LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 294, 21 January 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Pre-s tele;'-,•;!!!] fi-.sjii Napier says that a severe >-ho;-k of ear;li-|uak:> w«< felt at 1.28 yest'TU'-v jwcuinu. Tile Harbor Ikar-l U:u a ;-sheavy agenda paper for lv'- including lli- appoiir.avnt <>: a Uuriiormast: r. The amounts pah! cut by tlie und'rlr.entToned faetorie- v> -unpliers of li;ilier-fat were as ;o!i(,w: —Ng.i ire ,£.'il4ti, Cardiff £2!4i'. Lwaarth C2ll~>. Complaint is made that barbed-wire fences are i:>» some of the main county roads m the suburb-;. In Yogeltown there are one or two of these obnoxious fences, whi.-h are very damaging to ladies' dresses "when the gentle breezes blow." It all those who havo since discovered a fixed determination to have gone on the Waikare's disastrous trip had really gone, the entire red funnel fleet, the Australasian squadron, and the New Zealand Dreadnought would not nearly have sufficed to carry them. We are a much-travelled race— Christchurch News.

The Baptist Sunday School held :ts annual picnic yesterday afternoon. ,!t had been intended to take the children to Barrett's Lagoon, but. the weather proving too wet, the Drill Hall was taken. The children were given a real good time, racing and games keeping the fuu going, under the supervision of Mr. A. Anibnry, the -superintendent, and teachers. Tea was served at the Baptist Church in Gill street.

The juvenile lodge of Good Templa-'S journeyed to the Kgaire Gardens yesterday for their annual picnic, travelling by' the 7.40 a.m. train. The party coin-, prised fifty juveniles and about twenty adults, in charge of Mr. X .T. Maunder, superintendent. There was excellent weather, onlv a lew Tight showers failing during the day. The children made excellent use of the boats on the lake, ocean wave, water-chute, and so on, and spent a very enjoyable day. Mr. J. C. Legg was the caterer. Hutt apiarists are being troubled with a strange dis'ease that is killing oft' the bees at a rate that will deplete the hives to a serious exte?it (says the Otaki Mail). One resident at Taita confesses to have lost half of the bees he possessed, and is not sure whether he will be able to save the rest. It is feared that the cause of the trouble is the dreaded Isle of Wight bee disea-se, which was first discovered by apiarists in the summer of 1904, and has' ravaged the bee counties of the South of England. Mr. H. Mcßae, naval architect, is at present drawing plans and specifications, at the instance of the Minister of Marine, for a new steamer for Lake Wakatipu, for the purpose of calling for tenders in Xew Zealand. Prices will be obtained in Xew Zealand 0:1 these plans, and will be compared with Home tenders. If the comparison is favorable it may be anticipated the new boat w.l be ordered in Xew Zealand. The plans' will be ready in about a month. They will provide for a paddle steamer of about 250 tons, capable of carrying SOO to 1000 passengers and 40 tons of cargo, with a speed of about fifteen miles an hour. Cricketers are becoming enthusiastic. The Waitara eleven which played here yesterday included players residing at jJQrenui, twenty miles away. Inglewood has a man who walks eight miles to th-3 match ground, and travels home aft-?r ] the match by the same conveyance. An i Egmont Viliage player rode into Xe>v Plymouth and bacfc on each day of the recent representative matches. It was somewhat amusing yesterday to see the cricketers arriving on tile ground amidst falling rain, armed with bat and umbrella, and clad in regulation cricket flannels and rainproof overcoats. When men are prepared to undergo such personal inconveniences there need be no wonder that the standard of cricket ,'n the district is improving. A Wellington resident who is in Christchurch spending a holiday states that business affairs and trade hi the capital city are far from bright. He Says, in fact, that they are very bad. The position, apparently, has arisen on account of the wild speculation in land which has taken place in the city for several years. According to the visitor to Christchurch, some large firms in Wellington have got into awkward positions, as they have not been able to get rid of properties which have come into their hands at high values. In regard to people of smaller means', many of them seem to have bought properties on the 10 per cent, deposit basis. They had no intention of continuing to hold aud to pay instalments, expecting to make transfers quickly at fair advances. | Owing to the decrease in the demand, i these properties are left on their hands, and thev find some, difficulty in retaining them without meeting vSih lossiV.

