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Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143839, 13 July 1912, Page 2

A Sydney cablegram reports that the shade temperature there on Friday was 65 degrees, the highest July reading since 1908. Tho Wellington Office reports that (ho Taimii, Victoria, Maheno, Ulimaroa, Moeraki and Hauroto should be within wireless range to-night.

Tho Empire Pictures management has kindly offered a special picture night in aid of the Taranaki Circular Road Race fund and the Entertainment Committee has fixed the date for Tuesday, July 30. The committee desires specially to notify tho general public that the benefit picture programme will be all new subjects, shown for that night only.

Mr. R. Hoaton Rhodes, the new Postmaster-General, in common with other Ministers has received many congratulatory telegrams on his appointment. One of the messages reads; “May your record be as creditable as your famous namesake, Honniker Heaton.” Mr. Rhodes remarked to a reporter that he had met Sir Hennikcr Heaton, and bo modestly added that he could not aspire to such eminence as be had attained.

Applications for New Zealand .War Medals wore received yesterday by Mr. A. Crooke, S.M. Three veterans appeared, each accompanied by two witnesses to testify to the claimant having been actually under fire. A further case has yet to be dealt with, the applicant not appearing in Court yesterday. The claimants examined were Messrs. Richard Street, of Tarurutangi, air old Waireka veteran; James Thornton, of Brixton, of Captain Corbett’s Company; and Samuel Whitehead, of Tikorangi, of No. 1 Company of the Taranaki Volunteer Bushrangers.

A few specials for to-night at The Kash; —Men’s fleecy singlets and underpants 2s lid .men’s all-wool ribbed sox 3 pairs 2s 6d, men’s cashmere sox 7d per pair, boys’ celluloid collars sd, boys’ Varsity suits 9s 6d, boys’ Norfolk suits 8s lid, and other lines as usual, the lowest in Taranaki.*

During May 2758 people arrived in the Dominion from overseas, and 3197 left it. In May of 1911 the arrivals numbered 3809 and the departures 3400.

A railway contractor recently advertised for 300 wooden sleepers. By return of post he received a letter from a neighbouring clergyman offering him tile whole of his congregation on reasonable terms.

Headers of our advertising columns aro reminded of the address to be given by the Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, tho Rev. A. H. Oolvile, M.A., on Sunday at a service for men only, at 3 p.m. Tho subject of tho address will bo “Forgiveness—ls there a Limit.” The services in the Whiteley Memorial Church to-morrow will be conducted in the morning by Mr. H. T. Peat, and in tho evening the Bov. J. W. Burton will preach the sixth of tho series of sermons on special topics, tho subject on Sunday being, “Moral and Intellectual Difficulties in the Bible.”

Messrs. H. J. Moverley and V. H. Beal of New Plymouth, were very successful in the Homer, pigeon section at the Hastings Show which opened on Friday. Mr. Moverley secured seven firsts, one special, one second and two thirds, and Mr. Beal with fivo entries Secured three first and one special. There were record entries, all tho loading lofts of the Dominion being represented.

