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Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14136, 16 February 1910, Page 2

In the Police Court this morning, before Mr. T. C. List, J.P., a, first offending inebriate was convicted and discharged.

The solicitor to tho Fitzroy Town Board has been instructed to apply’to Court for an order .to enable the board to borrow to build a now hall.

The Ngncre school children will picnic at tho breakwater on Friday, March 18. - Tho Midhirst school picnic Will, be hold at tho same place on Thursday, March 10.

It is probable (says, The Dominion’s Otaki correspondent) that half the Chinese population of tho district will shortly “fold up their tents, like the Arab,” and vanish. It is stated that high rents and tho potato blight ha,vo proved too much even for these plodding Orientals. Tho Gisborne Harbour Board has received advice that its new dredge, built by Messrs. Simons and Son, of Renfrew, gave most satisfactory trials on tlie Clyde at the end of December, steaming 9$ knots fully loaded, and filling , her hoppers with clay in 39 minutes, or at the rate of 615 tons an hour.

An old copper pot, found by a Maori woman in the Piako swamp, near the Thames, is believed to ha% r o been used by tho military under Sir Duncan Cameron during tho Native troubles in tha sixties. The utensil has come into tho possession of Mr. A. S. Brugh, late of Wellington, who has deposited it in tho Dominion Museum. It weighs nearly six pounds. } It is anticipated that during tho coming season tho shipments of fruit from Tasmania to tho United Kingdom will total about half a million cases. This quantity is about 125,000 cases in oxcoss of that shipped last year. A large fleet of ocean liners will call at Hobart to load, including the following;—Six Orient steamers, six P. and 0., four Holt’s, three White Star, two Federal, and one Aberdeen steamer.

An interesting event took place in a West Coast hamlet recently, when, a blushing bride of 78 summers was led to the altar by her betrothed on his 79th birthday. The local paper states that the bride was very becomingly attired in a pretty soft grey costume with silver trimmings, and stylish bonnet with ospreys and jot ornaments.. Tho announcement that the event caused, a flutter of excitement in the township was probably truer than the majority of such well-worn phrases so often introduced in wedding reports. A boated and protracted debate took place at tho Political Labour League Conference on the - simple proposition that all school children bo provided with a midday meal by the State freo of charge, says the .Sydney Daily Telegraph. Mr. Jaboz Wright, in supporting the motion, said children when they wont to school should have full stomachs, and many of them had not. “Tho parents of tho children,” he added, “may have plenty of fond, but it is not properly cooked. Half tho women of the country don’t know how to cook a meal.—(Laughter and dissent). If midday meals were provided by tho State tho children would have at least one well-cooked meal a day and-learn how to cook it.” Several delegates, including Mrs. K. Dwyer, strongly opposed tho, motion, on tho ground that it would amount to introducing an undesirable element of charity into school life, and held that the best way of ensuring that the children would bo well fed was to see that their parents got a living wage. An amendment was subsequently carried, providing that school children requiring food be supplied by the State free of charge.

About two thousand electric lights were required to illuminate H.M.S. Pegasus last night. The ship’s searchlight is 15,000 caudle power.

There arc at present in bloom at the Public Gardens m Christchurch no fewer than four varieties of heather, Scotch, Welsh, English, and Irish. As illustrating the keenness of some of the young men of the dominion to prepare themselves for agricultural pursuits, it was stated at Lincoln College the other day that two students now at the institution had worked on farms in order to secure sufficient money to pay their fees for the full course.

At a mooting of, tho Fitzroy Town Board on Monday it was decided that tlio committee appointed two years ago, viz., Messrs. Jackson and Steele, re trams, again wait on the borough council and point out that tho board (subject to the approval of tho ratepayers) is still in-favour of going on with the trams on a valuation basis.

Concluding an article on the subject’ of tho Kaipara finding tho Now Zealand Herald says:—“We arc lost in an abyss of incompetence and indifference. Docs anybody imagine now that we should wait for tho Imperial Government to resurvoy Bangitoto Channel—in order that wo may shift the buoys—or, that, anything can do any permanent good excepting a thorough reorganisation of harbour management and harbour methods?”

