LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 11 August 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The monthly meeting of the Technical School Committee was held On Monday afternoon; present — Messrs E. Dixon (chairman), Brunette, Parkinson, Browne, and Niven. The plans amended to comply with the Borough Council's requirements were submitted. It was reported that £180 of the local contributions were now in hand, and further sums were expected shortly. Mr W. Linn, who was until recently farming in the Mangatoki district, has (the Tftranaki Herald reports) purchased Mr 0. Oxenham's coastal farm at Oakura. The' price, we understand, was £28 per acre — the highest figure yet realised in the Oakura district.

A Gisborne paper states that stock have wintered well on the coast. The Friendly Societies of Manaia hare arranged to give another grand social on Wednesday, August 26, in the Town Hall. The arrangements will be very complete, and given fine weather the function should be largely attended and very successful in every way. In the Magistrate's Court this morning Judgment was entered for plaintiffs with costs in the following cases : — H. Mowbray v. Tuikaka, claim £5 14s; H. E. Harris v. E. E. Fromont, £6 5s 3d; Cowell and Kneebone v. Turiakiiia Ngeru, £2. It is announced that at the invitation of the local branch Mr J. G. Wilson, President of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, will deliver an address at the Opera House, Hawera, on Tuesday next, at 8 p.m. The committee hope that every farmer in the district will make a point of being present. i There is a genius unawares in Christchurch. He is usher at the Supreme Court. He has settled the oucro'.-rsy about the unhealthiness of Bibl»-I:i«*:r j; by providing a Bible covered with washable celluloid. A meeting of the Fatea branch of the New Zealand Farmers Union was held in the Alton Hall on Thursday evening when ther was a fair attendance, the President, Mr A. E. Washer, being in the chair. A Farmers' Union sdcial is to be held at Alton uuring the month of September. Preliminary arrangements were made and a strong committee (with Mr W. A. Allen as secretary and treasurer) was formed. The surplus proceeds are to be in aid of the Provincial Executive Communications from Mr R. Browne, director of technical instruction, Hawera, and the Patea technical school committee, relative to agricultural and scientific dairying classes to be instituted at Patea were dealt with and members expressed themselves as heartily appreciative of the movement. It was resolved that all members present cooperate with the branch executive in support of the classes and do their utmost to induce students' to attend from the country districts. Mr J. W. Jones, Provincial Vice-President, briefly referred to the stand the executive had taken in regard to the Union forming a political party and other minor matters were dealt with. The branch secretary reported that upwards of 50 members had already paid their subscriptions for the current financial year. Concluding his annual report to Parliament, the Minister for Mines says : "I would like to emphasise the fact that, as the miner gave a great impetus to settlement in the early days, so he will be found the settler's best friend in time to come, for he will provide the nucleus for industries and settlements which must eventually become the backbone of this Dominion. New Zealand has great stretches or mountain ranges that are as yet but partially explored. If we cast our eyes around the world we see that it is from similar chains of mountains that a large portion of the mineral wealth is obtained. It is our bounden duty to neglect no opportunity of exploring the back country, for it is there, to a great degree, we must look for new discoveries of auriferous quartz lodes and economic minerals. The construction of roads and tracks has already done much to open iip places that were to a great extent formerly inaccessible, and that policy must be continued so as to allow the pioneer miner every opportunity of pursuing his hazardous and of^en ill-requited labors." Lord Roberts, addressing the cadets at the United Service College, on ,fu: c 15, said fighting was now very <!;''. <>■ int from what it was when he fw'»-t tnu-c 3 the army. At that time tr>ops were drawn up in close order a*nd shcoJ'i'g was quite a secondary thing. FLf-j v.cie forbidden to shoot until they -«Mild s<o the whites of their enemies' .vv«r li r t them test how near they must ap T .roajh one another before they co v 1 tf c -he whites of one another's ayes. l» was about 40 paces. At one point on ilie field of Waterloo, French and Pi i.., ehc h forces were drawn up on oppn-ro h<li»s> of the road, and actually fought "ii,«s that narrow space. Now, when a 'tire entered the zone of fire the ♦•n.ops I > U up extended order, where a man v (.l.t find himself, without an offi.'^r, l-wlve paces from his nearest comrade fighting by himself the whole day hrjUi'ti It involved a tremendous trial r.f pluck and nerve. ' I Tradespeople in Dunedin complain at the present time of a general tightness of money and consequent difficulty in getting it in (says the Otago Daily Times). ■ Furthermore, 'business, both wholesale and -retail, is reported to be very dead, and a period of all-round dulness is being experienced. The recent American financial crisis is credited with very far-reaohing effects, and business people state that the Americans have been dumping - their goods heavily into New Zealand in order to realise on them at almost any sacrifice. This has had a depressing effect on local trade. Then, as to the tightness of money, one of Vhe reasons given is that the Government has been raising so -much money within the Dominion, and the banks have not been giving so much accommodation as previously. But, whatever may be the causes (adds our contemporary) retailers and whole- j sale people alike complain that money i is distinctly scarcer than it has been for a long time.

