LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, 15 August 1901, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A quantity of interesting reading matter will be foun3 on the first page of this issue. King Edward, at Hamburg, invested Count Waldersee with the Military Grand Cross of the Bath. At Hawera yesterday E. J. Archibald was committed for trial on several charges of tho misappropriation of monies of the Hawei'H. Dairy Factory Company. •A meeting of the officers of the local boating clubs is to be held at the U.B.C. Shed on Friday evening, for the purpose of discussing matters re Regatta. Association. Applications are invited in another column by the Patea-Wanganui Charitable Aid Board for the position of male attendant at the Jubilee Home. Conditions of appointment may be seen at the. Board's office. Christchurch merchants, following the example of Wellington and Auckland importers, made extensive clearances of bonded stocks of tea and candles yesterday, one" firm paying £700 duty on these lines in anticipation of an increase of tariff. We are requested to state that the handicaps for the Licensed Victuallers" Steeplechase, to be run at the Hunt Club Meeting next week, were made and published in error, as the race is to be run at a. standard weight of 12sb 71b, owners up. Owners will please take note of above. A petty thief, with a taste for lollies, made himself en evidence at a local confectioner's last night. He went into a refreshment stall immediately behind the shop window, and took advantage of a favourable opportunity to steal some fifteen srillings' worth "of jujubes from the window. The second grand concert of tho Vf-nn-ganui Liederkranz is to be given this evening at St. Paul's Hall. The programme, which appears in another column, is an unusually attractive one. A largs-intmbtT of tickets have already been disposed of, so that a good house is assured. Ticketholders are requested to be seated by 3 o'clock, so that there may be no delay in opening the concert. Arrangements are being made by the Railway Department to test the question whether Baldwin locomotives are greater consumers of coal than the New Zealand and British-made engines in use in the colony. Three engines will be run out of Christchurch for 100 miles and back under similar weather conditions, and each will be required to diraw about 150 tons of gravel. ■ The annual report of the Victorian Government Freezing Works show that while the vo'iime of exports. of, perishable products decreased owing to the bad season the value increased. The total value of the exports of perishable articles was *>£,- -234,000, and the value of milk and its products over three millions.

Last Tuesday evening the Baptist Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society held their fortnightly meeting. The new pi-esi-dent (Rev. A. Dewdney) was in the chair. The business of the evening was the reading of the "Comet," a yearly publication by the Society. This proved very interesting and instructive. The next meeting tnkes place on August 27, when there is to be a debate on "Cremation versus Burial," in which the Society will meet: all comers.

As the result of an accident at the Ingestre Street railway crossing yesterday morning; Mr M. Ansley, baker, of Victoria Avenue, had the misfortune to lose a valuable horse. The animal was being driven from a, paddock, and in attempting to cross the line as'the 7 o'clock train was passing through, it was struck by the cow-catcher and hurled across the cattlestops, receiving injuries from which it succumbed. The boy, who was riding a horse r.iid leading another animal, had a narrow escape, the engine jusb grazing the horse he was riding. This crossing is a particularly dangerous one, and the wonder is that accidents do not more frequently occur there.

Mr L. Spurdle, one of the staff of Mr G. K. Hall's grocery establishment, has decided to start in business on his own account. Mr Spurdle has been connected with the shop he is now leaving for many years, latterly with Mr Hall and formerly with Mr G. Caiman. Prior to severing his connection with the establishment, he was made the recipient of a handsome walking-stick, silver-mounted and inscribed, the presentation being made by Mr Hall on behalf of the staff. Mr Hall's eulogistic remarks concerning the recipient were endorsed by Mr Caiman. We understand that Mr Spurdle takes over the business now carried on by Mr Beavis.

The funeral of the late Mrs H. A. Arthur, of Hawera, took place yesterday, the deceased being buried at Patea in accordance with her dying wish. The deceased lady, who was 73 years of age, was at one time a well-known resident of Wanganui. With her husband and family, she left here some 23 years ago for Patea," where she lived for some 20 years, taking up her residence in Hawera a couple of years back.' Only a month ago Mr and Mrs Arthur celebrated their golden wedding. The deceased leaves a grown-up family of four sons and four daughters, viz., Mrs Jas. Williamson (Kakaramea), Mrs Alex. Aitkeii (Marton), Mrs W. Williams (Meremsre), Miss Alice Arthur (Hawcra), and Messrs Charles and Fred Arthur (Wanganui) and William and Alfred Arthur (Hawera).

