LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXVII, 28 February 1913, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dr van Slyko, eye, ear and nose specialist, may be consulted at the Central Hotel, Patea, on Wednesday next, March sth.

We remind our readers of Mr B, T. Bennett’s weekly auction sale which takes place at 2 p.m to-morrow. Particulars will bo found in our advertising columns.

The annual meeting of householders to elect a committee to, manage the affairs of the Technical School for the current year will bo held in the Technical School on Monday, at 3 p.m.

According to ihe London Times a strain of bees harmless to handle has been successfully hired ‘by Mr Burrow, of Loughton. Essex. The bees, which htva been obtained by mating a Cyprian drone with an Dalian queen, are very active workers, and Mr Burrows claims that they are less liable to disease than tho ordinary English beas. The now boas are not stingloss, but the sting is innoc.uous One hive this year yielded 200 lbs of honey.

The manager of a well known theatre tells a funny experience that befel him a short time ago. Going up to a man whose conduct had evidently been annoying other patrons, he said, “ Don’t you like the pictures, sir ?” Yes, th-th»nk you ; they’re b-b-beautiful, s-sir; I’m en-j joying them g-g-greatly.” “ Then why do you persist in hissing?'’ asired the manager. “ H-h-his-d-aing, m-rue, sir; I’m not h-hissing; I’m s-s-saying the s-s-show iss s-s-simply s-superb, sir.” —Tableau.

i ■ Many farmers do not know whetha r their cows are being worked profitably or not; many say it is to much trouble to keep records, ond that they do not pay for the time spent over them. On the other hand, every, farmer who tested hi* cows and dulled the unprofitable ones knows that it does pay and that it is very little trouble. It is blind policy to simply total up the proceeds at the end of the season and divide the result by the number of cows ; it gives no idea whatever of the possibilities of a herd. -

A story is told by a London paper of a Dutchman who arrived in the United States on Decoration Day, and noticing the flags Hying and the people going to the cemetery with large bunches of flowers, bo asked what it meant. “ Why, this is Decoration Day,” said one. “ Don’t you know what that is ?” The Dutchman confessed that he didn’t. The man then explained it. "Isn't there someone at rest in the cemetery whose grave you would like to decorate with flowers?” asked the man. The Dutchman shook his bead aud replied: “ Doze peebels vat graves I like to dsgorate are not dead yet.”

According to the Timaru Post on a recent Saturday two m«n called at a farmhouse in the neighbourhood of Timaru and asked for work. The farmer, who was just about to commence harvesting, engaged them with a view to giving them a start on the Monday. On Saturday and Sunday nights they were provided with bods and on Sunday with three equare meals. On Monday morning the weather was not favourable for harvest work, but this did not 1 prevent the men from enjoying their meals. Work commenced after dinner on Monday and an hour later the fanner was surprised to hear one of thorn say, “ Boss, we’re off!” Their employer had not recovered from the shock before they had turned and were striding across the paddock. The spokesman turned, and, waving his hand and assuming u magnanimous air, said, ‘‘Yon can keep the bob we’ve earned. 1 ’

Nothing definite is known with regard to tho appointments to the Upper House likely to be made. Questioned on tho matter by a “ Timas ” reporter Mr Massey replied “ How can I give you anything definite when them matter has not oven been before Cabinet P ” Any attempt at present to forecast the number of accessions likely to be made to the Council is accordingly mere speculation. There will be one vacancy in tho Upper House this vear, duo to the fact that the Hon. T. Kelly is eligible to retire on October IGth next, and no fewer than fifteen members, appointed for tho seven years’ term, will retire on January 22nd, 1914. These are the Hons. J. Anatey, J. Barr. J, B. Gallon, W. E. Collins, H. Gilmer, 0. M. Luke. W. W. McGardlo. J. T. Paul, O. Samuel, J. R. Sinclair, G. J. Smith, and W. H. Tuckor. Of the thirty-eight present members of tho Council, seven wore appointed for life and thirty one for tho fixed term.

Mrs Gilruth, wife of the Northern Terntoiy Administrator, is at present raidin'; the Melbourne shops, says a Melbourne chatterer. She has had her boys aoasiding at Fraukston. They are a lusty outdoor crowd, and their mother declares that, though there is an excel" lout doctor in Darwin, he has not paid a professional visit to the house during their mouths of residence. “We have never been so well,” says the young matron. She thinks the Territory climate really tones one up, and says she has lost the languid feeling the Victorian summer heat used to induce. Professor Nansen's prettily fair daughter who companions her and helps teach the children Ims the stme glad word for the maligned place. At intervals they ride and motor far afield humping over roughness bidden in the floor of the roadless and grassy wilderness. Mrs has an aboriginal nurse girl, whom she finds most adaptable. This young person has become an expert needlewoman. She is in Melbourne with the family, and is fascinated by the shops. Melbourncitea turn and stare at the happy brown faced girl in the dainty clothes of civilisation, wondering where she cams from. And very few of them guese that she came from Australia.

