LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9915, 2 August 1910, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr Paulin's forecast, telegraphed this afternoon, was as follows: —Strong north-east winds and fine; barometer fall.

, It is expected that tho Supreme Court proceedings in the case against Bowron Bros, will be concluded about mid-day to-morrow.

It was still raining in Auckland province this morning. The reports from other- districts indicated that fine weather, was general. Tlie weather at Ashburton continues to be very cold, and skating has been indulged in by numerous enthusiasts in the iiomain between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. on the last four mornings. Last night lo£deg of frost were recorded.

At a meeting of the Estudiantina Band, held last evening, it was decided' to hold a concert early in October.' and* a committee was elected to carry out the arrangements. Mr J. Watiiin was appointed secretary, and Mr Louis Bloy conductor of the band.

Oa Sunday "morning the St Albans and the Cambridge Terrace Boy Scouts paraded at the iwigewar© Road Wesley Church. During the service the Rev R Taylor addressed the Scouts on the "Manliness of Prayer. 1 ' The address to the congregation -was on ' Walking With God." An old woman, of eighty years was found in a creek at AUenton, near Ashburton, tliis morning. She had stripped off her upper garments and jumped into the creek. She- admitted to the police that she intended to commit suicide, as no one cared for her, and she had been contemplating the act for a long time. \ Press Association telegram from Dargaviile states that.William Gordon was°sentenced to twelve , months imprisonment to-day on a charge of bavin" obtained money by false pretences from a solicitor, by representing himself to be a purchaser of land. Gordon had recently been- sentenced at Whangarei for a similai offence. At a meeting of the W r anganui Education Board last night, says a Press Association message, Mr Fred Piram was re-elected chairman for the nith term. Mr Swanger was granted leave of absence from the secretarial duties of the Board to act as secretary to the Education Conference in Wellington. Mr Pirani, who wis authorised to prepare the order .paper for the Conference,, explained that his idea was to group the subjects and to ask the Conference to appoint fpur committees to report, on different groups, then the whole Conference could deal with the recommendations.

A > recently-discharged inmate of the Porirua Mental Hospital created a stir in Wellington shortly after six o clock on 1 Sunday morning,' when,- clad, only in a pair of socks, he dashed out of the main entrance of one of the city hotels and made off in tho direction of the Ferry Wharf. A police constable followed in hot pursmt, but the lightlyclad one outdistanced his pursuer and diverted his course to Clyde Quay. Another constable then joined in the chase, and the. first one boarded an express. The police outmanoeuvred their quarry and caught him near the Te Aro railway station Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., sat this morning to hear objections to the rating for the Fitzgerald Avenue-Fals-grave Street special drainage loan areaThere were two objections filed. Mr G. W. Hulme appeared, and explained that the loan was being raised to perform works in that portion of the city at the south-east corner, which was liable to floods in wet weather. jections were raised on the ground that the owners of property -concerned would not benefit by the loan. Neither of the objectors appeared, and the Magistrate struck the objections out and signed the rate-book. The regular examination of rats at the Health Department's bacteriological laboratory in Auckland continues, reports the "Herald,'.' to reveal no traces of plague. Owing to the war waned on them by the shipping companies, Harbour Board and City Council rats are not so plentiful in supply just now. The Department hopes that this satisfactory condition will be maintained, and points out that there is an economic argument as well as a san'Ury one. Not only is the rat the carrier of the pestiferous flea, but he is also the cause of huge damage to property, estimated m the United «tntes alone to amount to millions of dollars every year. Speaking to a "Dominion" reporter on Saturday, Mr W. T. Jennings, MP referred to the vigorous growth of settlement in the King Country. He instanced Te Kuiti and Taumarunui in particular. Four years ago, he said, the postal business at Te Kuiti required the services of a postmistress only. To-day, in addition to the officer in charge, there wore eight assistants. Then, again, eight years ago Te Kuiti was served with a train from Auckland only three times a week. Only recently ten trains had passed through the station in one day. As. regards Taumarunui, added Mr Jennings the growth of settlement was also tremendous. Not long ago To Kuiti was formed into a borough, and now Taumarunui was taking a similar step. Ernest Johnson., charged with the theft of sixteen sovereigns from a bedroom in Lawlor's Hotel, was sentenced at Waimate this morning to one month's imprisonment. Charged with disorderly behaviour, drunkenness and profane language at a concert at Glenavy School on July 23, John Clifton, Thomas Hyland and William Hoskmg were convicted and fined. It was stated that Clifton and Hoaking had actually committed offences inside the school The constable stationed at Glenavy said that it was a common thing for young men to purchase bnt+les of liquor, at an adjacent hotel before closing time and plant them in a hedcre. to be crresumed during the progress of a cjacrrt. With reference to tho successful treatment of bush sickness among rattle by the use of bran feed, and the statement' attributed to Mr C. H. Clinkard that he was led to try this form of feed as Mr Reakes, the Government Veterinarian, bad explained that one great cause was the absence of phosphorus in feed, the Auckland "Star" is informed by Mr Reakes that the latter statement is not quite correct. What /Mr Reakes had stated was that an analysis of the soil at Mamaku showed a. deficiency in phosphates. But on many soils deficient in phosphates the disease known •as bush sickness does not occur, and tho cause of the disease has yet to be ascertained. A large amount of analytical work is going on in the Agricultural Department with a to establishing a basis on which to carry out experimental work and arrive at definite conclusions.

If the desires of the Post Office are irried out, there will soon be an end >f " front-door delays " in the delivery f letters in Wellington. Househol!ers aro beine; urged to fit letter-slots o their dooiv% and the postal authorises are submitting specimens that can ■e easily and cheaoly fitted. The reoonse of' the public to' the Departieut's request is said to be very enwraging.

Mr R. M'Nab went south by the irst express to-day, on his way to Port Jhahners, where he will deliver an adJress to-night on the early history ot .\ T ew Zealand, in aid of the Hocken Enlowment Fund.' He will speak at aunedin on the same subject to-morrow light. He informed a ''Star reporter, in reply to a question, that he expected his next book dealing with the history of New Zealand from 18dl) bo 1840 to be issued about the New i r ear. Mr M'Nab has now definitely decided to take ut> his residence at Palmerston -North, and after settling his affairs in the south will remove to his new homo next week.

A permanent health— strength to always will and do, results from the continued us© of Stearns' Win© of Cod Liver .Extract—makes yon healthy and keeps you there. 10