LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 12 August 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

' The "Wairoa Mounted Rifles will hod their annual bMI iri the "Waverley Town Hall on Frklay, September 11.

Mr J. Cullum yesterday filed with the Clerk of the Court a petition in bankruptcy; ' ; • "' .. ', ''•'■- '•- - - The latest'addition to the Telephone Exchango is Ko. 546, 'Mr J. MoFarlane s residence, Niblett •-. " • -; - \

Seats for " Facing-the Music." may be reserved at Messrs H. I. Jon^ and Son's, Limited. ; .; .;.

' The Commissioner of Taxes figured as the plaintiff in eight civil cases at; the Magistrate's Court yesterday niqrriingr the claims being against defaulting taxpayers. Tho amounts sued for varied from 9s 3d to £6 8s 2d'.. ,

Tho votes in the election for a member for'the Central Ward of the Wanganui Education District were counted yesteixUiy, when. Mr, F. M.: Spurdlejwas iVeleJat©dV:l?y ;»Kni^ority-or^l^rrTpi>es over ■ :3fLr IHofckly,- ofi/W^itttria TVest;! ■Tho voting was 146 and;-1?2 respectively ,':-there being-l^'informal votes. -

The committed..frpm,tho local bodies interestea in' the Town Bridge met Mr G. L.^Cook, engineer Public Works.Departniont/ yestei-day afternoon, when tho committee were informed that the Enginoer-in-Chief had ■. under. consideration a scheme whereby the -repairs to the bridge can bo carried out interfering .with the traffic.' ..:. ..' . .

A very enjoyable musical evening was spent at the Hospital last Friday. The following ladies and •" gentlemen assisted.:—Misses Boberts, Cannons, Barkeman, Allomes (2), Shearby, Hiimphreys. Mrs Sheafby and Messrs -.Cooko,--1 Short, Streartyy and Vincent. At the close ot the programme the matron and nurses entertained the performers to suppery which v/as thoroughly appreciated.

At tho Magistrate's Court yesterday morning the case of Levett Bros. v. B/ Sutherland was heard. This was a claim for £10' for chaff cutting. Defendant put in a counter claim for £12 fpr dam-, ages, whidi ho held he had sustained by reason of the plaintiff's failure to oomploto the cutting of a stack of st.raw. After hearing considerable evidence tho Magistrate gave judgment in favour of the defendant Sutherland for tho counter claim, together with costs.

A writ has been -filed by Mr O, A. Pownall, on behalf, of J. J. Kennedy, farmer, claiming from Serfjt, Miller the sum of £200 damages for defamation, of character and pei-sonal injury by removing the plaintiff from .the grand stand on tho Maeterton show grounds on- tho occasion of the Anglo-Wolsh-Wairarapa football match, in the presence of a large crowd of people. The caso i* set dowi* for Vi^arnisj at the sitting of tho District Court, 011 August 21st.

Tlio success of Mr Cliarles Saundere, the famous British tenor, in the Dominion is most pronounced. At the conchision of his Dunedin season lio was imxnediately Engaged!, by the; Choral ;Socioty for a three nights' festival, com-; li^-ncing 7th September. At.Christchtirch guarantees were forthcominsr for snoUier two nights, 10th and 11th Septqmber;'' and at jtimaru there, was also 'p. rcvchgageiriGnt for .the. 4th' cf ' the sam^/month. ■ Mr Bnbinders iini^h'ha at Ar.ck'and dn- tho 31st Auscust! «a he is being'ke.pt vV>ry. busj'. Tlio Wan^anui ix-eii^.V; in tho :■l9th and 20th Ar.gust a~o already exciting interest. .. , :

'Wlii-le driving to town, from TJpokorp;ai\> on Saturday morning Mr George j Harper and a lady passenger had an alarming experience. ': Whilo passing under the first-'-cliff above Upokongaro, j tho roa-d being at this point very narrow, the horse shied;- Tho laxly was thr-owri over the edgo cf- the river, bank,, landing in som<v trees. 'Sir Harper sue-! e-'Mskd -in keeping hokl • ef; tho horso t-)l tho isdy got dear, -but the' animal-, eventually capsii&r-d the- trap and itselfover tho bank. Tho horse and vehicle •\v«ro considerably damaged, but the occupants oi' tho trap escaped sorious• .-injuries'. It is to bb hoi>cd that tho rosponsible local body will fence this portion of tho road, and so prevent a repetition oF what might easily -have been a fatal accident. I

A weak kerosene emulsion, applied vrith a Pprayer, is the b«st remedy for llifl variety of blight known a-3 "foma," which in tho form of a fungus disease attacks turnips in New Zealand. This information was givon by Mr Kirk, GoY^Tiimont Biologist, to the' Farmers' Union Conference a-t-"Wellington. Continuing has remarks, Mr K-irk said that thoro woro four vflrieti«\s of bUelTt affecting turnips in Now Zealand last season. Thft I>»partment'.H observations showed that swede turnips wero not so liablo to attack as the ordinary whit© varieties. This statement ehVit-M from •Messrs Evans (Kaiapoi) and Itiddleton ("Waimahaka, Southland) the information that by personal experience they had T>roTcd "greon globes," a rariety of white turnips, to bo an oTcellent blight register.'

