LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81865, 15 October 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Taranaki 110-pital and Charitable Aid Board meets u,-day. Hank's Peninsula cheese companies have sold their outputs at from 6d to 6 13-iGd per pound. The Post Office apriorities „ l)t ify chat in future inscriptions "With compliments of " (and name) will be admissible on wrappers f newspapers posted in the colony. A branch of the Tariki Defence Rilie Club has been formed at Midhirst, with an opening membership of 14. Mr J. Wheeler was elected captain. It is announced by the Government that proposals for the development nient and utilisation of water-power for generating electricity will be laid before the House this session. The Public Petitions Committee recommends to the favourable consideration of the Government the prayer of R. H. Travers and iS others that work on Pungarchu road be proceeded with.

In order, if possible, to reclaim drunkards, ihe Victorian Suite Parliament have made provision for the ercctioa of an ineebriates' retreat, and a lender has been accepted for the erection of an inebriates' retreat, and price being £14.676. A great deal of very successful pie ghing with a traction engine and four three-furrow ploughs, so coupled together as 10 make a 12-furrow implement, has recently been done bv Mr J. V.'ithell, of Ealing, Canterbury, the daily average ranging from 16 to iS acres. A contractor in an adjacent locality pur up a record a Hole while ago. and, by making a Jong day, ploughed up 24 acrets. As a counterblast to the agitation in Victoria against Sunday trading. an opposition petition was got up and about fifty ihousand signatures obtained. The document as presented to ihe Legislative Assembly, was a roll about three feet in diameter. When the motion "litai the petition I lie on the table'' was pui, Mr twin suggesiccl that "under" he substituted for "on." And under the tablewas where it had to lie.

The new rales of postage, to come into fine- orj November Ist, are announced in last week's Gazette. The rail's on letters and lctior-cards in New Zealand and the Cook islands is id for each four ounces or fraction thereof. Postage t<, the United Kingdom. British possessions and other countries, which have agreed 10 a reduction of the Postal Union fates, will id for each half-ounce or I'laciion •'-> British New Guinea, 2 d for cacti :: "' wf '

Th, -Min.-t ( . r „f Ag:i..,lt„n. hope* ■{''"»■."■ '«■* •-,„. >■■ •■•.■„ .1,,,,,;,,:; '■""''," 1 '"" L bul lhi - !| I"' lix.-cl im ample turn' In enable ~f j„. sl ! i "' ;!,,n "' hr <■'»! a iced s„ Ui;il advantage in;ij be taken ..I nrxl ,VIII- - ""' "'•i-n. I! „ ,„-, s , c , ,„ n.n'' Hum- ci.iii-ck (.1 -Inilk.i, (| ur j n „ t'"' i'r-l "'••-i' ii the ronvi-ni-rnre h| fartcri.-. s<>m- ~f which rinse ' ■'" ■"•'" or later iliitn others. Tin l-l'-M-IU experts ill t |„. empire of (In--0; pan mem, ii is considered.' will be ace quale i» meet the requirements f 'l"' srhunl umii ili<- M.nisn-r has |, :| ,| """' '" i' l ' l 't "ii a thomughiv ii,-. cato-cd louiiny. liiiuntiful ,-ind welcome rain f,.|! iivi-r tin- province clun'iig .Saturday ■lngln. ami gave pastiin- i|„. soaking l--r_ «1.i,-h all „-r..«lh has !,,,„ hi „. I-',,i- two ni'ui'lis pi-.; 1 »<•'•'; li;.tl b.-i-n pi ac:.rally no rain, .a Spring riiii(!nii-n almost unpieredrulrd. and and consequent],null; yields hail already commenced tii go bark. A prominent incrclian' '•a.l'ir.an-s that the t!i vm-.-is of the I'asi month has irprc .mrd a h.-s ... Taranaki of over />><>,. a week. The copious rams of Samnlav night, howled-, will ireshu, ,)„. pacldm-ks up wmid'-iiiillv. and gras-.s thai, with a few mine weeks of -;„, |, „eaihe,- as «•■ have been experiencing, would have eninnienred to sed, will now again shoal forth in succulent herb-

IMG RAISING. Now that pigs an- .-up". V ou want something i„ help lh- skitnniiiig r whey. "SuiTiKinr". ihe Gil'ruth stock food, develops tje young pigs with great lapidily, and makiv firm baron or pork. Hundreds have used it and come back f«r m'-re. All, Storekeepcis, or J, B. MaeEwan &' Co,, New Plymouth.

