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Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14133, 12 February 1910, Page 2

In future tho width of tho Herald on Saturdays will be increased to eight columns, in lieu of the additional two pages forming-the.sux>plomeut.

It is understood that all tho town schools will he closed on Tuesday next, so that opportunity will bo afforded to tho children of visiting H.M.S. Pegasus.

There are at present a large number of men out of work in tho Alastorton district (states tho correspondent of the New Zealand Times), and there does not appear to bo much prospect of this state of affairs-being alleviated for some time. It is generally predicted that tho coming winter will be tho worst known in the history of Masterton for many years. At tho annual meeting of tho New Zealand Insurance Company, in reply to a shareholder, the chairman stated that the company’s fire insurance in tho dominion during the. past year did not show a loss ,though it had not shown'ranch profit. ;AVhilst it might he advisable to limit the business if it persistently showed a loss, ho considered it would be a pity to throw it up, when tho probability was that it might improve. An Association football match between a Taranaki team and' a team from HALS. Pegasus will be played on tho Sports Ground on Tuesday evening, after the cricket match and before the sports meeting. Tho Pegasus team is n very strong one, and tho Taranaki toftlil will bo practically a representative one, including some of the best players in South Taranaki, so that tho game should bo decidedly interesting. Tho match has been arranged at tho request of the inau-o’-war’s men. The following particulars of tho railways working account arc taken from Thursday’s Gazette;—North Island lines: Revenue, four-weekly period, £1d7,729; revenue for year to date, £1,185,720; expenditure, four-weekly period, £80,186; expenditure for year to date, £828,808. South Island lines: Revenue four-weekly period, £142,758; revenue for year to date, £1,221,231j expenditure for year to date, £844,195. The total revenue for tho year to date is £2,406,052, and the expenditure £1,673,004. The excess of revenue over expenditure is £733,948, us compared with £545.572 last year.

Tho largest station at present leased from the (Government of Queensland is Sandringham, in the North Gregory district. It is 3032 square miles in area. There are a number of others running over 2000 square miles,.including Nockatunga, in the South AA'arrego, 2900 square miles; AYellshot, in The Mitchell district, with 2886 square miles; and Milo in tho AA’arrego and Mitchell districts, with 2800 square miles. Tho two latter, being in tho hotter class of district, are tho more notable of tho big stations. Under the laws of Queensland those leaseholds gradually contract in size, the Government being empowered to resume areas at stated periods, the lands being then made available for closer settlement.

An appeal is being made to Manx people all over the world for contributions towards the fund which is being raised in the Isle:of Man for tho benefit of the 700 orphan children and 19 widows who, have lost their breadwinners through tho foundering of tho steamer Ellen ALinniu on the bar of tho river Mersey. It is anticipated that there will ho a substantial.contribution from New Zealand. Yesterday Mr. F. I’. Corkill received from a Manx-New Zealander, who elects to remain anonymous, a cheque for £IOO. Tho circular', which has boon sent out by Mr. T.iE. Corkill, of AATdlington, who is acting lion, treasurer, is headed with tho old Manx adage: “Tra tn doiney hoght cooney lesh, dooiuey hopht ulley ta Joe hero egaraghteo.” (When one poor man helps another poor man God himself smiles).

Tho Chief Postmaster at Now Plymouth reporfs that tho ’Frisco dispatch of mails from Wellington on January 4 arrived at London on the LOtli' inst.

H.M.S. Pegasus sailed from Wellington on Thursday morning for Westport. From Westport tho war ship will proceed to New Plymouth, where she is duo early on Monday morning. Residents in Gilbert Street are wondering whether in issuing permits for additions to buildings the borough engineer satisfies himself that the building which is to be added to is in a sound and sanitary condition. Tho foreman of the Omata Riding of the Taranaki County Council reports that the Timarn beach bridge is dangerous for traffic. It lias dropped more than a foot at one end during the last three weeks.

The borough council meeting held last night was the longest that has been held for some time. It was eleven o’clock before the council rose, and consideration of one or two questions had tieeii deferred until the next meeting, to be held on the 21st inst. Reports, etc., filled 38 closely typewritten .sheets of foolscap.

As showing the increasing popularity of the East End beach, the Eltham Box Company’s employees have written to Mr. W. H. Fletcher asking if they might hold their animal seaside picnic on the beach in March and have the use of-the bathing shed. Tho East End Committee has replied'that it will be pleased to help in every way, and will assist in providing hot water, etc.

On Thursday morning half a dozen men belonging to H.M.S. Pegasus sur.rendered themselves at tho Wellington police station. It appears they went ashore the previous evening, and on awakening in the morning found that the war ship had sailed for Westport. They were taken on hoard tho collier Wairnna, which Jeft for Westport on Thursday evening, to -be handed over to the proper authorities. At the borough council mooting last night reference was made by Councillor Hooker to the recent case where a Chinaman was prosecuted for a wasteful use of water. He thought proceedings should never have been taken. The Mayor said ho. had known nothing about it until he saw particulars reported in the panel's. He thought there were other people that should be looked up. The engineer said it was not until after the Chinaman had been cautioned on four or five occasions to oeaso the wasteful use of water that proceedings wore taken against him. Swans, which are in largo numbers in Bluff harbour just now, are snid to bo destroying largo quantities of young flounders. According to the Southland Nows, a resident states from experience that that is a habit of the bird, and adds that on one occasion when he shot one of the birds its stomach was packed with small flounders. Tho swan feeds in the shallow waters on the beaches, and the young flounders fall an easy prey to its -appetite. The News adds that tho flounder is a diminishing quantity, and if the swans are allowed to multiply unchecked it will become scarcer year by year.

