LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 268, 20 December 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poultry thicwes aw at work, probably in view of the Christmas trade. We are given to understand thai the bulk of the poultry coming forward for the holiday requirements is below the usual standard. Heavy rain fell in New Plymouth ami district on Saturday afternou. ami should result in immense benefit. > Liu* pastures, Held crops, ami garden.', although it dumped the ardor of .laymakers and cricketers. The Commercial stables and Whauganiomona mail coach line, lormerlv cu iducted by Messrs. H. Jakes and have beeii purchased by Mr. C. .1. W iiey. formerly of Omata, Mi'. Wiley's new stables just built at Te Wera will be opened to-day, when three coaches will be run from Reporua to Stratford.—Post • The last monthly pay for this year lon the Stratford-W'hangamomona rail- | way works takes' place to-day, when, it is estimated, aoout ,£BIXIO will be distributed among the workmen The usual Christinas exodits will also commence. Arrangements have, it is understood, been made whereby the men can come out oil the balhist trains, which are now running five times daily from lteporua, about 20 miles from Stratford. The fishing operations of members of the crew of Ji.M.S. Pioneer, at Tnnmson's and the other sounds they visited on their recent cruise resulted in an enormous catch of crayfish in Thomson's Sound (says the Southland Daily News). This particular inlet appeared to iibound in lish of all descriptions—crayfish, moki, ling, trumpeter, ••gully," etc. In about one hour no less than 152 crayfish of large size were landed, and their numbers caused quite a surprise to the fishermen. "Thank God we kept tlm Hag Hying.' the memorable wards of Sir (icorgc White upon the relief of Ladysmilh, were called to mind by a large hospital Hag which lluttered in the breeze at St. Paul's •fete at Auckland (says liic New Zealand llerald). It was indeed the principal medical officer's flag that blew over Ladysmith during those 1 19 days of stubborn defence which preceded General Puller's arrival in March, IDUO. The war-marked Hag is understood to 'have come to Auckland in company

with a returned soldier, and some there are who hint that thereby hangs a talkAnother narrow escape from drowning, occurred at the mouth of the Henui river yesterday morning, and, but tor the promptitude and powerful swimming of Mr. A. Jiardgrave there is little doubt that one, or perhaps two, young men tfould have been drowned. A man nanicd got into difficulties in the backwash, and another young man nam ed She-irer went to his assistance, lint he soon found the task too much for him, and \va» just able to regain the shore himself. .Mr. ilardgrave was on> tjie sand, ami he was called. \ cry shortly lie had Kisbv ashore, but in a h.iltdrowned condition. It was indeed ior•tunaU? that Mr. IS. C. Crisp, a chemist, was* on the beach at the time, and that he had a knowledge of the art of restoring the apparently drowned. li was some time before the ninu w.i> brought round, as ne had swallowed a prodigious c|uan.tit,v of water. Then il was discovered ilitit iShearer, too. had collapsed, and restorative had to lie applied to him. We understand that this makes tlif seventh time that Mr. Ilardgraves lias been instrumental in the rescue of persons who have gut into difficulties hi the water on the New Plymouth beach. "There is no unearned increnie.ii," said a Main Trunk fine farmer to a J'<mnuon repi'its- utative. "I came here eighteen yvar* ago, when this place waj. n wilderness, and the chances of a through railway a remote possibility to be placed 011 almost level tonjis with the millennium., 1 lived in a whaiv for year*, imprisoned by nature and miles from anywhere, i would sometimes never see a human being for six months. When I eventually built this house, 'he timber for it had to be packed from Pipiriki on horseback, a distance, of over forty miles. The freight of sugar was 15s per bag; flour, ios per 100; to get ! mv wool to lluulcvvilU' eosl me ,U> iter ton. In the face of all my dillicuities I have married and lu'ont'ht up a familv, who even now ha\> no"schonl to go to. and I am forced to employ a teacher m my own ncconnt. \\ouhi i have gone through all the drudgery and worry of , the past eighteen years if 1 had' not thought that there was a good possi--5 bilitv of making this land mv verv own' • Let the kffil 1 alioualisalion theorists ' come to mc and thousands of farmers 1 who have toiled like mc in New Zealand. 