A meeting- of the county ratepayers ill die Untala rutiiiK' ls tu be bed ■.iu.J, in die Oaktua iiall to discuss cuuntv linanee and adiiiiiii.s.ration genially. 1- is qu.le on Li.u cards inat ihe inocccuings will be fairly lively.

Evcrv trade has its emblem, every sport lis mark. 'there s tne bicycle stare, lite iiumii glaic, me. ioutbail Head, and ihe cricket eye. The opening i>[ the cnckci season locally iias been productive of one or two damaged optics already this season. Watery-eyed, dusty-faced, and sourvisaged townspeople on S.iturday longed for ex-Mayor Cock's proposed uiipioied water car,. Tne dust nuisance gut right beyond the capacity ot tiie antiquated anangement that now does duty as the street watering cart, and was aluiooi. intolerable at times.

The badot for workers' dwellings at Ellerslte (Auckland) will (if required) be taken) on die 25th inst. Compaiing the Elier=lic- homes with tnose at I'etone, u 1 3 noticeable that l.ie sections of the former have a considerable advantage in aica. Most ot the sections are over a quarter of an acre.

In ingenuity the heathen Chinee s a past master (says the Farmer's Union Advocate). At present he is supplying new potatoes to citizens in Wellington before the grower has seen the colour of them. His method is simple. He buys American seed, very much resembling new varieties—and on which he pays .0 duty—washes them well, and, presto! —new potatoes at a fancy price! From the almost impassable mud in winter a change has come o'er the scene in Courlenay street between Currie and Liardet streets. The roadwa-y now ,aj shinglebed, stones lying about and kicking anywhere, a trouble to the horsemen and drivers and the bane of the cyclists. If Courtenay street could by any stretch of imagination be called a sequestered way Us present state might be excused.

A South Australian vigneron undertook, when Mr Seddon was over there, that if the duty on grapes was teinoved on this side lie would send over a ton or two of Muscat grapes, guaranteeing that they should be delivered heie and sold al a profit of 30 per cent to the sellers and at a price not exceeding threepence per lb to the consumers. He sells about fifty tons per annum for wine-making at £4 per ton, and it costs him 15/ per ton for picking and carriage. In conversation with a Wairarapa Age rci.orter, Mr A. W. Huge;, M.H.R., =aid that on Saturday he had inspected the new municipal buildings al , eiime, which had recently been opened. These buildings were erected at a cost of /J7,000, and were, i.i Mr Hogg's opinion, the finest municipal buildings in New Zealand outside ihe four centres. The buildings occupy ;■ coiner site in the centre of the town, are built of brick and cement, and are lavishly furnished through.,ut. On the second floor' is the showroom for gas fittings, as well as several small shops which the Council propose 10 let.

"New Zealand has been cxtrcmWy fortunate in is Governors,'' Mr HallJones said at Stoke recently. 1 have kn nn Lord Onslow, Lord Glasgow, Lord Kanfurly, and Lord Plunkut, ail of whom have identified themselves with the welfare of Now Zealand us much as if they had been born in ihe country. In the Old Country, a-* well as in the colony itself, former Governors havestudied New-Zealand's interest-, and have kept them before tin public. 1 have no hesitation : n saying thai our latest Governor is one o f the ab!e=t men who have occupied the position. I trust that lie will be with us for many years, and that he. will sec New Zealand continue on the road of prosperity." Away in (he far North some quaint explanations aro given by Maori parents for the absence of chijdren from school. "I am very angry to the children for not coming to school every day." wrote a naiive mother to a school mistress recently, ''but Hone have no pance, that why he cannot come to .school last week. lie has been picking fungars and thev arc sold f„r half-crown; lis father is (join tf to bring a pance for him. Hut lie cannot come to school to-day, his clother are lost in the River. lie wont to dig gum yesterday, and when he was crossing over lie fell. The ket in his hand with the spade and his cloth in and the ket sunk in 1112 water. He was very near drown."

