LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8145, 17 December 1904, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The resignation of Miss F. Thompson as assistant at Pihama was accepted by the Education Board. At its meeting on Friday New Plymouth Harbor Board was notified by its banker that the rate of interest on overdraft would in future be 5£ per cent. The Premier received a cablegram from London on Friday, stating that the Natal loan had failed. One and a half per cent, was taken up by the Sinking Fund Commissioners, and the rest by underwriters. Mr Newton King reports the sale, on account of the estate of the late W. C. Goodwin, of a farm of 111 acres, situate on Climie road, to Mr T. Bottin, of Salisbury road. Messrs Wood and Bedford, wine and spirit merchants, have sent an artistic calendar for 1905. Engravings illustrating the homes of the poets head each monthly j sheet. There will be a Church parade of the District High School Cadets at the Methodist Church to-morrow morning, when the Rev. C. Porter will give an address for the occasion on "The Battle of Life." Mr Porter will also preach at night on "The Burglar in the Human Heart." For further announcements see the advertisement in another column. A Hastings telegram states that a record in machine sheep shearing has been put up at Smith's Olrig Station, 20 shearers in 8$ hours doing 4229 sheep. During that period T. Gemell accounted for 280. Messrs John Maloney, James Tynan, Fred Watson, J. Huwiler, J. Crawford, ami A. Organ have been gazetted a Domain Board for the Punehu Domain, and the first meeting is fixed for Monday, January 16th, at 7 p.m. in the Te Kiri Hall. The steamer Ayrshire, which sailed from Wellington on Thursday afternoon for South Africa and West of England ports, via Sydney and Fremantle, took the following cargo from New Zealand : — 3888 boxes butter, 14 cases cheese, 7652 sacks oats, 329 bales hemp, 80 cases poultry, 20 cases fish, 28 cases furniture, 3 cases brushes, and miscellaneous general cargo. Mr Cohen, solicitor, Wanganui, on the bona-fide traveller: — "The licensing laws as they now exist, with their most recent amendment, have bewildered the legislators who made them, amazed the public who are inflicted with them, embarrassed the police who have to enforce them, amazed the Magistrates, who have to construe them, and gladdened the hearts of the lawyers, whose pockets are enriched by them.

The Manutabi School picnic (a correspondent writes) was held on December 14. Mr and Mrs Gadsby kindly lent their grounds for the occasion, and a large number of scholars, parents, and visitors were present, including several members of the committee. Sports, including running, jumping, and tugof-war were indulged in. The Chairman (Mr Ward) presented the prizes to the school children, each one obtaining a very handsome book. The day was most enjoyable, and every one seemed pleased with the day's outing. Three ringing cheers were given for Mr and Mrs Gadsby, the ladies who provided the luncheon, Miss Howie (the teacher),

and for the Chairman. One ~way of keeping a husband from roving was told in the Wellington Divorce Court on Thursday by a wife. Her husband had taken out a passage ticket for Melbourne, and when he dropped his box on the wharf, preparatory to going on board the steamer, his wife promptly sat on the box until the steamer was half-way down the harbor. Later on, however, she lent her husband money in order to get rid of him. After about five years' absence he returned, and announced his presence by breaking the windows of the house where his family were living. Evidence was given that all the money he ever sent his wife and children was £1 "Anything else?" asked His Honor. "Yes," replied the witness, under examination, "he sent a postcard with the compliments of the season." A table has been compiled by the Department of Agriculture giving the quantity and value of certain exports passed tnrough the Customs for the eight months ended 30th November. Butter totalled 109,335cwt, valued at £427,970, a3 against 115 985cwt, valued at £537,613, for the corresponding period of last year; cheese, 28,196cwt, value £61,353, against 250,459cwt, value £71,705; frozen beef, j.&0,456cwt, value £153,575, against 129,966cwt, value £169,097; frozen mutton, 659,9313cwt, value £899,311, against 795,296cwt, value £989,496 ; frozen lamb, 358,110cwt, value £632,499. against 415,448cwt, value £658,480. The wheat exported was valued at £84,483, .against £6281 for the same period in 1903; oats, at £155,633, against £343,835; and potatoes at £8122, against £11,601. At Dunedin on Friday, Mr Justice Williams to-day gave his decision dismissing, with costs, the motion for a new trial in the case of Shearer v. the Corporation. Plaintiff, who . was knocked down by an electric tramcar was awarded damages by a jury, and it was sought to have this verdict set aside. His Honor thought the case came within the rule stated by Lord Penzance in Raelley v, the London and North-Western Railway Company. The plaintiff may have been negligent, and may have been knocked down not oy the motorman's negligence, but by his own. It was, however, the motorman's subsequent negligence which prevented the car from stopping immediately after the collision. Generally speaking he thought that if a man was run over on a track and the motorman did not know he had been run over the jury would be entitled to find that the motorman was negligent in not keeping a good look-out.

