ESTABLISHED 1875 The Manawatu Daily Times. The Oldest Manawatu Journal Published Every Morning. TUESDAY JANUARY 27, 1903.

Manawatu Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 7633, 27 January 1903, Page 2

ESTABLISHED 1875

The Manawatu Daily Times. The Oldest Manawatu Journal Published Every Morning. TUESDAY JANUARY 27, 1903.

Readers should not miss consulting our fourth page to-day. It contains a diverting account of a back-blocks horserace meeting and an article by Max O'ltell " Woman with a capital W." It iinteresting to note that at the Manawatu ram fair Lincolns and Romneys will be offered on the first day, and all other breeds on the second day. A Druids' Lodge is to be inaugurated at Dannevirke to-night, and G.D.P. Bro. Gardner, of Levin, is to officiate at the opening ceremony. The date of the complimentary concert to be given to Messrs P. Tombs and F. Meyrick has been definitely fixed for Thursday, 12th February. The traffic on tho Manganoho-Manga-wck:i (Main Trunk) /section of railway has increased so much of \nte that it is no uncommon sight to sec two engines pulling long trains over the Makohme viaduct. A petition is beijjg circulated requesting Major Dunk to stand for f.lxp office of Mayor of Palmerston. It is jarqbablg Major Dunk will accede to the request of his friends and supporters. The extent of the timber industry in the north may be ganged from the fact that within the next month or six weeks 30,000 sleeper will be floated down f.tom the headwaters at the l^angitikei and Moawhango rivers Mr Baiiley, the Mangaweka sawmiller, has handled 150,000 ft of totara this season. An Infoynjfi] conference of North Island flour millers wag hg]d at Palmerston yesterday. It is- confidently px ; pected that if the anticipated ' go,o ( d harvest is satisfactorily garnered, there will be a further drpn in flour,

As a result no doubt of the recent heavy rains the Manawatu river was running bank high yestereday.' The hot fly is said to be very prevalent m the Manaia district. The Collegiate School, Palmerston, re-opens on Tuesday, 3rd February. The timber output in tho Greymouth district last year was 24,000,000 feet, .£60,000 being paid in wages. Six hundred players, representing twenty-one bands, will be present at the Masterton band contest, a record for the colony. It is stated that in Gisbornc during the recent drought it cost one publican no less than 15s a day for the supply of water which he "was compelled to purchase. A correspondent to tho Lyttclton Times declares that the North" Island crop of cocksfoot is gradually becoming a nuisance to Banks' Peninsula, It is stated that Mr S. G. Smith, formerly a leading butcher of Duncdin, will be one of the exports sent Home by the Government to supervise the distribution of Now Zealand meat. The loan of £5000 for abattoirs, which was rejected by the Stratford ratepayers, will be raised by the Borough Council as provided by law. Well done, little Stratford! The Palmerston abattoirs are still in abeyance. A West Coast paper anticipates that coal will be forthcoming from the State mine about the end of next September, by which time the railway to serve the mine may be completed. ' Over eleven thousand acres are to be thrown open for settlement in the Gordon district of the Nelson province early next March. Six thousand acres are to be offered on the optional system, and the remainder in small grazing runs. It is stated that there are few English tourists in the colony at the present time compared with the numbers who have been doing the sights for several years past, attributed in some quarters to the greater attractions afforded ""sy-the recently great Delhi Durbar. Blackquarter has made its appearance among the dairy herds of Taranaki. This disease, though not generally considered to be infectious, is nevertheless proved to be due to a germ, which accounts for its rapid dissemination. The site of the Veterans' Home' which s to be located at Auckland, is on a property which has been purchased from the Assets Board, some 15 acres in extent, and is situated just opposite the Mount Eoskill School. The plans of the building are in course of preparation, and tenders will probably be called for its erection at an early date. The importance of the Manawatu line for the carriage of stock to the Wellington freezing works is indicated by the large consignments which are daily passing through Pahnerston. Yesterday over 2000 head of sheep from stations to the north went on to Petone by way of the company's line. A poultry and horticultural show has just been held at Hunterville, the first to be promoted in the district. It was a modest affair, and included such simple attractions as a hat-trimming