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Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143670, 14 December 1911, Page 2

Results of the second ballot will ho screened from the Imperial Hotel balcony by the Taranaki Herald this evening! The first results should come to hand about eight o’clock. We have arranged with Frewin’s Pictures at Inglewood to screen the results of the second ballot elections as they come to hand in front of the Coffee Palace. In an interview at Timarn on Saturday Sir Joseph Ward dealt in mixed metaphor when ho described the Opposition as "wolves in sheep’s clothing who were already "erring before they were ont of the wood.” On Saturday night a relative who rode in to sit up with the late Sergt. Duffin tied his horse up outside the house. Upon going out to ride homo, ho found that the horse had been turned,loose.and'saddle and bridle removed. The act was a verv mean one, and the perpetrators would ho wise to return saddle and bridle without delay. The Postmaster notifies that Friday, 15th hist., being tho latest day on • inch land, tax may ko accepted without the addition of a 10 per cent, penalty, the money order branch of the chief .’use, office will remain open on that day between the hours of*4 and 5 p.m. ’or the convenience of persons whose land tax is still unpaid. There is on view in Mr. E. DingVs shop a very creditable specimen of the cabinetmaker’s art in the shape of a handsome kitchen dresser which has licen made by one of Mr. Dingle’s apprentices (Ernest Hedley) after only one year’s course of instruction at the_ local ’Technical School. This piece of liirni- • tnre, which in expert opinion is a very fine piece of work, reflects great credit not only on the Technical School in general, but also on the instructor, Mr. I-. \Y. Sandford, in particular, and shows what can Ire nconinhshc-d in a short time with good tuition. A San Francisco cable in the Sydney Sun says that Mr. Adrian, school superintendent at Sacramento, lias raised a storm of protest by declaring that American histories are all wrong regarding the events, that followed the destruction of British-taxed tea in Boston Harbour in 1773. The colonists, he declares, never really had any grievances, and the Brictsh flag then, as now. was an emblem of real freedom. Mr. Adrian further asserts that it would have been vastly better il the American colony had never loft the British Empire. Thus, a correspondent of the Sydney Bulletin ;—Three years ago Dr. Macansh had the courage to take up a place called Arno, oil the Barco. 321 square miles, without a drop of water on it—hopeless country for stock in Us natural state. To-day* there are six artesian wells, providing' for 38.000 sheep ; the allotment ifi divided into paddocks; the homestead is lit with electric light, and electricity is on tap to pump the wells when necessary. Within two years the progressive doctor hopes to have twenty wells, with I50,0(i0 wobbly balls roaming over tho main. They were trying an Irishman, charged with a petty offence, in an Oklahoma town, when the judge asked; "Have von'any one in court who will vouch for yonr good character?” "Vis, your Honour,” quickly responded tho Celt. "there's the sheriff there." 'Whereupon the sheriff evinced signs of great amazement. '‘Why, yonr Honour,” declared he. "I don’t oven know the man.” "Observe, yonr Honour,” said the Irishman triumphantly, "observe that I’ve lived in tho country for over twelve years, and the sheriff doesn't know me yit! Ain’t that a character for ye?” An American girl, Miss Margaret Hogan, bHnd from ths age of five, has lately won academic honours which would he a credit to any student. During her training she had to depend largely on the services of a reader, but she also had a special instrument for taking notes, and her examination papers were clone on a "blind” typewriter. Besides that, many text hooks are now available in the raised type, and she was able to study these for herself. But it was a great surprise to her examiners when'she gained 100 per cent, of marks in a written paper in geometry, all tho demonstrations being done mentally. What is probably the finest display of men’s ready-to-wear tailor-made suits in the Dominion is just now being shown by the Melbourne Clothing Company. All the very newest fabrics such as Indigo coatings, Indigo belwarps and green and brown worsteds are represented, as well as the regular Cheviots, Bannockburns and Vicunas. Splendid daily outside exhibition of the suits. Just stroll along and see, and compare prices. The Melbourne’s are always the lowest.*

