LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 144, 9 June 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Newton King has received the following cable from his Sydney agent:— "Hides, a farthing decline.'' His Worship the Mayor has been authorised to inquire upon what terms the Railway Department will lease to the Borough Council the small reserve along the foreshore between the borough boundary and the harbor. Mr. .1. Blake, 0 l Otakeho, well-known as a successful dairy farmer, has patented a new milking machine, the Simplex, one of which he lias been using for some months with satisfactory results. He will be showing it at the coming Palmer.ton Show.—Star, What is believed to be a record in po-tato-digging has just been established in South Canterbury, a young man named lieorgo Joyce, an excontingentcr, having dug and bagged, unaided, 33 sacks of potatoes in one day, from 8.15 a.m. to 3.15 p.m. Tile drop in the price of wool is said to be responsible lor a general depression iii the labor market throughout Hawke's Bay. Labor is reported to be very plentiful and the demand does not by any means correspond with the plyLocal Industries Week has "caught on" in Wellington, and the display of New Zealand manufactures in the principal shop windows of that city is a highly creditable one. As much as, £lO lias been given for wiudows by certain manufacturers.

"1 iliink I'Jl make a proltiliition order against you, said Jlr. Kettle, H.IL, at Auckland, to an old lady who had been drinking too liberally. "Not this time, your Worship,'' she pleaded; "do it next time." She argued well, and finally left tin' court, with various dire, penalties lor "next time" hanging over ncr •head. "So soon," said Sir ltoberl Stout at the 'Auckland University, "as young men think more of winning a game than of having 'played the game,' they will begin to consider that any tactics arc right if the game can be won. Tiie game then bci.oincs a demoralised and demoralising performance, and not far removed from a bull-light or u prizelight." The Kgiunnt Lodge of Good Templars held its weekly session ill St. .Mary's Mall on Monday evening. JJro. ,J.*(J. Legg presided. There was a good attendance of members despite the inclement weather. One candidate was initiated. A vote of condolence, and sympathy was passed to Sister Conuctt. A communication from the Anchor of Hope Lodge. Dannevirkc, was received. The remainder of the evening was spent in songs, recitations, and musical items. The Hope of Eginont Juvenile Temple, Nu. ii, 1.0.0. T., held their usual weekly meeting in St. Mary's Hall last night,, the siijiei'iiitciiuViit, Sis. (Mrs.) Bruce, being in charge. The Temple was opened at li.:io by the Chief Templar. ISro. I -a wry Pepperell. The report and bal-ance-sheet of the banquet were presented and considered verv satisfactory Voles of thanks were passed to all who helped to make the anniversary such a success. It was announced that prizes would be given for a composition on "What can I do t" win No-license for Taranaki?" After a short programme the Temple closed at 8 p.m. The dclcgales appointed al Ihe various centres to co-operate in opposing (he borrowing scheme contemplated by the New Plymouth Harbor Hoard in' the new Hill met at Kapnni on Friday evening (says the Witnc-sl. After considerable discussion i| was decided as the most effecth-c course to appoint delegates to go to Wellington to put up a light against the measure, and also to circulate petitions throughout the district soliciting signatures. Canvassers and delegate were appointed. As a; lighting fund will he required the meeting lixed a subscription on a basis of -s (id per 10(1 acres.

The Opunake .Mounted Hides have l»'en in camp since Tuesday, and have had good weather. Captain Henly is in charge, and Staff-Scrgeant-Major lJodd is drill-instructor. Major Vou'ii" gave an interesting lecture on Saturday on tlie treatment of horses. On Sunday there was church pnrade at St. Barnabas' Church, the Rev. Mr. Klingender (chaplain to .the corps) preaching. The camp was thrown open to the public on (Sunday afternoon, when over two hundred attended. The troopers supplied afternoon tea. The Opunake Brass Band, recently reformed under Jlr. A. ("Tony") Bishop, played several selections, and most favorable comments were passed on the playing.— Own correspondent. The Borough Council last night received a letter from Mr. I<\ I>. C'orkill, chairman of the Recreation (Jrounds Board, acknowledging receipt of the intimation that the sum of .C2OO hud been allotted to the Board as a subsidy for this year. "The trustees," he wrote, I'grcally appreciate (he liberal manner in which the Council lias met them: and we are confident that tlie new arrangements mlo which this Board lias been enabled to enter will prove eminenl.lv satisfactory in result, At the present moment I have before ,„e a letter from a prominent resident of the hnroiHi of I'almerston North, wliti pleads that the fact our park is already the finest in he .nonunion should influence us to allow them to secure again the services of Mr. AV. VY. Smith. I an, afraid, however hat our piiblic-Spiritedness has its '■hi. auons, and that in this «,«,. we shall feel justified in giving Xumher One the preference."

