LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 312, 9 January 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There are liow 230 consumer* of electric light from the borough inains. The Recreation Sports Ground Committee netted a clear £llO as the result of the fete on the offieiil opening day. It is reported that a number of oat cro|w in the Patea district are affected with "smut." Postal notes of all denominations have been issued in a new design as from the beginning of the year. Farmers In a great many centres are making ensilage in place of hay this season, and it is reported that stacks of ensilage are nimerouß. The Recreation Sports Ground Committee met last night, and decided to at once commence the to]>-dressiug and •ithrr preparation of the running anil cycling tracks in view of the forthcoming championship (ports meeting. Athletes uxing the track for training j purposes will need to obtain permits, for which a fee of 2s 6d will be charged. Over five hundred bandsmen will be in New Plymouth in connection with the forthcoming band contest. It is computed that their board and lodging alone will bring in from £IOOO *to CI2OO to the hotel anil boardinghouse keepers. In addition there will lie the usual qrowds of supporters of the_ various combinations.

Mr .1. B. Mitciiell, of Manaia, fed the misfortune last week to lose his fine draught stallion "Sterling Prince." It is surmised that the horse died from the ravages of the botfly, a post mortem ex minntion revealing a large number of bot grulw in the stomach. A feed of preen oats given the horse during the day probably accelerated the fatality. The borough electrical engineer ridicules the idea that anyone could be i killed by shock whilst taking a branch from one of the electrical wire? in our streets. The unwary ro'ght get a shook which would scire him Into falling off a ladder. But if he broke his neck in the fatt no one could say, surely, that death resulted from an electric shock. The linesman who scared a resident with such a utory is now probably laughing up his sleeve.

Bees are said to be profitable little Insects. But they're not desirable comymioßs. A l»dy left her horse and gig tin the neighborhood of lAarsland Hill yesterday afternoon, When she oame lvack a swarm of bee* had taken possession of the vehicle. No one could be secured to "take" the swarm. Bo a neighbor washed them off the vehicle on to the road. Bid of her unpleasant eompinions, th« lady resumed her travels.

Writing to the secretary of the National Dairy Association, Mr J. G. HarkDP99, the Homo representative of the Association, Mr Charles Mackie, points out that it is a very wieo policy on the part of eeTpr.il factories having dualpurpose plants to manufacture butter in the first part of the season and cheosc in the latter portion; the rule is sound nine timet out of ten. As s general thing merchant* are not, says Mr Mnckie. anxious to receive cheese til) after Christmas. The Corlnthlc's butter met a good market, Mr Mackie reports, and it was quite clear of ajl« ■food quality descriptions. A Press Association message states that a nove) contest with Fielding as a finishing point took plap<s ygsterdiy. Taylor, of Wanganu), left that placp pn a bicycle, and Lawrence, an old-tlms runner, of MartOn, left Marton each at 2 o'clock, the latter on foot. The match wis for £lO a-side, and a £ls donation. Great interest was taken, and a large number of people awaited the arrival of the contestants. Taylor, who had to come 44 miles, arrived first, just on five o'clock, having passed L-iwrence one and a-half miles from the winning P 0 "* - Lawrence's distance was 18 miles. Tay--1 lor Tost 40 minutes in mending punc-' tures.