Warner’s rust-proof corsets. In the latest models the bust is low and full. Flexible corsetting above tho waist is the result, the newest figure fashion. Perfect comfort with figure elegance*/

It is officially stated that the King has granted Captain Scott’s widow the same rank and precedence as if Captain Scott had been nominated a Commander of ths Bath, as he would have been if he had survived.

The CT.S. Government has ordered special tests of Professor Friedmann’s cure for tuberculosis. Professor Friedmann claims that it is a certain care, and is wrought by means of bacilli taken from turtles. He proposes to reveal tho cure to the world without remuneration.

"Why do women always put men on a pedestal ?” asked the Her, A. H. Colvile, in the course of an address in St. Matthew’s Church, Auckland. “It only breaks their hearts when the crash comes,” Suffragettes couldn’t have been in his mind. They don’t let the crash come ; thiy bring it on.

As a proof of how it pays to keep choice dairy cows, it is interesting to learn, says the Stratford Post, that Mr Newton King has sold tho dairy herd of Mr W. H. Fenwick, of Tariki, consisting of thirty three Grade Jersey cows, to n Palmerston North buyer at the fanny price of £2O per head.

A peculiar motor car accident is reported from' Onehunga. The car was proceeding along at a ateady pace when a dog ran into it and became entangled in some iranner with the #teering gear underneath. The car crashed into an iron verandah post and out it out and then twisting round capsized. Strange to say the dog escaped injury.

Thera has just been completed at Hukanui, on the Waikato River, below Huntly, a very handsome iron fence, o* a substantial brick wall, with brick buttresses. This wall encloses the plot of ground on which the late King Mahnta’s vault stands. The work was carried out by a monumentalist of Auckland, with whom the order for a life sized statue of the late King, standing on a handsome marble pedestal, has also been placed.

The continued increase in the volume ot goods and passenger traffic has resulted in the Stratford railway station being raised to a higher grade. Reports go to show that tho town is making steady but sure progress, there being an entire absence of the “ boom ” methods in vogno some 12 or 15 years ago. Poisibly the Laud Agents Act has something to do with this. Who knows ?

The Government has been very generoub to Wellington recently, having agreed at the request of the City Council, to vest an area of 6500 acres of forest reserve at Wainui-o-mata, in the Council for water supply purposes. The city thus secures a permanent addition to the area which it already possesses in that locality for ensuring continuously an adequate and pure water supply. Sir Ernest Hhackleton stated recently in New York that he is planning an attempt to travel right across the Antarctic region. Ho estimates that such a journey would mean covering something like 2300 miles. Afterwards be may enter politics, with a view to working for a reform in the conditions of service and pay of seamen engaged in the merchant marine.

A boy about three years of age, a son of Mr Simeon Hansen. Gapee Valley, Geraldine, was badly stung by bees. While Mr Hansen and a neighbour were removing honey from the hives, the child, unknown to the father, had wandered near. A swarm of beee settled npon the boy, and he was eeriously etung all over the body. He was at once taken to a doctor in Geraldine, who did everything possible to relieve the agony. The child, states the Timaru Post, is in a critical condition, suffering from shook and the poison of the stings.

It is staled that an enormous area of potatoes is being cultivated in the Lower Waikato this year, and according to the latest reports the crops have come through tho recent bad weather well and have so far escaped the Irish blight. The general absence of blight is attributed largely to the fact that autumn grown seed has been used almost exclusively by growers, who state that plots planted with other seed have been badly affected with blight. The average yield of the early crops which have been lifted has only been fair, but the high prices ruling amply repaid growers, some of the first dispatches of the season realising up to £35 per ton, whilst £3O and £2B ruled some weeks after digging commenced.

The drawbacks to the frozen meat industry caused by so many loading ports in New Zealand, and the multiplicity of marks on «aoh ship’s manifest, were the subjects of a memorandum before the Trade Commissioners at the meeting in Dunedin. The memorandum set out as essential: —(1) That the farmers should continue to improve their flocks and herds by breeding a stock of meat which was found to suit the best taste of customers; (2) that freezing companies should continue to strive to raise the reputation of their respective trademarks; (3) that shipping companies should go on providing the best possible facilities for getting meat to the markets of the world ; (4) that the High Commissioner should bring influence to bear upon the port authorities of the United Kingdom and elsewhere for bettor methods for the discharge storage and delivery of meat.

