LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13050, 15 December 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Private W. Kitt, of the Permanent Artillery, who was on duty at the Penrose rifle range yesterday, was accidentally shot in the°hand. Two of his fingers were badly injured, and after first aid had been rendered Mr. Kitt was removed to the hospital, where he was detained for treatment. He was on duty at the butts in connection with the ammunition-testing experiments, and it was his duty to examine and record the shots made. It is thought that he was hit by a ricochetting bullet. A bankrupt being examined before the official assignee yesterday stated that he had to keep himself, wife, and two children on £2 10s per week. Upon this a representative of a creditor present commented! " I am keeping a family of 10 on £2 5s per week, and paying 14s a week rent." The bankrupt replied "I don't believe it;- it cannot be clone at the present rate of living." The. creditor's representative stated that he did it t and managed to make'ends; meet, to which the bankrupt answered: "Then you" a living marvel. I'd like to know how on earth you do it. Why, £2 5s with a family of 10 wouldn't keep body and soul together." The other said that the bankrupt could see the household monthly accounts if ho liked, and 'each man stated that he only possessed one suit of clothes in the world.

Speaking at the distribution of prizes to girls of the Diocesan High School yesterday, Miss Pulling, the headmistress, referring to the physique of the pupils, said: " I have never in the course of my experience seen such a large proportion of children affected with some slight muscular weakness, such as gradual scientific physical exercises can cure. I suppose the cause is in some way connected with the warm climate, and the cure, I grow more and more certain, lies not in leaving children to the alternate limpness and violent activity to which they tend in warm, weather, but in gentle and regular bracing of the muscles daily, more especially in enervating weather." Miss Pulling's experience of the physical condition of girls has been both extensive and varied, and her views on the subject command much respect.

The very heavy rains on Wednesday night flooded the premises of Milne and Choyce, Limited, drapers. There was a big leakage in the roof, which let in a huge quantity of water, which damaged goods to the extent of some hundreds of pounds. Fortunately some assistants were working late at the back of the premises, and did valuable service in saving a great amount of stock.

A man who was liberated from gaol on Wednesday, after serving a sentence of a mouth's hard labour, visited the steamer Waikare, which arrived from the South yesterday, and was arrested on board on charges ot stealing two watches, a gold chain, and 30s in money, from the passengers./ ' " •' ' . ■'■ ;-. '--.-"'

Mr. Alexander Ross, M'.L.U., of German - ton, has given, »-hpough the Moderator of the State General Assembly (the Rev. Alex. McKinlay), a resident scholarship of £50 per annum for three years, available for students for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church in New South Wales, either in their arte or divinity course; ; ■'-'

Owing to the unfavourable weather gon'. Wednesday prohibiting thobandprogrami^-;, benig given in the Park, His\ .Worship'r-. . | the Mayor has kindly given permission to.' the Garrison Band to give a band programme .' '■'•-'. ito the inmates of the Costley Homo on * I Sunday afternoon. Mr. P. M. Hansen hag - i offered to provide as tram car to convey th« bandsmen out. It is the intention of the... j band to pay a visit to various institutions '•,. " : M& during the summer months. • ... : Arrangements are being made for two - races in Auckland Harbour which should ' - • j prove most interesting. ; The first race will bo for round-buge scows, and the other for square-bilge vessels. The races will be for a sweepstake of £5 each, and if arranged •! . will be sailed between Christmas and New . " Year. It is expected that a large number : of boats of both classes will enter. The directors of the Australian Mutual Provident Society have decided to again submit to the policy-holders the question of V extending the business to London and South -• Africa. Their reasons for doing so are set forth in a memorandum by the chairman, printed in another coloumn, where ,- ■ ' there also appears a notice convening & - special meeting to be held in Sydney on January 19 next, to make the necessary amendments to the by-laws. It will be noticed that the directors strongly and unanimously, recommend the policy-holders to. sanction such amendments. A new departure is about to be taken by the Queensland Department of Agri- '■ culture in the s way of encouraging young v men to enter upon farming life. It is' * proposed to take at the Hermitage Statefarm young fellows between 16 and 18 years ■ ■ of age to learn farming in its higher : I branches. The intention is to provide for v; 10 at the Hermitage farm, the term of service to be for three years; in the first year no payment will be given, in the second year £1 per month, and in the third year.£2 per month. As it would not be ad- r . \ vantageous to have a batch of 10 coming and going at- the same time, the Depart- .-. ment will arrange to receive four as soon as- ; ; .- ' accommodation has been provided, then . next year three, and the, following year . - three, so that there will be a: coutuiuoua series in successive stages of progress. ._

