LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 310, 7 January 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Teachers examinations are proceeding at the Central School.

It is reported that a local land agent has disposed ot a section in St. Auuyn street, opposite Air J. J. Stagpooles bakery, u* a site lor a big private notel A typically colonial adventurous life closed mien William Veney, aged sevenl) -six, died at liiverton 011 Christmas Day. The Otago Daily Times states that \ enev first came to New Zealand while a soldier in the 50th Regiment, and fought uuder General Cameron after Gate l'an. He did not leave with the regiment, and went to the West Coast diggings, going south to work on the construction ot the early railways. He went south again, and afterwards worked aliout the Orcpuki district. He was part owuer of a water-race, and sold his share for which be invested ami lost in 4 coasting vessel. Thety he unwillingly fell back on the obi age pen■i'jn, and though bent double with rlieuicatism, contrived to find for himself till almost the last. As an aftermath of the municipal election, a San Francisco correspondent says:—The writer ssked the tax collector of San Francisco why he was not renominated by tiie union labor party. His record is excellent. He had handled millions of dollars yearly without a word of scandal attaching itself to the office. "Simply because I wouldn't go down to the county gaol and ask the big fellow' (i,e„ ex-Mayor Schmitz) for the place on the ticket." The statement is true. At a midnight meeting in the county gaol the "slate" was selected. One of the papers asked whether the union men would support a "prisonmadc ticket." To their credit be it said they threw the balance of power [ to Mayor Taylor and his efficient colleagues. Jt might he asked how a political gathering could assemble in such quarters. Ex-M,<!_vox Schmitz is awaiting a decision of the Higher Courts on an appeal from judgment rendered against him. lie is in the custody of the sheriff of San Francisco, lyjjo was : elected on the so-called union labor ticket, and who was a candidate of the same party at the election just passed. : I'nder such favorable management, the i erstwhile Chief Executive was able to 1 keep almost open house, and Schmitz's 1 followers were in a position to confer 1 with him at any time. i MILKING-MACHINE EVIDENCE. 1

Messrs. W. Bailey and Son, of Waiuku, write a« follows re the "Lawrcncc-Kennedy-Gillies" Milking-machine: "We arc usjng three machines for the third season, and we find tfyeii) satisfactory. We milk Bfi cows in I>A to 1% hours. One can can look after the machines and carry the milk away, and one boy attends to the bailing up, etc., while one or two boys do the stripping, of which, as a rule, there is very little to do. The butier-fat test and quantity of milk are fully maintained, apd we find no ill effects on the cows. There is no trouble with keeping quality of the milk." MacEwans, Ltd., Egmont-street, New Plymouth.

A contractor in the Inglewood district is offering eleven shillings a day for men for road work, and "won't stick at twelve shillings" for good men. There were 200 passengers from Auckland by the liarawa which arrived on .Sunday night after a fairly rough pusSage. In yesterday's issue the number i Wl " i incorrectly given as fiOO.

Mr W. Jivetts, wlio has resigned from tile position Of foreman under the iaranaki County Council to take up the duties of general inspector in the borough, wan in the county service for sixteen years. According to a return presented to the tonnty Council ycsterdiy, the lapuae works hove cost to date £2009 2s 3d, exclusive of advertising, defendant's costs in the recent District Court case, metalling anil fencing. alintine, Inspector-Cencral of Hospitals, and l)r. Frengley, District Health Officer, conferred yesterday with the House Committee of the local hospital with reference to the enlargement, of the isolation ward and the provision of increased accommodation for the nursing staff.

Mr E. Hamerton met with a nasty accident on Sundty. He was cycling down Cameron street, when the chain ' became loose and caught in the crank. A heavy full was the consequence, the riders liand being so injured that he i will be unable to work for -some four or five weeks. It has been the custom of the Taranaki County Council to give its road foremen a week's holiday in each yeir on half-pav. At yesterday's meeting, upon the motion of Messrs Adlam and Tate, the resolution was rescinded and the Council decided to be a little more generous, giving the foremen a week's holiday on full pa,y. So far no conference has been held

