LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 30 September 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho •Cabinet has approved of .a further subsidy of £1000 towards the cost of the Thames deep levels cross cut, on condition; that tho companies: (provide ia similar sum.

Intending exhibitors a/t the Uawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society's show, to be held at Hastings on October 16th and 17th, are reminded that entries for all classes close on Wednesday, Oct. 2nd. •

W iiilo engaged in the erection of a h;mse in Upper Wilson St. onSaturday morning, a gust of wind blew one of the walls over on to Mr Peter Thompson, senr., breaking a leg and knocking him about considerably. After being attended to by Dr Wall, the sufferer was taken to the hospital.

Wellington is the worst city in New Zealand for street rowdyism, said a Christchurch visitor to a "New Zealand Times" representative as a band of hoodlums went howling by. The police are' certainly very lenient with nocturnal disturbers of the ipeace (the writer continues). It is a pity that there are many young men in our midst who have no better use for their time than to roll about the streets singing ribald eongs. A few prosecutions might bring them to their senses.

The Hawke's Bay show has long been regarded as a cattle show par excellence, and the popular Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society is apparently determined to maintain this reputation. The cattle classes are such as should attract large entries^and this is not only with regard to beef cattle, but also dairy cattle, which are now becoming more (numerous in the Hawke's Bay province, and very soon wo may expect to see Hawke's Bay breeders holding their own with these breeds as they do with the larger cattle. Entries close on Oct. 2nd.

A solo competition for a medal presented by Mr Wood, jeweller, open to all bandsmen in the district, took place at the Mar ton Opera House last Wednesday evening. Five competitors faced tho judge, all of whom were members of the Ma-rton Junction Band. The results were as follows: Mr T. Barton, E flat bass, 45 points, Ist; Mr H. >McOoneliie, cornet, 43 points, 2nd; M<r J. Bridge, euphonium, 42 points; Mr R. Wat or worth, tenor, horn, 38 points; Mr A. Jackson, cornet, 37 points. The nidge 'remarked on tho winner as being a treat to -listen to. Mr Aitken presided as judge, to tho satisfaction, o? nil concerned. Another competition is being held for a B grade, next Wednesday week. These competitions should Ijo of great advantage and training to bandsmen of the district.

The practice of " following up" resulted, it appears, in at least one humorous lineident. According to a visitor 1o .Wai hi who narrates his experiences in tho "New Zealand Herald." some local humourist arranged that one of tho engine drivers, tho objects of tho Federation's hostility, should walk up and down the street until, as usual, a crowd, of strikers began to follow on hi-s -heels. Then the humourist and a friend joined him, and the three struck off into the country at a good pace, with the strikers still "following up: (t They tramped in this fashion for some six miles, until tho strikers beeran to realise that they were out of training. Then, at a bend of the road, the engine driver and his two friends were overtaken by a buggy from Waihl. They got into it, andas it turned back to town they opened up a nice little lunch —sandwiches and bottled beer, and so on —and began to enjoy themtafter the'r warm walk. The feelins« of the strikers when tbev rPm.T?.<5Ad tbat +hey were k't Tr»ilp«s from home. «vnd would have to ■"•.filk back, while their quarry was drivtina: back at his ease.

"Press."

