LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 247, 12 October 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the improved prospects at tile bores, Turanaki Petroleum .-diares an: hardening, holders showing a disinclination to sell. The total connections with the New Plymouth electrical system for lighting and power to date number 370,, and increase of over a hundred for the past twelve months.

Tlie borough engineer states that a trial run has been made with the -new freezing installation {l (. the municipal abattoir-, and the test was most satisfactory. Tlie 2")-li.p. niMnr has been installed hy tlu* electrical department to drive tlie machinery.

At a meeting of the JOltham County Council on Saturday morning a resolution was carried by six votes to three to erect a toll-gate east of Auro;i road, on tire Klthani road Thw chairman. CTs. Phillips. Pease, Preece and Fitzgerald were appointed a committee to take the necessary steps.

The Agricultural Society's special prize 1m is lilling well. Every prize donated last year by New Plymouth people arc again forthcoming. The canvassers are now working the outside towns with gratifying success*, a protif that the influence of the Society in the interests of fanning is becoming rccog- ' nised. One of the Moa Farmers' Cniou carls came to grief near Mr. Jjirkelt's, on tire Mountain road, on Saturday, owing to the shatter stumbling. The driver released the leader to enable him to at- : tend to the other animal, and it promptly ch'nred out. being chased and stopped by Mr. W. Stanley, near Pell Block. The shatter was considerably cut ivbout.

I Expansion of the borough electrical [ service will probably bo 'accessary ere long, ami the olfctiic lijlit committee will recommend to the t'onncil to-night Mmt tile borough vTlgint'cr In' granted a-sista-K'c with a view of tile compH'Lif'n of the estimates anil plans of the proposed new power scheme. At ils last. iiieeliiii: t«'' Coiiii-<-il piled oil Hit' engineer Hie duly of conducting pi'osecul ions for breaches of the liy-l:nvs. Xow u enminiltce of tile Council finds the engineer lias too much lo do.

Mr. AV. Oo.v. 1 luinliViiy si reel,, lialhrat, Vie... writes: "f lcve been a great suH'crer from rlicimi.-il-is-n and !i;iviti:r ..btaincd 111- frrin4e«| relief l.v the ti-n of Chamberlain's I'Mii> Palm I cann:'! spealc too highly of it. Whenever ■ feel the rheumatic pains coming on. 1 „ivi> the affected palls sv few applies fioim and it. always avresls the nil"''!.-. 1 kuo'vv several peoele who have n="d Chainlierbin'.; T'llin IVilm and t.licy all speak in the highest praises o'f tt." For stile by all chemists mid storekeepers,

The dressmaking classos conducted at the Technical (school will resume this week. The evening clas s will in future be held oil Tuesdays.

A meeting of creditors in the estate I of J. J. Patterson is to be iield at Dannevirke o n the 10th hist., when consideration will bo given to ciuv oiler t!;e bankrupt may be- prepared to* make. | The October number of "'Progress," I received from -Messrs. Baldwin and Hay-' ward, Patent Agenls, Wellington, mai.itains the reputation of this well known monthly lor general interest, and '.a as usual a splendid example ot' the typographic an. The various sections are particularly up-to-date. Progress still inainLains il> reputation as tlie " Seientilic .New Zealander,"

-Vt the hist meeting of the inglewood Borough t'ouncil the .\layor rcpol'tcd, says tlie lteeord, tliat th« Xew Plymouth Chamber of Commerce had written asking for suggestions for alteration ill the railway service; he had seen Councillor Brown, and after a conference decided that the only alteration .Inglewood wanted was an earlier train into .New Plymouth, and he hud replied accordingly.

Says the Alasterton Times:—"We van recall the time when there were no Bank s in the Wairurapa district, a.id people lived very comfortably without them. It is not. the Banks, but the greed and rapacity of speculators, which

create a period of depression. The community reaps as it soivs. and a little prudence is all that is needed at the present time to bring business into a more healthy stale."

The importance of agriculture is noL ] recognised, and it seldom realised that of an export oi .1:20,001),UUU, the larm provides x 17,000,000 (remarks the Unci inspector ol stock in his annual report), i'he community may generously provide assistance to tlie rural districts with railway communication, good roads, and the means ot obtaining technical training in agriculture for country children, and the voice oi the politician may well be raised to force home for our exports prcterence in the Mother Country.

There were 2i ; l ea.ses of twin births (188 children) registered in PJU7. Tile number ol children born was the number ol' mothers was on an average, one mother in every IU2 gave birth to twins, against 1U l!Wli, U? iu PJUS, 03 in IDOi, and 97 in 11)03. Tlie births oi 1107 ehiklren were illegitimate; llms -io in every 1 DUO children born were born out of wedlock, against •17 in IUUU. The rates oi illegitimacy for JUU7 in .New Zealand was less than iu nuy oi the Australian states, except South Australia and Western Austin-

Those dairy companies which have consigned their produce through Messrs. Wilier and Kiley, whose proposed liquidation was announced by cable this week, are uncertain what effect the lirin'a liquidation will have on their contracts. It does not, of course, terminate the contracts, and the opinion held by youie of the companies is that the contracts are too valuable to lose, and that they will be carried out under a liquidator, i Legal advice U hying taken, and the ! directors of the various companies are conferring with a view to protecting shareholders' interests. —ISltham Argus. in these times of tlte reported lightness of money it is interesting to learn that a public body is experiencing dilliciiltv in arranging a temporary overdraft. The (ireymouth Slav reports that the Hank of .New Zealand lias definitely refused to grant- £IO,OOO jo the tJreymouth Harbor Board. The money is required for carrying on certain works now in course of erectiou i pending the Dotation ot a loan.

a meeting of tlie Board the chairman moved by notice thai its banking account lie transferred Horn the Bank of Xe\v Zealand to the Union Hank, which had expressed willingness u> advance the desired sum for four months.

The Opposition Party are, we believe, the hardest worked members of Parliament, excepting the .Ministers, says the Lyttelton Times. Their poverty of numbers allows them no respite from labour, ami they deserve the gratitude, nut only of their constituents, but also nf Oppositionist electors throughout the Dominion. We cannot conscientiously advise the country to give them the assistance of other Conservatives in Parliament. but even at this juncture we can l're<*ly ami honestly admire their devotion to duty and their public spirit. We entirely disagree wilh Air.. MasseyV politics, but even in politics it is permissible to praise a good light and to admire the good qualities of an opponent.

Speaking at llawcra, .Mr. (I. V. l'oaree, t!»i' Opposition candidate Jor tlu» I'atea scat, advocated the construction of tiio Opunako railway. It would pay well as it would run through one of the richest parts of the Dominion, and there would not be aay great diilieulty >u it> construction. As to the routes, he favored the line running a ijuarter or half a mile south of the Skeet road. m;h! tliv-ji coining out near Xormanby. This would ho the cheapest route. There was no doubt that Patea was the natural outlet for produce from South Tunuiulii, and therefore the Opunake'railway should lie in a southerly direction. He estimated that the cost of the route lie had suggested (aiholit 22 miles) would he aboiHs .C52P.0, reckoning at about £3O per acre. Half of lliat amount could be recovered .if they sold the railway reserve at .fljlf, per acre, sa.y C2C2O. This deviation would be justified by the extra Irallic. and he estimated that a mile to the South of the Skeet road Avould carry on an average as much a-s two on I'liy north. Besides, it was better to cart the produce down that up.