LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 169, 22 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Bunnythorpe Dairy Company paid out 1/2 Ul lb. for butter fat and casein supplied last month. Owing t-> the Three Stars Theatre being engaged by Professor Wragge. there will be no pictures there tonight. The Otaraia Dairy Company has received cabled advice that shipments of cheese per s.s. Mamari realised 92/cwt. It is not the intention of the Minister of Education to call for applicants at once to fill the position of Director of Physical Training, rendered vacant bv the death of Mr. Bovd Garlick.

Threshing operations are, in some cases, giving exceptionally good returns in the Geraldinc district, but Mr. Grant's yield of 75 bushels of wheat to the acre-will take some beating.

Messers McLerinan Bros, Taumarunui, have just received advice that their wool consigned for sale in London has fetched very satisfactory prices. The clip fetched Is 2d alb and pieces and crutchings 9d.

The arrivals in New Zealand dining the month of February from overseas totalled 2251, compared with 3717 h: February, 19.14. The departures in the same periods were respectively 1995 and 3410.

A straight-out contest for the Wellington Mayoralty is likely between M*« J. F. Luke, the present Mayor, and Mr. "Robert Fletcher. M.F. A Labour candidate, Mr. C. TT. Chapman, is in the field, but he is not likely to go to the poll.

Reserve Easter Monday for the grand chopping carnival at Bangataua. One hundred and twenty pounds is the extent of an attractive pri/.e-list and special trains will run for the big gathering. The entries are quite up T<expectations and Easter Monday promises to be the day of the year at Bangataua.

Easter Saturday promises to be n day of gaiety at Ohakune on the occasion of the Waimarino Caledonian Society's Sports. The best talent in the Dominion has been engaged and th* 1 programme includes classes for piping. dancing, jumping, chopping and field grimes. The Scottish concert in tin evening is sure to be a big draw and the Society is to be congratulated o:the merit of its programme.

"The yield of wheat in most parts of Canterbury." said Mr. Slieat, at a Farmers' Union meeting in the province named the other day, "is fully 10 to 12 bushels per acre above the most sanguine estimates made a short time ago. One experienced farmer said lie was positively amazed at the yield, and did not know where the grain was coming from." ?

The big gala day that took place at Hunterville resulted in over £BO being obtained directly from the gala, nnrthalf this amount is to be devoted t" the Belgian Fund, and half to the Presbyterian Church Fund. The sale of gifts of stock realised £39, and this amount was subsequently made up to Mr. T. Duncan, who generously handed in a cheque for £6l. The sheep-guess-ing competition was won by Mrs. Chennings. The Tipperary cake competition was tied for by Miss Howe and Messrs. McDougall and J. McKinnon with 181 b.

"Fenny queen; five bob!" was a request that baffled the clerks at a country post-office the other day. The Inquirer, an aged native, was very much in earnest, and repeated the request several times, tendering two halfcrowns. Finally it dawned on one of the clerks to offer the native a fiveshilling stamp, which satisfied the request, and the purchaser drew from his pocket a dirty document, to which lie promptly attached the "penny cpieen." The only remark the old man made as he left the counter was: "Fy korry! Penny queens none too many these days! "

Great care is taken to provide against the possibility of secret despatches from the Imperial Government to the New Zealand Government, which have to be carried by steamers,, falling into the hands of the enemy. They are placed in a special mail bag, and handed over to the custody of the master of the ship. The bag is heavily weighted, and if the capture of the ship appears at any time to be unavoidable the captain's instructions are to throw the bag overboard. The heavy weight causes the bag to sink at once. The despatches are lost, of course, but they would be lost in such circumstances in any event, and if they go to the bottom of the sea they are safe from perusal by any alien enemy or aiiv one else.