It is notified for public information that tho Hon. the Commissioner of Trade and Customs has decided to interpret the Customs and Excise Duties Acts in relation to -tb|e under-mMitioned articles as follows:—Academy boards: As artists' canvas, free. B«nzoline: As benzine, free. Books, ruled, for teaching book-keeping: As stationery, manufactured, 25 per cent. Cricketing bags of leather: As leather bags,. 20 per cent. Cricketing bags of carpet: As carpet bags, 25 per cent. Mineral colza oil: As kerosene, free. Plaquet grips set in calico, braid, or galloons : As minor articles, free. "Premier fasteners :As minor articles, tree. Royal Scrolls (a series of scriptural pictures on nil's) : As fancy goods, 20' per cent. "Plastiu Box Toe," material for stiffening ihe toes o? boots: As a. and m.s. free. Rakes, ga.iden: As agricultural implements, free. Rake and hoe combined : As agricultui-al implements, free. Stencil patterns, of caid: As n.0.e., free. "Torpedo" rabbit exterminator: As a.0.c., fgree.

"Tom Hood" is the subject of the lecture to be delivered at the Museum Hall tomorrow evening by the Rev. H. R. Dewsbury, in connection with the winter evening series.

At a meeting of the Joint Committee of the Caledonian Society and Highland Rifles last evening it was decided to fix the date of the ball for September 27th, and the price of tickets as follows: Double ticket iOs 6d, single gentleman 7s 6d, and single lady ss. Tickets will be out hi a few da,ys, and will be distributed to members of both bodies.

The visit of Madame Belle Col© to Napier is being looked forward to with much interest in musical circles, and Thursday's concert at the Theatre Royal is likely to attract a large audience. Madame Belle Cole is unquestionably one of the greatest contraltos of the day. Those who heard her when she toured New Zealand seven years ago will remember her phenomenal range, and her voice is now said to be at the very zenith of its beauty and power. Mr John Prouse, who accompanies Madame Cole, has been heard here before, and those who recollect his fine singing on former occasions will be pleased to renew their acquaintance with him on Thursday.

It is scarcely necessary to remind our readers of the song recitals to be given by Madame Belle Cole and Mr John Prousc next week. The "Otago Daily Times," speaking of a recital given in Dunedin recently, says: "An exceedingly excellent programme was presented, and it was gone through in a manner that afforded all present an evening's entertainment hereafter to be reflected upon with feelings of genuine pleasure. M&dame Cole possesses a contralto voice of remarkable purity and power. Her range is very extensive, and while the notes of the upper register are clear and sweet, the lower register notes are full, rich, and of rare quality. Her method of singing naturally is artistic to a degree, and the interpretation' of her songs never failed to elicit the most fervid demonstrations of approval. Of Mr John Prouse it was early made manifest that his voice retains all that vigour, sympathy and sweetness of timbre that make his songs such an enjoyable^ feature. His interpretation of the solos allotted to him was successful in an eminent degree."

One of; the most daring robberies of recent times was conducted in Montana on July 3rd, when three maskeS highwaymen, operating in old-time style, held up an express train and succeeded in getting away with 83,000d01. According to the American correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, one of the robbers boarded the baggage car at a watering station a few miles from the scene of the hold-xip. When the train reached the place where his confederates were lying in wait in a ravine alongside the track, he pulled the bell-cord, and as the train slowed down climbed on top of the tender, where, with rifle presented, he forced the engineer and fireman to abandon their posts. . The confederates went through with their part with quickness and despatch. They overpowered the express manager, and then, when one of them dynamited the safe, the other sent bullets whizzing past the coach windows as a warning to any passenger who might be disposed to interfere. When they had' secured theTnoney they backed off clown the track to a place where their horses were- in waiting, and then made for the Bad Lands, where escape was easy.