at Chrstchurch decided to csttibluli an insurance fund to compensate for beasts condemned under the Government vegula'.ions. Vendor and bujer will each contribute Is p-r head for oach auitcal sold and bought in the. fat pens at Addingron, and tbe buyer of the condemned animal will ba entitled to receive the diffi rpnee between the umount pail and tho Government compensation. Aged cows will not be insured. Aa exp'rt will be appointed, with powoc to disallow insurance on any parisular animal before Bale. A writer in the New Zealand HctHld asserts that gumdigging and timberworking have really D9en the bane of the North, so far as settlement i* concerned. These industries (says the writer) have yielded millions of pounds s'erliag, but they have done little to penmnemly benefit tbe country. If timber and gum had been properly taxed, and the revenue from them devoted to tha mak-ng ol , main roa^s and the building of bridges, we should not hear so much of the track* less North, and with proper communication settlement would hive increased much more rapidly than it has done. Th> jawbone apparently of aa extinct , reptile has recently been discovered on the banks of the Rangitikei river, weßt of the Ruahine range. The which is of considerable size, has been sent to Cbri3tchurch foe expert classification. Considerable in U vest is being taken in the matter, as the old Maoris in that district have circumstantial stories of an animal calk d by them taniwha. It was a gigantic reptile, end inhabited the inland lukes. The Ruataniwha plains, 1 th9y say, were once en inland lake, and, . as the origin of the name — rua (tbe habitation or home of) and tp.niwba (a ivptiie) — goes to sbow, the haunt of thesu creatures. The Free Lance siys: Wellington reflects the prosperity of the farming com1 inanity, and in that rtsptct ti a remark1 ably fine barometer. Who can deny trat the farmers a-o prosperous, and I prosperous to a degree uevtr known before. The mere tnurce;atio2i of well known facts will carry conviction to the 1 reader: — Wool is high, mut'on is selling 1 at i\cord prices, boet is in the same position as mutton, butter is biinging bett.fr prices than loss season, cheese te ! higher than at any previous season, tallow is bringing highly payable pr'ces, hemp is keeping up well, potatoes are making big money, graiii9 of nil kinds are st high prices. In connection with the proposal tn oil the streets as' a preventive ngainst dust, Mr A. 0. Mountain, ci;y surveyor ci Melbourne, has recently been making inquiries as to the value of this process, and as a result be is not greatly iinpfcsto'l with the idea. "When the ques (ion was raised in Melbourne a few months ago, be endeavored to gain information as to its success in Amenca, where it was stated to be largely used A letter from Sacramento arrived by a recent mail, in which it was sta'ed that it had "been used on the dusty roads in 1 the \icinity of that city, but that it had , only achieved a fair success. It was not , to be compared with water, and was much bobind several other kinds of roadway. This statement, coming from America, where the average load is Dolorously bad, does not augur much good from oiled roads in New Zealacd. Accounts against Mr C. E. Major in conneotion with IJawera eleotion are to be sent in before 22nd December. Mr Boase's stock being now complete, our '' readers are respectfully invited to inspect ' the goods, which have been carefully selected, and contain everything suitable for presents for all ages and tastes. Mr Boase informs us he is already doing a large business, so we would recommend^ our readers to call early and secure the best of tho goods before they go.

One of the places of interest omitted in the itinerary of the Tourist Department ] ib Maketu, famous in Maori history : (says the Kotorua Chronicle). It is - situated on the Eaßt Coast, about thirty- J eeven miles from Botorua. There tbe Maori can be seen at home, still living in the old fighting pa that was occupied by his people at the time of Cook's visit. There are some fine specimens of Maori architecture in the village, consisting of carved houses and patakas. A visit to Okurei, or " Town Point," as named by Cook, is very interesting. On every hill around can be seen old fighting pas, each with its history of blood, slaughter, and cannibalism. Ac the mouth of the river are the Angiangi trees (Coprostna), where the Arawa canoe landed sixteen generations ego. and her two stone anchors, Tokaparore and Tuterangihaiuru, are still visible. As a change from Botorua.it is a delightful outing; there is pleniy of sea fishing, aud goo 3 accommodation can be bad in tbe vichrty. To-morrow and on the following day, an industrial exhibition will be held at the District High School in order to celebrate the opening of the new chss rooms and provide funds for the gymnasium, etc. The work of getting the rooms in order is well under way, and the exhibition, judging by what our reporter saw last evening, should prove interesting and instructive. The centr-ul room, a fine large apartment, will be hung ! with pictures and generally embellished Here visitors may promenade and at intervals watch exhibitions of physical dri'l and dumb-bell and-otb.tr exercises by the pupils. Off this room, at the fni* right, will be a fernery. In the rooms on the right of the central room will be tbe ! carving and carpentry exhibits, tho work !to be shown being very good In tbe old I ii. fan's' room tbe competitions will be j held. The science room* fully equipped according lo the direction of the R^v. W. 