LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 19, 14 September 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Specimens of talc and asbestos from the Griffin Range, on the West Coast, have been placed in the case for fresh exhibits at the Canterbury Museum. Amongst other additions to the geological collection are a piece • ,|' copnor ore on quartz from Mount Radiant, near Westport, and a piece <,)' wood changing into lignite, from Feilding, in the North Island.

A Defence Rifle Club lias been form eel at Eltham.

. Seventeen ewes on a Dannevirke farm have given birth to 52 lambs. Our owe has four lambs, and the remaining sixteen three each. A poll mi the proposal to rate on unimproved values, taken at Akarba last week, resulted as follows:—1<or the proposal 45, against 71.. informal 1. A total of 117 votes was recorded out of a total of 160. The new railway formation near Kohuratahi is beconiing a conspicuous feature of the landscape. About fifty extra hands have been added to the army of workers to prepare for the tram lino, The Whangamomona Sports Club will hold their annual meeting on Monday night to decide and arrange for the next fixture. The club will give close on £IOO in prize money, it is understood.

The September "Windsor Magazine," to hand from Mr. H. J. Hopkins, is a fine number. "The Modern Child in Art," is Mr. Austin Chester's contribution this month, and the Canterbury Cricket Week takes a big place.

The Eltham Dairy Factory manufactured 40,717 lb. of butter during the past month, and paid out at the rate of Is per lb., the sum of £lßl/. The average test for the month was 3.84. The company also paid out the bonus for the last year, which amounted to £5350.

A young Englishman who arrived from'San Francisco by the Aorangi was not permitted to land at Wellington on Thursday, as he is suffering from consumption. He has no relatives in New Zealand, and it is probable that ho will proceed to London, says the "Times." t

The Minister of Railways states that he has decided to let the right of selling newspapers on train by tender. Under this arrangement the number of news runners will be restricted to one on each train, and the present arrangement, under which newsboys tickets are issued to newspapers, will be discontinued.

"If, sometimes," says the Cost of Living report, "as it is alleged, the workers' means are too much trenched upon for sport and recreation, neither the State nor the press is blameless in the matter. The State encouragement of the racecourse, and the endless columns of sporting news in the daily newspapers, may be indexes oi popular opinion, but do not tend to teach economy of outlay in the 'cost of living.' "

At Taradale. in Hawkc's Bay, with almost a tropical climate in summer, and well sheltered from adverse wea ther conditions, are now producing oranges which compare favourably with imparted fruit. The trees from which the oranges were picked were planted as an experiment, and the results have proved more than satisfactory to the grower.

Just on 1-100 primary school child ren assembled at His Majesty's Iho atre, Christehurch, last Friday afternoon, -when a special programme ol educational films only was given. About twelve months ago a Kl '" ,lal ' afternoon was held at Auckland. J bat was the first of its sort in New Zealand the one at Christehurch was the second.

During the course of a,lecture at Dunedin, Mr. Marshall referred to the fact that the world's supply of potash was diminishing every year, and stated that there were millions and millions of tons of this substance contained in rocks within five miles ol Dunedin. If some cheaper method oi extracting it could be discovered than that in vogue at present a valuable source of revenue would be assured to the city for many years to come. -.,..■•

Dr. Roseby, of Sydney, in the course of a recent address, spoke of the mental exaltation induced by the study pi astronomy. He gave an example—lie described it as somewhat humorous, but illustrative. To a group of astronomers in England someone remarked: "1 don't think much of your English weather." "English weather!" replied one of the scientists. "What do we care about English weather? AVe don't think mucli of you) earth, except as a place to set up our telescopes on."

Having already obtained fame bj reason of her original "Kiss Waltz," which created a furore throughout

Germany, Fraulein von Ravensburg, its composer, has just received additional advertisement, the police ad ministrator having issued a decree forbidding the dance. "1 learn," says the document, "that in the course of balls organised in the communes of my district a dance called the 'Kiss Walt// is danced. During this danet women and young girls allow themselves to be kissed publicly. This constitutes an offence against good German manners, that I cannot tolerate. In the name of morality, I formally prohibit the 'Kiss Waltz.' The poli« organisation will see that this order is strictly complied with.'

The new battle cruiser New Zealand, building at the yard of the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company, Govan, on the Clyde, is well advanced towards completion (wrote the Sydney "Daily Telegraph's" London naval correspondent on July 26). The heavy guns and her secondary armament were recently received from Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co., Elswick, and the former have already been mounted in position in their barbettes. The heavy guns include eight 12m weapons, so arranged as to be practically able to fire ahead and astern. The New Zealand is fitted with two tripod masts, although originally intended to carry only one. The conning tower is larger than is usual in cruisers of her size, and very heavily armoured. It is understood that she will lie ready for her acceptance, trials about October next, under ordinary circumstances. The lines of the New Zealand are very fine, and she dons not present the squat appearance of some of her sister cruisers.

