LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue 9309, 6 March 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

English Mail via- Suez closes at Hawera at 8.50 a.m. 'to-morrow (Thursday).

An Tnvercargill telegram says that thte body found on Monday m on old well near Mill road station is believed to be that of * a man named Nicol, who had been massing from Tisbury for some n<onths.

A press telegram reports that a vtery rich vein of good gold has been storack in the Alpine mine at Lyeill. The vein is said to bo similar to that discovered n the mine some months ago .

When you are in Eome you must do as the Romans r?o," said a Scotsman, who was charged at the- Thames Police Court with intoxication, in reply to the Magis trato's remark that it was customary in Scotland .to celebrate New Year's Day rather than Christmas. "Weil, do as the Romans do. Pay 7s 6d," was the Magis. trate's reply.

The growing of ryegrass for seed appears to bft quite a profitable industry in the Sandon and swroimding districts just now. According to information supplied to a Mana.watu Standard reporter, many of the farmers there are finding that it pays exceedingly well to sow ryegrass on lands which have begun to lose their power owing to continuous oropping in past years, for it has been discovered that ryegrass takes exceedingly well on such, lands. For this reason many of the fanners havfe-come to shutting up their paddock? and harvesting the ryegrass seed, with most gratifying results. As a consequence the district is becoming a big competitor with Hawked Bay in the best qualities of the seed. Instan<iei are known where 40 to 60 bushelf per acre Jiave been harvested and sold al prices varying f*»n 5s to 6s 9d per busnel

A constable produced at the Incercargill Juvenile Court, on© day Jast week, a written »tatemei>t that, he said, was an exact record of the words of a seven-year-old nrchin, apprehended for theft. The language in which the document was couched would have done credit to the policeman bimself, and suggested weird precocity on the part of the pilferim: youngster. Tt also came out that the constable had threatened the boy with isola tion in a dark room at the police station as punishment if he lied. Probably the boy lied in consequence-. Anyway, the Magistrate thought it likely tihat suoh & threat would cause a weak-minded youngster to fib. and his Worship told the policeman what he thought of his conduct, and made it plain to him that the sort of zeal he had shown was misdirected and im proper.

The annual report of the Now Plymouth Harbor Board discloses a satisfactory expansion in the shipping trade at that pore Receipts show an increase of £2338 and the working account a profit of £7399 6s 7d The totaJ charges collected for the year totalled £11,859 as against £4099 ten. y«ars ago. During the twelve months 546 vessels (an increase of 46 over the previous year) entered and left the port bearing 65,181 tons of exports and imports. In 1896 the cargo tonnage for the year was 27,325. As to the old breakwater the stim of only £65 12s 2d was required ;n; n protection work, while £5345 had beon spent on the new extension. Last week it wa© reported that the largest boat which ever entered the harbor had been berthed in safety and this incident, coupled with the report, gives indication that the po:t continues to make progress.

-McGruer, Bone and Co. announce thejjp first special show of autumn and winter goods on March 7 and succeeding day 6. Mr Con Strack, pupil teacher at Waver- 1 ley, has won a scholarship of £60 a year at the Teachers' Training College, Welling^ ton.

Th© Customs duties collected at Patea for the month of February, 1907, totalled £746 5s sd. The amount for the corresponding month of last year was £196 11s Id.

Mr A. J. Hastie, who has just (returned from the Waikato, saye that the country •up there is looking splendid just now, the grass being abundant and succulent. J. Maxwell and Co., of Mangatoki and Mahoe, notify that they make a speciality of delivering goods.

Mr Adam Oorrie, of Mangawhero (via FordeJl), has sold his well-known estate to Mr Studhohne, of Ruanui. The whole of the stock on the place will be offered by auction by Messrs Freeman R. Jackson and Co. on Tuesday, 19th insfc. The stock comprises some tip-top young breeding ewes, also a large number of polled Angus cattle. Full particulars of this important sade will appear in- our columns in a day or two.

A painter and paper-hanger, young and able-bodied, made the rather remarkable statement in the Wellington Magistrate's Court that he had not. been able to get wGrk at' his trade since a week before Christmas. A solicitor^ cross-examining the young man, with the object of showing that he coujd afford to pay half-a-crown a week towards his father's support, wanted to know how he managed to livie without work. "Oh, I don't know," was the reply, "I'm getting .into deht. " Being pressed, the young man admitted that his wife "did a bit of work sometimes.'* He scouted the idea, however, that he was allowing her to keep him. He had looked for work. "Yes," inter jected Dr A. McArthur, S.M., "and no doubt he was praying I all the time that he wouldn't get jt."

A boy named James Anderson died of senile decay recently at the CSty Hospital Minneapolis He wai only eleven years and two months old, but tih*- physicians .declare that the condition of his- vital organs showed all the cr-aiacteristica of a man oi sixty.- When the child was' six years ol<? his hair began to torn grey, his eyesight to fail, and lie walked with the deliberate care of a 'person well advanced in years. As a very young child Anderson was un- [ usually bright, but his mental faculties i gradually failed during his last two years, I and for some months he behaved as though in his dotage.