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Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14139, 19 February 1910, Page 2

It is not expected that a rifle team from this dominion will visit Bisley this year, but a Now Zealand team will probably compete next year. January milk cheques .will be paid as follows by tho following factories; Maketawa £1482, Tarata £350, AVaitui £414, Tariki £1237, Lepperton £933, Moa £4o92.—lnglewood correspondent.

Tho new baths at Napier maintain thoir popularity. One evening this-week there were fifty women and girls waiting for tho door to open, and 239 in all attended that evening.

Some five and twenty of tho principal business people of Inglewood have signed a petition, which has boon forwarded to the Minister, for Railways, supporting the action of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce in asking for tho old express tiiuo-tablo to be restored.

Tho licensee of the Rutland Hotel, AA’anganui, recently waited on the Borough Council and asked., whether tho chiming of. tho Rost Office clock could not be stopped between tho hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. ‘Ho said he had been asking this at intervals for two years, but could not get any reply. . The noise of the chimes was a great annoyance to his boarders, and was bad for his business. The Mayor explained that the council also had got no reply from tho parties responsible, but promised that the matter .would bo again looked into to see what could bo done.

A happy time has been spent in New Plymouth by the five members of the crow of the Pegasus, who missed their ship on Wednesday evening. They finished up their joyful holiday, which recked little of the retribution in store for them, by amusing frequenters of Devon Street for over an hour yesterday afternoon. Thoroughly happy and full of spirits, their fooling was yet quite clean, and free from mything at all objectionable. They had . borrowed a pony and a bicycle, r.n-J set out to'run “steam tests” up and down Devon Street. But their craft was strange to them, and tho steering became very erratic, and the steersman were frequently in difficulties, to tho groat amusement of tho onlookers. AA’hcn one of tho five “hoisted his flag” on a hoy’s tricycle and also entered tho trials tho fun became more furious. But the passage. of time brought an end to the festivities, and at 7 o’clock the party duly reported at the police station, to bo sent to Auckland by the steamer Rarawa to rejoin their vessel. There was quite a crowd at tho railway station to see them off, and from five windows of a carriage five hilarious navy hoys provided amusement. AVhcn the train pulled out for tho breakwater, they w’ere giving cheers for the Mayor, for New Plymouth, and for tho police.

Mr. E. A. Clements commences Ins contract for the construction of a weir at tho Wahvakaiho River on Monday.

An additional patrol of tlie Dominion Scouts has been formed at Vogeltown and will be known as the “Cuckoo” patrol. A parade of the “Quail” ’and “Cuckoo” patrols will be held this afternoon for practice in hut building. The Hon. J. A. Millar, in acknowledging the resolution of the Taranaki County Council in favour of reverting to tho old railway time-table, says the questidn is now receiving very careful consideration.

Tho following is clipped from a southern newspaper, and published for tho benefit of those who doubt the power of the press:—“Owing to the over-crowded condition of our columns, a number of births and deaths are unavoidably postponed this week.” ,

In the latest Gazette tho PostmasterGeneral prohibits money-order and postal correspondence , with the Patent Sales Promoting Company, Rochester, New York, believing that the company is engaged in a fraudulent business or undertaking. The No. 1 Battalion Cadets, compris-: ing the New Plymouth, Fitzroy, Most End, 801 l Block, and' AVaitara Companies, leave by tho express train at 7.10 a.m. on Wednesday morning instead of 6 a.m. as previously notified for Wellington on the occasion of Lord Kitchener’s visit. ■ Members of the Veterans’ Association who intend visiting Wellington on the occasion of Lord Kitchener’s inspection are notified by advertisement in another column to assemble at the Now Plymouth 'railway station at 6.40 a.m. on Thursday next, 24th inst. Country members will join the train at their respective stations.

A 'peculiar case has come under the notice of the Gisborne authorities, action being unavailingly sought to bring back a woman, tho mother of several children, who was alleged to have taken passage south with another man. Tlie wife and family of the latter individual, so it is stated, have loft on a visit to Auckland. The aggrieved husband has learned that there is not provision for bringing back a runaway wife, although a aefaidting husband, of course, can readily bo arrested and ordered to .■ontr bute to the maintenance of his family. It is a remarkable thing that, whilst the Government is worried concerning finances, it is going in for the extravagance of a new' Government House in Wellington, costing about £60,000. But more astonishing still is the action of Sir Joseph Ward and Co. in deciding to import the furniture for tho now Government House from England! It is a strange reflection that it should send to London exhibits of our beautiful timbers, suitable for fur-niture-making, and yet tho furniture for the now Governor’s homo is to bo imported. This displays 'a shocking example of discouragement of local in-dustry.—-Foildi:ng Star. Tho big “ korero,” organised by local Natives to deal with grievances in connection with tho leasing of Maori lands, is proceeding at Okaiawa, says tho AVairaato AVitncss. Natives from all parts of tho province are present, together with delegates from tribes in different parts of the dominion. The leading Natives have boon in consultation on tho points which have given rise to the existing dissatisfaction, in order to have a basis of agreement before the arrival of the ’ Minister, of Native AtTalrs, Hon. J. Carroll. The individualisation of the lands and tho right of disposal is tho, main consideration agitating the minds of the Natives, particularly in regard to the lands under short louses.