Yesterday afternoon the caretaker of the Re even ton (!ronnd« and his as=ista-it might have been observed Indulged in thp favorite and health-giving pastime of rowing. but not under the most pleasant conditions. Mr. was coxswain, and ffi" assistant labored with a pair of paddle. The-- were not on pleasure lwni. of course. Their minion was the destruction and removal of :;n unsightly weed growth whi'-h has bce-i disfiguring the lower oond for some month- pa«f. The job isn't a nnrf ic;livly charming one. even e f 'he bet*, 'if time*, but. to euf awav :;t a *uiimerrd weed growth with n longhandled --evthe. whilst standing in a "wobbly' boat, in the midst of a downpour of vain, i«n't vonfor n man with a scythe. "NTei+licr is it, plea«in« to lie the rower, for the blades of th n prvlrtW arc eontinna'lv "-etti'i-r can a lit and held bv the weed l . Befoie the «nrfaee of ilie por.d is cleared cf th" iin-!fntiv weorl. there will Ire provocation for a good deal of bad language.

MONSTER REDUCTION SALE TIOXA Ell IE BARCAIXS ;! t THE MELBOI'EXE. Storekeepers olefin im -lion just ais (rood housewives have tltoir »iirhi<r cU-an-' in jr. Every year at this time thorp remain over from (rpracn-liu* Xma». Hliiip- ina:iy oddments, broken linos. bad assortment of sizes and main' articles soiled and mussed which we want to sec tlie last of. All of V>v,. bo" 1 reduced by about one-half. The balance of the stock shares in the «enoral r- • duetion tr; the extent of from lo to 33 1-3 per cent, ofl' marked price*. Ila •- gai lis like the following te'l of do"o price-cuts:—Men's floz. oopner rivetted Tun;, denims -J.; ; hoys' Imater straws Pd; men's Tsland hats, with straps, Is 3d: boys' blouse.; l s (Id: men's strong saddle-tweed trousers 7s fid; men's be ; t quality grey denims 3s fid: men's fl:>\ shirts Is 1171: men's pretty silk tio« 3 for lovely toilet soi;i. 3] oak'': mens ollin straws Is (11: boy's ooiiulo'd collars 5(1; men's Irish lawn handkerchiefs 4 for 1«; men's tnilor-nn worsted suit s 3-"s; ladies' m;r« Irish linen handkerchiefs 3 for Is; ladies' pure Irish lawn hemstitched hand-kerchicws (i for Is: and hundreds of other; reduction?.— Advt.

A trout wliioii turned tin sc-nle at Slli 10/. was recently caught in a -U'tani at Tariki by Mr. C. Young. 'ihe Stratford Farmers' Dairy Company is tiii- month di.-tri-bui i!. L'7o-ll i'< > r butter-fat iiippliod ' (luring December. —IV-st, During the quarter cii'lr.'. mbor ;il-t .a-t 5! oid-ago oon.-. ■ wcro ronoweu at iho New Plyii.oUU trail's Court ami 13 claim- granted. Two wi re rofu; 'd. '!'k' local Press under-tniJs that the llotalion ot' capital nwe-.-aiy to ensure tUif extension of the Pa tea Freezing Company, Ltd., is practica ily complete, only some ili'tccn shares remaining !or allotment. During a. thunderstorm near St. Arnami (\icloria) recently, lightning struck a nee in Mi. \Y. McDonald's paddock and sot lire to a standing crop of wheat, 40 ucre.-' o; whirls v.ere oi • stroyed. The progress of the lire \va~ arretted by an area of fallow land and a tir.iely fall of rain.

Although practically unknown. Stop Island, on which the Waikare was boaelied, had at one time cousideraiile significance to the early settler.- (-a an exchange). It was the only island in the Sound free from rats, and therefore it was exclusively used a- a provision depot. It is said to have came by its name on the principle of "Stop thief," as applicable to these rodent marauders.

During the past twelve months there lias been a remarkable frequency of lires in unoccupied premises in Christchurcl). A six-rooined house in Sydenham that had been untenanted for about three weeks was badly damaged by fire on Saturday evening. Superintendent Kick informed a reporter of the Lyttelton Times that .it was the sixth building in which an outbreak had ocourred while it was untenanted within the past year. During the nineteen years that lie was connected with fire-fighting in Melbourne he had not experienced as many fires of the kind.

