DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 205, 4 November 1909, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

Subscribers to the "Chronicle" are notified that the new term for the paper began on November Ist, and subscriptions ending October 31st are now over due. It should be noted that a considerable reduction is made to subscribers paying in advance, the yearly rate booked being 14s while those paying in advance are charged 12s per annum.

A good evening's entertainment will be provided on Monday next, November Bth, when a social and dance will be given by Mrs Cross. Tbe best vocal and muscial talent has been procured and a treat is in store for tbe Te Kuiti public. The application of the Te Kuiti School Committee for an enlargement to the school has been refused by the Board of Education. Failing the granting of the request for the addition to the building the Committee applied for a marquee tent in which to take certain classes, and this request has also been refused. In replying to tbe request tbe Board acknowledged that an infant school would very shortly be required atTe Kuiti but at the present time it could not see their way to have the work done. To-night (Thursday) Mr J. Allen will hold his dancing competitions, and with the good prize* offered he ought to receive a fair number of entries. The lady's prize is a tea set valued at £2 2s, and the gentleman's trophy is 10s 6d. Colonel the Hon. T. r. Frcrnantle, A.n.r. to Comi;'n

Matters in connection with pushing : ahead with the erection of thr* Pionio dairy factory have now been su'.'.sicac- : torily arrange:! ;•.:;<•! :!-.e v.. v. proceeded with as pof.n l;> weather permits. The factory snoi;.:; be ready to open at the car lie.-', i date next spring. In connsction with the fishing season, which opened on Monday, it is stated that fish are showing pretty freely in strams in the Middle Waipa, between Otorohanga and Te Kuiti, in the upper part of the Mokau River, and in other tributaries of the Wanganui. There is no doubt also that there will be a fair amount of fishing in the Upper Thames, from Te Aroba to Tirau, Putaruru and Lichfield. The fishing at Lake Taupo is said to be quite up to average this year, and the numrous inquiries coming from overseas and the South Island indicate that there will be an unusual number of tourists. "The North Island is going ahead by leaps and bounds, and we should do all that is possible in the nature of a progressive land policy," said Mr Jennings, in urging judicious expenditure of road votes in the House. The member for Taumarunui added, howaver, that a stop should be put to trafficking in land, and mentioned that in regard to the recent ballots for the Te Akau block it was reported that an offer had immediately been made in two cases to successful applicants to pay £SOO and £IOOO for the blocks they had drawn. The only way to prevent the drawing of the unearned increment in this way, said Mr Jennings, was to make it possible for the Government to participate fully in the profitable transactions taking place. The difficulties connected with education in the backblocks are well illustrated in a petition from the settlers of Horipito, on the Main Trunk line, which has been presented to the Minister for Education by Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P. The grievances of the householders of the district were set out at a recent indigniation meeting at which it was stated that the manner in which the children are at present receiving their education was a disgrace to civilisation. There are nineteen attending the school, which is being carried on in an old billiard room. There is no fireplace, and the ordinary sanitary conveniences are wanting. It is stated that one sawmill in the district, which has just started will employ about 20 men when in full swing, and that another mill, which is expected to start about the end of the year, will provide work for about forty men, about three-fourths of whom, it is estimated will be married, with families. It was decided to petition for a new school to accommodate not less than 60 to 70 children. Mr Edward Allen, of Pukekura, left Waikato on Monday for Palmerston North Show with two fat bullocks, belonging to himself, and a fat cow owned by Mr E. Goodwin, of Newstead. All the animals are fine specimens, and will be a good advertisement for the district. They will be afterwards taken on to the Christchurch Show.

