CONTENTS BILL.

Manawatu Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 422, 8 July 1905, Page 2

CONTENTS BILL.

The Mayor has donated the sum o one guinea towards the funds of tho Fir< Police Corps. Mr W- Collingwood will be at th< Council Chambers this afternoon fron 2.30 to 5 o'clock, in order that country peoplo who dosiro lo obtain ticketß fo" the opening of tho Opera House nw have an opportunity to do so. A meeting in connection with tin Bible-in-Sohoola Referendum Leagui will be held in the Lyceum Theatn to-morrow night at half past 8 o'clock The meeting will bo addressed by Mr It A. Wright, the agent of tbe league, am the Eev. C. C. Harper will preside. Mi T. R. Hodder and tho Rev. I. Jolh will a'so take part in the mectiDg. The Southern Standard, referring t( alleged cases of usury at Gore, etatei that in one. instance a woman with t young family got a small loan on hei furniture a few months ago, to stave hei over n titno of trouble. •' She has re paid the lender the amount of tho prin cipal, and is still in his debt to aboul two-thirds of the original nmount which she ia being pressed to pay, anc cannot. Tho rate of interest worki out Something like 220 per cent pei annum. A serious assault case took place ai Tinwald, near Ashburton, this week Two men were disputing about i woman, when a third man came up, and on interfering, was threatened by one o tho disputants. The third man, it it alleged, thereupon struck the man wh( threatened him, knocking him against i fence. Tbe assaulted man proved to b( seriously injured, and he was removed t( the hospital It was feared his conditior would render it advisablo to take hii depositions. The opening ceremony of the Open Houso will take place on Wednesday next at 230 p.m. The speakers will.be the Mayor and "the Momber for tbe district, Mr W. T. Wood. A temporary platform will be erected outside th< Opera Houbo and, afier .the addresses •he Mayoress will open tho door of the building with a key specially made foi the occasion. The public will then bi invited to inspect the Opera House. Thi bands will be present, and after playinj the Rational Anthem, will play inusica -selections-, on1, the intide Btage. Undei the new arrangements girls and youthi as well as adnlts will be able to attend 7 Members of the executive of th< Beautifying Association and the He serves Committee held: a cpnferenci yesterday and decided on a plan ol operations for thn farther improvement of the Square. It was decided to cvi down a number of the: useless trees it the section opposite tho Union Banli and plough up the land preparatory to s general scheme of planting operations Invitations have been issued to the headmasters and directors of the varioui schools in the town to assemble then children on the ground on Arbor Daj (Wednesday next) at noon to do some preliminary planting.: Speeches will be delivered by the Mayor, representative! of the Beautifying Society, and chairmen of School Committees; and the public will be invited to witness the ceremony. > Mr _Wesley Bpragg, of Auckland, informed the] Premier yesterday that the result bf.-his observations, was. that oui young men are seriously lapsing trom the path of sobriety. The Premier: " ] would liketohaye sotne evidence of that It's a very serious assertion to make, because it is not understood to be the case." Mr-Spragg went on to say that he formed one of a committee to investigate the matter at Auckland. For sometime they watched and tabulated the results, not only as to the number oi people that were being influenced by the liquor trade, but the kind of people that went there, and they found to their alarm and to his astonishment that far and away the large majority were young people under 25 years of age. His own observations were corroborated by the others who took part in the scrutiny, and his observations had been confirmed since. About, thirty persons attended the meeting convened\for last evening1 by Mr Carter for the purpose of forming a Fire Police Corps. Mr J. Bias; was voted to the chair. After the convener had brought before the meeting the purpose of the proposed corps, fourteen of those present consented to become members. The following officers were then elected:--Secretary, Mr Parke's; Treasurer, Mr J, Biss; Captain; Mr Carter. Messrs Jones, Culpifc and Skelley were elected first, second, and third Lieutenants respectively. The Secretary was instructed to write to the Borough Council immediately in order to ascertain whether it is the intention of that body to recognise the formation of the corps. He was also instructed to correspond with the Fire Brigade on the same point. It was decided that the Secretary and Captain Bhould canvass for honorary members, and after some minor business the meeting adjourned. At the Convention of the New Zealand Alliance Mr Cocker read a paper on •' No-License in Ashburton," written by the Rev. G. Inglis, of that town. The paper contained a statement that it was extremely r&re to see any one under the influence oi drink in Ashburton. The ratable values of the property within the Borough show an. increase of nearly £1000 as compared with theT values for the last year of license. ' They were, so far as