There is a genius unawares in Christch.ur.ch. Ho-is'usher at the Supremo Court. He has £ottl3d tha controversy about the unboalthineas of Bibk-kissrajr by providing a Bible covered wito* washable celluloid.

, A contemptible assault was committed at Dunedin on Friday night last week on a young man named" Ralph King. The "Star"- saya King had been discharged from the hospital only a few days, having been treated fora broken log. He was walking up Btuarfc Street, \uth the aid.of. two.sticks, when bo'was accosted by a man who asked him tho timo and then knocked him down and went through all his pockets. Hl3 leg was again broken, and ha was badly knocked about, go that he bad to b» again removed to the hospital.

Private advices have been received from Mr Edgar F. Stead, who, with a Wellington gentleman, bought the stranded whale at Okarito, Westland, and left g> fortnight ago with a party of friends to secure the skeleton. The task was one of great difficulty, for the whale measured 87 feet in length, and was estimated to weigh some 150 tons, while the fact that it had been dead for some five or six months made the work of getting out the' skeleton still more arduous. Mr Stead report* that his party have just Becuredth© •final item in the whale's anatomy, its skuil. One of the palate bone,? is missing, otherwise the skeleton.is .complete. . • 'TJio "Western Star," Riverton, reports a remarkable instance of the danger of lightning. At ten o'clock one morning abont a fortnight ago, a tlniaderstorm broke over Otaitai Busb, and a settler there had a startling experience. . It appears that during the progress of the storm ho and hft"wife wer* sitting at tho fireplace when the lightning struck the chimney, carrying away a number of bricks. In its "downward" courso it knocked a kettls off the book antl contumpd its way ont^by the <3oov, where it followed a steel wire, wliich was connected to some twenty-five or tmr<<y macrpca,rDa tjoetja,damaging pII *?&*? Pa^a'ar cxrt" clean off 20rt: from the ground. /Atvthe farther end of the fencetwb horsfaß we*© fmd* ing from"a box cojitainms: cßaff. This" was smashed to atoms, and an examination of the snot showed tuat ob© of tno horses had received a sbwk.: as it . nad falkb. The settler fcimself was renaered helpless for a few uioments, and naturally, when be came to, fee looked for his wife, who, in her friffht, rushed to her bedroom ,Where be discovered her covered with coot from -the 'chimney.-1-. " ,* • '<' ■'.. •■-.-•:

