Untitled

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 342, 4 March 1911, Page 6

""President Diaz, of Mexico, was originally intended for the priesthood, but he did not follow up his career, and, so far as the United States of Mexico are concerned, it is fortunate he did not, since, under his Presidency, the Republic has progressed and prospered greatly. He has lately been re-elected President for the eighth time by an overwhelming majority. He has held the appointment since 187G, before which year Mexico had had fifty two rulers in ninety-five years, and had sutEered much from revolution and robbery. The General is the son of a peasant, and his grandmother was a Mexican Indian. In 1901 he was created ar. Honorary G.C.B. Sir John Benn tells a story of a man who went on a lecturing tour in America. His tour included a small Western town,and when he stepped off the train he asked a man if he could direct him to the Grand Opera House, where he was to lecture. "The Grand Opry House?" the man repeated, thoughtfully. "Go up that road till you come to the Metruplitan Stable, then turn to the right and walk on till you come to the Bon-Bon Laundry. Next door to that is Hammerstien's Harness Shop. That's it. ' "What!*' gasped the lecturer. "An opera house in a harness shop?" "No, no, stranger; the Opry House is over it on the second iloor." Some little time ago Lord Dalmeny was walking through Dalmeny Park when he met a stranger carrying fishing tackle. "Do you think the proprietor would have any objection to my fishing in that lake.'" the latter asked, pointing to a sheet of water nearby. "Oh, no," Lord Dalmeny replied courteously, "not in the slightest!" Leaving the fisherman to commence operations, Lord Dalmeny went on his way. Some hours later he relumed to the lake and found tl)e tourist seated on the bank. "Any Hick?' he asked- * No. was the reply, "I haven't had a single bite,." "Well, you know," Lord Dalmeny remarked, with engaging candour, "I didn't expect you would have. A,ll the fjs'n \yore takell out of that lake some time ago!" Asked by a representative of the "Wakalo Times" to give an opinion oi. the possibilities of ihe alteration to boundaries, Mr \V. T. Jennings, M.P., speaking feelingly, replied that with the extensive area of the past three years, he would be very glad if some of the ends of his electorate, which is built up of the Napier, Wellington, and Taranaki and Auckland land districts, were cut off and given to someone who was more comfortably situated. He was quite satisfied that as far as the Taumarunui electorate j was concerned, there hftd been a considerable increase in the population I within the past five years, and thought . this could be demonstrated by this j fact, that prior, at qny rate, to the ■ last election there were quite !!00() i people in the northern and southern j boundaries of the North Island Main Trunk line, a great majority of whom are now away, yet there has been an i extraordinary development as far as population and bona fide settlement j are concerned. The conjectures that j are now freely made in regard to Taumarunui or the King Country ; electorate are premises which can only : be settled by the taking of the census ( and the decision of the boundary Cum- • rnissioners. "So far as lam personally concerned," concluded Mr Jen- ■ nings, "I still feel, after a tour of five weeks through my electorate, that the kindliest towards me." J||