LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 11921, 18 July 1906, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr 1. F. Petrie, who is only 21 years old 1 , has just been elected Mayor of Clarksville, Arkansas. He claims that he is the y«ungest mayor in the world.

The largest cargo of whiskey ever imported into the colony arrived at Port Clialmers by the s.s. Indraghiri a few days ago. Of that spirit she fetched 980 toua.

Lambing has already commenced in the Poverty Bay district.

At Auckland the price of butter has adTanoed to Is 3d per pound retail.

Depositors in Irish savings banks have nearly trebled in the last 20 years, and the deposits now amount to .£12,500,000.

With one dynamite cartridge exploded in S stream in the Canterbury district, a man secured two sacksful of trout.

The Government expert, Miss Breen, is to give a course of lessons in butter-mak-ing in the Stratford Technical School.

Steps are being taken to form- » Veterinary Medical School in New Zealand. A meeting of those interested is to be held in Wellington* next month.

The EJtham Argus is informed that of over 3000 ' pigs bought for the Waitara Freezing Works" Company, whose factory is under continual Government inspection, only 10 were condemned. ' . •

The recent census showed that Dunedin has remained practically stationary for five years. While other centres have radiated 1 further and further, Otago's capital has stood still comparatively.

A citizen of Atlanta, whose name is wit held, has offered to give 20,000d01. towards the erection of a home for the Young Women's Christion Association in that city provided a like amount is donated by othcra.

The Press says that the weather has been so fine and warm in ' Christchurch lately that people have commenced boating. On several afternoons last week the river was thickly dotted with pleasure boats.

Butter has increased a penny per pound in Wellington, the price for factory butter being now Is 2d per lb. A Wairarapa paper states that the price is expected to reach Is 6d per lb before the winter is over.

Coasting vessels arriving at Tampico, Mexico, report that an oil fire has been burning for several days in the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 miles off tho Texas coast. The flames cover an area of 10 square miles, and arc presumably fed by an oil spring at the bottom of the gulf.

Some Dunedin tradesmen attribute a shrinkage in business to the quantity of money being diverted to building societies. "Almost everybody seems to belong to one of these," growled a dissatisfied 1 shopkeeper.

The visit of the Minister of Land's to the Upper Bangitikei for the purpose cf going over the route of the proposed Utiku-Moawhango light railway has been postponed on account of the state of the weather. At present the date of the visit is indefinite.

Discussing the proposed visit to the Momohaki State farm at the A. and P. Association's meeting yesterday morning, says the Palmerston Standard, one member stated 1 that his opinion was that more could be gained by a visit to a good private farm. That was his own personal experience.

It may not be generally known that the weight, of the Christchurch Mayoral chain has now readied 3lb. It is composed entirely of solid gold shields presented by each of the Mayors on leaving office with the exception of Mr Eden George. The portraint of that gentleman is also missing from the collection of pictures of the Mayors hung in the Mayor's room.

A Paris newspaper says that Queen Ena carried with her to Spain a dowry of 750,000 pesetas, and not ,£1,600,000, as reported. The value of the jewels King Alfonso has given to her is -£10,000. It is understood that his Majesty intends to make Queen Ena a present of a magnificent pearl necklace, a diamond brooch, valued at £40,000, a crown, a diadem, and a diamond necklace.

"Friction is a waste of time," remarked Mr Frank Bullen the other day when detail ing the battles of rival shipping associations in Great Britain, and ho quoted tho chnrchcs to emphasise his argument. "They are supposed to be fightiug the devil," the declared, "but they are lighting one another. Business men sneer at them." He indicated that if the churches were to impress communities as a whole they must sink minor differences and work in harmony. Mention was made at a meeting in Chriitehurch of the great amount of planting in Canterbury. Sir John Hall said that tho district was indebted to the late Hon. William Rolleston more than, to any other man. for the planting of reserves. It was due largely to his foresight that the Canterbury Plains had gained their exceedingly valuable Bhelter and that a very large amount of timber of certain kinds would soon be available in Canterbury.

Two young cyclists named Liddle and Beckett, who intend cycling round the world withont money, have arrived in Melbourne from South Africa. They left Capetown on December 14th last, and since then have cycled through Cape- Colony, the Orange Biver country, and Natal, through native territory to Port Elizabeth — a distance of 4000 Miles. After cycling through Australia and Now Zealand! the adventurers will visit India, ChinaJ Japan, Eurojo ajid America. Beckett id only 19 years of age. I

It is reported that dissatisfaction exieli among barmaids in Christebureh regard ing discrimination between their hours o ' labour and those worked by girls in othe ■ walks of life. In is understood that M' Ell intends during the coming session to reintrodnce his bill for the abolition o' barmaids, witli certain modifications which may make it more acceptable to thi > House. In its new form the bill will eitheprovide for barmaids getting 12 months' notice* before the bill comes into operation, or will make it unlawful for any licensee to engage a new girl or transfer one alreaay employed after 12 months from its passage.

A race in battleship building, to determine whether the United States Government could construct a war vessel as quickly and as cheaply as a private corporation, has just terminated in a complete triumph for the latter. Each ship was of 16,000 tons, hnd tho specifications were practically, identical. On February 7, 1903, the battleship Lo lisiana's keel was laid in the yard of tho Newport New Shipbuilding Company, while that of the Connecticut was laia in the Brooklyn Navy Yard exactly one month later. The Louisiana was launched on August 27, 1904, and the Connecticut followed her on the 29th of the following month, which shows how close had been the contest up to that time. But tho workmen of the Newport News Company forged ahead in finishing their vessel, which hae been delivered ready for service, while it will take several months to complete the Connecticut. The difference in cost is materially in favour of the private corporation's vessel. The outlay upon the Louisiana lias been 3,992,000 dollars. The Connecticut so far has cost 4 212,000 dollars, and the Navy Department has asked Congress for 380,000 dollars more.

