LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 23 July 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Captain Kdwin wired at noon yeslerilay: Easterly slrong winds to gale; glass fall; tides high; sea heavy; rain j probable; rivers ' very high.

Thursday next will he observed as Arbor J Jay in the (ioverument offices. Wednesday is tile statutory day, but representations having been made, the holiday is to bi observed as above.

A ratepayer complains to the Taraiiakl County clerk that lie has no dog of the color reported by the dog-tax collector. His only kuri is a "blue" dog. It ought to lie valuable.

The milk cheques paid out during the month of June in the fnglewood district were:—.Moti Dairy Co., £422; Maket iwa Dairy Co.. £128; Tarata Dairy Co., .C 80; Lepperton Dairy Co-, £278; IWaiteri Dairy Co., ,£SO.

The following letters, received front places beyond the colony, are lying at the thief' Post Ollice, New Plymouth:— 11. Anderson, F. \V. Onyton, .1. Atliol, Mrs Lawrence llealv, \V. Barnard, John iamb. I<\ Cailain, Frank Roberts, Angus Campbell. S. Saunders, Cleo. Campbell.

The secretary to the Treasury has notified that the Borough Council's application for a lonn of £1750 for extension of the abattoirs has been provisionally approved. The loan will be at 4 per cent, for a period of 41 years. The Council will immediately proceed with the preliminary steps, and the matter has been referred to tlie borough solicitors. Kauri gum to the value of £522,480 Was exported from New Zealand last year. The total quantity exported was 0151 tons, of which 4280 were shipped to tlie United Kingdom, 4250 tons to the fnit cd States, 513 tons to Germany, 30 tons lo Canada, 19 tons to France, 9 tons ito Austria, 1 ton to Holland, 4 tons to Fiji. 16 tonß to New South Wales, and 17 tons to Victoria.

The claim of M. J. Jones and others against the Minister of Public Works in respect of lands taken for railway deviation purpose*) was yesterday adjourned until Monday next a 11 o'clock, owing lo his Honor Judge Denniston being still engaged in Wellington. Mr D. Berry, one of the assessors, was on the Bench. Mr Wilson (Wilson and Grey) appeared for the claimant, and Mr W. Kerr (Standish and Kerr) for tlie Minister. Should the Appeal Court not have finished Its business this week the ease will be still further adjourned.

Jn the House last week Mr Okey,the member for Taraualri, gave notice of a i[ueslion as to whether, in view of the recent rise in the price of kerosene because o£ the new duty proposed, the Government would give a bonus to locally produced kerosene. Mr Okey is also asking tho Acting-Minister of Railways whether he will cause all goods carried by railway from the port of Moturoa to New Plymouth to be charged by ton weight instead of ship's measurement. 'i'lie new post otliee at New Plymouth lias bt'fii in use for a couple of months. Il was opened quietly one morning, and tho public have no*"- found any fault with il. But there's one tiling lacking. It has never been "formally opened." So tlu' Premier is lo be asked to come along and "formally open" the building. The .Mayor has undertaken to entertain the Premier during his stay in the town, and not make it a charge upon the Borough Council. Under these eircumstaneCo tin? Council passed a resolution leaving the Mayor to arrange for the opening ceremony.

At a meeting .of the Egiuont County Council yesterday it was decided to rescind the resolution declining to conUibute towards the cost of an expert's report on the electric tram scheme. The following resolution was then passed: That this Council is prepared to contribute £OO only towards the cost of the estimate, such estimate to be given in sections from Auroa to Opunake town, from Opunake to the end of the western part of Kgmonl County, and also to include a branch line from Eltham road to serve the Skeet and Oco road settlers.

j The very unsatisfactory strikingpower of the town clock is to be brought directly under the notice of the Postmas-ter-General. Tlie bells can be heard as far oil' as Omata, four miles away, yet the sound is hiiully audible in the town centre. Sir Joseph Word was the Minister who ordered the clock for the borough, and he is to be asked to obtain a report from nil expert as to tho manner of making iiuv improvements. It is suggested that tlie bells are too much enclosed in the brickwork, and the sound waves are able to escape only in an upward direction. It is also stated that if the boils were slightly raised the sound waves might lloat o'er the city iu the style intended.

There is considerable misapprehension in Waitara concerning the result of the conference between the Wait..ra Jiurough Council and the Taranaki County Council. The. matter referred to the Treasury is nut the legality or otherwise of the County bridge rate, but the matter of adjusting the public debt between the two bodies. The Colonial Treasurer will make an adjustment and submit it to the local bodies for their approval or objection, and eventually the proper share of the debt will be inscribed against the borough, who will then pay interest direct to the Treasury and the County Council will have no further jurisdiction concerning the Waitara borough contribution.