In speaking on the Land Tax and Income Tax Bill in the House of Representatives on Friday the Prime Minister referred to the increase of 25 per cent, on the tax on certain lands which falls due this year in terms of the Land and Income Assessment Act, 1907. He estimated that the extra tax would bring in £25,000 per annum. A number of estates had since the Act was passed, been cut up to bring the owners outside the limit of the tax. The extra 25 per cent, applies only to landowners the unimproved value of whose lands is £40,000 or over, and only to such lands as do not contain "business premises." The returns of hemp graded during the month of September were available on Friday last. The total number of bales graded was 4562, of which Wellington contributed 53.96 per cent. The quality of each grade dealt with was as follows: —Fine 52 per cent.; good fair 46.8 per cent.; fair 41.4 per cent.; common 6.07 per cent.; rejected .35 per cent. As compared with the previous month, there was an increase of 2162 bales graded, but a decrease of 68 bales on the corresponding month of last year. For the six months ended September 30, the number of bales graded was 28,991, as compared with 27,264 bales for the corresponding month of last year. For an increase of 1745 bales. A number of mills have reopened and a considerable increase in the output may be expected from now onwards. Archbishop Clarke, says a Melbourne cable, has issued a writ against John Norton for an alleged libel puoliibed in the newspaper Truth. The amount claimed is not stated. The injunction also asks that the defendant be restrained from further publishing the paper. Though the rural conditions of the greater part of Argentina are favourable at the present moment, in the great south west belt the prospects, says the special correspondent of the Pastoralists' Review, arc very poor indeed. "Reports from early lambing districts," says the Reivew's correspondent, "are bad, effects of wa;,l o: pasturage for so long are serious, tne mortality in ewes and lambs being no- j thing short of disastrous. It may ; safely be taken as certain that our j next clip will not only be short of the last in quantity, but also in quality. So with certain shortfalls in wheat, linseed, wool, and oats, the position, | even of more favourable than a month j ago, is sufficiently unpleasant to make i one stop and think. We have the i Bueno Aires Provincial (Jovr-rnment giving up a portion rd the tar: on production to lie!]) acrii-oluiri-t:; along: banks are petitions; i.y rural j-urk ti< i . and agrarian Jtugn;'.-.- giv-.- ■ :-::ra ex- ' tensions and facilitk.-- f>,r n.tt.iir.g obligations to unfortunate- member?; the railway companies make spu-h-.! reductions on tar *f'.-r tr-v.s; r! of animais • from droughty district-; /."agonal Congress hat! adopted a vol<~ of a milli'.n dollars to form a subsidy ; o rai:*for rijrrying sl' o a:.-: '--itko at rem;;:, rat'-s ; "he S'-r.a .-o:- :;,my :"elare?i theother day li,;. ire "gin v.-a.-: as much s-. ! f.- : . as feasts, ai.J s ! ■ op:;:-;-: w to

Tuesday, November 9th, the King's ; birthday, wiil be observed as a close holiday in f.l! brandies of the post and whether the Government \v<-:.:H introduce legislation to yrant local bodies power to levy rates en full capital value of grazing runs, the Prime Minister states that the rateable value of small grazing runs is an amount representing the annual rental captalised at 6 per cent., but as a set-off the \ rating authorities derive one-fourth of the revenue derived from these runs, j It is not proposed to make an amend- j ment in the law during the present | session. Grazing runs lessees, how- j ever, will as the member for Bay of j Plenty suggests, be permitted to take \ advantage of the Loans to Local I Bodies Act for the raising of loans. The appearance of the political hori- ! zon at Home is not (says the N.Z. j Times) without significance to New j Zealand wool producers. A general election in January is not improbable, and this may mean a struggle between j capital and labour of unprecedented j severity. The natural result will be disorganisation of trade and accentua- ; tion of the unemployed difficulty. The j consumptive power being thereby ; weakened wool will be one of the first commodities to feel the ill effects; ani while Great Britain is not our only market the result of a weakening in the Home market demand will have a far reaching effect on wool values. The obvious lesson to be taken from this position is that wool should be marketed as early as possible, and thereby secure the good prices which must rule when stocks are iow and manufacturers must have wool.

At the beginning of last month a remarkable achievement of world-wdie interest was accomplished by the noted Cunard liner Lusitania, which made the passage from Liverpool to New York in 4 days 11 hours, 42 minutes. Never before has man crossed the Atlantic so quickly—in fact a day was cilpped off the ocean barrier. The passengers l«jft London on the Saturday, Queenstown on Sunday, and arrived at New York on the Thursday. Unfortunately the Lusitania had to wait five hours at Queenstown for the riiails. Captain Turner did not forget to recognise the credit that was due to the chief engineer and his staff when paying a tribute to the good work accomplished in lowering the record. The vessel averaged 25.85 knots an hour, and her full days' runs were 650, 652, 651, and 647 knots. The distance from •lightship to lightship is 2784 miles. T on board the Lusitania totalled 2800 persons inclusive of crew. The vessel consumed 1050 tons of coal per 24 hours. At about 13s per ton the cost per day for coal was over £6BO The total amount of coal consumed on the voyage was 5000 tons costing over £3200. At Liverpool 50 first class passengers were left behind owing to all berths being taken. During the last few days senders of telegrams have been asked by the officials to place the stamps on the telegrams. This is the result of an order issued by the head office. Formerly the officials themselves used to put the stamps on. The following tenders have been received for the erection of the Masonic Hall at Te Kuiti: —G. Hitchcock, £7O 16s; Verrall and Lever, £B7 10s; D. Fletcher £lls 10s; Carmody and Reid, £117; G. S. Littlewood, £127. The tender of D. Fletcher was accepted ai being closest to the architetc's estimate for the work.