LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8158, 17 July 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

" All the assets I have are an invalided wife and a young family," wrote an nnfinaneial debtor to the Taranaki Hospital Board recently. Mr James Burgess, of Waroa, in order to improve his milking herd, has purchased a pure-bred bull from the State farm. The animal was bred by the Department, from imported stock. A puff of wind entering by the front door of the New Zealand Express Company's (ample-rooms in Brougham street on Monday, struck out on the line of the least resistance, and the next moment the fanlights were being scattered across (lie road and foot' path.

At Inglewood on Thursday, a settler w'll be charged with allowing cattle to trespass in the figmont National Park. The rauger recently secured 10 head of stray cattle in a couple of days. A charge of illegal impounding will be preferred against the ranger.

I Mr A. K Farrar, custodian of the did People's Home, reports that there are no.v 3s inmali s in the institution, 32 n ales and (i females. In the past mo i i two ualos and a femal • left the 1 one. The general health of the inmates was improving. Liscipline had bei i good, but for 111 'ee ' males who had overstepped their 'e ,e and .e----turned to the institution the worse for lnjunr. One of these had been readmitted, having taken out an order against himself. The Board decided to stop his monthly allowance of ten shillings, in accordance with a resolution passed in January last. One of the delinquents was from the female ward. She was admitted, in the first place, out of .sympathy and a desire on the pari of the Board to help in her reform. J'nr a, year, as a prohibited person, there was im groat (rouble, but when the limit of her enforced thirst had been reached she broke out iu a fresh place and raised no cod of a row. lietusing absolutely to again take out an order, she was compelled to leave the institution, and the Board's chairman espresso* his determination to keep her out, as lntterly she has caused some discomfort and discontent amongst the other inmates.

I Every bullet has its billet, All the bow-wows have their days, If I had a book. I'd (ill it up With 0. T. PUNCH'S praise For Children's Hacking Cough a night, Woods' Great Peppormint Cure Is 64 wri 2s 64 ptr bottU.

The Taranaki Land Board meets in New Plj mouth to day. The technical classes in New Ply mouth will resume on July 30th. On Monday morning at the New Plymouth S.M. Court, a drunk was fined 5s and costs, with the alternative of " taking out" the fine by 21 hours' incarceration in His Majesty's prison.

A chiirup from the " Waimate Witness," Mumia :--" New Plymouth is I e j[inning to rub its eyes, the electric arc lights are now allowed to burn all night. G:od for old Rip van Winkle ! Little Manaia has had all night lighting for two years." A meeting of ladies was held yesterday at the Central School, and was well attended, despite the rough weather. Further arrangements were made, and committees set up to arrange detail matters. The Colonial Secretary has granted the Reoreation Sports Ground Committeo permission to hold an art union in connection with their grand bazaar during Xmas week. Twelve prizes of a total value oE £IOO are to be raffled. The Rhodes scholar, Mr Robert Alexander Farquaharson, when being farewelled by his Otago fellow-students the other day, said his caso proved the benefit that was to be derived from hard work, for he honestly confessed that his success had been gained more by hard work thaa by any exceptional natural capacity. The Egm nt Lodge 1.0. G.T. met in the Queen street school room on Monday evening, Bro. J. C. Legg presiding. There was a large attendance of members. One candidate was "'nitiated. It was decided to send the quarterly programme to the Wellington Guide for insertion. Alter general busiuess the lodge pleasantly filled in the evening with harmony. There were twenty-one applications for the position of wardsman at the New Plymouth hospital, the letters coming from all parts of the colony, from Auckland to Canterbury. Mr Sampson Saunders was appointed, and the names of several other applicants were taken for future reference. Mr Saunders has had considerable experience at Burntwood Asylum, Lichfield (England). "If they had a beast lying in the field they would give it a little attention ; but this poor old chap was allowed to lie there ill, and surrounded by filth, without anyone turning a hand to help him," said Mr Tisch in referring to a pitiful case that came before the Hospital Board on Monday. A little lad of ten years who was recently an inmate of the New Ply. mouth hospital is evidently of the right stuff to make a good colonist. His account was £lO, but on his personal offer to square it out of his own little earnings the Board reduced it to £5. The first instalment of £1 has now come forward. A Taranaki resident who is indebted to the Hospital Board for the amount of his hospital bill has, he tells the Board, decided to forego his tobacco in order to settle the account. By this means he reduces it at|the rate of 2s a month. One of the Board members smile.l when the letter was read. " He's the right sort ti deny himself anything," was his Blig'itly cynical remark.

