LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LI, Issue 9140, 12 July 1906, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A Pahiatua paper reports that quit© recently a shag shot at Makuri was found to contain a trout measuring 13in and weighing a, pound. 'While it is true," said Mr J. C. Cooper, addressing th© Farmers' Union meeting th© other evening, "that each generation writes its own page of history, the character of the page which th© next generation of farmers will writ© must d© pend very largely upon the lines on which you farmers ar© now educating your children." The fortnightly meeting of the Hawera Volunteer Fire Brigade was held on Wednesday evening. There was a very good attendance of members. A general inspection was held, th© captain expressing himself with the state of the gear. From th© reports oi members it was found that th© alarm on' Saturday night was heard fairly well in all directions but Wilson street. It was decided to take part in th© Hospital Sunday pro cession. This was all th© business. A hockey match was played at Bayly Park on Wednesday between teams from the Niobe (Okaiawa) and Huaki (Hawera) clubs. Th© visiting team is from a very recently formed club, but nevertheless it gave tin© home team a hard task. The game ended in the Huakis winning by 2 gaols to 1. Miss M. Winks scored twice for Huaki, while Miss D. Robeits scored for Niobe. The Huakis on th© whole had a day off. but th© Misses A. Young and M. Winks played very well. Okaiawa's left wing was the pick of the team. A New Plymouth telegram states that there is considerable activity in petroleum prospecting all oveor the north-west Taranaki at present, and samples of oil ane daily reaching town from outlying districts. The iextent of th© oi! area has bden proved to be considerably greater than was at first supposed, although the TaiKunoki Petroleum Company is the only one that has gone deep enough to produce a "gusher. - Mr, vß. -Dive, of Eltham, <abkd on Tuesday iftjie.? Argus reports) to Wilier and , Ril^gS^B'^sll-known London firm of but- . ter importeirs, asking what th© prospects were in th© market for th© coming season and the following satisfactory and instructive Teply came to hand to-day: "Prospects axe good, can hold o«t evetry encouragement, recommend consignments, market very firm, prices advancing, an in!crease can be looked for, stocks have been rapidly reduced." On© of the effects of no-license in Invercargill is" a noticeable diminution in th© number of those who lolled about the street corners under the previous conditions, and a complete absence of drunkenness in the town. During the past two days (says the Southland News) not a single case of inebriety has been dealt with in the Police Court, and many who formerly did not allow a day to pass without frequent libations seem to have become reconciled to th© altered circumstances. There are no evidences of drink coming into town from licensed districts' in bottles 1 or larger quantities, and generally the appearances up to th© present have been such as to inspire hope in* th© breasts even of those who could see nothing but ill in the proposal to abolish th© sale of liquor. Some opponents of the reform have circjilated, not xraly locally,, but in th© jiorthj that "many sly grog-shops are springing up," but thia statement is not in accordance with fact.