could be ascertained, ho more recruits being enlisted for "The Army of Despair." Convictions for drunkenness had decreased from 91, in 1902 to 23 in 1904. Crimes of various kinds bad been greatly reduced. The hospital returns showed that No-License had been a gain to the health of the people. The savings bank returns showed that more money had been deposited than formerly.. The ladies' charitable societies had their cupboards filled to bursting with garments of all kinds, for which there was now practically no demand in Ashburton. Building operations had been going on with great activity for the last two or three years, and still the demand for new houses seemed nnsupplied. A large new high" school was in course of ereotion. The dosing of the publichouse bars had been one of the best things—if not the best—that ever happened in Ashburton.. To hand: The Liberal Herald, published in Mem street, Wellington, by Mr William James Culver. The Herald consists mostly of the photos of the Cabinet and the remarks of the Prime Minister. (These unavoidably cover several pages). There are interesting references to a "diet for laying hens." The pedigrees of various Ministers are given. It is explained that a " traitor is a man who leaves our party and goes over to the other one, and a convert is a man who leaves the other party and comes over to ours." The finest contribution in the issue is found in the poet's corner. It is the Seddon Liberals* national anthem :— Let Liberals with grateful heart Throughout New Zealand's every part Bupport our rulers good and great, Who raised us to our present state. May Seddon's Government still reign— At each election may they gain— And let us m our hours of ease, Our lady partners try to please.

Fibst Paoe — Tenders, Amusements, Wanteds, Ac. Sbcond and Thibd Paoes—Business Announcements, % News of the Day.' Foubth Paoe — Auctions, Land Sales, Qeneral Business Notices.

Theßisley Rifle Meeting, at which New Zealand will be represented, will commence'next Monday. ... The number of divorces is degrading the marriage laws, if not the marriage system, of the colony.—The Premier. Some bracelets manufactured a 8 trophies for the Coursing Club meeting are at present on view in Mr J. Mortenson's window. , Capiain Edwin telegraphed yesterday.: Gale from between north-east aDd north and westi Glass fall! Rain, probably heavy, rivers flooded, after •20 hours vfrom now. The roll number at the College-street School at present is 424. The average attendances for the past month were 373, 345, 345, and 329. "He is like an American engine I once heard of—a 10-horse-power boiler and a 15 horse-power whistle, and when the whistle went everything else had to stop."— Mr Witty on Mr Ell." Our reputation is good, and so is our business. ClarksonV* At the last general election there were 4929 names on the Palmerston electoral roll. This year it is anticipated, judging by the number of applications that are being received, that the roll will contain over 6000 names. Householders in the Awahou South, Komako, Longburn, Moutoa, Campbell street, and Tiritea School districts are notified that a meeting for the election of committees will be held on Monday next. Yesterday an applicant for two seats at the Opera House opening function insisted on paying the original price of one guinea each, instead of, tbe present sum, halfa-guinea. • The seats, tho hon. secretary states, aro selling at a rapid rate. - During a sharp thunderstorm on Thursday night, Douglas Morrison, a son of Mr Morrison, cf Glen Duan, Wakapuaka, was standing at a ditch opposite his parents' residence, when he was struck by lightning and thrown into the ditch in a dazed condition. When he recovered it was found he was temporarily blinded and that his eyebrows were singed off, though no further ill results are feared. See our Saturday night bargains.— Glarkson's* At the Westport District Court, William Joseph Williams, of Waimangaroa, ex-Justice of Peace, was found guilty of indecent assault on a girl under sixteen. He was sentenced by Judge Haseldcn to four years' imprisonment. Counsel for the defence asked tho Judge to reserve a law point under the well known case of Rex v. Blight for the Supreme Court, but the Judge refused and said counsel had his remedy by application to the Attorney-General. In a previous indictment against Williams for a similar offence the judge direoted the jury to return a verdict of not guilty as the depositions disclosed an attempt at a '. major offence. We can sell you a new bicycle fitted '■ with English Palmer tyres (guaranteed \ for 12 months) for £9.—Clarkson's* j Statements have been made that i there is a possibility of the New Zea- i land Flourmillers' Co-operative As^o- i ciation going. into liquidation. A meet- < ing of directors, at which all were pre- i sent, was held at Christchurch yester- i day. No official information regarding i the business done is available, but it is < understood that the question of liquida- t tion was not discussed, and no date has c been fixed for a meeting to discuss i liquidation. The alleged reason for j liquidation is that the Timaru millers i have lost two-thirds of their trade since inininrr t.hn Amnnln^... .

