LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 164, 5 August 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Rabbits were reported by the inspector to l„. very had north of Xapier. A private Bill will be introduced during the next session of Parliament "ivi,,.. authority to tli,. lioman Catholic "well" '"shop of Wellington to borrow on ( him-li properties hi Wellington tor me purpose of erecting a m | maintaining an orphanage for girls.

Mr. C. P. Donnelly sent the follow-in" cablegram to lh 0 Prime Minister on I'uesday:—-Hearty congratulations on awakening the sleeping |i on . X ow doubly earn the gratitude of the Empire l>y finding a market for surplus mutton, by remembering the poor and tcrnturi-

As an instance of how the .Main Trunk line is tending to open up trade, it is stated that Waikato coal-mines are offering coal to llaxmillers all over the Manawatii, right down as far as Levin. The coal is put into trucks at the mines, nm| is saiil to lie delivered at Foxton, I'alnier.stoii Xnrtll, and other places at less than' two-thirds of the price of certain well-known coals which have lield the market heretofore.

A pleasing rumor is about here (says the Waverlcy correspondent of the I'atea Press) Hint the Government intend putting lilt) men on the road «n that when the hushfelling is completed ' Hie approaches to the laud will be ready at the same time. If this be true many scullers will he silenced, rt is a step i'n tj)o fight direction, and f understand ,t»at more than average credence is givtti the report, which is said to conic from high places. ''Von will be surprised to hear that I started my railway career almost as a burglar." remarked Mr. S. F. Whit- > coinlie in returning thanks'at the vale- ( rlictorv function, tendered to him bv the ' employees in the railway ' service. ''Thirty-four years ago," corilinneil Mr. AYhitconibe.'"f came to Xe>v 1 Zealand after four years' service on the < Midland railway in England, Xew Ply- < nioi.l h being the first town in which'l ' applied for a position on the railway. ' I was told that 1 would get a billet lis I -oon as there was an opening. A few ' days later I wandered on Io the rail- i way station, and T found that" the stu- l honnuisler had. owing to indisposition. J been unable to put in an appearance, i and that a large crowd was waiting to c lie booked. T thereupon did a bold thing. 8 1 made an opening. I broke the office window, and climWd inside. When the f -tationinaster came, down he found that I' f hail hooked most of the passengers. C Almost next week I got a job on the T railway, r w oiihl not advise anyone i ( who is anxious to join the service at s the present time, b adopt these meth- 4i ods. however, for the regulations per-1 R tnining to the sewice are a great deal )i stricter than ttojMTere.in those days'. 1 ; I

Tho iirst batch of footpath scorchers accepted Mr. Tippins' invitation to appear before the Magistrate yesterday. I They were Farrcll Sole, Joseph Hooker, and John Bain, who pedalled down the sidewalk from Frankleigli Park and Standish ilil] into the town the other morning. Fiind Ss and 7s costs, was the vi'i-'iet. There's another hatch to follow.

Tlie po«ers who are expending the "unemployed fund" in Hie Recreation (.'rounds are providing employment now and for the future, Gorse-grubbing is apparently an art, and when men who have not the necessary artistic temperament are set to work with a slasher and a gruher the chances are that mistakes will he made. And undoubtedly a serious mistake has been made in dealing with the gorse in that portion of the grounds lying to the rear of the racecourse grandstand. The gorse iias been cut and stacked. Ally practical farmer will tell you that stacking green gorse is a waste of money.

Mr. J. McCluggagc informed a "News" reporter yesterday that the Ohura road from Stratford to Whanganiomona was

worse now in places than ever he had seen it previously. The utmost load that a waggon-team of live horses could take through was fifteen hundredweight, which meant that very 3 oon the horse-teams would have to be witn drawn from the roau. <.me o. /lis

drivers had solemnly assured him that one of the horses stumbled into a hole so deep the other day that only its head and the top of its back were visible. The cause of the'frightful mess, in Mr. McCluggage's opinion, was tiie excessive heavy traffic occasioned by the Public Works Department.