The electric light burning in the olliee cluck o' nights was quite a "bum question." in the Borough Counci lust night. G\ JJeliringer didn't reekor llii! Council should. pay i'or the light, and (Jr. Browne, cimlnm.n oi t'f" Jiioclrit. Light Committer, said it v .- n*»t being charged to the (.'ounci\ (V. 1/ikett saiil the current was now going through the L'ostal Department's meter, and if tin* Council wanted to have the clock ju darkness they had only to disclaim re-.-ponsibiliiy j'or the cost of lighting, and the Postmaster would soon have it cut oil'. The electric light department asked A! sin for lighting up. On Cr. Mills' mo- [ lion it was decided to have the clock conn-ctcd with Lhe street mains, and iMimiiuated up to 1.30 a.m. The matter <»f ihe clia'.'ge was referred back tu tHe I'liinmitlec, (j\ Ibuwne remarking that l lie clock fae<* would probably have to be mure brightly illuminated, and the of current correspondingly enhanced.

j in days of high prices it is 'e--1 freshing to reml of the .small pricos charged (by "The Kash," that famous clothing store in New Plymouth. This is the rea-on of their success—honest valuo at low prices. Any goods bought at this store can be rdmued if not. satisfactory, auil without demur the purchase money i> returned to the customer. They believe in doing one thing and doing that onr» thing 1 well, and anything outside the clothing, mercery and tailoring business they dn not touch. Th»fa the ''cft'on their clothing ir so much superior to their competitors,' p.nd that's the reason the Prestwdl | suit* and overcoats arc having such a j renin rkalde sale.—Aflvt. |

Ymir child's! cough is no liPttev? He I member onh'ig end in ponflnmnfion. Little children like SYKES'S (VM\ COI.HtTV because it is pen-s ' fcn take. Sold everywhere. 1/6 and 2/0.

Complaints are made concerning trees overhanging and abutting on footpaths in Courtenay street.

Ratepayers in the Tariki road specifil rating area arc now paying their special the Court having upheld tlic right of the Comity Council to collect, 'l'hc 10 ]iit cent. addition:) 1 for want of promptness is none too pilaUiblc.

Tile record price for land in the southern end of the province was reached last, week, when iCfiO per acre was paid for a iifty-aere section about two miles from Hawera. The section had no other improvements l.liau a ring fcnc.

The Premier has notified Mr W. A. Colli*, Chairman of the .Scenery preservation Society, that the latter's suggestion concerning the. conservation of scenery oil the "Mokan .Tones Estate' 1 has been referred (o 1 lie Hon. Jlr MelNa'b, Minister for Lands.

A sitting of the Native Appellate Court took place at I'icton (Wailolii) recently. Only two cases were down for hearing. Messrs A. L. I). Fraser, M.11.1i., and S. li. It. Budge were retained by the natives interested in one of the eases, I which was sent back to the Native Land I Court J'or further evidence.

A discovery of the greatest importance in all rabbit-infested districts has been made by Mr John Murray, of Woodbank, namely, the ell'cctive treatment of distemper amongst ferrets. Hitherto the disease was fatal in most cases. Alcohol, given in the-form of i brandy and milk, has cured the ferrets j almost without exception.

Crapes arc to lie admitted into the colony at a duty of Id per lb under the new tarill'. It should be explained that the fruit lias first to be specifically removed. Until that has been done they cannot be admitted, hut the imposition of the duty is taken to be a clear proof that the Government intends to allow their importation.

Tlie employe? of the gas company uas excited. "What's the matter?" asked tlie superintendent. "I've just found n street that hasn't beeu torn up for nearly ten years," was the reply. "Send a gang of men out there at once," ordered the superintendent. This incident didn't happen in New Plymouth. The employee would be puzzled to find such a street here.

Tlic usual fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Kgmont Lodge, 1.0.0. F. M.U., was hold last evening. liro. Arch. Hooker, N.G., presiding- There was a good attendance of members and a very enjoyable. evening was spent in discussing m itters of interest to the Order generally. A resolution was passed conveying the condolences of their Lodge to the relatives of the late P.P.G.M. George Leslie, late Registrar of Friendly Societies.

11l tl(e widening of Victoria road by tho Borough Council the little plantation of i 1:lx and fungus near the Kecreation Ground gate had to be removed. Mr. ilrowne, as chairman of the Western Park Hoard, appiied for some of the plants to beautify the public ground under his care. The chairman of the Works Committee promptly agreed, 'out had to retract his promise when the chairman of the Kecreation Grounds Board laid claim to the whale ol the plants, as they had been planted by that hoard. This, notwithstanding that the Recreation Grounds Board had any amount of lla.v in various parts of their grounds. These were the complaints made at the Borough Council last night, finishing with the statement that some llax plants had gone to private property along the road, some had been tipped ov-r the bank as waste, and sonic to a private property hinted at but not named, in view of the general vagueness of the complaints the Council did not proceed any farther with the matter. The general opinion of the Council was that the public park should have b» J preference over private proper*).