LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8241, 13 June 1905, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Land Commission liavo been granted an extension of time for the presentation of their report from June- Ist to 20th. . '

Whakururu Whatitiri, the native arrested for burglary at Elthani, after carrying on as if Tie were insane almost ever since he was arrested, has given up the farce, and confessed that ho .had committed the robberies, and showed the police where he had hid certain papers. In spite of lhc reports about the unsatisfactory quality of the butter shipped Home by the Matatua (says the Taranaki Herald), it is evident that some of the butter was all right. Mr H. Okey, Chairman of the Frankley Road Pairy Factory Co., baa shown the account sales of .the factory's shipment hy that steamer. Of 63 boxes, six realised 110s, fifty 109s 6d, and seven 106b.

A number of farmers in various parts of the Ashburton county are already complaining of being over-stocked with sheep. It is estimated that there is a large increase in sheep in tho country as compared with last year. Several prominent graziers consider that tho over supply of sheep in the district will become a serious matter in the course of a month or two, more especially in tho event of a severe winter.

Referring to the Land Commission's proceedings at Feilding, the Wellington' Evening Po.st says : "Instead of travelling as slowly as a funeral and adjourning to the afternoon if there are not witnesses enough to kill time in the morning, it has now resolved itself, with what legal power

we do not know, into two sub-^commis-sions, eaclr of which hurries from place to place, sits with its hand on its watch, and if the accelerated timetable does not allow time to hear the witnesses in attendance, leaves them with their stories untold, and flies elsewhere at express speed." Once more the New Zealand mail via San Francisco is to be late in reaching .London (says a London correspondent, under date April 28). A cable message just received is to the effect that the Now Zealand mails which left Auckland on March 31 in the steamer Ventura are to be forwarded to-day by the German steamer Deutschland, and, therefore, will not be delivered in London until Wednesday next, four days late. This frequent unpunctualily is becoming a serious nuisance, and is stirring up a strong feeling of annoyance in the city. Organised by Ihe peculiar sect- called i Iho HoJy Ghost and tho United Stiito Socioty, where iriembcrs reside on the coast of tho State of Maine, a novel religious crusade. is shortly to be carried out. The sect has purchased two schooner yachts, one of which is the celebrated racer Coronet, the winner of the raw from New York to Quccnslown in 1887. - Thirty missionaries will bo placed on board each of the vessels to scatter their ' peculiar teachings all over the world. The society prohibits mcdil-ino, tobacco, and alcohol, and advocates flogging for the sinful. Eiglilrau C'hLnosc ar rived from Sydney by the Warrimoo at Wellington last week. Six of them were returning to the colony, two belonging to Wellington, three to Dunedin, and one to Wanganui. The remaining twelve contribute XJIOO each poll tax. Two of the number being women, they will probably be refunded their money by special concession of the Commissioner for Customs, as they were married immediately f«i nrrivjil. The Jtev. J. K. Elliott officiated at Die double ceremony, which took place at the premises of Sing Koe and Co. The bridegrooms wero a. Chinese storekeeper, of Dnnnevirko, and a. Wellington storekeeper. We recently republished portion of a. controversy Unit has been carried on in the Ixmdon Times between , the Agcut-C'oneral for New Zealand and Mr Kwarl. Grogan, regarding an alleged outflow of New Zealand farmers to the Argentine. Mr Reeves' adversary is well- ■ known in New Zealand, which ho visited . about three years ago. Ho spent some , months in this colony, making himself acquainted with its conditions. Mr Grogan, • who has travelled extensively, made t lie . journey from the Cape to Cairo, a subject • on which he lectured during his stay in , *>ew Zealand. His political leanings are ' strongly Tory. Mr Grogan married a -■ ilawke's Bay lady. The following appeared in a conlcin- »' porary : — "The youngest delegate at tho > Fanners' Union Conference, at Wanganui, f was Mr H. E. Wolfcndcn, secretary of the Shannon branch, who is one of the coming Shorthorn breeders of the colony. At • tho last Christchurch Show he created n - sensation when the champion bull of thai breed was put up for sale by making the ■' first bid 300 guineas. This so staggereti other intending purchasers that they re '> frsiincd from bidding, and the animal waj v kuockod down at this sensational figure U „ the young North Islander. The bull Si) . Oswald, by the way, is the only English bred >Shortncrn in the colony, having takci 8 two firsts as a calf at Home, and having "- now six firsts and two championships t< t . its credit. Mr Woolfcnden has been of v feral and refused 500 guineas for it. d Father lfays expresses himself perfectly tl satisfied with the results of his tcur ii tho South Island ; indeed, he declares tha L * they have quite exceeded his anticipa II tions. '"True," he adds, "I have not ha< is their active co-operation, but I have beei , r well supported by the Roman Catholic , all through the colony; so far, one-thin in most places, and in others one-half, o « my audiences have been, of my own faith. 1 d The rev. gentleman vigorously combats ai ]. insinuation that he is deriving prcfit fron . his lecturing tour, and declares the sug gestiou that he is obtaining a monetar; *• reward for himself, small or great,, i it utterly without foundation. It is made , s perhaps, under an honest misapprehen sinn. but it does not contain a particl

