DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 121, 11 January 1909, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

The public meeting in connection with the Te Kuiti library which was fixed for January 14th, will be held in the "Chronicle" office, when the building scheme will be further discussed.

The recent long spell of inclement weather has had the effect of bringing the potato blight into prominenec in the district, and crops are not looking quite so well as they did a month ago. However, good yields are expected, and the dearth experienced during the past few years in the potato line will not be in evidence during the coming season.

The first quarterly meeting cf the Loyal Te Kuiti Lodge for the year 1909 was held at the Lodge Room on Thursday evening last. The following were elected officers for the ensuing six months:-N.G., |Bro. P. A. Larritt; V.G., Bro. H. 0. Barker; L.M., Bro. J. Smith; Perm. Sec, Bro. A. S. Gresham; Elec. Sec, Bro. C. Verrall; Treas., Bro. Mitchell; Warden, Bro. Mitchell; Supporter to N.G., Bro. J. R. Smith. A good muster of members is expected at a special meeting on Thursday evening, January 21st. when important business will be considered. The Waikato Trotting Club's second annual meeting is advertised to take place at Hamilton on January 16th. The sport is being well patronised in the Waikato and a highly successful day is anticipated: Excellent acceptances have been received for the various events and the type of horses competing will be of a high standard. A train will leave the course at. sp.m. for Te Kuiti. The Island Romance which appears in the January issue of the "New Idea" is a fine story, magnificently illustrated with half a dozen large photographs, also Mr Barrett's work. There are other good features in "The New Idea." An illustrated interview with Amy and Dolly Castles, in their London, rooms, is racily written by K. S. Prichard. Queen Alexandra's Christmas gift-hook is reviewed, and a number of the best snapshots are reproduced. Some photographs of the leaders in the women's suffrage fight in England have been specially taken for "The New Idea," and there are two pages of capital illustrations from thee recent Arts and Crafts Exhibition. On the fictiyi side, a new serial story, that promises well in the opening instalment, is begun, and there i* the usual allowance of good, wholesome short stories, Australian and otherwise. We notice that "The New Idea" has adopted a new cover-design, and that a conspicuous feature of it is the announcement that instead of three free paper patterns readers will in future be able to secure six free patterns with each issue. This is one of several new changes that were recently promised, and others will follow shortly. The domestic science, art, literature, and musical departments have been freshened up, and "The New Idea" enters the New Year with the promise of holding its position as the best sixpenny women's magazine published.

Richard Arnst, champion sculler of the world,adorns the cover of the January number of "Good Cheer," a copy of which we have received. This excellent Home Journal, which is published at Wanganui, where the big boat race took place, bears evidence of careful compilation, ami is a very creditable production. It should find a place in every New Zealand home. In addition to 32 pages of stories, poetry, illustrated articles, fashions, etc., a cut pattern is given away free each month. The journal is posted to any address for half-a-crown a year. A male passenger by Wednesday night's Auckland express train reported at Taumarunui that he had been drugged and robbed of £2 and his railway ticket. The pocket containing the stolen property is said to have been cut out.

At West Eyreton, Canterbury, on Thursday evening, a heavy thunderstorm took place, and a thunderbolt fell within two chains of the railway , station, close to the Kaiapoi-Bennets ! train. Before reaching the ground it burst with a loud report, and spread a shower of coloured; sparks, some of which set fire to a gorse hedge, although it was raining heavily at the time. The spectacle was most impressive. The shock created by the bursting of th thundrbolt shook all the buidings in the neighbourhood. The fireman on the engine was stunned, and the passengers were greatly alarmed. No damage was done to the train. The Trirrie Minister has not received the figures yet regarding the expenditure for the last year, but so far as he is able to calculate there has been a considerable increase, and this is a phrase of our financial position which he proposes to deal with at an early date upon a comprehensive basis. Sir Joseph Ward informed a Times reporter that during the present financial year New Zealand had to meet debentures falling due to the extent of £3, 133,238, all of which, notwithstanding the disturbed state of the money market, had been arranged for on the most satisfactory terms. "This," said Sir Joseph, "is confirmatory of what I said long ago, that our financial arrangements are made well ahead. We had the large sum of £1,291,950 falling due as late as the Ist inst., and of this amount we renewed to present holders over £1,100,000- a fact which shows the confidence the holders have in the stability of the country."

It is understood that a Hamilton | tender has been accepted for the erection of the Taumarunui post office. { General surprise and regret is expressed at the Thames at the resigna- i tion of Mr McGowan, and there is j every likelihood of the vacant seat being well contested. Several likely candidate are mentioned, and two have i already announced themselves, viz., Mr A. Burns, Mayor of Thames, and Mr E. Deeb'.e, who contested the seat at the last election with Mr McGowan.