competition (for gentlemen), a nail-driving competition (for ladies), and a baby show. Farmers in the Waterton district are considering the advisability of purchasing the building of the Waterton Hotel, which is in the no-license district of Ashburton, and converting it into a flourrnill after June 30th. At the Kangiora market last week (says the Lyttelton Times) a line of new season's oats changed hands at 2s 2dper bushel, delivered at a country station. The wheat market, says that paper, is expected to open at 4s per bushel. The proposed harvest festival of the Canterbury A. and P. Association is to have novel attractions connected with it. A display of fireworks will take place in the evening, and two prizes of £Z0 and .£lO are to ba offered to the district associations whic obtain the largest sum at their gift stalls at the festival. A settler from the locality informed a Times reprerentative that Euapehu has shown signs of activity recently, ejecting puffs of smoke and making rumbling sounds. Some of the residents near the locality view these symptoms with alarm ; others do not regard them with any sort of apprehension. At the Addington saleyards last week a monstrosity of a calf was offered among the weaners. It had five legs. The extra limb which is about 18 inches in length, practicably takes the place of the tail, and is growing out at one side, and below the latter, the tail itself being only a few inches long. A fancy price was asked for the animal, and it was not sold. Small birds are said to be making great havoc among the grain crops of South Canterbury and Otage. At a late meeting of the Levels County Council the opinion was expressed that soon the country would not be able "to grow grain if something were not done to check the increase of small birds. It is estimated that in some cases fully half the grain has been taken. The High School opened yesterday with a roll of 102 scholars, of which number 42 were new pupils. As several of the old scholars were unable to be present through the inclemency of the weather, the attendance in a few days will be greater than the present building can accommodate. Messrs Whalley & Co.'s hall has therefore been engaged by the committee to meet the temporary requirements of the school, but it will be a great relief to all concerned when the new building is erected. A pitiful example of the influence of strong drink on a decent-looking man was seen at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. John Lyell, the man in question, was charged with drunkenness and vagrancy. He had been parading the streets on Sunday with his dress ill a disgraceful state, and was generally described by the police as an undesirable character. The accused attributed his present wretched condition solely to the drink habit. Tho magistrate took a lenient view of the case and discharged hhn. A practice among railway travellers which lias by custom come to be recognised as right and proper—smoking on the platform of a non-smoker railway carriage—was the subject of an action in the local police court yesterday. E. V. Lloyd was charged with the offence. It appeared that the guard of the train had spoken about smoking in such a place to the traveller, who, considering the guard's manner offensive, reported him to the Department. The guard, on the other hand, declared the traveller's manner offensive. Mr Moore, on behalf of Lloyd, asked for lenient treatment, and a fine of 2s 6d was inflicted, which carried with it costs amounting to 10s. • The Majeroni Company concluded their season last evening with the production of a nicely-balanced drama entitled " A King of Iron." The piece was very successfully staged and the principals of the company received wellmerited recognition of their' fine acting, To-day they proceeded to Foxton, where they open to-night. A return visit will be made to Palmerston on February 26th and 27th. "Whenever rain falls a rather formidable lake forms in front of the Times office. We desire to intimate tho civic authorities that wo have no use for artificial waters, also that we have an abhorrence of wet foot. While on municipal matters it may be said that the methods employed by the Corporation staff of mending holes in the footpaths do not commend themselves for wisdom. Last week a number of men threw some tar down into holes in the pavement in the Square in proximity to the establishment of an aspjrant for the Mayoralty. Upon this tar they deposited some sand. The sand was blown into the adjoining shops, and the pedestrians carried the tar away on their boots. The holes are there yet. Several cases of old age pension renewals were dealt with by Mr A. Greenfield, S.M., yesterday. Tbaj, of Henry Macguire