of truth. He will, lie adds, hardly return homo a. poorer man than whon lie set out, but he will certainly return no

richer. Speaking at ihe third annual meet in; nf Iho Automoliilo Club of South Af'ric n. 1 .. Capetown recently, Mr Kudyarcl Kiplin: said, according to the Cape Times: — "I •hcemed only ycateulay that they wcr Kiini-oflicially described as children <> iioliat. urging Juggernaut cars over th prostrate forms of a paralysed popu'atiou Today they were no longrr a stench ii llii! nostrils of their follow men; to-da; they moved in t lie ordour of sauct.ilv When they went out. they proceeded when they came back (Key returned They could go out six days a week, am he was credibly informed that ther were (rcople who did it on, Sundays. Tin legend of the broken-down car bciii; taken home by the broken-down lion* would very rapidly take its plate with th legend of the mother-in-law and th i!*'gend of the lodging-house cat." Replying to the toast of ihe Parlin menb of Now Zealand at a banquot t< Iho Governor at Balclutha, Sir Joscpl Ward incidentally referred to Ihe, utter iiiico of Lord Lansdowno on the. Anglo Japanese alliance, and said that he had n< hesitation in saying that, a general asson would bo given to that statesman's stiggr-s (ion that the alliance should be not onl; runowfld but that it should be strengthen' ril. On the part of the other nations then was a large amount of jealousy of tin prosperity and progression of the. Brilisl Empire, and it was necessary that an alii a nee such as that existing with Japai should be continued and extended. In thi p*eat war which the Japanese were carry ing on they had proved that they wen invincible, and an alliance with tha Power would add strength to both nations Una could understand the, Govovnniou <leciding that among tli« conditions fo

future luans upon mortgage to Hie, .SUH< should I>p one providing for insurance ol I uildinus in Iho Stale Fire Insurance 1 Department. If the woul<l-l)o liorrower dkl

