NEWS NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10960, 1 May 1907, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEWS NOTES.

The White Star liner Majestic, from Queenstown to New York, carried 500 sacks of shamrocks for Irish-Americans to wear on St. Patrick's Day.

The greatest distance to which electric power is a + . present satisfactorily transmitted is 232 miles. This is m California. The pressure is 50,000 volts.

In the course of a dispute regarding the christening of a child at Howell (N.S.W.) Edward E.- Doolan was : stabbed with a pocket knife. An arrest has been made..

A society has recently been "formed at Preston, Lancashire, with the object of promoting social intercourse between the clergy of the Church of England and Nonconformist ministers.

,-' While ascendirig Monte Saritangelo, near Foggia, Italy, Signor Kermorit be» gan to slid-' on the show. He was unable to stop himself, and went over a precipice, and was dashed to pieces. {Signor Dorrides was killed iri attempting to save his com. rade

The. people of Wolgan, near Lithgow (N.S.W.) have hit upon a unique way of demonstrating the need of a school for their children. The children are to be mustered, grouped, and photographed, and the photographs circulated, with a caustic reference to free education.

At Vacy(N.S.W-) Mrs. Jacob Schilling removed; a piece of meat from a pot ofTxiiling, water,, when her infant son came atong imnotioedf .and fell iri to the pot, receivinff; fearful scalds. The child was taken to J? ateison for medical aid, but died m a few hours

Statistics of life insurance show that m the last. 25 yearsfthe average woman's lifehas been increased from about 42. years. to nearly 46, , or more than 8 per cent, f In thei same period the average man's life has increased from nearly 42 years jo about 44, or 5 per cent.

In Bristol a youth of 17 has committed suicide m remarkable circumstances. He was found hanging fiona a beam, and his body was covered from head to foot with green paint. On the legs were brass, rings, and the ears were pierced with'ipieoes of cotton, wliich were lied tinder tins chin. There was no - explanation- a(t- "the inquest as to the motive, for the tragedy ; and a verdict of -atiicide ataring'Nfem^rary insanity was returned^c.

The five-masted, full-rigged Grant sailing ship Preussen, one of .the largest vessel of its type afloat, lias-, (says the Shipping World) established a fine tteW record m fast sailing. She left sTaltal Harbpr Chili, with a cargo of saltpetre on December 17fch, and passed - the Lizard, on jF^bruary 16th-v Tins means that she took only 61 days to round the Hornand cross the line, and her performance undoubtedly conjstitutes a record. The Preussen, it may be added, is a vessel of 5080 tons, iand waß built m 1902. ■ „ ■-..-.•....

The lady teacher at a country school m the Stratford district has written to 'the Education Board .- "Some of .the parents object to my using the caie, and tlie strap I have takes liti'.e or no effect. Is there not a particular kind of .strap authorised by the Bohrd- for corpdral punishment? If so, would you kindly send m© one, or tell me where I could obtain one" Th'e secretary replied, directing the enquirer to ; the-clauße m the regulations dealing with the dimensions of the tawse, and suggested half of ari old" trace as a substitute. -Meanwhile, he promised to lay the matter before, the Board with a view of having pfenhr straps put on the'Bame contract basis as dog collars tinder county councils and so fbrth. ■": following /figures corivey an id^a of tlie growtht of the automobile industry" throußhput the world. Tlie car production m 1902 "and 1906 respectively was :— France, ,23,711, 55,000; England, 6253, 27,500 ; Germany, 4738,22000 ; Belgium, 1703, 12,000 ; Italy, 350 ; 18,500 5 America, 314, 58,000. The most striking feature of these figures, wliich have been compiled by a, French authprityj is the wonderful jump American motor industry has mjide. America's progress opines as a great,surprise to those who .have followed up the automobile iridustry of; recent years. The total production m 1906 was 193,000 cars At th^ low estimate of £200 a car, the total value of the output of cars would be £39,600,000: -