The figures of tho Public Trust Office show that on the March 31, 1912, there was a grand total of cash balance in tho various estates of £5,128,201 0s Id, the corresponding figures for 1911 being £4,327,349 5e 4d. The Office investments are; Government securities, £189,208; municipal corporation debentures, £138,784; county council debentures, £81,000; harbour board debentures, £10,400; town board do-, bontures, £22,600; land settlement association debentures, £215,663 17s 3d'; order supply board debentures, £13,000; money on freehold mortgages, £4,119,-, 261 15s 7d; advances on overdrafts .to estates, £68,420 15s 2d. The office uow holds over 8000 wills of living people. The new hostelry at tho North Egmont mountain reserve is complete and ready for occupation, except that no regular system of lighting has yet been installed. The committee has considered the various schemes, and has decided that such an institution not he up-to-date without a full circuit of electric light. But the amount subscribed and guaranteed,, together with tho Government subsidy, lias been expended in the construction, and tho lighting would coat about £3OO. Tho chairman of the committee has suggested the holding of a bazaar, and with that object in view the Mayor mentioned tho matter to tho meeting of ladies in the Town Hall last night. . His Worship did not want a direct answer from those present as to whether they would help, but merely asked their opinion of the proposition. Ho intended calling a public meeting in about a fortnight's time, when the pros, and cons would be properly thrashed: out. The meeting was thoroughly in accord with the idea, and promised its help. Says the Auckland Star: “Goats are notorious. They all possess a punch, and, from constant study of the law of impact, they have a marvellous good judgment in timing their effort. On the other hand, the ill-timing of their humour and their perverted sense of honour is proverbial, so that all goatowners retire from their flocks like the underlings of Eastern potentates from their loid—face to the enemy business and back-pedalling. Also goats have a curious appetite, and thrive excellently well on sheets, pyjamas, and intimate underwear, in consequence of which, their owners send their washing to the laundry and do not usually live on good terms with their neighbours. All of 'which' pertains to the fact that by by-law goats (quadruped) may be kept in Mt. Eden borough only by special permission of the council. _ A daring ratepayer on Monday evening applied for permission to keep as pets two Angora goats, and was granted the favour “at his own risk and subject to revocation within twenty-four hours.” The opinion of. the council was that the length of the goat reign would be in inverse proportion to the length of the tether allowed the goats.” Mr. Hugh Short, president of the Otago Students’ Association, said at the capping last week: “Our people have been singularly generous to the Otago University. The total moneys received by the various University Colleges from bequests, donations, and subscriptions up to the end of 1911 are: For Auckland College, £3605; for Victoria College, £5606; and for Canterbury College, £3274; while for the Otago University the amount was £53,227. That is to say, the people of Otago have subscribed’ more than four times the amount that has been contributed to the three other chief colleges. ’ We 1 arc not to suppose from this that the University of Otago is four times ns wealthy as the three other Colleges, put together. The policy of the Government in the past has not been to support the efforts of a generous public. As long as our people were prepared to give the Government have boon pleased to allow us'that greater blessedness. Out of the £360,000 granted by the Government to the four colleges, only £50,000 has come to Otago. It is quite evident, therefore that the great proportion of the worth of the various departments of the University exists owing to the support of our people in Otago.” The adjourned meeting of ladies interested in ; . the presenting of the flags to H.M.S. New Zealand when the new batleship visits these waters next year, was hold in the Town Hall last night. The Mayor (Mr.'G, W. Browne) presided, and explained the position. ;He read tho circular from the Timaru branch of the Navy League, where the suggestion was first mooted, and pointed out that tile subscription lists would be open to ladies and girls only. As the amount required was not a large sum, the contribution was fixed at one shilling for ladies and one penny for school children, although, of course, it was not limited to, those amounts. The Mayor did not whnt tile collectors to adopt the street canvass system, and suggested it should be made a “visitation” to tile houses. . Subscription lists will be. forwarded to all the schools in town, and those present at the meeting were allotted streets to be visited. As the time for sending the money to Timaru is drawing near, collectors will be asked to return their lists to the secretary (Miss Mills) at the Town Hall next Friday evening. The amount raised will then he forwarded to headquarters with the suggestion that, should the amount required for the purpose be over-subscribed, it be returned pro rata to tho amounts received to the various branches of the Navy League that helped in the collecting.. White and Sons’ blanket stock is being appreciated by those who find themselves in need of additional bedding for the wintar nights. Kaiapoi blankets represent the best article tho Dominion can produce in this line, and tho prices for these goods at White's aro from 16s 9d for single-bed sizeother makes in colonial blankets from 14s 6d per pair. The careful mother’s surest winter safeguard—Tonking’s Linseed. Emulsion. 13

The most expensive railway to travel on is the Songo, where the rare is £2O for 250 miles. This works out at nearly Is 8d per mile.

Probably the most curious of matrimonial cases occurred not long ago in tho United States, where p. man was sued by his divorced wife for a breach of promise of, re-marriage.

The municipal authorities of Bristol, Pennslyvania, have ordered a gravestone to’ bo removed from the local cemetery because it boats the following inscription: “If leading politicians all go to heaven, then I’m bound to stop at some other station.” A remarkable fruit tree is to be seen in an. orchard in Kansas, U.S.A. The body of the tree, with a few of its branches, is apricot, while branches of peach and jilum trees'have been grafted thoreon. The three different kinds of fruit have been gathered from it.

