GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81908, 20 December 1906, Page 2

GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

SCHOOL CADETS bHOOTING COMPETITIONS.

■Weminoiojt, December 19,

_ Tho results ,of the annual shield rifle shooting competitions by the public school cadets show that the North Island competitions was won by the Tcrraco school, Wellington, with 730 points. Pahiatua, Onehunga and Levin tied for second place with 719. The South Island competition was won by Port Chalmers school, 747, with Lawrence, Waimate and Oamaru i runners up.

A lad at Pahiatua, with 83 out of 84, made the highest individual score.

SUPREME COURT.

'Auckland, Decebmer 19. In the .Supreme Court, Judge Edwards sentenced Harry Taylor, for indecently assaulting a girl in the Crammar School playground to three years' imprisonment.

.WELLINGTON WOOLLEN COMPANY, Wellington, December 19. The Wellington Woollen Company lias adopted proposals to increase the capital by ! £IOO,OOO , in preference shares of £5 each, to meet the cost of new machinery, and the necessity for holding larger stocks owing to .the high price of wool. In the course of a discussion as to the advantages or otherwise of increasing the capital, instead of issuing debentures, one speaker said that as Australian woollen companies had altogether failed, and the industry was in a sick state all over New Zealand, there was no very good security to oll'er. for debentures.

BUILDING ENTERPRISE IN , IN.VEIiOARGILL,

~. ~ i —i Wi I *^ Invereargill, December-19. The building trade in Invereargill is extremely busy, both iu town ami suburbs. in addition to largo business premises, more residences are now under construction thau ever. Vacant allotments iu the town area are now almost all occupied, and high prices are ruling for all suburban laud, which has doubled in value in the last two years. Several suburban areas cut up into building allotment have been keenly competed for up to ,£7O per ipiartcr-acre. The prospect of an early establishment of a tramway system is inducing many to spread iu the suburbs. THE EvHliUnON, " Christchurch, December 10. There is great discussion in Christchurch at the closing of the Exhibition on Christmas Day. Concessionaires in the Exhibition, if open, will be able to sell wares all day, while the townspeople will be compelled to close. Mr Munro, manager of the Exhibition, suggests closing till two p.m., and says that the Dunedin Exhibition authorities did not observe Christmas Day by closing.

WELCOME HALS' IN SOUTHLAND. (lore, December 19. Heavy rain set in at six o'clock this morning, and has continued since, Willi the prospect of more. Farmers are jubilant, as on the lighter lands and ridges they had been preparing tu turn sheep into the crops. The rain will save most of them. scarcity; oil' c;rassiSeeders. Christcliurcii, December 19. There is great scarcity of labour on the Peninsula for the cocksfoot liarvest. Many paddocks are nearly ripe, but no men are applying. BOOKMAKERS' CLERKS FINED.' Christcliureii, December 18. Sis bookmakers' clerks were to-day lined by Air Day, S.M., in sums ranging from the amount of the Court lees up to ;C5 for practising their calling at the last meeting ■of the Chiistcliurcli Racing Club, the magistrate holding that clerks were equally culpable with bookmakers. CEMENT COMPANY IN LIQUIDATION. Wellington. December l!). The. Wellington and .Marlborough Cement Company has decided to go into liquidation. The annual report showed a loss of ;C10,34'J, incurred by excessive cost of material, heavy charges, and inadequate capital. Six thousand three hundred tons of cement were sold, but the works were never run to their full capacity. The directors proposed to reconstruct and remove the works to the source of supply of raw material, but the shareholders decided in favour of liquidation,

DROWNING FATALITY. '" Nelson, December II). To-night three girls were bathing in Motupiko River, when Susie Houston, aged 14, was drowned. SUCCESSFUL "IU'IiXS" ON EAST COAST. Gisbornc, December 19. During the past three days about about 20,000 acres of fallen 'bush has been cleared by lire in this, district. Today, a good portion of the coastline .was obscured, and this afternoon th« steamer Zc:;!-m"' : -' bid to come to her moorings '• • ' -.y very eautinusly owing . :e caused by smoke. It i- '. all the burn's have been ye;,/ ;..u..c.; uil. BURGLARY IN A WAREHOUSE. lnvi'reiu'giU, December 1!). lioss and Glendinning's warehouse was broken into on Saturday night, nnil goods probably worth ,\;10 removed. Tim thief gained entranc by a skylight, Sorion-' t " V ''' I ' cavsi "' - 9 ■■> bush lives are raging round .■irargill. On Tuesday, when the ho.it was intense, and a northerly gale raged, the New Zealand Pine ' Company lost a mile and aquartcr of tramway at Jlabel Bush, and four chains and a bridge at Spasbush. No damage to houses and homesteads is as yet reported.

IXCUEAHKI) AIIIOA. UNDER CULTI Y'ATTON.

x Wellington, December lit. I An interim return of the. acreage under corn and green crops in the colony for l!)Uli-7 bas been issued. The net increase is !«,122 acres, the ad-' vaucc being ])rincipally due to extended area in turnips. Of grain' crops), oats show an increase of ;ili,3Q| acres, and barley 3,351 acres. The ilwheat crop has decreased by 11,03 ft acres. There is an inctsASQ Of i