LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14340, 9 July 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Wanganui Agricultural Association has now. a membership of just over 1200. The Wanganui Agricultural Association yesterday afternoon elected fifty-one new members. A meeting of Territorials decided last evening not to go on with the proposal to hold an infantry ball in Wanganui this year. The most powerful battleship in the world is being built by. Walker, on the Tyne, for an unnamed foreign nation. K is 620 ft long, 94ft wide, and has a tonnage of 30,500 tons. She will carry eight 15in guns, 14 Gin guns, ten 4in guns, and two torpedo tubes. The armour will be l.'lJin thick. The Westland Pioneers’ memorial was unveiled by Mrs Perry (Mayoress of Hokitika) yesterday. The monument is a life-sized marble ligurc of a miner upon a granite pedestal, which is suitably inscribed and is erected at the intersection of four principal streets at the entrance to the town. The Minister for Eaihvays states that under the existing arrangements the running of a dining-car between Wanganui and Now Plymouth is not justified. Should the circumstances alter to' such an extent as to make it. necessary to review the question, lie will have pleasure in doing so at a later date. The inventor who tries to pick his way through the mazes of the patent laws is courting disaster. Safety lies in consult lug the specialist. Messrs Baldwin and Hayward, patent attorneys—local . repre seurnticc, Air J. L. Stevenson—arc experts of the highest standing. Their “Inventors Guide” is an authoritative book, A copy can be had for the asking. Send postcarc, to-day. It is a peculiar trait in human nature that man is most difficult to convince that he is in the wrong, and an exampkcf this wall seen in the Avenue this' morning. Two cyclists, one mounted on a motor machine and the other on the more primitive, if more popular means of locomotion, met with lorce. Sundry parcels were scattered all around, and both riders wer. unseated. Willing helpers came and collected the scattered parcels and then the two principals of the collukki commeue a wordy warfare. Both sides vehc neatly held that they were in the right, and in.' were still arguing to the effect as they went off to the repair shop with lluir machines. Messrs A. A. Gower and J. L. Steven hon, J.’sP., presided over to-day’s session of the Police Court. Minnie O’Connor, who was arrested by the local police on a Wellington warrant, was enlarged witl being a rogue and a vagabond, and was remanded to Wellington to be dealt with. Christopher White, a youth, who pleaded guilty to the theft of a. pair of boots valued at 16s 6d, was also dealt with. Benior-Sergt. Burke said that the lad had been placed on probation at the May sittings of the Wellington Supremo Court bqt had eluded t'ne Probation officer and made his way to Wanganui He had m money and was given a shakedown by ; young man. .Next morning he was miss ing, so was the young man’s best pair o boots, which were later found in a second hand dealer’s, .place where they were sold for fis. On the request of the police, hr was convicted and discharged, and will be taken back to Wellington to be handed over to the probation officer. - German engineer has invented a very peculiar life-saving device. It consist; of a water-tight canvas suit in the shape of a bag, with sleeves, for tbo arms and a dome-shaped top that closes over the wearer's head. Tno sleeves terminate ir gloves, so that no water can enter the suit through them. The top is provided with a porthole, through -which the wearer may take note of his surroundings. However, a slide B provided to seal the porthole hermetically. Projecting from the top of the suit is a pipe through which air is admitted. In order to keep the device upright, a metal can or huckc* is fastened to the bottom of the suit There are openings in the top of tie bucket, so that it will fill with water and act as a weight. Within the suit a limited stock of provisions may be carried. Around the top hand ropes are secured, to which two or three persoirmay cling, and keep themselves afloat The occupant of the life-saving device can propel himself by using his arms as paddles. The researches of Dr. li, McNab into the eatly history of New Zealand hav been advanced further by bis visit to Sydney, whence he returned to-day aft"" an absence of a month. Dr. McNab told a Post representative that the first volume of his work on the history of tlm North Island of Now Zealand was just about to be issued, and he is now bnsv with the second. The first volume cove -0 tV- Period from 1642 to 1818, and tb" second will mu from 1819 to 1832. I 7" has just visited Sydney in order to obtain from the newspapers there a quantity o f material relating to New Zealand in th" second period. lie had to cut th" vis'’ 1 ,short, but lie was able to complete his search up till 1830. In addition to this work, he continued the investigation begun last year of the early Supreme Court records in Sydney. ' These pape-s contain much that relates to causes hj Court dealing with New Zealand u(Tar's at the time before there was any white settlement here, to say nothing of a Court. “That a further amendment be made, 1o section 16 of the Town Board Act, 1908, to provide that the electors’ roll shall only bo required to ho prepared during the year in which a general election of members takes place, and that the lime the roll is to 1 be prepared be altered from the month of April to the month of July (Tims avoiding the necessity for such a large supplementary roll.)” “That section 31 of the Town Boards Act, 1908, requiring seven clear days' notice (ob" given of special meetings, be amended so as to provide that only two clear days ■ be required, the Fame as under the MuniI cipal Corporations Act.” These remits j are placed upon the order paper for consideration at C>o next Municipal Conte--ence to he held in. Wellington on July , 14th. Remits from the Wanganui Borqngh Council are as follow;-':—“ That tlm speed limit of motor-cars and motorcycles be fixed in every borough, town, district, and county by the Police Department.” “That the G o '>"rninent m 1 minister the Motor Regulations Act and that after paying cost of administration, any surplus available be distributed to the local authorities in whose district the owners-of the registered cars reside, also Bint registration of all motors be eifected annually..”

The engines of the new German battlecruiser Seydlitz are capable of developing 89,738 propeller horse-power, which is a world's record.

It was .stated by the chairman at, the meeting of the Manawatu County Council on Thursday that the cost of stone crushing worked out, at. about ."is a yard. The latest addition to the telephone exchange i.s No. 1045, “Chester House" (Cl. .1. Firth), private boardinghouse, Victoria Avenue.

A London cable states that Charles Grant Tindall, of the Australian Meat Co., left English personality to tho value of £220, iflt) to bo distributed among his children, w'io also receive land and stock in Australia.

After a lively meeting, the shareholders in the Wonderland Amusement Company decided to approach the Auckland City Council and seek permission to carry on amusements in the park in the Exhibition grounds during the coming summer, and thus endeavour to retrieve the loss during the Exhiibtiou period. Two rival showmen who, it is alleged, were also rivals for the favours i.f a iady fair, came to conclusions in the time honoured manner yesterday afternoon. ’J he affray took place near Chavanues’ Hotel. The argument was as short as ; t was lutcible, as, it is said, one of the rivals " wt> not prepared, and received a sudden blow which knocked him out, and he was taken to the hospital, where he is undergoing extensive repairs to his nose. It is understood that the police have taken the matter up, and that more will be heard of it, within a day or two.