LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 248, 25 November 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hon. Jas. Meliowaii, M.L.C., thinks that the Licensing Bill as outlined by the Premier will nut pass this session. Girls arc taking "agricultural'' instruction at some ol the Taranaki sellout, ilower-bcds and borders bei.ig eiiiriiste'i to their care. Tile Borough Council, at the instance ol the Agricultural Society, iias decided to recommend the engineer to grant the borough morknieu a haltholiday un the second day of the .">ocietys show, on December i. The Burough Council's special com niittec set up to interview Hie ljuiie-oii Baud with relereuce to the usual suusidy lor a series of open-air concede will meet the Band autnorities short!;, with a view of arranging the dates. "The one redeeming feature about ihe new railway Uine-table is liul H will give the married business pcopio a reasonable excu.se lor stopping out Till about twelve o'clock at nigm 10 g". their letters," remarked <i .>"iiii« bu-i liess man at yesterday's public meeting.

The Taranaki County Council has accepted the invitaiiou of the Eithim County Council to send delegates to Eltham on Monday next to new tile patent roadway now being laid on f!i.' Eltham road by the Basliam Concrete Block Highway' Company. Messrs J. Brown and ]{. Stevens will attend on the Council's behalf.

Owing to the work of laying on Ihe water supply to the North Kgnwiii mountain house not being completed iasX year when the necessary funds we.-e allocated, a portion of the vote lapse.!. The work if. its present stage was useless. Correspondeuee failing to >ceii't' anything delinite. Mr. Coin-, ciiairm.ui of the Mountain House. Comniiti e. went to Wellington hist week, and a« a result of the interview authority wn-, given to start on the more urgent part of the work immediately, pending il'e £IOO being reinstated on the Estimates this year.

Mr. W. A. Collis, chairman of the North Egniont Mountain House Committee, in an interview with the Tuur'st Department last week, urged that '.he claims of Mount Egniont should receive jnore publicity at the hands of the Department, and was informed that if satisfactory arrangements could be nia-.li' in New Plymouth with the proprietors of motor garages and stables as regards fares, etc., then the Department woind issue through tickets from Wellington which would cover the cost of rail to New Plymouth and also the journey from here to the .Mountain House. At the Education Board yesterday a report was"lead from .Mr. R.'.MeK. .Morison upon the completion of his second round of visits to the schools in ills capacity as agricultural instructor. Speaking generally, he said, the work done was really good and both teachers and scholars were lo be complimented on the amount of useful work done. The handsome banner presented by -the Stratford Horticultural Society liad a certain amount of attraction, and judging from appearances it would not be won tills year without keen competition. It iwas not held by the Ngaire school, Tikorangi winning Bceond prize, a bag of artificial manure, presented by Kenipthornc and Pressor. Tikorangi also won two prizes at the Palmerston winter show. Mr. Morison attached a short report of each school. An adjourned meeting oi the Borough Council was held lost night. Present: His Worship the Mayor (Mr. G. Tisch), and Crs. Browne, Bellringcr, Gilbert, Dockrill, Watkins, Wilson and Hooker. —The Council decided to accept an amended tender by Mesrs Boon Bros, lor the erection of the Powderham street culvert in concrete, the amendment being required owing to the failure of adjoining property-owners to grant easements as promised previously. —The aplication of Messrs L. A. Nol.in and Co. for permission to erect a building in camerated concrete on the corner of Liardet and Gill street, was m -

ferred to the borough rngim.r. wii.b power to act.—An application from B n :i road residents for an improved wai >r service was referred to the engineer for a. report. The Council also discussed other business, which is reported elsewhere.

When the Cardiff school committee's protest against the centralising scheme in regard to holding sixth standard examinations' came before the Education Board yesterday, Mr. Adlam voiced the complaints of other committees against the inconvenience caused •■] pupils of country schools, some, of whom had to be away from home lor two or three days. The chairman pointed out that the Board was not responsible for the change, as some IV ;.< seemed to imagine, but had protestci: to the Department against it, iac

Chief Inspector said that undoubtedly it was advantageous to have these examinations held towards the close of (he school year, but the advantage could he obtained at too 'great inconvenience t" Backhlocks children. With a view .if minimising this inconvenience, they had held the examinations in as mamcentres as possible—Central, West End, Waitara, lngiewood, Stratford, Midhirst, Rahotu, Opnnake, and so on. Mr. Adlam was satisfied with the explanation.

