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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 144359, 25 March 1914, Page 2

The profit from the Wellington Carnival tliis year is stated at £795,_ but it is expected to he increased a little. The profit lust year, when the carnival was held at Easter, was £IBOO, and there is a feeling that a holiday, must be included if it is to be a success in future,

la reply to a deputation at Pa-hiaiua asking him to remind the Hon. At . Fraser, Minister of Public AVerks, of the grant for country roads, Mr. Fisher said that the strike last year cost £-150,000 in hard cash, and probably some of the items in iho Estimates would have to be cut down.

A Taihape district farmer has found that silver’ beet is a great factor in fattening lambs. In November last he put down two-fifths of an acre in silver beet. Six weeks ago 36 lambs were fattened on the small area of beet, which is now ready for feeding again. The beet was grown at an altitude of 2080 feet. The Kash are showing some very smart models in men’s tailor-cut suits ready to wear. Chief among these are some very pleasing shades in the now much-worn browns. The prices, as usual with this firm, are as low as they dare mark them. Remember, also, that any alterations that are necessary are done free of charge on the premises by experienced tailors.*

Mr. M. L. Holab, agent for the Ford car, reports that sales are brisk. On the 18th seven cars arrived in New Plymouth, and all have been placed. An inquiry into the recent lire 'at Mr. C. 0. Hawke’s shop in Eginout Street will be held in the Courthouse at 10 a.m. on Friday next. Australian mails, ex Ulimaroa, at Wellington, will arrive here on Thursday afternoon. English and American mails, via ’Frisco, will arrive here on Thursday night. Miss Maud Alien, the famed classical dancer, will appear in Now Plymouth shortly, and the people of Taranaki will have an opportunity of seeing her wonderful power of interpreting emotions of every kind by graceful movements.

An epidemic of burglary and petty thefts seems to be passing over Auckland, Judging by the number of cases that have recently been reported to the police. The latest case is of a particularly daring kind, having been committed in broad daylight on Sunday afternoon in the New North Road, where a grocer is a loser to a considerable extent.

A strange reason was advanced by a Territorial in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court on Monday as to why' he had not attended drill. Ho said that lie had been injured by a youth who fired a hall cartridge in mistake for a blank, and the accident had affected his mother so much that she would not let him attend parades. “Docs she think it will occur again?’’ asked Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M. “Well, it might,” was tho reply. The lad was convicted and discharged, tho Magistrate remarking that tho Defence Department could hardly he blamed for the occurrence.

In reply to a deputation from the Pahiatiia Racing Club, regarding the restoration 'of the club’s permit, the Hon. F. 31. B, Fisher held out no prospect of the Government itself taking up the Bill introduced last session by Mr. G. Hunter, 31. P., providing for an increase in permits, but he thought the House would put it through. His own opinion was that it should be put through. Ho described the Racing Commission a.s “The Racehorse Owners’ Fat Stakes Commission.” It was a metropolitan commission, and oldestablished clubs had been wiped out ruthlessly and relentlessly.

Dr. James Taylor, who for nearly thirty years was president of the famous Vassal- College for "Women, holds that collogo education makes a. woman more marriageable. In a speech recently ho said: “College education makes them wed quicker and remain more successfully married than other women. The women of to-morrow will he better educated. They are advancing in education while men arc going back. Women, too. aro becoming more ]>orfoct physically than rahn, because they love to bo well through exercise and athletics, and every day the£ are becoming more perfect in form. '