A large deputation interviewed the Hon. Carroll at Te Kuiti on Tuesday in connection with tlie Mokau block. Pepene placed the position before the Minister, and asked that the Government should purchase the mortgagee's interest for and hold the land as security against the Maoris' interests. Mr. C'a'rroll said there were dillicultios, and he would submit the matter to Cabinet. In any case, it was inadvisable that 52,U00 acres should remain so long unutilised. Mr. Jennings asked that action of some sort should 'be taken, as the block was impeding the progress of North Taranaki and South Auckland, and the present position should be terminated in some way as sooa as possible.

The ninth of the series of euchre parties, and dances in aid of the West End gymnasium fund was held in the school hall lust evening. There was a large attendance, 24 tables being fully occupied, exclusive of the special tabids provided for the juveniles. At the close of the games, it was found that the lirst ladies' prize in the adult class had | been won by .Mrs. Hughes, Miss Julian being second. In the gentlemen's class. Mr. Perry annexed tlie first prize and Mr. Oohlwater the second. In the juvenile class, Miss 1. Thopson secured the girls' prize and Master A- S. Storing the boys'. After supper liad been handed round, dancing was indulged in till the early hours of the morning, to capital music supplied by Miss Loveridge. Messrs. W. McLean and A. Wilson were M.C.'s.

The June issue of ''Xiglit and Day," the quarterly organ of Dr. Bamardo's Homes, is well worth the attention of all who are interested in social questions. The rescues now number nearly ti!),OUO, and they have always under their care 8300 boys and girls. "Xiglit and Day" is full of interesting joints connected not merely with the Homes but generally with sbeial work. An interesting account of the Watts Xaval | School is given by 31 r. Cope Comford. Details of the emigration work of the Homes, through which -21,22!) boys and girls have now been sent forth to the colonies, are supplied. . A new departure in the form of a Boys' Harden City has a nrominent place in the pages." The magazine is fully illustrated. A copy will )k scut post free, on application to the head offices at 18 and 2(1, Stepney Causeway, Loudon, E. The Xew Plymouth Harbor Board Sinking Fund Commissioners dissolved as a corporate body on Monday. A resolution was passed placing on record the commissioners' great appreciation of the services rendered them by the first secretary, Mr. C. Uennell, up to his retirement, and subsequently by his successor, Mr. C. S. Uennell. A vote of thanks was also given to the chairman, Mr. 11. Weston, '-(or the very aide manlier in which he has carried out his duties for the many years he has conducted the business Of the commissioners." The last official act of the commissioners was to call upon the Bank of New Zealand to cancel the debentures held and to sign a cheque for the balance lying to their credit and hand it to the Harbor Board. The total worth of the sinking fund was CUS,S!):i 3s 2d, chicily accumulated by compound interest, the earnings of the fund being invested in' the Board's bonds.

" A false impression was created by . our publication of a telegram from t.i'e Treasury to Messrs. I(oy „nd Nicholson , as solicitors to the Kliot Koad llnnr.l. ; It will be remembered that at the July , meeting of the County Council there . was some drastic comment concerning I the failure of the (lovernment to foi" > ward the Eliot road Joan of ,CKJOi). | llien when the quoted telegram appeared on the correspondence lile for '. .Monday's meeting our reporter naturally concluded that it was a sequence to the Council's previous protest. As n matter of fact, the telegram was dated l!)th I'cbruary, and was sent in answer to a (omplaint by the Board's solicitors about the delay. The necessarv procedure was gone through—there ha I been an undotted "i" or an uncrossed "(. or something of that sort, in one ot the documents—without dckiv. The telegram was deemed by the Hoard siiflicicntly definite to warrant the lettinol the, contract, and the contractor was satisfied, too Still there is no monev, and the work has had to be stopped pending the departmental pav-out