■ The organising agent of the New Zealand Alliance says the Temperance : party is by no means dismayed by the I invalidation of the Chalmers' local option poll. On the contrary, they are satisfied that No-license will be carried at the next poll by a largely-increased vote. " It's quite usual for the young follows to regard their fathers as old fogies," remarked a speaker at a meeting of the Canterbury Charitable Aid Board. " Thoy think they know better than i we—and perhaps they do," he added i rutninatively. In reply to a question asked in the House by Mr JenniDgs in regard to tho imprisonment of a Taranaki volunteer for non-payment of fines inflicted for absence from camp, the Minister for Defence said ho was of opinion that volunteers offending in this respect should bo treated as debtors. . ~ At the meeting of tho Canterbury Charitable Aid Board a sufj^estion was made that tho members of the Board should practically exploit the labour test imposed on the applicants for relief, and take a turn at stouo breaking. They would then b come practically ac quaintcd with tho work. The suggestion was not received with any warmth of appreciation. For good valuo try Standard Star at £12 10a. Adams. Star Cycle Co , sole agfnts.* The Premier has informed Mr Millar that a Bill will be introduced providing for the establishment of workmen's homes, and this would apply to the workers at Dunedin and in other parts of the colony. Mr Millar com plained somewhat bitterly that the Government was doing nothing in the matter, though rents had gone so high that it was now almost impossible for workmen to reside in the vicinity of the cities. Other members also complained of the inaction of the Government. A lady membor was very emphatic at tbe meeting of the Christchurch Charitable Aid Board, in protesting against tho practice of sending young children into tho country. Farmers in tho North Island; she declared, even exploited their own children, especially in Taranaki. .She instanced a local case where a boy of nine years old had to get up every, morning at.four o'clock to drive the cows, while his sister of eight had to clean all tho stoves. " Did it do those children any harm ?" queried a married male member. «'Ye», of course," replied Mrs Wells, "it brutalised them." Do not be misled. Our prices are the lowest,.and we guarantee satisfaction.— Clarkson's* Major A. W. Andrew, who received his early military training in Christchurch, .still continues to improve his position in the Indian Army service. Divisional Orders recently issused by Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Egerton, G.C.8., D.S.O, on the subject of . Schools for Musketry, announced that Major Andrew is to be Chief lastructor and Commandant. The object of tho school is to train candidates thoroughly in all branches of musketry, practical and theoretical, and those who pass are awarded a certificate of efficiency, which is their warrant for imparting information to others on this important part of a soldier's training. A deputation from the New Zealand No-license Convention waited on the Premier yesterday and urged that the effect of the use of alcohol on the svstern should be taught in ths public schools. It was also urged that the Government should take steps ta prepre vent the sale by shopkeepers of liqueurs in the form of sweets. The Premier said he was quite prepared, if a text book was submitted, to place it before his colleagues and consult the officials of the Education Department. If suitable the book could then "be placed on the list, and it would then be left to tbe Education Boards to use it or not. Mr Adams said he wanted the subject made compulsory. The Premier Baid that it wouid have to go before Parliament. He was pained to hear from one of the deputation of the drinking habits of our young men, and he would make inquiries. Ho would also inquire into the matter of liqueurs. The easiest, machine to push is a Swift Royal bicycle, Adams, Star Cycle Co., sole ageats.