Tho French military authorities make use of an ingenious’invention to protect their earner pigeons against hawks. The apparatus consists of a very tiny whistle and screw attached to tho pigeon, whose flight causes tho screw to revolve and blow the whistle. The noise effectually scares away the enemy.

Sir. Harry Widoner, who went down with tho Titanic, was tho proud possessor of an autobiography by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was one of Mr. Widener’s most cherished possessions, and Mr. Gosse fears that he had the manuscript with him. The autobiography was written in California towards the close of 1879, and Mr. Gosso, who has had tho pleasure of reading it, says it was composed with extra care and was written in Stevenson’s freshest and finest style.

Professor Dexter, of tho University of Illinois, investigated tho effects of weather upon morals, and finds that the desire to fight rises with tho thermometer, but stops at Bodeg. and declines after that as the mercury rises. Assault eases are ; therefore, commoner in summer than in winter. Drunkenness, however, lessens with summer and increases with the coming of cold. Suicides are at a minimum on bright days with'a biW barometer, and increases as the wind rises. At the Auckland Polio© Court on Wednesday a fruiterer from Otahuhu was fined £lO for stealing a case of fruit from an auction mart. The police evidence was to the effect that accused was seen to take up a case of fruit, pub it upon the floor in the neighbourhood of some cases which he (fad bought, and after waiting a little time, place it on his cart and _ drive, away. Ho was detained immediately. The only explanation offered by accused, who pleaded guilty, was that the case in question was marked in a similar manner to those which were his own. He had no previous record against him. His Worship said ho did not wish to send the accused to gaol, as he had never been previously convicted. The only way to deal with these offences was to make it not worth while to commit them.

Aluminium has boon adopted in the place of cost brass and iron in some of the later additions to the Auckland Tramway Company’s cars. , The seat frames and the swinging bars supporting the backs of the seats, the door handles, and the handgrips- at the ends of the cars are made of aluminium, or an alloy of that metal. The change is in ordep to lighten the cars as much as possible,’ and the small weight of aluminium does effect a notable economy in this reaped: • Unfortunately its dull colour is not very attractive, and the particular alloy in use does not seem to be sufficiently hard to take the heavy strains applied to the hand grips without bonding. As seat frames, however, the metal seems to answer all requirements, and being painted, with only the edges showing as, bare white metal, it looks very well.

Snail races 'is a new sport among French clerks with nothing to do. The head of a certain Government office in Paris had noticed for some time that the clerks were not so diligent as they ought to be; Remonstrance having-proved vain, the chief, to ascertain the cause of tho trouble, went into the room and 1 told the clerks to open their desks, with the result that several dozen snails were revealed , to \view. What could this mean? He found that as the clerks had no time to indulge their sporting proclivities at Longchamp, Auteuil and- Vincennes, they had taken .to organising races with snails- in the office. In the 'report which has been drawn up the Government is asked to visit the offenders with severe penalties, as “it is necessary that a stand should be made against the fatal taste for racing and the propagation of games of chance in our offices.”

It is stated that at last an effective means of preventing the disintegration of Heligoland has been discovered. This precious fragment of rock, on the preservation of which hundreds of thousands of pounds have already been spent by Germany, but which apparently continues to crumble away under the united forces of waves, rain and frosty is to be drenched in a ’ chemical solution that has been 'prepared in one of the Government laboratories-at Berlin. The liquid has already been tested on specimens of Heligoland stone, which it is said to have hardened and rendered immune to the influences of the elements. It is, proposed to treat 110,900 square metres of the surface with the solution, and t-liis, it is said, can be done at a cost of from £IOOO to £ISOO. The preparation is described as a saline solution of fluor-spar and quartz. It is said that “jerry building” is much in evidence round about Upper Hutt, a suburb of'Wellington. One example of tho jerry builder’s “art” was referred to at 'a recent meeting of the Town Board, .says a Wellington paper.' The dork reported' that a resident came. into the board’s office a short time ago, and was granted a permit to trect a six-roomed house, to cost £3731 The house was put up, and the Government .Valuer went out to value the building. After duo inspection ho announced'that the timber was so inferior that the value of the house was not a penny more than £2OO. The matter was discussed by the board pretty fully, several members remarking that the board must take prompt action in the matter. -One member affirmed that.it was a crying shame to seo tile inferior! timber, and also workmanship, that Were being put into houses. Biddings of the class, referred to, he said, were everywhere.. He gave notice of a motion which would put the discussion in order, and be considered at the next meeting.