Amongst several amusing stories related by Bishop Wood, a Melanesian Mission, meeting at Christchurch the other night was the following:—A white man and a native were walking along the bsach of a certain island, when suddenly the native espied a figure a couple of miles ahead, and exclaimed ; “ There goes my enemy.” The white man had a pair of field glasses with him, and handed them to the native. This brought the enemy into close view, and the native picked up his gnu to shoot. But as soon as be dropped the glasses, the enemy faded into the distance. The native picked up the glasses again, and tho enemy once more came into close view. Tho native once again picked up his gun to shoot, uud as ho dropped the glasses, the enemy once more faded into the distance. “Hero,” yelled the native to tho missionary, “hold tho glasses to my eyes while I shoot.”

Mr H. A. Reid, Bacteriologist to the Department of Agriculture, returned to Wellington on Wednesday, after four months spent in Europe for the purpose of posting himself in the latest advances in bacteriological and serological science. To this end Mr Raid visited tha Pasteur Institute, Paris, Lyons Veterinary College, the State Bacteriological and Sorum Institutes in Utrecht and Rotterdam, tho Lister Institute, London, Cambridge Laboratories, and the Laboratory of tho British Board of Agriculture. In his capacity as Staff Officer to the New Zealand Veterinary Corps, Mr Reid made full inquiries concerning the organisation and equipment of tho British Army Veterinary Department, some days being spent at Aldershot and Woolwich for this purpose, A very high opinion was formed of this branch of tho British Army organisation. The Department, Mr Raid said, is prepared in every particular for war, and can, if necessary, lake the field fully equipped at au hour’s notice.

Ladies! Warner’s corsets are comfort" able—guaranteed eo—they shape fashionably. The bones cannot rust or ean the fabric tear. Order now. -Local drapers***

MrJ. D. Rockefeller, juu., announces that he is Riving £2,000,000 for the establishment of a charitable institution which will be devoted to the work of reclaiming victims of the white slave traffic. —Central News,

The last issue of the New Zealand Gazette contains a copy of the Declaration of Union signed in the Town Hall, Wellington, on the 6th inst, by the representatives of the Methodist and Primitive Methodist Churches. The signatures are witnessed by Lord Liverpool and the Prime Minister amongst others.

" You have captured one of our generaU,” said the South American commander' " Yos,” said tha leader of the insurgents, “wo have,” 11 We will exchange two colonels for him.” “No." “ Then two colonels and a captain.” “ Nothing doing. You can havo him, however, for a can of condensed milk,”

An unusual oatoh. was mads on tbs Oakura bsash the other day by Ms J. Bennett, of Oakura. It consisted of a fine specimen of the tropical fish, the poreupins fish, which measured over a foot in length. Mr Bennett noticed the unusual fish in a large pool and safely landed it with the help of a forked stick. He has presented the shell to the Now Plymouth Museum,

A lady at the Tolaga Bay races had an unpleasant experience. She was wearing a dress made of fine material. A lighted match threwu on the ground by a smoker came in contact with the dress. Instantly there was a flare up, and before the fire could be extinguished the dress was completely destroyed, The lady fortunately was not severely burned, but she sustained a shock.

A grocer who had too many slowpaying credit customers offered a series of prizes for the best essays or written descriptions of “ How to Collect Poor Accounts,” Without initiating any particular collection campaign, he aronsad so much discussion in his town about slow paying, long paying and allied subjects that he increased the cash business all along the line for himself and other shopkeepers, and collected also many dead accounts from debtors who evidently feared that full publicity might be given their failure to pay their obligations the plan suggested in several of the essays.

“ One has only to travel through New Zealand to become aware of the fact that a restful calm pervades the political arena of the Dominion. The conflicting winds which characterised the latter years of the Ward Administration hare died away, and a tranquil atmosphere of sincerity and common sense now exists. The old party has practically disappeared from the arena; there is no reeognised leader of the Opposition; in fact, it is hard to find a party of that name in the House.* Mr Massey and his able team are firmly entrenched, and are likely to remain in office for many years to ooan.”'-‘‘ The Pastoralists’ Review (Melbourne), on the political situatioh in New Zealand.

Masterton, as our readers arc aware, is a “ dry area,” According to the Ago they have introduced a liquor there which is ■aid to arouse indescribable feeling*. It comes from Denmark, and is said to be made of aged Holland gin with crushed caraway seeds. One of the guests at a boardinghouse, who drank a whole bottle and went to bed, threw all his clothes out of the window, also his valise, and the pillows and mattresses. Then he rushed out into the street, imbued with the idea that ha was a bay horse. His friends ran after him, and only succeeded in calming him down by putting a rope halter around the victim's neck and tying him up for the night in a stable near by, where they left him with a bucket of cold water aad a sack of oats.

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