LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9917, 4 August 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A first offender, charged with having been drunk, appeared before Captain Marciel, J.P., at the Lyt-toltoifTttagis-trate's Court this morning. He was convicted and discharged. lu an interview in Auckland, Dr Burbank, the manager of tho American Universities' football team, said that the one thing which stood out for all Australia and New Zealand was the general, widespread sporting feeling of each country. The young men partaking of games wc-rb fully 100 per cent more, in proportion, than Americans. Out here, he said, they played football until they were forty, and every man thej' met told them how he played or how his son played. It was therefore easy to understand why New Zealand was the greatest football country in the world. "This was' something that must mako a strong, virile, red-blooded race of people, ready for the battle of life.

Along the proposed route of the Australian transcontinental railway, between Port -Augusta and Kalgurli, the country is by no means barren. Its general character, Mr Henry Beane told tho Linnean Society in Sydney, is such that it could b«> used for pastoral purposes, if care were taken not to overstock it and eat it out. " I came across no part of tho count]'}' in.which there was not what you .might call a luxuriant vegetal ion." said he, "even on the sand hills.'; Air Hunt, he added, considered tliac though some places showed a rainfall of five or six inches only, the period over which the records had been taken was too short for them to be thoroughly reliable. No part of South Australia had a. less rainfall, ho believed, than seven inches. That was enough to keep a lot of vegetation growing, and artesian water would probably be found over a very large region. The vegetation Mr Deane met .with included acacia bushes, saltbush, bluobush, quandong. sandalwood, and so on,

Th? '''counter lunch" has occasionally been the ground of strained relations between some publicans' and 'their patrons, says the "Dominion." Sometimes it brings on open hostilities. The landlord of si certain big Wellington hotel has liberal ideas on the subject of counter-lunch, but his liberality and patience have each its limit. " 'Tlui other day his hostelry was invaded by a person of mild and sober mien. who. after modest patronage, settled down to- a couuter-liineh and a novel! .Ho began his book at chapter one, and by the time he turned a page tho visible supplies of light refreshment had already diminished woefully, Boniface stood it as lon'g as he could, but at last was moved to take action. He said it was too much, and in a-tone that- brooked no denial demanded that the omnivorous reader should instantly depart. To those who remained mine host explained that if his too willing guest had begun on the last chapter ha would noi- have, been so muck hurt, but to see an attack on the counter-lunch begun as an accompaniment to the first chaptor of a, novel was. "out ol' bounds" altogether. Health counts most—you must- have it to win out—to forge- ahead. Stearns' Wine of Cod Liver jExtract will assist you -build you up and keep voii : going.

Blue skies * wore enjoyed by . nearly, all Otago stations this morning, whilli rain was reported from Bealey, Hoki-i tiki* and Blenheim. ■, j Henry finished his mission in tho Hutt \ alloy last evening, and received; tho thanks of the Churches for the. efforts he has nut forth on their half. . j The civil sitting of the Magistrate®' Court was very brief this morning, occupying flbout twenty minstes," notwithstanding that there was on© defended action. j Christchurcli,. Lyttelton, Bealey and the West Coast generally reported light easterly rain at nine o'clock this' morning. Otherwise the weather in the dominion was line. . ; The Town Clerk has received the sua i of £4 14s for the Coal and Blanket Fund from the organ recital given in His Majesty's Theatre on Sunday even* ing. "A Friend' - ' has given £l. ■ | Up to tho present time between; £3si)o and £4OOO has been spent on tha i Australian capital site. This expenditure lias anet the cost of survey,! meteorological, and other work of similar character. Tho money was 1 mad© available out of J2oooo granted by the last Parliament. ' The Canterbury Land Board met tiiis morning, the Commissioner presiding, and aeahi with applications for; land, freehold title, transfer aiid number of miscellaneous matters, and concession applications for cropping alterations. The meeting occupied all day and a large number of applicants were examined at length by the Board, Mr Hugh Ward, the comedian, he* offered to- give £IOO and tlie whole of the proceeds of a special performance to the Wellington Children's Hospital Fxind, on condition that £IOOO is contributed by the citizens in. sums of £IOO and £SO. Ho also proposes to turn next Saturday into a Children's Hospital Day, and believes that £ISOO can be raised in a week, which, with tho Government subsidy, will give ; £3OOO to start the scheme proposed by- th« Mayoress. •

