LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 35, 4 October 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A gruesome object was fished up by a dredge working in Dunedin harbour, the buckets bringing up a human foot. The foot was encased in what bad been quite a new boot, with a rubber heel that showed no sign of wear, and indicated that its ill-fated wearer must have come by his death, very shortly after donning a pair of new boots.' The foot was found near the spot where portion of a,human skeleton was dredged up some months ago, and is believed to be a portion of the same remains. The matter was reported to the police, and it is thought that the new hoot and rubber heel may possibly afford a clue as to the identity of its wearer. Ruskin would not have accepted Sir Oliver Lodge’s recent dictum that humanity had no excuse for war. “All the pure and noble arts of peace,” Le once declared, “are founded on war; no great art ever yet rose on earth but among a nation of soldiers. There is no art among a shepherd people, if it remains at peace. There is no art among an agricultural people, if it re-

mains at poaco. Commerce is barely consistent with line art, lint cannot produce it. Manufacture not only is unable to produce it, but invariably destroys whatever seeds of it exiar. There is no great art possible to a nation but that which is based on battle.” The following is from the ‘‘Standard of Empire,” and is called:—“New Zealand: An Impression,” by W. Campbell, New Zealand, or New Zealland—which? The last term suits me best, for there is in its air the breath of a full life. In its land wealth which cannot bo told. In the highways and byways hope apparent and still-born. Yearning, yearning for men, and motherhood sweet, undelil-

ed. 'Expectancy grips the soul. Optimism murders pessimism. Realities slaughter • dreams. A great land, j with all the errors of conquering, turbulent youth; the virtues widen new races possess. How different, too, j from one’s original view! No cities crooked, unkempt.. No pavements] rushing up to kiss the housetops. .No telegraph poles leaning jauntily against a Corinthian pile.' But broad, sweeping highways with trees, fascinating bungalows, great" verdant parks, and over all a bine: sky fringed or marked with white iac-| ing clouds.' Home from Homo—homo with a larger chance. i

“This letter was addressed to the Mayoress, I may say,” remarked the Mayor (Mr. W. P. Kirkwood) at the Senior Cadet Prize Fund meeting yesterday afternoon, “but in the absence af the Mayoress, I opened it myself.” “Their earthen idols have been made into bricks; their bronze idols have been turned into cash, and with the small ones they have mended the roads.” Thus Mr. King, of the Iriy land China Mission, described’ one of i be after effects of great revolution China.

A number of ladies at the Borough Council yesterday afternoon wore discussing the weather. One remarked, “Don’t you feel creepy, when the rain is not pattering on the roof ?” “Yes,” replied another, “it’s just like, being on a ship in mid-ocean with the engines stopped.” In her last report to the Wellington Hospital Board, the nurse who visits

the Maoris at Otaki says she has been attending one old native woman, whose ago is said to be 102 years. The centenarian’s trouble was bronchitis, ami she is reported to have made a wonderful recovery. A couple of trout in the form of Siamese twins have just been hatched at the Hora Hora .hatcheries. The fish have two distinct heads and bodies, being joined together near the tail. The_ curiosities have been placed in a special tank in larder that their development may he carefully watched by the caretaker (Mr. Norman). Miss M. E. Bra'Mon, the .well-

known novelist, i.nd a number of titled lady members of the 1 Canine LeaI gue, are agitating against Ahe use cf . I the dog for vivisect! j;ml, mooebitive. ' I and other like experiments. They I hold that the Ineiuisbip between n an

and dog that lias e<istocl fer ag’-s places their relat.ons ou.a footing unequalled in history. The autograph fiend generally takes possession of youthful l folk of much pertinacity. _ On Thursday, however, he materialised in unexpected form in tin unexpected place. This was in no Jess a sphere than the Legislative Council, where, during a protracted

debate on the Imprest Supply Bill. an. elderly legislator .made the circuit of the Chamber with his .autograph book and solicited the signatures of his worthy Parliamentary comrades. I During the course of his evidence I the plaintiff in a J bel rise at liie Nu-

1 pier Supreme Court 'last week repeatj edly fell foul of ‘"s Honour: : I am | not a fool, I am a pouitryman,'’ ho ' replied to counsel, whereupon his Honour remarked: “No, witness. ( don’t think you are a fool; but if you are not, I think >on have taken me

tor one, and I am inclined to think that you have made a mjstake.V The directors of the Ed imbue Dairy Factory Company and ti e represer.Ur lives.of the London cheese buyers operating in Southland, met jlast week at Edendalo to negotiate for the sale and purchase of the co upany ’s cheese output during, the- ain rent season. Nothing definite wrius.nrbd states the MWyndifam. Farmer”);,!. It as under-

stood ; that the; directors refused an offer of 6fd per lb., on trucks; . L The owners of , the bapguentino Wanganui disclaim t/]jo. statement made, through the Press Association, that the nailing of the writ for salvage on the mast and cargo of tiro Wanganui was by friendly arrangement. They state that the proceed-

ing was a needless insult anci l ,a ! n un-called-for indignity'. The claim of mo owners of the Arapawa being for £ISOO, the owners of the Wanganui invited the alleged salvors to submit their claim,to the Supreme Court and gave an undertaking to meet any award made by the Court, and riuitually arranged that on the' issue ( of any writ it' should be served on -and ac-

