LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 251, 29 November 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We are informed that Dimock and Co. line mil de a further reduction in tile price of bacon pigs to 3d per lb.

From December 15th to 31st tlie Hani wa will run between New Plymouth and Onehunga thrice 'weekly, instead of bi-weekly. Mr. Will Crooks, M.P., speaking on the gambling evil, says:—"l like a man who likes eport for sport's sake, but not if he uses sport for the purpose of getting the other fellow's monoy." In the Supreme Court, on the motion of Mr. Quilliani, letters of administration to the estate of William Bennetts, formerly of Wnroa, who died in England, have been granted to his widow Amelia Bennetts.

The \al-ue of llie principal products exported during the seven months I'u.i ing October, IMS, was £0,700,13(i, Mb for the seven months ending October 11)09, it was £8,001,1)76. an increase ii

favor of the present year of £1,!)G1.640. To theatrical enterprise there is no limitation. Mr. Henry Hayward, rhe well-known showman, lias just secured the lease of a ferry-boat at Auckland on which he proposes to make two-hoar tripe and give animated picture entertaiumeuts.

The steamer Kennedy bruught 23 hca< pedigree Jerseys from Waitapu (N-^i

tion) yesterday ou account of Mr. Hodj kinson, These animals arc to be show on Wednesday and Thursday and vvi afterwards be offered to local farmers i

the Jersey sale on Friday. A more than ordinarily active oil spring was noticeable alongside the wharf yesterday at low tide. The petroleum was bubbling up in great force and was in color the greenish hue that is characteristic of tile oil from the Tavanaki company's INO. 3 bore. The cadet rilie matches in the pro-

ammo of the Tavanaki llille Associa-

tion arc to be fired on the Kevva Hewn range on Saturday, December 18th. The competitions are open to the members of all school cadet companies in Taranuki. Kailway passes are being appiietl for. v • ! According to the advance sheets of the 1!)0!) Ollicial Year Book the totalizator percentage paid to the Treasury during the financial year 190S-9 was £27,1)1)1, tlu» amount invested by the public being £1,834,333. The respective figures for the previous year were £21),!)!)(> and .£1,91)9,757. Tl'ie financial years, not the racing years, are used for the purposes of statistics.

TJie Wairarapa Daily Times thus sarcastically remarks: "The surgical operation tlie Minister of Railways is effecting on our railway time-table, possibly

as a punishment to the Mastcrton electorate for it* sins, is understood to take place on December Oth. Considering the dislocation of trade it will bring about, we are entitled to at least a month's notice of the changes, in order that necessarv business adjustments may be «»r----ranged."

A very funny story is being whUpei

in town concerning an amorous swain who took ills laoy-love for a stroll in the Recreation Grounds the other evening. Jt was a templing little nook neir tile brink of the lake that lie selected for liis resting-place. Presently , t souuci of breaking twigs. a smothered imprecation, a little squeal from the girl. and sphush—(|nicker than we've told it. !t was a dripping gallant that sneaked out of the grounds shortly after. A Ma.-tertonian who has recently visited the llawke's Bay and J'aranaiii lislricts states that there is a decided upward tendency iu the land inarKel generally, particularly among sheep farms where, winter crops can lie grown. People in the ilawke's Bay district who iast year had overdrawn their hank account to a very material extent have ■ecu able to wipe off their liability, aim are now in a belter position than tliey were before. Some people are perfect terrors lot information! in a eruwded Jlcndigo (\ictoria) saleroom the other day an lim-tioneer was trying to lind a purchaser for au old gun. "Will it go oil';" enquired a woman's voice, "1.0

oil? Of course it will," was the sales man's ready rejoinder as he idly clickec the trigger. . A loud report followed, am a bullet skimmed across the heads 01 thi! crowd. A dozen women fainted aic panic ensued, several -people being in jnred iu the rush for the street. Then WHS no further sale that day, and tin gnu still awaits a purchaser. The auctioneer "didn't know it. was loaded"! The Dominion -Museum -has been en--i lied by an interesting collection oi

specimens sent to it by Commander Sir lOihest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer. The collection consists of rock

specimens from the neighborhood ol Cape lioyds and llount Erebus, and includes portions of llio extremely rare and interesting "kcuyte" (named after -Mount Kenya, in Central Africa, where it was first noted). There are also pink and grey granite-i'. A series of boxes contain pumice from Erebus, diatomaocous mud won from eighteen fathoms depth, and vegetable powder obtained from the pan of an evaporated lake near Uipe Royds. A West Australian resident who lias just returned to Perth from a visit to Queensland states tnat Diver Hughes, thp hero who rescued Varessetti from a Hooded mine at Bonnie Vale, is now a physical and financial wreck, as the result of a blasting accident on the Atherton railway work some imonilis ago. lie fired a hole and went back two minutes inside the legal time. The charge exploded and killed Jus companion, Hughes sustaining a broken arm, injured leg and eye. He was making" for Cairns in the hope of getting an easier 'job. This is a pathetic sequel to one of the bravest deeds that ever stirred the public mind.