The Lyttelton Times seriously suggests that the prohibition of motor cars for electioneering purposes will have to be considered. It might Ire a bit hard on some of the supporters of Sir Joseph Ward. The Dunedin Star reports that the "trade” as a whole appear hardly to have expected suph a big vote in favour of National Prohibition, though a few of them were not taken by surprise. They wore practically unanimous about attributing the discrepancy between the Local and National issues to a conviction by the people that Ideal NoLicense is a. failure. Still, that hardly explains the way in which the National issue caught on. Many attribute it to the fact that it is. in a way of speaking. a “now tag." and many people gave it a vote half in playfulness, never thinking that it had much chance of success—-inany of them perhaps not realising what the carrying of this issue really means. Over twenty years ago the doings of Benzon, tho "Jubilee Plunger," who died the other day, wore chronicled almost daily. Left a fortune of a quarter of a million by Ids father, Ben-zon-started out to get rid of it in tho quickest possible manner. He wont on the turf, where he plunged in very large amounts, and. although ho occasionally made substantial gains, tho. balance was always against him at the end. Pigeonshooting was another form of sport which ho affected and at which he lost immense sums. Benzon came for a trip out to Australia, where it is said a good deal of his fast-diminishing pile was left behind. In little more than a year came bankruptcy and disclosures of facts of tho most amazing folly. Benzon subsequently wrdfe a book deserihing his meteoric career, but for many years nothing has been heard of flic one-time famous "Jubilee Plunger.’’ A cable message of a puzzling nature was received at Hobart by Ur. Mawson’s expedition shortly before its departure lor Antarctica. It bore tho signature "Buckley." and purported to have been sent from "George Washington," via Capo Race, Newfoundland, and wished the expedition good luck and success. This message gave rise to a good deal ol conjecture, and -opinion inclined to the conclusion that it was a hoax by souie ingenious person, who dated it from "George Washington" in memory of tho little lad who ooula not toll a lie. and (signed it 11 Buckley’’ by way of allusion to the mythical "Buckley’s chance." The postal authorities were also inclined to the opiwion that it was a hoax of some kind. x\n investigation was held, and a satisfactory explanation was hit upon. This is that "George Washington" was tho big North German Lloyd liner running between Europe and America, and that tho message was sent from her to the wireless station at Cape Race, while Mr. Buckley is one of the largest subscribers to the expedition and has taken a great deal of interest in it. Writing in condemnation of tho general strike Mr’ Ramsay Macdonald sijj’S; "Tho syndicalist imagines a strike followed by social paralysis, the peaceful triumph of the workers combination and the establishment of social democracy. This expectation rests upon colossal assumptions. The programme is like the plan by which the gambler fondly expects to break the bank at Monte Carlo. Will the General Strike paralyse Society? The syndicalists make the fatal mistake of calculating that time will bo on their side, exactly the opposite is true. Time will work against them ; a minority will always bo against them, and tho propagandists have never yet calculated the force of the opposition. During tho strike they hope for, tho forces acting on them will be disruptive, and not unifying. The whole of their energies wilLbe absorbed in purely destructive work. They will not be able to seize the factories and work them for the simple reason they wouldn’t have the power; they couldn’t organise tho work under ilie circumstances, and any such attempt would only add to the difficulty of the strike organisation. The assumption of a progressiva paralysis is fake, society will take steps to recover command! It will net yield to a general strike, it will resist it. On tho day of his first triumph, when he declares the strike, the syndicalist will sign his own death warrant and nut tho noose about his own neck.

An interesting ocean race from Auckland to London between the Tyeer liner Marere and the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Co.’s steamer Mata tun was completed on the afternoon of September 8, tho Marere winning by five hours. The Marere and Matatna left Auckland for London direct on the afternoon r.f July 26. The Matatua cleared the railway wharf at 1 p.m. on that day, •ind was followed three hours later by the Marere. At daylight next morning tho Marere sighted the Matatna, and kept her in sight for three days. The Matatua then gradually forged ahead of her rival, the, Marere taking a more southerly course. Passing the Falkland islands at S a.m. on August 13, the Marcrc’s officers sighted the Matatua, and the vessels were in sight of each other rounding Cape Horn, but again separated. Tho Marere cut out the distance from Auckland to Cope Horn in 17 days 7 hours, and met with extremely stormy weather. During the latter ate,go's of the voyage the Marere appears to have outstripped Tier rival, as she passed Dover fight at 9.25 o’clock on the evening of September 7. the Matatua passing several hours later. The Maroro’s actual steaming time from Auckland to London was 44 days 21 hours 52 minutes.