! cep tod by their Wellington , solicitor, Mr.' C. B. Morrison. The value of ! the ' Wanganui’s cargo is £ISOO (says the .“Herald”), and not £50,000. i To the credit of the St. Panovas School for Mothers, an institution, we believe (says the Christchurch Press), ( for training girls in the care of infants, belongs the credit of inventing a new competition—one for good babies. Nine mothers competed, and when we ! say that each baby was washed, dressed, fed, and “put down” in a cot for an hour, all parents among our read- | ers will admit that the test Was a so- , vere one. The method of training mothers at this School of Mothers is not described, but it must be a .'rood one, lor not a baby howled or shed a tear when being washed; each passed through the dressing and feeding stages with credit, and not one of them lost a mark for crying or whimpering when lying down. As a variant on the ordinary baby show, a competition for good babies seems worthy of the attention of promoters of parish fetes and similar 1 entertainments, providing a popular , combination of amusement and instruc- | tion.

A courting couple in Paris were publicly reproved because they had been seen kissing in a railway train—an act in opposition to the company’s by-laws. Several American towns prohibit courting in the open thoroughfares, and a little time since, in Suffolk (Virginia), seven young men, all members of well-known and wealthy families, were proseciited for flirting with seven college girls. They were mulcted in the costs, and were ordered to publicly apologise to the principal of the college. At Germantown (Penn.) the Northwood Cemetery became so popular as a meeting place for happy couples that the directors ordered the notice “Flirting is Prohibited” to be affixed at every entrance. In Russia it is a crime for lovers to kiss in public, and not very long ago two young men and two young women were arrested in Odessa for having been guilty of this offence. They had all been dining together in a restaurant, and kissed mi parting. They were condemned to short terms of imprisonment, and the sentences wore confirmed on appeal. The general flue in Russia for a hiss in the open street is 15s, but in a tramcar it may cost anything up to 255.

A housemaid employed at an hotel iii Dannovirke had a remarkable escape a day or two ago. While engaged in cleaning work, she noticed some paper on a skylight, and either stooped over the fire-escape or else stepped on to the glass itself. She crashed through the glass, the space through which she fell being just sufficient to permit her body to pass, ThonPisho struck a twisted wire and twine rope which stretched across the adjace 11 plumber’s shop, and doubtless saved her from serious injury. It deflected her course, otherwise she would in all probability have landed on a partition in the 1 shop or on plumbers ’material stacked against it. making the consequences serious. The rope, be-

sides breaking the fall, shot the young woman feet foremost into one of two baths which were lying in the front of the shop. And there she was found, groaning, by the wife of the pvoprier„r. who was behind the partition, and Ic'ing paHiallv blinded by the falling glass" and sawdust, did not know what had happened until she heard the ■ roans and investigated. While much cut by glass, the young woman was found' to be otherwise unhurt. The board on to which the wire rope was fastened was torn right out of the side of the building. The distance she fell was fully 20ft., and her escape was almost miraculous.

The Wlianga-Kohiiratalu Sports Club has .decided to hold its meeting on January 3, 1913. Extra large size alarm bells are being.installed at the Fenton and Regan Street railway crossings. A sitting of the Juvenile Court, over which Mr. W. G. K. Kennck, S.M., presided, was held this morning, when a boy who had broken a window was ordered to pay the damage (os). For riding a bicycle on the footpath, J, Francis and G. Kindberg. neither of whom appeared at the Court tins " morning, wore each fined 10s r.ml <s • costs. Mr. W. G. K. Kennck, b.M., was on the bench. A child, aged six years, named Elsie Learning, was killed at Blenheim yesterday by a kick from a horse. There ivero no witnesses of the accident, but it is presumed the child was Paying . round the horse, which lashed out and broke her neck. —P.A. wire. ' New regulations have been issued by the Public Works Department (writes the Whang imomona correspondent of the Taranaki Horaid) with inference to those who absent themselves from work owing to going on the drunk. The regulations prmiibit a man from working again until lie has waited one day for every day lie was “on the spree.” : A meeting was held on Tuesday evening, and was attended by the representative business men of Mauam (says the “Witness), for the purpose cif discussing the subject of giving cu - dafiised encouragement to the bm.aing of private houses in the town and of similar or equal interest. A comniibtoo of five was sot up to considoi *amd bring up a report at a future meeting. /The hunting season in Russia has now come to an end. 'I he largest number of animals killed arc squirrel o , which head the list with 4,520 JOb vietims. the most-sought-after fur m..ot :>J coiii'so, the black sable, of nhicn i. ,12;250 : were caught. The remauuUn • of-the “Bag” was composed of *OO 00 ermine, 1500 brown bears. JBO,OOO skfinks,. 100 blue foxes, and 16,0 .10 grey B wolves.