[ Qiieen Alexandra's ; chief delight at any time is, says a writer m the Bystander, to do her own shopping, and ft was always the greatest treat she; could give her daughters To go mto a shop, especially when they imagined themselves unrecognised, and -to 'buy- and choose at their own Bweet will, was like heaven to them. When the Princess Royal married the Duke of Fife sjie, tooj enjoyed, I remember, /perfect orgy of shopping. By some piece: of inadvertence I once fo^nd myself; sooh -aftttr. her marriage, m tlie Edgware road,-' hear the Marble Arch; on a. Sunday riiorriing. Ther©'l saw Her Royal Highness. She was peering into every window Which had not its shutters up, and was apparently enjoying herself hugely. It is quaint to find that members of the Royal Family should take this huge delight m being unnoticed. /D

Mr Maloney, a member of the mechanical'staff at the Christchurch office, is about to patent an improved telephone transmitter. The transmitter ; is fitted with an extra diaphragm with carbon pencils radiating from the centre and making contact at th© £ides. Thiß increases the volume of sound . arid does not allow the granules fto pack. V, The patent is attached by means of a screw and the. traris'mittef can be so adjusted that a person's' breathing may be heard quite distinctly. It is said to be specially suited for long distance telephoning, and it is , claimed that a person can fbe heaird as audibly at one hundred miles as at a mil*. Mr Mahoney has been m communication with the * Commonwealth on the matter,' and has received a request from the Postmaster. General to subiriit sariiples of his patent, f

■:. Among the" 7 'fare occurrences which mark-connubial bliss is the celebration of a diamond wedding, but such has been the experience of the Rev. T.. Full • james and his wife, who on April 17, says the Auckland Herald, completed sixty years of marital felicity. They were married at Chichester, England, m 1847, and came to New Zealand m 1863, after living m Auckland and at the Thames for many years. They are now residing with their daughter at Tuakari. Mr Fulljames is a cheerful old gentleman, ninety two years of age, who -has lived under five reigning sovereigns, and his intellectual "faenlties^Sr^ still unimpaired. Hia wife is stillactive anu bright, although^ighty-three^yearif ol& -'tHieii. family (living) consists of one son and three daughters, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The aged couple received many congratulations on the memorable occasion.

A true romance m real life surrounds the early years of. Miss Marie Hall, the young but already' famous violinist* to be heard out here m a feW months. The daughter of a musician, she was forced as a child to play m the' streets of Bristol for the stray silver o? the citizens. So marked was her untutored talent that both Sir Edward Elgar arid Wilhelm j gave her free lessons, which eriabled her while still. a little girl to win the Wesscley scholarship at the Royal Academy of ' Music. The success, however, was only a sardonic joke on the part of Fate, for she found it impossible to take up her studies m London owing to lack of means, and she had to go back once more to her streetplaying m her nauve city. This time, however, Fortune smil. Ed, for a well-known Bristol dignitary heard the appealing note of her Tioliii, was struck by the pathetic little face above it, and so managed' her affairs that she was placed, first, under Johann Kruse m London, and afterwards f or 20 months under Sevcik, the world's greatest teacher of the violin, at Prague - Thenceforward. her reputation was assured. -.'-:..

Has a-, headmaster- the 'right to "keep a child m" after specified school hours without the consent of his parents? Th e question arose at a householders', meeting last night (says tlie; Christchurch Press) ; and a delegate to tlie School Committees Association maintained that no such right -existed. The matter had bieen before the Association, which had discovered that according to statute the teacher could not detain a child. "One by bne.V said another member indignantly, "these new-fangled associations will -try;-to itake away ©very duty of a headmaster until he has nothing to do. They will not allow him to keep a child m, and tluere will be no discipline ; at.all. I want to enter my protest against sjich a thing. I hope a master will always be allowed to keep a child m, if 'it deserve-, it, and also pmnisk a child. A feu* more hammerings will mean a few less larrikins." The cliairman said that the association had been badly advised m coming to the conclusion put forward. The mas. ter had the right of detention. It was purely a question of discipline, and they could rest assured that the Government was not going to clip the wings of the headmaster so that Hi© could not fly round his own premises and grourids.

The biggest trust on earth is the country newspaper. Itf trusts everybody, gets cussed for trusting, mistrusted for cussing, and if it busts for trusting, gets cugsed for busting.

A citizen m a Prohibition area has received this post card from a stationmaster : "Dear sir,— Please send for your case of Books at once. It is leaking."

A remarkable operation has been performed at Lansing, Michigan. A bone m the leg of a lad named Buck having decayed, it was replaced by the bone of a dog, with complete success.