'J. Habens, Inspector-General, should prove a source of much attraction to the visitors. All the appliances are up,to date, nnd experiments may be carried out by thirty pupils at one ! time. The room will aceommoda'e tixty scholars. Mr Strack has evidently determiafd that the curios sba'l be a feature of the exhibition. In addition to many rare thing 9 supplied by himself aud others lent by friends and ex pupil?, he has succeeded in securing tho loan of £150 worth from Mr J. Butterworth, of New Piyraouih, as well as samples of knives and other things manufactured from Taranaki ironsand (the latter exhibits have been kindly lent by Mr E. M. Smith). In connection with the curio room, a looal lady who ba3 lived in the islands, will give an exhibition of cocoanut butter-rnak'.ng. A Christmas tree will be found in one of the class rooms, and kindergarten work and needlework will be displayed in other rooms. Befreshnients will be provided. The exhibition shou-d attract much attention. The Cromwell Argus says that the mortality amongst horses all over the Molyneaux district is exceptionally heavy. From causes as yet unexplained, even those who take scrupulous care of their stock fall victims to substantial losses in horses. Some say that the sand may be the cause of much mischief in. the direction indicated ; others that the snow water is accountable to some extent for the evil which has hitherto been a substantial tax on the carriers. The Rev Minor-Canon Besley, of St. Paul's Cathedral, who has taken a prominent part in all the great public services of the present year, is an "old boy" of Wanganui Collegiate School. His fine voice and finished singing have brought him into great request for all the principal " singing parts," which form so important a phase of a Minor Canon's official duties ; he also enjoys a high reputation as a preacher. There is said to be a family in the back blocks from Eketahuna which is absolutely running wild. The children have never seen a school, and their language is absolutely unintelligible. So seldom do they see a stranger that when one recently visited the house the youngsters became terrified and hid themselves from view.—Express. The following receipt for whooping cough forwarded by an Auckland lady prominent in the nursing profession of that city to a resident in Wanganui is certainly simple, and is guaranteed by the sender to effect a cure in almost every case in nine days :—": — " As much white resin as will lie on a sixpence, mixed in a teaspoonful of honey, for three mornings; then miss three mornings, and give again the next three mornings. Every morning (for the nine days) rub chest and spine with garlic." The other night a young man, apparently about 21 years of age, walked into the Central Police Station at Sydney and asked for the officer in charge. He stated that he had murdered a man in San Francisco four years ago, and wished to be taken \ ' into custody. He said that he was , an American sailor, and recently arrived in a sailing ship, but deserted at Newcastle about six weeks ago. 1, Since that time he had been unable , to get employment. He was lodged in one of the cells at the station, and the police are making enquiries. The Napier Daily Telegraph referring ' to the vacancies which have occurred in the Legislative Council, says :— ' " When the new a'ppjointjments a!nd 1 the reappointments arc made, the Go1 vernment, to act with any approach to justice, must study tho North Is1 land. This, having more than half ; the -total population of the colony, is > so unfairly treated that the roll of r the Legislative Council, as at the end ! of last session shows only 18 North , Island members out of a total of 46. The North is thus at least five mem- , bcrs behind, so that of the new ap- , pomtments to bo made shortly that number ought lo be allotted to the North. ' Tho .shocking death of a boy, aged 1 11 years, named Wallace, occurred at ■ Mildura. The boy, in company with I a cousin of about the same age, had been watering a pony, which was led by a clothes line which Wallace had placed around his body. The pony took fright and bolted, d wigging the b,oy for upwards of four miles through planted land aud across the irrigation channel. The unfortunate lad quickly succumjbed to his terribfle , injuries. An inqjuiry w'ds not considered necessary, and deceased, who was the son of an old resident, Mr Jfobert . Wallace, waa buried on Saturday. ; The Rangitikei Advocate says : — We believe Mr R. K. Simpson, of Bonny Glen, holds the record for Nfsw Zealand for continuous service as a member of a local bfbdy. Daring his absence on |iis" trip Home lie was reelected to the position of a member of the Rangitikei County Council, and on completion of the present term he will have held office -vithout a break for forty years. A rather exciting incident occurred in Waipawa on Wednesday night. A hungry individual espied the shutters of a butcher's cart ajar, so he crept inside and secured a leg of mutton. The vigilant nightwatchman, however, watched his suspicious movements, and raised an alarm, 'which brought the owner of the^ shop from his nice warm bed. The krtfghH, of the cleaver and the nightwatchman, armed with knife and steel, /barged tho unsuspecting burglar and smote him so unmercifully that he Jeft the lo- of mutton and took to his Leels. As a general rule seamen do not take naturally to the role of witnesses in judicial proceedings, and this fact has been exemplified more than once during the progress of the inquiry into the wreck of the Ehngamite. One of the witnesses called yesterday did not give his evidence with that freedom from reserve and self-consciousness which the examining counsel (the Hon. J. A. Tole) desired. The chairman, Mr. flaselden, said he thought the Avitness »vas rather nervous, and ho remarked, "Some of these sailors are more afraid of counsel than they are of rocks," Mr Tole reminded the witness that he was only required to speak the truth. " That's what I am trying to do " was the reply, " but you won't believe me." Mr Tole : " I did not say that I did not believe you." " No, you did not say so," rejoined the witness, who gavo the concluding portion of his evidence with more freedom than he had exhibited up to this time.