Tho Reserves Committee of tho Now Plymouth Borough Council visited its property at Toko on Thursday and made an inspection of tho various farms. Generally speaking, tho farms were fairly clean, but in parts of several of them noxious weeds—blackberry, ragwort, and ox-cyo daisy—-wore growing freely. At tho council meeting last night Councillor Bellringer said the Inspector of Noxious AVeeds ,for that district had tho matter in hand and would take the usual measures to have tho -.iojiu onoo was mndii to assistance given .by Mr. A. AV. AA'ood, who accompanied the committee, and a hearty vdto of thanks was accorded him.

Tho area of hops iu cultivation in tho Nelson district this year (says tho Colonist) is probably tho smallest during the last ten years, owing principally to the unremunerutivo prices obtained during tho last few years, and also that a'number of growers have given up, the industry to enter upon fruit-growing. Owing to* unfavourable conditions at the beginning of thd season tho came along slowly, and tho condition of tho gardens shows that the coming harvest will turn out very much below the average. Local buyers have already been sounding the growers, who are confident this year of getting a prico which will in a measure make up for the shortage of tho past few years. The extent of tho knowledge relating to Australia and New Zealand possessed by some British people is aptly shown by two incidents which came under the notice of. Miss Talbot, secretary of the AUctoria League.. In one case a Now Zealand lady brought her boy to school in England, and one day' tho child was approached by a schoolfellow. “Say, how long have you been iu England P" “Three weeks, replied tho New Zealander, “Oh,” said tho English hoy, “how on earth did you learn tho English language so quickly?” In the othpr case a young man started from England for Australia. He did not know much about the Commonwealth, and in consequence he went heavily armed, qnito prepared to defend himself against tho ferocious men and animals he expected to meet., A sensational experience marked a visit of a number of Ballarat concert performers recently to a neighbouring township. The party numbered about a dozen, and included several ladies. They had given a successful entertainment at Meredith, and were driving home in a drag. _ AVhe.n at a railway crossing tho vehicle suddenly stopped, a horse’s hoof having become caught between tho rail and the guard. Several of tho party wore attomjjting to release tho horse when a distant rumbling was hoard. Seizing a lamp from tho vehicle, Mr. AA’hidburn ran in tho direction from which tho sound proceeded. His signal, however, failed to stop tho train, for it rushed by fortunately not on the set of rails on which tho horse had been caught, the road here bring a. double one. Almost immediately tho lights of smother train showed up in tho opposite direction. The crow of this train saw the warning lantern, and pulled up. The officials then helped to release the horse, and the vehicle was moved out of danger.

Maggie Papaknra, the well-knnVn Maori guide, recently explained at Clontnrf (New South 'Wales) the famous Maori poi dance. She said the ostensible object of tho, poi from the first was to give a graceful welcome to strangers (mnnuhiri), visiting tribes, rangatiras, and other persons of distinction. But gradually there grow another object—to attract the fighting men from other tribes, and invariably tho best chosen dances and tho best ordered pois kept tho ranks of the tanas up to their full strength. At tho present these pois are no more than what they wore originally intended to he—■ tho woman’s portion of the ceremonial welcome of a hospitable, artistic, and punctilious people. Tho old Maoris say that tho poi dances of their times wore moro effective and more imposing. Tho old dance was slower, and allowed moro time for show of grace and elaboration of gesture. Nowadays it is danced to music.

To-morrow will bo tho forty-sixth anniversary of tho arrival at New Plymouth of tho ship Gresham, from Melbourne, with 565 military settlers. Lats year a young man arrived in, the Trundle district (N.S.W.) without any plant or capital, and,wont share farming. Tho owner of the land found everything—horses, machinery, seed, and feed, and took two-thirds of tho crop. After about six months’ actual work, that young man got for his share of the wheat off 400 acres £4OO.

A procession headed by the Garrison Baud, and consisting of tho Taranaki Rifles, Taranaki, Guards, and members of tho crow of the H.M.S. Pegasus Will leave Egmont Street at 7.30 on Tuesday evening next for tho Recreation Sports Grounds, whore a sports meeting and entertainment will bo held.

A sitting of Magistrate’s Court was held his morning, Mr. H. Eyre-Kenny, S.M., presiding. A first offending inebriate, who had been released- on bail but did not appear in court, was fined os, iu default 24 hours’ imprisonment. Frank Meagher, a youth charged with theft of a cheque for £4O 17s 2d, was further remanded to appear at Eltliam on the 16th inst. Mr. 11. L. Friend, owner of the New Zealand patent rights for camerated concrete, is staying at the White Hart Hotel. Ho will remain in Now Plymouth until Monday night and will be glad to give any information with regard to this system of building now ■known all over the dominion. There is some £60,000 worth of work going on at the present moment and fresh contracts are being signed daily. Mr. J. W. Wilson is local agent for this method of building. A meeting of the executive of tho Taranaki branch of the Navy League was hold last night, to consider the question of entertaining tho officers of H.M.S. Pegasus during the war ship’s stay in port. Colonel Ellis presided, in the unavoidable absence of the Mayor. It was decided to invito Captain Homo to bo the guest of the league, and to entertain the officers at informal dinners in tho White; Hart Hotel on Monday and Tuesday evenings. A subcommittee was appointed to carry out tho arrangement.