LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11635, 12 August 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A very old ' Maori' chieftaihess named Merekuru died at Paeroa last week. She was -the head of the Paeroa natives, and owned a considerable quantity of land in the district. The Maoris-, declare that she was over 100 years- old; but tnis is probably an .exaggeration. From what old identities 'say, she' was probably about 95 years of age. An. indication that the Agricultural College at Gatton (Queensland), is fulfil, ling a great part of its mission, is given in the number of students who go upon the land. Out of 146 who have had a course of two years or more, 67 are engaged in farming and dairying, 39 in dairying, 20 in agriculture, six in horticulture, five in station work, and five ara chemists. M. Bretton, the French engineer, who had charge of the FrenclTend of the Channel tunnel before its abandonment some years ago, declared recently, in an interview, that he expected that work on the tunnel would be resumed in a very short time. International negotiatons it is stated, are now in progress for the resumption of the work, and all is in readiness on the French side to begin at once. The buildings and machinery at- Sangatte have been maintained in , perfect condition. - M. Bretton said the tunnel could be completed in from three to five years; A strnge result of landlordism, is' report ed from Bartdykes, Lanarkshire (Scotland). The ground landlord, presumably -'a i proud and bloated capitalist, declined to renew the lease of" Messrs Merry and Cunninghame, who have been working the ground for coal these many years. The closing of the coal pits means that " a village of workmen's affording accommodation for 600 miners will be razed to ,the ground." What a fine progressive- paradise of the working man is Britain! But how rich it is in spite of its big landlords T On the same day that "the closing of Merry and Cunningname's pits was decreed another 1500 acres of^good house /coal were practically proved at the Bur-ton-on-Trent colliery, which provides the noble Earl of Carnarvon with visible means of support. The new discovery is reckoned to represent an addition of 150 years to the -life »of the Carnarvon mine, and so "there is great rejoicing in the .district." The inhabitants, revel in the thought- that their descendants unto , the third and fourth generation will be able to toil at digging wealth for future earls from the bowels of their family estate. They don't want any Socialism They work for reg'ler wages, and feel grateful to the landlord who allows them to do it. — Bulletin.

Edison, America's greatest inventor; told an interviewer last" month ' that, in his opinion, radium was likely, to be as cheap as coal one of these days, and its possibilities defied imagination. Asked what he considered the- meet' wonderful' thing in the scientific world now being 1 developed, Edison replied: "Wireless telegraphy, beyond doubt." He said that the British companies were absolutely right in adopting Marconi ? s system, and the feat of the Atlantic liners, equipped with his apparatus, in keeping up communication with shore throughout their journey, wea very remarkable. He believed - that wireless telegraphy was still in ''its infancy, and that Marconi would perfect' it' within a few years. In. «v short time. be.considered that there, would.be no' more difficulty in using a wireless system ; between New York and- London, than in using tlip cable. It should be just as easy' to send twenty messages at once over wireless, .a 9 it is now to send one "over by, cable, and at a rate of 1000 words a minute. At the same time Edison did not think the. cables would be. superseded by the. wireless ays. tern. Business, he- considers, will only be) increased for both wireless and cable comV panics.- just as the telegraph and telephone; now supplement' each other. -.'■■, , ± :

Maeterton Bowling Club has a membership of 119. It is stated that on- the Flaxbourno Road waggons sink in up to the axles, and the skids float along in the slush. It took two bullock' teams the other day to haul a load through some bad places. An example to those children who avail themselves of any pretext to stay away from school was recorded at the Aiickland Education Board meeting the other day by a report from Miss H. Hunt, teacher at Piako Valley school, who stated that on. July 18 two Maori girls swam across a flooded creek rather than turn back from school. The number on the roll at this school is 21, and the average attendance for the month was 18.9.

