LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 779, 27 October 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Electric milking machines are used on nearly 000 farms in New Zealand. Some splendid Christmas cake - recipes by “Ru-ru” will appear in the next issue containing her column. The annual meeting of the Franklin Cricket Association will he held in Patumahod billiard saloon nn Alonday next, at 8 p.m.

The Band secretary wishes to express regret at the error in the postage on circulars in connection with the Pukekohe Band. The Auckland Metropolitan Spring Show is advertised to take place on December Ist and 2nd. Entries will close on Saturday, November 18th, at 5 p.m.

St. Andrews’ Rose and Sweet Pea Show will he held in Hie A. and P. Show sheds on November 17th and 18th. Schedules are now beingprinted.

On Sunday the morning service, in the Methodist Church will be conducted by Rev. E. P. Blamires, a former minister, and at night by the lion. AV. F. Finlayson, of Brisbane.

The pressure of job printing work has made such demand's upon our plant and staff this week that the usual 10 page Friday’s issue had to be curtailed. Hence to-.day the Times only publishes 8 pages. During last season 2209 tons of butter were manufactured at the Pukekohe factory, an increase of 500 tons over the pervious year. This season it is anticipated that the increase will be greater. At the present time the average output is over thirteen tons per day, which is considerably in excess of last year’s average. The Franklin Footballers annual plain and fancy dress hall will be held in the Strand Theatre on Monday, October 30th. Handsome prizes are being given to the wearer of the best and most original fancy costumes. A strong committee has been formed, and arrangements arc well in hand. No effort is being spared to make, the gathering a rponster success. The estimated expenditure on public works for the current year (exclusive of accounts which have their own ways and means) is £4,967,220. which will leave a credit balance of £3,307,109 to be carried forward to the year 1923-24, There appears to have been quite a boom in football boots in England this year. According to the British Trade Review, during the first live months South Africa bought 41,291 dozen pairs, Australia 4707 dozen. New Zealand 19,905 dozen, France 8,808 dozen, Belgium 7,891 dozen pairs. Al Lithgow recently Canon Charlton, organising secretary of the C.E.M.S., declared al the Anglican Church celebrations that the parson's lot was not always a happy one. At first he was idolised, then analysed, afterwards criticised, and finally scandalised. If he survived the latter he was generally made a bishop. II is surprising the number of wellknown old residents of this district whose names are taken off the roll. Just recently two residents who have not changed their address in Pukekohe for the past thirty-live years, received notification that their names had been removed by order of the S.Af., and that to be reinstated it is necessary to notify the Registrar in writing. See that your name is actually on the roll.

“This reminds me of the old days in ithe North,'” said Mr Justice Reed in the Supreme Court recently, commenting on a boundary dispute before him, which hg considered mighji have been settled) without coming to court, “In those days,” he said, “the natives would fight, a lawsuit over the ownership of a calf valued at about seven shillings. Half the tribe would! be on one side and >;- ( y the oilier. Eventually the natives would expend as much as £SO or. each side ir. settling ‘the ownership cf the nr.irr.fJ..”

A Hamilton resident recently incurred a debt of "ne 'shilling to a Cambridge business man. who received a cheque for the amount, with sixpence exchange added. On being presented, the cheque was returned from Hamilton, dishonoured. Thus the Cambridge man lost Ihe sixpence exchange paid, il cost the debtor 2d for postage, 2d for his cheque, the hankers had lo pay postage lo and from Hamilton, to say nothing of the clerical work entailed by the business man and the bankers, and 1 lie debt slill remains unpaid. Surely this might he termed a case of ‘•much ado about nothing.”

II was only an old haltered tobacco tin, but il exemplified the long arm of coincidence in an interesting manner. A New Zealand soldier found il on one of the battlefields of France, and caried il for years after lie returned lo bis own country. He took lip land in the backblocks of Taranaki, and while luisli-l'alling one day lost the old keepsake. Having occasion lo visit a Government office in Wellington lately. lie was surprised to find the liri lying on the official’s table. Explanations followed, and it was slated that, the official in question, whilst engaged on shellrock exploration work in Hie back country, found the lin full of tobacco —a welcome find to I lie parly. The tin was returned to the ex-soldier, who now cherishes it still more for its added associations.

Although much has been said for Prohibition, il is obvious that such an important issue must have two sides. Mr Frederick Burke, who is to deliver addresses throughout the district has I ravelled in every country where Proliibtion was tried. His services as a Naval officer gave him many apportunlties to visit all countries, and he is now lecturing against the "dry” law on account of his experiences under it in the various countries visited. Whether one agrees with his views or not, a gentleman of his knowledge at first hand cannot be ignored by broadminded citizens who desire to hear both sides before casting their vote. Air F. Burke, who is known as “a sil-ver-tongued orator,” makes a special point of welcoming all questions on the subject. In the Auckland Town Hall lie answered thirty-four queries.* At a meeting of the Carterton branch of the Farmers’ Union, Mr T. A. Blake, Government veterinary surgeon*. gave a very interesting address on how to tell the age of cows by their teeth (reports the “Age”). He said that when purchasing a horse a person always looked into the animal’s mouth I£ was force of habit, and he diatubted) in some instances whether they were any wiser .by doing so. But very few people thought of looking , into the mouth of a cow to ascertain her age. He held up »the bottom jaw of an animal and asked 1 those present to state its age when alive. One or two (farmers guessed correctly. The jaw contained four fully-developed teeth and two small ones. Six teeth, with two small ones, were found in a cow three years old. and in the mouth of a cow four years old there were eight fully-formed teeth Over this age it was guess-work to a. certain extent, though an estimate could be formed by the worn condition of the teeth.

At 'its meeting last week the Gisborne Borough Council voted unanimously (for a motion affirming “that the administrative expenses of the Borough should be reduced by £IOOO per annum/’ The mover emphasised that the motion stood only for efficiency economy, adding that “he also wanted to refer to the talk there had been otf resignations of officers. If certain officers wanted to resign the best thing they could do was to put their resignations in and then the ma'tter could be discussed. He wished to point out that the rates of the Borough had increased 40 per cent, since 1918, while salaries had increased 79 per cent since 1917. IHe contended they had not received lintei’nal efficiency commenaurate with the increase., (The Borough hadi no'definite policy, but had been drifting along. Next year the increased interest would probably mak#- the position worse than ever. This year, when Councillors had taken a keener interest in the matter, a saving Qf at least £IOOO had been forced on the Borough. The calling of tenders for shingle and mestal had compelled d saving and this had been forced upon the administration, by the Council.”