LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 107, 27 June 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A consignment of 2001 h of wild rice seed has I>oc-i> received from Canada per llio steamer Wakanui Ijy ’.Mr Cecil A. Whitney. The Waikato Acclimatisation Society will ho presented with 10011) for so winy in the lakes and hoys in that society’s district, and the consignment will ho presented to the Hobson Acclimatisation Society and several friends in the North. When this rice becomes established it should provide splendid food for the wild duck.

Mr Newton Kin" Ims received. the following cable from his Sydney, agents 10 hides :—1 r.changcd. “I am not enamoured oi what nrcalled a sovereign people,” said Bishop -I ulius in an address at Christ church on Coronation Day. “Hove reign people are something like on; own town dock. Sometimes they ai\ too slow, and sometimes too fast and sometimes they ran clean av.ar out of all reckoning. And sometimes our politicians arc like the men timt look after the dock. Well, n'ovci mind,” the Bishop concluded, and proceeded to ether topics. ‘‘New Zealand,” raid Professo* .Mills, of America, in an address at I'okroo this wed-:, “has almost identical natural resources as Japan, and 1 see no reason why tin's fair country should not become as powerful among the nations. As it is,” he pro needed, “.New Zealand leads tin. wed'! in many ways, and it is quite common when anything -is proposed iu the United States, to float .-nine body say: ‘Oh, that’s how they tic it in Now Zealand.’ ”

A suggestion to keep the Auckland Coronation decorations in place unit the ShclKeld Choir has arrived, wa. made at a meeting of the Choir Re ccption Committee, Imt it was quash-' cd by the president, Alr H. Bpett. ll he was asked for lu’s opinion, he said, it was that the sooner the decoration? came down the better. Ho had ncvei scon such a poor demonstration ii Auckland in his life. Ho would in sorry if the members of flic click passed through Auckland at night anc saw the illuminations.

/At the last meeting of the Wanganui .Education Board, some of the Inspector's remarks about tho laxity of teachers were not without humour For instance, re unpunctuality; U J vice so fatal to a teacher’s pi ogres should he converted into the virtu; of punctuality.” Another: “Mis: be informed that it was her dot. to attend to her singing lesson o; May 20, no matter how tempting ; diive may have keen.” And: “Thai (four pupil teachers) be informed that attendance at hockey matches to be a proper substitute for attendance at instruction classes.”

Speaking of the viciousness of stags a.t certain seasons, Mr. H Walker, of tiio council of the Nelson Acclimatisation Society, said that a big-stag with line antlers had recently hcei killed at llocklands (Buller), but not until after it had practically disembowelled three cows. It was caught in the act of slaving the third cow run down, and killed. Another stag brought up by hand by Mr. Water house at Wakapuaka, became so tin ruly as to be clangorous to passers-!)} and others, and had to be disposed of Members of the council also gave in stances where stags had, attacked horses at surveyors’ cantos.

Japan is now becoming an important buyer of New Zealand wool, and Mr. T. Kitamaru, a representative o; Japanese mills, lias attended several of the recent Wellington sales ol crutcliings. The wool is required for ’rough fabrics, such as army blankets horse-cloths, and coarse khaki clotiu for military purposes. For this kind of wool very good prices were paid by the buyers representing Japanese houses. The Japanese have,for some l years past been consistent purchasers of tops made in Sydney. These tops arc turned to account at the hip mills in Osaka and other manufacturing centres in Japan, and are used for finer fabrics than the crntchingF arc required for. It is believed to be but a matter of time ere Japan will 1 1)0 a competitor for the finer Now' Zealand wools. China is already a buyer at the Sydney and 'BidsbaiVc sales, but not at present to any great extent. A few small orders have boei executed by Australia for China, Inti Japan is widening the character o! her trade. This season the- Japanese paid in Sydney tlid record price for merino fleece wool—nainelv, fold pci lb. ■ ■ i

During the course of his remarks at the Veterans’ Association luncheon at Auckland on Coronation Day. Mr T. W. Allon said that amongst iu’s messmates that day assembled die saw several who, in their time, shone as among the smartest men in the Mediterranean and Channel fleets. These were men to whom the crossing of top-gallant and royal yards, am:, the furling of a flying jib, was : pastime, and who had experienced tin danger of working a ship off a lei shore In such a gale of wind as win rarely felt .in this glorious'country of their adoption. Then there were vc terans present who had shared ie many a fight, and proudly they acknowledged the -presence of one of their number who had participated ithe relief of Lucknow. Other naval veterans amongst them had fotighi in iho trenches at Sebastopol, in lh< landing parties on the shores of the Baltic, and there were several whr had participated in the peaceful occupation of endcavoui ing to reach the Wutli Pole, and in surveying tin Southern Antarctic.