The N.Z. Axeman's Association will hold their next championship carnival iv Chiietchurch. The dates fixed are January 17th and 19th.

A number of Australian pound notes are now in circulation in New Zealand. The banks accept them, but deduct "exchange" in so doing.

The Eltham Argus states that the Lipperton and Tarata factories have sold their output for the coining season at lOJd.

"All the assets I have are an invalided wife and a young family," wrote an unlinancial 'debtor to the Taranaki Hospital Board recently.

We (Patea Press) understand that the Whenuakura Dairy Company received an offer of 10|d per lb for their output. The offer was, we are informed, declined.

The Foxton Herald says:— lt is reported that a child named Lee, whose parents reside in Jenks Street, died on Monday morning from the effects of choking while eating peanuts.

In a London saleroom a letter by Robert Burns in metre aud prose, extending to nine quarto pages, realised ,£390 — a record price for a letter. Thirty-one years ago it was bought for £60.

The Agricultural Department has undertaken to weigh the turnips and root crops grown experimentally by Canterbury farmers under the auspices of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association.

About 25,000 migratory labourers came from Ireland last year for harvest work in England and Scotland, and it is estimated that the savings which they took back with them amounted to nearly £275,000.

The Woodville A. and P. Association has decided that its next show will be held on Wednesday, 23rd January, 1907. The Feilding Association has also decided on its dates, and has selected the sth and 6th February, 1907.

In the bed of Awakino creek, 30 miles from the tidal waters of Kaipara Harbour, there are 10,000 kauri logs waiting for a flood to drive them down to the harbour. Averaged at 16ft long by 3ft in diameter, tho lot represents a bit of work for the mills.

A Southland farmer, a few days ago, noticed that his herd of cattle were two head short, and observing that a straw stuck had been blown over in the paddock he forked up the straw. The two beasts were found underneath, none the worse for their two. days' imprisonment.

Some seven or eight types of houses have been approved of by the Government for erection in Christchurch under the workmen's home system. They each contain five rooms, are mostly single-storied buildings, possess all modern conveniences, and have an attractive external appearance.

During the Patca-Okaiwa football match on Saturday W. Paterson, the Patea wing forward, had his left collor bone broken. It is a curious coincidence that in the first match Roberts, an Okaiawa player, broke his arm whilst in the second match Paterson should break his collar bone.

An accident occurred to a young man named Hedges at the Patea Meat Preserving Works on Saturday resulting in the loss of the tips of two of his fingers. Hedges was employed by the tinsmith and met with the accident whilst working the guillotine machine for cutting tin. A device for a pocket wireless telegraph receiver and sender is being considered by the American Naval Bureau .of Equipment. II weighs less, than two. pounds, and consists of a balloon carrying two hundred fczt of wire for the antennae and a detector about the size of a tobacco pipe. It works for thirty mile 9.

The Taranaki Herald is informed that a leading Taranaki dairy company has refused an offer of 10,' d', f.o.b. New Plymouth, for the whole of its butter output next season. The company's output at this price would be worth about .£BO,OOO. This will give some idea of what the condition of the butter market is expected to be next season. For the late season the highest price is said to have been lOJd.

Quite recently a shag shot at Makuri (says the Pahiatua Era) was found to contain a trout measuring 13 inches and weighing a pound. On the Mangahao, along the Manawatu road, there is a colony of 50 or more shags which are despoiling the river of fish. The reward offered by the Acclimatisation Society for shags' heads appears to have done little to check tl'e increase of the peel.

Tho Wellington Evening Post, in an artirle on the totalisator, says: — "It seems to us that until the tote shop and the moral contagion which it spreads among ita customers, old and young, can be supi pressed in a manner for which there is as yet no practical ground of hope, the only way of rehabilitating tho sport in pnfilic opinion a3 desired by Sir George Clifford ia for the racing clubs to limit their financial dependence upon the proceeds of the machine."

A good example of how to bear one another's burdens waa exemplified in St. Andrew's Church, Gisborne, last Sunday. It., having come to the knowledge of the session that one of the members of the church was in most necessitous circumstances through a long and severe illness, it was resolved to take up a collection on his bc~ half at the close of the communion service. So liberally did' the members respond that tho sum of .£lO was collected, which no doubt will prove a very great boon to the destitute family.

With the object of combating the small birds nuisance the Horowhenua County Council has decided to offer each Bchool committee within the County, a sum not exceeding £2, such sum to be paid to the children bringing eggs of the following injurious birds, viz., sparrows' and thrushes' eggs, 2d per dozen, blackbirds' and whiteeyes' 4d per dozen, such eggs to be colloetc'd this season, and, when counted, destroyed, also, that poisoned grain be made available in each riding and be supplied free on application to the county roadmen.

The splendid revenue received by the State of Victoria for the year ending June 30th, 1906, is the highest reached in its history, making allowance for the share now retained by the Commonwealth. In 1888-9, when the land boom was at its height, the Victorian revenue reached the figure of JE8,731,255, and the revenue for the past year, .£7,797,626 — added to the sum now retained by the Commonwealth to carry out its services, <£ 1,196,439 — makes a total of .£9,994,065, or =£162,810 more than that of the boom year. The lowest revenue since 188-9 was in 1895-6, when it fell to .£6,458,682, and it has since gradually risen, until reaching the magnificent result of the year just closed*.