During the summer month', when the outlying school children are being treated to their school excursions at the seaside, the New Plymouth committeemen, anxious as they are to assist in making the clay enjoyable, arc often hampered by the lack of some distinctive badge to indicate the re ponsible parties with the visitors. To an equal extent they feel the need of so:ne nnrk by which their own identity may be disclosed to the picknickers. Mr Jackson, a member of the Central school committee, makes a suggestion that a uniform badge should appeal favorably to the country committees.

One or tiro of the inmates of the Old People's Home at New Plymouth have complained recently of the quality of the food supply, There's nothing like prompt investigation in these matters, so the Chairman and the members of the Governing Board paid a surprise visit on Monday. At the time of the surprise the mid-day meal was in progress, and the Board came away fully convinced that tho old folks were really well treated by Mr and Mrs Farrar, and that there is no reasonable ground for any complaint whatever. The custodian and matron havo a somewhat difficult task at times in humoring the old people, but seem to succeed admirably. The valuation of the Taranaki County shows a, considerable increase over that of previous years. The total value now stands at £1,995,859, or £:Vt2,B'll more than at last valuation. Tho Moa riding tops the list, being valued at £815,737, showing an advance of £229,411; Omata is a good second with #750,789, or £100,468 more than at previous assessment, and the Waitara riding (not yet revised), £429,333, as against £410,374 last valuation. In the Moa riding the Moa Road district advances by £175,496, Mangorci £20,353, and Waiwakaiho £27,565. In Omata, the Upper Hurford road district goes up by £7,047, Tataraimaka £21,632, Carrington £1,310, Oakum £27,938, Barrett £23, Frankloy £1,310, Werekino £14,669, and Okato £2T,727. Eliot road district suffers no change, whilst Omata has boen reduced by £l,lOB. In Waitara riding we see £11,637 increase in the Henui District, £0 in Egmont, and £1,286 in Waitara West. Most of our old settlers have a high regard for the honesty of the native race. This feeling was in evidence at the Hospital Board's meeting on Monday, when the chairman reported he had personally incurred the expense of i lending a cab to Tikorangi to bring a Maori patient to the hospital. He asked the Board to approve his action, as tho case was an exceptional one, the man being very ill, and the Datives haying no vehicle fit to carry a sick man in such weather. Mr Tisch said he knew the patient owned some cattle Mr Andrews said the Board had notli-1 ing to fear, The other natives, relatives of the patient, would see the ae-! count paid. It's safer with a Maori than witli a European under these circumstances, he added.

At the S,JI, Court on Monday morning, Mr T. Hutchison, S.M, gave judg ment'')' default in the following un de'ended cases : -•- Commissioner of Cro vn Lanls (Mr Kerr for the Depaitment)v Jss. Smith, Tlriiti roiul. rent £!; i I.Bs (id and costs ,t'2 18s : 's. T,. Humphries k Co. (Mr fi. Grey) v. Hiki Fao|)inkirangi, of Waitara, gords sup|)lWO, costs lw; Skoatos aid Boc. kaerl (Mr Hiitehen) v W. A. SmitV of Toko, goods £7 19s, costs. CI 15s 6d ; Taranaki Co-operative Bacon Co. y. J. Williamson, of OiWa, calls £(i 3s 7d, costs ISs; J. B. West v. J. Robert Fowler, claim £9 lis lid, eosts £' :1s (i 1 : Taranaki Co-operative Bacon Co v. B. (J. Bobbins, of Hawern, goods £7 ISs lid, costs 8s; North TCamont Mountain House Oimmittcev. S.Clark, claim .£3 10s for hire of mounta n house, and costs IDs (Mr G'oy for plaintiff) ; in the case of Talin v. Mcintosh and Nicholas, claim £2 18s for wages, judgment was entered for defendants. Other cases were settled by confession, or paid into Court, those including 21 claims by the Taranaki Bacon Co. for payment of calls and interest.