LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11648, 28 August 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The "No-license", organiser expects- that the local option" poll will wipe -put theliquor licenses in the Hawera electorate..

Applications are invited in another column by the Patea Hospital Board for the position of matron.

The Dunlop individual road cycle championship of New South Wales was won on Saturday by V. McLeanj(of the Western Suburbs Club). "" " y \" s: . The Premier of South Australia . (itr Price, leader of the, Labour party) says he will . never sanction a public .- work merely to find work for the unemployed.

The five-mile cross-country championship of New South Wales was won on Saturday by -Fitzharding (Sydney* Harriers), in 34'min 35aec.

The newspaper Tribune, says -a- Rome cable, announces that the Pope, is (.about to negotiate for the institution! of- ia. delegation in Tokio and a nunciature -in ,Pekin instead of relying on the French protectorrate. ' „/' - '. Punch is responsible fo.r the< .publication, in England of the following alleged excerpt from .a French paper concerning-the recent Australian "and Warwick match.: — - "At Birminghan les Australiens- ont -jove un match contre Wanvickshire. - - lie .nowl- , des Australiens etait excellent, auasi Wanvickshire fu out pour 161 alors qua lea Australiens marquerent 162 runs, pour quatre crickets."

There are twenty-five rural sections remaining on the Flaxbourne estate, and the twenty-five allotments were -under offer last week, and the necessary balloting took place on Saturday. There were 36 applications for one small farm, and nineteen of these sections were disposed of to Marlborough and Canterbury people. There were only five applications for town sections, and four were disposed of, leaving 16 still in the market.

A good deal of stress is frequently laid on the fact that the cost of living has increased considerably during the past few years (says the Dunedin Star). A master grocer in a large way in the town told the Arbitration Court at Dunedin that so far as groceries were concerned they had not increased in price during the past four years; in fact, in some caseß the price of articles in their trade had decreased — kerosene, for instance. • . -

Found staggering- about in a • country road near Bradford, Yorkshire, on Jjune 20, John Arthur Goodliffe, a cycle engineer, who said he had taken some sulphuric acid. When taken to the infirmary the doctor found he had also swallowed buttons, stones, pins, safety pins, a haircurler, screws,- and needles. Goodliffe, was recently discharged from an asylum, was committed for trial on a charge of attempted suicide. ' . A. terrific typhoon which.^ swept Cffer Formosa last month caused** considerable - damage. A report received *t Sydieys-'By the steamer Chingtu state's , that 364? dwellings were completely destroyed,% 3s|>2- :- partially destroyed, while 10 vessels trere sunk in the harbour and 117 fishing, boatp wrecked. In addition, 12 lives were reported to be lost and 13 persons were f missing. The storm was described as the heaviest experienced in Formosa for many years. . "

It is no unusual thing (says the Taranaki News) in these days to hear coinplaints relative to the high rents of shops in New Plymouth, but we have just seen a lease dated in April, 1864; which, shows that in the early times of the settlement rents -were far higher than at present. The property in question- waß a barber's ' shop in Brougham Street, on the site .of a similar establishment now carried on by it Mr Mason. The building had a frontage of only 8 ft, with a depth of 13ft';- and the rent was £2 per week, to be paid in advance. . " ,' _!. • : There died in London, says v a correspondent writing of. July 14, . Sir . Peter Nicol Russell, the eminent colonial -.engineer, who amongst other works made mortars and gunboats for the NewJSea--land Government in. the war. against -Hone Heke, and who also retorted the first gold in Australia in 1847, and made the first experiments in boiling and steaming down -* cattle and sheep. Sir Peter was born in 1816, and was thus 89. years of. age. L y He emigrated to Tasmania i n1832, and, to Sydney six years later,, starting an "engineering business there with his .brothers ■ Robert and John. Afterwards he went'in- . to business on his own account, and* prospered exceedingly-. -Taking, his- brothers emigrated to Tasmania in 1832, and to five years later, and ' became the firm's agent in London. Since then he had made his residence in England, only the colonies at intervals. Sir Robert founded the Russell School of Engineering at S^d- ■ ney in 1899, and made a- second donation to the school in 19031 He received Jhis " knighthood last year. . -'„-" C' •