Speaking to a Christ-church Pr^ess reporter. Mr J. E. March, late chief immigration officer for the South Island, stated that the immigrants who arrived recently by the Athenic were all getting on very well. The navvies were put on bo the railway works, and the others all fonnd employment. The immigrants numbered 396, and were of a very good stamp of people. The British Women's Emigration Association, of .whkh the Hon. Sirs Joyce is president, sent out by the Athenic a party of 23 domestic servants, under charge of a matron, to a party of ladies in the Hastings district who had made arrangements for payment; of the passage * money ; and Mr March thinks it would be a good plan if gome of the ladies in other places who are in want of servants would do the same thing. In a case in which three children were formally chaTged at Christchurch on Saturday with not having been properly «wed for, a police constable stated that mi the whol© course of his exparisne© he ' had never before seen such a caw. When he found the children they and the mother were were living in a place in Richmond terrace, practically Avithout furniture. The mother had sca.rcely any clothing on, ,the children were almost entirely neglected a<ad were terribly starved. So far had the neglect and squalor affected the mother that she was becoming mentally deficient Hct husband was a habitual drunlcaTd, who scaa-cely ever worked, but the woman herself did not drink at all He had known the family before, and on a previous occasion they -had gons to the house of Mrs Frow, a neighbor, and she had taken compassion on them and kept them, although she could not aqord to do so. A fruitless search for the drunken husband was made by the police, and th© clolda-en were afterwards committed to the Receiving Home. Over twelve months ago th© Holy Seeat' Rome issued a decree in which it set its face against the class of music used in Catholic churches, and practically ordered a return to th© simpler form of musical services by use of the old Gregorian and plain chants. These have for many years been displayed by the vocal and instrumental glories o- sack masters of music as Haydn, Mozart, Mendelesiohn, Sullivan and others, who have found inspiration in writing masses and anthems for th© church. The adoption -of such music has led; up to the highly-paid choirs an orchestras. Soon after -he was elected Pope Pxus turned bis attention to this matter, and the result was the mandate ordering the simpler church music. Of couroe th© change could not be mad,© immediately as these grand old chants are practically unknown to the present generation in this part of th© world, though they axe still used in some of the European, churches. An exchange says that a committee represorting.the Wellington, diocese, an# including th© -Rev. Fathers EmbettTWelmUFK? 0 ? 0^ (Hawera), and Walsh (Hutt), Mr A. Bunny (of Masterton), and others presided over by th© Very R«v " Dr Kennedy fe to meet at th© Meanee College (Hawke'e Bay) during this week to <fascuss the reorganisation of ohrardi music on th© lanes indicated by the Holy Seu It is forbidden that orchestras shall perform m the Roman Catholic Churcfe for the future-, but the organ -will be retained It » nob proposed that any radical change shall be made at once, but gradually tL new order of things will supplant the gr«* music that Jias enriched the Roman Catholic service for generations past. Auckland playgoers- are just now' marvelling at th© ingenuity of a novel kind of entertainment being supplied to them by the Stonham Morrison Co. with an instrument called the "Gaumont Chronophone. According to the Auckland dailies ttus wonderful piece of mechanism pro duoes what th© management aptly describe as 'Articulating Pictures," that is to say the animated pictures wfeen projected also sang, laugh, whistle ltd talk in a way that is described as wonderfully realistic, and the audience, quickly forgetting that mechanical means ar© resorted to are led to believe that they are actually 'listening to and watching at th© same tarn© thft, motions of real vocalists. So realistic are the results that enootnes ar© invariably demanded, which clearly shows that the audience is for the torn© being entirely - carried away. The "Chirohophone" was invented by a Parisian, and although carefully patented throughout " the world, the secret and mechanism are nevertheless zealously guarded by the management, whose only explanation is that the results are obtained by electricity; this is borne out by th© fact that the company travels with its own engine and dynamo, which are evidently indispensable. The papers describe the entertainment as the most interesting and ingenious form of amusement ever brought to the colonies. The "Chronophone" had a big run at the London Hippodrome, and the New Zealand tour, judging from the Auckland receptions, should prove a tremendous success Th© company will play a -short season in this town shortly. 