One of the largest pigs ever seen at the Addington Saleyards was sold ly Mr H. Stuart, of Middleton, last Wednesday. It was a purebred Tomworth sow, seven or eight -years old, and is estimated 'to weigh over 600 when dressed* The price realised wa6 £16 ss, md the buyer was Mr Buxton.

. Recent passengers on board the Minneapolis for New York from England 'ricluded 14 elephants, 7 wolves, 8 tigers,. 14 leopards, 14 lions, 6 dromedaries, 10 bears, 9 monkeys, 9 hyenas, 26 pythons, 12 camels, and 14 dogs. The food taken on aboard included 2 horses, 4 donkeys, 12 goats, 3 cases chickens, 1 dozen rabbits, 600 gal milk; 5 barrels fish, U. biscuits, 10601 b butcher's . meat, 6. tons hay, 3 tons straw, 2 tons oats, 22 barrels bread, 25 gallons of cod-liver oil. The animals are shipped by. Mr Bostock, of Bostock and Wombwell > to /the Jamestown Exposition m charge of 12 keepers, 4 trainers, arid 2 surgeons. f '.'.'.

A man's face, his voice; and even the color. of his eyes may change; but skin markings of his fingers he carries with him from the cradle to the grave. This , has been demonstrated by Sir William HerscheL ' who m order- to ascertain what effect lapse of time would have upon the skin markings pf the thumb and fingers, took the impressions off a number of boys iri' lß7B; And again when they had grown into manhood m 1892. They were identical m every line, except for, . the natural .enlargement. Professor Galton estimates the chances of two finger tips being alike: as less ': than one m 1,640,000,000.

- Loyalty is a thing not 'often spoken of nowadays. Tlie Dunedin Times reminds the King's subjects of their duty, thus :'--' ''It is one of the necessary disadvantages pf residence m a remote corner of an Empire whereon thejpun never sets' that it is manifestly impossible that the king bail honour the inhabitants by a personal visit. AH that the Sovereign. can do is to'delegate that duty to some worthy representai tive., To-morrow his Excellency the Qpyernor will start on an official visit to various' portions "of Otago fasf his "Ivlajesty's deputy. We trrist that the proofs of lbydlty arid attachment that will be afforded to Lord Plunket by the Otago public will make the visit orie to be remembered by him with pleasure. While no one doubts the absolute loyalty of the colonists, they may be soriiewhat apt to forget that the visit of his Majesty's representative demands some outward manifestation of the regard^ his'loyal Bttbje»!tK»: '-\"l_e want of flags and similar emblems, does not necessarily evidence 4, want of patriotism, but their presence is evidence of goodwill, and the attendance of the public is necessary to lend interest to any vice-regal reception. It will be generally hoped, that .-his Excellencyfwill be favoured , with good wea* ther upon his trip, and that he will derive much enjoyment from it. ", ,-\ ''"-, '.';'

The dreariness of Court proceedings is now and then relieved by little interludes of jocularity on the part of the learned judges. On Tuesday, for: instance, the Court of Appeal, at Welling-; ton was hearing a case , m which ; tpe makers of Sunlight soap sought to restrain another firm from using th^ words .''Rising Sun m describing their particular soap. Oounßel -"fot :the defendants (says: the New ■ Zealand Times) argued/that there was. no- chance of anyone being-deceived into thinking one of ihfese brands off Soap to be thp other* One could -not imagine, ■. he contended, anyone going to a shop for; Sunlight soap taking Rißing Sun soap instead: Mr Justice Cooper expressed the opinipn that five men out of six isent by their wjves to get Sunlight spap would take Rising Sun if it was offered to them. He could: quite understand that a woman would not be satisfied. She * would ' know best what she wanted. Counsel persisted that it was not 'a practical assumption that a man would, take -one brand lor another. Whereupon Mr Justice Denniston said he was quite sure he would. Mr Justice - Chapman drew a simile. ''If>". he said/ "I was sent, to buy some tobacco, 1 should certainly -rely: upon myself to forS> the brand." ''Ah,'*" said Mr Justice oper, "bat you don't Bmoke."

