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Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9417, 13 April 1909, Page 4

From to-day Marton Telephone Exchange will be open from 8 a.m, to 10 p.m. ’ A cable from Honolulu states that the steamer .iEon has disappeared. It is supposed that she was pillaged by pirates apd dynamited. A, F. Wilding easily won the Otago Singles Tennis Championship. Wilding and Wilding and Brown Brothers are left in the final “of the Doubles.

At Timaru yesterday, F. Wells won the five, three and one mile bicycle championships and the mile handicap, and S. Campion the halfmile championship. New Plymouth butchers show a surprising preference for cow beef. Daring the year ended March 31st, 1654 cows and 387 bullocks were killed at the abattoirs.

The first practice of the Opera “The Sorcerer” by the Marton Operatic Society will be held at the White Hart Assembly Rooms on Thursday evening at 7.30. Mr Wackrill, of Feilding, who has undergone a dangerous internal operation at Palmerston has returned home and there is hope that he will enjoy hatter health than for years past.

The bowling team for the Dixon Oup did not come from Masterton to play the holders at Marton jesterday. Keen disappointment was felt as the green was in capital order and complete arrangements for the entertainment of visitors had been made.

A meeting of representativse of the butter industry was held at Stratford last week to consider what action should be taken with regard to April butter. After considerable discussion 1 it was resolved to recommend factories to ship Home the balk of their April baiter and not to sell for storage in New Zealand.

The death occurred on Sunday evening c* Captain William J. Gibbons, licensee of the Crown Hotel, Port Ahnriri, . Napier. He was formerly connected with the Wellington-Patea shipping trade, and later was proprietor of the Marton Hotel. He was a Past Grand Deacon of Masonio Grand Lodge of New Zealand.

William Hatkin, a well-dressed man, fell or threw himself over the face of Logan Point Quarry at Dunedin on Monday, and was fatally injured. He died in the hospital without regaining consciousness shortly after admission. Deceased was 28 years of age and was married. The police have been informed that deceased recently came from Auckland, and was living with his wife’s parents in Dunedin. The bowling competition for the Keesing Cap at Wanganui was continued on Saturday, and some close games resulted. The Feilding rinks went through the tournament without defeat on the aggregate and won the coveted trophy. Their win was a popular one, and at the conclusion of the day’s play a short toast list WOB gone through, and the health of the winners was drunk with musical honors. The two skips (Messrs Saywell anil Stewart) suitably responded.

Messrs Nathan & 00. advise that atfthe Port Eliazbeth Show, 1908, the following separators competed, the result Was a decisive victory for their Melotte Separators, both as regards the percentage of butter fat in cream and low percentage of bntterfat in skim milk. Particulars are as follows: —Melotte, 38.5 percentage bntterfat in cream, .01 percentage butter fat in skim milk; Alpha Laval, 36.0, .02; Wolseley Pedersen,. 20.5, .08; Massey Harris, 34.0, .04; Titan Alexander, 36.0, .05.

It is computed that there are three million acres of land, between Auckland and Gisborne yet to ba opened up, according to Mr Smeeton’s remarks reported at the Auckland Harbour Board’s last meeting.

The nnmber of students at present attending the Auckland Technical School is 1100, which exceeds the attendance during any previous term. The electrical and mechanical engineering classes and that of the building trade show the biggest increases. It is reported from Panama that Colonel Goethals has promised President Taft that ships shall be passing through the Panama Canal on January Ist, 1915. But the President says he believes Colonel Goethals is over-cautious, and that at the present rate of progress the work will be practically complete by the end of 1911.

One of the witnesses who gave evidence before the Timber Commission at Dunedin said that the same work is not performed by the men in the building trade as used to be the case. Asked how he accounted for this, he replied that there are too many restrictions, much inspection, too much —- nonsense.

Sweden owns a battleship paid for by Swedish women. They raised among • themselves a subscription limited to small sums, and with those small sums, paid by many thousands of women, the battleship was paid for, and presented to the Swedish Government, . who thanked the women of the nation for their practical patriotism.

Three rinks of howlers from the Victoria Club, Wellington, played a match on the Feilding green with the local Club on Friday and Saturday. The score of the visitors was the highest on Friday but the total on the two days’ play showed Feilding the winner by 16 points. Notice is given of the annual meeting of the parishioners of St. Andrew’s Church, Bulls, which will take place on Thursday evening. The election of churchwardens and vestrymen will take place and other business will be transacted. A similar meeting will be held at Sandon on Friday. A good attendance is requested for both meetings. Ample evidence of the dry condition of the ground is given by Jbhe total disappearance from the snrfaoe of'all the rain that fell on Sunday. Marton reservoir now has 3 or 4 feet of water at the lower end, but it will require another foot before the floating arm can work and residents once more get a supply of water. As the ground of the catchment area is now soaked another heavy shower, unless it is delayed too long, should provide the necessary supply. - The downpour of rain on Sunday had a disastrous effect'on the attendance at many places of worship in the district. At one church where there is generally a large congregation, there were only a dozen present. All went well till the first hymn, which was started bravely, hot the high notes which are considered appropriate to Easter music, proved fatal and first one and then another singer gave up. Soon the organist was unaccompanied by voices but he gallantly played three verses before retiring from the contest.