All tho latest shapes in bard and soft fur-felt hats, imported direct from two of Britain’s, leading, manufacturers are on view at the Melbourne. Prominent among the nofr'goods is a line of neat shape soft felt-in a new shade of light green, viz., “Serpent,” at 10s 6d. Also the very latest in hard hats, Small shape, 8s Gel, Also with “Cravenette” waterproof finish, 10s 6d.*

Members of tho Equitable Building Society of New., Plymouth (First and Second Groups) arc notified that subscriptions will bo due and payable on Monday next (July 15) at tho secretary's office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30, from I p.m. to 5 p.m., aud 7 p.m.. to 8 p.m.—Advt.

Tho danger of rushing along a busy thoroughfare like. Queen Street, Auckland, with one’s head buried in an umbrella was demonstrated during a heavy shower of rain which fell on Tuesday afternoon. A man was rushing across the street in this manner, and dashed right into a cyclist. Fortunately the latter was proceeding at a slow pace at the time, and there was no serious results from the collision. Tho danger of tho practice, however, was made startlingly apparent. Long as the Camorra trial at Viterbo has been—it' commenced in March of last year-—it is still, far from obtaining a record. Pride of place, probably, still belongs to the trial of Warren Hastings, which began in the spring of 1788 and concluded in the spring of 1795. “The arraignment,” as Hastings said, “had taken place before one generation and the judgment was pro-’ nounced by another.” Of a hundred and sixty peers who attended the opening of the proceedings, sixty died before, the trial was finished. According to a cable message received in Christchurch, Lieutenant Evans (second in command of the British Antarctic expedition) was recently directed to attend upon his Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace, to give an account of tho expedition to the extent of his knowledge of it. Sussequently Lieutenant Evans was promoted to the rank of commander in the Royal Navy. It is understood that Commander Evans is the v youngest holder of that rank in the British Navy. The Italian Chamber of Deputies has rejected the proposal to give the political vote to women by 209 against 48. The proposal in question would have conferred the right to vote on six million of tho other sex, but the Premier (Signor Giolitti) opposed the project as altogether-premature considering the prevalent lack of elementary education, and the need of j>rclim inary reform as regards the entire social status of Italian women." The Government, however, pledge themselves to redress their legal .position, after which an experiment, willv probably he made conceding them the right to vote for and sit upon administrative bodies. x Commenting on the position of affairs at Kaitangata, the Clutha Free Press says that although there has been sumo talk of a strike amongst a section of the miners, this has not been because of oppression on the part of the. employers by the payment of low wages. On tile contrary, the casual observer auioklj*- learns that the mon were never oing better’ in the way Of money-mak-ing. Onr representative heard of two young .men working “on the, Coal” at piece rates who had each received £ls for a fortnight’s work, or at the rate of £7 10s a week each. Another man’s fortnightly “string” came to £l3 10s. No doubt these were exceptional cases, but the general average at this season of the year is said to be good, and the men have little to complain of bn that score. What the federationists aim at, however, is to have their union recognised by tho company, and a yearly agreement as to wages and conditions of "working entered into." ’ 1 “Taken as read” was the short, sweet fate of the minutes at the Mount Eden Borough Council meeting last Monday and this summary execution of a long standing,! hut necessary, evil is pleasantly premised as a recurring event (says the Auckland Star). By mayoral edict, and tho blessed bequest of Sir Joseph Ward perpetuated daily in a cheap postal service of merit, councillors are provided each council day with, a relish for dinner in the shape of a carefully peptonised digest of the previous meeting’s minutes, typewritten and-easily assimilative as new milk. Only formal notice in assembly is necessary to complete the confirmation process, and the saving o!' time and patience is notable, not to mention the relief to the Town Clerk’s vocal apparatus, and the item that The filing of the -aforesaid typewritten digests gives each councillor a; handy, visible compendium of service wherewith to draw the sting of complaining ratepayers. It’s a good idea. The solution of a problem which has concerned many people—how to see the world on next to nothing—has apparently been solved by an elderly English worker, who was a passenger for Sydney by the Wostralia. He told a i\ew Zealand Herald representative, before the vessel sailed, that he was formerly an employee on the docks at London. ' While at this work he saved £lO, and, being single and'unfettered, .decided to start out on this magnificent sum to tour the world; He obtained a steerage passage to South Africa, and landed at Capetown with only a few shillings; worked there for a month, earned another £lO, and made for Australia. Another month’s work at Brisbane bought his passage to New Zealand; and for the past two months he was an employee on a -dredge on the Alolyueux River in Otago. He was leaving Auckland with a steerage ticket for Sydney and £O, and he confided to the pressman that he had spent the time of his life. He felt that his fifty-eight years weighed as lightly as twenty.

