LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81823, 16 August 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thcc,e-h.-rpai-iy in llie West Km! vhool last uighl, in ui.i of l.'u- Wi-slui-u Turk funds was very successful, thci'Lbeing ;i large allendait v. lSewlrv .-ui.i (irilli.hs' hide and skin sik held on Wednesday, was successful in every way. There was a attendance of buyers, ami |h c prices realised were particularly good. Foothill suppjriers, likewise critics of ilu- gam.', Hill be pleased to know that tin- reports of the managers of I Insenior louring twim an 1 also tin- junioi' rep. Irani, >\,nk in Icrms of warm praise- regarding Ilu- conduct of the 1111*11 during I'u' lvi't'iit tours. Tin.' thunderstorm . f Monday night, wilh its accompanying deluge ol'ram was responsible for the tearing up of a portion of ihe road between Ml, Kdge-i-onibc and Morley streets, in PowdcrInuu street, llie iiiiaulily of wider ;.t this point having evidently been 100 great to go through, tli • ordinary pis. sage. The borough workmen are also employed clearing an I deepening the water passage near Mr Hobb/. where the. water in heavy rain has hitherto hcen unable to get away quickly euough,

New Plymouth High School I B :.'■! h'' i'; usual monthly meeting last evening, when a good deal of routine business was transacted. An invitation was received from tlio High i School Old Boys' Association to attend I tho annual dance, which was cordially accepted by the Board. Mr Fraser was granted leave of absence, and ac- : counts, amounting to £lll Bd, was passed for payment. Wirli reference to a recent Press Association message, a Wellington paper says:—"The Valuer-General states that as far as ho is aware there is no intention ot making an annual land valuation. If it were so, the decision had been come to without his knowledge. What was probably meant was that the biennial report to the Land Tax Department [would be made annually for the fulure. As a matter of fact, thcro is no fixed period for making new valuations for taxation purposes—they may not be made again for a long time, or they may bo made >ithin a couple of yeirs. As some inquiries ; have been mad." at the Department on , this matter, the Valuer-General wishes , it made clear that as far as he is aware there has been no propos.il before Cib- . inot to malto laud tax valuations annually." The " New Zealand Herald," in the course of an optimistic article on the prosperity of Auckland, proudly points i to the great increase in the population s of tho city and province during the ) past five years as compared with the 3 growth of population of other cities f and provinces, and goes on to s<iy that f "in Auckland province the city and 3 country alike are outstripping the rest . of the colony, and the north is justify- [ ing its claim to be the greatest and ; richest area in Now Zealand. The new works about to bo undertaken in = the. city are enumerated. Tho City s Council has entered upon schemes • s which will mean an outlay of about e £150,000 shortly, whilst the new hars hop works will absorb £IOO,OOO 1 l>y the end of 1908. The amount to be s expended by private enterprise on t buildings in the city during the next 8 12 or 18 months it states to be from Sj 6150,000 to £200,00. One architect r e.'f mates the value of pronosed build- ;. ings that he now has in hand at „ £70,500.

.Rather over a week ago it was announced that the National "Dairy Association had obi lined a further reduction in freights on butter to be shipped to London during the forthcoming season, amiunting to 4d per box on butter going to London and a proportion-do reduction on butter shipped to West of England ports. This reduction came into effect upon the Ist of tho present month, and will continue in force until June 30th, 1907, The re lured rate wcro stated a; follows:- -Butter to London to be 2s 2d per b>x. shipping companies paying coastal freight; butter for West Coast ports to be Is 9d per box, shippers paying coastal freight. The Federal line, it is now announced, has met this reduction by a similar move, and it is now quoting Is 9d per box both to London and West Coast ports. This rate includes coastal freight on butter for West Coast ports, but on butter for London shippers will |be required to pay tho coastal freight to tho port of shipment. In the event of [butter being for other than the steamer's first port of call in (he Untied Kingdom, special arrangements have been made to forward it from such first port of call to its destination by rail, at the ship's expense This practically amounts to a direct service for butter to all West Coast ports, as ivrll as to London, and will allow butter to be forwarded to its destination immediately upon the steamer's j arrival at t'io first port in the Unite 1 Kingdom, instead of consi ;nees having |to wait for their bu'ter un'il the j steamer arrives at the port to which it jjs consigned. The ra'e quoted by the Federal line is also a stra ght-out one, and app'ies to all shipment, the reduction not being given in the form of deferred rebitc to exporters who ship only by the line. We (New Zealand "Times") understand lliat the reduced rales olVercd by the New Zealand Shipping Company, and Shaw. Savill and Albion Company are eon- ' tmgent upon certain conditions of con- ', tract being observed.