The Taranaki Herald.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11738, 3 February 1900, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1900. ♦ A parcel of books for bushmen is to hand from Mrs Newton King. An inebriate had to p.\y the usual penalty at the Police Court this morning for his indiscretion. Ar tho Auckland Bowling Tournament, as avjs expected. Newmarket carried off the Championship banner, Avith Wellington second. Most of the rivers around Mount Egmont are extraordinarily loav just now, loAver, in fact, than they have ever been known. Considerable inconvenience is, on that account, being felt Avhere they are us.cd as power for driving machinery. One applicant for^the old ago pension, avlio has been tAvice bofore Mr Stanford, and Avhose request has, on each occasion, been refused on the ground of improper conduct, openly declared on Friday that he Avould haA-e to leavo the district, and put forward an application in another town. The weights >>f classes of students before and after examination have been made the subject of recent investigation. In high classes, where naturally the examination Avas most felt, several pounds Avere lost, showing lioav the mental strain was felt. -In loAver claises the loss Avas not so great. In Bohemia are found many glassylooking egg-shaped objects, of a bottlegreen colour, to Avhich the name moldavites has been given. It has been stated that they are meteorites, and should be added to the list of foreign bodies that have found their Avay to the earth's surface by falling from space. The managership of the Christchurch Press Company, left vacant by the death of Mr J. S. Guthrie. has been filled by the appointment of Mr Charles H'oivs to the position. Mr Hiorns has been tAventy-one years Avith tho Press Com- 1 pany, the last fourteen of them as ac- i countant, and during Mr Guthrie's long illness he Avas acting-manager. An old pedkr, aged 55, staggering under his pack, Avas rudely ejected from a plantation on the Mississippi River, and the planter set his dogs on him. Shaking his fist at tho house from Avhich he had been ejected, he voAved that he would yet oavii it. That Avas tAventy years ago. Ho kept his word, and bought not only that, but several plantations in the vicinity. The pedlar died recently in Noav Orleans,/ worth 10 million dollars (£2,000,000). Tho precocious youth Avho can ahvays teach his elders lioav to manage affairs is frequently en evidence. He turned up at tho Contingent riding tests on Friday morning. Tho candidates for military honours Avere apparently not doing so| Avell as the youth desired, and Avith an I aggressivo swagger he mountod a horse Avith the fixed determination of " shoAving those felloAvs lioav to do it." But fate Avas unkind. The first jump landed the youth a picturesque " purler " on to the unyielding earth amid tho boisterous mirth of the onlookers,

Captain Edwin telegraphs : — Strong f northerly winds after 20 hours from now ; glass fall, sea heavy, tides high. ; Mr E. Horton and Mr-Rollitt, of the (New Zealand HcimM, have just driven from Auckland to Taranaki by way of Awakino. Their vehicle was a fourwheeler, and in some places they had much difficulty in getting through. The scenery en route is described as magniiicont, one gorge being particularly fine. Tiie threepenny piece is evidently a very popular coin with churchgoers. An analysis of a Sunday's collection in a Duncditi church last Sabbath showed that there wero put -into the plate 652 threepenny pieces, 190 sixpences, 108 coppers, 50 shillings, half-crown, and two florins ; or a total of 1003 coins. The density of the smoke overhanging the town on Friday af terioon and evening betokened heavy fires in the district. The dry weather experienced of late made the material more inflammable, and a good deal of damage to grass seed and other crops must have resulted. Fortunately the south-east wind blowing dropped about midnight, otherwise the J loss to settlers would have bsen very i severe. J Tiie sudden and uncontrollable desire on the part of a horse, ridden by Mr W. H. Butler, New Plymouth, to suspend a perpendicular position and assume an unpicturesque actitudo on the hard metal, resulted in that young gentleman receiving a nasty spill near the Meeting-of-the-Waters on Friday afternoon. The accident Avas fortunately not attended with very serious results. Mr Butler was thrown with some force on to the ground, but he escaped with a few bruises and much damaged clothing. The horso was also unpleasantly shaken. Sunday, February 11, Septuagesima, is tho day set apart by the Archbishops and Bishops of the Anglican Church as a day of special intercession in connection with the war in South Africa. Tho Primate of New Zealand has issued a pastoral to the bishops, clergy, and members of the Church of England in the colony, inviting tliem "to unite heartily with our people throughout the Empire in prayer to Almighty God for His special guidance and protection at tho present time, while confessing to Him our past failure to honour Him as wo ought, as a nation, and asi individuals." The pastoral will be read in St. Mary's parish to-morrow, and^nreparatory addresses given by the VicSr, The Wellington 1 Gas Company has received instructions to light the new premises of the Bank of New Zealand with the Welsbach incandescent burners. In his annual report, the Chairman says : — '• During the past year the Gas Company had , endeavoured to show the advantages of the Welsbach incandescent system for outside lighting by fixing a row of three-light arc lamps in Vivianstreet, which for effectiveness, convenience, and economy, he ventured to say could not be surpassed, the cost of gas for each three-light lamp being a little undtr one penny per hour. The Dairy Commissioner (Mr Ruddick) has returned to Wellington from an inspection of the grading store and a number of butter ami cheese factories in the T.uvuKiki distiet. Mr Ruddick found that owing to the dry Aveather there has bsen a slight shrinkage in .the output of the factories during the past foAV weeks. On the whole, however, factories have turned out since the opening'of the season very much more butter and cheese .than during the corresponding period of the previous summer. Several of the factories are noAV much better equipped than they were last season, and improvements are also being carried out at some other establishments. — Post. A London letter in the Birmingham Daily Post says :—": — " lam told to-night that capitalists and shipoAvners in the city are discussing a project for the establishment of a system of rapid communication with. Australia and New Zealand by way of Mexico. It is urged that Mexico offers the shortest and most direct route to the colonies named, and is not Aery much less advantageous for communication Avith China and Japan than the lines by Avay of Vancouver and San Francisco. The overland journey begins atVera Cruz, on the Atlantic side, and, ending at Acapulco on the Pacific, Avould bs about 500 miles. The Fiji Islands are in direct line between Acapulco and Sydney, and the steamers would naturally make these an importaut place of call. So great has beon the demand for Mr Malcolm Ross's Souvenir of New Zealand's Response to the Empire's Call that tho publication is . already in its third edition, and the printers are hard put to it to keep the supply up to the demand. It is scarcely to be Avondered that so large a sale has be'en met Avith, for the pictures are splendidly printed and depict all phases of the camp life at NoAvtown Park, Wellington, and also give an excellent idea of the great demonstration Avhich took placo at Wellington on the day of the Seqgnd Contingent's departure. Altogether there are over fifty pictures, besides a facsimile of the Premier's farewell letter to Major Robin. The letter press is by Mr and Mrs Ross and family and include some admirable verses. An incident in bicycle stealing is recounted by ' The Irish Cyclist.' A rider named Smith left his bicycle outside a shop. He emerged just in time to see a man named Munro riding away Avith it. He took the machine nearest by to go in pursuit, and this was a tandem. One of the riders saAV Smith take it, and, seizing another man's wheel, a single', Avent after Smith. The owner aitho last-mentioned Avheel saw no other bicycles handy on Avhich to give chase,and -jumped into a cab. Smith, on the tandem, finally j caught Munro, and the others, coming up ! in turn, got their bicycles and a satisfactory -explanation. Evidently Munro's pride Avas more wounded by the street j episode than by the sentence, for ho said that no singlo man on a tandem Avould have caught him had he not been riding in long trousers. Americans refer proudly to the number of coaling stations Avhich they have latoly acquired. Two years or so ago the only one they possessed Avas Key West, situated bstAveen the miinland and Cuba. The coaling stations already" established, are San Juan, Havana, Dry Tortugas, Key West, Honolulu, Guam. Pago, Pago, and Cavits. Pago Pago, on one of the Samo.xn Islands, Avill have a depot containing 5000 tons of coal, an iron landing stage, and a railway. On the Island of Guam 10,000 tons of fuel are to be stored under cover, outdoor storage in the tropics having tho disadvantage of causing great Avasto and deterioration of tho coal from tho action of sun and rain. At Honolulu arrangements arc nearly completed for the reception of 20,000 tons, and at Key West for 15,0;0 tons. American coals are to bo kept at theso stations for the most part, principally on account of tho saving in the oxpanss of transport which Avill bo thereby effected. At present the monthly consumption of coal by tho American floot at tho Philippines — that, is, in the neighbourhood, of the Cavite station —is reckoned at about 4000 tons. To-morrow morning, afternoon, and evening, special Anniversary Services arc to bo held in connection -with St. Andrew's Presbyterian Sunday School. The Rev. Mr Rtealo, of Otalmhu, will conduct. Tho se: vices should be additionally interesting oAving to tho fact that tho now organ will be used for the first time. 0 Nearly every other person is suffering from some form of cold ; colds arc dangerous, and Avhon neglected lead to consumption. Neglected colds givo more work to the doc' or and undertaker than any other complaint. Have Sykes' Cum Cough ready to u-ie as soon as you begin to sneeze, shiver, or feel that you are taking cold. Sykes' Oura Cough if taken as soon as tho cold manifests itself Avill break up any form of cold in a feAV hours Hundreds of testimonials from all parts of New Zealand. Sold by chomists and storekeepers in Is 6d and 2s bottles A E. Sykes, Chomist, opposite Tlieatra Rpyal, New Plymp«th,° |