LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 8 September 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"During the; week ending- Saturday,--"September'sth, 503 people visited the Museuml .'; .^-.^ . - ,-.. .':'

, A meeting of the 'Management Gomr .mittee. of the Wanga'niu'llugby Union will be held at .7. ; 3Q..this / ,ievening. "\'" . ' y . The sitting^ of' 'tli_dtSupreme Court concluded :on Saturday . evening. The sessions were extremely busy, the Court having sat:utt£s>a late houi every day. A largg number of civil cases were dealt' with, and not a few decisions have been reserved.

We 'notice that the..^pi;ough Council have erected two orriaiy&ital gas lamps at the/t6p of the steps-leading -to the Museum. This is;MSblgSimprovement on the old order of/things, and will be appreciated by those" w&o patronise the Bulb Show next week.^ *

Educationists in Dunedin who exercise their enthusiasm' as' -members of school committees (says-the Dunedin btar j view unfavourably: the Education Act Amendment Bill in its present torm.. The clauses relating to the powers of school committees, especially as regards a voice in-the appointment of teachers, are considered very unsatisfactory Several of the leading spirits, whose dissatisfaction is'sti boiling point, are discussing the advisability of school committees resigning 'en ma£6e," as a protest against the limitations which will be imposed upon such educational bodies if the Bill in ifc present form is placed on the Statute Book.

The troubles of the back country sheep farmer (says the "North Otago Times" i_ have been manifold this winter. ,On one station in the Upper Waitaki all the oilcloth has cracked with tho intensity of the cold. Mustard, milk, and everything in a liquid form but spirits has turned solid, and has to bo thawed but before consumption. At one station the- gutter betweenl two roofs was filled with snow, and after a thaw and the subsequent transformation into ice the-succeeding thaws ran down into one of the unoccupied rooms, and before the inmates realised the pdsition the'room was partly filled with a great mound of ice that developed come engineering ekill before its was5 shifted.-

Tuesday's " Ofcago Daily Times'? saysSister Alice (Miss Bowman), the; matron of the Karitane Baby Hospital;: is' detained in Palmerston North untiithe Supreme Court trial there in connection with the case of the baby which'is said to have been abandoned at Wanganui: The case will be heard early next week. We understand -that the report telegraphed from Wanganui to the effect that the baby was admitted to the Karitane Home on an undertaking to pay a shilling a week was erroneous. The sum of 10s. a week was promised and duly paid. ■•■■.•■•- v ■

The Rev. B. Hutson will deliver a lecture entitled " Present Day Social- ; ism," in the Eastbrook School-room on Friday evening next, September 11th, at 7.30. As showing that the rev. gentleman is thoroughly 1 conversant with the subject, we may mention that in 1888 he competed for the Fraser prize of £100 for the best essay on Socialism, and devided the prize with 'the Rev. J. McGregor, D.D., now of Oamaru, formery Professor in New College, Edinburgh. The prize was open to competitors in all parts of the. Australasian Colonies. In all 14 essays were sent from the different colonies. Principal Kinross, D.D., of Sydney, Professor McCallam, of Sydney University, and the Her. J. T. Henderson were the judges, and they decided that the essays were equaL and divided' the prize according-, ly. The lecture on Friday evening will be brought up to date, and should prove exceedingly interesting. None should miss the opportunity of hearing it delivered. A charge of Is will be made. The proceeds will be devoted towards paying for the seats in the New Presbyterian Church, Eastbrook.