Tho rabbit nuisance is again becoming serjous in tho Wairarapa. A party of four guns tho other day bagged a hundred rabbits in ono day, and another party of eight reported a bag of 200 in a day. This indicates a pretty serious state of things, as once firing begins, tho bulk of the animals are naturally off helter-skelter to their holes. The nuisance is stated to bo general j throughout the district, and tho principal breeding grounds, according to ono informant, are on the smaller holdings, » Tho new, factory just erected at Paoroa for the Thames Valley Dairy Company Ltd. is said to bo ono of the finest in the dominion. Tho walls are ofjbrick with French tiles for tho roofing. Tho latter is very lofty and has many roof windows which give plenty of light to the building. Tho new factory has boon installed with the latest suction gas plant, which drives tho large gas engines, and* the very latest machinery for adopting tho hygienic treatment and pasteurization of all croam.

It is interesting to lie able to report the discovery of moa bones in tho neighbourhood of Now. Plymouth. No properly authenticated discovery has been made before, though on Mr. Carrington’s first map of tho settlement, he notes across tho swamp, noar the abattoirs, that the Maoris reported that the moa had lived there. Recently Mr. H. D, Skinner discovered hr tho sand hills between the Hcnui and the Waiwakailio a series of ninns (ovens) beside which wore some blackened fragments of bone.These, on investigation, proved to be remains of a moa of one of tho larger species.

Thoro are S 3 solicitors practising in Taranaki this year,, against 52 last year. _ Tho number of solicitors practising in the Dominion at the end of December was 860, an increase of 10 over tho total for tho previous year. Tho number practising in tho several districts and tho variation during tho year nro as follows (the numbers in brackets being the figures for 1908); — Wellington 24.0 (240) ; Auckland, 193 (184); Cnntoroiiry, 123 (124); Gisborne, 20 (19); Hawke’s Bay, 44 (41); Marlborough, 10 (10); Nelson, 14 (15); Otago, 113 (111); Southland, 28 (29); Westland, 19 (19). A deputation from tho Borough Council, .consisting of Councillor F. C. J. Bellringer, the Town Clerk (Mr. F. T. Bellringer), and Mr. J. Ellis, representing the borough solicitors, waited on the .Harbour Board, and requested that a further narrow rftrip of land in Gill Street, opposite Messrs. Burgess, Fraser and Co.’s warehouse, bo dedicated to tho council for street purposes, the authorities in Wellington having declined to accept the street as at present surveyed. The board decided that it could not accede to tho request, but passed a resolution suggesting that the Borough Council should interview the authorities in. Wellington. The chairman'was authorised to accompany the deputation, if necessary, to explain tho position. The rearrangement of the Wairarapa train services is resulting in a saving to tho Railway Department at the rate of £14,000 per annum. This important feature of recent time-table revisions was made known to a New Zealand Times representative by theTlou. J. A. Millar, when, he was asked if certain Wairarapa public bodies were justified in, discovering, in a letter from the Minister, a hint that tho old train service would practically be restored. “Tho Wairarapa is not going to get tho old service again,” declared Mr. Millar, “because tho trade does not demand it. ’ Tlie present, arrangement costs ns £14,000 per annum less than before, and amply meets the position. Some slight rearrangement will be made shortly, but it will not be an increased service.”

A hovel suggestion was made at tho meeting of tlie Christchurch presbytery a day or two ago by the Rev. G. B. Inglis, of Ashburton. It was remarked that tho possibility of canteens being established at military carajjs had not been entirely eliminated, and Mr. Inglis suggested that ministers might do something to make a counter influence felt among tho volunteers. His scheme was that the ministers should take a hand and enrol themselves as volunteers. They could then go out with the volunteers during tho week, and at least they would got a service in. Another minister was not very hopeful of good being done. He had been chaplain for a number of years, and tho result had rather, disappointed him. Tho Pres-, bytery was not very enthusiastic over Mr. luglis’s proposal and passed to the next business.

