The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23,1911. LOCAL AND GENERAL,

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 February 1911, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY T HURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23,1911. LOCAL AND GENERAL,

Tlio moonlight excursion organised i|>y the Horowhcnua .Moating' Club ims boon fixed for the 15th March. .Arrangements to convey people across the lake in motor launches have boon made with Mr Nevin ljy fclve club.

The weather report from the meteorological office.at Wellington .states tihat present iiulicatioji.s are for a temporary rise precedijuj; a fall in the glass everywhere shortly. Hazy weather and increasing cloucli- ; ness are .probable in most parts. i Strong easterly winds are probable in the North and variable with a northerly tendency and increasing I generally everywhere. I Por.son.s interested in the Labour movement and in a position to speak authoritatively, do not consider it probable (says the Mail) that the Oamnru and Waitaki seats will be contested at the next general election !by Labour party no minces. Though a number of meetings have been held and addresses delivered, by various organisers, working nieii have not by their attendance at meetings displayed an interest suificiont to warrant ,i Labour nominee ■testing the strengtih: of the party in I the district.

1 There is satisfaction in Waimate (states the Timaru Post) at the enterprise of the Government in. taking 5500 acres of land in the Wailiao JWtis district for close .settlement. The. price of the two properties averaged about £17 per acre, but the yost of roading will not 'he iheavy. Twenty shillings should he the outside rental. "Compared with Willowbridge land at £50, this is not unpayable. It seems necessary, however, that the settlers .should have enough capital to he a!ble to •stock up, and, if necessary, stand one year of drought. All except 300 acres of tho Waihao Downs'purchase is in Knpjlish grasses'. For several years past the Government has been trying to obtain live specimens of the tlimia, and several expeditions that have been fitted out have returned without meeting with any success. Among many people it is thought that the luiia li'is gone the same way as tho inoa and other native birds'. This opinion, however, seems to be a little j premature. We ihave mot- several cntlm.sia.stie expert ornithologists (■says the Napier Tribune) who" a requite certain, that the ihnia is not extinct. The latest information is that in the directic>i of Mount Holds, worth (Wairarnpa) the distinctive note of this bird has boon heard. The Eketahuna Express understands that during tho next few days; Mr Kit, mining expert, who has been specially engaged by the ITawj ke's May syndicate lmldi'ng boring i rights over a considerable area in I the ftketahnna County, will make a thorough investigation a.s to wltether the known coal seams are worth attention. Should the report prove favourable, it is understood the .syndicate intends procuring now and up-to-date boring appliances, with the object of ascertaining definitely if coal exists in payable quantities.' The Hrunner correxpelident of the Grey Star states :--"The long spell of fine weather we are experiencing is surely a. record. People who have never been short of water previously are compelled to fall back on the Grey river for .supplies. In some cases the water had to bo carried great distances. Needless to say, the water is sparingly used and nothing wasted. Push tires are numerous. As a result of one of these tho smithy in connection with the Dobson sawmill has disappeared in smoke. Fortunately, the fire was prevented from destroying the sawmill." " ■ " •

"Bo you think it right that a minister of religon should receve as much as £200 per year " Such was the question submitted to Mr Wilson after his address at Rnnanga on Monday night, says the West Coast Times. Mr Wilson replied by stating that a minister couldn't live down here and 'board in Heaven. The amount, he stated, was not too much for any minister worthy of the name, nor indeed for any man whose work was so trying and difficult. The old cry of ''down with, the classes" should give plaice to the newer and better cry, "up with the masses"--a statement which the audience heartily endorsed.

Mr ft. Houston, son., farmer of Kofterangi. has just imported the nucleus of a stud flock of Romney •Marsh sheep, consisting of six ewe"s and five rams, the latter including the champion ram at the Dunedin show. The sheep are from the fatuous Clifton estate, ow.ned by Mr W. Helford. the leading breedr of Romney Marsh sheep in the dominion. It is very gratifying to see such enterprise displayed by Mr Houston, which will tend to give a fillip to the breeding of tikis most suitable class of sheep for the West Coast.—West Coast Times.

Mr Black, representing Mi , MeChiggage, of Stratford, "lias been, out with Mr H. R. Young making rtn examination of the coal-minino-property at the 'back of West's Creek, Nine-mile. The coal, wihicW lies to the south of the Westport Coal Company's mines, is said to he similar to the Coalbrookdale measures, but the extent of the seams has not yet been accurately ascertained. If the coal lives solidly there, the owners of the property should make a fortune out of it, for there is <a fine, easy gradient right down to the Nine-mile railway only some five miles from Westport. — westport News.

The export of cheese from the Bluff still continues. The Moeraki recently took away 25 crates to Melbourne, and the Durham ton Sunday took for the West of England markots 1140 crates, while the Mamari will leave for London in a flay or so with 4892 crates. Tire total consignment is therefore (points out the Southland Times) 6057 crates, against 5739 crates for the dorrespond»ig period of Jast year. For the season. (however, there has been a slight falling off, viz., 44,293 crates as agamst 5841 last year. Tins is partly accounted for by the dry sea■Y .T h « West ofEnfflandtrado is evidently developing, as the consi™ raen*s tins venr -are 5627 crates, as gainst 1880 for the same period last season.

The poll in connection with the water loan of £1250 is --fixed , for March 2.

An exchange relates that thore is a beekeeper in the Southland district who has 220 colonies of bees, which have a free run of a very large area of clover. To test the working capacity of a hive, he one day placed tbe hive on the scales, a.nd for 12 hours' work tihey registered 101b of honey. It only wants a little bit of figuring to tell the return the above number of colonies would give their owner at the retail price of honey of from 6di to 7d> per lb.