Th© question of, correct garment* drifted into the Magistrate's Court when a minor was sued by a tailor for the recovery of the cost of a suit c( clothes. Mr Goodman, for the plaintiff, said that tailor-made clothes wero a necessity. Mr H. W. Eishop, S.M., said that lie did not think eo. - Mr Goodman replied that in the defendant's walk of life tailor-mad© clothes were a-necessity. Young'men. of the present day had,, to • have tailor-made garments. Mr Bishop said that the defendant was a. labourer, arid' there were any number of good slop suits to bo had for half the cost of tailor-mad® clothes. :- :r

The unemployed question, is becoming somewhat prominent in OhristchurcS again. ..It is stated that large numbers of tradesmen and labourers jare out of work. Twenty men waited on. Mr A. Patison, secretly of the General 'Lih bourers Union, this morning and asked for work. He estimates that 150 need employment. Large numbers of tradesmen also are applying at the Trades Hall. They belong mostly, to the building trade, and comprise painters, plasterers and others. Ten painters nave 'registered for employment, but it _ is estimated that this is hardly one-third of the total, lleports from country districts state that there are many unemployed in the centres. Ashburton is reported to be "alive with unemployed." - -

The new' president of the Tokerau Maori Land. Board (Mr W. Dinnie) returned to Auckland on. Saturday from a trip north, where he arranged for the formation of roads lii Te Karae block, Kohukohu, near Hokianga, says a correspondent of the " Dominion.;' A; sum of £6OOO is to be expended ill; roading, but it is said ' that .twice tJifiu j amount, could be profitably spent ,in properly opening the. . area, which is' 30,p00 acres in extent. Hie land was, vested in, the Board under the Act of j 1905, and was cut up and leased last: year. Half of thfe sections, available' for leasing have already been taken. Tip, - and the idea is to open up all the. sections. A good class of settlers has; so far been obtained. Tlie southern contingent includes five men from Christchurch and seven from Wellington. The block is described as good, cattle-carrying: country. A lot of it-is in lie'avv busli, and it is stated that, there is"l2,ooo,'oodft of milling timber.: The main road through the. block will reduce the distance between thp Broadwood settlement and Hokianga. by; seven to eight miles. {

It is. highly probable that the definite schemo for a Faculty and Chaii* of Commerce at Sydney University, which will be put forward in the neai* future, will, says tho "Herald," depart in one most interesting particular, rroin generally accepted lines. It is, likely that the night work under tho schemo will not be confined to lectures for boys and men in business, but that the whole of . tho main work of the faculty vfill .be evening been recognised by those who have undertaken tho production, as sible, of a detailed t scheme that the most essential part .of the scheme must be to provide lectures and instruction. which can bo., attended by young men already in business, who are anxious; to use their evenings-to their best advantage. That axiom has- been assumed! largely for this reason, that whilst there' arc other youngsters, for whomhigh commercial instruction' may be desired bv their parents or guardians, this is the class of youngsters that demand commercial instruction for then)-; selves—and that is recognised to be tho secret of the excollent results that* have come from giving them ovo& the partial facilities for self-improvement.: But the moment it was conceded that: evening instruction—not of any \ sort, but of the very best sort obtainable—should be given, to these boys, the uifnculty cropped up that the lectures would then have to be (pvon twice' over—once in the day and again, at audit. The solution, suggested itself \at once—that there was 110 necessity for the lectures to be given by day_at all; but that the professor, as the head 01 the faculty, might be asked to evolve the best p'ossiblo system for aii entirely evening course. '