Mr J. Skinner, the county cngincci lias submitted to the Taraiuui Count, Council * photograph of the new ferro koijcrete bridge over the Mangnmi stream on tile Tariki road. This n 1 places a structure that lias been plat arded as "dangerous" lor a considerabl time. The Government assisted with grant of £2OO. The bridge is a solid looking piece of work, and a credit t lxitli the contractors (Messrs Booi Bros.) and designer (Mr Skinner). Th bridge is now open for traffic. At ai impromptu ceremony, Mr F. Zimmei man, who saw the old wooden brldg •pened in 1880, expressed the satisfac tion of the settlers with the new struc turf. For years, and years, and years, a Christinas and at other linn 1 - the pris oners who are housed and boarded nl our expense, have cut down tile noxiou weeds and trimmed the ornament i trees and shrubs tlnit well-me umg pet pie have from time to lime planted o Marslaud Hill. New it is eptirely nt! i glccted. Just because we had a great er influx than usual of visitors to Nei Plymouth during the holidays the llil has lieen looking its very worst. In deed to an miwecdcd garden that goe to seed, things rank and gross in na ture possess it nearly. Councillor Col lis, generally to the forefront in lookinj nfter New Plymouth's scenic spots, ha this year, In respect to Marsland Hill been apparently in a state of somno lence. Of course we know it is no fair to look to Mr Collis to do every but the present wretched state o affam requires explanation. It's i small job, and a few prisoners coult have cleaned up the hill In a few hours and no doubt If Mr Millington is ap proached he will allow the prisoners t< attend to this popular resort as hereto fore. So much Is written In this and othei countries, writes an American correspondent, about the hopeless condition of the man who lias once served a term in gaol, that it in interesting to learn that Captain 0. M. Carter, formerly of the United States Army, and who has just completed a five years' term of imprisonment, has been engaged at a salary of OHIO a year to superintend the building of the railroad across the flea from Florida to Key West. Carter, who is an engineer of high ability and attainments, was convicted for complicity in the famous GavnorGreene frauds, by which the Federal Government was cheated out of £200,000 in connection with the Savannah Harbour improvements. He wan sentenced to the army prison at Fort Ijeavenwortli, although always protesting his innocence. The chief malefactors. Gavnor and Greene, escaped to Canada. fought a. long extradition battle, were finally defeated and brought back to the United States, and. although eonvie! cd. are still inaintaiirng a technical struggle against their punishment, which they have not yet commenced to undergo. Captain Carter is believed by many to have been the tool of these two men. At any rate, whether gu'ltv or not, lie has paid the penalty, and is now at work in a position of great responsibility. The difficulties of the undertaking are said Jo be not inferior to those of constructing Hie Panama Canal.

10 Tlit' January issue of I jit: is notable '<l lor three or four Australian articles of A J particular interest and merit. Foremost e of these in the first of » series of sjwie rials from the pen of Dr. Fitchctt himself, entitled "Strnngs Pages in Aus- >• tralasian History." 'J'lie general impression is that Australia has no his--0 tor.v: ''but," says Ur, I'itcliett, "this is not true. Both Australia and New i- Zealand have a history. It is rich in i- romance, packed with adventure, dark, e on some pages, at least, with mystery P a "d suffering." Another feature is the 8 launching ot a picture-puzzle corn pet ie lion, if) which competitors arc invited to solve certain drawings, the answer in each case being the name of a book. A | list of book* from which the puzzles are 1 | set is supplied, so that the man in the _ little up-country town will have the same j opportunities of solving the problem* as the njiju who lives within easy reach of I the public library. Whilst Life has eon- § sitlerably strengthened tile M|inber and character If its special articles, it still maintains with the same vigor and cleverness thotie departments intended to keep the busy man abreast of the times in all matters relating to the polities, the scence. the sport, the literature of tb« whole world. We are glad to note that Life is becoming more and more Australian. and vet. is losing nothing of its interest in world-wide affairs. Christmas eonic3 every year, and to all of us it comes much quicker every time. Time was when the last week at school seemed an eternity, but nowadays it comes all too quickly. Happy, careless times, those school-days. Your boys are passing through the same time now; make 'em as happy as you can; and what ['leases a boy more than having a nice suit on ? liemember the proud look on vour face when you were a youngster with a new suit. Dress your boy well and he'll lie pleased with himself; dress ! htm nt "The Kash" and you'll be pleased i with yourself, for youU get honest, de- • pendalile goods there at a moderate j figure. They've just landed a lot of Con- ( way suits, and If you want to rive the ( Hoy a Christmas present, give him one l of those; they have them from 13s fid ( to 87s <M. Don't forget the shop—"The r Kash," just below Nolan's auction mart, 1 pevon-strcet, New Plymouth,—AM,

fi'he arrivals in New Zealand during tlic inontli of November totalled 3050, and tlie departures 1590. The totals for the corresponding period of 1!)0G were 3815 und 1388 respectively. When at Niagara Mr. William Cable, of Wellington, was shown over an electric power-houee on the Canadian side of the river that, when completed, will generate 125,000 horse-power of energy. Estimating that each sheep when Bhorn yields 01b of wool, and that there are 20 million sheep in the dominion, the fall of 2d a pound in the price of wool entails a lessened income from that source of £1,000,000. Mr. 1). Smith, of Hawera, has the distinction or Iteing the first to drive !u a motor car up to the Dawson's Falls Mountain House. The time up was not good, owing to a slight defect in the machinery, lmt he made the trip back to llawefa in 2% hours.