Ai the sale Tof thoroughbreds by Messrs Freemam R. Jackson and Co. on -Saturday mprnnig. a. very iiioe twoyear colt by Maniapoto—Dear Dolly was sold on account of Messrs Webb Bros, j at £50, the buyer being Mr J. Hurley, j of Palmerston North. A three-year-old on aooount of the same breeders was. also sold. :At the Magistrate's Court on Saturday, before Mr W. Kerr, S:M., Patrick Lington, who was last week re- ' manded for medical treatment, -appeared U. answer a charge of drunkenness, and he was convicted and ordered to pay £2 2s 6d, expenses incurred during his retention, in default seven days' imprisonment. A second offending inebriate was fined 10s, in default 48 hours' imprisonment. " The people in the Taranaki electorate," said Mr Lindegreen on Wednesday night, "are more apathetic than they are here in Stratford. They take things as a matter of oounse. They, say, 'We're in office, and there's no need to take any action. "When elec-. tion time comes we'll just wake up and romp over them.' " Needless to say, the Reform League's organiser had no. sympathy with the dormant policy.— Stratford "Post.L' . ■ ; Edward Hawking was charged at the Auckland Police Court with the theft of a razor from an hotel. , He is reputedto have been four years in the Vancouver hospital being treated for consumpi tion. He worked ihis passage to New Zealand on the Makura, and signed off here with 10s.* which he coon spent. The Customs officials have arranged to have- the man returned to Vancouver by the Marama, and he left by that vessel on Friday might. Now and again a town band gets substantial recognition at the fends of a casual visitor. A recent visitor to Timaru was so delighted with the rendering of the march "tßesolute," played by the Garrison Band in that town, that he followed the bund to the bandroom and made a liberal donation towards the funds. The band honoured the visitor, who is & recognised musician, with a special selection by way of acknowledgment. A welcome home was extended to th*e Mayor of Pahiatua, Mr. W. W. McGardle, by the citizens on Friday evening, upon the occasion of his return from Australia after having undergone a successful operation. The welcome took the form of a social, and the Mayor was presented with an illuminated address and Mrs McGardle with a. handsome silver tea service, and & purse of ' sovereigns. Mr MoOardle has been identified with the borough 'affairs for the past twenty years, having served seventeen, years as a councillor and L three years as Mayor. Says the "Post":—r-The..witness was r from Glasgow, where he had worked as -a* shop assistant from 9 to 7 six days in the week for 325, a- week; he was now in receipt of 655. Yet he remarked, "I consider I was better off in Scotland." Tho remark was, made in the Arbitra--tion Court, and it led Mr. Justic Sim to ask,- "Why do you say that; what makes you say you were better off?" Witness replied that he believed What he said to be true. His Honour: "That is ridiculous, to say that you were better off with 325. a week, working every day from 9to 7, than 655. here." "I look at it this way," returned the witness. "I could say some money at Home; I can't save any here." "Yn have acquired more expensive "tastes," replied His Honour. "His nationality makes him look at the money in tha bank," suggested Mr. M. J- Reardon. The right of dairy proprietors to em-, ploy boys on their milk runs was the subject of a decision of Mr 0. C. Kettle, S.M., on Saturday morning at the adjoured hearing .or three 'cases brought up tho previous day by the inspector "of awards "(Mr E. W". F. Gohns) against Tansley and Barrows, F. J. Mollard, and A. Russell. His Worship partly upheld the contention raised" by the inspector m reference to the employment of boys, namely, that such employment , was barred by the Auckland dairy employore' .award, which expressly allowed certain employers to make use of the services of their own children, and therer by implied that other children might not be engaged. He held, however, that the custom of -employing boys to •assist the' milkmen had been showm-to bo one of long standing, so that possibly the defendants thought that they .had 4J- legal right to follow it. Breaches of tne award were rec&rded, but no penalty wa3 imposed. ... ... Apropos of the Wa'ihi strike, all W&ikino, except the pickets, as laughing at, an incident that occurred there '1116:. other night. Two typical sundowners, with swag and billy,, "blew im" from somewhere over, the hills. They expressed themselves (after- the manjrrer of their kind) as being anxious to get a job, but were obviously (also after th: ma.nner of their, kind) inwardJy terrified at the possibility, of. finding one. They were seized upon by the enthnß-"--astic strike pickets, fed and lodged, •and hospitably treated, ia>nd were given a sovereign to ensure their conversion to the principle of industrial solidarity. On Friday morning the sergeant of police in charge at Waikino asked them if they had work, and, being answered in the negative, in •«"+•"--I them to take their departure. They did so, joyfully, and there is more than reasonable suspicion that their references would not bear too minute examination. Waikino offers a fertile field just now for the dead-beat who knows tlie ways "f the strike pickets. A New Zealander recently in England (a well-known Wellington resident) who knows the Old Country fairly well, expressed his amazement to a represenitaitfve of the "Post' at the, changes in the country wrought by the motor car. The conditions of living had been affected by it to & very large extent. The old horse 'bus. 'beloved of the Colonial visitor, in common wath tho Londoner born and bred, had gone into the limbo of forgotten things. During his stay in London this gentleman interviewed did actually see some three horse 'buses, but Fhey were doomed to complete extinction. One 'bus company alone had now 3000 motor 'buses, and was about to put 1800 more on to the roads. Tho traffic was now much faster and the" delay caused by regulating street traffic had been greatly reduced. It was now a matter of but two or three minutes that a line of traffic was held u.n to let another motor 'bus cross its route. Then the motor'buses get under way at once and resume their journey without the loss of time on used by whipping up horses. The English country roads are an a splendid condition. The main roads are asphalted, which does away to a great extent with the dust, and makes motoring a delight. Then again, the motorist has real friends in the Automobile Club and the Automobile Association. For a small annual fee these institutions provide members with details of routes, maps, guides, and contour or grade charts, which «re of the utmost use to motorists. Then they provide scouts all over the popular routes. The duties of these scouts ore to warm motorists of police traps, and to render them any advice and assistance they may require. Fineerposts are erected at mil difficult point'"! on main routes, and are of incalculable use to motor tourist*. The n'ttfts by some districts in Britain were quite imoraeticable. Tho N«w Zealand provision that motors must not exceed «. reasonable speed was much more satisfactory.

A farmer In the Ashburton County reports a lambing percentage of 112 in his flock, but it is the general opinion that 120; has been reached in many cas- J^ es»-.■• : .> ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ • "To expose fraud and imposture, of J^H there are reasonable grounds for believ' ing it to exist, <ia the privilege, nay, t^ — v duty of the press, and if wo find tu^ press ifail to do this, then they at once*1 *—-*"*' sink to,, the level of American journalism, which Heaven forbid'"—Mr Justice Edwards at the Supreme Court at Napier on Saturday. Mr Percival, proprietor of i3w Opera House pictures, has' very kindly consented to give a benefit performance in and of the funds of the Dune Hill School. The benefit has been faced1 for .■■ •".;; the 25th inst., $nd a specially selected programme of high-class films will .fee"'. screened. The school is a new one, and consequently its ftnancdaft aoeeds^ - are considerable. The public,. always willing to help a good cause, will no doubt' extend liberal patronage om this occasion. We understond that tickets* for the benefit are now on sale. •&9JJOO ponojS Xrqsejj. jo .inoAwu pa^nSi^ - -•. -ep pu« 'BTno.rß eurj. suroiai uuoj pining m Suteg -a^noo yamb aqq. ,/dm«p ■, k j ,-