likn the terms he could leave- them. \V'h:it. is not so comprolioiisilile is that Iho fiovorninuit should issue to mortgagors rirouhirs as under:— "T have lo inlvisp yon Inat the. Cabinet has instructed that 'all lire insurances in connection with mort{••iges granted by this Department are (o 1 n effected in the State, Fire Insurance, Department. It' will therefore. Im> necessary for you to arrange for tho transfer of tho undermentioned policy covering buildings on your property to the Stale office at the expiry of the current po.riod of tho policy." Wo imagine (says an exchange) fiat a. mortgagor could liardly bo bound l>y the Cabinet's decision. A Wanganui man has invented a device !■• giv:> absolute security against accidents at railway crossings. It is called the automatic, triple signal, aaid takes the form of a box post about twelve feet high to be erected by tho side of a. lino at any crossing or upon any elevated posit ion most conspicuous. , ■ Tt combines first an arm to which is affixed a disc lettered "danger, traiix approaching," and second two rod glass discs which fn3l and cover a light burning upon a shelf at tho post head, and third a ten inch bell struck by triple revolving hammers from the inside, thus securing compactness amd free and uninterrupted radiation of sound waves directly outward. The bell has a capacity of one hundred and twenty peals and can ln> adjusted to any rate of speed or pitch I of tone. Either set or signals can b© used independently, and the automatic action of the contrivance is such that no train can pome within zone of its action without bringing the signal to its position indicative of 'Vloso" or "danger" and likewise no train can retreat without returning tliem to "clear" or "safely." Philip Eva, a man of 52 years of age, residing at Egmont road, applied at the S.M. Court on Monday (says the Taranaki News) for an order against his two sons, Jlarry and Philip Eva, to contribute towards his maintenance. The applicant staled that ho had been partially blind for the past 12 or 18 months, otherwise h<j would not ask for a penny. He was without employment, and had no means whatever. His wife was in fhe hospital, and there were four younger children residing away from home. Harry Eva, trainer, stated that he had always helped his father a, little. Ho was quite willing So consent to an order, but did not want to sco th© money go in drink. The Magistrate, made an order against each of the sons for payment of 5s per week, warning the applicant that if he drank the order would bo revoked. Eva (who explained tuat he had taken the proceedings on the advice of the Charitable Aid Board) asked whether lie could not issue a similar summons against each of his two < unmarried brothers. "They are pretty well in,*' he informed the Bench. Mr Hutchison said that brothers, were certainly "near relatives" as defined in the Act, and that Eva could proceed against tliem. - ' CHURNS ! ' CHURNS ! Now is the ' right time to, buy a new Churn. Just landed' (in three sizes), the wonderful "Perfect Churn." . It is made, of stamped tinned 'steel, and is worked by cog wheola. Chiirna very quickly, and makes beautiful granular butter in 10 minutes. Quito a new 6tyle of beater. Call and inspect. Prices are right ! 1 F. J. WRIGLEY, JtLwbea.