between the Tannaki County and ]!i rough Councils concerning the re-cre tion of the Henui bridge on the Jun tion road. The county chairman ii formed his colleagues yesterday that i had been found impossible to arrang ft conference, owing to dilatorineas 01 the part of "the other side." In the Police Court yesterday mom ing, James Kliodes, a weary wayfarer made liis second appearance ; n a fori night before the Bench. During th Christinas holidays he had more thai lie could conveniently carry, and wa accommodated tit his Majesty's prison When released he again set on hi business of begging money for beei and was arrested by the police as i vagrant. He told a plausible story ti an unsympathetic Bench, and is not serving fourteen days' hard. Caterpillars have been very destruc tive amongst the oat crops recently. 1 the Waitara and Clifton diHtricts larger area than usual is under croj All the fields are- looking excellent, ant big yields are confidently expected- Th saving has been commenced a littl 'earlier than usual, and reaipers am binders arc now hard at work. Mr G V. Tate, who has been cropping in til district for about thirty years past, say; lie lias never previously seen such fav orablc prospects. The only fly in tin ointment is the scarcity of labor. There was tile usual crowded housi last night to greet the Taylor-Carring ton Company, ivlio produced "Ould Ire land," described an a new musical ami sensational Irish play. Cert i inly it was sensational, anil the performers showed to what a standard drama can be carried. Sometimes the sensational scenes created a sensation not altogether expected by the players. The play gave the bulk of tile business to Mr Taylor, who was the lirvo of the evening. The dancing was good, and the sight of the express train crossing the stage at full speed and the /miraculous rescue of) lirady caused a wive of excitement to sweep o'er the house. But "Ould Ireland" was hardly up to the standard set by this popular combination. There's many a truth snoken in jest. Whilst certain exeavauons were i>ei' carried out by a prison gang, a yon was a very frequent visitor, not infri quently in the company of one of tin opposite sex. He soon became familiar with the warders. One of them rallied the youth with his apparent liking for emmet work, mid laughingly predicted "You'll be in my gang one of these days." Months passed away. The young miln was arrested on a criminal charge, and handed over to the prison authorities. Strangely enough the I warder into whose charge he was given was the man who had twitted him. ' 'What did I tell you?" he said, when he saw his prisoner. No reply. Local bodies are in a quandary. Li-

bor is practically unobtainable. There are certain Government grants to be ex|RMided. And there is every reason to believe that any grants unexpended 011 ;ilst March next will be lost. The Government has a big leeway to make up, on account of the destruction of Parliament Buildings. Then Wellington and Auckland both want bigger •postal facilities. There is an idea abroul that votes for outlying roads and bridge this year will be smaller than usual. There is likely now to be a rush to secure the grants by getting the contracts under way. This is where the labor difficulty comes in. If there are 110 workmen available, there will be no tenders, and then the votes must lapse. "What about them art union tickets ?" lie asked. He was an upstanding son of the soil, and he was questioning one of the secretaries who recently conducted an art union. "Yes, sir. Want to know the numbers I" he said, replying to the query and asking another in the same breath. "Well, why wasn't they put in the paper? That's what I want to know," doggedly persisted the big man.. "They were in both papers," said the secretary. "Oh, perhaps. But I never takes any paper. My neighbor generally gits it, and she lends it to me. But she's away for 'er Christmas holidays, so 1 didn't git none." The secretary then produced the list of winning numbers, which' were eagerly conned by the rustic. "I've got two tickets home," he murmured, and he blushed. "A bloomin' bit of a girl wheedled me into gitting em. But blessed if I can remember the numbers now. No, I don't think it was one 0' them. It started with a 3, or a 4, or a 5, or something like that. Jist my luck! Ta-ta!"

No .serious accidents were reported locally during the holidays. A minor accident, which occasioned a good deal of inconvenience to the person concerned, arose out of too liberal libations on New Year's Eve. Having seen the last 01' the old year, and drunk sueces" to his friends for 1008, lie started for home. Gill street, however, was wind ing and twisty, and the journey home was not accomplished in anything like the usual time. A fence forsook its old year line and got right across his track. Th,cre was 110 time to get out 1 of the way, and the fence smote him on the chest. Then the path 1110 ">rl out of position, and left him in the gutter, which rose up and hit liim .111 the no.-i'. By-.ind-hye amongst other things that wobbled along past him was 8, blackiierry bush that impedes passengers along the footpath there. Even that couldn't leave the poor fellow alone. It tripped him up. and scratched and pricked his hinds and face, and now he talks of asking the Borough Council to clear that blackberry hnsli off the side of the street.

Ml' H. F. Russell, Justice, had his hands full in the Polite Court yesterday morning, but by firmness and tact got through the business without undue unpleasantness. The police had arrested a woman on Saturday and presented her as a drunken, idle, nnd disorderly person. She was voluble. She was abusive. She asserted and iv. asserted her striet sobriety, her purest motives, her ability to pay her board and lodging, j She offered to produce licr wardrobe. | She indignantly denied having spent a) couple of nights without proper aecou modation. She repudiated the Sugk. r tlon that she was injuring her hjth 1 and lowering her social standing by >• n too frequent libations. Her appeal c ancc, however, quite supported the statement of the police. Then she tybjiscd the Constables, and made indecent clnrgcs again-l one member of the force who was more strenuous than the rest in his recital of her misdeeds. The sergeant said he had 110 desire to send the woman to gaol. although she was a menace to society. But she. had friends, was in the rcceint, of maintenance, and h'd a motion before the Supreme Court for alimony from her divhreed tV't.' 1 ' rnn»''"l er' and discharged the prisoner, warnlnc her that Oie had been snilinz very close to the viml. new lcnf. She wasn't, much concerned about tl',' 1 but :in\inu«lv demanded _a voiurn of the mouev tliat she had bad in ■her possession when arrested.

'Afior U s:»id ami don", illicitv V'MV diflVmu-f "\Tflhoiirno ('Mini* tfnlor-mmV «in<s rondv <o w>■*•'t ami Hi'*' 1 tumor 1 out .l»y oxcOusivo liifrlt-prfoofl tailor?:. in ivriro—about .■C2--iiufflit- ai.vol] ty i-bc pocket of the pin-i-ha-or. Think it over: then come and see the suits and be convinced —Advt.

