LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 317, 16 January 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The appointment of Mr J. M. Higncit .ir; registrar of brands for the Opunake, Stratford and Strathmorc registration districts is gazetted.

In the current issue of the Gazette nro published the regulations under "The Lind Law* Amendment Act, 1907," and "The bind for Settlements Consolidation Act, KMX)."

A well-known local dog-fancier has entered a most emphatic protest against Hie imposition of the dog-tax of tell shillings. He has placed two of his valuable dogr> beyond the reach of earthly tax-gatherers. The dry weather still continues, and the metailed roads arc beginning to resemble shingle-beds. No amount of care on the part of the road overseers can combat the destructive tendency of the sun and wind, and cyclists and drivers Immp along the lively way. The Whiteley Memorial Sunday School picnic will be held 011 Thursday \vee£ in grounds kindly placed at the disposal of the teachers by ilr. S. Avium, 011 the

Carrington road. The Hon. James Carroll (Xative Minister), who returned to Wellington on Saturday night, states that at Taumarunui and the district surrounding settlement its going 011 apace. People are visiting there every day in search of land.

The Government luis decided to reserve areas 8f timber along the North Island Main Trunk line as sawmilling areas for the purpose of Government reipiivemeutn. The timber will be wanted for railway sleepers and for public works of various kinds. Special reports are to be obtained as to the most suitable bush to be reserved for the purposes required.

Last year thirty-two permits were issued for new buildings in Eltham. There Ims been considerable building activity during the past few months (says "the Argils), and the building of the Technical School and the Courthouse lias put a considerable sum of money in circulation amongst contractors and others. It is expected that with the owning up of the new street still greater activitv will result.

Heligoland, the islet in the North So* that the cables tell us Germany is fortifying at great expense, is 35 miles from tiie mouth of the Elbe and Weser, and has been German since 18110, having heeii exchanged by Great Britain for territory in East Africa. A recent cable announced that the German Estimates included provision for the construction of a naval harbor at the southern extremity of the island. The breakwaters, it win stated, were to be extended seaward for a distance of 1000 yards so as to provide effective shelter for a licet.

"Dafgety's Review"' repeats the statement that the Danes intend turning their attention from butter to milk. It says in its last iatu*: "We learn that the Danes are establishing agencies ill London and the principal seaports 011 the east coast of England and Scotland for a direct milk supply and distribution, which will necessarily reduce their but-

ter exports. Taking into account the prosperous condition of trade, particularly in the midland and northern counties anil the populous towns of Scotland (large consumers of dairy produce). we have every reason to expect that a good

demand for colonial butter will lie maintained. and that the slump in values la-it year. the result of the operations of speculative bnyeix. will not Ik' repeated."

Yesterday afternoon a cyclist scorched along the footpath ill Devon street west. "Look out," he yelled, as he approached a covev of little children who were playing there. One of them, too small and too frightened, perhaps, to

"look out" in time, was howled Over, and Mr Scorcher went gaily on his \vit», leaving the child to pick itself up ns liest it could. One grain of thoughtfulness would have mnde him get off the bicycle; half tt grain of rommonsHlge would have induced him to slow down

on approaching children; whilst the tiniest atom of decency or manliness should have heen enough to induce him

to enquire into the results of his madness. ' • nf ' i' Mount Sinai consists of three peak*, each about tiflOOft high. THE PREMIER SEPARATOR. The new principle covered by the "Baltic"' patents is rapidly establishing this machine as the premier cream separator. The split wing system has been discarded, and a special and very simple arrangement feeds the whole milk to the separating planes without disturbing the cream layer. Results achieved in actual practice with the "Raltic" have astonished practical factory-men, and the really marvellous capacity and clean skimming have exceeded anything hitherto known. Practical proof will lie given on application to J. B. MaeEwan and Co., 1.t<1., Egmont-otrcct. New Plymouth.

The grocers of New Plymouth are entertaining their staffs at a complime»tary dinner this evening.

Dairymen are crying out for rain. The dry spell is not altogether conducive to a big supply of green food.

Good progress is being made with the erection of the new public library in King street. Mr F. E. A. Gordon, utility poultry expert, han offered to give a lecture in New Plymouth on poultry-keeping about the time of the -New Plymouth Poultry Show.

In the latest Gazette is gazetted renewal of the license of the Opunakc Wharf Company to use and occupy part of the foreshore at OpunaUe for a wharf anil sheds.

The District Traffic Manager lias writ ten to the Stratford County Counei stating that no trucks of metal canyinj from Mt. Egniont will be available un til after Easter. —Post.

At a special meeting of the Harbor Board held yesterday the question of uagoß was wry fully iiist'tiss6(l. ■ roceedings were in committee, and the business is still unfinished. It is understood that, in keeping with the time*, j there will be some increases of remuneration.

The borough solicitors, Messrs Govett and Quilliam, have advised that thorc is nothing to prevent the Council by resolution and notification appointing the do"-tax registration fee to be paid as 10s, and os if paid before 31st March, the former resolution would, of course, have to be rescinded.