The second woo! sale of the Auckland season will be opened at nine a.m. on Wednesday next at the Chamber of Commerce, when a catalogue of, approximately. 6500 bales will be submitteed for competition. This is the largest catalogue ever offered a': Auckland, and is an increase of no less than 1445 bales on the January sale last year. In November last, 4682 bales were offered, and that was a very high total for the November -market, so that it is evident that wool production in Auckland is increasing rapidly. With regard to the recent , BurnsJohnson contest, a well-known Wellingt in doctor gives a striking reason why a European boxer is always at a disadvantage against a negro in such a contest. The boxer, he explains, rivets his attention on his opponents face, and from the play of its features, and especially of the eyes, adduce where the next blow will be aimed, and is able to parry accordingly. The eye of a European stands out clear against a light background, and it action is familiar and conducive to correct interpretation. The eye of the negro, on the other hand, is much darker, closely resembling its background, and it is much more difficult to keep a fixed gaze on the organ and interpret rightly its changes of expression. As the eye contains a larger proportion of dark pigment than the European organ, it is able to offer more resistance to the light, and consequently dilates in the excitement of a fight in a way which is misleading ajid almost uncanny. The racial peculiarities indicated were considered by this doctor quite sufficient cause to justify the refusal of a white man to mset a black antagonist in the ring.

A mild sensation was caused at Waihi by the discovery by the police of a whisky still and a complete plant, apparently used for the manufacture of the liquor, on private premises at the east end of the township. The plant was discovered in a wash house attached to a private dwelling. Operations were in progress at the still and the men who were present stated they were making a drop for their private use.

I The extensive potato crops of Maoris in the Waiapu district are threatened with destruction by blight. The disease a few days ago made its appearance at Te Araroa and h2s since been discovered to be making its way into the Waiapu Valley. Last year the fatives had most successful crops, and ill this year have to fall back to a great extent upon their kumcra plantations.

It was stated by Mr A. T. Xgata, M.P., before the news of his appointment to the Executive was received, that the Native Land Commission's term of office will be extended for another month to imdertake the important work of consolidating the Maori land laws.

With regard to the appointment of two Ministers without pay, Mr MeKenzie and Mr Ngata, although not receiving pay as Ministers, will presumably draw the full travelling allowance cf 30s per day for every day they are away from their homes, and consequently their emoluments for travelling expenses, plus their honorarium, will be at the rate of £847 10s per annum.

It is announced that persons travelling between the North and South Islands will be able in future to obtain at any of the principal railway stations north or south "through" luggage labels showing the complete course of their proposed railway and steamer journey. Thus a traveller from Christchurch to Auckland will be able to obtain at Christchurch luggage labels made out as follows: —"Christchurch to Lyttelton, ship's hold to Wellington, train to Auckland." This will save him the inconvenience of relabelling his belongings at every stopping place, but the Department will not be responsibl4 for transport of the luggage between train and steamer. This must be supervised and paid for by the passenger himself. The Department impresses on travellers the imperative necessity of having their luggage properly addressed before it is presented for transport by either rail or steamer. By far the greater part of the inconvenience now experienped is due, it is declared, to luggage being insufficienly addressed,. A meeting of members and all those interested in the Te Kuiti Racing Club is advertised to be held on Monday, January 18th, when the matter of holding a race meeting will be discussed. An excellent ground for a course has been obtained at Te Kumi, and as it is necessary to hold a meeting this season in order to keep the Club's license, supporters of the "Sport of Kings" should muster in force to discuss the project.

Local Volunteer matters are to undergo a change in the near future. Major Allen Bell and Staff Sergt-Major paid a visit to Te Kuiti last Friday, and a public meeting is to be he'ld on January 22nd to reorganise the corps. In the Rotherham dsitrict, in the Amuri, Canterbury, the caterpillars, are proving a plague to the grain and grass crops. In some instances long strips of the country have been visited. The grubs have appeared in myriads, and have taken some chains of front, over which they denude the grain crop of the ears by eating through the neck of the grain. The grass crops are being treated in like manner. Hundreds of small birds attacked the grubs, but they made no perceptible diminution in the ranks of the army of caterpillars. Before the advent of the small bird on the Canterbury Plains it was not an uncommon sight to see paddocks overrun with caterpillars, or the tussocks and grass alive with grasshoppers, but the invasion at Rotherham is quite a new experience in recent years.