LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81916, 10 January 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Sonoma, with the Frisco mail, left Jlonolnlu on the stli inst at 8 a.m. The Melbourne-Naples despateli of the stli of Dcccmher arrived in London on the night of the 6th inst. The wool clip, said to be an excellent one, is now arriving in Eltlitim from the MaugaDiingi and Onicma buck country.

The men engaged on the railway deviation works are desirous of expressing their appreciation of the assistance rendered by some ladies on the occasion of the recent sad and fatal accident to Mr AVilson.

Excellent indications of petroleum have been found on property in the Kent road district. The surface indications are said to be the best yet discovered, and the property has been purchased bv Mr L Steele.

Showers which fell during Tuesday night mid Wednesday, with damp, .muggy weather following, arc keep ing'u'p the growth of grass, and feed is more plentiful than usual at this season of the year.

Tile teachers' and Civil Service examinations are now proceeding at New Plymouth, a large number of candidates attending Mom all parts of Hie district. Mr \V. E. Spencer is super vising.

We have, to thank the publishers for a copy of the January number of "Progress," New Zealand's scientific paper. The issue is interesting from cover to cover. The printing is particularly line, and the illustrations as fine as any seen in the scientific journals of tiie older lands. The number is meritorious in every way. Some people are never satisfied. A local farmer was heard complaining of the weather on Wednesday. 'Jt's neither one thing or the other," ho grumbled, ''and it's no go id lor anything; a shower of rain would do a lot of good." Yet farmers have done and are doing from 25 to 35 per cent better this year than ever they did. The managers of the Whifeley Memorial Church have decided for the comfort of worshippers, to supplant the present gas fittings with an electric light installation. The contractor is Mr i'.Q. Griffiths, and he expects to complete the instal'ation j in time for tiie services on Sunday week.

Three rinks from the recently formed Ingicwood Bowling CJub try conclusions with Fitzroy on the litter's green t his afternoon. Following are the Inglewood players:—Pcrcival, Nicliolls, Allen, Morton (skip); Drake, Olson, Wilsrn, Hanieiton (skip); Raworlb, Whitehead, Marshall, Gudgeon (skip).

"With, surprising rapidity the bliglit has spread over potato crops in the neighbourhood ot Stratford. One fine crop, apparently quite sound und untouched, was in two days a blackened failure, says the " Stratford Post." The locnl crops seem tj have been attacked particularly since the light drizzling rain of lust week." Early on Wednesday morning a tire destroyed a six-roomed house at Tariki. The building was occupied as bachelors' quarters, and was the property ot Messrs (Juiuton, Hayloclc & Co., of iluirangi. Tin occupants had a narrow escape, and'lost nearly all their belongings. There was a risk of £250 in the Koyal Jixchange oijice on the house, cottage and milking-shod, but the two latter buildings were undamaged.

Before passing out of active existonce the lieach Hathing Club decided to invest its surplus cash in a manner that would lie of some service to the public. Accordingly six garden seats were obtained. Three of them have been placed on the Esplanade, two on Marslan.d Hill, and one in Western Park. The frequent use made of the seats suggests the advisability/ of the responsible authorities arranging for a further supply.

The Primitive Methodist Conference opens to-day. At 7 a.m. the Revs. K. Bajiey and K, Lidded preach fiouers' sermons, anil the conference opens at 10 o'clock, To-night amu sicul service will ho given in the (>uei e-sucet Church, the programme int*—!ijg solos from "The Messiah." and choruses: from 'The Holv City." The soloists are Mrs Wilkes! Misses Loesch, Njxon, C. Sole., Messrs Jj\ Asher and J. Jenkinson.

The property market, according to local agents, appears more buoyant than for some time past, bona lide enquiries being more frequent. The general outlook for the coming year is very hopeful. At the same time would be vendors must not forget it was very necessary for a slight forward move to lake place to prevent a slump from the somewhat high values asked in many instances. The building trade being very brisk once more has the ell'ect of lirming the prices for town sections. "'lie builders are milking rapid progress with the erection of the new W'aitura JlMel, and one of the results of the lire is seen in the vastly superior building which replaces the structure which disappeared in binwk.u and (lame a few months ago - . it is unfortunate, perhaps, that the exterior walls of the building do not conform to the peculiar angular junction of the two streets, tin- rectangular building leaving a piece of wnje ground on the coiner. Immediately adjoining is the new billiard room being erected for Mr YV. Sampson.

