LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 375, 28 April 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hon. Oliver .Samuel, M.L.C., has donated £5 to tlu l funds of tlie Taranaki Agricultural Society's Winter fallow. Several other donations have been re ceived. At yesterday's meeting of the Turunaki Education Board a member innocently suggested that the Bank of Australasia had a branch at Puniho! Lookout, Koru! A meeting iis to be held at Kent Road next week to discuss the question of introducing fungus blight as a blacivUcrry exterminator. Mr. 11. J. Okey, who is to deliver a political address, will also give some information on the blackberry question. "I went to Hillsborough school on Thursday, and found it closed for a picnic. I went to the Upper Kent on the Friday, and found that school closed t'o allow them to recover from a picnic." —Thus the Education Board's inspector at the last meeting. Messrs J. B. MaeEwan and C'o. have generously donated a six-bottle Babcock tester to the Taranaki Education Board j for use at the dairying classes to be held at the New Plymouth Technical School. The Bonrd passed a vote of thanks to the donors. A meeting of the West End Bowling Club committee was held last evening | to receive tenders for the earthwork of the proposed green. The following ten- | ders were received:—Messrs. Caddy and Earlsten £OS, Berridge £Pi4. lvingdon £O3. Lynch and Lolib £SB. After a great devil of discussion of ways and means, the tender of Messrs. Lynch anil I Lobb was accepted. It is a curious fact that parents in Martou and Bulls districts seem partii culnrlv unwilling to give their children the benefits of a second education, while in the Taranaki province practically all the children who pass Stand ard VI. spend, at any rate, a short time in the secondary classes, says the Rangitikei Advocate. The number of pupils within reach—this is from schools within a radius of six miles—of Kltham. Tkwera and Patea District High Schools who passed the Sixth .Standard in IStOfl was 7l>. and of these 70 proceeded to the secondary classes. In the Ma ft on and Bulls districts the pupils who passed Standard VT. numbered 40. but of these only 23 took advantage of the secondary classes available. A little further south at Feilding 33 out of a -possible 42 were receiving secondary instruction. So that it seems that the neglect of higher education can only be considered as purely a local fashion. The statutory meeting of the Patea Farmers' Co-operative Freezing Company was seld at Patea on Saturday, Mr. 0. \ . Pearee, M.P., presiding. About 40 shareholders were present. The directors' report set forth that 1205 shares of £5 each bad been issued. The receipts to date totalled £IDGS, and cash i disbursements £4O. A directorate of seven was elected as follows:—Messrs Brewer, A. T. Wills. W. D. Powdrell, T. Thompson and (i. Murtagh. Mr. Pearce declined nomination. In the memorandum of agreement detailing the conditions under which the freezing works are to be taken over from the old company it is provided that in addition to taking orer existing mortgages. totalling £5500, the new company shall pay for the freezing works a sum of £11,350 in the form of fully paid-up shares. At a subsequent meet-1 ing of directors Mr. W. Povrdrcll was. Appointed chairmen,

Mr. F. W. Carter, formerly of -Now Plymouth, recently acting-manager for, the Bank of New Zealand in Suva, returned to Auckland on .Monday. A school teacher who recently punisheda boy lor not spelling correcV.y was reported by the youngster's parent- to tho Board, who upheld the teacher. Tha latter s letter of explanation has the word -there'' instead of "their," au4 "formally' 1 iustead oi \uiUK-ny." The J'owelka scare evidently affected the at and,ante of pupils at the public schools jii Palnierston. At a meeting of the Terrace School Committee the Headmaster reported that during "Powelka week'' no fewer thi. t 00 pupils were absent from school the whole week. Trouble for somebody. The tru»r.fc inspector reported .to the Education Board meeting that he was preparing a Latch of summonses for parents on account of non-attendance of their child* urn at schools. The Stratford ''batch" is ready now. !New Plymouth, Inglewood and Waitara will follow shortly. The old identities are putting their heads together anu discussing the present south-easterly wind, which has now been blow ing for live days. One gentleman who has been here for practically all his life says that in the early days of Taranaki there used to be sou'-easters lasting either three or six days. Evidently this is a six-days specimen from the olden days. His Worship the Mayor, who is president of the Beautifying Association and Seaside Improvement Committee, has received a donation of £2O from a lecent visitor to New Plymouth who thus showed his practical appreciation of the Esplanade improvements. The donor requests that the money be expended in the purchase of seats. A parent reported to the Education Board yesterday that a settler and teacher nit one of the schools on the Coast had a fisticuff argument. Enquiries elicited the important ficts that the settler was the aggressor, and that he got the worse of the encounter. It was decided to inform the gentleman that if his fcondmot is repeated the Board will institute proceedings against him under section IDS of the Education Act. a copy of which is to be forwarded him by the Board's secretary. Here's a free copy of a letter sent by the chairman of the Hillsborough School Committee to the Taranaki Education Board:—"On behalf of the Hillsborough. School Committee, I wish to congratulate your Board on the prompt manner in which you undertook the alterations and enlargement of our school so noon after receiving the grant. W; consider that you have a very efficient and capable tradesman in .Mr. Moore, your working foreman, who carried out the recent alterations in a most efficient and expeditious manner."

In connection with His Excellency the Governor's farewell visit the meeting of ladies called bv His Worship the Mayor to make arrangements for holding a conversazioni; in the 'Theatre ltoyal was well attended. It was decided to accept with tihanks the New Plymouth Lkdertafel oiler to render whatever number of items was considered necessary for the afternoon. The old pioneers and veterans are to be invited to afternoon tea. Other than invited guests can be supplied with afternoon tea at Gd. The ladies present formed themselves into a committee, with power to add. to their number, to make ana carry out the arrangements. School committees, peculiarly enough, are not furnished with copies of the Education Board's regulations, nor with copies of the Education Act. Teachers have them, and the books are deemed the property of the various schools. But the committees never see them, for tne teachers lock them up for safety, and for their own safety stay away from school committee meetings. