The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 1901.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11648, 3 April 1901, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 1901.

♦ The Taraxakt Herald will not be published on Friday or Monday next. Tenders are invited for the erection of a Courthouse at Opunake. Captain Edwin wired this afternoon: — Moderate easterly winds, glass fall, poor fd >s. A London cable announces the death, at the age of 61, of Sir John Stainer, the eminent musician. Th 3 services of the Egmont Mounted Rifles (Okato) and Waitara Rifles have been aocepted by the Government. Mr J. T. Campbell notifies in another column that he is open to receive pupils for private tuition in French and German. Mr Collis has on exhibition in his window some excellent photograhic views of scenery at Mount Messenger and Tongaporutu. The Bitport will go to press on Thursday night this week. Advertisers and correspondents will kindly forward copy to reach us by 6 o'clock on that evening. In the action for LSOOO damages, brought by the burlesque actress " Billie Barlow " against the Sydney Bulletin, a verdict was returned in favour of the newspaper. Householders who may by chance have been overlooked in tho distribution of census papers are requested to communirito with Mr W. J. Shaw, the Chief Enumerator for the Taranaki and Clifton Counties. On the 13th the Takapuna will be taken off the Woilinglon-Onehunga run for three weeks, in order to have some alterations made to her passenger accommodation. She will also be thoroughly ' cleaned and painted while the repairing ' is going on. The Mapourika will take '. over her work. St. Mary's Church, Thursday, April 4th, 1901.— Stainer'H " Crucifixion " will be rendered by the choir of the above j Church at 7.30 p.m. Soloists, Mr N. i Miller and Mr W. Black. Collection in * aid pf the choir funds. 9 l

The s.s. Kanieri will leave Waitara for Kawhia on Tuesday, 23rd inst., at 10 p.m.

A stall' of workmen is now busily engaged on the foundations of a building to be erected opposite tho railway station for the purposes of a hotel.

The warehouses of Messrs Burgess, Fraser, & Cu., Arch. Clark & Sons, and Sargood, Son. & Ewen will be closed from Friday to Tuesday morning.

The following additional pupils in the Central Fchool made full attendance for the quarter : — Standard IV. : Mildred Mate, Ivy Russell, Vida Garner, Norman Berridge. Infant School: Lily Shepherd.

It is understood that t?ie S.M., on Tuesday, refused to facilitate any application for a mandamus directing him to hear tollgate cases prior to the Court of Appeal giving a decision on the case referred to it.

The irony of Fato ! Mr Limmer, who met with such a shocking death on Tuesday, had a road con tract, in the ITcnwood Road District, and, at the time he iyas buried by a slip, had only two and a half loads to get out to complete his contract.

The Biograph exhibition was again well patronised on Tuesday night. The animated pictures of the South African War, Paris Exhibition, and Queen's funeral were splendidly depicted. On Thursday night the Biograph will be exhibited at Inglewood, and on Friday and Saturday at Stratford.

Referring to the horse fair at Hawera the Star reports : — On Saturday, a large proportion of the heavier horses were active half draughts, and these sold at from £23 to £27, draughts running from £25 to £40. Hacks' and light harness horses sold well, as also did the thoroughbreds. As showing the general clearance accomplished by the auctioneers, 95 out of the 110 lots offered changed hands.

" One of the Thirty " writes with respect to Mr Bayly's letter to the County Council upon the subject of tolls, and points out that so far from the 30 not contributing one shilling to the County Council for the maintenance of the road they pay close on £100 a year in rates— 1 93 2s 7d is the exact amount paid by some seven or eight-and-twenty of them, and the other two or three will make up tho £100. Besides this they all pay more or less in tolls, tho writer himself having paid toll three times in the last week.

The Chamber of Commerce (says the Eltham Argus) has received a letter from the Taranaki Metropolitan Agricultural Society at New Plymouth saying that it had resolved to extend the influence of the Society by appointing a certain number of its committee who would be resident in this district, and who would forward the interests of the Society X cally as far as possible. Local meetings would be held, and recommendations made. No doubt the matter will receive attention at the next meeting of the Chamber.

We are accustomed to hear much about the great headway and prosperity of the iron and steel and coal trades in the United States. A recent issue of the Iron and Coal Trades Review gives the other side of the picture, saying: — The real facts are that there is as much real depression in the United States as there is here; that the American iron industry has beeu contracting relatively quite as much as our own; that American coalowners are finding it difficult to make ends meet; that American coke manufacturers are in mauy cases in extremis; tliat ih3 railroads are, in a large number of cases, carrying freight at v loss; that the c;reat syndicates are weakening their hold on the markets; and that the outlook, alike for home and foreign trades, is causing American manufacturers much anxiety.

An accident, which terminated fatally, happened at the Henwood Road gravel pit, in the Bell Block district, on Tuesday. Mr Limnier, sen., was working in a gravel pit, when a quantity of sandstone suddenly broke away and buried him to his armpits. The unfortunate man was extricated from his fearful position soon after the accident, and Dr, Home, who was speedily summoned from town, examined him. The doctor found that Mr Limmer had sustained grave injuries. The right arm was cut above the elbow, both forearms were fractured, and the thigh bones were broken, and internal injuries had also been sustained. Mrs W. Bayly, who lives in the vicinity, attended the sufferer, who was finally brought into the hospital, where he died from the effects of the shock at half-past 8 o'clock. An inquest was held this afternoon before the Coroner, Mr R. L. Stanford, and a jury, when a verdict in accordance with the evidence was returned. Mr Limmer, who was about 45 years' of age, leaves a wife and nine children, who have the sympathy of a wide circle of friends.

