LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXII, Issue 12437, 9 April 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual report of the directors of the Wellington Opera House Company recommends a dividend of 12£ per cent. Canteen establishments will be attached to the military forces taking part in the Easter manoeuvres in the Wellington district. Another Chinese storekeeper has opened business in Feilding, says the Star, notwithstanding the fact that a branch of the Anti-Asiatic League was recently formed there. A report comes from Wyoming, U.S.A., that during the past year 20,00U sheep in that State perished from grubs in the head and the State veterinarian says no means have yet been discovered tor stopping the plague. "* ( The hairdressers in the city of Auckland are complaining - that the new regulations governing their trade are not general. They contend that they should extend to the barbers beyond the city boundary. It is said that the Qhristcburch Gas Company's revenue for sales last year, amounted to .£72,487. Materials used cost .£21,305, wages .£19,425, and other charges. The gross profit for the year was .£23,430! There is a probability that a State Coal Depot will be established in Dunedin shortly. The Minister of Mines has informed Mr Arnold, M.P., that he is negotiating for a piece of land, and hopes to have a depot established in the near future. Waverley residents are no doubt pleased to see that the re-erection of the Town Hall is being proceeded with apace, the iramework having been erected yesterday. It is now about two years since the Hall was destroyed by fire, and townspeople have waited long and patiently for another hall. Our contemporary, the Hunterville Express, has recently changed hands and has undergone considerable alteration. We must congratulate the new proprietor, Mr W. Keay, late of the Government Tourist Department and the Wynton Record, on the improved appearance of the ' paper, which is a credit to himself and to Hunterville. A local resident who is ever and anon on the roaa north and south- of Wanganui, informs us that the pastures northwards are in a very advanced state, and give tvidence of a plentiful supply of winter feed. The stock, 'he considered were in a much more forward condition in and around the Waverleyi district than southwards towards Marton, where feed was not so abundant. <- Not satisfied with the ordinary tests for intoxication a man arrested at> Brentford (England) applied one of his own, as a "proof" that he was not drunk and offered to tell the magistrate on Monday how many bricks there were in his cell. Thte Chairman: How many were there? Defendant: Nineteen and a half white ones, "-half a black one, and nineteen and a half red ones. It did not save him. He had to pay ss. A fine of £50 imposed by the Bundaberg police magistrate on a dashing lookiirg lady, who gave her name as Rose Munro, for having 25 tins of opium and. a quantity of charcoal opium in her possession, was paid recently. Defendant's husband is a Chinese laundry man, resident in Melbourne, named Lum Low. He arrived in haste by train, and as soon as the police office was opened paid over fifty sovereigns, and his spouse was liberated. When three men were sentenced to a month's imprisonment by the Salford (England) Stipendiary, the wife of one of them screamed loudly, and between her sobs made a pitiful appeal for mercy. The only child they bad was ill, she said, and had been crying ajl night for "Daddy." The men were thereupon ordered to be brought again into the dock, and Mr Makinson withdrew the sentence, and fined each prisoner 21s. "Thank God ! Thank Gol !"' cried fhe woman. "I'll pay it." A Greymouth correspondent writes: — "Though most of the Unions on the West -Coast are assisting the Blackball strikers the opposition to this course of action has been strong, and in several I instances members have declared their intention of not paying the levy, but a surprising situation has arisen. The Attor-ney-General has declared that Unions cannot be prosecuted for aiding and abetting a strike. If this is correct, say, some Unionists, the special levy to assist the strikers will be recoverable in the law courts by the same procedure as ordinary levies can now be collected. Thus, if the Attorney-General's contention is correct, the law not only does not prevent strikes, but would be available to compel members of Unions to pay a levy intended to keep a strike going." The announcement of the intention of the Lancashire and Yorkshire . Railway to run a Sunday steamer from Fleetwood to Douglas next season is causing a' great commotion in the Isle of Man, whose people are determined not to allow a Sunday excursion traffic to grow up and desecrate the quiet which now prevails. Lord; Raglan, it is stated, is taking a deep interest in the question, and is in favour of putting a very high tax on Sunday excursionists arriving at Douglas. There is now an all round tax of Id p,er passenger who lands on any day,' but his Excellency is prepared to maintain the Manx Sabbath by the imposition of a tax on Sundays as hififh as half a crown.. It is highly probable that he will be supported in his efforts in any proposal he brings before the Manx Legislature. The ordinary monthly meeting- of the Kaukatea Road. Board was held yesterday. Present — Messrs D. Herlihy (chair), K. Old, A. D. Mclntostt; W. Neilson, and F. Jones. The minutes of last ordinary meeting and special meeting were read and confirmed. It was decided that the mafter of Mrs Prujean's road be held over fjor-, the consideration of the new Board. — Resolved that 14 days' notice be given ratepayers that outstanding rates will be sued for. A statement of claim under the Compensation Act was received from Mr Mao kay on behalf of Mr N. Higgie, being charges for metal taken and damage to property. It was decided that the case should behanded to the Board's solicitor. 1 — Resolved that the election for two membera of the Board should take place on Wednesday, 6th May. — Decided that the annual meeting' of ratepayers be held on the same day, Wednesday, 6th May. — The bank Book showed a credit balance of 2s 2d on .the 31st march.' -Accounts to the amount of' .£39 11s 3d were passed for payment. • " l