There was a total eclipse of the moon on Saturday night, and its progress was watched from ail quarters. The eclinse commenced at about 0.43, but it >vas Miller later than this before the darkening 'became very noticeable. At about 8.25, the moon was centrally immersed in (lie shadow of the earth.' The total eclipse was over about six minutes to nine o'clock, but it 'Was not until full/ an hour later than tile moon passed out of the peiiiiiiiliial shadow which followed tile true shadow. Astronomers Inive it that the earth's shadow, where the moon passed through it, is about .~>1KI!) miles in width, and the diameter of ilie some 21(10 miles. Thus it took 2'/,, hours for the moon to pass through the shadow. It was interesting to note the faint stars that appeared in the lirmajnent close to the eclipsed moon r - darkness seemed to envclone it. and to sec how they faded out of sight as lrr lunar majesty once more shone forth.

, large and representative meeting o. setllcrs anil ratepayers was held in the j Whangumomona Hall recently to ilis- , en* several matters in connection with , the district. Jlr. J. McUuggage occu- , pied the chair. Several resolutions were , carried asking the Government to carry I goods to and from Hniroa and Te Wera in the ballast train; also asking the , Minister in charge to semi Dr. Bell anil ; his staff into the district to make a geological (Survey and report 011 vhe Tangarakan coalfield and the .probability of getting payable oil; also urging upon the fJoverniiKMit the necessity of starting the road works at once, especially the metalling of ll|e Tahora n'adillc, (lie widening of the Ohura road through the | Tniiftorakau gorge, and the erection of the bridge to enable the. Poaraiigi selHera to yet to their holdings,, A resolution was also carried setting up a committee to meet the men on the railway construction works, willi a view i to getting them to unite in securing a [ | resident doctor there. A committee was also set up to consider the Governn.jnt land proposals in giving the freehold to Crown tenants. Mr McCutchaii moved a resolution opposing the Premier's proposals in regard to loans to local bodies, which was carried. During the evening a. very good and at times heated debate took place on the land .proposals and the koans to Local Bodies Act as outlined in the Premier's Budget.—Post

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A writer in the Novoe Vremya draws attention to the development of Japanese military power since tho war in i Manohuria. Whereas Japan was then able to place 1,000,000 men in the field, she could now raise three limes that number. Including the troopa- in Formosa, seven divisions have teen added, making a total of twenty divisions, ine infantry have been re-armed with a rule of jrrcat muzzle velocity, and each regiment lias been provided with a battery of machine guns of improved type. The lield artillery havo received a superior class of quick-firing gun lifted with steel shields, which' are made in the Osaka arsenal on modified Krupp specifications. Two brigades of iieavy field artillery have been formed, aimed with 10.5c.ni. ■ (4.13 in) guns, designed by General Ari saka, from a model by Krupp. These have an effective range of nearly six , miles.

Compared with tlie Britisher, says the Auckland Herald, "the colonial has been quicker all along the line. He has been quicker to catch the warning sounds of the international world, quicker to see the meaning of gigantic fleets and monstrous armies, quicker to realise Unit the | British Empire in general and his own Dominion in particular must be Held | strongly if it is to bo held at all; and he lias been quick enough to understand that, being quick, lie doeji not need a year, or even six months, in barracks, in order to arrange a sufficiently warm welcome for any invaders. Nor must it be forgotten that the. versatile colonial mind is as quick at, evading dit'ii-culties-as it is in seeing them, whereby I wo <havc the colonial phase of the move-. ment in which compulsion is only replied to lads and ceases at adult age, not to mention Sir Joseph Ward's interesting avoidance of the financial diffi-! culty "when he boldly announces that there will not be any uniforms. It is' not too much to say that nine persons out of ton in the Dominion arc in favor of the form of universal training which has been popularised by the National Defence League and adopted by Uio Government."

With glorious weftthcr yesterday afternoon, fully fifteen hundred people visited "Aotea," where the Taranaki Garrison Band gave a very enjoyable sacred concert under the baton of Mr. Anderson. The band pbiyed on the little lawn in front of the Maori house, and the vicinity was thronged. Those who knew the grounds well, however, strolled around in the shade and settled on one of the seats profusely scattered about, and there received the music filtered through the bush. The grounds were certainly never better, and were a d's,tinot credit to the owners and to the district; the wealth of fern growth lejng almost astounding. The . children!** 1 swings kept the little ones engaged, or I such of them as managed to tear them- | selves away from the attractions of the goldfish, with i A s miniature fleet floating like painted ships upon a painted ocean. Just before the National Anthem .vis played Mr. R. C, Hughes, on behalf of the Beautifying Association, thanked Messrs Sole Bros, for placing the beautiful grounds at their disposal. The Garrison Band was afterwards treated to refreshments nt Mt. E. Sole's house, md i thanked by the secretary of the Association, Mr. Sandford, for their programme of music. The collections -were taken up by a bevy of young ladies, and realised rather more than £l2 10s. The 'busefi ran during the afternoon and were fairly well patronised, although the bulk of the people preferred the Jienutiful walk through the Recreation Grounds and the racecourse.