News was.brought to Sydney .'ast-' week by ilie Island steamer Suva that; J. Mortlemaris, of the famous White Rose (or Nueva Tigre) crew., who was tried for piracy on the high seas in April, 1909. was found guilty,.and sentenced to penal servitude for hie, hau been placed on board H.M.&. Cambriwrt at Suva- for Sydney. Mortlejnan's srtorv, as told afc the trial ill Suva, pas of tiio penny dreadful type. He pick- 1 ed up a living in London till he Mas eighteen years old ; he was steward on; various cargo boats, with. good, condutioj discharges -of consecutive dates tor next eight years; n, shipmate -\vvfch! Skerrett out to Caliao, with tlirefti months of time unaccounted for in tho' foreign port: shipmate again witn Skerret 011 the Nueva. Tigr& ; , that left Caliao under Captain Melis in .Novem-j bcr, 1907, with a mate, and Mettle- 1 mans and Skerrett as crow, and was; found with Skerrett by tho Laurel on. •the Wliito Hose, on Apamaua. Reef (Gilbert Group) in January, 19uo. _ Ac-I cording to Skerrett, who turned King's; witness. Captain ifelis and the matei wore attacked by Mortleinans with an j axe and a gun, and forced to jump j overboard when tho Nueva, Tigre_ was j some fourteen or fifteen miles off thecoast of Peru. Skerrett being so tei-i rifled bv Morfcleman's threats that ho j dared not to even throw planks over-j board lor the captain and mate. Nei-1 tlier of the men knew -anything of > navigation, smd, beyond throwing-the; cargo overboard and repainting 'tho ship, did nothing until winds and waves lander! them on Apamana reef—and, ultimately, in the hands of British lav,'. 1 It lias, it seems, been considered, by the authorities that the Suva gaol was hardly suited to Mortlema?:s. "At any rate, "Canada was approached as to her' ■willingness to take over the prisoner, l and some arrangement has at last been made for New South Wales to keep him in durance vile ua uu» uf tJiti Stata prison*

At- a conference of auctioneers in 'Wellington to-day strong disapproval was expressed regarding tie Sale of (roods Amendment Act to be introduced this session. The conference decided that tho Bill should be opposed. Slid characterised tho measure as impracticable and uncalled for. The auover, Mr Thornes. Auckland, declined it was legislation run mad. A committee was eet up to watch tho progress of the measure through _ the Houso. The conference also carried a resolution that it was desirable- that fill iand agents should ho licensed. One of the cares of the Chancellor 01 tho Exchequer, dealing in his Budget •with the tobacco duty, is the general habit of the retailer to refresh the herb with wator, ifrit-es bn; 11. >\. Lucy, ia the Sydney .Morning Herald."' The Local Government hoard is just now endeavouring to an incursion c£ vratur in another direction. An 'ingenious German chemist has indented a process whereby water can be. impressed into tho • bnttor-tub. ivKh the result oi considerably adding to the weight of its contents without altering their appearance. Not only is foreign butter thus imported in tons and sold at full price to tho unsuspecting consumer, but machines , that will enable tho looal dealer appreciably to add to tho weight of his- butter find a ready market. Assuming that tho water is clean, there is no damaging effect on public health. But. ; obviously, if the head of a household i wants to buy water, ho or- sho can ob,tsin it at a much less price per avoirdupois weight than is demanded for butter. The difficulty is that tho Statute Book does not contain any standard for pure butter that would meet this ingenious fraud, the earliest product of the twentieth century. Mr John Burns is making inquiries into tho matter, and means to_ devise, practical measures for protecting the public. It ia said that at one establishment in /the East of London sixty tons of this compound are prepared and distributed throughout the country, to be sold as puro butter. .

' Modification of the order for general mourning, which lias for six weeks lain upon London like a pall, is eagerly welcomed, says Sir Henry Lucy, in his letter -to tho "Sydney Morning Herald." Already one notices at private parties and in places of public asgembly distinct brightening of aspect. It.has been a depressing experience,, not alleviated by consideration of the circumstances of its enforcement. No one questions the genuineness _ of national regret at the death of King Edward. Had it been left to the public to manifest individual feeling r>y wearing mourning or abstaining, it twould have been an arrangement more 'consonant with ordinary usage. There is something repellant in the proclamation, in the formal language of the Gazette," that for a certain number days people Bhall wear mourning bf specified character. Such an ordinance smothers that spontaneity which alone. invests such a tribute with value. IXlie. wholesome revulsion of feeling Hgainst funereal trappings in the way jof .mutes and plumage, is, in many loases, carried to the extent of abstaining from wearing mourning in token of domestic affliction. Its compulsory •putting on for a dead sovereign dofeats the avowed object. -The hollowiiess of the thing was accidentally betrayed by the sympathy created for Lady Gladstone among lier sisterhood in London society. • On the eve of her departure for South Africa to share the honour of her husband's vice-regal position his brother-in-law died. For some weeks Lady Gladstone had had a small .army of dressmakers and milliners at work preparing costumes suitable for festive occasion.?. On the unexpected death of Mt Drew all this 'finery was set. aside,, and will, probably be out of fashion when the period bf mourning is over. ■ Salt tears of sympathy were dropped over the lady's plight, her sympathisers little thinking that there was in store for them close :at hand a similar discipline. It happened " that when* the new Governor--1 General and his wife reached Cape j Town mourning wa3 the only wear.