Tne Rev. Wells Srnailcs (Vicar of St. John’s), had a very narrow escape from drov.iug last Friday afternoon when returning in a-trap from Katikati after conducting a wedding cere, mony there _(reports the Ancklanc “Star’s” Wailii correspondent). If appears that tlio rev. gentleman vua giving his horse a drink in a swamp;, declivity off the road proper bc-twec-Athonroe and Katikati, when the anr mat attempted to get further out. Mi Srnailcs endeavoured to turn the hors-'-round when the trap capsized, and fc! into-deep water, pinning him to tin bottom by one leg. The rev. gentleman was completely immersed in soma eight feet of water, but with groat difficulty ho managed to get his ley free and scramble to the bank in ar exhausted condition. Shortly afterwards, Mr Wigley, of Katikati, cami along, and assisted Mr Smailes to re sumo his journey. Tlio horse oscap cd any injury, ns the harness slipper over his back when the trap cap sized.

Illust rating the liability of employer,s to compensate .employees for am injuries received while iu their employ the .Department of Labour journal quotes the following; interesting case:—A man in the employment ol a traction-engine proprietor was employed in taking waggons loaded wit.’ stone along a highway. While sitting on one of those waggons in the course of his employment, and whih in the act of lighting his pipe, In l"t the pipe fall. Ho jumped o' the waggon to recover his pipe, Inn lost his balance and fell, the wheel.' of the waggon going over his log. fair injuries were so serious that he diet the next day. His widow claimc-c compensation. The Sheriff Substitute refused to make an award in fa voir 'of the claimant, on the ground that the deceased got off the waggon folds own purpose, and not fm any oh ject connected with his employment and therefore the accident did not arise out. of the employment. Tin claimant appealed. The Court o! Session allowed the appeal, holding that a workman might reasonably smoke a pipe in the circumstances. and that having dropped it ho might reasonably pick it up, ami therefore the accident was one arising out oh as well as iu the course of the am plo\ moat.

(Wo have it on excellent authority,! 1 rays the New Plymouth “News,” that Air James Carroll has on two previous mansions declined tho honour of a knighthood. The lion. Clcorgo Fpwlds, Minister for lOduoation, will deliver a political address in the Town Hall this evening, arriving from the south by the mail train. After the address ho . ill bo entertained at supper in Mrs Brown’s rooms by members of public indies. Air Fowlds will not leave fra third until to-morrow afternoon, uni lie will receive deputations during tho morning. A magnifibent specimen of tho giant rah was received in Sydney last reck from Melbourne. The specimen weighed 1-tlb, and was exposed for rale cooked in a Melbourne shop window. Across tho back the raeasmoments of the monster were .12.5 in by 9-1 in. The right arm, as is usually the case with tho giant crab, was more developed than the lef£. It yas 21 ip. long, and the forceps were )in. ia length. The chief Australian ‘-.a bit at of tiie giant crab (Pseudocar-, riaus gigas) is Bass Strait, where wne very large specimens have been taken. A fashionably-dressed woman, who ippeared in connection with a‘separation case in tiie Auckland Magistrate’s Court last Saturday, professed to ho eery indignant when Mr C. C. Kettle, •kM., ia seeking for a cause of domestic infelicity, said:—“There was i time when wives would go into tho country with their husbands, and brave tiie hardships of the hack blocks, but now, 1 am sorry to say, many of them prefer to live in the towns and enjoy themselves in gaiety and’ plea•Aire. _ Thank God, however, tliero iro still some women who are not ■ I raid to endure hardships, and that is why this country is progressing.” Mr Colin B. King has just completed a 7000 mile touring run in a tO h.p. Cadillac car, shod w’ith Dunop tyres, journeying from Brisbane passing through New’ South Wales, to Sydney, over tho Blue Mountains to Melbourne, and across the desert to Adelaide and Broken Hill to Cunuamilla, passing within a few r miles of the historic spot on Cooper’s Creek where the Burke and Wills expedition perished of thirst and privation, the only survivor by a strange coincidence, being a. man named “King.” This is the Australian record long distance touring run in the one car with the one set of tjrss, and is the event of tho year in motoring.