Viscount Northland (son of Lord Ranfurly), of the Coldstream (ui&rds, is to leave England at Christmas, to take tip his duties aB A.D.C. to his father. In connection with the Timaru Harbour Board's breakwater extension works a strike has occurred All ihh quarry hands have refused work, be- ' cause of the dismissal by the engin-cer-in-chargie of a worker who acted as spokesjman for a depu-tatioln of quarry workers. They held a meeting, and formed a union, and a deputation waited on the Board, which decided that work in quarries shall cease for the present, and the men will be at liberty to take other work. A well-known resident of Gore had a somewhat exciting encounter with a performing- bear one evening last week. The animal (according to theMat aura Ensign) was accommodated at one of the livery stables, and escaped from its temporary confinement. The gentleman referred to pluckily proceeded to turn it back, and the animal rewarded him for his efforts by biting him, savagely on the thigh. The victim was armed only with an umbrella, and witii this he jabbed the bear in the eye, and it renewed the attack by clawing, on*; of his hands badly. Eventua'ly, 1 owever, the bear was restored to the captivity from which it never should have emerged, and the gentleman! proceeded to make extensive purchases of sticking-plaster. > The regulations regarding the payment of overtime to officers of the Post and Telegraph Department are altered by an Order-in-Council published in, the Gazette this week. Overtime, under the conditions set forth, will be paid for at the following rates .-—Officers drawing salaries exceeding £250, 2s 6d per hour ; officers drawing salaries exceeding- £'200, and not exceeding £250, 2s ; officers drawing salaries exceeding £100, and not exceeding £200, Is 6d ; cadets and cadettes, Is ; letter-carriers and postoffice messengers, Is 6d ; distributors and others in non-clerical _ divisiori drawing salaries not exceeding! £100, Sd ; telegraph messengers, 6d. Mr Shiels, the new Victorian Treasurer, had a warm time at the hands of Senator M'Gregor, the Commonwealth Labour leader, the other day. As far as physical fitness was concerned, Mr Shiels, the Senator stated, was not the equal of the boys who swept the streets of Melbourne, and as regarded his mental ability, he was not fit to clean the knockers of the doors of some of the city's professional men. Yet this man had the audacity to stand up in Parliament and denounce the Labour Party and Civil Servants, because they had banded together to defend their own interests. Such slanderous abominations as had been uttered b>y Mr Shiels on Tuesday night cotild only come from the lips of one who had neither the ability nor the fitness to compete with men who had fought their way in life by their own exertions The Otago Daily Times states that the following information, received; from the Collector of Customs, may prove of interest to importers of cigars and tobacco '—Cigars made in Germanj' and other places are sometimes put up in boxes, which, in general appearance, closely imitate cigars made elsewhere, with the words " Habana," " Manila," etc., branded on the lids. In order to counteract the misleading effect of • bis, the; words " Made in " are to bo bianded across the brand containing* the words " Havana," " Manila," etc., in an equally conspicuous manner. When the labels inside the box are of a misleading character, the lid inside is also to be conspicuously branded, " Made in ". In order to avoid the necessity for opening boxes, the latter requirement will not be 'insisted on until after 31st May next ; this will enable importers to have the branding referred to done in the country of export. An extraordinary assertion has been made recently (says the Melbourne Argus) regarding the actions of a well known judge of sheep i«,t country shows. Though a man of high, social standing and of considerable popularity, it is stated that he used his position as judge in order to give the awai'ds to his own exhibits, which were entered in the names of other persons. Suspicion arose in October last, when at a country chow the whole of the awards were given to the same exhibitors, two young men living in a neighbouring town. The president of the society, who gave attention to the matter, was impressed by the fact that the jadge, whose actions were in question, made it a rule never to act> with any other judge. After mature consideration, it was decided to place the matter in the hands of the police. Two difficulties were encountered, the chief being> the doubt as to whether the alleged offender had laid himself open to any specific charge, however mush the action might We reprobated . The case was placed in the hands of Detective McManammy, and the decision of the Crown Law authorities is now awaited. Meanwhile Detective McManammy paid two visits to Gippsland, and interviewed the judge. .The result of the detective's vis\t has bfcen to obtain a statement from f.he judge, in which the facts are fully yJmitted. It has not yet been decided whether a prosecution will be undertaken.'