LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 104, 20 June 1900, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. A. J. Kooncy'.s dancing class will be postponed for a week. A Press Association wire from Wellington states that it is rumoured that the Hon. John 'McKenziehas resigned, and that Mr. (has. |H. Mills joins the Ministry. j I'he District Court will sit to-duy, j

„, 4 The Commiasioner of advertises, the sale,,„ofjsections in the town, of I Waitara and villages of Purangi and Tonga'porutu. Particulars will bo tound in our advertising columns. The railway staff intend holding a " social" at the Theatre Royal on Wednesday, August Ist. A strong committee has been formed to make all necessary arrangements. Tickets can be obtained from the secretary (Mr. N. Moloney) or of any member o£ the committee. As the proceeds are to be devoted to assist the railway library fund, there is every inducement for the general public to help forward a worthy object, and at the same time give a testimony of their appreciation of the courtesy of the railway officials, Mr. Dempsey's monthly report on the Central School, dated June 18th, read at the meeting of the Town School Committee on Monday night, showed the average attendance for the past four weeks to have been 461.5, 474.6,476.3, 479.4, average 472.7, with 637 on the rolls. Mr. Dempsey added i " The work of the school goes on smoothly, and the children continue to be attentive to their teachers and earnest in their work."

A deputation from the Wellington branch of the Journalists' Institute waited on the Acting-Premier urging the passing of the Libel Bill in the forthcoming session. Mr. Ward promised to obtain a report from the Crown Law Officers in respect to the Bill, and to communicate with the Chief Justice of Queensland and obtain his opinion on the Libel Act of that colony, which is esteemed as a most reasonable Act.

In admonishing a parent at the Auckland Police Court for not sending her children regularly to school, Mr. Brabant, S.M., remarked :—" It is a great pity you do not take advantage of the free education provided by the State for your children. lam afraid they will have cause to curse you for it afterwards."

The City Band's annual " social" will be held in the Theatre Royal to-morrow evening, when those who attend may be sure of a most enjoyable time. The varioue committees have been very energetic. The Ladies' Committee (of which the principals are Masdames ( DockriU and E. M. Smith) have done wonders in the preparations for the supper, which will be on a scale seldom excelled in New Plymouth. In this connection we have been requested to ask those who haye promised provisions to leave the same at the Theatre on the morning of the " social," when members of the committee will be present to receive them. The music will be supplied by Mr, D. McKinnon Bain's orchestra, so well known for the excellence of the dance music provided at like functions, The City Band members have always been to the fore in assisting in town matters, and have a just claim on the support of the public. We trust that there will be a large attendance, and that the funds of the Band will be materially strengthened,

If the old saying that " What everybody saya must be correct," is to be relied upon, then the Pneumatic Heel patent bids fair to eclipse the Waihi gold mining shares—or any other equally paying investment in the world. There is no doubt whatever bat that boots are more universally used than any other single article, and when it is remembered that in England alone there are forty odd million persons who average, say, two pairs of boots per annum, the enormous I revenue derivable from the smallest royalty on only a small proportion of that gigantic population represents the princely income of a Nabob. The generally expressed opinion here by those persons who have tried on the boots is " that it must find favour with the masses," for having once worn the boots, the ordinary leather heel is pronounced to be harsh and uncomfortable. Medical men speak of the patent as conducive to health and comfort; while boot manufacturers pronounce it to be a practicable invention, and one that is readily applied to | cither old or new boots at a. nominal figure. I We do not wish to boom the patent, but what we can gather from our own personal trial and close inspection of the invention, it is well worthy of consideration, and represents an investment that the most" canny•'' man would not care to allow to pass him without having his little " something'' in ifc. Common sense musts-how anyone that where the profits may be enormous, more or less risk of losing the principal and interest must be incurred, but certainly the risks in this patent appear to be very small indeed when compared with the enormous results that one may reasonably expect within the course of the next few months.