Speaking at Palmerston North the other day in refutation of a speech by Mr. Harold Beauchamp, chairman of directors of Bank of New Zealand, the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister for Agriculture, said;—.Regarding meat, it only needs to be pointed out that the necessities of the workers on the Continent of Europe are such that the agrarian party cannot much longer delay the admission of wholesome food into their countries ■in order that it may he available to the industrial classes; and although the Argentine is increasing in cattle and this is making up for the deficiency or rather the self-consumption by the United States people of thoir own meat, the Argentine has seven millions less in her flocks.

The “Lyttelton Times” draws attention to a somewhat peculiar feature of the law disclosed by the recent theft of the horse Prince Warbeck from a stable in Yaklhurst. It is believed that the persons who took the horse are known, but the police cannot charge them with the crime because they did not offer it for sale. The theft of a horse, apparently, is n,ot a theft in the eyes of the law hhtil it "is offered for sale, and the ‘only satisfaction tho owner can obtain is by a civil action on account of any monetary loss .he has suffered. “A man may take a horse and ride from here to Limerick on it,” Chiefllsteetive Bishop said, “and you can do nothing to him from a criminal point of view as long as he is shrewd enough not to sell it, and the desirableness of civil- action depends on whether .the man who appropriates the horse is worth powder and shot.” At the annual meeting of the National Sweet Pea Association at Pa.'iiierston North the 'following motons were passed:—(l,- Tout entrance fees for chv-r.es in which the u-.pines ue over .£2O be doubled to i on-mem-bc;s: (2) tl.-a-r a la'Vs ticket be allowed to each member, one atlm.ssmn oiJy ; (3) that the diifcient sccicMes in the Dominion be request 2 l to afiili-at-3 with this assoeiacvm. Messrs V. A. Osmond (StraJ-tovß, Fox, an 1 Ji cvithick wore empowered to drift ivies and sv limit ti>em to die cmniu tlc-e for approval. !be framing •f the prize schedule for the next show was left to Messrs Goodson, Osmond and Dr Carbery. The secretary reported that a strong ladies’ committee (with airs L. A. Abraham as president) had been formed. Messrs Alien, Fox, and Trevithick were appointed judges for all classes, and tho following local committee was set up: Messrs A. C. Bradford, G. W. Keeling, J. Goring Johnston, F. Mason, and T. Rodgers. Another of those outrages for which Waitara is becoming somewhat notorious, occurred between 5.30 on Friday evening and Sunday morning at 3.30, says the “Mail,” attention this time being given to Mr V\ r . Sampson’s small motor boat, fitted with a one-horse-power benzine engine. Whether it was theft or pure cussedness with damaging consequences, is not known, but tlie fact is the engine was taken clean out of the boat, leaving ,no trace. The propeller shaft was cut through, evidently with an ordinary metal saw, and the screws were all undone, while the various unions were carefully unscrewed, and all connections handled by one used to pipes, wires, and screws. The small bendue storage tank was left, it being the only tiling pertaining to the power that was not taken away. The vessel was kept under the wharf at Messrs Hatrick and Co.’s store, and the thief or outrager had a clear run for his wretched work on Friday or Saturday nights. The matter is being investigated.’

At Palmerston the other day tho Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. T. .Viackomdo, made the following remarks regarding tho future prospects of the Dominion:—Summarising the situation after careful study of the whole position, I can come to no other than that the future is reasonably, aspired. 1 regard it to be my duty as Minister for Agriculture to review these, questions fully and then to clearly state tho conclusions arrived at. What is the position at the moment ? Never in the history of tho world was there ever such trade, prosperity, largely due to the output of gold which is electrifying and revivifying tho commercial and industrial world. Britain’s trade last year was unparalleled in the history of tho world. That is reacting beneficially on us. International statistics show that the products wo have, wheat, wool, sutter, cheese, meat, etc., are on a sound basis, and that the, rivalry, from other countries is not such as to ho in any way uneasy if our producers do their duty regarding the quality and conditions of their output. In the absence, therefore, of any political upheavals or international complications wo may look forward with reasonable assurance to the future. ~