A contract has been let by the Golden Buy Cement Company for the construction of a largo deep-water wharf for their lime and cement works, to be opened' ‘shortly near Takaka. 'The wharf will be a substantial structure, constructed throughout of Australian hardwood. Its diu)ensious are 162 ft. long by 31ft broad. Tho work of wharf-building and the construction of an embankment over shallow water to the site of the wharf will give employment to. about forty or fifty men. The machinery for the cement-making plant will leave England about the middle of next month. The company is going to spend a very largo sum in tho development of its property, and when the work is in full swing will employ from 70 to 80 men.

It is understood by a northern pa)ier that a company is being formed for the purpose of procuring a suitable vessel for trawling tho AVest Const of the North Island. At the present time all the inland towns are supplied with fish from Napier or AA r ellington, making fish rather a luxury,, when it should bo an everyday article of food. The steamer is to be fitted with’, up-to-datp freezing machinery, and cool stores arc to bo erected on shore so as to secure regular supplies. Tlie headquarters of the company will bo at one of the coastal ports. There are largo areas of trawling grounds within reach' of a soa-going trawler, which at tho present time are not fished, and; should give excellent results.

At the annual meeting of the Levuka Rifle Club tho handica'pper, Mr. D. J, Solomon expressed his pleasure ;.t seeing the younger memb n-s 1 of tho club coming on, especially Gordon King (who is an old Taranaki boy, son of rur. AV. A; King, now proprietor of the Polynesian Gazette). Gordon King won several jirizes during tho year, iuclndin g a guinea in -February,, a guinea in September, a guinea and a guinea and a half in October, a gold medal for the highest score at the club’s May meeting,, a gold medal for first in junior aggregate, in addition to which ho was third for the president’s prize of three guineas for the best aggregate in nine shoots in tho year. In the latter competition his score was 779, the winner scoring 802 and the second 794.

There, is a certain racecourse “gucssef” who for a few days will carry about with him a memento from sonic man-o’-warsmen. This “guesser” managed to get 5s off a sailor from H.M.S. Pegasus on the racecourse a few days ago. Since then the sailor, who is one of the five men who failed to rejoin their ship on AA’odncsday evening, has been “keeping his weather eye open” for the sharper. On Thursday tho five ran across thoir quarry, but he escaped. Yesterday, however, they caught him again, and tho sharper had a lively time for a minute, or two. “I had him by one arm,” said one of tho five, recounting the incident with groat gusto to a pressman, “and w-as punching him, and Jimmy here had him by the coat collar and was jerking lps head back with right upper-cuts, and altogether wo gave him a doing, I promise you. But the beggar was slick. He slipped, out of his coat and got away again. He loft us his coat and cap, and wo let him take a black eye as a memento.” And “Jack” —his real name was Denis—produced a bloodstained cap that had once adorned the head of a sharper who will probably fight shy of Navy boys in future.

Not only tlio houses of the Mexicans, but whatever you admire is yours. If you express a sentiment of approbation of anything, the owner at once says: “Senor, it is yours.” But he simply intends something flattering, and you arc, therefore, not expected to accept anything that is offered to you. An amusing story is told of Sir Spencer St. John, the English Minister, which illustrates how this national courtesy often provokes embarrassment. Sir Spencer, who is a gallant old bachelor, was promenading with some ladies in the park, when ho met a nursegirl with a bright-eyed baby. The ladies stopped to admire the little one, and Sir Spencer asked whose child it was., “Senor, it is your own,” replied the nurse, with a curtsey. Sir Spencer has never inquired as to the parentage of pretty children since. When cutting a few patches of Canadian thistles the other afternoon a district settlor camo across a number,of dead plants of the noxious weeds (says the Wyndham Farmer). The incident aroused our friend’s curiosity, as it was his first experience of a defunct “Canuck.” On pulling some of the dead plants ho found the roots absolutely decayed for some distance down—say, about six inches. Apparently some insect or fungus had wrought the havoc; and the observer could discern with the naked eye that the pith in the stem had been oaten, as not a vestige of it was to be seen. The diseased stem was quite black in appearance. In view of the enormous difficulty of eradicating Canadian thistle, it would verily be an important thing to the farmer if it were found that disease was succeeding wdiero nfan had failed. .