Members of the Irish Rifles are reminded of the battalion. 7 parade this evening, ;,' Owing to Mr Cohen's absence from, town the Choral Society will not hold a practice this evening. The following is Captain Edwin's, weather forecast to 3 p.m. to-day:— Strong westerly winds are probable, and rain in most parts, with a falling barometer. " ' Competitions for table decorations, will be included among other amusements to be held at the Bulb Show,, which is to eventuate in the [Museum. Hall on Friday and Saturday. Residents of Springvaie will hear with, pleasure that tne Waitotara County Council yesterday decided to fill up the* [ drains on the side of the road, and thus, widen the thoroughfare. Up to date,. £6400 has been collected for the Dunedin Anglican CathedraL Building Fund, and £3000 has been promised. The foundation stone wilL be laid in June, 1910. . The Southland Trades and Labour: Council resolved that the Council cannob see its way to endorse the request of the Canterbury Trades Council lor the. removal of Mr. Justice Sim, but congratulated Mr. iMcCulloch on having, issued an outspoken minority report. The foundation stone of the new- premises for the Christchureh Young-Stan's. Christian Association was formaliy^laid yesterday afternoon (says a press wire> by the Hon. George Fowlds, Minister for Education, in the presence of a. large and representative gathering. Afterwards the foundation stone of the Boys' Gordon Hall, which will be a portion of the Y. M. C. A. building was laid by Mrs J. Cracroft Wilson. T he ."Otago Daily Times" reports that a couple or more belated roysterors met with such a warm reception at the hands of a resident of a Dunedin suburb in the small hours of Sunday morning that they will probably reraember.Jhe experience for some little time. -JNot content ;with throwing gravel at the they attempted to climb the and- appeared to be making ; gQpd>tprogress in that direction when - suddenly a couple, of shots broke upon of th^: nighty followed by a ;bus3^^hreat, whien r ;Jeft doubt *in ttiej&ainds of the marauders that there tvery^angry man on, the premises; iteming the fact witEfalacrity, the urif^lc/ime visitors hurriedly decamped; 'gM&X «aj«4an oW; mari's! lifS '■&&& mi& (Canterbury) last week. The ancient, beymour- by name/ was" th*4 occupier of T a house which was burned down. He had given w>riie attention to his fire about midnight, alter which ne retired, but he was awakened an hour later by his cat brushing against,his face, and acting in a strangl and unusual manner. This he took no notice/of at first, but as the "cat* con^ tinned its conduct, after being pushed ■ ftsKie he aroused himself and'~d:eoover©a'that the house was on fire. There - wa^^iist time to make a hasty eeicape, hut was isoon in ashes, 'r The who is very frail and in bad was taken to the. hospital.^ ; 'sp^feapj>lication for the use 'of the -J>«SoWlymoiith Recreation Ground for :^2^aibition football match on 10th rbenttanber under Northern Union rules received by the oommitffcee #&ntrolling the ground. As the N;ZI ■'£J»»g^ Union Had provided a large sunjVjpf money for the improvement of & was consulted. Strong oftfection was expressed by the union rto • ;4w6<ifl?e: <>f the.-; groundbeing-granted #9f ™s I^orthis^: Union teanfc 'and^S ;W«ig VMfQ ; gi% T:?groun!a tKPuidcprobably be disqualified for amaT^tiSanatches if so let.' As rio other \ g£°unds are available, there abpeara to *l%ipfte chance of the Northern Union gamevheing played in New Plymouth on tne.^date 'requested. . ?>^be: Chinese are trying hard to staffiP out the opium smoking habit, and a^ion-commissioned officer of the Sixth Division of the Leichun, who was detected in the act, was sentenced to decapitation^ The condemned officer was removed to the execution groundiiad when he was about to be beheadexjitlie whole of the troopa belonging to the division knelfc down before General Wang^ahd begged him to spare the life of the unfortunate man, as he was only using opium as a medicine. The general, in commuting the death sentence, said "that the use of opium was strictly prohibited among the military, and he informed the assembled troops that if any man were found using it he would (immediately be beheaded. In this case tho offender was sentenced to 3600 blows, and dismissed the seryics.A young lady, Miss Emily Barrett, of Maryborough, Victoria, recently suffered from a complaint which prevented her from walking without the aid' of crutches. She had1 been under treatment by a local doctor for some time; and had made good progress. A few weeks ago it was deemed advisable toput her leg in plaster of paris, and instructions were given to procure.an iron boot to support the limb, which was contracted to a considerable extent. One evening Miss Barrett was sitting on a chair inrthe dining-room when, a very peculiar feeling came over, her. She said that she thought she was going to famt. The sensation soon worked off, and when it did the girl, who had been crippled for over eight months, got up from the chair and subsequently walked to Dp Deane's residence to inform him that .there, was no. need for the iron boot. ■ ■:. ■;.. ■' ■■■'.- ■•.-■■ ' ■■•.. ■: i \- r -\;.- Air American eeaman strolled into one-, Pf toe police stations the othe.r night teays-the "Sydney Morning Herald!^ Su^ k "™*? *!*«<><«»;■■' %is balanced doubtful. He carried his luggage in his: jumpeiy "Sa-a-y;» he drawled,-'levant to know about your buggy fares: Haow much IS a paoiind and haff a pabund?'* He pulled a long stuffed fctOcking-ptji^ out of his. jumper, emptied gold' triad silver on the table, and poi^efout tne; coins. shillings," said me^ori-' stable in charge. " "Like: tliese. Uovr !?Ft dld he drive you for. Htat?"' Abaout a btock and a-half, M; Said the/ sailor. "It eeems .':& lot; of money, but I don t. care if it's anywhere near."' You paid him about thirty times too> much," remarked tie constable. Tho seaman considered tne matter. Then said: "X I ever meet/that buggy: driver, I'll make him wi'sfr Amurr^ was never discovered. That's a dead sure thing," •■After eome.:conversation Jack was offered a shakedown in th©. station. "Napw that's a friendly offer, " tie said, "and so——" he rummaged in hisjumper again, and finally discovered | a whisky bottle, nearly full. A corkscrew failing, he knocked the head off with a neat light tap, but in presentingit with shaky hand it fell and smashi^,Jac'i surveyed the ruins, and" Rmelt the odour in a Thoughtful silence. Perhans it's all for good," he Temarked at last. "It'll make less troublethere than where it would have gone? that s sure." "But there's smell enough bo break my.reputation." objected the constable. "Seems a pity to have had no rim for your money." More conrersation, as the seaman began to turn his jumper inside out, depositing liis portables. "Look here." he said, "thnt little pool over at Auckland was right enough, and so was the way they welcomed us, but this here harbour, and this here welcome—well, why, it's a— it's n— a thundering Rip Van Winkle. Yes, sir: that's what it is—sure!". '.j#~