A gentleman who, says the "Otago Daily Times,'' has recently visited Durban states that, with the exception of the gold output,trade 111 South Africa is in a bad way at present. Commercial travellers who, prior .0 the war, could book orders for from £IO,OOO to £12,000 worth of goods every six months, now think they are doing Well if their orders reach a quarter of that sum. It is stated, also, that the Boers prefer to import their goods via Dclagoa Bay,through Poitugese territory, instead of by way of Durban, which, of course, tends to make the present depression more acule. Hundreds of disappointed people are 'endeavoring to get away from the seaports, and it is s|a|ed that every outward-bound vessel litis the greaie-t difficulty .in circumvent ing stowaways. Numbers of strong, able-bodied men hang around the ships offering to work their passage in any capacity, only 100 glad of any chance to leave the' country. Notwithstanding the strictest precautions some do manage to stow away, a vessel which arrived in this colony recently bri.y-ing away three as the result of a day'a visit to Durban. Strict search v..-.i made all over the ship belore Killing, but after being out 0 sea for three ~r four day" three young men came to light, being only mo glad to work their passage to this colony.

Papers .0 hand by the Frisco mail indicate that 'die meat packers of Chicago and other American cities, though differing a severe set-back by reason of the revelations made s me months ago, have not emerged from tse fray without some compensating advantages. The moat inspection law which passed Congress at the last session after a bitter struggle and desperate opposition from tho pack ing interests o[ (lie country came into operation on Monday October !Sl, and in preparing- to meet its conditions the astounding fact is revealed that under its provisions' importation of meat or meal products into the United Stales from Europe or cbewheie is made practically impossible. The law binds not only American packer- 10 inspection of ther products by tin- Government, with the attachment . , •'"■ ! C, r ?otiroval after such inspection; but, liv a !: n mir ' ; ■■•i.™ cd . into the Bill, compels an nis-j/- 1 '"" 11 | and seal of approval on all foreign mean brought into the' United Stales. It is not known who introduced theaddilion; i, was quietly slipped in during the heat and uproar of the battle waged over the |ii||, and it is only nou 111.11 iis presence is revealed'. I lie (o'veiniiiciii authorities an: mm. plu--.d and admit frankly thai inleisiate commerce earners and dealei > caiiiioi hainlle I'meign meals until ihcy hav- Uvn inspected. It means U,ai r|,.- |[.e| Trust has made absolute un j.,ip „,, ||,,. American i-nirUi. Whalec-r competition there ' v '"' horeiai I|-,, 1n Joioign binds 's now climinaied, and the packers ''"ld the markets of ihe United Slates completely at their mercy.

The. acknowledged good qualities and success of Sander and Sons' Eucalypti Extract have brought out many imitations, and one case was just tried in the Supremo Court of Victoria, before His Honor Chief Justice Sir J, Madden, K.C.M.G., etc.

His Honor, in Riving judgment, said with regard to the Genuine Sander and Sons' Eucalypti Extract, that whenever an article is commended to the public by reason of its good qualities, etc., it is rot permissible to imitate anv of its features. He restrained the imitators perpetually from doing so, and ordered them to pay all costs. Therefore, insist upon what is proved beyond all doubt bv skilled witnesses at the Supremo Court, of Victoria, and liy many nutboritierduring the last no vears tn be a pre nitration of genuine merit, viV., *

The Cennme Sander and Sons, Pure Volatile Fuealypti Extract.

A start will be made to-day with the compilation of the annual agricultural statistics. Mr James R. Hill will again dolled ilie returns in the Waitaia riding of the Taranaki cuunly, Mr 11. Good the Omata riding, and Mr Olscn the-Mna riding. The returns must be completed by the totli prox.