■Football match— Auckland v Wanganui •—to-morrow. The Jlanfurly Shield .won. by < the Auckl»nd~foqtball team on Saturday from Wellington will be on view in Mr Dustin's windotir this evening! '" Thieving flowers from the graves in the Cemetery has been very prevalent lately, and we are sorry to hear that -women are the chief offenders. The Cemetery Trustees .mean .to,, make an example, of any offender caught. Messrs. Sargood. Son and Ewen's name was inadvertantly omitted from the list of those published who had contributed towards- the prize fund of the "Go-as-you-S lease". competition to be held next Thursay. \ A 25ft patiki for Mrs A. ,Schollum, of Johannesburg, built by Messrs Logan Bros.', Auckland, was' shipped "for Durban by the s.s. Essex, which sailed last Monday. .-The boat .is for racing' on -the Johannesburg lakes. The;. Victorian Closer Settlement Board has decided to recommend to the Cabinet the purchase of two estates in Gippslarid. The valuers* 'were 'directed? by the Board to report on two more Gippsiand properties. .. ; „ , .. ■ ; r The stipendiary magistrate was cautioning a youth against jcigarettes at Jthe. Master ton~ Court last Monday, and in<formirig him 'of what would befall him the licit time he appeared before the Court on. the-' same charge, when counsel inter•posed: "The best thing you could do, Your ' Worship, would be to give him a good strong cigar and make him smoke it." For years the day's takings* at the "Williamstown (Melbourne) railway station have been sent to the central station by a late., train. What might have been expected has happened. The box containing the cash was' recently, stolen from the guard's van on the way to town and a dummy substituted.^ so that the guard had no suspicion, of the theft or any idea of where it was perpetrated. It contained J8370751./' Messrs Galbraith, Steuart, and Robins, of Auckland, (says a London correspondent) the' attorneys of the Galbraith Iron and SteeL .Company, Ltd., have arranged for a demonstration of their process for the production of steel from New Zealand ironsand by the Galbraith electric furnace. The trial is to take place next -week at the Brush -.Electrical Engineering Co.'s works at Loughborough, Leicestershire. Ab usually happens in the winter time, says the Bay of Plenty .Tiroes, a number of tuis have made their way dowh fxom the bush, and are feeding on -the gum trees around the tywn, their beautiful ■ong being welcomed .by all lovers of birdmusic. Unfortunately such an, opportunity to kill something eafy is too -good to be missed by youthful vandals with guns," and regardless of the possible penalty of JB5O, the unfortunate tuis are being shot down in place of hawks and shags. "*• Little Florizel van Reuter, one of the violin prodiges who took London by storm this season, (says a Home correspondent) will visit Australia towards the end of the year, prior to withdrawing for- five .years into private life. At present van Jteuter-is on' hil way to South America, and in October he is due. to undertake a concert, tour in South Africa, whence he „Vill proceed, to Australia. Though not so irreat a player as that marvellous, boy $fischa Elman, he is nevertheless a highly gifted violinist, and one with a notable career before him if health and strength hold out. ' , In a lecture on "The Aborigines of Cent ral Australia," delivered in St. James's Hall, Sydney, Professor Baldwin Spencer said that the life; of ; a male aboriginal was divided into two parts — the first consists ing of'his ; r6 < antf"in campr, gettirig food, dancing, and domestic duties; the second being given up to sacred and secret beliefs an<T customs. The ""aborigine would eat anything almost in the way of food, from grass seeds to lilies and lily roots. He was, however, very improvident, never putting food away in case of a famine. As children they spent hours imitating the tracks of animals. When about 30 years of age the women cut off their hair. A woman-; had to provide a girdle for her son-in-law out of her own locks. The men, on the other hand, allowed their hair to grow long up to a certain age, and then they had their hair on the upper lip removed by having • every hair pulled out separately. They had some curious customs in some 01 the tribes, said the Professor. .One, which many civilised people would, no: doubt, be glad of, was that a man might not have anything to do with his mother-in-law on any pretext whatever. „ . Considerable excitement was caused in the vicinity- of Omaio early on Saturday morning * (says the Opotiki Guardian of Wednesday - last) when it was noised abroad that a fine "right" whale had made its appearance in' the bay.' Before eight o'clock the beach was lined- with eager watchers) and when those on board the new boat built by Mr, Savage for the Omaio natives fastened their harpoon into the sea , monster the excitement was intense: The boat careered along at a tremendous pace, dashing the .foam in all 'directions. The boat was well managed, and proved .herself, eminently suitable for the • purpose. ' Great satisfaction Was expressed, when it was noticed that the •whale was making for -the land instead of out to sea, and speedily ran aground. The general 'hubbub that followed beggars description/ and before beginning .the operation of cutting up and "trying out," a general haka was indulged in. The netresult to the Omaio boat will be about .£2OO. The whale was a large one, measuring about sft 6in in the thickest part, and the natives are -having a busy time of ft gettihg' the product ready for export.