* After a dozen years of strenuous service to the Premier, the member for Masterton appears to have " cut the painter" (says tho Wairarapa Daily Times). With Mr Hogg it is evidently " Pickwick and principle," and not " the loaves and fishes." In the past Mr Hogg has been a tower of strength to Mr Seddon—in the future he seems likely to be a deadly peril. Mr Hogg appears to have freed his soul by joining; the Third Party—that Taylor party, which expresses its own well-known principles with regard to the labour and land questions. On these questions the Premier has undoubtedly trimmed, but the member for Masterton will not trim, and,has to go. We now, for the first time, believe that Mr Seddon's tenure of place and power is practically at an end. ' When a staunch adherent like Mr Hogg leaves him,, the handwriting is on the wall. The following paragraph received by Dr Hocken, of Dunedin, from a friend in Japan by the.laßt mail appeared in the Otag'o Daily Times:—"Myeno Park is very interesting now with the panorama of Port Arthur, and the new Picture Gallery of war scenes—actual photographs enlarged—is splendid. One would never know that Japan is at war, everything is so quiet and orderly. Troops of Russian prisoners are in the country, and occasionally pass through Yokohama in trains going north, but I have never been to see them and never shall, as I don't like to look on a beaten man. However, I hear that they all look happy, are well fed and cared for, and are met by Japanese all along the line, who give them cigarettes, cakes, soap, towels, etc. This, I think, shows a grand spirit. The Government has offered them work, such as basket-weaving, wood carving, and anything they like, and will pay them for same; but I believe they won't do anything—they are too lazy." Don't miss seeing the jacket bargains at Victoria House sale.* The suggestion was made recently by Mr Fisher that the new volunteer regulations should be referred to a committee of the House for consideration and report. The Premier, in his capacity as Minister for Defence, declared yesterday that so far there have not been any complaints respecting the new regulations. The Commandant did not recommend it, and it would be premature to refer the regulations to a Select Committee. After they hsd been in force for a little time and had been sufficiently circulated among volunteer officers, non-comissioned officers, and men, " we shall be in a better position to judge." The regulations, he added, are within the law. In a brief speech on the subject Mr Fisher said that of course there had been no complaints made about the regulations, because the volunteer officers had not seen them. They only appeared in the Gazette, and yet in the meantime they would have to administer the volunteer forces under regulations which the officers did not know and had no means of finding out. " .We " (by which he meant experienced officers) knew that tho regulations were not adapted to the requirements of the volunteers, and he urged that they should bo submitted to a committee of experts before being published. The Premier, however, did not further refer to the subject. See our window for cycle sundries, all at Christchurch prices. Adams Star Cycle Co.* The news' by cable recently of the death of Colonel John Hay gives additional interest to the following item from the New iork Tribune of 3rd June, in reference to the "unique hon. our" paid by a foreign monarch to the late Secretary of State :-" Only those who are acquainted with Court and ofheial life abroad can appreciate the compliment paid by King Leopold to Colonel Hay in travelling to Nauheim in order to have a couple of hours'talk with him, When a monarch calls upon a foreign statesman in the city where the former may happen to be staying, the attention thus beßtowed is regarded as a very signal honour, which is heralded far and wide as such in the press. But for a reigning sovereign- and a septuagenarian one at that—to undertake a railway journey of some length for the purpose of paying a visit of an hour or two to a.powerful foreign Minister, with the avowed object of disoussmg questions of international policy, constitutes a tribute not only to the esteem in | which the American Secretary of State is held abroad, but also to the might md prestige of the United States. Ib is indeed a compliment unique and unprejedented. which will be looked upon as such in every capital of the Old World, jspecially coming as it does from a jruler who. in. spite of his unpopularity, is ustly regarded as one of the most astute md far-sighted of European sovereigns." __ For Bronchial Coughs take Woods^Great