The flovernment has purchased from Mr. Nelson Illingworth, to be placed in the Parliamentary library, a replica in bronze of the marble bust of Sir John Hall, wh ; ch the sculptor was commissioned to execute for the family of the late statesman, and for which Sir John Hall gave him sittings till within a few weeks of his death. Next month will be leap February, ' and some of our maidens will grow a year older, says the Free Lance. For the dances this year there is already a novelty dance spoken of, when the gentlemen will all down and the ladies will say gracefullv: "May t have the pleasure of the waltz!" and walk off with her oartner to stirring strains, and will look so bewitching that no man could let another summer come without being wedded for aye. Anyway, Leap Dance Is to be one of the most enjoyable of the year.

A sixth battleship of the Dreadnough class whs laid down nt Portsmouth on the 28th of Inst month. She will have n displacement of 1ft,300 ton*, as against the 17.! inn tons of the original Dreadnought. The length of the later huilt ships is 4ftoft., the beam 82ft., and the displacement 18,400 tons. The turbine engines of 23,000 horee-power will provide a speed of 21 knots. As in the other ships of the class, the main armament eonsista of ten I'2-in. breach-load-ing nuns. The main defensive armour is a. belt of 12in. hardened steel amidships. (The work of draining the Piako swamps, in the Auckland province, is to be pushed forward Immediately. Mr. W. C. Kensington, Under-Secretary for Crown Lands, wili leave Wellington 'in Friday to visit this district in connection with the scheme. By proper drainage it is hoped to convert 80,000 acres of Crown lands, at present worth less than £1 an acre, into land worth €5 or £0 an acre. It is probable that Mr. Kensington will also visit Waiotnpu, where it is proposed to extend the area for tree-planting by prisoners. Mr. K. Troy, who has been in Ireland for the last eight months, returned to Pahiatua on Saturday last. Mr. Troy says that things in Ireland, from a commercial point of view, were anything but bright, and as a result the strong, sturdy voting men were fast leaving its shores. •' It is only a question of the passage money with them and they are o(T to either America, Canada, Australia, or Xew Zealand," added Mr. Troy. Ail his old school ma ten had departed to other lands, and the country villages he had known in his boyhood were sorry-looking spectacles, and fast drifting into decay. Although having a very tender spot in his heart for tiie Old Country, Mr. Troy Ik quite satisfied there is no place like New Zealand.

A " Dally News " reporter was yesterday given some details concerning the announced proposal to erect a large private hotel in St. Auhyn street. The building, which is to contain sixty rooms, will front St. Aubvn and Dawson streets. The building is to be erected for a Wellington business man, who has purchased half-an-acre for a site. The whole building will be flanked by balconies, and a tennis court and tea rooms arc also part of the appointments. The building in expected to cost from £3500 to £1001). From the same informant it was gathered that the proprietor has secured a suburban property on which to run his cows and poultry and grow his vegetables for the house. The growing popularity of New Plymouth as a seaside resort and its immense possibilities in this respect make the venture look a highly promising one. In referring to the reappearance of Ixml Milner in current politics, and to the likelihood of his taking an active part on the Conservative side, the Morning Post remarks: "Many people contend that the career of a successful proconsul is not good apprenticeship to the trade of party politics, the required type of mind and character being essentially different in the two sets of circumstances. They quote the classical example of Sir George Grey, who, after achieving remarkable success as a pro-cosul, enjoying a large liberty of action, broke down as a party leader in Democratic New Zealand under the perpetual (leniafld for compromise and procrastination. The fact remains, however, that even if Sir George Grey failed as a party politician, the social and Imperial policy of Xew Zealand may, nevertheless, be traced directly to his inspiration. .Jhe party which he proved unable to lead has since carried out his political ideals under the guidance of men who could not possibly have shone m the field where Sir George Grey was great."

"The King Country was a wonderful revelation to me," said Mr James itoddic, late of Eltham, who is now sheep-farm-ing at Te Kuiti, in eonversation with a nowspaper reporter, "I believe that in several respects it Would agreeably surprise the imagination of the average i'amnaki farmer. It is, of course, only a few years since it began to be opened up, but now immense areas of land suitable for dairy and sheep farming •re coming on the market, to what extent may lie judged by the fact that at ite last sitting at Te Kuiti the Land Board dealt with 146,000 acres. Some of the areas held by the natives are almost beyond credibility. One Instance, in which a Maori holds between 60,000 and 70,000 acres, occurs to my mind at this moment, and under recent native land legislation the whole of thie, with the exception of what is required for native occupation, is being thrown open for the settlement of whites. In looking over the land at Te Kuiti, I found hops running hither and thither in all directions, and I believe lemons do famously. Another charm the place has for me is its romance. One continually comes across evidences of the primitive grandeur of the Maoris, evidences which, haying suggested the infinitude of possibilities, leave the imagination to work them out.