Speaking at the bperiing of a fete fat Mosman a few days' ago, 'Mr. Hogue' (Chief Secretary .of New South WalS)tald he. believed Sydney. Would becoirie' brie of the largest centres of population iri 'thfe world. He - considered. there Was rib other place. .With such natural "advantages or so many opportunities for the exparisioh of city" and suburbs. There - = had been a wonderful growth of pojuilatiofi f-'phf-: the northern, side of the harbor as far as Horrisby; 'and this would eventually exlerid' to the: HaWkesbury river and. out towards the Kuring-gai Cliase. There were also great possibilities of settlement along the coast from Manly to . Pittwater. Tlie same extension had taken place along tlie railway line to Parramatta, and Would also" be attracted further west to Penrith. And he believed that "tile State had sufficient resources arid - national Svealth to sustain such a. city, as the home of factories and Workshops. Another rnntter" to , be considered m this" corinecfibltrwiil" tlie growth of thei.commerce^of tlie. South Pjipific,^ of Whichf _ydn^yj arid ftJeWcastM ' Wete 1 tlie centres. There were big possibilities m that direction, and Sydney would reap trie benefits. He Would not say when it would become one of the world's greatest cities',' but he believed this would be withiri the life of many of those listenirig tQ him, Mj. Hogrie concluded by declaring tha^ Sydney was In every way worthy pi being the capital of Aiifititolia, arid it had every right to the title. -

The police (says the Oamaru Mail) have, suspected that the local Chinese despite the discouraging effect that a number pf blue oflteial -looking documents must have had, would make an attempt to procure a further supply of opium, and . last week wheri it became known to the officer that one of the Celestials had unostentatiously departed for Dunedin; his return, was vigilantly watched for. Last night, at the railway station^ Constables Weir and Penhallunack saw- the. Chinaman get; off the train from Dunedin, and they approached him withf ai. question about opium. But .John, "no savee," and he smiled angelically and did riot) protest when. the constables requested his presence m the porter's room. The myrmidons of the law commenced operatiojas on their suspect's bag, and brought to light two large bottles of Chin, ese braridy— vile stuff, combining .tlie fiery potency of ordinary English;, brandy with a sweet sickly odour characteristically Chinese. But this was not. opium, and John smiled, and fthe constables extended their search to . John's, person. They searched, long' arid industriously, and' in course of tim© they reached John's socks. John stopped smiling, then, and .indeed looked distinctly, annoyed, a6. there were, brought from their ' hiding-place several .packages of opium ash and a small box of pills; whilst m a pocket there was another package, evidently ready for posting, and addressed to a compatriot m Orepuki, and this contained pure opium. A charge will be duly preferred against the conveyor of opium by the Customs Department.

The troubles of a stage manager m the person of H. Norman occupied the at tentiori of Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., at Christchurch last week, when he brought an action against the MacMahon Dramatic Company for £12 m lieu of a fortnight's notice to terminate his engagement. The plaintiff stated that he was for some time stage manager for the : company, and received £6 per week. On April 6 hewent to the' treasurer m order to draw some. money/ and after making out the statement of ■ his Wages there was:£s 8s 6d due to him. The treasurer told' him he had better go along to the hotel and see Mr C. "MacMahPn; Whi;h he did; and; alter he obtained payment of £4 8s 6d MacMahon said that that finished everything between them) which he took to be equivalent to terminating his engagement. He rang Mr MacMahon up; to see if he wanted him that evening, '■ but. he -replied no; and on 'the Thursday following wrote to him, but'got no reply. It was customary, to give- a fortnight's notice m the theatrical business: This was the first dismissal he had ever had m his life, and he had' been nineteen years with Bland Holt. The defence (as outlined by- Mr Caseidy) was 'that the plaintiff was usually intoxicated, and was unable to tako his part m the plays, and that the termination of the agreement was caused by himself. > Evidence was given by Charles MacMahon, Mr Merriman.(the stage manager), _nd others to the effect that the defendant was exSected to take his part as usual on April , but did not pot m an appearance at the theatre. The Magistrate said that the defence was a complete.' answer, and gave judgment for defendants.

In fulfilment of a promise, Mdme Clara Butt and her husband, Mr Kennerley Rum ford, sang to 3000 of the school-children of Huddersfield last month, amid a scene of tremendous enthusiasm, while a choir of 500 youngsters responded with a fine programme of songs. When the great contralto told them she was going to Australia, a great shout of "God be with you till we meet again" filled the hall, and on leaving it Mdme. Butt was given another great ovation by thousands of persons.

