LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8178, 10 August 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Extraordinary trallic is cutting up Courtcnay street very badly. The Kaupokomii factory propose paying out to suppliers lid per lb for | fat.

Fifteen new members are the net result of the Agricultural Society's visit to Okato. Waitara will be visited about the 4th of September. The Canterbury footballers were spectators at yesterday's football match, going on by the evening boat to Auckland.

A visitor to Wellington states that potatoes are so scarce in the Empire City that kumaras and pumpkins are to be found as a substitute on many tables.

The beautiful weather of tho last few days has brought out the bicycle that had been put by to hibernate. Tiie cycle shops are being kept busy in overhauling and freshening up bikes that look the worse for wear.

According to the "Waimate Witness," a farmnear Manaiawas sold on I Tuesday for £35 per acre. The land m question carries a cow to the acre all the year round, as most of the land near the township does, A contemporary states fhat tho whole of the export stock of the Taieri and Peninsula Company trom October to February has been enquired for and sold at 10 7-8 d per lb—the record price ever received by the company for butter for export. Mr D. Laing has informed the secre. tary of the Taranaki Agricultural Society that a special prize of £5 will be forthcoming for tho best collection of roots grown from, Sutton and Son's seeds and exhibited at the Society's first- winter shoir,

Otaki, Wellington, is gaining an influx of Chinamen, a " parcel" of 00 almond-eyed veterans having recently invaded the township for ttc purpose of market gardening, aud supplying Wellington with "cabbagce and kallots."

Tho annual valuation (rental) of the Borough of Dauncvirlie is now £39, 000, and the rate of Is 3d in (lie £ which the Council propose to str'ke will produce £2375. Last year the valuation was £27,500. Approxima'cly, the capital yakc is £'150,000. The funeral of the late Dean Martin took place at Hokitika yesterday, says a Press wire, and was one of the largest ever held itt the district. Yis tors from all parts of th) colony wtre iresent. Tuo services wjre condticte by the Vicar-General of Canterbury, assisted by other numerous clergy, "Visitors to New Plymouth are often struck by t-he neat ness of St. Andr nv's Church grounds. The members of the congregation oil Wednesday cven'ng showed that they, too, had noticed thi , and passed a hearty yote of thanks to Mr Scott who, for many years past, has gratuitously performed the duties of gardener and ground attendant " The facilities ofEered to the dairy firmer to learn more about his industry at the Dairy Conference at Palmers'on North are totally inadequate," >aid a speaker. He also urged that more instruction should be given to .children, as by these means a very great deal of would ba effected. The secretary of the Tara-iaki A ;ricultural Society is m receipt of a c mmumcation to the effect that the analysis of soils will be undertaken free of cost by the c'lemists 1:1 the Agricultural Departm-nt, This should prove of lijcaluable benefit to farmers. Tlje " Otaki Mail " states that a few days ago two Otaki young women, Miss 4lice Cootes and Mrs Williim R >:ich, while out on the Waitohu beach, were fortunate enough to disover a Urge piece of ambergris. The "Mail" understands tiiat after careful enquiries, the find lias proved to be the right article, aud as it weighs about ten pounds, is irorth somewhere in the vicinity of £SOO.

The purehise of a portion of the Waimara blo-k of 35,000 acres, sititati d on (ho East Coast, south of Cape Kidnapper, has beou completed bv the Government, and negotiations for tho acquirement of the interest of additional native owners are m progress. The Government intends to reserye a considerable portion of the block for the use of the Maoris, and it will do all in its power to encourage them to cultivate the land on up-to-date European lines.

A memory of tiie memorial football match, New Zealand v. Wales, played ias J year, turned up at the premises of a Wellington firm the other day. On opening a case of ironmongery a large sheet of brown paper bearing the following inscription was brought- to light ''•Notice,—io whoever opens this case : This case was made on December l'.Uh, I'Jiio, the same day that New Zealand played Wales at Cardiff. Signed, Archie Jones. Good old Wales!" Information lias been received from Melbourne and Sydney, announcing that large numbers of people have been inquiring at the New Zealand agencies there, principally in reference to the International Exhibition. By tho first steamer outwards, Mr Donne wiil send samples of wheat, oats, barley, turnip, and grass seed, and wool for exhibition in tho colony's Australian offices, and the supplies of produco will be renewed season by season.

The New Zealand " Times" says that only one tender was received by the Government for the proposed alternative steamer service with die Islands connecting direct with Wellington, in the interests of the fruit trade—that of the Union Steamship Company. The subsidy asked, however, was considered too high, and it is not expected that anything further in the development- of the Island tratlic by way of improved steamship facilities will be done for the present.

First impressions are very often lasting impressions The visitor's very first impression of New Plymouth, if he come in wintery weather, is that it is a town of dirty streets If the next day be rainy, he will not stir outside his hotel. Why P Because the cross, ing from the railway station to the footpath on the opposite side of the street has given him a " sickener " of our streets. The Borough Council should try to create good first impressions by improving the inlets to the toyn. It would be an inexpensive item. 1 Some time ago (says the Hawcra "Star") complaint was made to the late Mr Seddon relating to money lending transactions between one or more Europeans ani the natives in this district, which, it was afiirmed, were burdensome lo the natives and unfair to business people with whom tin natives from time to lime contracted debts for ordinary s> p dies of food and clothing. Mr Seddm promised to leok into tho maimer, and referred the complaint to the Public Trustee. An was arranged for. Owing probably to the death of Mr Seddon the matter has been d;biyed, but we now understand that •Tudge Seth-Smitli has been requested ;to undertake the enquiry, and that he will do so in about a fortnight's time.

In suggesting (lie other evening that the congregation of St. Andrew* Church sliould hold a soein] gathering, IWr Ewing complained that the social element was neglected by this church. More frequent gatherings of this nature would give greater facilities for social intercourse amongst; the ill millers, which must liaye a good effect on tlie chtircli as a whole. If the church failed to provide this recreation, then people would go elsewhere for social enjoyments, said Mr Ewing, and he considered it as much the duty of the church to lead in this matter as in many others to which great attention was being paid. Ton wrap up your head in red flannel, You sniidle and snort on your bed, You plaster each pane and each panel T i) dread of a draught that is dead. Nil}. Cast all your wraps to the licisiiy, Su'dv miseries never endure, For Woods ha? a remedy speedy In Woods' Great Peppermint Cure.