NEWS OF THE DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 63, 18 March 1904, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Harbour Board meets to-day. Five Inmdred shares in the Hank of New Zealand were sold yesterday in Wellington at 80/8 ami 87/0. In referring to the borough valuations yesterday there was a misprint, £IOO,OOO being substituted I'or £1,000,000. There is u (HlVerence between the two.

After the foundation stone lining ceremony at the Uueen-strect Church yesterday afternoon a large number of the ministers and visitors ndjourned to the residence of Mrs W. Moon, Powdeiham-street, and were entertained at afternoon tea.

In connection with the building of the concrete arch over the lluatoki stream in Kingi-street one of the contractor's principal troubles in excavating for his foundations wan caused by eels. These constantly burrowed through the mud, letting in u considerable quantity of water to where the men were working.

The New Zealand Herald mentions that an Intoxicated man had a marvellous escape from a terrible death on Monday night. The motormaii of up-car 12 was driving into town, and on Hearing St. Paul's Church, Symonds-stieet, noticed a body lying right across tho rails, lie instantly applied the brakes, which worked splendidly, bringing the cur to an immediate standstill, although close to the prostrate man. Motormaii and conductor together picked him up and carried him on the car to Princes-street, where they left him in charge of the police.

Work at the Hen u i bridge is being pushed along as rapidly as possible, but the presence of water and very large rata logs rentiers the excavation for the western wall a matter of slow progress. Double shifts nre now worked, und it is hoped .10011 to have this part of the work completed. Numbers of interested spectators are constantly watching the men at work in the bottom of the excavation, whilst the blasting af tlie logs has a special charm for the small fry of the neighbourhood, who display a remarkable inojiiisiliveiicss as to the why and wherefore of all that is done. The older watchers content, themselves with lazy speculations as to how long the logs have been submerged. Some opine that they were buried by the early colonists when the old bridge was built "before the war," while others contend that the logs had located in their present resting places while Methuselah was yet, in |,is teens Meantime Mr Pike'tt's men are slowly cutting the timber up and hoislOig it out with the aid of a steam winch.

St. Patrick's Day was celebrated as usual by the Catholic social winch drew about eighty couples to the Theatre Hoyal last evening. I'-verything necessary had been attended to. There was a splendid floor, which developed treacherous tendencies as the evening wore on • capital music, supplied by Mr .McKinnon Dain's orchestra (Mr MrKiiinon Hain, piano ; Mr Tuschka violin ; Mr Donovan, cornet) ; cap■>N« M'sC Messrs E. M. Carthe'w ami W. Deale ; a goodly number of pleasing toilettes ; whilst but but to many not the least, of the arrangements was the ample supper I'fovided, including dainties hat "'•", l«M«l lo tempt none. Here it might be suggested to the management committee that soniclhine: should be done lo check the wandeii"K multitude in its rash endeavours to secure the select dishes—it would !;;;,/;;•'^ l ;;;--; ii^; ; (i public ".;;;;!;! attend to' (heir wallls!' l ''| t ut' l '| , hi's J," a men; detail. Everything else went merrily. „„d a very enjoyable time was spent, (he non-dancers heir," provided with curd-lables l<. while a" w»y the lime r]l . lising „ ivt!l . gi ;,; is v 1, '*' 'I by ,|U! lu «n<l"Hu duet >.v Messrs Cornwall, and a sailor's '""•ni'Jl'o 1..V Mr Noon. The huliiV "'""'Oitoe are .0 be congratulated "" tu! rc 'S»'t of their efforts, mid any fut ul .„ Catholic socials should be us we 1 supported as hitherto. Financially the allair was most success-

Mr Newton King will sell on Tuesday next, at Stratford, a number of working bullocks, on account: of the New Plymouth Sash ami Door Co. The Rev. W. SUule, who will occupy the pulpit on Sunday next in Whiteloy Church, when the harvest festival will take place, will arrive by steamer to-morrow morning from Auckland. Those who had the pleasure of hearing the reverend gentlemen on his last visit are anticipating a treat.

A'l the Jefferson iron Works in Ohio, a process has been invented whereby tin' great waste of scrap steel can be prevented. The scraps are placed in layers, the entire mass having any shape that may be preferred,ant! between each layer is in-

terposed a new composition which facilitates the welding. The mass is then heated anil subjected to mechanical pressure. The result is a homogeneous union. From billets of steel 'funnel) in this manner perfect sheets, nails, washers, and oilier articles can be made.

As .lames Lock, a iicwsveiulor, was going down IViccadilly one night lately he espied an envelope lying on the pavement. II was unaddressed, and had not been fastened. Opening It, lie found within two uncrossed checpies for £101)0 and ■fcfi-lfi, and a couple of drafts on a Melbourne bank. Without hesitation Lock sent the envelope and its contents to the bank in Threndnecdhslrcct on whirl) the enemies were drawn. In the course of a day or two he received an acknowledgement of the receipt of the letter. A few days after the post brought to oil, Seovell Road, Jioroug'h, where Lock is living, a nole from the ladv who had lost the cheques. 11 coniained six lines thanking him for returning the envelope, and a postal order for live shillings as a reward for his honesty.

