Local and General.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11746, 24 September 1902, Page 4

Local and General.

A society for the promotion, of Bible reading in .schools has been formed at Feiiding.

Mr Henry Okey, chairman of the Taranaki County Council, at the request of the Farmers' Union branches has consented to contest the Taranaki electorate.

At & meeting at Wellington yesterday of the creditors of T. J. Brome, dairyman, the debtor failed to put in an appearance, and it waa decided to prosecute him for contempt.

The latest world-benefactor (says the London "Daily Express?') hails from New Zealand. He claims to have invented a new fire extinguishing fluid1, with which he proposes to put out all active volcanoes before they have time to do really serious harm ; that is to say, whenever tihey show signs of a new outburst.

Alleged over-ciowding on Borough lea.se; holds was discussed at last night's meeting of the Borough Council. An, application for the transfer of one of the sections in Smiley's Paddock was made, and in discussion it was stated that the conditions imposed by the Council when leasing the sections had not been observed. It was laid down that no house should be erected within three feet of the boundary of a section, but some had beeix built on the boundary, while others had been built within a few inches of the boundary. It was resolved that the Reserves Committee report to the next meeting of the Borough Council.

We do not remember having seen a better display of sporting requisites than we saw yesterday in Messrs H;. I. Jones and Son's window. Since, the firm accented the agency foe J. Wesden, the famous cricket bat maker, the trade, in this department has gone ahead by leaps, and bounds1. M:t A. E. Trott selected the bate, and Messrs Jones and Kton inform us that many of our leading icricketetrs have examined them and are of opinion that Trott not only knows how to iplay, but how to choose a bat. In addition to cricketing material, the display embraces lawn tennis requisites, fishing tackle, croquet, ping-pong, etc. The centre-piece of the display is a large photograph of the employees at Wisden's cricket ball factory. Seated among them is the greatest cricketer the world has ever seen1.

Mr J. G. Woon writes to say that an absurd mistake has been committed by those in Wellington who considered thai; "the cable from Ban Francisco re the wreck of the 'Southern Cross' is a repetition of news given some time ago of the wreck of the U.S.S. Co.'s steamer 'Mawhera.,' which used to be named the 'Southern Cross' "—

as stated in a paragraph in yesterday's "Chronicle." Mr Woon, who knows: th« Mawhera's history well, says that she was? never named the Southern Cross, but has a'!l along been the Mawhera. iShe was originally owned by the late Captain Wil j Hams, of Wellington, who* sold her to the U.S.S-. Co., and she used to run between Wellington and Greymouth. calling at Nelson and Westport, when Mr Woon was Collector of Customs at Greymouth. Shq went ashore at the llast-named port in 1886 or 1887. and was some months afterwards safely launched across the shingle beach into the river Grey, refitted at a cost to. the company altogether of about £13,000. and resumed her running as before, for some time under the command of Captain H. E. Hui again, who was master of her when she went ashore. The stranding, however, was no fault of the master, as the Marine i-apartment, after the inquiry into the casualty decided. Captain Hill's certificate was subsequently returned to him. From the foregoing it will be seen that the Southern Cross, recently wrecked at Fiii. could not : possibTiy have been identical with the Mawhera. which was also wrecked there about tlires months ago.