While speaking at the annual meeting of the Sydenham Prohibition League Mr. T. E. Taylor referred to the amount of drunkenness there had been in Christchurch on Maf eking day. He said that on that day the liquor interests had disgraced the city, and when the next holiday was declared he thought the other business people should decline to close their establishments unless the publicans did likewise. Some of them had already waited on the Mayor, and protested against the respectable business houses being called on to close while the | only trade that had disgraced the city and made private profit out of the people's patriotism kept its premises open. The Mayor had been sympathetic, and an official deputation would wait on him. Mr. Taylor said there would be " bonnets in the green " before the matter was finally settled. A correspondent writes to us (Wanganui Chronicle) stating that from American files to hand, he learns that the Rev. C. M. Sheldon, the author of "In His Steps," who undertook to run the Topeka. Daily Capital on the lines laid down by him in that cele- ; brated book for one week, made a profit of 5000 dollars out of the paper for that period. He ran the paper from March 10th to March' 17th, and out of the profits donated 1000 dollars to the Indian Famine sufferers, 1000 dollars to the City Detention Hospital, 1000 dollars Christ's Hospital for contagious disease ward, 600 dollars Warburn College, 500 dollars Topeka Y.M.0.A., 300 dollars for drinking fountains, 100 dollars Kindergarten Association, 150 dollars, Y.W.0.A., 100 dollars W.0.T.U., 100 dollars Ingteside Home, 100 dollars State Temperance Union, and 50 dollars Anti-Cigarette League.

Mr. Donalrt Macdonald, the Argus war correspondent, who was invalided home, is at present giving a series of three illustrated lectures in Melbourne telling of the siege and relief of Ladysmith. Mr. Edwin Gesch is managing the venture, and will doubtless induce " Observer" to visit this colony.

First class passengers in England have increased only 10 per cent., in ten years, while the number of the third class passengers has increased 41 per cent. Out of 1,01)3,000,000 passengers travelling with regular tickets (excluding commutation tickets), 963,673,990 went in third class compartments, 69,15)9,930 in second class, and 33,037,190 in first cjass compartments, so that out of 100 travellers only three syent first class, six seoond class, and third class.'

Dr. Focke, the German Consul at Cape Town, has been called on to explain the accusations attributing to him actions and expressions pf an anti-German character. One of the accusations levelled at Dr. Focke is that he has been heard to state publicly that the sooner the Germaus in South Afi'io'a are absorbed into Anglo-Saxondom the bettor it will be for them and the country.

An English north-conntry farmer and his wife recently called on a local photographer for the purpose, as the farmer explainer], of " living the pictures took." "The artist, having obtained a couple of negatives, informed his customers that th: y would be able to see a proof of Uie pjfolqgi'aph if j they called on the following Saturday. Prompt to time the pair turned to insped, the "pictur." "Of course yon arc aware that this is only a proof? " remarked the artist. " The real plioi ograph will stand out more clearly." " It's aw reet, as far as Aw con see," said the farmer. His wife, however, was scar.colv satisfied, and severely criticised the work." '.' Look at my pictiir," she ejaculated scornfully. " Did anybody ever ssp sich a month ? Louts 1 hjs if J was going to snap somebody's head off. don't it, Jos 1" The husband, oh being thus appealed to, imputed the proof a second time. " Why, Pally," he remarked at length, "Aw can't say as Aw likes that, mouth myscn! Never did, in fact! Bui it's natterai c Augli |''»

Wage's Worm Fig.j, tho wori.darfal Worm Worriers, never Jail for adults' or "shildren Frioe ls.—Adyi