■ After October 23rd next the CSiiacso dt;siring to enter the Dominion of New Zealand will be required to Tpass a reading test which constitutes the perusal of English print ;to be^losfced, at; tlie>~^ discretion of the Customs: offtcei». It is V byheyed the tesh will prove a consider- : nblo obstacle to all Chinese; and tbs (celestial inflow will dv?indJa alinosfc to cessation. .The , foljowing «ireular I'as been issued to.-Collectors of Customs at the various ports, of New r 2^alaiidv b^ . the Department" of Trade and Cn#oms: •'Chinese Immigrants Act' Amen<2raent Act, 1907. Collectors will ba good : enongh to note that the abovtv quoted A.ct comos into qperation on the expiration of throe months from ihe flat© of tho publication of tbe Pr&Jainatkm appearing in the .N«w Zealsftd'CJaaistte of tho 23rd July, 1908.- Unless amended, tho Act will apply to all Chiiieso whether first arrivals in the Dominion -ov cot, who arrive after the tim^ specified, tut/thei, Goyerziment has a BJU 'UJjder consideration -J\so. .provide -exeßjption . ;. ironi: ;^b^;. 'reading :sssb- -flor>-. ■CJKjpi^^ at-• i^X :;:iFithiiT:- :^Ke: .' Dbnu^nv^l^^!^re^fo?^^;-r^ abroad mtKHKeiht«n^drfe*^ Jl^ , On;^he Bub^itr^^Ti^iihnian's ' cold. Ifath, a writGp: ['in. ; -^h« ."fiatai'day li«view" eaya :r-" I yiap [paying, many years ago in a French country lionse, and. had neglected to bring my tub.; 1 asked, for. one in tuQ marniDg. The .footman said ho would look, and pafin» Jbaclc Viii- triumph .with ok 6. * "What do they,do here?^1 I asked. 'Madame la marquise takes tho big bath regulaiJy onco a month.' 'And ltoinsier''le;lfsrquia^l a6ked. 'Ho never usee it. 3 fit ,wo : uld, however, be"-a mistake''to/im--agino_ ivcm' this that Frenchmen ari not .aa..elean as we ai«. "J^iis honor of th« •;tub is i not neceasarily an objection t<> oloanlinesa. The Frenchman washes .himself in oompcutmeniss-, under the iinpressioa that, the water .wfeieh cleanses ;6n9 ( pai-fe of his body Las fulfilled it* fluty, and must not bet'used for another; It is a long aiid tedious process; iiid«©d, a Frenchman; once toldr m© h* could not finish his toilcfr und*r an Botir, j and a half; but in tho long yon lie 5» a* ; cJeiiTi.. ii ; r-ot deanar, ib'an tv© are, It is, howqv^i-;, a- ta.rribl^- wasto : «; :simv. jI 3? nl. o^ J.rench.b-sn.ses the Uih lias nuvr; tcf. tho horror of all th^'tbopc conm^ri--tiro French, become an issiifcufcion; but theroaio many lsft whem it is as w f ,ll to 09 provided against OTa'cTgoaeics." A. Wellington officer will ehcy^y « a tent a bullet, planning torifc that o&ed - with tho service rifle and «a?t>idge If will_ exceed in velocity say ljuDet erer Qsed and so r-volationisp mnskeiry. fho bullet, says tha "Times?; will xfiffer from the ordinary .303 eKJy io iii» extent that both ends vt>i\l lie pointed— that is, it 13 to b3 shaped like a torpedo —tho end in iho' cartridge to have a bedding of wax in order to g>vo th*. cordite the same driving fokie expends:! on tho bullet now irv usu. The bcw bul- | let will-bo of equal weight *a«h end. and it is this point, accordms; to the / inventor, whreh will give ifc its great '- ; velocity. Aeked what special adTrants.«p - ' !■ this increased velocrtry. weuld beto i;S» . ; 9oldier,: tho officer said ih&i ik, y^iltt •■;■■■ give a flat tra.}ectory—^.tbat-'is to -say, : tho user .of. a rifle :wouMI ibe. blank, and-without; raising «i"bta at ■■s)*#■'■ Gxtrenio^ or ar.y,-.;qlhe-v i;ahj?« ef . feis " rifle. ■! The danger .line wmi id ihirs %• from the _mu^p;,o|vshb tjft;;. ta ih+ pxti-eme limit of,^h§ iangc. la. carved ' . txaieetoiry. at l-ong ranrje»s "ihe. ..da.KJa;}- f. •lino i-i Very smsirindeul.. -'She -yoiatttil : bullet would: bo even ■.',nit\vs Jiaui^* ■'-. than the ordinary .303 y 'wpuia^if^Tjet. . a: smaller, ami less daja'^ci'ous.wound «n . account, of, the Jextrieiße: yefoeitsv, &Bd. its lesser area at the c:Wsis";os*'V :eyrd.. Mrs Besaiitieels '-rallies fvtpcjngJy on ..tho Asiati'j immiKT-atiari:' ij'oes.'iaa. :«Sli»-. '.told a Lytv<-lton,:''Times": "va^crixir. vhat f-ho'qnit? unt!crsto'^J'i-(lva^ sonso. -pesirie-

tion .might bo necessary in tno ja-bouj' market,, bufc.she exprerisrxi .an opmion ; that it. iR-ouk! bo a goocl thingsJj? |jgg«..iMo, to allovF.; <ida«atecl.^nd^wcll :ta-drt .nativefi or India tp.trave] feoeJv in rthV Dominion; "1 think," 5. ahe.saiil," ■ l*fJ»a.t it is a mistake to malce- iha iir>t> ci <Brisioii a line of CDlour, as colour is *», mattor of .climate. . A coloured vaoa is »r>t noctsssariiy an inferior ra/0.. Th*> I»----•ilian3, of toursf 1. are • highly civilUetl. Tho lower olasFe.3 oi: India «.>-o TrH>>>civilised ihan i}i« 10-c^.r <•}».'*j--\s y^ns^l&nci, Australia, or New ZcaJai.o. Tlitr* is not so mnch violeiKy- and dh r«iikra>ness amonsrst them. Tfu^y a.»o mncli more refined. I have »q luilkui friend'

who wished to fame witl'i mo on nay present mission, but I tpotiW not ja.llow him to do so, be-L-auee be .wouJd fee txantinually exposed to insutt:."