Green peas grown m .Nelson sold in Wellington at 4s per peck on Thursday. The daylight-saving proposal, which has aroused so much interest in the Old Country, will be shortly debated by the New Zealand Parliament, for Mr Izard has given notice to move: That in the opinion of this House time should be put forward at least one hour at midnight on August 31st in each year, and 'should so continue during the months of September, October, November, December, January, February and March, j | A serious and at the sam> tune r:i«licr curious accident happened »n 'I hnaru n short time ago. Two chi'.i:«n u:rl«jr 5 years of age, sons of a !<eal «R-:<i, were playing "80-Peep" in rl;.-«r Lome. One child put his eye to the KoyMe : i a door and looked through, wi en Hie other innocently shoved a hatpin through the keyhole. The pin .ran right into the ball of the eye that was peeping through, and completely d» : Mrovid the sight. This is the verdict recei'W M.U:tiittt by a Wellington jury (says »li* Failing Star) : "Deceased :»ft, hi* d««atnby failing to grasp a rail that hu-1 keen removed the day before." An instance of the ravages of starlings was mentioned by Mr George Hunter at the Hawke's Bay A. and P. Society. Mr Hunter stated that millions of starlings had taken a fancy to settle in his plantation at Porangahau, and he had to send a man with a gun every night, or else the blue gums which had been planted for 25 years would be totally destroyed. The birds settled in millions, and owing" to their droppings on the leaves the trees were dying out. Some five years ago (says the. Wairarapa Standard) a young man, who had occasion to call for letters at a post office in the Wairarapa for himself, undertook the delivery of a registered letter for a friend of his. His friend not being at home on his return, he left it with the people of the house. Some time after his friend informed him that he had not got the letter, and upon making enquiries at the house the people disclaimed any knowledge of the letter. As the letter contained £3, he paid the amount to his friend rathei than that there should be any doubt as to his bona fides in the matter. Now, after a lapse of five years, the missing letter has turned up at the house ai which the young man left it, having lain restfully all that time behind a picture, where it had been placed foi safety. "Hamer," 'in the Bulletin: The actoi at times works as many hours as anybody. A company recently appearing in Sydney worked fourteen hours 8 day for two weeks — two rehearsals oi a new piece which was being hurriedlj prepared, and the regular night performance. This was apart from . the "study," which Thespians are supposed to give to their parts, and often don't. An actor-manager, much beloved, oi Australian , audiences, had a habit, when the playing of any scene did not suit his artistic tastes, of calling a rehearsal after the performance.-. The habit was a pretty constant" one, and those of the company '*vho lived in' suburban neighbourhoods frequently got home with difficulty in the grey houn of morning. Because of this some jpeopie who knew them, but didn't know theic troubles, used to think them very gay dogs. ( Instead, they were only very tired ones. _Mrs Besant feels rather strongly on the Asiatic immigration question. She told a Lyttelton Times reporter that she quite understood that some restrictions might be necessary on account of competition in the labor market, but she expressed an opinion that it would be a good thing, if possible, to allow educated and well-to-do natives of India to travel freely in the Dominion. "I think," she said, "that it is a mistake to make the line of division a line of color, as color is a matter of climate. A colored race is not necessarily an inferior one. Th • Indians, of course, are highly civilized. The lower classes of India are more highly civilized than the lower cla? 'Os of England, Australia or New Zealand. There is not so much violence or drunkenness among them. They ate much more refined. I have an Indian friend who wished to come with ma « n my present^ mission, but I would lit allow him to do so, because he woull be continually exposed to insult " The Olympia rink still finds attractions for lovers of the glissade. In the evenings the rink is well patronised. Last night the prizes for the fancy dress carnival last Wednesday were given out. Elaborate preparations are being made for a monster impersonation and fancy dress carnival next week. This week the management have set down as the ladies' invitation week.