Excitement prevailed at Kapili a day or two ago' (says an Otaki correspondent) over the presence of two bottieuosed whales which were lying close in to the beach. A launch party consisting of ilrs. J. Webber, Messrs. Barrow, Paul, and Kopata were the first to sight them, and, securing a gun, wounded one seriously and the other slightly. The first was easily secured, but the second led the party on a long chase. .Eventually it returned close to the island, where it. was secured. One of the whales measures 20ft, and the other ]Bft. Several sharks' were also captured by the party, besides large numbers of hapuka and schnapper. During the quarter ended December 31st last 04 civil cases were heard in th e Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth. The total amount sued for was £I7OB 4i3, and the amount recovered was £032 4s. Seventeen applications ivere heard either in Court or in Chambers and th e number of orders made, other than on judgment summonses, was- eight. The number o?. plaints issued was IS2; distress warrants issued 26. judgment summonses issued 22, orders made on judgment summonses S. The number of Mimmouse<s and other processes served by the bailiff and assistants within two miles w.as 172. and over two miles 43. The amount of civil fees paid in stamps was iEHJu".*, and licensing fees paid in stamps £2 2s.

News has been received in Melbourne to the effect that the patent course and distance recorder, for use on steamers and other vessels', patented bv Captain Forbes, of this city, and improved by him to meet the requirements of the Director of Naval Ordnance, after acceptance by the Admiralty, has been ■fitted, or is being fitted, to nine warships (says the Age). Three of these are "Dreadnoughts," namely, St. Vincent, Collingwood. and Vanguard. The other ships to which the log has been fitted are the Revenge, Natal, Shannon, Hindustan, Black Prince, and Haughty, Captain Forties's invention registers tlie speed of the ship at any moment, as well as the mileage travelled on the ocean.

The quarterly return of the criminal business in the Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth shows that 80 persons (73 males and 13 females) were apprehended. Of these six were four cases dismissed on thMr and three accused committed for trial. Forty males and nine females were summarily convicted, 31 males and 7 females fined, and one of eatdi sex "took it out'' in prison. Imprisonment was ; ordered in the cases of four males and j one female. Four persons were bound I over to keep the peace, and 17 (three females) convicted and discharged with a caution. The charges preferred against the accused were: Theft •!, forging and uttering 1, breaches of Licensing Act (drunkenness, issue of and breaches prohibition orders) 2(1. vagrancy.s, indecent acts 2. threatening behaviour 4. lunacy 1, trc>;sass 1. disobedience of mainie.ianc orders 2. 'breaches of borough by-laws 17, ceding without lights cycling on footpaths S. failing to connect with .<•wers 3. driv. ling without light* 2. olio will'.' a lnr-e j and tran on a fo#rpai;i 1, luvach of j oountv by-laws 1. dynamiting trout 1. i breaches of the Factori: s Act (i. soiling cigarettes during closed lionr> 1. failure to register birth 1. and commitment of child to industrial school 1. Criminal fees amounted to £7 1(K ami fin x tailed t!l4 2s.

Yesterday morning the members of the Works Committee of the Ifarl or Board, Messrs. J. B. Connett. R. Price, and E. T)ockrill, were intercepted at the ooriior of Queen and St. Aubyn streets l>y the .Mayor, accompanied by the town clerk. Mr. Tiseh pointed out to the committee that the Council was at present carrying out street improvements at this point, and desired to kerb and :hannel the footpath on the corner adjoining the Hoard's reserve, just whore the hi;; hoarding now stands. The surveyed line of Queen-street, however, was a very crooked one. and this had the effect of making the corner dangerous for trall'ie. particularly 011 account of the larae volume of coastal wassrnn and the pedestrian trall'ie concentratiiu n< lhe railway station just opposite. The Mayor asked that a strip of the Hoard's unleased reserve might be dedicated ' the Borough Council to permit of Widening the I'oad at this point. The members of the Board said thev could ae.t do anything of themselves, but would endeavor to bring their colleagues along to the place to-day. before the Council's letter on the subject was dealt with. The Mayor said that as the piece of land asked for had been used as a thoroughfare by the public for considerably over twenty years the Council might have a. o-ood claim to it. but. he would not use that as a ihreat or be any party to such a proceeding. Tf the Board eould prant the Council's request he would bo very gliul, for the streets in this portion of the town needed improvement, but if the request were declined the Council would have to put the footpath on the present proper line,