LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 76, 26 April 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Elsewhere the Turamiki Herald ail- j nounce that-owing ro the destruction by lire of their job printing department, their printing connection liar, been taken over by this paper. We have brought our jobbing department up to date, placed a lirsL-class man in charge, and are prepared to give quotations for and execute any description of printing. _ Householders' meetings for the election oi school committee* will be held this evening. -A Haivera Star representative was authoritatively informed that although the Taranaki mail trains had been lighter in consequence of the opening of the Main Trunk railway, the local passenger traffic is keeping up remarkably well.

In Stratford it is the custom, inauguutled some years ago, for each retiring Council to be photographed at the cxpense ol the .Mayor, who. presents an enlarged and framed copy to lie hung on the walls of the Council Chamber. Hie collection i>- iirowiii". A good deal of wheat has been isold in Aslibiirtcn during .tllie past few davs at 4s per bushel. Farmers who are in'a position to hold are nut disposed to accept Is per bushel, and tliev conlidwitly hope to receive higher prices during the week. Millers are not keen to purchase at -Is per bushel. A 'bus horse -belonging to Mr. S. W. Jury got out of a loose-box last "night and evidently wandered down to the bottom of Cill street,oll the Tluatoki stream, By «oiiie means the animal fell over the embankment into creek, hreakiii" its back 11, the fall. As soon as possible it was given the happy despatch. A ui-opcrativc company has been tunned amongst producers in ll.nvke's I toy lor the better handling of tneir produce in the Home and Continental markets, ['remises have been secured at Hastings, and operations on u large scale will lie commenced almost immediately. A representative goes Home very shortly fur the purpose of establishing agencies in (ireat Britain and also on the Continent.

At a meeting of the llawera Chamber of Commerce Mr, il. T. Atkinson introduced the desirableness of having alarm bells put on our passenger trains communicating with th" guard or enginedriver. lie liiought the system as adopted by the Knglish railways should ne followed, hi the case of an accident it was perhaps some minutes before communication with the guard or enginedriver could be obtained. The motionwas curried.

in the current number of the Trade lieview comment is made upon the state of Xew Zealand's trade, at the present juncture. The paper say.s: "The trade in all branches is characterised by c|uietuess and caution, buyers being content, generally, to operate 011 a lianiMoniouth scale. There is. however, general confidence in tlie future,, and a conviction that if the lessons of the present check lire duly taken to heart more healthy conditions will be established in the near future, lieports from country districts speak already of a more cheerful tone."

The Waitara river was in heavy tlood on Friday. The local paper reports that by 11.30 the cattle wharf wan awash and that the water found its way up the creek on the seaward side of the cottage occupied by Jlr. Moorhead, near the Waitara tennis ground, and soon the section oil which the house, stood was inundated and the house was also Hooded, the occupants taking shelter iu Mrs. Cain's place, next door. Several head of drowned stock were washed down the river. One bystander slated that he had seen a whalcboat going down Jiali tilled with water, lie thought it looked like the Tikoraugi Club's practice boat. ill. Clement M who is at present at 'le Arolia, issued a report on Ihursday that the disturbance which he I has named "Hogg" (nytiiied from llamilton on the KUh inst.) is accompanied by a satelite iu the rear, which is now operating, and is of greater energy than the primary. A coll, or ridg« of moderately high pressure divided them, and caused temporary complications in the winds. The centre of the satellite is now steadily approaching, and southerly weather, with rain, is evolving, particularly in the South. Coastal shipping is again, advised to keep well to seaward by night, as acceleration of electrons by solar conditions rtiay ijuite possibly affect -compasses. Somewhat more settled with decrease of latitude from Wellington."

Mr._W.Jl'. .Jennings, M.P., speaking at a luncheon held in connection with the Timber Commission at Unss, said tile dilViculties surrounding the timber question produced a very perplexing subject fcr adjustment. At each place they had visited there were changing local circumstances which meant added dilViculties at every turn. They wer:» given dilVere:it opinions wherever they went. What suited Southland did not suit Olngo. They got fresh complaints in Canterbury, and they were hearing of i fresh phases in Westhuid. As they moved north the position would grow more complex still. In his own district, with 40 sawmills, quite new matter would he; brought before the commission, so that it would be seen how difficult was the task bi'fore them,

There is a prevailing impression that the Lovermnent are not now lending money either under the Advances t\) Settlers Act or Advances to Workers Act. This is quite a mistake. As a matter of fact, these department* are lending a considerable sum every month, but the demands are so enormous that it is simply impossible to keep pace with them. Private lenders are now when mortgage* mature refu>ing to renew except al a very high rate of interest; the result its that people are rushing the Stale Departments in an endeavor to escape the rapacity of the private lenders, but it would require millions to cope with the demand. People will now be able t*> more fully appreciate the enormous benefit that the Stale lendiny departments have conferred upon them. —Kitham Argus. (Speaking at the farewell to Mr. W. ■Smart, superintending engineer of the Vuion Steamship Company, w : ho is leaving on a visit to England, by the Wellington Institute -of Marine Engineers on Thursday, the lion. C. M. Luke referred to the financial position of the Dominion. The trade depression at the present time, said "Mr. Luke, was hanging as a pall over them, but he ventured to >av it had been made too much of. , Mislead of being the cause of a panic, it should act a> an incentive. It should arouse them to consider the be«>t mean® of developing the country and meet the j new conditions arising. And if there was any development to meet the rising tide of difficulties, it would have to I come largely from the industry in which I the members of the institute were per- j sonally concerned, that of 'engineering. '