—^ The Methodist Church annual concert and social will be held on- Wednesdayevening. A good programme has been arranged. The Rev. J. G. Chapman, of Wanganui, will be the visiting minister, and a most enjoyable social evening is anticipated. Mr Percy P. Giesen, at one time on the staff of the Bank of New Zealand at Hawera, died at Palmerston North on Friday from, an internal complaint. The late -Mr Giesen, who was in his 34th year,- was well known in athletic circles. There was complaint, of want of it. ploymentat Gisborne, and the la^r organisation passed a resolution protesting against encouraging further immigration. A press telegram, howe^r, says Labor Bureau statistics show that in the last 14 days there have been 64 names registered. Twenty-four have been found employment on Government works, and seven have been sent to private employers," the remainder being single men with no pressing. necessity for work.The police had quite an unusual parade of drunks at the. Magistrate's Court this jnorning.r Several first offenders were convicted "and discharged but a native had the ill-luck to have to pay the interpreter's- fee! Adam Beattie was convicted and discharged for> insobriety, butjror procuring liquor^ during the currency of a prohibitfen order , .he was fined. 10s. *>* France .has had a fairly representative selection of burglars and other criminals of late, but the typewriting burglar is a novelty, (says the Paris correspondent of the Daily ' Express). He broke into a flat in a house in Toulouse recently, helped himself tb a few valuables, and left the following letter neatly typewritten on a machine in the room: — "Sir and dear Colleague,— l think by your untidiness that you are no lady, but untidiness means a busy man. So I congratulate you. I can see that you are a professional typist like myself, and guessing that you were one, I looked into your box of papers for your keys, and naturally found them there. I have emptied the drawers in your table, out of which I hawe taken Is BJd. This is a, low price viror an evening's work, but I have also carried off some of your work, which I will study at my leisure. Some of your translation is quite good. I do a little of it myself in my spare moments'^*! . am not taking your machine orjrour shorthand machine, foe you and I know how very nearly impossible it is tfo sell a second-hand typewriter. Yon will forgive me, my dear colleague, for not signing this letter, and you need not fear a return, visit from me. There is nothing worth 'taking in your rooms." Another of the show girls at the Aldwych Theatre has made a brilliant match ~ (says the London Morning Leader). The bride is Miss May Gates, who has taken part in' the "Gay Gordons/.' and other productions of Mr Seymour Hicks. The announcement of the wedding,- which took Miss Gates' ajf theatrical friends by surprise, has been made this, week in the simple n|xagraph:—^'A *• marriage.', took placets. Tuesday, 'June 16th, between the Bardn yon Ditt-en, nephew of ThorVbn Ditt^jn, the Norwegian Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at. the Court of Berlin, and May Gates, late of the Aldwych Theatre." Miss Gates had been on the stage about three years/ Prior to that she was a showroom girl at Jay's, in Regent street. With good looks, a fine figure, and a wealth of glorious hair, she was per-^i suaded to leave shop-life for the stage. She was at once a distinct success when Mr Seymour Hicks gave her an introduction to stage-life in the "Catch of the Season" at the Vaudeville, -WJlfte abroad she met Baron yon Ditterifata'il after a short engagement the 'girl from Jay's became a baroness. Mr Newton King has received the following cable from his Sydney agent: "Hides unchanged." At Oaonui, on Thursday next, Mr Newton King will hold a clearing sale on account of Mr A. Lawn. This is a nice herd of good quality cows, mostly grade Jerseys, and can be confidently recommended to anyone wanting choice dairy stock. To-morrow, at the old Hospital road, near New Plymouth, Mr Newton King will hold a clearing sale of Messrs "W. Humphries and Sons' choice dairy herd of Holstein-Jerseys, which comprise an unusually fine lot of milkers, all having been bred for years past with a view to the heaviest milk production. The herd has been very heavily culled, and those wanting really first-clasß cows cannot do better than attend this sale. N.Z. Clothing Factory advertise prices of boots, etc. , Public speakers and singers like Zymole Trokeys because when the voioe begins to .get "foggy" one dissolved in the month will restore the natural conditions. ,*