LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 11976, 20 September 1906, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Sandon correspondent of the Manawatu Standard says that recent cold winds have played havoc with the early lambs, and in some cases fifty per cent, of those born have died.

A correspondent writes us suggesting that a meeting of sympathisers should b* called in Wanganui to protest against the horrible barbarities and atrocities to which the Jew« are being subjected In th* name of Christianity in Holy Btwata.

The Milne seismograph at Christchurch but year registered 87 quakes. Several settlers at Pickwick have lost quite a number of sheep within the past few days, owing to depredations of dogs. The latest addition to the Telephone Exchange is No. 394, Nurae Pitt, Wilson Street. A golf match will cvenfustte at Patea on Saturday between the Waverley and Patea Clubs. A London cable states that at the tallow auctions I'JOl casks were offered, and 1086 sold at 6d advance. A military tournament — the first of its kind attempted in Palmerstou North — is to be held on the Show-grounds on King's Birthday (November 9th). During 1905-6 Victoria exported to oversea . markets 59,330 head of poultry, worth .£14,957, and 36,836 dozen of eggs, worth .£2,314. If is announced that a social is to be tendered to Mr. John Gillies, of Bunnythorpe, who was recently acquitted in connection with the outrage there. "The price of good Government is eternal vigilance — not only on the part of the Opposition members of Parliament, but of the people of the colony generally." — Mr. Masscy at New Plymouth. " There is a railway cro?sing-keeper in Christchurch who has a family of seven, and he gets 6s a day wage," said Mr. Ell, M.H.R.. in the House of Representative.* on Friday. The mails which left the local Post Office on the 16th August for London, via San Francisco, arrived at their destination on Sunday last. The Sierra, with the British mails of the Ist September, left San Francisco on the 13th inst for Auckland via the Islands. A slight error occurred in the very interesting reminiscences of the Wanganui Rifles Band, published last week. A paragraph in the article referred to a Mr. Whitting playing the bombardon. As a matter of fact that instrument was played by Mr. Darius Day, our well-known citizenThe Tongaporutu correspondent of the Taranaki News, after informing his readers that land is beginning to boom there through milking, oil rights, and what not, concludes in this manner: — " Farmers are getting" married too. A good. eign. Two or three have so done, and report hath it that others will follow Bull shortly. Carpenters and Btber workmen employed at the Wanganui Meat Freezing Company's works at Castlccliff are complaining of the thett of tools, several of which have been lost recently. There must be some undesirable characters prowling about that suburb, for a couple of weeks ago a large ' quantity of roofing iron, timber, and Tiosts (quite a cartload) was removed from a house in that neighbourhood in course of construction. The Chief Poultry Expert has been advised that a consignment of Governmentgraded chickens shipped from Auckland to London last season realised from 8s to 10s per pair. A later report states that the birds were considered particularly good, and strongly recommends the development of trade in New Zealand chickens and ducklings of similar quality and finish. The birds should arrive in London from the beginning of March and the end of May. The plans of the proposed training college were submitted by tfce architect at a meeting of the Auckland Board of Education yesterday. It was pointed out that the first estimate- of the cost was for about .£SOOO, but certain additions, notably » large swimming bath, had been required by the Department, which had raised tho coat to between and £7000. The secretary was under the impression that the amount available was not more than jBoOOO. The Board decided to forward the plans to the Department. A number of cows within the last few days have suddenly died Jsays the Glen Oroua correspondent of tlie Marton Advocate), being taken with symptoms of a somewhat similar nature to those of milk fever, but the attack occurs both before and after calving, sometimes even a month later, and dairymen are rather exercised in their minds as to the cause. It is confined to half-a-dozen adjoining iarms and so far no apparent cause cither before or after death can be traced. Mr. Rnikes, Government "Veterinarian, is investigating the matter. Th« amount of work carried out by the staff of the Department of Surveys last year greatly exceeded that of the year before. In all 107 surveyors w«re kept going, of whom 76 were employed in the North Island and 31 ja the South. They dealt with the following areas under the different classes of work: Minor triangulation, 355,072 acres; topographical, 345,670 acres ; rural and suburban, 605, 425 acres ; town sections. 939 acres ; gold mining surveys, 4191' ; Native Land Court. 28,766 acres, roads and railways, 307 miles. In. Westland, exploration surveys were made of 101,507 acres of hitherto practically unknown country. Some little time ago we referred to Wanganui's opportunities as a distributing centre for* fruit, and to the efforts being made by Messrs. Burgess, Murdoch and Co. to create the trade here. During a conversation with the principals of the firm yesterday we were informed that business along these lines is increasing rapidly; that they are now dealing direct with the firms in the Islands, and that there is a constantly increasing demand for first-hand supplies. " For instance," said Mr. Burgess, " we have 150 cases of bananas landing on Saturday from the Islands, and we have already disposed of the whole consignment, and could have sold as many more cases had they been available." Mr W. J. Napier, who has been on a flying visit to Scotland, has written a letter to the Glasgow Herald, advocating the cutting up of the land on the lines of the New Zealand Land for Settlement Act. "What particularly struck me," he says, "was the truly awful conditions under which the -poor live in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the deserted condition of the land in the rural districts and its monopoly by a few individuals. I have never seen before human, beings hered together in such insanitary surroundings as thousands are in the 'closes,' 'entries,' and 'rourts' of your two principal cities. On the other hand, I have never seen, even in a sparsely-settled colony, so few people living upon and cultivating the soil. I understand that the people have been swept off the land by the landlords in order to make room for deer. If so, a terrible blunder has been made. A deer is valueless as a fighting machine, a human being can defend his country. A#d, de-'j « pend upon it, if the British Empire is to be kept by Britons it will .have to be fought for sooner or later. There are those aoross the North Sea casting covetous eyes on the great domains of Britain, and it behoves us all to see in time that the conditions exist for rearing a healthy race. The purblind landlords in monopolising the land are really traitors to the best interests of their country. The hungry, unclean, anaemic dwellers in the dens of your cities have not the stamina in them for soldiers.