.The Domestic Immigration Sotiety of Sydney has been working steadily tor some months m completing arrangements for a constant supply of "domestic helps'' from Great Britain, and one. member «if the Isociety, Mrs Chaniberlaip, was to leavjjß. Sydhey last Saturday lo endeavor to select the best obtainable for domestic services' in New South T*Vales. Mrs Chamberlain, Who goes to England at her ownf expense m the interest'! of the Domestic Immigration Society, Is hopeful of succjess (says the Herald). Those ladies who have become members of the society will be the first to be supplied with tho new arrivals. Mrs Chamberlain has lettem of introduction to the Agent-Genera) m London, as well as to the leading women's societies m Great Britain and on the Continent. The society expects the fast selection of domestic servants to arrive m Sydney about'the end Pf September. An, unsatisfactory state of affairs libb beeri revealed as regards the American mea^t m a report by : Mr A. M< Trotter, the veterinary surgeon' for Glasgow. On two occasions .lately he seized as unfit for human food forelegs of chilled beef from the store of one of the agents of a liirge meat exporter m the United States. The forelegs were marked "U.S. Inspected, and Passed." "These two cases," says Mr Thomas, "reveal that the inspection is not m conformity with the. Government regulations, and they lend credence to' the assertion made iegarding the untrustworthiness of the official inspection which j obtains m the United States." The Government figured support this view. In 1005 the am. ma 1» slaughtered were 37,482 on each working, day, and the number of inspectors was forty. Each inspector would therefore, require to inspect 937 ahimals daify— an utter impossibility, Mr Jrimes McLellab, an old Auckland ideiltity; died recently. He was born at sea 7 btt* the historic ship Jane Gilford. He saw the settlement of Auckland rise from a few Whares to what it is to« day. .Mr McLellan, as a boy, was an eyewitness of the invasion of Auckland by Jh© Maoris. After living m Auckland some years, Mr McLellan moved, With his paretttß, to Kawau Island, whijfch at that time was being exploited hy |>he Aberileen Coppfer Company. Thef island was invadecLby wine eight hundred Maoris, under Hone Heke, who catnjb ih canoes and landed m front of the site pf Sir George Grey's residence. TH^re they danced a war dance, and Mr McLellan; senr., who was storekeeper at t{ih© island) was called upon by the Maori chief to give up all the stores and blariketa. Mr McLellan afterwards moS/ed with his parents to Mercury Bay, but ii thfere also "his stay was curtailed by hostile Maoris, who appeared on the scenfe and burned down his home. The supposed 'burglary at the house of Miss Alice Mead, River street, has beeri explained (say» # the Sydney Daily Telegraph of the 16th inst.j. Some relatives and friends of Miss Mead were payjng her a visit, and as everyone was gomg out on Monday one of her friends secreted £35 m gold and some iewellery ttndj. r a flooring board m thp bedroom. Wh^n the cash was wanted on Tuesday, both it arid the jewellery had disappeared. *\ The police were communicated witty, and Sergeant Jones, of Burwood, took; the matter* m hand, He finished up. Eventually nl the. cellar, but could not fat first find foot or finger marks. Sub|equently,* when his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, fhe noticed sp_4thing white, like a bit of cloth, m a.cirri'ner. On closer, examination this proved to be a handkerchief, which yvut at orice claimed by Miss Mead's friends as the one the jewellery and money had beehj wrapped up m. Sergeant Jones made further search, and was rewarded by, finding a rat hole, He soon had this home of the rodents cleared out, and; to the, joy pf the inmateß, brought "to light ail the missing mpney and jbwe^lery. ' r.. f, ■: Mr McNab has recognised the great future for dairying m the- Auckland prpV|ince. After Tiis recent : i journey through the King Country he remArkecl to a| New- Zealand Herald reporter : "For the ground I hive gone bvef on our trip, I do not know of any place m the whole cbloriy where there is such a vast, anbroken stretch of country that' is capable of iiairly close settlement a* there is |n tlie- district we have just come out of. An unbtoken stretch cannot be found irt the North of Auckland, and not m other provinces m the North Island, and not m the" South Island, axdept for narrow bolts a}ong sohie of the railways, such as going, south from Christchurch, and ther^ it « level country. I • suppose we must have passed by millions of acres frbrql Te Awamutu till we came over to Whatawhata and Frankton again, and it is al] 1 eminently suitable for dairying. In fact,: it }a the very best dairying ground arid it.ha» a wonderful future. Then agairi,.. from tht practical proof submitC A X Ul L h y Mr Buckridge, a< Pakok ., Mr % B. Hill, at Raglan, and others. ;the Country is splendidly adapted for applf growing, and I am surprised to learri that Auckland city, surrounded as it is with fruit-growing coitfitry, should have to pay such exorbitant prices for apples as 4d and 5d a lb,, which, with the tipples wesaw, would work out at Id arid 2d per apple." ■ Speaking aj> a Methodist Sunday School anniversary m,, Adeiiide recently, the Prpnjier {Mr % ;£ricp) referred to the l 0 7t??W»M influence of Sunday Bclropls. He said no man could say how much go6d a , Sunday ' school teacher mi Bpt- do-, He contrasted; present-day conditions m Australia with those of half a century ago m England.' when the first task a Sunday BchooJ teacher usually bad to perform was to teach the scholar* to read| Notwithstanding this some of the schobls had done an immense amount of S<x>ai and this applied to ihe humbler schools no. less than to the lamer and mbre respectable ones. He himself had attended a school held, in a cellar under a chhfch, arid he could testify, from hit. personal knowledge of the subsequent career of several of the lads that that school had done splendid work. Re hop. S? # ch 4 , scn ools stiljl- existed, and' tliat Metrifedfon. would not becopie too resEectable for them tp have a place. He ad liot a word to gay against the prop ir kind of respectability Which he did not want m the church: He rememberpd 9 n one bccaaioii, while standing outside a church, sneaking to a lady, whom he kne^ well by sight. The lady knew who he was, but they had not been introduced and she replied to his greeting, "I don t know.yoil. I That kind. of thing ought riot to exißt m the tHurbli. Ah introduction should not TJe'iiecejssary. He s«ud, m answer to the lady m questiori, 4 «Look hefe, madam, I'm Tom Price. lam bne who was washed m the blood of the Lamb, and I believe that I'm right for anothei- place if lam called." That lady Was too respectable to speak to him i?, **? they were introduced. That was I the kind of respectability he had no time for. It annoyed him to see it.