A business man tells a good story illus- ■'.*■' ' trating what strange ideas are held on the subject of commercial economies (says the * Taranaki Herald). A settler desired a • little temporary accommodation, and wag ..\ obliged with a cheque for~~the amount re- :; r---quired. A few weeks later the identical cheque was returned, with a note, ..the effect that the borrower had un«xp '•~-.11/ j received other moneys due to him, .-.: r.ix- : ,' i sequently made no use of the cheque. He I was very much obliged, however, and asked to be informed how much he was indebted • I to the giver of the cheque for interest on ; , the sum borrowed. : ;:■■ . '/ /; An effort is being made (writes our ' Waihi correspondent) to indue* the Telegraph Department to connect the ""■ I Waihi railway station. With the telephone I system, but Sir. Joseph Ward has replied ' to the effect that it is not usual to iri;?K3 such a connection at other than large centres, because the work between the public '"'lk and the Railway Department requires to be '. ■) in writing. Sir Joseph Ward, however, is ,; in error about the railway stations in small J centres not being connected, for at Eaeroa, '! which is only half the size Oi Waihi, the. subscribers' list has included the Paeroa - • \ railway station from the time the .system . ' was, established!. It h hoped that the Minister will see his way clear to grant the * ■, application made to him from Waihi. Fifty thousand one hundred and twenty boxes of butter (1250 tons) were sent to London by the s.s. Gothic, which left. W<sk ' lington last week. In addition, some hun-"',' 7 dreds of kegs of butter and 5557 cases of "' cheese were taken away in the same vessel. !< The National Dairy Company of New Zea'-* ' land. Limited, sent away between 22,000 and 25,000 boxas of butter and about 2500 cases of cheese in . the totals above quoted. Conversing with Mr. J. G. Harkness, manager of the company, an Evening' Post reporter learned that the butter pros-' pects for the current season are good. A " decided increase was apparent in the output from the western part of the island (especially Taranaki), there baing a gain of from sto 10 pa- cent. The recent output on ' the Wellington sideand more particularly, * in the Forty-mile Bush— been less satis« '[ • factory, but the cause of that was the longi continued wet weather and the backward -' spring, which has been more pronounced in ' the last-named district. Now that the season had become more favourable a considerable increase of butter output was expected from these localities.

Counsel in a case at the Chnstchuirch Stii preme Court asked a man in the witness bos whether he had " cognisance of a, certain fact." . The witness simply stared at i'd questioner, and the lawyer failing to per- - < _ ceive that the witness did not know the) -■ meaning of evefty word in Webster, per- : sisted in hurling "cognisance" lat him. , i" : Eventually Mr. Justice Denniston came td ' .■« ' the rescue of the mystified witness. "Hav- < : ing cognisance," His Honor explained; • " means knowing." The man in the box " immediately brightened up. "Yee, yes,'' - ■ ho said, answering the learned counsel's ■'■ query, which the judge had translated ink* ordinary English. ." It ia better to us«| simple language," remarked His Honor, . ; closing the incident. ; v

The proposal, emanating from the) 3Cef<; bourne Trades Hall, for a reduction of th«( eight hours working day to one of six hours, having been forwarded to the New .'Zealand trades and labour councils for approval," and the matter having been referred: to thfl % Trades and Labour Conference at Christchurch at Easter, representatives of thS ! ; Hbrald yesterday ascertained the views of both sides in Auckland on the question-.' ; The interviews appear in another column, "fcf

• It is rumoured (says ,' the Grey Rive* 1 Arga.s) that a syndicate in Wellington hag ',' secured an option over certain hotels on the ,'-' coast, and intends to erect large arid com- ' modious premises. ". The object of the syn- ' dicate is to cater for the travelling public,: more particularly commercial travellers, v and hotels will be erected in Kelson, West- - port, Greymouth, and Holritika. The syndicate has a large capital, anu the hotels to be erected are to be carried on in the-mostf up-to-date manner.