was renewed for £1S and that of Erick Person for £12. Wm. H. Tompkins, of Bongotea, had failed to declare that his wife had property, and was called upon to make an explanation. After hearing the evidence Mr Greenfield remarked that he felt satisfied a mistake had been made. In the computation of the pension granted in 1901 for the third year, this Department had not taken into consideration the wife's property and the previous year's pension was affected by the passing of the 1900 Act, which provided for the charging of a wife's property against the husband's pension. The amount of pension rightly payable from November Ist, 1900, to February Ist, inclusive, was, therefore, only £13. By revaluation of the properly this amount was further reduced to £6. An order was made for the repayment of £11 os, which Mr Tompkins said he was miable to make. The application for renewa] was refused. A gasc against Mrs Manx, on Vunilar {jroundsj wag adjourned, '' " 'i

The Feilding Borough Council has appointed Wednesday as the statutory half hohday. A special meeting of the Oroua Lodge of Druids will behold to-night to deal with special business. A big Fanners' Union gathering is being promoted by the Marton branch of thg~ Union to tako place during Easter week. The action of the Manawalu and West Coast A. and P. Association in regard to the weight of corn sacks—that the weight of the grain should not exceed 2001bs—has been approved by the Marton branch of the Farmers' Union. A visitor to the Kahutarawa Valley speaks with enthusiasm of the prospects for settlers in that part of the district. On all hands there are evident signs of prosperity and the outlook is most encouraging. The young deer liberated some two years ago in the Kahutarawa Valley have done remarkably well, and one of the stags lias developed six-point antlers. The deer are often seen by residents in the locality. __ The Marton branch of the Farmers' Union has decided to offer remount officers, who may purchase horses in I this colony for South Africa, on behalf of tho Imperial Government, assistance m their work, in tho hope that settlers will benefit more largely than hitherto. At the instance of Mr Leadlcy, President of South Canterbury Farmers' Union, says the Advocate, Mr J G Wilson (President of the Farmers' Union) has written to the Premiers of Victoria and New South Wales offering the Union's service in the purchase oi seed grain. Yesterday afternoon at tho railway station Constable Do Norville arrested a man named Francis Henry Jeffry, alias Fulton, who is " wanted" at Hunterville on charges of alleged false protenccs and horse-stealing. Accused when arrested endeavoured for some time to persuade the constable that it was a case of mistaken identity, but finally allowed himself to be escorted to the police station. He will come before the Court this morning, when a remand to Hunterville will be applied for. The programme of Mr Woolhousc's concert, at the Theatre Eoyal this evening, should provide one of the most' enjoyable entertainments yet promoted in Palmerston. The instrumental music will of course be a feature of the concert. In this Mr Woolhouse, who is a flautist of marked ability, will be assisted by the ■ principal local musicians. Under the baton of Mr M. Cohen the Orchestral Society will contribute two selections, in which it will be assisted by Mr Isherwood. In Miss J. Oliver and Mr Mclunnon. Mr Woolhouse has secured ' the assistance of vocalists whose contributions will be a considerable attraction. The box plan for the concert is filling up well, and good patronage may be anticipated. Society suffered a shock this week, says the Age's London correspondent, writing on sth December, on finding on the Bankruptcy Court list the name of Colonel G. W. Adolphus Fitzgeorgo, eldest son of the Duke of Cambridge. Proceedings were taken against Colonel Fitzgeorge by Mr W. G. Eobson, a gentleman of independent means, resid- [ ing at Maidenhead, who is returned as a j judgment creditor for £90,126, and a receiving order was made. Particulars of i the debts have not been gone into. Colonel Fitzgeorge served with the 20th Hussars during the Egyptian campaign of 1882, was at Tel-el-Kebir,and received the fourth class Osmanish. He retired from his regiment in 1895. A meeting of the Friendly Societies' Executive was held at the Fire Brigade Station last evening, Bro. T. Griggs in the chair. The report and balancesheet in connection with the annual gathering held at Foxton on New Year's Day, were received and adopted. Votes of thanks were passed to all who had assisted to make the gathering a success. The total receipts amounted to £110 4s, and the expenditure (including expenses incurred during the