LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12622, 19 November 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The laud tax v this year is made payable on the 30th inst. A notice to this effect appears elsewhere.

Mr H. V. Duigan's Mtrry Bill was placed first in the Cocker Spaniel open class at the Egnont Show to-day.

A live kiwi is a rara avis nowadays, but one was discovered in Mr C. E. Daniell'e timber yard in Masterton a few mornings ago (says the Age). It was attacked by a dog and killed before the employees were aware of the species of the visitor, and naturally there were general regrets at the lost opportunity of obtaining a specimen of native bird life supposed to be almost extinct. One of the employees has had the body stuffed and preserved.

The recent notice by the president and secretary of the Canterbury Shearers' Industrial Union of Workers advising the shearers not to engage to shear for lesa than 18s per 100 in Canterbury or any other part of the Dominion, and which followed on an intimation by the secretary of the same body that there would be trouble if sheepowners in Otago did not raise the rate from 16s 8d to 18s, is likely to result in some action being taken by the authorities.

A little girl, nine years of age, was shockingly burnt in the playground of a public school at Newcastle (N.S.W.), last week. While some papers were being burnt in the school yard during luncheon hour, the child approached two near the fire, and her clothes caught alight. Two of the teachers, Misses Snowden and Collier, rushed to her aid, but the inflammable, dress which the little girl was wearing blazed up all over her. The screams attracted the attention of a young man named Roy Adams, who ran in and, pulling off his coat, wrapped it around her. As soon as possible the child was taken to the hospital, where she died a few hours later. She had been burnt from the knees upwards, and suffered severely. The two teachers, when trying to extinguish the flames', also received burns about the hands and arms.

Horace William Clark, a man of 52 years of age, was found guilty at the Tamworth (N.S.W.) Circuit Court last week of attempting to murder a married woman named Emily Smith at Armidale on October 2nd last. The evidence showed that Mrs Smith was a housemaid at the hotel at which the prisoner was boarding. She was friendly with accused, until one day he came in under the influence of liquor, and she refused to speak to him again. He threatened to shoot her, and later on, while she was at work, he took a pistol out of his pocket and fired at her, hitting her in the arm. She rushed on to the balcony, and as she did so he fired twice again, one shot grazing her forehead, and the other her hand. As she was running away he fired two more shots. In finding him guilty the jury recommended him to mercy on account of the good character prisoner had previously born, and in view of his age and state of health. Sentence of death was recorded, the recommendation being forwarded to the Executive.

We have been guilty of using the most vituperative language against our London buyer lately owing to the non-arrival of our new cambric enibroiueries and insertions. But they at last arrived, and we now rather regret having been so hasty for the values are so exceptionally good and range of patterns so extensive that they have been well worth waiting for. We can now show a splendid range of embroideries with insertions to match in all widths at 4d, sd, 6d, 7d, Bd, 9d, lOd, Is and Is 3d per yard. — McGruer and Co.

We are a»kcd to state that the letter hianed "Liberal Elector" appearing in this morning's Chronicle was not written by Mr Mackay. Tho latest addition to the Telephone Exchange is No. 623, Mr L. Andrews, Watchmaker and Jeweller, Victoria Avenue. Lord Plunket has just shipped to the Governor of Victoria a fine hunter purchased in the Hawera ' district from Mv Jack Hastie, of Manaia. Captain Edwin wired as follows at 12.58 p.m. to-day:— Westerly strong winds to gale after 16 hours, glass fall slowly, tides good, sea considerable, rain Speaking at Auckland, Mr G. Hogben said that in travelling around the world last year everything he heard from leading farmers and farmers' associations convinced him that scientific farming had done more for every country where it had been adopted than most people realised. In Ohio the products of that State had, without extra expenditure or labour, doubled through the scientific methods adopted. To show that the desire to suit the children's training to their opportunities did not exist all over the Dominion, Mr Hogben mentioned the case of a distinctly agricultural district in the south where the children were taught electricity and typewriting. They might just as well learn Chinese and the making of telephones.

A bullock broke away from a herd in Ingestre Street yesterday afternoon, and making for the College ground entered the cricket field, where some of the school eleven and the principal were engaged at practice. Mr Empson made towards', the animal to drive it off the ground, but becoming excited, no doubt through being away from the mob, the bovine turned on Mr Empson, and attacked him with vigour. A lively few minutes ensued for those in the field before the animal was induced to join his mates on the road, several of the herd having to be taken into the field to get the bellicose member away. Mr Empson fortunately did not suffer injury from the attack, but his narrow escape from damages may be judged from the fact that his nether garments were 'considerably torn by the bullock's horns.