It has been suggested that the New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies should subscribe towards a fund for the importation or gamj from South Africa. It is well known that there are numbers of the fauna of the veldts which would readily acclimatise on such areas as the National Park, the West Ooast districts, the Sounds country, and m the open lands to the North of Auckland. Shooting at the game in South Africa has to a large extent made the Boers the marksmen that they are, and the better furnished a country in this respect the better shots will its inhabitants become. A good opportunity for carrying this suggestion into effect will probably offer within the next few months, when, after peace is assured, the various contingents are returning from South Africa. If on the transports were shipped a number of the animals referred to, the men would no doubt take a keen interest in their welfare, and do all in their power to land them in good condition. Thus would the enterprise of the acclimatisation societies be amply repaid. For once the bishop and the clergy were to be found on the same platform with the Non-conformist minister of the town. The worthy mayor was transported with joy at the sight. After remarking how gratifying it was t« see church and chapel joining together in a common cause, he added; " And what I says, gentlemen, is this: if a man's 'art is in the right place, it don't matter what sex he belongs to." Speaking in a debate at the Royal United Service Institution onthe pay of the soidier, Sir Charles Dilke advocated higher pay for soldiers and a higher standard of efficiency. For the pay of a New Zealand soldier, 6s 3d, he said, there could be raised a splendid body of men, with high special qualifications, and possessing the faculty of looking after themselves, which the English soldiers lacked. Sir Charles advocated the formation of a striking army, not one intended only to stay at home. The following unique letter was received by the Town Clerk of a suburban borough council the other day :—" Whirship Mair and Oauncila nentliman, i wish to drow yau athinge to he Baad state in frunt of my place wit the last rand i wish you whud A new pips in and make A fut path in frunt of my place you whnd oblige xry much." Mr. F. W. Marchantis an applicant for a New Zealand patent for " improvements in dredges for gold saving and the like." An exchange says:—"A week or two since a report was circulated throughout the colony that a Napier citizen had 7 discovered a piece of ambergris, worth several thousand pounds, on the beach at that place. There is a sequel to the report, but this part of the matter has not been noised abroad like the original one. The alleged ambergris has since been diagnosed as soap fat, and tho. one-time envied finder is now busily engaged in eluding sympathising and sarcastic friends.

Mrs. G. W. Steevens has been granted an allowance of £SOO a year by Messrs. Harmsworth, for whose paper, the Daily Mail, Steevens was aoting as correspondent at the time of his death.

From the Queen herself, or from the [Princeand Princess of Wales to the humblest Englishman who on St. Patrick's Day displayed his sprig of shamrock in acknowledgment of Irish skill and courage, there has been evidence of a renewal of kindly feelings which had been partially concealed beneath rivalries or animosities artificially produced, and incapable, let us hope, of (retaining their vitality in a more healthy moral atmosphere. It behoves Englishmen ,to do what may be in their power to mainI tain this atmosphere; and there is a possible step in this direction which would, we think, commend itself to the medical profession. A large proportion of our soldier surgeons are Irishmen, and have been second to none of the fighting line in their absolute devotion to duty. The Fellows of the Boyal College of Surgeons of Ireland have a grievance of long standing, insomuch that, in spite of the privileges conferred by the Medical Act of 1858, they do not stand on the same plane with Fellows of the English College in respect o£ eligibility or certain hospital appointments. Is it not time that this grievance should be removed? It is one which could hardly survive a strong expression of opinion from the authorities m Lincoln's Inn Fields, and such an impression the present president would bo an • eminently proper person to initiate.— The Hospital. Little children full of health

Do love to laugh and play, And many a man would give his wealt To be as bright as they. Though illness may attend us all, As we become mature,

Yet coughs an-1 colds will surely fall • 'Fore Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. 9 "He carried a Penang lawyer, Your Honour," continued the witness. " A what ?" thundered His Honour, who thought the witness was tampering with the dignity of the Court, " Please explain yourself." " 1 mean a big stick, Your Honour," gasped the witness. " And how can a big stick be a Penang lawyer?" queried His Honour. " Because the natives of Penang settle their disputes with them," rej .ined the witness. Sykes' Cura Cough is waging battle worse than a Penang lawyer with coughs, colds, etc. All Chemists and Storekeepers.—Advt. You can depend on ridding your children of Tforms with Wade's Worm Figs, the wonderful Worm Worriers. Price Is.—Advt A Day ai " 'Appy 'Ampstead " is thoroughly enjoyed by the East End poor, as is amply proved by the immense crowds who fflock there every Bank Holiday. The pure air and bracing atmosphere to be found on the breezy heights of Highgate and it? neighbourhood cannot fail to benefit those I who can only spend a few hours in their midst. Holidays, however, cannot be fully enjoyed by xi. ose persons who are suffering from disease. Holloway's Pills and Ointment can speedily remove this drawback to pleasure if a fair trial is only afforded them As a cure for rheumatism, gout, fevers, diarrhoea, diseases of the skin, scrofula, ulcers, sores, burns, or old wounds, they are beyond competition.—Advt. Wade's Worm Figs are most effective and not unpleasant; after taking them. Price la —Advt, |