year, and a sum voted towards a presentation to the secretary) to a similar amount. It was unanimously decided to ask Mrs BucJian to accept a framed group of the 1901-2 Executive, (of which the late Bro. A. Buchan was chairman) as a mark of the esteem in which Mr Buchan was held. The treasurer, Bro. W. H. Cox, was presented with a framed group of the Executive. A southern paper describes a certain device used by a South Canterbury farmer for keeping small birds off grain crops as something new. It is undoubtedly an effective idea, but has been used at home for very many years, where all manner of crops are protected by its means. The plan is to fix stakes at the corners of a field, to each stake a kerosene tin with a stone inside being hung. A boy standing in the centre of the field rattles the tins at intervals by means of long strings connected with each. The South Canterbury farmer, Mr King, of Levels Valley, has two boys regularly employed, and so far the idea has cost him 8s per acre, the scheme being carried out in a twenty-acre paddock. A Home correspondent has made the j statement that butter is arriving in London from this colony unmarked, that is there was nothing on the box to denote the country of its origin. There is evidently a mistake somewhere, as under the regulations of the Dairy Industry Act all butter exported to the British markets must have a brand on the box giving the registered numbe.i of the factory, and the words. " New Zealand Dairy Produce." The correspondent in question remarks as follows on the incident : —New Zealand butter now holds such a high place, and is making its way into places where hitherto only Australian butter has been, and in all probability will stay there, that it seems surprising that producers should send thenproduce along in such apparently haphazard fashion.. A publican, charged at G-ore with supplying whiskey 55 degrees under proof, pleaded " Guilty." He said that he had a special bottle of whisky diluted with water, which he kept for personal consumption when drinking with customers. jHe had left his wife in the bar for a time, and she had moved his bottle, and placed it on a shelf where the ordinary whisky was kept. When the police came in defendant had returned to the bar, and did not notice his private blend had been misplaced. When the sergeant asked for whiskey he took up this bottle, and supplied him from it in mistake. He was fined 5s and costs. A number of trivial cases were dealt with by Mr Greenfield, S.M., yesterday. For leaving his vehicle unattended aiid without a chain on the wheel George Richardson was fined 2s 6d and 7s costs. Kai Tara, a young athletic native, admitted behaving in a disorderly manner on tbe Palmcrston-Foxton train, but pleaded drunkenness. According to the police Kai Tara was a source of terror to the guards of that train, and he was called iipon to pay £1 and costs amounting to 7s. Three members of the speiling fraternity, who were recently caught playing •' two-up " in Cuba-street on a Sunday afternoon, were charged with the offence. None of the men answered to the charge, and two of them, E. Solomon and James C. Wylie, were not represented. Mr Innes appeared for the other, George Darling. He entered a plea of not guilty, and contended that it devolved upon the police to prove that " two-up " was a game of chance, and strict proof at that. On his part he could produce authority. ' Constable De Norville was sure that the accused had been playing the game at the time stated and, further, knew of his being in the habit of playing it. Eacli was fined £2 and costs 7s, or in default fourteen days' imprisonment. At the instanco of' a woman named Maud Walker, a farm hand, Harry Wilson, recently from Canterbury, was charged with breaking and entering her house, doing damage to the extent of £10 and stealing therefrom £2. Mr Moore defended Wilson. The evidence was of a very conflicting nature. The Magistrate, after taking evidence for nearly four hours, declined to convict and the man was discharged. The past week's cash takings at the Bon Mar.cho have been a record. The firm are hopeful of acpornplishing the required clearance of stock within the date specified to admit of the alterations and extension of premises heiDg pro : ceeded with. Frefeh bargains are. daily brought forward.—Advt. Xmas Bazaar.—Wm, Park announces his grand annual Bazaar dow open. His display of goods is the largest £and best ever shown in the district with special low prices' for Xmas. 'The shipments include diaries, prize and presentauoQ books; new annuals, leather goods, china and glassware, electro plats, Japanese goods, Crcquet, Cricket and Tennis material, toys in an endles , ariety $rc.=r44vt»