Local and General.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11740, 18 September 1902, Page 4

Local and General.

The steamer Ventura, which left Auckland on the 29th August, arrived at San Francisco on the 15th instant (due date).

The members of the Wanganui Rifles are lieminded of the fourth Morris-tube competition which in to be fired this afternoton and Saturday afternoou and evening. Handicaps are posted in the orderly room.

The public are reminded of the social amd dance to be held at Kaitoke to-night, when a hearty welcome will be given to everyone. A brake will leave Ohotoieley's stables at .7.15 sharp.

We give a final reminder of the welcome social to be held to-night in St. Paul's Hall to welcome Mrs Harrison Lee to Wanganui. We are asked to remind ladies who are giving provisions for the refreshments that the committee will be glad to receive them at the hall during the afternoon. The evening meeting will commence at 7.30.

The oldest working locomotive in the world is about to retire from business. It was built by George Stevenson for the Hetton Colliery, near Durham, and began running on November 18, 1822, nearly three years before the first public railway in the world was opened—the Stockton to Darlington. This nameless locomotive was made to draw a train of seventeen waggons, weighing about sixty-four tons, at a speed of four miles ah hour, up a rather steep gradient. After eighty years oi almost continuous service it is to be seen still at work at Hatton, the most ancient locomotive extant. Presently it is about to be retired and given an honourable resting place in the Durham College of science, Newcastle on-'J yne. On a level track the old engine could haul 120 tons at a speed of ten miles an hour. Of course it has been much mended since it left Stevenson's hands, but there remain some parts, notably the steam dome, actual parts of the original.

Even after applying the pruning knife to the military forces, the Acting-Minister of Defence will have to confess that there are still over 300 salaried commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers of the Commonwealth. One hundred are commissioned and 200 non-commissioned. Fe'eral members (says the Argu*), avljo have got out these figures, are amazed to learn that it takes 300 officers to direct the operations of Australia's pmall army in ipiping times of peace. Their astonishment is the more in that Switzerland boasts only the same number of permanent officers for her army. Including the militia, the Commonwealth can only put about 21,000 men in the field to-day, and Major-Gcne-rai Sir Edward Hutton's most sanguine estimate is that this force could be increased to 42.000 by mobilisation. Switzerland, on the other hand, 'has an army of nearly half a million men. Should the necessity arise, 2,000,000 men could it is said, be brought under arms. The Federal members who have instituted this comparison therefore may endeavour to further reduce the number of salaried officers1 in the federation.

Wanganui Oaaniera Club's exhibition thisa fternaon and evening. " The exhibition should not be missed. The Liedertafel will give their next concert in the Opera House on Wednesday, 15th October. We understand that a first-class programme is being prepared. A lecture in connection with' the St. John Ambulance Association will be held on September 27th. The lecture will be on "Home Nursing," and will be given in St. Paul's Hall. Apprettyi retty wedding ceremony, which was laigely aMended, wiaa conducted by the Rev. J. Cocker, a ( t the residence of Mr. Kench, London street, when Miss Kench and Mr. D. H. Anthony were united in .the bonds of matrimony. The happy couple were the recipients of a number of useful presents. After the wedding breakfast had been partaken of, the new-ly-married couple left by the southern express for their honeymoon trip.

A meeting to advocate the Bible in schools question was heild in the Sedgebrook Primitive Methodist Church on Tuesday, and addresses were delivered by the Revs. J. Cocker and J. C. Claipham. A unanimous vote was taken in favour of the movementj and a committee appointed to work the district.

Says the Post: "The unueual sight was witnessed in the Magistrate's Court this morning of a defending solicitor assisting to pay the hearing fee required from the p/aintiff before the case cculd T be gone on with. The case was aboxit to be set further down the liatt* to enable the plaintiff to get another shilling when tine solicitor objected to the delay, as he had an appointment, he wished to keep. 'You'd better lend him! the shilling,' said the Magistrate, and the suggestion wa ( s promptly adofpted and the case gone on with,."

Last evening at St. Paul's classroom, Mr. H. H. Pulling, who is on his way to the Argentine Republic, gave an address on mission'work in South America. He mentioned that in a population, of 40 millions, there were 552 missionaries. The la.rfe majority^if the people are without a Bible, never haying even seen one, but there is an increasing desire in many parts for it. The needs of Brazil, the Argentine and Bolivia were spoken of. In the last-named country there were two and a hallf millioiw without a missionary. In Buenos Ayres, the largest city in the S.oiu!tihlem Hemisphere, lijb witihi electric 'light, andi possessing every convenience, only about six or seven hundred hear the Gospel every Sunday. The audience were urged to take deeper -nterest in mission work. Mr. Pulling will speak again in St. Paul's Hall this afternoon.

The Navy Department is about to give wireless telegraphy an official test (writes the Chicago correspondent, ef the "Otago Daily Times.") Communication has been established between the Washington navy yard and Annapolis. Signals were exchanged in a preliminary trial. RearAdmiral Bradford, chief or the bureau of equipment, who has been energetically pushing forward the first tests of wireless telegraphy by the navy, is reticent regarding the results oi the preliminary tests, but it is understood that thef were satisfactory, and such as to give assurance of success in the official tests to be conducted by a board of five naval officers. The instruments used are of French manufacture, oE the Rochfort type. The distance by air-line between the 105 ft masts erected in the navy yard and in Annapolis ig a fraction more than 29 miles. The weather conditions were favourable. Some months a,go Lieutenant Hudgins, of the navy, was sent to Europe, to procure the apparatus of as many different systems as possible for experimental purposes. He returned about ten days ago with duplicate sets of apparatus of four systems. In the initial stage of the tests the question of interference from stray currents, which is one of the principal purposes of the tests, -remains undetermined. The other systems will be tested in succession, and a board which is to be appointed shortly will decide the merits of each and report to the Secretary of the Navy. The various systems will be tried at sea upon the warsitiips before a final conclusion is reached.

The situation as to the .position of British trade is summarised by the "Scientific America." That journal remarks that dm-ing the African war it was broadly hinted that British trade would decline. That wps at the moment of apparent reverses*. when nearly every pat>er on the Continent had an attack of Anglophobia. Despite these passing mosquito bites, the "Scientific American" observes:—"British trade, which has beeen somewhat on the decline for some time past, is now showing a sharp revival. The trade returns for the year 1901 show tremendous drops in the imports of certain raw materials for manufacture, aggregating some 3,000.000 dollars. Especially is this the case in connection with gutta-percha, the imports of which have declined about 40 per cent. The imports for raw materials for textile manufacture, however, on the other hand, show an increase of 10,000,000 dollars. In the shoe trade there has been great success in exportn to British South Africa, due to the militaiy demands. Elsewhere there has been a decline. Foreign imports of boots and shoes, however, have risen in the year from 3,473,490 dollars to 4.694.565' dollars. The returns do not show the separate countries from which the imports have come, but doubtless this country has supplied the largest share. With regard to the exports, construction of ships for foreign countries is abnormally heavy. Healthy advances were also shown in the manufacture of yarns: and textile fabrics for abroad. The foreign demand for apparel and articles of personal use showed a decided increase. British railway material is again in nearly as good demand as two years ago. The value of British locomotives abroad is steadily rising, anu the demand for English telegraph wire has grown by leaps and bounds, having increased considerably over 100 per cent, in two years."