Mr W. A. Quin reports lease of Mr Bolgur's fine farm on the Rowan road; also , of section on the Main South road, and Z 40 acres on the Tawhiti road. The winter dairy school, in connection jj with the Stratford Technical School, will « commence shortly (says the Post), under the instructorship of Mr J. 0. Dromgool, B.Sc. About, twenty-five pupils may be admitted from outside schools, and these " will be given free railway passes. It is intended to teach a system of dairying arithmetic by means of graphos. Farmers will be invited to send samples of milk v to the school to be tested. r Tho Union Steamship Company have t [recently establislied a superannuation I jheme under which members of the cleriil staff will be retired on a pension at ;es varying from 60 to 65. The fund t as been liberally endowed by the board t I directors, and is to begin with and be t ipplemcuted by contributions from mem- ( ers of the staff in amounts representing j percentage of salaries varying according 3 the ages of the contributors. The | lembers of the company's staff who have j cached an age which excludes them from ( articipating in the scheme will be retired ( n the usual compensation. , Although many crops of potatoes m arioiis parts rf the colony have been atacked by blight, it is not expected (says he Wellington Post) that New Zealand vill have to import potatoes to any exent. In fact, one Wellington merchant s confident that the colony, notwithstanding the outbreak of the disease, will it ill have sufficient potatoes to meet all ho local requirements. He states that Ut hough prices have hardened of late I here is reason to believe that they will recede before long. He states that large iiuantilies of potatoes are still in the iiouth Island pits, and that being so, he Joes not see liow it will pay to import from Tas'iianiii, where tho crops have been unusually large. News of the outbreak of tho potato disease having reached California a firm there has approached a Wellington firm with a view to large shipments to New Zealand. A reply has been sent that there is no necessity at present to place amy orders outside the colony. Tho establishment of municipal milk depots is sought to be secured by a bill introduced in the Imperial Parliament by Mr T. Lough, and backed, among others, by Sir Charles Dilke- and Dr Macnamara. Those depots, according to the explanatory memorandum attached to the bill, are for the sale of pure and sterilised milk for infants. But ilio bill itself (says the London Daily Telegraph) imposes no such limit, for tho definition given to the term "milk depot" is an establishment for the purification, improvement, preservation, sterilisation and sale of milk and cream. Tho whole field of milk purveying is thus opened to municipal enterprise. The trade is accordingly opposing the threatened competition. In 1902 the borough of Batlursea began to supply sterilised milk for infants. Eacli year the Local Government Board auditor surcharged the expenditure. But the Board has cadi year remitted the surcharge, and has intimated that it would do so in the case of Lambeth, which last year decided to establish a similar institution. Parliament is now asked to confer powers upon such councils as may wish to maintain milk depots free from the feur of surcharge. Most people pride themselves on their adherence to "principle," but, alas'.thejr ideas of principle arc too often a mere regard lor their own interests. Employees commonly betray this fact in the slight regard they pay to the. property of their employers, ami wastefulness generally prevails "where a. proper supervision is not exercised. A contemporary narrates the following anecdote in illustration, thereof. An employer was going round the shops when he stopped suddenly close to a workman, and said : "Pick up that halfpouny my man." The man, looked about but could see nothing, and turned a perplexed look at his employer. "There it is," cried the latter, jerking his forefinger towards the floor. "Don't you thiiiik it is a sin to let money lie on the lloor a,nd be swept out ?" The man. had another look, then confessed that he could not see. the coin. "Coin!" cried the employer, turning his face so that the man could not see the twinkle in his eye. "I didn't say coin. I mean that sheet of brown paper which you have thrown on tho floor.. It's a good sheet, and I'm certain it cost me a halfpenny." At Etampes, near Versailles, si range scenes were witnessed recently at a funeral (writes Uia Paris correspondent ol the London Daily Telegraph) . A ricli bachelor of the locality recently died, leaving a large fortune to the pariah and disinheriting .his relatives. In his will there were inserted instructions to tho effect that each person attending liis funeral should receive five francs. This was bruited abroa.d, and as the funeral was on th< point of starting a crowd of the jnosl indigent creatures in the whole district appeared in sight. It was arranged bj the mayor and the municipal councillor! that all 'these wretched people should re cx-ivo some money, and that as uniny ol them as could be accommodated in cabs and vans should atteaid the funeral. Tin more able-bodied