The Health Department having report- | cd adversely upon Mr G. H. Lindstroin s application lor permission to erect ft tannery on the Mill road, he has now made application for a lease of one or two acres of the abattoir reserve on 1 which to erect we buildings and cany on the industry, the lease, to be for twenty years with right of renewal.

The following appears in a Swedish , nnt . v —-in New Zealand there is « law whifh provides that anyorte found drunk in the streets shall be photographed at his own expense, and his photo sent to everv bbtelkcepcr in the district in which he resides. These photos are ex, hibited in the public bars. It a rather good tiling—tor hotel piopn. tors and the public, if not tor the confirmed incbriates-if there were justificaI ticm for the Swedish statement.

Railway traffic returns for the period ■ndin" 7th December show that 4.i,«8(> Brst-dass passengers and 1 #>,<:» *"»»•• [■lass passengers were carried oyer tlie Wellington-Napier-New Plymouth section. The figures for the same period in IMW were 4ft,242 and 153,403 respectively. The number of season tickets was 4433. as again 3888 in 1900. I eels etc., showed an increase from 22,018 to ''2 915, and goods (drays, cuttle, calves, sheep and pigs) from WM; Mo 103,805. Revenue totalled Ui4,n.) -■ 10d, as against £58,345 7s Bdm the corresponding period of the previous \eai.

A correspondent of tlx' Uawera Sta usserts that Taranaki farmers are turning out as good a class of bacon p fe . • l,e obtained anywhere m the Dominion. "and yet," he writes, »c an only paid a paltry 4d per po.and or e rime We are assured the Addington (Christehurch) market rules' the .price „» this coast. Well, if hte«t fatten the bacon-buyers, for b) latest Press reports and for some time back bacon pigs have been netting at the Addington yards from a'/ 4 d to <>dP<? pound. If I buy a few pounds of ba on have to pay lOd per pound. Brother pig-raiser*, how long more are youi going to present these bacon companies with '■our hard toil and cash? I am going to sell to the first buyer who offers me 5d per pound, and that leaves a good margin for their risks.

As the Stratford school excursion i» always looked forward to by a lill 'K e number of -New Plymouth would it not be possible and aduaable for the Central, West End, and Htxroy school committees to arrange for their pupils to picnic on the beach on the same day I Such a gathering of the little ones should induce endless delight, and would be the means probably ot making the beach more and more popular The idea, we think, needs only to be mentioned to our energetic school managers. Then in the future it may be possible to arrange for a Taranaln schools monster picnic on the beach. The scheme has teen talked of before, irnd we hope that' it will be enthusiastically taken up. The youngsters would doubtless hail such an idea with delight, and it would be a fine opportunity for fostering friendly relations between the people of the neighboring towns. Contradiction flat 'wanes from Mr K Bellringer, chairman of the borough works committee, in connection with Mr Skinner's statement published yesterday in reference to the plans of the proposed Henui bridge on the Avenue road. Speaking to a "News" reporter yesterday afternoon lie expressed his surprise that Mr Skinner slioulri have said the plans had been before the Borough Council, lie had not seen ihem, nor had they been placed upon tile table of the Council or of anv of its commuters. He had ascertained now that Mr Kendall, borough engineer, had luid the loan of the plans bv the courtesy ol the county engineer, but that was for hi« own (Mr Kendall's) information, and not for the Councils. The plans had never been officially forwarded to the Council's office, and Mr Kendall had had no authority of permission to show them to the Councillors.

Tile youths in the east end of 'm town are not one whit more decent than those in the west end, whose conduct was made the subject of comment in yesterday's issue. A few years ago a capital bathing shed for bathers erected on the beach at tlie mouth of the Henui river. The revenue from the sale of keys latterly hns_ been hardly sufficient to warrant the imposition of a charge, so the authorities threw the building open for the convenience of bathers, and to in some measure prevent the too frequent practice of the youths undressing on the open beach. But it has had little or no effect, and the men and boys still demand the right to monopolise the whole of the beach and the surrounding locality, for the women and girls who have been accustomed to repair to the, seaside there in the afternoons cannot do so unions they first manage to silepee all promptings of modesty and decency. There is surely work for the police on the sea-front.

Many of the regulations made by the Government departments are not of the most workable nature. For instance, the other day a settler in the neighborhood of New Plymouth was puzzled to account for the behaviour of one ofliis horses. It fell over, got on to its legs again, quivered, and fell again, repeating the performance several times. In order to secure advice, he sent a messenger in to the Government Veterinary Office, and was fortunate enough to eateli the Government Veterinarian there. The symptoms were explained, and the suggestion made that the horse might be suffering from sunstroke. Captain Voung agreed, and prescribed the treatment, required, but said lie could not go out and see the animal. Before the veterinarian can visit a farm in order to investigate disease, the Stock Department in Wellington must be notified ,iind they in turn communicate with the District Veterinarian if (lie case is beyond the bounds of the stock iivspeetos' knowledge. In the meantime, whilst, the red-tape regulations are being complied with, there is every chance of the siek animal dying. In this ease, however. the treatment prescribed by Caplain Young soon restored the animal to | its normal condition, the owner pouring \<iter over its head for hours at a { time.