LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 116, 14 June 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tim municipal baths will probably Inclosed during July and Augiul.

Thi? collection at .Mr. MeX all's meeting 1 «n Friday evening reun.sed Is I'd. A splendid example of the eapahilitM'* of Turanaki soil. Two large jinuiH*weighing respectively X> and 28 H». rc ' oji view at Xolun and C'u.a marl on Saturday.

Traffic returns for April show tluti ]];I,OUU more people tr.,\elleil oil me! Alain Trunk line in the N»i'lh Island than in the South Island. Ueveniie returns show £IO,OOO more. The growth in the Xorth has been nearly double that of the South since the month of April, 1003.

As the net result of the present slackness in the timber trade, three nulls belonging to the Unit Valley firm have closed down until more prosperous bminuas comes its way. At a recent meeting of sawiiiillers at Upper ltutt it was resolved that the present state of allairs could best be met by tapering off the number of hands until the market livened up. The following letters received from places beyond the Dominion are lying at the chief Post Office, Xew Plymouth: John Barron, A. Becslon, Mi's B. Browne, Patrick Carroll, Ill's. Delia Conroy, Kie.'iard Gilbert, A. Gilbert, Ill's. Sara Hervey, Mrs. A. Jaines, Mrs. A. C. Matthews, Miss C. Matthews, Mr. Millingson, Miss A. Xichols. Miss Flora Xiven, T. On, 13. Price, J. Reynolds, Wallace Willis. Tnranaki, according to Mr. IS. Gibb, Government apiarist, lias the doubtful honor of being the on'.v part of Xew Zealand in which the large wax moth is found. This pest of beekeepers, while in the caterpillar stage, eat" through tile comb, destroying a lot with tile brood therein; but it is not very difficult to get rid of if strong Italian bees are used, and care taken to keep the bottoms of the hives free from cracks.— Stratford Post.

Mr. T. \V. Kirk, Ovevnmcnt Biologist, delivered a lecture 011 " Insect Pests and Fungus Diseases," at Duuedin before the Horticultural Society. The lecturer pointed out that the. introduction of ladybirds had averted a loss of £1,000,000 at least by destroying the blue gum blight, lie also pointed out that th:' gardens, etc., of the Dominion covered an area of 45..172 acres, and (lie -estimated loss from insect pests affecting these was £;tS4,OOO per annum. T'lies= figures showed the importance of the subject.

Very few people (says the Wellington Post)' realise how many cables are connected with the coasts of Xew Zealand. The following cables are at present in use: —Six across Cook Strait, one across l'ovcaux Strait from Bluff, one from the mainland to Centre Island (l'ovcaux Strait), one from Bluff to Dog Island, one across the French Pass, one across Croivelles Harbor, one across Tory Channel, one from the mainland _to East Cape (which has just been repaired), one from the mainland to Great Barrier Island, and several across Auckland harbor.

The proposals of the Government in regard to the Moitmaliaki farm were discussed at thi' last meeting of the llawera Chamber of Commerce, members agreeing that tile farm should not be utilised as a prison camp. It was resolved: (1) j That this Chamber views with alarm the proposal to establish a criminal camp at ilouniahaki, and desires to enter a strong protest against such a course. (2) That ill the opinion of this Chamber it would lie a great loss to the farming eoinniuitjtiy >H the Jfoumaiiaki Statu Farm should be reduced in size: that any such change must diminish its usefulness. (Ii) That in the opinion of this Chamber agricultural interests would lie greatly forwarded and a great public want satisfied by the establishment ot an agricultural farm college at the Moumaliaki ttfato Farm, and that a copy of the resolution be forwarded to the proper authority.—Star. The N'eiv Plymouth municipal electrical department employs eight persons, irrespective of tile town clerk and his assistants who receive payment over the counter from consumers. The salaries total £ll3O His. and in addition two houses arc provided free of lent, and the engineer's and the power-house cottages get free lighting. The electrical engineer reports that an extra man is rci|uired at the power-house to relieve when the permanent men arc oft' on annual leaves, say, two months at a salary of Clll per month. He recommends an increase of salary for tile junior in the department, and would like a smart assistant with sufficient electrical knowledge to undertake general repairs, overhaul of motors meters, fuses, etc., as this work cannot now be properly attended to. In reference to this latter request, and to his | requisition for a further supply of meters, there is a growing feeling that the Council could save a large amount bv selling current on tiie basis of the average consumption per room, instead of installing a meter for each consumer. Hi a recent address Dr. Truby King said it was impossible for him to convev how strongly he ielt that the common education of men and women upon similar lines was one of the most piepostorous farces ever perpetrated. He could not. understand how women allowed to lie imposed upon tlieiu an education wliicli was admittedly far from ideal even for them. If it was wrong for the men to l»e crammed with mathematics. algebra, and other subjects which had no utility in ordinary life, how inlinitelv more wrong it was that women, whose natural interest, tastes, and aptitudes trended in other directions, should be required to submit to such impositions. It was even more than a serious waste of time—time which might be better employed in learning those things and understanding those principles which underlaid the' making of happv homes. This was recognised bv the Wowing tendency in America to teach°girls what was called the "Science of Domestic Kconomics," which was simply defined as the " knowledge of . how to do well, and the reason why of everything connected with the home."