A defaulting Territorial who appeared before Mr. Raw-son, S.M., in the court at Huntly last week pleaded that he was not the possessor of a uniform, and objected to drill in a- shod with an earthen floor in his Sunday clothes; another said he was so occupied with tennis and football that ho could not allow di-ill to interfere with his duty to the various clubs with which ho was connected. The 3lagistrate said tennis, unfortunately, did not teach a man to shoot straight. Mr. Bawson advised another to change his sister’s “night out” to some other evening, so that he might perform the duties which the lawimposed upon him. “In a criminal charge you cannot put a prisoner in Hie box against his will and try and convict him out of his own mouth,” said 3lr. Kettle, S.M., during the hearing of an affiliation case in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court last week, "but in cases like this you aro allowed to do so.” The point arose over an objection by Mr. Singer to an order to produce certain letters. Counsel contended that an affiliation, case was of a “quasi criminal character, and that therefore he could not bo compiled to produce the documents. This contention Mr. Kettle declined to accept, and the letters were accordingly produced and read--31 rs. French Sheldod, the explorer, tells an amusing story of how some cheap toys once placed her in a perilous predicament. Ono day, when journeying through a remote portion of Africa, some natives came to see her, and to amuse them she produced a few of those feathered tov birds which aro made to hop by moans of a rubber bulb and tube, and which can. bo purchased so cheaply in the streets. No sooner bad Mrs. French Sheldon caused tho birds to hop, than the company fled in terror. The next day she was peremptorily ordered by tho Prime 3finister of tho "tribe, who regarded her as an exponent of the black art, to quit the locality. In view of the widespread misapprehension which appears to exist in regard to tho correct postage payable on newspapers addressed to the Australian Commonwealth and to tho United States of America, the following is published for general information: —The rate of postage payable on newspapers printed and published in New Zealand addressed to tho Commonwealth of Australia is Id for each newspaper not exceeding 20oz. in weight. For newspapers exceeding 30oz. an extra charge of id. for each additional lOoz. or fraction thereof is also payable. The following are the rates or newsoapers addressed to tho United States of America: —-For each newspaper Id for tho first 4oz. and Jd for each additional 3oz. or fraction thereof. These rates also apply generally to newspapers which are not printed and published in New Zealand.

Tlio Law Times says that the Swiuey Prize for Jurisprudence has been awarded to Mr. John W. Salraond, K.C., Solicitor-General for New Zealand, for his work “Jurisprudence.” The prize consists of a sum of £IOO contained in a silver cup of the same value. It was founded .in 1844 under the will of Dr. George Swiney, a somewhat eccentric medical man, who loft £SOOO three per cent. Consols to the Royal Society of Arts in order that the prize might be awarded on every fifth anniversary of his death to the author of the best published work on Jurisprudence. The prize has been won by, among others, Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Sir J. K. Phillimoro, Thomas Ersklue Holland, and Sir Frederick Holland, and Sir Frederick Pollock and Professor Maitland for a joint work. The Law Times says that Mr. Sahnond is a conspicuous exception to the generally accepted notion that a close study of the theory of the law is incompatible with success in its practice. His intimate acquaintance with the scientific aspects of the law led to his appointment to the, professor of law, first, in tho University of Adelaide, and, later, in Victoria University College. Wellington ; but his active pursuit of the practice of the law is attested by tho fact that he is now SolicitorGeneral of New Zealand.

Anyone contemplating travelling during the Eastar holidays should make a point of inspecting the Melbourne's fine stock of travelling-hags, suit-eases, and trunks. Prices, as usual, are the lowest in the trade for dependable goods.*

With the telephone wires in their present somewhat disordered condition, owing to the storm, it is unwise to hold any private conversations. This morning a member of the Herald staff, while endeavouring to get -a number, was the interested auditor of a conversation in which a gentleman strongly advised a young lady to put 10s on Combustion.

Says the Auckland Star of Friday last;—A most exceptional circumstance is said to have contributed to the delaying of the steamer Westralia, which arrived this morning from southern ports. The purser reports that when the vessel was on the way from Dunedin, to Lyttelton the pumping machinery which circulates water through the ship refused to act properly. It was soon found that something had been sucked in at the injection aperture, and investigation revealed the presence of the mutilated body of a large octopus. Considerable difficulty was experienced in dislodging the monster from the pipes, and it is considered that when alive the marine deizen must have measured fully 8 feet across.