In regard to the advance in (lie price ol wool the Auckland Star lias the following: --■lnteresting evidence bcariii" on tins point is to be obtained from the cables on the price «f cotton received by a leading Auckland soft-goods house. As recently „ s mh A n ( . ()U(m w . [s quoted at 5 5-Hiil. will, indication of a further fall. By Kith j| llv th(l ,„.;,<. ,„„, risen to (id, ami on the 10th to (i%d. ihe latest cable gives the price on 28th May as (,y,d, with indications of a further rise. As 7'/ 2 d may be regarded as a record price, and cotton is occasionally as low as :i%,1. it will ]„, s( . nl lb ., t „;<. present nite „f oy.d is ~ v , rv ~(„,, nm , At Inst sight il may not appear ill what way this bears upon the price of wool. It is a fact, however, that cotton rises and falls with „ 0 01. ' The higher the price, of the latter, the more cotton is used to mix in what are generally sold as 'all wool' materials. The rapid advance and high price of ~„|to ll i o . (] ., v may. in I ),<■ absence „f „,,,. knowledge ol one of those rings uncommon ill this particular market, be accepted as <rraliI'ving evidence I hat Ihe advance in'wool will be maintained for some time, and thai there is unite a possibility ol a further accretion in price." Qrilily L not based upon what you pay, bu( what you get for what vou pay. When vou buy an "Alfa-Laval" separator you buy a machine with the endorsement of 1)8 per cent, of practical creamery and separator experts, [f you were travelling in a strange hind and came to a fork in the road and should enquire the way to your destination. »S per cent, telling you (o lake I ho right hand ami two per cent, the left, which would you take? The man who buys an imilalion separator and thinks hn'is getting as good a machine as the "AlfaUval" i,-. like the. fellow who tried to blow out Ihe electric light—he didn't know any better. Catalogue "T" and all particulars from (lie sole New Zealand : agents. Mason. Strulhcrs and Co., Ltd., ' Main-street. I'almerston North. 15. Grif- ' lit lis and Co., New Plymouth, local agents. i See what cash will do at the A.B.C. 1 Boa; Co.:— Gents' kip shooters, nailed, ' 7s 6d; Gents' Balmorals, wide-fitting, 7s ' Od; Scotch grain water-proof knee boots ' (for the stockyard), 22s Od; gents' dancing shoes, fis Od; ladies' felt slippers, Is; ' childrens*, 7d: goloshes 3s Od; footholds, i 3s (id; gum boots, lis Cd; ladies' glace ( shoes, 5s Od. Golf- boots to order. AH ] parcels carriage paid.—Advfc,