Tim "blow-out" of the water main in figment street shortly before 10 o'clock last night left the town for a time without water supply.- and this olliee without motive power. The turncock, Mr T. Smith, promptly r eilicd matters by cutting oil' the broken sec! ion, and the rest of the service was avail able within a quarter of an hour ot the mishap. The break occurred at the intersection of King and Kginont streets, where an ugly hole about 4ft in diameter was soon'in evidence. The borough stall' immediately set to workon an unenviable all-night task of repairing the damage.

The town of Waitara, which people usually describe as "just the same old place," has started out afresh. .Several new buildings have recently been erected, a new hotel is in course of erection and another will shortlv be on the way. A new bank will shortly be started, and improvements are projected in all directions, including lite erection of a new bridge over the river'. A private syndicate is now engaged ill installing an electrical fimnt for Ihe sliipp.'y of s'd'eet and private light,ng, anil the poles are ,„,«- being placed in position. In addition, there is some talk, too. «f the Instill- I latiou .'f ii high pressure water service.

J.malmg operalions in the centre of New I'lyiliomi, ■ ive the town ; - "'""'d eppearanee which cannot fail to lavourably impress visitors. T| l( . block of shops ~,„! elliccs in course ol '•recium lor ilessrs !■:. (,',ii;itl.,, ~„,[ cud Ariki streets, (he m .\, ; ,-■., r-.i.i'mse lor Messrs Maeky Logan an: I'a'tlwel! at the intersection of IbMiodiaiu and i'owderliam streets. Hi,, almost coni-I'k-led new brick post olliee. extensive mi "»~ "»d alterations to .Messrs ( ' , ' Vl ' l '' k'liilliaiii's premises next ""., ' Jl " ,i!,lv " 'f»,V«l. are „, few that strike tee eye soon after airivai Shop ii'onts are being modernised, and there h a fair amount of building in (j 1( . ~t . sidcutial portions of the borough and m the suburbs.

. In connection with the Firearms Act. ;:-'»(.-li came into ojK.ral.iun on tliu :i boy is not now pennittt-J I" have in his „r to ,| nP ,„. "liny jrim of piste,,' of a less ;;" !,l "' ! : "'l'" •■'«»•■:, uii.-ti,,.,- |i,Lii. a - i. v the „f m„, |K , w ,|,. r ,„■ ' 110( >' "i.'.'.'k.'i'pcrs must not i,i lutur,- suppKor sell iircarms, or f <iniiiiiuiLion for 'n-'.-inns to anyone ii„,i, T h; V( ,, rs „, »*•■ .ti,,.s, i),i„f. s ,„,. «,„.,,,,,;,, „,„,,,,. "J.' I'lrrnraiK Art oi'last ;;,.,.!,,„, f ram . c ''', "'•' lll! ' l"ii-|>'w of pi'ohibitine; "the j s: ' hrearm* t„ nm \ t|„. „„,. (),cro"t l).v yoniu:' persons. Tim police wol- ',';""''' .'''!' '"■"" .Hill illlclKl t„ SOC lint it is obeyed. It is jiistasva.ll o remind parents, anil children. („„ thai tor breaches of the. Act enemies 'l';' linl'lo in a (in,. „f rjl) and lo forloilure of any iin-nrni found in the possession of anyone under 10. The only one exempt under Ihe provisions ot the Act are those, "practism;.' mi'l.'i- proper supervision wit], -a jTorris tube or miniature r iu c on . ]m , lm . w constructed riflo ranges." This ex cnyption clrieily applies, 0 f cmal! l 0 cadets,

The Inglewooil Town Hand i to play at the North Egmont Mountain House on Sunday afternoon.

Tliere is slill a dearth of irnod live sue! six roomed houses in New Plymouth.

fin!]!' 'items of cniin'lrv news iunl meters of general inteV.-sl. will lie foiiml on the fourth page of this issue. At a -..lectin'.' or the Southland (Vu in- of the Atliletie laiion on Tuesday

evening. T. King, of Victoria, who competed last, season in the Auckland and West Const districts, and (,'. Foster, of Wellington, were disqualified for life for alleged "ringing in." The Society intend taking legal action against the latter.