By an advertisement in another portion ofithis issue it will be noticed that Mr T.W. Fisher has been appointed district agent of the Public Trustee in New Plymouth. This appointment is consequent upon the large increase of business of the office throughout the Taranaki province, and is" practically an amalgamation of the respective offices— viz., agency formerly held by Mr W. J. Shaw with the West Coast Reserves agency held by Mr Fißher. It may not be out of place here to observe that the value of the estates now under administration in the Public Trust Office exceeds £2,500,000, while the number of wills of living persons now deposited in the office exceeds 1000. Of course the great advantages offered by the office must in time attract the bulk of all administrative work. Among those advantages may be mentioned the State guarantee against loss, the absolute security against mismanagement or dishonesty, the low charges (which are not made with a view to profit), the drawing out or revision of wills free of cost where tho Public Trustee is named as trustee, the employment of the Post Office to rmke its payments, the appointment of numerous expert agents throughout the colony to conserve and colleci the assets of all estates, and the special powers of the Public Trustee to nupplemeat the obvious intentions of testators in regard to benefiting the widow or children, and, if need be, to apply a part of capital share of a child to its benefit or advancement, in this respect the Public Trustee is a Court unto himself, and the expense thus saved to estates is very considerable.

A hot-tempered German merchant in Hongkong, having detected his Chinese servant in some petty larceny, called him into his room and said, " Boy, I'm going to give you a jolly good hiding. -Lock the door." The boy, with a calm Buddhalike serenity, answered not a word, but locked the door. In a case like this, a Chinaman would very generally grovel on the floor and beg for mercy, but not so this one, who was an active young fellow of about 25. The German took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves; Johnny did the same. This rather puzzled the merchant, who advanced towards him, bending a supplejack in his hands. Instantly Johnny threw himself into the most approved British posture of defence — left leg and arm advanced, right arm covering the upper part of the body, weight resting on the right foot. The merchant recoiled at this unheard of attitude of a Chinese boy, and called him every name he could think of ; bu,t Johnny simply said, •♦ Now, sir, you talkee you give my number one good hiding; you allus hide me. This time I secure J. hide you." And, suiting the action to the word, he gave his master such a thrashing as no European ever received from a Chinaman, and quietly unlocking the door wished him " chin chin." and left him sprawling on the floor with a pair^bf black eye». Tt turned out that Johnny had baen a steward on board a P. and O. steamer, and had picked up the noble art on his voyage.

The cheap sale of bankrupt stock at Abbott's shop, Devon-street, is advertised to be continued until 10th Apiil, when tenders will be received for the f hop and property. 9

Interesting news will be found on the first pagp of this issue.

The Takapuna is expected at the breakwater from Onehunga to-night, and will immediately return to Onehunga. Train at 9.30 p.m.

The Egmont Road School picnic and concert have been postponed on account of the lamented death of Mr Limmer, a member of the School Committee.

The annual meeting of the Baptist District. Association will be held at Wanganui during Easter. The Rev. James Ings represents the New Plymouth Ch.rch, and leaves for Wanganui on Thursday morning returning next week.

Miss Retford forwards us a copy of the Press Investors' Guide to West Coast Gold Dredging, published by the Christchurch Press Company. It is a most useful little work, containing information about all the dredging claims as well as two carefully prepared maps of the coast.

The kineraatograph or biograph is a very wonderful instrument. It has enabled the people of New Plymouth, through the enterprise of Messrs Neilson & Son, to see two months after the event animated pictures of the entire procession of the late Queen's funeral as it passed through -London. Inglewood and Stratford people will be able to see the pictures on Thursday and Friday.

An opening in South Africa for frozen pork is likely to occur very shortly, for Messrs Vecht and Stockvis, who are establishing a bacon factory in South Africa, under contract with the De Beers Company, expect to purchase part of the raw product in the colonies. It is proposed at first to take 200* pigs per week, and it is expected that the demand will increase to 1000 pigs per week. The pigs will be slaughtered and partly cured, then frozen and despatched in that state to South Africa for mild curing.

What becomes of the amount of the favourable trade balance of the United States is a question occasionally discussed in England and America. Last year the country's exports exceeded its imports by L 128,000,000. Where did the surplus disappear, for no bullion was imported ? Mr Lyman J. Gage, the secretary of the United States Treasury, has been writing to the Annual Financial Review on the subject. He ha 9 found it impossible to obtain statistics, and the opinions he gives are offered with hesitation. As is well known, the United States owes England a large sum of money, and Mr Gage thinks that L 40,000,000 of the balance represents the value of the securities bought and brought home in 1900. Then he estimates the United States tourists to Europe spent L2G,000,000. Further L 20,000,000 is put dowu for paying interest on American securities held abroad, and a like amount is thought to lepresent new investments in the shape of loans to Great Britain, Germany, and other foreign countries, Allowing L 20,000,000 to be due to the shipowners of other countries for freights, the figures total L 120,000,000 of the total surplus trade balance of L128,000'000. He think it probable that this balance of L 8,000.000, 000. 000 has been more than made up by credits established by Americans abroad for the purpose of meeting obligations for goods ordered. The one outstanding feature in the estimate is that the United States is paying off its debt. Mr Gage's estimate of the indebtedness as being gauged by the payment of L 20,000,000 for interest is a rather a lower one than has been given by some authorities. Still, it is equal at 4 per cent, to L 500,000,000, offset as it would seem by L 20,000,000, the amount of last year's loans to Europe, if that be the amount, and whatever was lent in the previous years, when America was flush of capital.