The intention of the New South Waleß Government to establish a permanent labour farm near Mudgee is naturally attracting much attention, but until the de. tails of the scheme at© made known the people of the district ar© withholding their judgment on tho wisdom of the proposal. Much, of th© land is suitable for wheatgrowing, and some of it for dairying, while a considerable area is suitable for vine and fruit growing. The area of the rescrre is about 9000 acres. Inventors are invited to compete for two Srizes offered by tlie Associazione degli Inustriale d'ltalia, as follows: — .£333 and a fold medal" for a nevr, method to prevent anger which, may arise from; contact of high -tension with low tension wrdpping at electric rotary current transformers; and, second, .£2O and a gold medal for a simple, Btrong, and reliable safety devico for stopping cars running on an inclined plane, m case of the -breaking of the wire? cable. The device must be capable of adjustment to ordinary cable roads now in use.

The Tasmanian Agricultural Department has received account sales for the Tasmanian poultry sent- to England early in the present year. . Fowls sold as ? high as 6s each, and. averaged .7s 7d per pair, ducks 3s 6d each, and .goslings 4s each. The poultry was stated to be equal to the best America and Canada could produce, and the opinion was expressed that 20,000 birds could be disposed of next season at a remunerative price.

"Please write. to me". I. am. lonely afte* 1 three years in the Philippines, and I don't know anyone in New York State." Having written this message and his name and address on a. soldier's biscuit, Private Otis C. Rider, who was returning by train to Plattsburg Barrack's, New Y6rk, threw it at the feet of Miss Estella Smith, who was standing at -the door of -her father's farmhouse in Ulster County. That was a year ago, but a correspondence followed, says the New York World,- and the wedding has just taken' place.

At Auckland recently a man was charged with a brutal assault on a married woman, a perfect stranger to him, whom he had asked .to go for a walk. He struck her with a stone and otherwise maltreated her. He pleaded guilty to a common assault, but Mr Kettle, S.M., had the charge altered to one of inflicting bodily harm, and sent the brute to the Supreme Court, remarking that the penalty (six months) which it was in. his power to inflict was totally inadequate. In the Supreme Court on Monday the man was sentenced to three year's- imprisonment, Judge Edwards remarking , that -he was sorry he could not alao order the "cat." - 'Electrical energy is' making fairly rapid strides in its various uses in New Zealand, consistent with demand. Electric lifts form a most convenient application, if worked off a central supply, since no machinery attendance is necessary. Messrs George and KersleyV electric, elevator i& the firsi passenger elevator to be operated off the tramways service, says the Wellington Post, and will shortly be followed by passenger elevators in the Bank of New South Wales, Bank of Australasia, the new D.I.C. building (three elevators), and Wellington Building and Investment Company. Au. interesting feature in, connection with the matter is the replacement shortly of a gas engine and electric generator electrically driven plan • at the New Zealand Eailways Building in this town by a directly driven electric elevator gear off the tramways current. All of the plants referred to above will be provided by the Standard Electric Elevator Company, of Sydney, whose local representatives N aro Messrs Turnbull and Jones. All will be operated by switch control, • requiring only the mechanical movement of a lever in ths car, and complete automatic stop controls are provided for at top and bottom travels of the cars.

An. -invention has been patented by Mr W. Cowern, says the Hawera Star, that gives promise of achieving very considerable notoriety. It is a well-known and admitted problem that to arrest oil. grease, and other impurities from the exhaust condensed steam before returning it to boilers as hot water is one of the most important to -the engineering world generally, especially is this important om steamships where fresh water is not avail - 'able. No knowii machine or device has, we believe, so far accomplished thiß, although, machines are in. use on all steamships to minimise as far as possible the danger frqm the oil getting into the boilers,, as well as the loss occasioned by the consumption of extra fuel to- overcome the oily ' scales deposited on the furnace crowns and sides. It is claimed by Mr CoiVern- that his patent is perfectly effectual, and after passing through his fil-ter-the water is pure. It, is* also claimed the application of it will extend to city and house supply, and for all purposes where pure water is essential. Experts who have seen it in . operation are very pronounced in their opinion that it is a success. Its scope is almost limitless, andMr Cowern" is proceeding to London in connection with this matter.