LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 370, 17 June 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Mr P. C. Mackie, who recently examined a number of King Country football referees in the theory of their pastime, declares the list of passes in the following order: Messrs N. B. Lusk, G. Elliott, P. Mora, H. Rothery, J. Gilbert and B. Hayson. Mr N. B. Lusk also succeeded in a practical examination. The examiner writes that he found the standard much higher than might have been anticipated and judging by the general knowledge of the law and the demeanour of the candidates, he feels warranted in predicting that the majority of the members will make highly successful referees. A meeting of the Maori Land Purchase Board was held this week, when offers from owners to sell to the Crown blocks of various areas, totalling over 100,000 acres, were dealt with. It was decided to recommend the purchase, on terms submitted, of about two-thirds of the total area offered. The land to be acquired is chiefly in the King Country and theBBy of Plenty.

The suggestion which wag made by Mr Francis Hull that Parliament should vota a grant to the widow and children of the late Mr F. A. Claude, who so pluckily pLilud up a runaway train at Otahuhu, and so saved tha Main Trunk express, was brought by Mr Arthur Myers, M.P. under the notice of the Hon. D. Hudiio, Minister for Internal Afl'aii'M. MiMyers urged thar, the case was one Which should receive the careful consideration of the Government, more especially as it was stated that Mr Claude's demise had been hastened by the strain he underwent in performing his gallant act. His wife and children were placed in circumstances in which they required help. The Mmsiter promised to bring the matter under the consideration of hia colleagues.

Prices at Mr J. R. Graham's land sale on Thursday well maintained the recent values, and ranged from .£9O for sections in Taupiri street to £220 for frontages in Rora street and Alexandra street coiner. The next Hale is announced for July sth. In consequence of the great success of the acrostic andllower competitions now being held by the proprietor of Tonking's Linseed Emulsion, the date of closing has been fixed as June 30th. Prizes for these two competitions will be awarded by July L r 'th and notified in this paper. The triples and public prize competitions will be continued as per advertisement. Look out for the next announcement in this paper.

Mr Joseph Hammond, an aviator who has been giving exhibitions of flying in Australia, as representative of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company of Bristol, arrived in Wellington on Wednesday by the Moeraki from Sydney. Mr Hammond is an ex-New Zealander, claiming Feilding as his birthplace. Leaving Wellington he first went to Australia to take up Bheep farming. Later, he was at Klondyke, and next he was heard of in Alaska. For six months he toured in the United States as a cowboy in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Then the aviation fever seized him, and he went to Uheims to take up aeronplan--1 ing at the local school, duly becoming a certificated pilote-aviateur.. The North Island ha 3 greatly impressed Mr G. W. Russell, M.P., who has returned from a holiday trip to the Last Taupo district. He said that he was greatly impressed with the tremendous possibilities for settlement there, while Canterbury was virtually without land for settlement, unless high prices were paid—prices so high as to make it wonderful that farmers could make headway at all. In the district he had just visited there was any amount of land- -Crown native and private- which, if one-iix'th of the energy and ability brought _to bear in Canterbury was applied to it, would carry Id,ooo people,and provide them with good homes. "It appears to me," said Mr Itiissell, "that unless some ptovision can be made, by which land in Canterbury can be placed on the market at something like a reasonable price, in order to enable our population to have room, we can make up our minds for an exodus of young farmers and men, looking for ]and where land is not at fictitious prices, if I may use the term, that it now commands in Canterbury.

For a considerable number of years the people of Tauranga and adjacent districts have advocated the completion of the Tauranga-Kaimai-Waikato road.so that it would be available as a coach road between Tauranga and Matamata, a distance of about ;i;> miles. The bridge across the Te Rere creek, which was the worst on the road having been completed, a party recently made the trip from Matamata to Tauranga, the driving time for the journey being live and a half hours. On reaching Tauranga the party inter■viewed the leading men of the town and members of the County Council, with the result that improvements will shortly be made to the road where required, when there will be no difficulty in accomplishing the distance under five hours. The people of the East Coast will then be able to leave \ Tauranga in the morning and catch the. express at Matamata at 11.HO o'clock, reaching Auckland at a p.m. .the same day, a trip which by any other route generally takes two days. 'This route would also be a splendid mail route, and with that end in view petitions from Matamata and Taur-jnea will shortly be forwarded > Parliament. It is ultimately intended to provide a good motoring surface to the road, and run a motor car service,doing the journey between Matamata and Tauranga in about three hours.

One of the most liberal offers ever made by a New Zealand commercial firm is being made for the fust time to .our readers through these columns. Messrs Hemmingway and Robertson, ,of Auckland, have compiled a special winter course of book-keeping' for farmers, and the student gaining the createst number of marks gets a free trip to Australia. A special rebate of «>r, pi . r cent, on the fees for this course is allowed to all readers of the "Chronicle. The total cost of the course is only r.l :ss. The offer is only open until July next, and it is vitally important for all interested to remember that after 19R! no one can qualify m accountancy without first passing matriculation or the civil service. For particulars of the offer, and conditions of the competition, we refer our readers to the special inset with thi3 issue.

SVo have been shown some excellent photographic views of Te Kuiti, taken by a local photographer well ■u,p"'in the photographic art, which afford an excellent indication of the growth of the town. Those tkißcriptive of the. Mangaokawa Gorge, and entitled "A Quiet Corner," "The Castle," etc., are decidedly artistic, and with the views of the main street •and the new railway, yards, as well as a view of Te Kuiti in lDOri, show the unprecedented progress the town and vicinity have made. Copies of these photographs may be obtained at ¥ ethericit'a Central Book Arcade.

Acting under statutory power which hag been in existence for many years, the Education Departmenat has decided that from January Ist next the standard of exemption from attendance, at the primary schools will be raised from the fifth to pass in the sixth standard. For many years, the fourth standard was the highest which had to be passed to secure exemption, but in accordance with the steady tendency towards increasing the educational requirements, the fifth was adopted, and now the sixth has been made a compulsory point in the educational course of New Zealand children.

Coronation Day, Thursday, 22nd inst., is a Post Office holiday. The local office will open from 8.30 to 9.30 a.m. only for all business except money order and savings hank. Morning mails will close at 9.30 a.m., and for Main Trunk trains at 5 p.m. The Telephone Exchange will not open,nor will there be any delivery by letter carrier. On Thursday, 24th inst, Mr C. B. Lever will hold an important sale of fruit and shelter trees at his mart on account of Messrs Duncsn and Davis, of the Exotic Nurseries, New Plymouth. The consignment ■•.vill comprise all the standard varieties, including a magnificent assortment of roses, and buyers can r*ly upon everything being of the best quality and true to name. Messrs Duncan and Davis have a splendid reputation and are not likely to jepordise it by sending out anything of an inferior quality. Fuller particualrs will be advertised in a later issue. "Scotchmen work hard and drink hard," said Mrs Barton at the Temperance Conference in Wellington. "Whatsoever Scotchmen do they do with all their might." (Laughter and applause.)