At yesterday’s meeting of tho Now Plymouth Harbour Board Mr. Maxwell moved, according to notice given, “That tho board, with tho object of effecting economy whore possible, review tho duties and wages of all its employees, dispensing with tho services of such as can be done without, and reducing tho wages where such is warranted.” Mr. Wilkinson seconded. In the discussion that followed it was pointed out that the board could not deal with this matter off-hand. A committee' must be set up to go fully into tbo matter, and report to tho board at a future meeting. The board recognised that conditions had materially _ changed at the harbour since tho motion was first brought forward. Tho foreman’s staff had been reduced by nineteen, and the harbour master’s staff had been reorganised. Mr. Maxwell said ho did not wish to create a scare amongst the employees, but merely to allow tho board to become fully conversant with tho whole details of its staffing arrangements. Tho motion was carried, and the following, committee set up to report fully: Tho chairman and Messrs. King, Maxwell, Dockrill, and Price.

Tho Chief Postmaster at New'Plymouth advises that the dispatch of mailsi to Naples from Wellington on January 7, arrived at London on the morning of the 14th inst.

H.M.S. Pegasus was thrown open for public inspection to-day, and was visited by many people. The sea inside tho breakwater was calm, and offered no inconvenience to those who went out to the vessel.

_A fine display of fireworks'will be given in Pukekura Park this evening in aid of tho Park Board’s funds. Very complete arrangements have been made for tho lighting of the grounds, pyrotechnical novelties have been obtained in great number, and the Taranaki Garrison Band will render a musical programme, so that a most enjoyable evening may be expected. Fruitgrowers in Hawke’s Bay are experiencing an exceptionally busy , and profitable season. The Hastings Standard reports that the yield is proving a phenomenally heavy one, and prices ruling are satisfactory to growers. During the month of November the Waltham Fruit Depot forwarded 328 cases, in December 1978, and during January 5805, making a total of 8111 cases. It is estimated that up to tho present only about a third of the crop has been gathered. , Tho record price of £1 2s lOd a square inch (says the Now York correspondent of the Daily Express) has just been paid tor a plot of ground at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets, : opposite the offices of J. P. Morgan and Co. The plot purchased contains 1825 square feet, and tho amount paid for it was £300,000. Tho previous record for Wall Street property, which is tho most valuable land in the United States, was 18s 4d a square inch, which was paid for a site at the corner of Broadway, opposite Trinity Church. A nine-teen-storey skyscraper now stands on the newly-bought plot. It will be demolished, and a new thirty-two-sloroy .building will take its place. The “old” building was erected only twelve years ago, but it is already out of date according to New York skyscraper standards.

The Waitaki Acclimatisation Society has decided to place notices on its reserve on the Kakanui River cautioning persons against shooting with pea-nflcs and rifles of other descriptions over that property. The Society has been driven to this course by the danger that now. exists to campers and fishermen of being hit by stray bullets. At this season of the year, says the Oamaru Mail, there is unlimited indiscriminate shooting by boys, small and big, spine with pea-rifles and others with rifles of a much longer range, and often with no other object than the gratification of a desire to shoot at something. Thpso would-be sportsmen secrete themselves in the scrub, and therefore are not in a position to notice what obstruction there may bo in the flight of their bullets, while the danger, to fishermen in many cases is aggravated by the pellets striking the shingle in the bod of the' river anil ricocheting in undreapit-of directions. As years go by (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph), the speed of Victorian trains seems to decrease instead of increase. It is astonishing that in these days of motor cars and electricity and rapid speed, Victoria, in the matter of communication, has not progressed in any marked degree smcif the days of the stage couch. Tho train from Colac to Beeac, a distance of twelve miles, takes just two minutes short of two hours. The morning train from Melbourne to Bendigo in 1865 did 101 miles in four hours exactly; to-day it takes four hours thirty-seven minutes. Tho first train from Bendigo to'Echuca got over 55 miles .in two hours; now the train cannot do the trip in loss than two hours and a half. Tho 136 miles from. Melbourne to Alberton is spread over nine hours, so that tho train accomplishes the journey at the break-neck' pace of fifteen miles an hour. The distance between Melbourne and Swan Hill is 214 miles, yet tho hour-hand of the clock traverses an entire circle before the train from Melbourne touches the Murray at that point.