The knights ct old took no chances, but used every means to protect their' bodies from spear and lance thrusts by wearing special metal armour. Armour is much needed just now to protect the>bod~ from the keen winter cold, and we nave a most complete assortment of the right materials for making this armour. If necessary we will buy the naterial. The best materials to make armo-ir that will protect the body from winter's \<»en winds are all-wpol shirtings unious, ana flannelettes, and we have specially seleo-H"l the patterns of these goods <so that they will be most suitable for making underclothing, men's and boys" shirip and pyjamas. The qualities and pricw are second to none in Wanganui. Just rowwe havo a special window display of these goods. — M«Gruer"anct-Cb, "

The -storming of Sebastopol in the Crimea War occurred in 1855, 53 years ago to-day. Owing to increasing business, Curry's ■tore at Waitotara is to be considerably •nlarged. The Agricultural Association At present has 105 life, and 720 ordinary members. A further shipment of rimu timber arrived from Greymouth this morning in the .Putiki, consisting of about 131,000 feet, consigned to the two local mills. The Patea Licensed Victuallers' Association held a meeting at the Clarendon Hotel, Waverley, several important matters appertaining to the trade, receiving attention. Members of the Wanganui Agricultural Association are notified that a change has been made in the date of the annual meeting, which will be held on the 25th met., instead of on the 22nd. A number of Waitotara enthusiasts including Messrs Jas Coombes, Birch, and others, are promoting an initial horse show. A lot of interest is being manifest-ed-in the proceedings, which will be principally «>i' the ring competition order. Tfce committee of the North Otago A. and P. Association, at a meeting yesterday, decided to appeal to other similar j bodies and Chambers of Commerce to petition the Government to leave the size of grain sacks as at present. The opinion was expressed that if the farmers stood together the Government would grant the request. Wanganui tbi« morning did not have a monopoly of bright, sunny brisk weather, the conditions through- . out the Dominion having taken a pleasant turn. The glass ranged from 29.93 at Auckland %o 29.97 locally, 30.01 at Wellington, and 30.10 at Christchurch and Invercargill. The mercury was still fairly low, the wirds light, and tlje seas were generally smooth. Two first-offending inebriates were fined 5s e#ch, with the usual default, at the Police Court I'his morning, by Mr A. A. Gower, J.P. James Lovell was remanded till 11.30 to-mcirow on a charge of assaulting" the licensee of the Railway Hotel, Waitotara. The assault, it is alleged, took the form of a blow on tho head with a whisky bottle, th,e latter being broken as a result. : -Witnesses will come down by train to-morrow morning. A man named Dolan w.as remanded till 10.30 to-morrow morning to answer to a charge of stealing clothes to the value of £9 Is 6d, the property of a Mr Ferry. When the Royal Mail liner Magdalena arrived at Southampton on Tuesday, the 25th) February, details were given of the tragic disappearance from they vessel of Mrs Edith Kitchener, sister-in-law of Lord Kitchener. Mrs Kitchener suffered great- - ly from insomnia* and was evidently terj ribly afflicted by the recent loss of her husband. On the day that the Magdalena I arrived at Colon the stewardess reported to the captain that she had found Mrs Kitchener's cabin door locked, and could obtain vo answer to her repeated knocking. A ladder was hung overboard and a sailor descended to see through the porthole whether the lady was in her berth. There was no sign of the lady, and the portholes were found to be open. A boat was immediately lowered, and the neighoourhood of the vessel thoroughly explored, but the body was not recovered. It is surmised that after falling into the a water the lady must have become a prey * to the sharks which infest those waters. At the monthly meeting of the Wanganui Agricultural Association last nigiTT - there were present Messrs J. H. Nixon (President, in the chair), A. Burnett, W. K. McLean, R. Russell, A. C. Lees, L. Bayly, J. Higgie, J. G. Swan . Apologies for absence were received from Messrs P. T. Sinclair, J. H. Gillies, *and G. . Smith. The chairman intimated that the present four guarantors had accepted the proposal to increase th,eir guarantees at the bank till the annual meeting, to enable all accounts to be paid. They will then be relieved by the new committee entering into a joint and several guarantee. A dra*l of the annual report and balance sheet was read, showing the Association's affairs to be in a particularly satisfactory state, and was ordered to be printed without amendment. The report will be printed at once and circulated to members in time for perusal before the annual meeting which has been fixed for Wednesday, the 22nd inst., at 2.30 p.m., in the Freezing Company's rooms.