LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 136, 24 January 1916, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

You jyanjt ft Diary for I'i IG. Full stock at The Rookery.'? Saturday next, being the Anniversary Day of the Province of Auckland, will be observed as a public holiday iu Pukekohe. The Railway Department invito applications from youths between the ages of 15 and 17 years for positions as Cadets in the railway service. For particulars see advt. in this issue.

Ihe drill-sergeant was rapidly getting to the fed up stage. The recruits he was trying to whip into shape wire the last word in "awkward" equads. "When J say "Shun." he explained huskily, pull yourselves together and throw your chests out. "Shun!" The row wavered and trembled, and then discntannh-d their backbones a bit. liut. he wasn't satisfied. "Oh, look here, ' he yelled in desperation. "I told you to stand as straight as if you had swallowed a ramrod; and there you all go and lcok as if you'd dined off hockey sticks, "

Tbe Auckland Dairy Produce Com- j mittee bas fixed the whol.sale pries lor butter and eggs tor tbe week ending January 29tb as follows: Farmers' separator and dairy butter, lOd per lb; eggs, ]s 3d per dozen "The vicar is to preach a sermon," said the wife of his bosom, on " 'Home Life' next Sunday morning, and Hell in the evening."—"Wby twice on the same subject?" growled hubby, brutally "Do you believe that there is really eomethiug which can invariably tell when a man is lying ?" " I know it." " Ah, perhaps you have seen one of the instruments ? " "Seen one ? 1 married one." Mr E H Hiley, General Manager of tbe New Zealand Kail way?, has advised the Pukekohe Chamber of Comm?rce that he will visit Pukekohe on Monday of next week and will receive deputations in connection with railway matters.

As a sequel to the over-supply of the Auckland potato market, consequent on the Kiverioa's rejectej shipment last week being thrown on the market for Bale, Pukekohe growers are lor the time being "holding off" as regards sending tbeir produce forward. No purchase) by the local merchants are therefore taking' place, but it is expected that val'ies will firm about the end of the week wben city stocks shoull again become bare

Applications for the renewal of their land and estate agency licenses were applied for at the last sitting of the Pukekohe Magistrate's Court by the following, viz.Messrs C K Lawrie, W Koulston, J T Stembridge and H Dell and Son, of Pukekohe; W J King, ot Waiuku; S Allison, of Bombay. As reveral of the forms of applications were not in order tbe wbole batch was beld over by the Magistrate until the next Court

The Franklin A and P Society have secured as a temporary office one of the vacant shops in Lawm's Buildings. The secretary, Mr J M Baxter, will be regularly in attendance at the ottice and entries for tbe forthcoming show will be received there. Arrangements for the sbow ate well forward and tbe buildings that remain on the Society's old property will in the course ot the next few days be removed to the new showground

An accident which appears worthy of record happened at camp says a correspondent of the "Hawke's Bay Tribune." The lads were instructed to locate a moving target (a man), and to sight accordingly. The officers, naturally, were in the know of the man's location, but were surprised at a member of the tiring line, Private Milburn, of Waipapa, locating the object from the jump. When asked how he did it, Private Milburn said the sun's rays on the dial of a wristlet watch the man was wearing gave him the clue. The dials of wristlet watches have now been covered. Trooper Henry George Lucas, 3rd, Auckland Mounted Hides, who went away with the Filth Keinlorcements, is at the present time in Pont de Koubbeh Hospital, Cairo. He has been reported aB wounded, but information has reached his parents that he is sicK. Privnt! Lucas is a son of Mr Frederick Lucas, farme*, of Pukekohe. One son, Frederick William Luca?, was killed at the front, and the third son, Attbur Norman, is now jn camp at iauberenikau. There is now only one son left on the farm.

Messrs J T Stem bridge and Co., report as follows:—At our usual weekly sale at the Pukekohe auction mart on Friday we had a crowded attendance and bidding was brisk. There were full pens of poultry, but to pigs were entered. Fruit came forward in fair quantity, but was shirt of requirements; vegetables were also short of demand. Prrea realised we f e: Poultry, hers from Is, better up to ]s vd, roosters aged la 6d, better quality up to 2s lid; Fruit, apples la 6d to 2s 3d case: plums, 2s 7d to 4s Id per cise; peaches, sm-ll 3s; better quality ss; nectarines, 4s 6d case; onions, 5s cwt; potatoes, 8s cwt; sundries sold at usuil rates

Not«i'hstanding heavy crops of an average rf ten tors to the acre, and in Borne instances even 15 to 18 tons, the onion growers ot Pukekohe are lamenting tbp fact that tbe values of omurs are tbe lowest that have ruled in January for many years past, rates only being £3 15s to £4 per ton, as compared with £8 or £9 per ton usually at this period of the year. The position has been brought by over-production in Melbourne, where onions ara quoted at 5Us per ton f.o.b instead of £7 as id most years. Shipping charges amount roughly to £1 per ton and duty payable in New Zealand is another £1 per ton, which renders the Melbourne article capable of selling in tbe Dominion at £4 10s, and thus local growers have to be content to rccept rates which make it possible to combat the sale of the imported onions. However, even at current values the good yields show the grower a fairly decent profit. This year's crop is decidedly high in point of merit, ajjthougb the or ions have a tendency to go to s:ed. Unliie most years there has been no export trade to Vancouver so far

Rubber Stamps ot all description may be ordered at the Office of the "Pukekohe Times." Call ind select from our il ustrated catalogue.

Top Dresser for Hire, lor broadcasting lime, slag, bonedust and grass seed, 5/- per day from FRANK PERKINS & Co., Pukekohe.—Advt.