LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 246, 30 March 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Main Trunk express will stop at Te Awamutu on and after April Ist. A letter to the editor and several interesting items appear on page three of this issue.

Kawhia tennis club beat Oparau tennis club by 121 points at the match last Wednesday. The final shoot by the Upper King Country Rifle Club for the Rev. J. E. Ward's medal resulted in the prize going to W. Wallen, with a total score of 278.

Thp King County Rifle Association, with ' its headquarters at Taumarunui, was formed on Wednesday last. A Representative from each rifle club within thie district is entitled to a seat on the Gouncii.

There has been heavy mortality amongst sheep and lambs in the Northern Wairoa. An autopsy was made on a couple of lambs, and the trouble was found to be stomach worms present in myriads and also affecting the Jungs. The primary cause is lack of systematic drenching. Settlers-are now preventing any further spread of the disease and are grateful to Mr Hutham/ the Government veterinary surgeon, fpr so promptly coming to their 3ssfetanc<i v '

The Easter holidays passed off very quietly in Te Kuiti. Good Friday and Saturday- wer? fine days and Sunday, though dull, kept fine, but Easter Monday . was drizzly, what Mr Michawber would term "demnition, moist, unpleasant weather."

Taumarunui is talking of a winter skating rink for its residents. The township has progressed very greatly the past three years, and the main street is greatly improved upon what it was.

A very successful dance was held in the Paemako school on Monday evening last, in aid of the church organ fund, which Mrs Anderson has very kindly undertaken to raise. Visitors were present from Oparure and Hangatiki, the music being supplied by Mr Coe, of ICavvhia.

Turnip crops in the Waikato have been attacked by a new disease, known as the "Wairarapa disease," and the whobof the crop in the district, which is largely relied upon for winter feed is likely to be wiped out. If the winter is severe the loss cannot fail to have a prejudicial effect on stock. Mr A. G. Holland, registrar of the Native Land Court at Auckland, who was appioentd a judge of the Native Land Court last week, has been widely congratulate'! on his appointment. The newly-appointed judge, who is about 33 years of age, is a son of Mr J. J. Holland, of Auckland. He will be located at Auckland, and work as far south as Taumarunui.

The Taranaki Land Board conducted a ballot for sections at Mahoe and Piopiotea West, on March 22nd, with the following result: —Section 8, block 10, Mahoe, 658 acres, Charles M'Phee (seven applicants); section 2, block 1, Piopiotea West, 461 acres, A. W. Cameron (two applicants). For section 3, block 9, Powatu, 493 acres, section 7, block 13 Upper Waitara, 600 acres, and section 12, block 14, Opaku, 760 acres, there were only single applications, and these were approved, the respective applicants being G. Stockwcll, Herbert F. Cane, and F. W. Newton.

The new comet is responsible for many things, including the following. A studious young Galileo was recently watching the heavens through his telescope, anxious to behold the wonderful comet, when he himself was observed by two urchins. "What's he doing?" asked the first. "Hist J" was the reply;*"! thinks he's an 'asthromary,' and does them shooting stars we hear of. That thing's his gun." While they were speaking a large meteor shot across the sky. "He's hit, by gum!" cried the first lad in a state of wild excitement.

Two Wairarapa squatters came on a visit to Te Kuiti a few days ago, and were much impressed with the country. They consider Te Kuiti has a great future before it as a commercial centre; in fact, they were so confident of the future of the place that whilst here they purchased two liviportr.nt sues in the town through the agecncy of Mr A. C. Jolinson, who accompanied them on their trip They also visited the Waitomo caves and were intensely interested in the wonderful glow-worm cave. They express a hope that it will not be long before a road is formed from Te Kuiti direct to the Waitomo caves across country, as it would then make Te Kuiti a great tourist centre for visiting the caves. "The wind this morning sprang up from sleep," might be the appropriate remark to make on the violent equinoctial gale which, heralded by torrential rains, set .in during the night. Quiet citiz?ns resting in their beds wondered whether the roof would go before the rains flooded the house, and darkness added inward alarm to the violence outside. The gale continued to blow strongly during the morning, but daylight showed less real damage than might have been expected. "Canvas Town" was a wreck, the batchelor's tents being torn to tatters. Willows along the stream had their branches wrenched away by hundreds, and timber and iron was blown about and deposited in places where it was not wanted. A small shed belonging to Mr Darbyshire has been lifted bodily from its hill top and landed at the foot of the hill. Residents say such violent wind has not been felt in Te Kuiti for many years past. They express no desire for an encore!

Mr Sc'nmitt, the Auckland provincial secretary of the New Zealand Farmres' Union, was at Pio Pio last week, and personally called on a number of settlers, with the result that some ten members joined the Union. Mr Gabriel Elliott has consented to organise the Union locally, and the first meeting is to be held during April. An important matter will be brought up at the first meeting by Mr Pettigrew. This is, the advisability of the Pio Pio Dairy Company putting on _ a cream cart to run through the district between Mahoenui and Pio Pio and pick up home separated cream. This would consolidate the position for the Pio Pio company and enormously encourage settlers to milk even a few cows as a start. It obviously would not pay to milk a small number and have to carry milk in to the factory, but a cream cart collecting would serve the whole of the settlers in that district.

Just 52 years ago the famous Great Eastern was launched. This leviathan was responsible for at least one splendid advertisement of a South Wales industry, then in its infancy, viz., 'that of cable making. At that time a first-rate East Indiaman carried as many as ten or eleven huge hempen rope* cables, the largest size being 25 inches in circumference, and weighing six tons. The effluvia from dirty ropecable caused great mortality in hot climates, while the room necessary for their storage was two-thirds more than is required to-day. Nevertheless, great caution was exercised by shipowners before buying iron cables. The Great Eastern owners, howe.vey, instructed the Chain and Anchor Works at Pontypridd to construct for them a 2§in cable, a size in those days unheard of before. Eight hundred fathoms of this large chain were successfully made, and were severely tested soon afterwards, for during a terriblehurricane off JJolyhsad the Royal Charter founded, whereas the iron cables of the Great Eastern enabled her. to ride opt the gale safely.