There was an auction sale of cats a few days ago at Auckland. The sale commenced at one o’clock, but long before that time a considerable crowd had mustered to view the feline prizes. During the sale the bidding was brisk, even lively at times and some of the domestic pets changed hands at a very considerable figure. Two blue Persians found new owners at prices of three guineas each, a Persian tom, with a strain of the Manx, went for two guineas, and a blue Persian oat and kitten were knocked dowc— mefaphcrioally speaking—for seven guineas. Others were also sold, and realised proportionately satisfactory prices. The arm of the servant girl has become very strong. She possesses a power that few seem aware of. In some places she has pushed “mistress” right out of the laud. Mrs Males, in presiding over a meeting of ladies at Nelson to consider the domestic servant problem, said she had known instances of people having left New Zealand because of the trouble that existed in securing assistance in the household duties. There were also people, both in India and England, who would gladly settle in the Dominion but for the domestic servant difficulty. Judging by the amount of skimploughing going on this season (says the Ashburton Guardina), farmers of the Ashburton County intend to sow a large area in cereals during the coming winter and spring. The uncertain tone of the sheep market, and the downward tendency of the Home meat market, are no doubt to some extent causing farmers to direct their attention to graingrowing. On account of the fertility of the soil and the favourable conditions. the farmers of Canterbury are particularly fortunate in being able to pursue almost any branch of agriculture with a measure of assured success. In most of »the provinces in New Zealand, farmers are obliged, as a result of climate and other conditions, to pursue one particular branch of farming, whether the markets for their products are favourable or otherwise; but this is not the ease in Canterbury. The death of the giraffe on the Marama on the night proeeding her arrival at Sydney was the subject of very general regret on the part of the passengers. It appears from the statement made as to the cause of the loss by one of Wirtb Bros.’ managers that the animal was affected by the motion of the steamer, and seemed decidedly unhappy. It was standing up at the time, and being unable to beep its feet fell down and sprawled about its cage. It could not recover itself, and, as Messrs Wirth’s man expressed himself, "it was a timorous and nerveless animal, and after a minute’s struggling it simply broke its heart,” “This is an unlucky trip for us,” he subsequently remarked, “as the Polar bear died on the first night out from Auckland, and we had to throw him overboard. The giraffe cost ns £IOOO, so yon can see we arc having a bad time of it.” The giraffe was taken on to Sydney, and will be stuffed and sent to Melbourne, where it will be placed in Wirth’s museum of animals that have died.

Floor baa advanced £1 a ton. At Thoresby on Saturday night and Sunday 3.48 inches of rain fell. The annual conference of the Bible Class Union of New Zealand, at Auckland, has concluded. At the sports meeting the banner was wonby St. John’s class, Wellington. Mr Reese, of Christchurch, the newly elected President, states that this camp is by far the best ever held. The next will be held at Timaru. The funeral of he late Mrs T. U. McKenzie took place yesterday. On the cortege arriving at Bulls it was joined by a large number of friends. The funeraFservioe was conducted by the Revs. Budd and Evens, in the picturesque private 'cemetery of the Fraser family at Parewanui. His Excellency the Governor°was on the stag trail last week, and |his record equals the authority of |his Acclimatisation Society license. Four days were spent by him at Te Awaite station, in the Wairarapa, and four fine heads fell, to his rifle. One was a royal, one a fourteen point head, and two had thirteen points each. His Excellency returned to Wellington oujThursday. The Rev. O. Griffin who has been resident minister at Gisborne for the past three years and has just come to take charge of Marton Methodist Church, was before his departure from Gisborne presented by his congregation with a purse of sovereigns and an illuminated address. At a meeting of Lodge Abercorn Mr Griffin, who was chaplain of the Lodge, was presented with a handsome Masonic jewel. The Hamua Hotel was destroyed by fire at 4 o’clock this morning. The only persons sleepinghn the premises were the proprietor, Mr Holalnd, two empolyees named Mr and Mrs Brown, and a man named John Pryde. The amount of insurance is not ascertainable, and the origin of the fire is unknown. The license of the hotel, which was in the Masterton electorate, expires at the end of June next.

Some samples of coal taken from the seam discovered at Woodside have been brought into Qreytown. In the gully where the coal was unearthed were also found red sand stone, fire-clay and shale. The quality of the coal that has been taken out is not equal to general requirements, hut it is considered that by sinking, a high-class product will be obtained. There seem to be indications that seams exist at various points along the Tararua ranges, for a sample taken from an outcrop at Dalefleld was reported on by -the Government Geologsit as containing seventy-five per cent, of carbon, being the best coal thus far discovered in Wairarapa.

In their final report to the Government the Native Land Commissioners say:— I “We, have known of a case where an interest in 20 acres leased at an annual rental of 6d per acre was awarded to forty-three successors, from whose first year’s rent the sum of 7s 6d was deducted for the order and swearing fee. As years go on oases of its kind mnat multiply, for movements of the Maori people are bringing about an intermixture of tribes, a widening of kinship, and therefore an extension of area of search for next of kin. A policy of individualisation or of consolidation of interest by exchanges may be ignominiously defeated by conservative adherence to the present Native Land Court custom of succession.”

In the Magistrate’s Court at Pafcea on Monday an unusual case was heard, when Elizabeth Hodge, of Hurleyville, sued the Bank of New Zealand for £SO as money paid away by the bank on behalf of the plaintiff without the authority of the plaintiff. A forged cheque, purporting to be signed by the plaintiff, had been cashed by the bank. The plaintiff could not write, and her practice was to get her son to fill in the cheques. She would make a mark and a friend would witness it. It was while looking through her pass-book that she discovered the entry of £SO. This was not drawn by her, although the writing looked like her son’s.- The plaintiff said that her friend often signed the cheques prior Jto potting her mark on them. After hearing the plaintiff’s case counsel said the defendant bank felt bound to do the honorable thing, and wonld consent to judgment, which was accordingly given for the amount olaimed, with costs £6 19s.