4 Th© stamp-vending machine invented by a couple of officers in the New Zealand Postal Department is attracting notice in the world. The Australian Federal Government have asked for full particulars of the machine, and will probably purchase several in order to make a thorough "test at Melbourne (says the Argus). So far th© invention has come triumphantly through all trials.' The mechanism weighs only about 281b, occupies a space of 9in by 4in, and can be affixed to postal pillars without trouble. The insertion of a penny in a flat slot sends a stamp out of another opening. The works are so designed that only on© stamp can be secured for a penny ; it is impossible to "fish" successfully for a quantity of stamps by means of a penny attached to a, silk thread. Th© machine also will no more take advantage- of a purchaser than it will allow him to get more than the worth of his money. Ib will reject half-crowns, florins, halfv sovereigns, shillings, and ®o on. Even a worn, penny is thrown out, for th© machine will take only coppers in fair avetrtbge condition. Thus th© interest of all parties concerned axe 'servied alike. The invention hae been tested in places with "widely varied climates, such as Honolulu, San Francisco, Ottawa, and London, and has behaved satisfactorily at all temperatures. . The machine -has been patented in Australasia, United States, Canada, Great Britain, and the Contiaenij of Europe. The Canadian Government are obtaining 100 machine©. Miss Bedford commences ncr second j quarter in dancing Tueiflay, 17& inst. in the Foresters' HaEf. ; Objldretf (plain and fancy), at 4 p.m. ; adults, 7.30 p.m.— Advt. - ■*: Bushfellers wanted -by advertiser. «, Fo i,°^ Idren>B HaeK ng Cough at Night, Wood's Great Peppermint Cure, Is 6d and 2s fsd per bottle.— AdH. >

A Farmers' Union social is to be held in Kapuni Hall on Wednesday, August Ist. The Mayor and Councillors Goodson, Sutton, Wilson and Momssey, and the Foreman of Works (Mr Macpherson) went out to Okaiawa. and the head works of the water supply on Wednesday. Ot Okaiawa they met a deputation of residents who are connected with the water service but disagree with the Council's proposaed new seal© of charges. They submitted counter proposals, upon which a report will be made to vhe Council at its next meeting. The party inspected the head works, and found work recently authorised going on satisfactorily. On the subject of food adulteration it may be mentioned that officers of the Health Department have interested themselves in ensuring wholesome supplies for the people. In last year's report reference was made to the need of special inspectors to make satisfactory examinations possible, but the requisite officers have not been supplied. The matter rei>ts with the people and Parliament. It' is a question of extra taxation to meet the cost of additional supervision. It is submitted j that an efficient system of food inspection and exan*?||t)on would require the establishment o&a laboratory in each of the four centres, with skilled bacteriologists in command. Their salaries alone, with the emoluments paid to a dozen additional inspectors, would absorb between £7000 and £8000. In Wellington (says the Post) inspectors frequent auction rooms where food is sold, but it is not^ claimed, under present conditions, that this limited number of men can detect anything amiss, however hard they work This aspect of the question again brings in the municipal market as a rational solution of an important part of the problem. With regard to the political situation the Wellington correspondent of the Dunedin Star telegraphs :— "ln the political world there are still whispers which can- 1 vass the situation. Several imaginary Cabinets have been arranged, but they lack the staying power of the last regime. It is unnecessary to detail them. The most persistent curiosity ©eniftres round the quest-ion oi who -wall be the Minister of Labor in the new Administration. Sir Joseph Ward, everybody admits, will be unlikely to leave the Postal Department, which has given him a brilliant European 6uccess, and may be considered certain to keep the. Railways, which are part of his reputation, and offer a great asset with trheir dasasficatioß scheme. That Ec will be also Treasuier seems settled by vnose . wno remember that it has lately come' to be generally accepted tinat for obvious reasons the Treasury and the Premiership must *go together. The deduction from all of which is that the Labor Department is not likely to fall to Sir J. "G. Ward. Now the Act of last extends the scope of the Labor Department vastly, -and the state of the Labor party makes it probable that whoever has the Labor portfolio will have a powerful Labor following. The name of Mr Millar has been mentioned, and everybody admits that he wouM make a good Minister for Labor. But tie question goes round political circles : Why 6houJd not the Hon. Hall- Jones, wno is so strongly indentified wibh the Labor interest and is daily proving his capacity and strength, he re- • garded as certain for the Labor portfolio in the new Ministry? The feeling is gaining ground that >he has fairly won the right to that position of increasing usefulness and power. In some quarters this is regarded as a snag in the channel; in others it is considered a. sign that the. situation will settle itself quitely according to common sense."