LOCAL AND GENERAL

Horowhenua Chronicle, 9 June 1915, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Chronicle hears on reliable authority that all tho timber mills along the main trunk railway line again are working full time. The city retail trades, too, are reported to be greatly improved, and quite a brisk output of builders' ironmongery is reported from Wellington. Eighteenpence pea , pound for butterfat supplied during May and also three pence per pound additional for the March supply, will be paid out by the Levin Dairy Company this month. The bonus for March increases the total price per pound for that mouth's fat to filiteenpence. The total disbursement on the 20th instant by the company will exceed £2600.

Mellish's comet in the southern skies, about midway between the zenith and fhe horizon, is now visible to the naked eye in the evening.

An area of 800 acres at I'orangahau is to be opened for public selection under the optional system uv six weeks' or two months' time.

At the end of May there were in store in A T ©w Zealand only 48,341) boxes of butter, as compared with 89,985 boxes in May of last year

Enlargements of the boys* quarters' alt the Wereroa Experimental Farm, Levin, have been authorised, and in the course of a few days the Public "Works .Department will call for tenders lor carrying out the work.

Some JC4O,OOQ worth of chemicals sire every year poured down tlie drains in New Zealand (says the Wellington Post). So said Air. A. It. Sennett *) his address to fiio Central Chamber of .Commerce-on Monday. This waste he said, was largely in the ga&worits. Ii it were saved the dominion could manufacture cyanide, of potassium in sufficient quantity for the country's gold-mining requirements, and export 250 tons in addition.

Very unsatisfactory conditions prevail at some of the outlying schools in the Auckland 'province. (living evidence ibefore the Boundary Commission at Mr W. Auld. a member of tho Auckland Education Hoard, and forniely of Koilding, said that recently he and two other members o>1: tho Board visited, among other schools, one at a place called Te .vlawhai. They lound about twenty children being taught in an abandoned cowshed, which was quite unhealthy, while it was dangerous for the children to leave their baskets aibout, as the food was quickly consumed by rats. Repeated requests had been made by tho school cominittc« in these districts for improved conditions, but they were ign«red.

"War balconies" are the latest German food craze. The thousands a£ balconies which characterise the flaits if Berlin, and in summer make such n picturesque addition to Mie streets with their wealth of flowers are this year to produce food. The Tageblaibt gives a list of things that Van be grown mi most of them. For example some kinds of climbing marrows (Augueien Kuerbiss), a climbing cucumber, and so forth'may be grown in big margarine tubs if the balcony is not too draughty." Scarlet runners are, of course, an old favourite on all balconies, and dwarf beans may also be grown. Lettuces, borage (for cups), parsley and other gieenstnffs, usually known in Berlin as "soup greens," are also recommended. Halloran, the Sun's special correspondent with the Australians, describing the fighting at the Dardanelles, grows hot over the Turkish atrocities. He saysj'We took prisoners afterwards but not at the start. So unspeakable are the Turkish barbarities that we feel that we have got te settle them ■right off. We took one prisoner from lour in tho morning till three in the afternoon. On the Sunday we landed one bugler was treacherously knifed, ariJl this is said to have so incensed tho Australians that when lorty Turkish prisoners were brought along they shouldered the escort aside and gave every Turk a bullet.

A ploughing match--a common thing among farmers in the South Island — but unusual as far as this district is concerned will be held at the Weraroa Experimental Farm on Friday, 11th anet. The niauagfei - , Mr J. Drysdale, cordially invites the attendance of the people of the district, and particularly would like the attendance of the young people. All who can by any means make the necessary arrangements should be present as the competition will undoubtedly prove very interesting and apart from it there are' many other things well worth seeing at the Farm. •■Commercial exports are of opinion that the information recently published by the Government statistician regarding the grain returns for New Zealand should ease people's minds as te any danger of shortage of milling wheat in the Dominftn) this year. The returns include the greater part of the threshing operations in April, and the returns received up to May 17th show that since the beginning of the year 6,169,760 bushels have been put through the threshing mill. This, it is stated, -will allow for the rotuirn of 100,000 bushels to New South Wales to replace the loan of that quantity, and still leave 6,000,000 for use in the Dominion. So far the returns give the yield from about 162,000 acres, and as tho estimated area sown in wheat ,was • over 198,000, there are still the returns from some 27,000 acres to come, all of which is "unlikely to he- lost from drought and other causes. With moderate care the indications are that there will be plenty ol grain in the Dominion for all ordinary requirements.