Few people who visit Auckland lose an opportunity of seeing that beautiful shoot of water known as Lake Takapuna. "At one time," writes the Napier "Telegraph," "it was thought to lie fathomless, but it has recently been proved to be 380 ft. deep. It is regarded as an extinct crater, and how it is fed with fresh water is yet a moot point. For long its supply was supposed to ho inexhaustible. Now i! threatens to cease to be altogether as a fresh water lake, and to become tilled with sea water. But this is a contingency considered remote if the fresh water level can be maintained as at present. This level is four fee 1 , lower than it was a few years ago, but it is being reduced at the rate of 18in. per year. The cause is that several local bodies, possibly regarding the lake as a certain unfailing source of supply, have utilised it for water supply purposes. It is .calculated that in five years, at the present rate ofi pumping, the water in the lake will bo lower than the level of the adjacent sea at high tides, and that then! Lake Takapuna will become useless for fresh water purposes." The matter! may be tested in the Courts.

The new post office at WhangamoiiKina will be opened in a few days.

Webley Uadlield, an eighteen months old child, met its death in a peculiar manner. Its parents were travelling in a motor-boat between Awaroa and Tonga, and during the journey tiie child fell against the engine fly-whoel and was instantly killed. The Commonwealth Statistician reports that in 1911 the increase in population was 143,624 (a record). Births wove 122,193, which is a record. The birth-rate was 27.21 per thousand—the highest for eleven years. Illegitimates numbered 7,074 or 5.79 per cent—the second lowest for ten years. Deaths were 17,809, or 10.66 per thousand. Deaths under one year were 68.49 per 100 births, which is fcMk lowest on record. , * v

Still another charge has been laid at the door of the moving picture show. The picture entertainments have, according to a solicitor appearing at a meeting of creditors in Auckland, been detracting patronage from the billiard saloons. The statement was made by way of explaining the small earnings of the bankrupt in the case, but counsel, added that his personal opinion was that young men who patronised the pictures in preference to the billiard saloons were the better for the change.

In acknowledging a welcome tendered to him by tiie Auckland Presbytery on his return from the Homeland, the Rev. Ivo E. Bertram expressed his thanks and said it had seemed to him there was no need to feel despondent about the outlook for the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand. There seemed to him to be a greater drift from the church in the Old Land than in. New Zealand. He had returned to this land with tho feeling that New Zealand was a good place to live and work in, religious or otherwise. An incident which might be used as an argument in favour of the Creator Ashburton .scheme, under which Hampstead might enjoy the privileges of the high-pressure water supply, occurred one day recently (says tiie Asliburton "Mail.") A resident was intending to have a bath, and for this purpose a number of saucepans were used to boil the water. These were left standing on the stove. Among them happened to be, unfortunately, ono I containing a stew, which was * being cooked for a meal. Thinking that this I also contained hot water, the boarder j carried it to the bathroom and emptied the contents into the bath, when, to his horror, he discovered that he had wasted the dinner. The other members of the household had something to say in the matter.

On Thursday evening the St. Andrew's Tennis Gentlemen gave their return dance in the Foresters' Hall. About thirty couples danced to splendid music supplied by Mr. Arthur Richardson, and extras were kindly played by Mrs. Brayshaw, Miss Morison, Miss Mackey, and Mr. Saunders. The catering was in the hands of Mrs. Brooking, who ably maintained her good name. It is worthy of note that all cakes, jellies, etc., 'supplied by Mrs. Brooking are home made. Many flattering remarks wore passed on the table decorations, the flowers for which were kindly presented by. several lady members of the Tennis Club, and, indeed, the table with its burden looked a picture. Later in the evening several of the footballers joined the company, and a number of the Canterbury team took part in the dancing, which was kept up until an early hour. Mr. Douglas made an. efficient M.C.

While Captain H. L. Mackworth, D. 5.0., was lecturing on army signal work at the United Service Institution at Sydney recently, he told a story to emphasise a point that the army should assist the department, responsible for maintaining communication with the units that make up a field force. "At Paardeberg," he said, "we purposely pxit our telegraph line, leading back to the base, about a mile clear of the main road. But people followed the route of the telegraph line iij order to get to the camps, and so a road was gradually made alongside it. One day, as I was riding out, I saw some naval guns coming along, and one of them hit a telegraph pole and knocked it down. The sailors went on smoking and took no notice. I rode up to the officer in command, and rather angrily told him what ho had done, and how important the line was. 'Then why the did you put it in the middle of the roadp' was all he replied. That was typical of the way we were treated," said the lecturer. "It must be 'rubbed in' to

everybody that all these efforts towards communication are more or less sacred in time of war."

It is the custom when a person is admitted to a hospital suneriug from the effects of a wound which it is believed was self-inflicted with suicidal intent, says a Melbourne paper, lor a constable to stand or sit by the bedside and watch him until his rocovery. Something like a-re-cord in this vigilance of the police is being established at the Melbourne bospital. Since May 10*, more than throe months and a half ago, the police have geen keeping an eye on Fredk. Kyle, a cook, who on that date, was brought in from Werribee

ivith his throat cut. Kyle is reported co bo still making but little progress towards the desired recovery. This

custom, which keeps a policeman idly patching, for three or four months at the bedside of a helpless man wbile desperate criminals roam the streets menacing the lives of law-abiding people, is surely a grave reflection on the management of the police system. The Trade Review states that about

two million sterling has been spent in motor cars in New Zealand during the last two years.