At an ordinary meeting of the committee'of the Stratford Racing Club held last evening to dismiss, among other matters, the programme for the cofhihg meeting, it was decided to increase the stakes by a total of no less than £290. The Cup is now £2OOI fixed (increase £75), Flying Handicap £l5O (increase £SO), Ngairo Ham i£l2s increase £10), Dominion Handicap £l5O (increase £SO). In tlio open events on the programme the money has been distributed among the back events..

A Lahore paper describes r. cur.ru.caso of primitive justice in one rf the Simla'Hill States. The plaintiff and defendant' were each called upon to produce a■ goat in Court. To tbs goats was administered by the Court sweeper, under the orders of the pic--1,: siding officer, a dose of poison, each do&o having been carefully weighed and made exactly equal. The suit mis •> adjudged in favour of the owner of the ; -a. .animal which sucfetimbed last to the ,poison, the Unsuccessful party losing bothgoat; and case. *' - The troubles of dairy farmer* just 11 ‘now seem to be heightened by the ' ■ Sdtfrciby of labour, ami in tins connect tion in Eltham last , night a resident of the district spent an unenviable and nhprofitable time. Assisted by a' friend he scoured the town, . visit ,ing hotels arid boarding-houses and hunting to the bitter end the clues or innumerable “wild-goose -chases” in search of a milker. Writer heard hmy

remark: “I’m giving good wages, thirty bob anti found, and can’t get } U: \ anyone.' It’s’ a bit better than when' “ J was a young ’uii, eh! Don’t mind . kicking it 'in myself, bub when the wife has got to go into the shed, it’s qvor the odds! Look here, if I can’t get a man soon, I’ll put the whole v ' lock, stock and barrel on the market, and have a clearing sale!” Finally, as 1 the hands of Father Time pointed to ten, the searchers after men boarded their motor oar and hied them' away home, the while heaping anathemas on Labour and their luck, and with visions of leaving “blanket-bay” at 2 a.m, preparatory to a start being made op the herd.

At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before Mr. W. G. K. Kenrick, S.M., judgment by default was entered in the following civil cases:— Cl. L. Duigan (Mr. Wright) v. R. V. Edwards, claim £6 Bs, and costa £1 ' 3s 6d; same v. T. A, Vincent, claim . £7 4s, and costs £1 12s 6d. In the judgment summons case McCluggage Bros. (Mr. Stanford) v. E. Rowes, claim, £5 10s, debtor was ordered to pay £1 5s forthwith, and one pound per month, in default seven days’ imprisonment in New Plymouth prison. On Tuesday next will be held in Mr J. H. Thompson’s office, the annual meeting of the Taranaki Athletic and CJaledp'nian Association. In presenting the annual report and balancesheet the executive again congratulate . the Association on its continued prestige and prosperity. During the year twenty-three clubs affiliated and eleven were granted permits, making in all thirty-four societies attached to the Association. The financial position was sufficiently buoyant for all purposes, the assets showing a balance of £4B 10s over liabilities. The report concluded with the expressed hope that every club would be represented at the annual meeting, as many of the older members of the executive would be pleased to see new aspirants for office. The thirteenth annual meeting of the Inglewood Co-operative Bacon Co., Ltd., will bo held at Inglewood on Saturday afternoon. The annual report states, inter alia that the prices paid for pigs during the year have been very high, probably forming a record for the Dominion. The number of pigs handled at the factory was about tho same as for the previous year, but the amount paid out for, them shows an increase over the previous year of £2421 4s 3d. During the year the Company has paid out to shareholders the sum of £698 18s 4d in excess of the market pi'ice of pigs. There has been a considerable increase in the number of shareholders, and the share capital aoOount has been still further improved. The Company’s buildings have been further added to and improved, and the most up-to-date methods of ro now in use. The water power has also been increased, and alterations of a permanent nature have- been made. The prospects before the industry are promising, and it is anticipated that prices will be well maintained during the coming, , year. Two directors in place of Messrs Brown and Hall, who retire in rotation and are eligible for re-elec-tion'.} also an auditor in place of Mr Hopson, who again offers his services will require to ho / elected.