Canon Horsley, the Mayor of Southwark, was tho last chaplain of the Clorkonwell House of Detention, and he has many mementoes of his prison days. One is an antimacassar, the work of a once notorious woman drunkard, who, according to M.A.P., had been convicted four hundred times and spent the larger part of her life in gaol. With a bent pin found in the floor of the cell, the woman pulled threads from hor underclothing and made' a really beautiful lace.border, four foot long and four inches deep. Next she procured from a warder a needle and thread and a piece of linen a foot square, round which she sewed tho lace. With hairs pulled from her head she embroidered an elaborate pattern, tho whole of the centre. being occupied by the words of a hymn. The completed design formed ah exquisite piece of needlework. Bishop Grimes, in the course of his 1 remarks at tho Christchurch Cathedral last Sunday, gave some interesting figures relating to tho financial position of the Cathedral building fund. On tho receipts side, his Lordship stated, that Christchurch had subscribed, altogether, £20,571 6s 6d, the bishop and clergy of the diocese £1955 7s, Id, persons residing abroad £4806 16s Bd, parishes outside tho city but in the diocese £15,613 12s’7d, interest on money temporarily invested £549 17s 8d; total £43,497 Os 6d. The expenditure incurred was £20,000 in excess of this amount, and before the Cathedral was opened a sum of £20,000 was raised at 5 per cent. .Since the Cathedral Was opened this liability was reduced to £13,400, there having been paid off £6600, in addition to interest amounting to £4500. The total expenditure (including the , loan and interest) was £65,037 7s 2d.

American statistics claim that because 12,154,780 registered tons of shipping entered the port of. New York in 1908 it is the greatest seaport in the world. London, in 1908, received only 11,194,073 registered tons from oversea. But the value of the oversea goods which entered tho port of London in 1908 was £198,329,043, and that was nearly as great as the imports into every port in the United States all put together. Tonnage is not everything. Cardiff, in 1908. cleared a larger tonnage than London, biit the value of clearances from London was eight-fold that from Cardiff. Similarly it, was claimed in the Unietd States that they wore greater woollen manufacturers than the United Kingdom, because the output of such goods hr the United Kingdom in 1908 was £39,000,000, whereas the American output was valued at £47.000,000. Whore such a comparison otherwise admissible, it would bo upset by the fact that .wool is as dear again in America as in England, owing to tho import duty of 6d per lb. But the gross output of the British woollen factories in 1907 (not 1908) was £70,381,000. The current issue of the Trade Review remarks:—“Tho season’s produce is coming forward in unusually full volume, and as a rulo in especially good condition. , Recent rains created some misgiving in .the minds of agriculturists and forebodings of injury to crops, etc., but a good, spell of dry, warm weather has applied tho remedy and revived tho hopes of agriculturists, while the pasture? have been liberally renewed, to tho solid advantage of the pastoralist and tho dairy industry. A prosperous season- is thus practically assured and an ample return for the work of our producers. In onr last issue wo reported a-reduction of -J per cent, in tho deposit rates of local building companies. Wo have now to record a similar decline in the deposit rates of tho hanks trading in Now Zealand as from the 10th instant. These movements will no doubt bo followed in due time by corresponding reduction in lending rates. No sign has yet- been made of a reduction in the Post Office Savings Bank dojiosit rates, and a consideration of the returns of this institution would lead, wo think, to an inference that in this case any such movement will be deferred for the present.”

With the view of affording direct connection between Ohakune and Mount Ruapehu, .the Ohaknne Chamber of Commerce has lately ent a new track through tlie bush leading to the base of the mountain, and has established a camp for the convenience of visitors on the fringe of the timber limit from which the ascent of the mountain may bo. made. The first ascent by thisroute was made early this week by a' party arranged by the Chamber of Commerce. The route taken was_ over several rough bonldor-strewn ridges, the last thousand feet being up a particularly steep face of volcanic rock. The view from the summit, which was readied in four hours after leaving the cam]), was one of impressive grandeur, the scene including the famous crater lake and the surrounding stretches of frozen snow, the icefields and the rugged and serrated peaks of the crown of the mountain. Much to the regret of the explorers the neighbouring cone of Ngauruhoe was hidden by a vast mist cloud. After spending an hour on tho mountain the party descended to tho camy), where, some broke tho ionrney for the night, the returning to Ohaknne tho same evening. The track through the bush is at present available- for foot traffic only, but it is intended to shortly improve it sufficiently for horses. Mount Ruapehu will then ho brought to within a few hours’ journey of the Ohakune railway, station,- and it will ho, by far tho most easily reached of all the snow-clad mountains of the dominion.

Mr. R. E. Young, chief geographer and superintendent of railway lands under the Canadian Government, contributes to the current number of Britannia some interesting particulars concerning the three prairie provinces— Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta—of the dominion. It used to bo said that the prairie provinces' could not bo properly opened up for settlement until the fuel problem was satisfactorily of. To-day, as the result of careful investigation and computation by the geological survey of Canada, it is known that in one coalfield alone —that of Crow’s Nest Pass —there are upwards of 22 billion tons of coal waiting to be tapped, and that nearly the whole of Southern Alberta is underlaid with coal. No fewer than 1,800,000 tons of coal were taken from the Crow’s Nest Pass field last year. At this fate of production it will be fully 12,000 years before this one coalfield is exhausted.”