A'burglary of a somewhat alarming nature is reported by a Linwood resident, whose house is situated in Glouces-. ter Street East (says the Lyttelton Times). It appears that the gentleman loft his home one night recently,; leaving his wife and three little children alone., . The wife put the children to bed, and was sitting reading , when she heard a sound as of someone moving in the dining rooom. She went to investigate the' reason for the noise, and was terrified to see a man helping himself to the tilings on the dresser. The burglar informed her that it was no use, her making a uoiso. as he was there to all he could get,, and ho would use violence if she made any noise to bring help. The woman became hysterical, and her cries and laughter were heard by some passersby. 'file men wont up to the house to make investigations, and were just in time to see the burglar mailing his exit through the dining room window, tAking the spoil with him. They gave chase, bpt the burglar had a good start, and made his escape in the darkness. ’

Sirs. John Jacob Astor, who at theage of nineteen has been widowed by the Titanic disaster, will wear . white instead of black as mourning for her husband. Mrs. Astor wished to wear the deepest mourning, but Mrs. Force, her mother, believes she is too young to drape herself with black cloth and black crepo. So Mrs. Force overruled her daughter's wish, and ordered widow’s weeds of white for her. The gowns arc cut on, the simplest lines, and, like the millinery, is being, made ,at a fashionable New York establishment. Such dresses as are worn out of doors are of white crepe, while the indoor lounging robes are of the finest lustreless silks' and louisines. “The very colour of black is depressing.” Mrs. Force told a friend recently, according to the Telegraph, “and I do not consider a young girl like Madeleine should wear black crepe at a time when, with all her sorrow, her greatest joy is to come to her. White will have a bettor and more soothing effect upon spirits and health, and seems to me to bo far more appropriate for so young a girl.”

“Oh, mother! I just broke a window with my ball.” “Very well, Tommy, I’m busy just now,’ but if you’ll remjnd me later I’ll punish you,”

Brown: “You can’t sit up with my daughter after 11 o'clock, ’ Jones: “Would you mind telling her that, sir? I have been trying to. get home early for six months.” ,

The A.M.P. Society has-accepted a tender of £24,500-for new premises in Queen Street, Auckland. The building is to be of steel frame construction, or seven storeys, faced in Mount Somers stone. A corner elevation with a group of statuary lift, high surmounting it will greatly add to the appearance of the structure, ,

A young commercial bad just started on the road. Going home in the train, one of the older fry, seeing he was rather “down in the mouth,” asked him how things went. “Not very well,’’ the wrong one replied. “I have heed insulted by a customer.” “What a funny thing,” said the other. “In alb my experience I have not had such a thing happen ,to me. 1 1 have been sworn at, tola to bop it, and even kicked out, but insulted—-never!”