1 and they will hear som? truths that will ' do iheiu Lrunu." | There was considerable excitement in | a Taranaki backbloeks townsliiji a dm | or two ago. A Imsliman. who had spent ' some time in the loneliness of a bush camp, bethought himself that the ap- | proaeh of the festive season was a .suitj able oetasion for again fiequentiity the haunts of men. So he betook 'himself j tq t'he aforesaid tuwiwhip and at once | proceeded to enjoy himself in (he maimer ; of hushnieii. In a very short time the effect of his enjoyment made itself npj parent in his declaring himself tile boss ' toostcr of the place, offering to light any man in the township. As lie was a ' big burly fellow, and gave glowing ne- ' counts of his former prowess at t'iie 1 game, the bluff worked, and hg succeed- ' ed for a day or two in bossing the doy.cii J or so congenial spirits from oilier camps ' M'ho had assembled. Ifowever, afraid of him themselves, with the object of sce--1 ing aome fun they primed one of then mates —a simple, harmless cook—to 1 tackle him, and to tlicir astonishment 1 lie easily defeated tile bully, whose reign was at once over, and who received thereafter several Iromicings at the 1 hands of (hose he lia'il kept in silbmis--1 sion for the previous few days. The cook, on the strength of his victory, at once proclaimed himself the boss of tlk- I "city," and it took about half: a down I ■ defeats in as many 1 !<> cniivin-i 1 liini that he was not, Matters have now I returned to normal. : Mr. IT. Black, borough electrical engineer, showed us yesterday some new tlsram lain])-' just imported bv the Council. One of these is a spherical bulb, technically tinned a "round globe." frosted on the lower half, and giyin" a light of 3o candle-power with the con. sumption of oljly two-thirds of the current that is taken by the ordinary 111 caudle-power pcnr-sliapcd carbon ' filament lamp which is now In pretty general use. This means that :lo candlepower can be obtained with the consumption of only one-third of the current copsuincil by a :I2 candle-power light. Mr. Klaek stutes that the new metallic filament lamps are to a venereal extent, solving the difficulty arising 'from, the constant increase in (he number of consumers without increase of generating plant. Had the old carbon lamps remained wholly in vogue, Ihe coming winter would have been faced lathe electric light department in considerable trepidation. But. bv the introduction of the metallic I|lanient it becomes possible lo considerably reduce the consumers' monthly liglit accounts, even whilst giving greater illumination, Kor instance, two individual householders, whose consumption generally cost His per month, cut down the expense by half as tlft result uf installing a 50 candle-power Osram in their dininu- I

I twins msieiMi OJ i lie Unco Hi cnmlhpower bulbs previously in use. In I - ditiou to these household lights. the <lc•partpipufc |pis just rpv*uu\ u ment of 3tm (•Hiidle.p.-mvM>*i l am lumps, which jire selling like tins proverbial "tint cakes." Their consumption i&i remarkably low in comparison with tin* lamps hitherto necessary to produce an eiinal brilliancy. Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (First and second Groups) arc notified that subscriptions will be due' and payable today (Monday) at Recretarv'n Curric-strect, from ft a.m. to 12.30, from 1 imii. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. tp 0 ij.pi.— Advfc, A REMINDER. Of what docs a bad taste in the mouth remind you? It indicates that your stomach is in a bad condition, and will remind you that there in nothing so good for such disorders as) Chamberlain's Tablets. They cleanse and invigorate tl\e stomach and regulate 1 the bowels. Sold a by nil ohomißtfl and storekeepers'. DR. SHELDON'S NEW DISCOVERY p F.Or Coughs and Colds cures- when all 0 SibAAaafciiiKbi