In the course of' a : reference to the performance of the Besses o' tli' Barn Band at p « n n' t tlie Woodville Examiner pyß:--The visit -of the Band to Palliatua will long be: remetobered, altogether apart from the great musical treat thus affordod that town, but for the exception ally bad behaviour of the crowd. Timid ladies and girlß had a dreadful time, being literally butchered to make a Paliiatua hoodlum's hoNdoy. ; The committee had apparently .given no thought to' having toe Drill Hall ready for an emergency. Wnen an adjournment Was made the T mad* for the precincts, of* the Drill iHall, and the hoodlums poshed and kicked and ; tried to fight -their way tn,rou|h tli© crowd, j Women fainted, children Jcreamed, arid! the crusJi-.w^w simply Awfulj; It was neatly lialf an hour before the d^jor was opened, and thena rush and scramble took place Which beggars description. Tlie Hall itself was badly vefatilated. there was no seating aecominoda-i tion, pd the Band was hemmed' round by a, steaming, noisy crowd., . Ordera to "Stand hack", were frequent, and were mor© honored m the breach than m the observance., Those .on the outskirts of the qrowd, or most of them, moved round like unquiet spirits, and above all there was the. droning hum of many human voices. Why people bo to: concerts to discuss family details,. the best way to make brown soup^ or the safeßt euro for Jimmy s l-ash, it is hard to conceive. The conductor asked for Bilence, attd not a bigge? noise. H© thundel-ed forth his dis orowwl of ,thc behaviour of the orWd said his own pleasure wag utterly spoilt n Ut - ' l \_\* n ? e(lf?ct " >i:h * People settled their difbcu ties m audible tones over ihe pnce^ffat^fock, the delinquenciefi of Merely Mary Ann, and the hundred and ,one other topics which wei-o chattered