mendicants, not quit* satisfied with the decision, boldly tool possession uot only of the cabs and vans but also of six landaus intended for lh< mayor, tin*- town councillors, and the sub prefect. The- beggars were threatened ami then implored to leave the landaus, but they only laughed at the Mayor anj hij friends. The hearse moved off, followed onlj by tho mendicants, who fairly onjovet themselves in the vehicles which they. hat carried by assault. The mayor and tlu councillors are now debating as to th< abvisability of distributing the five-frani pieces bequeathed by the rich badicloi only to the .most deserving among the in digent inhabitants of Etampes. Referring to the Probbleton Schoo trouble, the Star editorially takes excep lion to Mr Bishop's extraordinary dc cision. The letter did not deprive th< teacher, as tho Magistrate held, of anj right, to administer punishment. Wen this tho law prompt measures would hav< to be taken to remedy such a state of affairs. The judgment of ox-Chief Justice Prondergast, in llausen v. Cole, 1890, on a. motion for a new trial, sets out clearlj the principles on which a public school teacher's authority rests. "How," the Stai says, "in the face of such a clear statement of the legal position therein given the Magistrate could give the decision he did and support it by the arguments used is beyond comprehension, but 'apart from the legal position it is a matter of public policy that Slate servants should be supported to the utmost in the -execution ol their duties, unless it is shown they had acted without proper care and discretion. To itiko up any other position would be to subvert all discipline and seriously injure the public- service." The hope- is expressed that the case will not be allowed to rest, but that the teacher should take somo steps to have matters put on a definite fooling, so that they will not be subject 1o continual harassment in carrying out their highly responsible and onerous duties. [In this case A. Bramlcy, master of the Prcbblcton School, Christchurch, was fined 40s and costs for having unjustifiably administered corporal punish ment to a girl. The Magistrate, said it scorned to him an utter absurdity for a teacher to como to Court- and say he could only teach spelling by the strap. Under the circumstances the defendant wa« not justified in inflicting corporal punishment. The proper course was to expel the child.] On April 18th last a. four-year-old hoy mimed Willie Clifton was run over by a motor-car in the village of Markyate, Hertfordshire, and killed. The car, which contained three occupants, passed on at a ra'e which ono spectator computed at 30 miles an hour. The conduct- of the motorists was apparently callous in the extreme, but the sensational way in which the fatality was treated by the London Daily Mail suggested that the paper was as ( much actuated by a desire to advertise t itself as to bring the culprits to justice. A reward of £100 was at once offered for information which would lead to the identification and trial of the guilty persons, and in successive issues of the journal columns of space were given to a narration of the clues obtained. The difficulty of identifying the car was enhanced by the fact that at least thirty automobiles had passed through Markyate on the day in question, and any of them moving fast would 1)0 from one end of the village to tlin other in a minute and a half. The police over a wide area were employed in ( making enquiries, as well as hundreds 'of the Daily Mail's readers, but the information gathered was of a contradictory character. Five days after (he accident had happened, however, the driver of the mysterious motor-car gave himself up to the police, and the Daily Mail must have received a shock upon discovering his idenil\y 'r* H n P rovcfl t0 be a Spaniard nam- ' ed Conialbas. and, as a cable message n t the time informed us, the chauffeur of Mr Hadebrand Hannsworth, the brother of bit Alfred Ha rmsworth, who, as proprietor of the Daily Mail, had offered the rewaid. Well might the newspaper, in its very hist largo heading, describe tho reve.auon as an "amazing coincidence" with its own offer. Mr Hildebrand Harmsworth explained to an interviewer tliat he had himself made ceaseless enquiries to dis-L-over the guilty motorist, but that his Lhaiiffcur, when questioned, had denied all knowledge- of- the affair. Several days at or CorualbM, when, again questioned, iiad admitted that Mr Haonsworth's auto' nobilo had knocked over a boy, but declared that after slowing down perceptibly UKI looking back, the occupants of the •ar had concluded that nothing serious \ lad happened, and gone on. There was iomatlung very amusing in, Mr Harmsvorths anxiety to show that" his chaufeur was a moet careful drivor. "So- far is I luio.v," he said, "he has only prelously run over, a dog and ,a hen," and m the last occasion he asked that he might top and compensate the owner." The mch bruited reward was notrpaid under he circumstances, and Cornalbas was liarged at Court with. -manslaughter,, with asults which -we have not yet learned. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, for loughs and Colds never faile. 1b 6d.

