LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13416, 1 July 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Stratford Chinaman, Jimmy Ah Tuck oy name, headed the list of Hospital Saturday donations in that town, with a meritorious five guineas, thus setting an example worthy of emulation among those who affect to despise the Mongolian race, individually and collectively. It will interest ecoutmistresses and Girl ifeaco Scouts to leam that the London Boy Scout headquarters in its new regulations has recognised the large number of ladies who arc assisting the movement at llonie by granting them a special badge. The Lyttelton Times states that Mrs Mary Moss, of Mangamaunn, Kaikoura. is the first lady to receive a commission in the Dominion to instruct a troop of Boy Scouts. She will probably take a troop of girls when she has started the boys and found a suitable scoutmaster. Madame Paderewski, on her poultry farm, at Berne, sold a pair of White Orpingtons for .£ISOO, and she has been decorated by the French Government for her efforts on behalf of agriculture. What with laying and playing, the Paderewski household must bo making quite an income. A resident of Masterton, who is closely in touch with financial affairs, gives it as his opinion that ihe tide of prosperity is slowly but surely returning from the northern end of the North Island to the more southern portion of the island. Things have been booming up North, he i states, for some considerable time, and the inevitable reaction must set in sooner or later aud the tide turn southwards ' haa now arrived.

Eleven hundred letters and 78 packets r of newspapers were distributed among the ’ members of the Sheffield Choir at Auckland on Monday morning. The choir 1 * ■ nail weighed half a hundredweight. I Mr .las. Melton, Willowhridge, South Canterbury, has just «old privately his forty-acre' farm for £2400, which works mt at .tfifl an acre, or £53 for the land alone. Those ini crested state that there W scarcely a single tradi email out of work in Musterton at present. This i« in striking contrast to the condition of tho unskilled labour market. The Mayor of New York announced recently that ho had deprived the jiolico jf hush money amounting to £1,250,000, which Hiev hud been in the habit of collecting from gambling houses and other disorderly places, and other cities are. moving along similar lines. The rainfall for June at Wanganui vu 3,57 inches, liaiu fell on Hi days. TTi« greatest fall in 24 hours was 0.81 inches on tlio 11th. Tl are was frost on nino night* in two groups of four and five nights respectively. The rainfall for June last year was 3.74 inches, with one frost. Those farmers who have preserved their draw stacks in the Ashburton County ire finding that they are worth money. In a recent clearing sale, three straw stacks sold at £2 10s each, when at other times they might have been got rid of by ire. Their increased value is mainly due to the shortage of stock feed. Such p tiling aa selling straw-stacks by auction has not taken place in Ashburton County for many years past. The Executive Committee of the Wjjngonui Christian Convention met in St. Paul's class room yesterday afternoon, when there was a capital attendance. On the motion ( of the Rev. A. S. Wilson, seconded by Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, the Rev. D. Martin was elected ns secretary. The proposed visit to New Zealand, at the end of the year, of 1 the Rev, George Grubb was discussed, and the secretary instructed to obtain information regarding probable Wanganui dates. Several accounts were passed for payment. The treasurer (Mr E. J. Denton) ‘ read the balance-sheet, which showed • debit balance ; this was, however, covered bv a promised donation of £5. The Saturday nigbt prayer meetings arc to be di*contiinicd for the present. 1 A novel argument in supnort of a request for adequate street lighting was put before the Mount Albert Borough Council (Auckland) on Monday evening. “That our street is badly lighted was evident enough last Friday night,” wrote a lady resident, “when my son was brutally attacked by i burglar Irving to tret at the fowls. He wrestled with him when the burglar was getting over the fence, and had there been i licdit anywhere about, mv other son that followed could have easily seen, as the leteetive said, to have his identity proved. ' Vs it is now. it is dangerous, being so lark.” Members felt the force of the 1 p!oa, and referred it to the Streets Committee. [ In the Army it is possible for a soldier to rise from the ranks to the highest post in the service. This rule, however, j does not apply in the Navy. This -state- , iiient was made by naval authorities in Wellington, under whose notice a Post representative brought the following question from a correspondent. “Navy'’: "Is it possible for a seaman in the Navy to work his way up to commander-'’ The Navy regulations show that it is impossi- ‘ bio. In the Imperial Navy a seaman may work his way up to a warrant officer'a status, but no further. Colonial recruits are denied this opjiort unity, as their length of service is comparatively short—- | five years. , , Some Mnsterton “droppers" will suffer ■ % disappointment (states the Carterton i Nows). Ono of tho workmen engaged.on- , the work at tho northern approach to Mastcrton was cutting down a bank near a macrocarpa hedge when he noticed a bottle under the trees. Ho thought It I was empty, but by way of a joke called , out hie mate, “Here's a ‘droppers' * plant," and reached in and took up the i bottle to show him. It was a full oO»l and further search revealed ten or eleven more. It was just dinner time, and those who preferred liber to tea soon disposed of the “dropper’s” and drank the King’s health with gusto. Discussing the fish supply with a South‘a”“ nICB representative on Saturday, a Bluff merchant said that the consuming pow’or of New Zealand was not sufficient to deal with the supply, and would not be capable of doing so for the next fifty vears. (July one or two varieties pay to freeze, and it is impossible to regulate tue supply. Hence at times there is a shortage and fish become dear; at other times there is a glut, and they become