A young American lmly, Miss Mulluill, known as "Queen of the Range," has actpiirod a reputation as a lasso thrower. Keren! ly in a competition in which a large number of cowboys took part she won a prize of £2OO for lassoing and tying three steers in the shortest time. Some of the most expert cowboys in the world essayed to surpass her feat, says Cassell's Saturday .Journal, but failed ignominiously. An amusing story is told of tiie lady's father, a cattle rancher, who, to encourage his daughter's hobby, once offered to give her every steer which she could rope and tie herslef. On the first day this female Nimrod caught and bound twenty head of cattle, ami her farther thought It advisable to reconsider the bargain ! Miss Mulhull is described as being a girl of great personal attractions, highly Mlucnlud, ami an accomplished pianist.

An amusing method of securing the marriage of his five daughters has been adopted by a wealthv tradesman in Ilerlin. As suitors were lot apparently inclined lo seek the hands and airections of tlie dumvhln's. the father advertised that he "would pay to the accepted suiter of each daughter a dowry in cash proportionate to the weight of the selected damsel immediately after the wedding c. remony. A young lawyer was Ihe first who submitted himself for the father's approval, and Innim- produced satisfactory evidence as "o law respectability, he was presented to the (laughters, lie visited them for a week, and then cliose the stoutest of the five, to whom he was married the other day. When the ceremony was over, the lady was weighed, and registered 17 stone, the father immediately inlying over to his son-in-law a sum of 1.'t.000 crowns.

Weird hieroglyphics reached the secretary of the Xorl h London Hums Club the olhrr day before the dinner of that body at Ihe llolhorn Restaurant. Careful examination showed that the communications were letters from Jfr Andrew Lang and Mr J. .VI. .liarrie, both of whom are members of the club. Further scrutiny revealed the.fact, that Mr hang, who dated from his beloved "St. Andrews by the Northern Sea," was quite willing that the association should make him a V.l'.—meaning vice-president,—but I hat he was nimble to attend any public dinners. "And," added Air Lang's letter, "I think you could hardly find a more useless person for festive purposes." The liarrie letter merely expressed regret (hat he could' inn take line chair at the dinner, as he luvd other engagements, and' hoped that the club would have a happy and successful meeting, liarrie letters to societies, clubs and associations, whose meetings are attended by reporters, do not as rule contain anything Unit can )„. looked upon as "copy." He conserves his literary fuel,

-" Sympathy with caution " a phrase used by the Jlev. E. J. R. M ld to define his own attitude, ' might (tnrs the Sydney Daily Mail of March 4) also be used to describe the e,tliHide of the Methodist Conference as a whole towards the question of union with the Presbyterian Church The report of the Joint Committee was belore the Conference on March .'I, when ussent to a series of resolutions regarding It was asked by the Hey. W. 11. jieale, vvho, nlorig wiU| Ilia colleague, the Rev. J, II (•«,- ruthers, had borne the burden of the negotiations with nn übilitv which was subsequently recognised' by snecial resolution. The resolution's were adopted on the voices, hut they commit the Conference to nothing' more than the reference of the question to the general conference, with a recommendation that the hod.v should definitely pronoucc upon the desirableness of union ; mid if Hie pronouncement be m the allinmitive, that suitable action should be taken to bring it about. During t |, n discussion one minister, who was n very strong advocate of union, wanted to know what could be pointed to as real obstacles to union. An answer came from a layman, whose knowledge, presumably, was wide and deep " lieineinbei- they are not all teetotallers, Tom," he said, laconically

The collection of old books recently removed from the Chrislchurch Museum Library to (lie Hefereuee Library includes an old edition of "Robinson Crusoe." with quaint wood-cuts, nn original copv of t|„, New South Wales Government Handbook for 1820, being, as the title page states, " the first, of the kind ever published in the colony," an Elzevir edition of Suetonius, 'printed in Amslerdam in 1052, and u devotional book, " Crumbs of Comfort and Godly Prayws," printed in London in 1008, One interesting volume is an old geography book, piil,Imhed m IOUi, whirl) includes an "accurate" map of tlie world. Xeu Zealand and Australia are liowver entirely omitted. Another book, a

patriotic publication, which appeared in 1053, bears the imposing title " liesdtution of Decayed Intelligence in Antiquities Concerning the Most Noble and Kcnowned English Nation." Two philosophical volumes are intfuded in the crdleclion, one being the 1038 edition of Macon's works, and the other a view of Sir Isaac Newton's philosophy, printed in 1728. An old Praver-book of the time ol the Georges, whose serrated edges testify both of hard use and old age, and a 1579 folio edition of the works of Spenser, form part of the collection. \ special case will be provided lor (he books ill the Hefereuee Library, hut it will be 11 month or two before |],e accommodation will be available.