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning two first-offending Inebriates were, convicted and discharged. The teachers' Saturday classes will be closed for the winter holidays from 20th June to 11th July, inclusive. It is to be hoped that the Borough ' Council will see its way during this year ( to asphalt the crossing to the railway 1 station from the Egmont-strcct foot- ' paths. < Complaint is made that the Liardet- ] street footpath in front of the Technicnl School has not yet been gravelled, ! and is not fit for 'pedestrian traffic since the rainy weather set in. ' The collections during the recent Hospital Sunday at Stratford in aid of the Stratford Hospital totalled over £2OO nett, and with Government subsidy the ] hospital will benefit to the extent of .-£440. Those Dominion Day medals for-school-children have not yet arrived. They are to be distributed among the various Taranaki schools by the Education Hoard, the cost of postage, etc., lieing borne by the Department. At the annual meeting of the Horticultural Society, to be held to-morrow evening, a very favorable report of the year's work will lfe submitted. The society has n useful work to do. and would welcome an increase of membership. A New Plymouth land agent, commenting on the alleged scarcity of cash, remarked to a News reporter yesterday that recently he had negotiated several sales of property in which every penny of the purchase-money was. in hard cash, the buyers actually redeeming right away -the mortgages already existing on the lands they fancied. A few weeks ago we commented on th« frequeiit changes in the teaching stall' of the Central Sehhool. Of course, this must have seriously all'ccted the working of the school, as can readily be imagined. The committee has evidently had quite enough of the business, for, before appointing Mr. Bocock to the position of second male assistant at the school, it exacted from him an undertaking that he would not seek any fresh position, either in Taranaki or out of it, for at least eighteen months. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Kgniont Lodge, H0.0.F., M.U., was held last evening. In the absence of the N.G., CM. A. Hooker presided. One candidate was initiated and a letter of recommendation was granted to a member leaving the district. Bro. Hil- ] der, of the Loyal Wellington Lodge, Tasmania, and liro. Hookam, of the Loyal Britannia Ijodgc, Wellington, paid the lodge a visit, and were accorded lodge honors, and thanked the lodge for the reception accorded them. A good story is told regarding tliu King's first game of golf. His Majesty was attending classes at Edinburgh University when, escorted by Sir James G. Maird, he visited the links at Musselburgh. Tom Brown, a famous caddie of the older school, carried the Koyal clubs and on one of the greens his Majesty gave the ball a push instead of a legitimate stroke. This was 100 much for, the caddie, and Brown reproved his employer in the free language of the link, so Sir J. Cf. Baird thcreupuu informed the caddie that he must be more guarded in his choice of words, to which Tom, to the King's intense amusement, at once retorted, "His Koyal Highness i must learn, for if he had done that in a match he would have lost the hole." The novel excuse that he had idui'ricd himself was given by Dan Rylands, a colliery agent, of iSouthall, when he was accused at Brentford, England, of bigi amy. A policeman said Rylands came : up to him and asked to be arrested for , "marrying another woman." "He stated that he married one woman in York- . shire in 187!)," the policeman continued, and another at Finsbury Park in 1807. "The Finsbury Park ceremony consisted in him reading over the marriage ser- • vice in a room to the woman. lie also told me he had sent £1: to his first wife , to enable her to come to London and hear the case." An inspector informed the magistrate that if Rylands' story were true there had been no offence, as the marriage was not n legal one. A remand was granted. It is now several months since the Railway Department stopped the train service across Devon-street, and in spasmodic style since then attempts have been made to remove the old abandoned line. From lime to lime. too. the Borough Council lias, for the convenience anil wim fort of vehicular and cvclc traffic, covered the rails in Devon-street, only to have the road metal removed when the Department next started' to dismantle the old line. Now the crossing is as of yore, and in wet weather the bum]) of passing vehicles is anything hut pleasant. Yesterday morning a heavv waggon belonging to Mr. Koebiiek. of Okato. and loaded with miscellaneous merchandise for "the coast." came to grief, the bump over the rails proving too much for the axle, which prompllv collapsed. The driver had slowed down his team, ami had llieni fully under control, so that no boll, or further injury resulted, earners, cabdi'ivers. ami all others engaged in the conduct of vehicular traffic wijl be far from sorry when the old Devonstreet railwav crossing is reallv a thing of the past. In consequence of the opening of further sections of the North Island Main Trunk railway, many transfers in the railway service have been effected ami are impending in this district, and the latest to receive inarching orders is Mr W. Dull', a popular member of the 10c.0.' department, and in consequence a large number of members of the local railway stall' assembled for the purpose of bidding him farewell on Saturday night. A couple of hours were spent 'in harmony, musk-al items being contributed by Messrs. Somerville, Treebv, lloskin, Hall, Maxwell, and Bingham." During the evening the chairman, Mr. Mandcr, took the opportunity of asking Mr. Duff to accept a pair of gold sleeve, links a gold stud, and a pocket wallet, as a tangible proof of their good wishes for his future success, and to mark their appreciation of a deservedly popular and unassuming comrade. 'Mr Duff suitably responded, thanking the donors for their kindness. Toasts honored were ■'The King,'.' '■The A.S.K.S., file M-xl Officers," "The Various Departr, nt %'': Tl ' , ' , r , ' lU 's"*''i%e Press,''and the Chairman."

It would really .scorn that tlit-r*- is no sue), tiling as Ji.mlity iu the s i ze of ships. Consequently wliou people talk about steamers WOllft Jon» thcv arc speaking 0 I something quite within the range ~t possibility, fl Has stated with son.,, show „f authority a few weeks ago th.it tile White Star line were about to build a monster vessel for their Attn ntie trade, 1000 ft being given as ttie Ji'iigth of the leviathan contemplated, ine linn, however, deny that thev have at present any ambition Id build ships ol such dimensions, though tliuv have under consideration the construction of a very large vessel for their Southampton - New \ork serviee. This ship, it seems probable, will be somewhat larger than even the gigantic Cunarder, the Mauretania, which is just under 800 ft long. Between that length and 1000 ft there is a considerable gap, however, and it is highly probable that several years will elapse ere that gap is bridged, although \ M td I'irrie is quite ready to produce a 1000-foot liner if any linn will give him the order. Messrs. llaiiand and WollV, the famous Helfast firm, have indeed been preparing berths for the construction of vessels very much bigger than anv that have yet been launched, and certain ' works now proceeding in connection with the new dock at Southampton ' clearly anticipate the advent of vessels of the size rumor attributed to the new ' White Star liner. Meanwhile is is said , tlie Hamburg-America line have planned ; to produce a vessel which will put the Maiirclania completely in the shade as regard-; both size and speed, but (lie , present state of the Atlantic passem-cr ' t'anic suggests that the company will ' not be in a hurry to place the' order - lor this ship.