cheap. In a big place like Melbourne lor instance the consumption is correspondingly big, and waste is reduced to a minimum. Although there is always a good supply of fish in Melbourne, thev have no fish there that can be compared to Bluff s blue cod. According to the report which has now boon published, the Scottish Commismoncis, when they visited New Zealand and Australia, concluded, as the result of their observations, that the capable men of good character soon becomes his own master. When that fact is kept in mind the wages offered may be considered not inadequate. Big or little, it is quite possible to save off them. A man in Australia remains poor not because he cannot make money, but because he cannot keep ii ci C ” at * vc born Australian is not t hrifty He earns money easily, he spends it carelessly, and he expects the newcomer to do the same. Ho thinks nothing of expending a year’s savings on a fortnight’s holiday or on a race meeting; and he will throw away his money on a casual acquaintance as readily as on himself. If. such an atmosphere thrift is a difficult virtue, and the man who develops enough strength of character to practise it in spite of such temptations will not only be the richer for it, but will have acquired a habit invaluable in Australia.” The remaining. portions of the new Town Hall organ which Mr Henry Brett is presenting to the city of Auckland were to bavo been shipped from London in the Ty ser liner Muritai on May 31. This magnicent instrument, which has cost over £6OOO to build, will be the largest in the Dominion, and more up to date than tho famous Sydney Town Hall organ, which is the largest in the world. Mr Edwin H Lemaro, the celebrated organist has snnerl vised its construction, and (ho materials and workmanship are guaranteed to be of tho finest quality. The consignments that have been and are still to be shipped to Auckland aggregate about 50 tons and in addition over £IOOO worth of the work has heen done in New Zealand in con neetioi. with the organ. Putting it together in Auckland will cost another £6OO and will occupy six months or so. descript ions of the instrument have already appeared in the columns of this papeix Hie builders at- Messrs Norman and Beard, organ builders to the King, and the instillment will be cased in oak tn fVm design of Messrs J, J. and J.' Tofu UaU. arohitectS ° f the Auckland

♦ The Customs revenue at New Plymouth tor June totalled £3886 0s 9d, an increase of £896 17s 4d over June, 1910. * At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before Mr F. V, Frazer, S.M., a first-of-fending drunk was fined ss, with 2s costa, la default 24 hours’ imprisonment. Work in the Midland railway tunnel at the Bealey end is progressing rapidly (say the Lyttelton Times), and upwards of 100 men are employed at present. So far 1000 hardwood sleepers have been recovered from the stranded Pelotas, and the balance is expected to be recovered in the next few days if the weather holds The Royal Hawaiians, though American citizens, conclude their programmes with Save the King.” This no doubt is partly out of compliment to the King, and partly a case of “When in Rome do as Borne does.” The Weather Bureau reported at 1 p.m. to-day:—Light and variable winds, but ■westerly moderate to strong, prevailing ai&er sixteen hours; v>earlier probably cool and changeable, and probably a verycold night: tendency for glass to fall slowly; tides poor, sea moderate, but tides increasing after thirty-six hours. At the last monthly meeting of the Purna Road Board, the chairman and Mr McGregor were appointed to confer with tho solicitor concerning the setting up of a Commission re the Rangitikei County Council. It was resolved that the provisions of section 117 of the Public Works Act, 1908, should not apply to that part of tie Matarawa Road from No. 2 Line to its junction with the Okoia-Matarawa Road. It was decided to metal the road from Phillips’ to Exmoor gate, and to Older a further supply of metal from Ohingaiti. Accounts totalling £3” 16s 9d were passed for payment. There is now in the Museum an oil painting of “Old . Castlecliff, before the ’band of man had touched it,” ns the artist describes it. This shows the cliff when the waves beat against it. before the breakwater extended out and caused the accumulation of such a large stretch of sand along the western mole, thus shifting the high water mark a long way out from its old position against the foot of the cliff. The entrance to the river is shown with canoes entering with the flood tide. In Wakefield's book, “Adventures in New Zealand, mention is made of the frequent canoe voyages on this coast about 1841. The artist, Mr George Sheriff, has kindly presented this interesting reminiscence of old times to the Museum. The work of planting the lower portion of the hillside along the Dnrie Hill steps has now been completed by the Beautifying Society. Oo account of the ground being so poor, the Beautifying Society has experienced great difficulty with this part. Mr Tucker has lately had it all terraced, and Mr Holloway has kindly presented enough mesembryanthemums to plant the whole of these terraces. The first terrace will be all white, the next all red. and the next yellow, and so on, and it is anticipated that there will be a blaze of colour there this summer. Between each of these terraces are planted nohutakawas and ratas. In a few weeks it is expected to complete the planting to the top of the hill. The Lower Hutt Poultry, Pigeon, and Cage Bird Association held its initial show on Wednesday and Thursday last, which was an unqualified success. Mr Brown. Government Poultry Expert, judged, am! be had a very difficult task, as nearly all the classes were very finely represented, and the competition was extremely keen. Of, the -Wanganui competitors, Mr C. L. Bridges was tho most successful, and in Black Orpingtons scored a first in cock, hen, cockerel, and pullet. In American Plymouth Rocks he got a first and special in -cockerels, first in pullets in the oner, clacsee, and first in pullets in the utility class. His exhibition of Indian Runnov ducks procured a first and special in drakes, second in young drakes, young ducks, and old ducks.