Recently there were some abnormal rises in shipping shares on the London market, the result of the circulation of wild rumours regarding the activities of various companies. Aew Zealand concerns were affected. The rumours had a spark of originality in them, and not a little genuine humour. The only thing lacking, apparently, was foundation. The P. and 0. deferred shares rose 23 points, and, according to advices just received locally, it was stated that the company was purchasing the whole fleet of the New Zealand Shipping Company. Another rumour was to the effect that the Union Company was being bought out. The shares of both these companies also rose considerably, and for a time the market was exuite excited.

Mr. Cherry-G arrard was much relieved last month owing to the capture and return of his dog Kris, a famous member of Scott’s dog teams. Mr. Garrard brought Kris homo to England from the Antarctic and has kept him since at Ids home in Herefordshire. Kris got loose one day and cleared out, making duo north by instinct. Mr. Garrard was afraid ho would be destroyed for committing damage to farmers’ flocks, for he retains many of the wild' characteristics of his polar birthplace. Accordingly ho published full instructions to the public how to deal with Kris if they should encounter him. He specially begged that a dog with such a history should not be destroyed if it could be avoided. Kris was one of the team which Scott took with him to One-ton Depot, and he also accompanied the party which in the end found the remains of Scott’s party in the tent.

When the question of rates of commission. for land agents was brought up at a meeting of the Napier Chamber of Commerce on Thursday it 1001/sd as if there would be trouble between two of the members (says the Napier Daily Telegraph). It was pointed out that of the Hawke’s Bay towns, Napier charges were the highest, Hastings next lowest, and Dannevirke lower still. One member who has recently retired from the land agency business considered that the matter should receive attention in Napier first, and the scale be reduced. Ho characterised some of the commissions charged as “rank robbery.” Another member interjected, “But you are not a land agent now,” and another member took strong exception to such a term as “rank robbery.” If ■some land agents had not done business for practically nothing they would, he said, he in better financial positions than they were at present. The chamber decided to endeavour to have a uniform commission, rate for Hawke’s Bay. The toll-gate, says the Lyttelton Times, is regarded as something in tho nature of a relic of barbarism in most parts of New Zealand, but it dies hard m at least one district. In various counties in Taranaki these gates are maintained, a bane to tho lives of all who have to do much travelling on the roads. A year or two ago some protestants against the gales took one of them off its hinges at midnight and made a bonfire of it, but another soon went up. Now there is talk of several Taranaki counties, taking combined action and erecting thirty or forty toll-gates, one on almost every road in the provincial district. The excuse is that the traffic on the roads is so heavy that it is not fair to make the local farmers and others pay for the whole upkeep of the highways, and that the easiest way to get, over tlio difficulty is to levy charges on ail vehicles passing along the roads. No doubt users of tho high roads should pay something, but the toll-gate is such a clumsy and irritating method of financing road construction that the action of the Taranaki County Councils is certain to meet with very strong objection from tho public. The Taranaki newspapers indeed have already begun an agitation against the gates, and the Government is being requested to deal with the problem and suggest some more rational means of keeping the expensive main roads in repair. From time to time there rises up a more or less pronounced craze for the use of some well-advertised drug or medicinal preparation for which remarkable properties are claimed. Perhaps one of tho most astonishing of such occurrences is the present popularity of refined liquid paraffin, which is enjoying an extraordinary sale all over Now Zealand. Enormous quantities of this oil, which is a deodorised first cousin to kerosene, are being swallowed daily by men and women, particularly the women of Auckland, in accordance with the direction on the bottles, and in the hope that the oil will correct more or loss all the ailments that flesh is heir to. The oil as used medicinally is a specially prepared extract from petroleum. Auckland medical opinion seems divided between a modified enthusiasm and a modified tolerance. Quite a number of Auckland doctors prescribe paraffin—-some very extensively, and others in the tentative way they have of discovering whether a now idea is good or not. Some pin their faith to it, but others say that tho faith of the patients in it is worth more than the oil. One medical man remarked. “The doctors are not quarrelling about paraffin. They are either satisfied from their own experience that it or the patients’ belief in it is a success. ■ It is being taken by a great number of people, many of whom claim that they are being benefited, and it is one of the thousand and one remarkable things that have entered into civilised diet because civilisation has ordered people to eat more well than wisely and to exercise no more than they can help.”