To the wife-hunter, as to anybody else, distant fields are green. .A fruitgrower in the Harcourt district, Victoria, some months ago wrapped round an apple a piece of paper upon which he had written that he wanted ,a wife, but that no Australians need apply. The apple apparalitly caused great excitement in Covent Garden, or wherever it was opened and, discovered. The' man who wrote the letter at random received no fewer than 110 applications from English girbf who are quite prepared to fill a long-felt want;in his life. '

While digging inhis section recently, a resident Of Matson’s Road, PApanui, unearthed a human skeleton (says the Press). The skeleton, : was in. aii' advanced stage of decay, and was .found some 12in. beneath, the surface qf one of two small hillocks, the formation -of which is suggestive of ah old-time Maori oven—-a possible explanation of the discovery. Another theory that has been advanced is that, as the skeleton, was immediately surrounded; by .it considerable depth of saha, it has been’washed there by the Waimakariri, which, be-fore-its diversion from its previous course, flowed through Papanui. ; Not long ago a party of explorers, members of the Archtoological Society of Alayence; found, 1 during their excavations ,in the ancient- Aloguntiacum, a hen’s-'egg which was estimated to have been buried for something like nineteen centuries. Moguntiacum was built by Brutus, tho son of the. Roman Emperor Augustus, in the year 14 B.C. Upon the site of tho ancient Roman castrum or encampment hear the city tho excavations in question brought to light many interesting relics; including some water cisternsor Roman make. It was in one of these, which was located 20ft. below the ground, that a, damaged Roman, clay-pob was found containing the shell of a broken egg, and also a whole egg that had been 1 kept ‘from being smashed by a sherd of the- damaged pot,-which covered it. The ancient:egg was turned over to the municipal .museum. 1 ■

At Hamburg, on May 23, the Kaiser escaped death by an inch in the pre-. sence of nearly, a million of, his subjects; but so quickly . was the incident over, that only a few of the groat crowd realised how pearly the launch of the new Hamburg-Amerika, wqnder , ' ship, Imperator escaped being a.tragedy-:iThe great ship was gliding down the.Ucunching; slips into the -.water when 'an , ini-, menso steel chain'hanging over'the side became caught in the side of the dock.: The weight of the ship snapped it as if it had been sewing cotton, and a section, 'weighing several hundredweights,: fell into the water barely missing the platform occupied my the Kaiser, who had taken up a position there to get a better view of the launch. For a moment those who noticed 1 the ..mishap hardly breathed,' and then- a cheer., was raised as the Kaiser; ’pale hut ,Smiling, 'was seen stepping onvbpard,his private launch; for the return journey to Hamburg.. ■ .., . ■ ■ v “The output from the State collieries during. 1911 amounted tp.248,907 tons, as against.273,6o2 during thq.previous year, being a decline of 26,665 tons,” says the Minister. “This decrease is due to the approaching exhaustion of the two State collieries, at Seddonville .and Port Elizabeth, which Were not "new mines when acquired by me Government several years ago.- Provision, however, has been-made to meet the requirements of the market by the laying down of a new colliery, namely, the Port Elizabeth No 2 mine, which .is situated at Seven-Jlilo Creek, beyond Khnangat By the end of the current year the mine should have reached the output stage. I regret to state that the profit on the working of the State coal mines during the financial year ended March 31, 1912, was less than during the previous year. This isprincipally owing to higher cost of production, hut partly to diminished output. The briquette manufacturing nt Westport,' which for about three years .was worked in conjunction with the Seddonvillo colliery, was. closed during 1911, owing to the high cost of manufactured ■

; It is matter of common knowledge that the virgin soil of America is being slowly but surely used up, and that the crop producer there is having to consider the necessity of much heavier manuring if yields are to be maintained. The fact of soil depletion is becoming a serious reality, and quite a different class of developments are now forming a new element in the practical agriculture of America. ' The following, which we take from the Breeders’ Gazette, .Chicago, shows how the change is working : : — 1 ‘Many farm leases this year will contain li new provision stipulating that straw must either be converted into manure on-file premises or its equivalent in manure returned by those carrying ’ it. away. ■ In many sections of northern Illinois this is already an accepted custom. City dealers who have gone to the country recently to- contract for , straw .have met with flat refusals, Where straw has been sold to neighbours the.'return of manure has been demanded.” This represents something ,bf the nature of ii revolution in the' farming experience of America, as the earlier settlers would scarcely have conceived of the time coming when they would \be compelled. to. .convert their straw into manure for the maintenance of fertility.” ■