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Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14347, 27 October 1910, Page 2

The Avenue Rond Card Club has donated £1 Is to the funds of the Beautifying Association. Tho postponed annual meeling > of the New Plymouth Amateur Athletic Club again failed to secure an adequate attendance last evening and was again adjourned. A lady’s umbrella left at tho Brougham Street Hall after the Central School reunion last week, several keys, and an old purse containing a small amount of money, are lying unclaimed at tho Herald oliicc. Mr. Petrie, late chief inspector under the Auckland Education Board, has volunteered his services lor the collecting of the more valuable native grass seeds, and will shortly go through Central Otago. Ho will receive no salary, the offer being a voluntary one on Mr. Petrie's part to the Agricultural Department. The Taranaki Education Board yesterday decided, on tho motion of Mr. Cargill, that Air. Heatloy, technical organiser. confer with Mr. liallantyno, director, and submit at the next meeting of the board a report embodying suggestions for the organisation of technical work throughout the district during tho forthcoming year. There are some people who imagine that when the New Zealand Government or a local body borrows in London tho actual money is sent out to the Dominion. Perhaps tho fact that tho Gisborne Borough Council received the first instalment of its loan by cable from London the other day will help to disillusion them. The transaction was completed by a book-keeping entry between the banks at either end and an adjustment of accounts relating to exports of produce from the Dominion to London and of manufacturers from Loudon to the Dominion. Tho Hastings Standard says:—“During the la-st day or two Mr. Boucher, the Government. Fruit Expert, has been looking over the orchards in tills district. with tho object of ascertaining the actual state of the fruit crops and giving advice to the growers. Unfortunately Ids visits have only served to confirm the reports already published of the damage caused by tho frost oil Monday week. Ho has found that practically all the orchards on the plains have suffered so severely that, crops arc to all intents and purposes ruined, and tho quantity of fruit likely to mature is not appreciable. On tho Havelock hills, however, a few orchards have escaped. The annual report of tho Wanganui Amateur Swimming Association, to which Taranaki swimming clubs are affiliated, shows that more proficiency certificates for swimming were awarded to tho West End School, New Plymouth, than to any other school in the association’s district during the past year. Of a total of 270 certificates issued 64 were awarded to this school. The Queen’s Park School. Wanganui, came second with 61 certificates, and the Feildiug District High School third with 35. ' The numbers issued to other schools in Taranaki wore: —Hnwera District High School 27, Stratford District High School 20, Paten District High School 15, Central School. New Plymouth, 2. Four silver medals for proficiency in life-saving were won bv New Plymouth school children, vis., by Mary Tiplady, Reno Thompson, Charles Bacon, and Dick Oliver; while a Stratford girl, Minnie Hignott, also secured one. Altogether, eleven of these medals were issued by the association, Wanganui children winning tho remaining six. The problem to new arrivals of “where’s the best place to buy?” can best be solved by asking any of their newly-made acquaintances hero what the standing of the Melbourne is in this community. Ask whether it is a truth--tolling store—a value-giving store —a reliable store. Ask. Thou come. Your custom will be welcome.*

The election which took place yesterday to fill the vacancy created in the Omata Riding of the Taranaki County Council through the resignation of the Rov. Mr. Alianson resulted as follows:—D. M’Allum 67 votes, Alf. George 33. Mr. M’Allum has therefore been declared elected.

The steamer Opawa, which arrived from London on Friday last, brought out two beautiful white swans. They are a gift from his Majesty the King to the Cambridge Domain Board, and wore taken from the King’s own piivato swannery. The birds arrived in ■splendid condition, and their future home will bo Te Koutu Lake, hi the Cambridge Domnin grounds. They will bo forwarded to their destination this week.

I It is estimated, says an Australian (press telegram, that 500 members of Vreligious orders who were expelled from Portugal have taken refuge in Spain, where they have been distributed among the convents and monasteries in different, parts of the country. The accounts tnoy have received of the attacks on their co-religionists in Portugal have greatly alarmed the Spanish orders. The latter are reported to be actively engaged strengthening the convents with iron doors, and laying in supplies of arms and ammunition. An Irish novelty is the personal affection of the Irish for King George,. “Ah, sure, he’s the proper sort of tidy man, wid his wife and family, just like us; ami he’s a salior, too, God bless him!’ was the utterance of an Irish cab-driver in one of the streets of Liverpool (says a contributor to the Post). At the end of most concerts now the National Anthem is played, though very little attention is paid to the unfamiliar tune in the shuffling of departure. But if played five years ago the same tune would have produced a riot. Church of England clergymen at an evangelical conference in Sydney last week rolorred to the haphazard way people brought children to bo baptised, and tho superstitious notions so mo parents had on the matter. One minister said people had told him that their reason for having their children baptised was that the children throve better after baptism, and therefore they would like to have them “done” early. Some people who had a superstitious tear on tho subject of baptism once said to him, “We wanted to come hero because it is a lucky church.” The birth-rate has declined in all the States of tho Gorman Empire and in all parts of the country during the last ten years. The rate for the whole Empire was 4 per cent, lower (33 per 100!)) in 190 S than in 1899 (37 per 1000). In Berlin the rate has now fallen to 23.9 per 11X)0 inhabitants. Tho rate is markedly low also in Hamburg, Mceklenbnrg-Sclnverin, Brunswick, Alsace and Lorraine, Mecklenburg, Strelitx, and Henss. The fall in the rate has been specially rapid in Saxony. The highest rates are recorded in' Westphalia, Posen, West Prussia, Silesia, (lie Palatinate, tho Rhine Province, and Bavaria. Herr Maximilian Harden, editor" of Die Zuknnft, and Dr. Carl Peters, tho founder of Germany’s African empire, stated publicly that the inhabitants of German Southwest Africa arc so discontented with Germany rule that they contemplate abandoning the German flag and joining the British South African Federation. These colonists are dissatisfied, presumably, with the bureaucratic control which is exercised over thorn by the of fields, many of whom go straight from Berlin without any real knowledge of or sympathy with colonial life. One German colony contains more Government officals than white inhabitants, and it is a matter of common knowledge that Germans, when they emigrate, go preferably to British colonies, and, indeed, to any part of tho world bnt one of their own possessions. An unusual mishap, which startled some of the passengers in a first-class smoking compartment, occurred to the Main Trunk express to Auckland on Saturday morning at Papatoetoe. As the train passed that station the automatic tablet exchanger for some reason failed to act, and did not spring back to its proper position after the passing of the engine. The result was that part of tho attachment struck the side of a window of one of the wider type of carriages, tearing away part of tho heading of the window and smashing the glass. A passenger was asleep in the reclining chair just inside the. window, but the falling of a shower of glass on the back of bis bead brought Ins slumbers to a sudden end. He fortunately escaped injury, though bad lie been in an upright position the consequences might have boon more serious. Tho strange case of a locomotive engineer who was reported as being too deaf to bo trusted to manage an engine is reported (says an American exchange). Owing to his .deafness ho was suspended, and a specialist of high reputation called in to examine him. Tho engineer was first examined in a quiet room, and it was found thaQ he could not hear ordinary conversation. Realising that the examination was not proceeding very satisfactorily, tho engineer said to tho specialist; “I may ho deaf in a quiet room, but that is not where Ido my work. Como with mo on my engine and see whether you can hear hotter than I can.” The snecialist wont for a trip on the engine with tho engineer, and found that when nmning the engineer’s hearing was perfect. ' In fact, the greater tho noise on tho engine, tho keener and more certain became the engineer’s hearing.