To the man who travels about Taranaki, and particularly in the northern part of it, it is not difficult to ascertain the land in occupation of the Maoris, even if the inevitable whore, hoilmi or poaka were not there to proclaim Ihe fact, for the reason that the place-- arc generally a mass of furze and noxious weeds, with desolation written lar-V evorywhere. In the Tikorangi and Waihi blocks this is particularly notice, able. On one side of the road you will find land looking just as well' as the best, in the Dominion, the fences in goo.-l order, neat buildings and evidence of care, if not pride, at every point. Turn To. the other side of the' road, and behold a veritable germinating ground for furze and noxious weeds of . every descrin!ion—it is Maori land! "Give me that land for nolhing for twenty years and I would refuse it." re marked a settler to writer recently, and judging from its appearance the settler's judgment was not astray. The native reserves agent has leased some of the land, not so far gone ns Hie above, for short terms to the land-hungry p'akeli.i, who is rapidly bringing if into a slaie of cultivation. This has had the efTecl of 'Shaking up" some of the natives, who, fcari'iir their lands may be similarly treated, have entered into agreements | wiin Europeans for working their I places, the latter, of course, proviilin" | the labor. If Hie Maori eould be fore'd to ex.i(, himself for a living like the avenue palceha has to he would he better oil' from every point of view—and so ; ■would his pnleha neighbor and the community generally. i

I The owners of the Waitara Freezing I Works expect a forty per cent, increase jin their output this season, and have made provision accordingly. At last night's meeting of the Borough Council a letter was received from the Borough solicitors relative to the ■proposed regulating of motor trallic, painting out, inter alia, that it was their opinion that the Minister of internal Affairs would disallow the proposed by-law. After considerable discussion (a report of which is held over) the town clerk was instructed to write | to the Clrmtcluirch, Wellington and Auckland city councils and other centres asking for copies of motor by-laws and that further consideration be deferred pending the receipt of replies. The installation of liro. J. E. Wilson as W.M. oT Lodge Ngamoln took place last evening. Other officers for the year were installed as follow:—fin. Past

Master, Wor. Bro. L. C. Sladden; Senior Warden, Bro. 0. T. Murray; Junior Warden, Bro. R. L. Mcllroy; Treasure-, Wor. Bro. J. Jones, P.M.; Secretary, Wor. Bro. W. 11. Haddrell, P.M.; Director of Ceremonies, Win Bro. J. S. S.

Medley, P.M.; Chaplain, Rev. Bro. S.I Spencer; Organist, Wor. Bro. R. Neville Remind; Senior Deacon, Bro. W. N. Ewing; Junion Deacon, V. Wor. Bro. F. 0. Evans; Inner Guard, Bro. K. W. Garner; Stewards, Bros. 11. Stocker. A. 11. Steeds, F. A. Avcrv, and A. Forbes; Tvler. Wor. Bro. J. Ashcr, P.M.. Wor. Bro. L. C. Sladden and R.W. Bro. F. P. Corkill, Prov. CM., were the installing officers. A banquet was afterwards sal down to at the Brougham Street Hall, and a toast list honored in the customary manner.

Some alarm has been caused in one ol the country districts in Tonga (writes the Nukualofa correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph) owing to the antics of "a wild man of the woods" who lives in the bush alone. He is a Solomon Islander, and for over ten years he has lived alone, far from the native villages. His hair and 'beard have assumed the Robinson Crusoe length and wildness', and the natives are afraid of him. A few weeks ago a native woman was chased by him through the bush, and frightened out of her wits by the chase. When i.e caught her she expected nothing less than instant death, but he deprived her of all Iter clothes, and she returned to the village in the state of Eve before the Fall. The Tongan police have received instructions to capture the man, but he is very fleet of foot, and his outdoor life has rendered him familiar with hiding-places in the bush, s'o that the generally corpulent and altogether "restful" Tongan policeman does not stand much of a chance in a race.