The Hawera. Mounted Cadets will parade at tho Drillshed, Hawera, at- 2 p.m. on Wednesday to take part in tho unveiling of the tablet erected in St. Mary's Church in memory of troopens who fell in the Boer war.

At a meeting of butchers, stockgrowcre and auctioneers at Napier last week, it was resolved, "That the auctioneers bo a6ked to interview growers re forming a stock insurance fund, buyers and sellers each to pay Is per head on all live fat ' cattle sold (after same have been passed by a stock inspector duly appointed), the fund to be distributed on same lines as those adopted by the Addington (Canterbury) stock insurance fund." At the Dental Conference a paper written by Mr A. W. Chatfield, of Auckland, on "the Replantation of Teeth,"—putting a tooth back in tlie same socket — was read. Tho paper contained the writer's experiences in replantation since 1887. A tooth replanted in a patient's mouth in Auckland in the year named was still sound. Mr Chatfield said he had dono much replantation, and of the many cases only two were unsuccessful, and there was cause in these cases for tho lack of success.

While the New Zealand-born formed alt- the last census 67 per cent, of the whole popuJation of the colony, they contiibutod only 28 per cent, of the prisoners received in gad. Of the New Zea-land-bom population, however, a large number arc under 15 years of age, and therefore another comparison, is necessary. It is found, says the Registrar-General, that the New Zealand-born over 15 years of age formed 52 per cent, of the total population above that age ; but, as before stated, New Zoalanders constituted only 28 per cent, of tho total number received in gaols. In his latest, report to the Premier of New South Wales, the Commercial Agent for the East makes 6ome remarks regard1 ing the exclusion of Chinese from Australia. "This matter," he say 6, "is frequently referred .to in China and, while there, is no advocacy of an i influx of coolies I to Australia, it is generally thought to be our decided interest to admit Cliinesu

merchants, students, etc., to Australia, under favorable conditions. China is now Bending student's to most parts of the world to become proficient in the sciences of medicine, engineering, mining, etc., and would avail herself gladly of a like opportunity in Australia. It is pointed out that thure is a vast difference between tho class of Chinese we are familiar with in Sydney ;uid tho higher class of China, which comprise people of a commercial integrity unsurpassed by any in the world. In addition to being highly appreciated by China, t lie arrangement would considerably promote trade between the two countries. The construction of the new turbine steamer M-nlicjio, of the Union S.S. Company's line, is being rapidly pushed on at the- shipbuilding yards of Denny Bros., at Bumbartou. The vessel, which is intended for the trade between Australia and New Zealand ports, is to be of 5500 tons gross, and her engines will be of 6000 horse-power. No .definite information is yet available as to the speed of ihe vessel, but- it ie behoved that she "will steam 18-knots per hour on her trial trip. Her accommodation will be cqua>l to 220 first-class, 116 second-class, and 33 third class passengers. A comparison between the Maheno and the Manuka shoW6 that the former will be 32ft longer and 3ft broader than the latter, the respective dimensions of the two vessels being as follows :— Ma lmno : Length, 400 ft; breadth, 50ft. Manuka.: Length, 368f1; -breadth, 47fi. It is expected that the Maheno will arrive in Melbourne during noxt October, in time to undertake the summer excursion trips to New Zealand. During a lecture at Hastings, Mr Kirk, Govorumcnl Biologist, 6aid the country had never such trouble amongst the potato crop as was experienced last year. The shortage in the crop tJiis year was due to causes other than disease. Last year 31,778 acres were planted in potatoes as against 26,331 a«cires this year, leaving a shortage of 5447 acres. Taking this at 5 tons to tho acre left 27,235 tons short this year. This was a considerable shortago to start with. The potato disease, amongst which the disease known as "Irish rot" was the principal, added considerably to the loss. Taking the decrease as averaging one ton per acre (and it was much nearer two), this showed a loss of 26,331 tons, aaid calculating at £3 per ton this n mounted to nearly £79,000. The prices hut April ranged from. £2 to £2 10s per ton, and this year the prices wont from £6 to £6 10s, so that his estimated price was well within the mark. The Wellington central branch of the Independent Political Labor League held a meeting on Friday night, the Hon. John Rigg (President) occupying the chair. Correspondence was received from a number of farm servants requesting tho league to move in the direction of getting a limit of a twelve-hours' day for farm servants. It was decided to reply to the effect that, wliilst in sympathy with the request, the league could not now add a new plank to its platform, which would be necessary to carry out the requested icforin. The Secretary was instructed also to inform tho correspondents that tho Trades Council was considering a. scheme of organising labor in tho country districts and the schemo included tho appointment of a travelling organiser for the colony. The league also decided tfl sciul on the correspondence to tho Lrades Council, with a suggestion that fiii-iii lalK.r should be organised a.iid given tho privilege of putting its grievances before- the Arbitration Court.