The New Plymouth municipal electric lighting installation is now paying its way, if not earning a. profit. The system has not been going a year and the result may he regarded as highly satisfactory. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Eginont Ijodge was held last evenI ing, Bro. L. i'\ Webster, N.Ci., presiding. | Two letters of recommendation were granted to two brethren who arc residing in other parts of the colony. Th" lodge was visited by liro. 11. I'. .lones (the jubilee member). Members unininiously wished him every prosperity in his new sphere of labor in Western Australia. Despite the holidays nml other interruption? we understand that the revision of the valuations in the C'rrington and Tlarrett road districts has been completed by the District Valuer. It if fairly safe to say that the rule of in creasing the values will he adhered to and the announcement of the re-valui tion will assuredly resurrect Hie move nient in "the suburban districts to merg into the borough.

llight through the holidays Uay-mak-jng operations have been in full swing. The ancient implement usually supposed to he the perquisite of old Father Time has been seen in some fields, but in the great majority of cases the more mo dern mowing machines have been clnt tered through the crops. Fairly gooi weather has been experienced, and crop have been saved generally in good cor dition. Some of the later fields ar now being mown. j The Kgmont Lodge, No. lli, 1.0.(1.1' held its usual weekly session on Moi

day evening in St. Alary's Hall, ISro. <;■' Hartncll, C.T., presiding There was not a large attendance, owing to the holiday season. Bro. J. C. Lcgg, U.D., notilied the Lodge that he would pay an otlicial visit oil Monday next. Two new members were initiated. It was decided to invite the British Workman's Lodge, Hawera, to pay the lodge a visit at an early date. Bro. Hartncll, C.T., offered to present the ' lodge with a song book for the use of 1 the members. The offer was accepted. 1 It wis agreed to make tip a party to go to the mountain some time this " month. The programme for the even- ' ing was "Holiday Reminiscences," and ' most of the members recounted their e holiday experiences. Bro. Legg. P.C.T.. D read a paper on "A Trip through tho s | Rocky Mountains," which was very much '• I appreciated.

The order of President Roosevelt to , cave the national niotto, "In God Ve I'ruet," off the coins moulded in the nints of the country, aroused a stonn >f protest, says a San Francisco eorreslondcnt. The President defended himself with hie usual vigor, pointing out that the many cheap specimens of would-be wit, and the blasphemous expressions used by the ungodly, were reasons enough for his action. The clergy replied that it was a njenaee to a Christian nation to thus deny God, that the niotto had become recognised as part and parcel of the national life, and that blasphemy was, unfortunately, a common vice, but that its existence did not warrant a return to pre-Christian times. To the observer, it seems that the President might have consulted Congress, or ascertained the public pulse, but the impulsive Roosevelt is not addicted to such a course of action at all times. An indication of the price which wi\ be ruling for grass seed thi« season is given by a sale which took place at itastings of an eight-acre crops (says the Napier Telegraph). This was purchased by a settler from up-country at the sum of (is 9d per bushel at the mill, which represents just 011 7s delivered. The crop is an old pasture, and will yieitl at least 36 bushels to the acre, so that the return from the paddock will be close on £IOO, including cost of harvest. Grans seed will be in great demand this season. Speaking to a Post reporter recently. Mr 1'". R. Gillingnian, who lias just returned from a trip Home, mentioned incidentally that owing to the broken weather at Home during the past season very little grass seed had been saved in good condition, and n:i a remilt prices were likely to rule high for some time. It is generally reported that the quality of cheese being turned out by some Taranaki factories this Beason is not satisfactory, in a few instances being as low as third grade, acording to the information given to an Elthain Argus reporter l>y a gentleman in touch with the industry. By some the low quality of the manufactured article is attributed to deterioration in the milk caused by the use of machines which are not kept thoroughly clean, but it must generally be attributed to lack of experience on the part of cheese-makers. The conversion of many butter factories to cheese factories is said to have caused a demand for experienced men greater than the supply, with the result that many lintter-makers had to adapt them, Reives to the new conditions and turn their hand to cheese, and in some cases it was found necessary to put men of little experience in either lmtter or cheese miking in sub-factories. Of course, this is one of the initial difficulties of the industry and one that may He exneeted to disappear as the cheesemaker.'! gain greater experience.

PERSONAL. Detective Casseils is in town 011 business. Colonel Davies, Inspector-General of the Forces, who has been on a visit to Northern Taranaki, proceeds to Wellington to-day. Mr A. Gray, formerly of the Centra/ School teaching staff, and now headmaster of the Opunake school, is in town. Mr H. Eyre-Kenny, who lias been spending the summer vacation in New Plymouth, leaves for Nelson to-mor-row. Mr. H. F. .Tones, an erstwhile member of the stuff of this paper, is on a short visit to New Plymouth, preparatory to returning to his home in West Australia. Mr G. P. Wake has announced himself as Government candidate for the Hgmont electorate. He stood as an Independent for Paten. in which Fgmont was then incorporated, at last olcction. Tt is expected that there will he a plurality of candidates for the new seat.