A telegram from Gisborne states that the Cook County Council on Friday appointed a committee to report as to ways and means of constructing a light railway from Karaka to the Waiapu County boundary, the co-operation of the Waiapu Council to be sought. Councillor Matthews, the mover, said that in this district there were 744,000 acres still unoccupied, in the hands of natives, and there was only one white man to a thousand acres in Waiapu County. For a loan of £100,000 a rate over the two counties and borough of only l-6d in the £ would be needed, and if the line paid, as there was every prospect of its doing, there would be no necessity to strike a rate.

"The most awful moment for me," writes Lieutenant Hessen, who tooK par' in the terrible fighting for Kuropatk'n's Eye, "was the bayonet combat in thi dust. Dust lay four inches thick and when the wind rose it was impossible to see a yard ahead. The tramping Japanese infantry raised still more, and 'as the wind blew from behind them, they come on in an impenetrable crow;!. . . . I choked, and for folly a minute I saw not a single human being, though I heard shots, shouting, and the clash of steel. Then something bright struck up within a foot of my chest, and I fired at a dim form which groaned and fell. It was no use holding a sword, but 1 kept my pistol ready lor a. hand-to-hand fight. I began to think I had been carried up into the sky, and nearly fainted from the heat and suffocating dry particles, i A dead body banged against me and knocked me down. It was one of oar men.' Then a rush came, and I found myself borne back by an almost invisible melee of Russians and Japs, fighting bayonet to bayonet, or locked arm in awn. I feared to use my revolver again, not knowing whom I might hit. ■ In the darkness two of our men actually fought one another, one killing (be other. . . . Thii time the Japs were repulsed, but why Show I can give no coherent explanation, all I jaw was dust, ghostly forms, and an occasional gleam of steel." T. Dickson and Co., Hawera Boot Palace, /nave a replace advertisement in this issue. If you are troubled with indigestion, constipation, liver or kidney ailments, Dr finsor's Tamer Juice will cure you. Ajtt. riorc».— id**. 'kmtm

Last night the Commonwealth team of world's champion axemen and sawyers reached Elthara oy the express train alter a splendid trip from Hobart via Bluff. They were met at the station by the members of the executive committee, and were afterwards entertained at a dinner given in their honor at the Coffee Palace. The team, comprising eight in number, all look in splendid condition. After competing at Eltham most of them will visit various other centres where chopping sports are held. Unfortunately Mr Gus Blanc will not be able to make a long stay in the colony, and will probably have to leave for his home in Victoria immediately after tho Eltham carnival. The New Zealand members of the team, Messrs Casey and Hutton, speak kindly of the way they were treated whilst in Tasmania. It is understood that Mr E. R. Terry, the world's record holder in 12 and 15-inch blocks, will attempt to establish fresh New Zealand records in small timber. The visitors are greatly impressed with the prosperous appearance of the colony, which they say is in marked contrast with things in Tasmania. On Wednesday evening a smoke concert (Mr J. Phillips in the chair) was given at Mokoia to Mr Donald Campbell, who is leaving the district. After the usual formal toasts the chairman, on behalf of the people of Mokoia, presented Mr Campbell with a travelling bog as a slight token of their regard. Mr Curteis, as representing the young men, made the guest a presentation of an illuminated address, signed by all those present. Mr Bowman, manager of the dairy factory, said that as his assistant Mr Campbell | had always been painstaking and trustworthy. He (Mr Bowman) had often to leave the entire factory in his assistant's • chaige, and, upon returning, he hod always found everything order. He concluded by saying he considered Mr Campbell thoroughly competent to take up his new- work, and wished him success in his new duties. Mr Campbell thanked one and all for their kindness. During the evening refreshments were handed round, and songs and recitations were given by Messrs Worsley, Hickey, Holmes, Murphy and Curteis, while Mr W. McHugh manipulated the phonograph. Mr Miller, Mr Campbell's successor, was present, and was welcomed by the chairman. The Wanganui Herald gives the following account of the accident by which a lad, Fred Eadie, lost his life on Thursday : — Deceased and a man named Thomas Zimsley, who were employed by Mr J. B. McGregor, of Cherry Bank, were driving home in the latter's milk cart, and when crossing the railway line the seven o'clock mixed train dashed into the vehicle, with the result that the trap was smashed to pieces, the occupants thrown out, and the horse killed. The train was quickly brought to a standstill, and the injured man and boy placed in the guard's van. It was seen that the injuries to the lad were of a most serious nature, his neck apparently having been broken. All speed was made to Aramoho, from where a telephone message was despatched requesting a doctor and the ambulance van to meet the train at Wanganui. However, before the irain reached St. John's station, the unfortunate lad Eadie had breathed his last. The other occupant of the trap — Zimsley — was found to have fortunately escaped with nothing worse than a dislocated shoulder and a scalp wound. He was taken to the Hospital, where he received every attention, and is progressing as favorably as could be expected. Young Eadie was a bright and promising lad, who passed the Sixth Standard at the recent examinations at the Aramoho School, where he was well liked by the teachers and very popular with the rest of the scholars. From what we can hear it would appear that the driver of the engine noticed the trap being driven towards the crossing, and kept the whistle gome continuously to warn the occupants of their danger. However, the horse was kept at a gallop, the intention of those in the trap being apparently to cross the danger line before the train reached there. Either that or else the horse had become frightened at the whistling and bolted.