Mr Coom, cngineci-in-chicf, Mr Bennett, inspecting engineer, and Mr Hiss, district manager (New Zealand railways), on Saturday inspected the progress of the construction of the railway line from Waipuku to Tie mountain, which has been completed for about five miles, and also visited the proposed site of the metal quarries, to which the line will be continued about three miles further, at an altitude of about 3000 feet. They also inspected the work which has been done on the railway deviation in town. They returned by this morning's express train for the South.

The Taranald Guide Book will not be available for distribution at the International Exhibition for some time after the opening. After much consideration, the matter is being revised and reduced, the historical portion in particular being brought into much smaller compass, the committee doubting its efficacy in attracting settlers. The committee should use every endeavour to have a representative appointed and supplied with the books before the opening of the Christchurch Carnival Week, when the city is bound to be crowded with visitors. The tender of Messrs Hooker and Co. has been accepted for the printing of the guide books. A wonder of this part of the colony (says the Hawerai Star) is the old blind Maori man, Mataao. The old man is said to be between 75 and So years of age, but he looks much older. He is stone blind, but often rides into town from his pa—a distance of about six miles. He rides an old chestnut horse which seems to understand its duty thoroughly. It is very interesting to watch the old man mounting and proceeding alongthe road for home. Vehicles are avoided carefully, a stop is always made at the railway crossing, and a biidjre is never crossed if there be traffic close at hand. To which—the horseman or the horse—credit for this is due is perplexing. Mr Kendall has completed the repairs to the tunnel rendered necessary by the leakage of water from the portion opposite the filled-in shaft. The Borough Council is to be congratulated on having- such a zealous and energetic officer in its employ. In his determination to have this work completed without delay, 1 l)e borough inspector, who might safely be called the- borough engineer, has given about eighteen hours a day in the Council's interest. On several occasions office work detained him till long after midnight, and on one or two occosions lie had to drive straightway to the waterworks without a moment's rest. Nevertheless, the work of the town has been kept well up to date. If the Council desires to retain Mr Kendall's services, it might be advisable to lighten his work a little, for no man can attend to drainage and other matters 'n town and supervise tunnel work four or five miles away at one and the same time.

Excavations for the new gravingdock at Port Chalmers have unearthed the remains of an ancient and interesting- vessel—namely, the Tarlert Castle. It is said that as a steamer she was the first of her kind to plybetween Aberdeen and London. At a later stage in her career she was converted into a three-masted schooner, and sailed out of Melbourne, beingput in the coasting- Hade, and subsequently plying to New Zealand. Eventually, Captain McKinnon, of Port Chalmers, bought her, and after bring used in various capacities 0 1 the coast, s| lt . became a hulk at Port Chalmers. In her last days (says tlio Uunedin "Star") she was dismantled on the old foreshore at the Port, which is now, of course, well inland, and by degrees cut down In the water-line, the, under portions being buried in the mud. It must be nearly thirty years since this happened to her, yet such is the vitality of Hi-' true English oak, that the wooden framework, which is now being cut to pieces, seems to be as sound in the wood as when it was first hewn.

Commenting on llio riilo movement in England, and drawing- a comparison between hs progress i n Groat Britain and Sweden, the "Stockholms Tidningen" remarks:— "There was a time when every one representing military science in this country looked down with contempt on everything connected with rille corps and national armaments. ] t was all plav and waste, and if war should break out, the perfect parade drill of the army would save the situation, and not the untrained, unsoldierliko, rough and ready riflemen. As a matter of fact, in ISSO the entire movement had ceased to live. But in 1X93 a sudden change in our political life caused the rifle clubs to reappear .with renewed vigour. The result is tiiat to-day we can place an army of 100,000 sharpshooters in the field, a force which is quite equal In our regular troops both with regard 11 number and efficiency, and, pratically, without flic slights, expense to the Slate. 'The advent of the longrange rifle has completely upset our old-fasluotied perception of individual warfare. The value of the individual's ability to shoot is steadily Raining recognition. We have noticed that the greatest and most experienced commander of our times Lord Roberts, is the warmest advocate of the rille movement among his countrymen. The Boc r s have laugh! him and all nations thai popular 'armament is the bcs[ guarantee for an effective national defence.''