At Rydal, New South Wales, a man named Edward Storan was recently proceeding to the deviation works, where he had been ': : ' employed some time. When a few yards, west of the Railway-street crossing he fell on the line between the rails. Shortly after a goods train passed through the yard, < and some of the gear under the engine caught in his coat, and dragged him for several yards, until the fabric gave way. . The entire train passed over him. On the arrival of the train at Sbdwalls, portions of the man's coat were found twisted round ;:;s one of the steam-chest cocks. Mr. Collier, ~---;', the Rydal night officer, having occasion to ' 3 gb down the yard, discovered Storan lying there, and he was carried to the station. ' - Upon examination it was found that he had received two rather severe wounds in the , : ., head, but that otherwise he had practically ' v escaped injury. There were two persons in : the lockup - last night, of whom one wascharged with v drunkenness and one with theft. _ y

It/ was nob until' the heroic stonewall of fast/session (says a writer in the Wellington' Post), that Mr. Moss, of Ohinemuri, vrc*i the affections of tho press gallery habitues.,' His long series of delightfully funny jpeeches gave him the entree to their ••: iearts, and many : a weary scribe thinks ; gratefully of his mots. In his short Parlia- ' mentary career he became noted as the mam whi) always began his speech in a plaintive voile, in a perfectly novel and unexpected f*sMon. "■:" His defeat is a great disappointstent. ■ , ■'' '.: A letter written by Dr. Archer Hosking to the Wairarapa Daily Times virtually describes the water supply In Mastertou as < fihhy. Dr. Hosking indicates, typhoid as a, possible result of its present impure condition. '"Wo have a Health Department injNew Zealand," says the Times, "and if jm a. live bureau it wilt take up this question, obtain an analysis of the water we j fjf. using, and if it prove to be impure, itr :;r,e its powers to remedy the evil. Of ::->uiv.!, the Borough Council is also rcsponfable} but we know, by experience, that ; ih'Ji body is frequently dilatory, and it may fie necessary for the Health Department to :' intervene." .1 The'new system which is being introduced by the Commonwealth Government of the payrnfafc for telephonic services on the toll system has so far not been largely ailed of. It has been instituted for use ii country districts. Regulations were, vramed whereby a connection could be had ,'■ vith the nearest exchange for an annual <ee, of £4 5s for a day service only. When 15 subscribers or over are obtained, the annual fee is £5, and a night service is included. The Postmaster-General thinks tho reason that applications are not coming forward readily is that the system is ••'Hot properly understood.

The annual Chess Congress opens in Auckland on December 26. Several represents \ lives of Southern clubs (including Mr. G. Edwards, representing the Otago club) "will : take part in the champion, game, for which there is a first prize of £25. while special prizes have been donated for the players securing most wins against the champion, 5 ; the. most brilliant game, etc. The competi- ,-' tion will take place at the Auckland Chess Club's rooms, His Majesty's Arcade, and the Auckland club is making all necessary arrangements. An electrician named James White met with an accident while engaged in painting the electric service poles in connection with the Frem'antle (W.A.) tramways recently". He was working on a cross-beam •above the street, and he leaned over on a dead wire to speak to a friend on the footpath below. While engaged thus his leftarm camo in contact with a live wire, in wiieh was an electric current of 2200 volts. The flesh of his right arm began to burn immediately, and he was unable to move. A fellow employee named Fisher went to lis assistance with a ladder, but could not novo him until the current had been cut off it the power-house. By this time both inns were burning, and blood was dropping from them. The horrible spectacle was Trilnessed by a crowd of people, who were powerless to aid the sufferer. After several minutes the current was cut off, and White, svho never lost consciousness, was secured with rope*, and lowered to the street, whence he was taken to the hospital.

:'.' The egg-grading by the Government expert (Mr. Burke) at the Taieri -aid Peninsula Milk Depot has this season been prolonged far beyond the anticipated time, riz., the end of October, and promises to jontinue for a fortnight or so yet, says the ;6tago Daily Times. Against 15,210 dozen eggs stored last year there are-already in the cool stores t this season, oyer 1000 cases t>£ 25 dozen each—i.e.,' more than 300,000 /eggs— one of which, not to speak of iose found for various reasons unsuitable for storage, has passed through Mr. Burke's own hands. In addition to the above, the grader has graded a large number of eggs for purchasers willing to pay lld per dozen ■extra for graded eggs for immediate conSramption or for preserving in water-glass, Sim>, etc. The last-mentioned practice, ffiich is growing without municipal or Government regulations, points to the readings with which people are'prepared to aiail themselves of any, means whereby guarantee of purity may be secured. Before long consumers, in addition to the itamp mark of the abattoirs upon meat and' She grader's certificate with eggs, may come to look for similar guarantees as regards poultry, rabbits, and fish.