The most famous sweepstake in the world is the great Derby sweep of the Calcutta Turf Club. The first prize in this has boon known to nm as high ns £60,000. This year its value was between £40,000 and £50,000. A few years ago a waiter in a'London club drew the favourite. He sold half his chance at once to a member for £6OOO, and when the favourite won the half he retained was worth about £24,000. People from every part of tho world hayo for years taken chances. A single chance costs about 10s, and tho spring of every year has hitherto brought myriads of rupee notes and drafts and postal orders along every mail route to tho Turf Club. The first prize is always a fortune, while tho second and third are largo enough to provide the winners with a modest income tor life. But now the club have decided to restrict their future Derby and St. Legor sweepstakes to their own members. This step has been taken on account of the "itndesired publicity” given to the sweepstakes in the English press. The editors of journals in India have received an annual request that no mention of the sweepstakes might be allowed to appear in their columns, and this they have always respected. But the English press made a story of the great swoop, and the result has been that, thousands of people all over the world will never again have this chance of obtaining a fortune for half a sovereign. Don’t delay buying your Christmas suits. Get it at once from Tho Kash. Every suit is. marked in plain figures; no fancy prices quoted, but just honest bed rock figures. Secure that extra pair of trousers wo’ro giving away with each suit.*

An electrical storm of unusual violence occurred on Wednesday afternoon at tho Thames. Blinding flashes of lightning were followed by loud reports resembling salvoes of artillery. Immediately afterwards rain fell in torrents. One particularly loud crash was followed by what looked like a meteor. It flashed from west to east. A largo tree was uprooted and fired. Intermittent flashes and loud reports continued for spmo time, causing general consternation. A report from the back country states that for over an hour tho whole of tho districts were illuminated. In on© instance an electrical apparatus flashed out as though fused. The weather is now calm, but dull and threatening.

The institution of rural science courses in the district high schools in Otago has made such a favourable impression upon the country people that tho Otago Central Education Board has guaranteed a sum of £l5O towards tho salary of a third instructor to take classes in that district. Tills contribution guarantees a salary of £3OO a year, as it reoeieves a £ for £ subsidy from the Government. The Education Board on Wednesday appointed an instructor. Mr C. a. Ilidlcy, of New South Wales, who was finally chosen for the post, is 25 years old, and was a pupil teacher at the Sydney Training College and Hawkcshurv Agricultural College, and since BIOS has been Government experimentalist at Yauco Experimental Farm.

The new Edison storage battery, about which the world heard so much a year or two ago, has reached Sydney. East week it was seen in the city in a new typo of motor car, a compact little affair, which seemed to have broken away from the engines of an ordinary petrol car. Tho now car is small, yet it comfortably seats four. It lias no engines, and is electrically propelled. Tho batteries, which are entirely closed in steel, are not injured by vibration or short circuits. They are charged with electricity at present from the City Council’s supply, and when fully equipped have a capacity of about 100 miles and a speed of 22 miles an hour. The driving gear is simplicity itself, the car is noiseless, while the running cost is something like 3« per 100 miles, a fact which should popularise it as n runabout. The first cost of the car, however, is rather more than the other types, the batteries alone costing nearly £2OO. There are many election stories in circulation in Christchurch just now (says the Lyttelton Times). One of them is told of a man who brought his motor-car in from tho country to help one of the candidates in Christchurch North. On one of his trips he met a lady who wished to record her vote and who frankly admitted that the candidate tho canvasser supported was a very good man. As the car was nearing the lxv.ith, however, her conscience compelled her to confess that she intended to vote for the other candidate. The owner of the car quickened hia pace, shot past the booth, ran along streets and lanes until lie was miles away on the other side of Marshland, and then asked the lady to leave his car. As she did so he stepped into tho car again and left her to walk hack to the booth and vote for the candidate for whom he was not working. ' All tho little nick-nacks for summer apparel and household use which one buys at this season of the year may be" found at. White and Sons’ in rich profusion. Table linen and napery, cushion covers, purses, veils, perfumes, neckwear, gloves, and handkerchiefs, are all well represented, and‘are at this firm's well-known values."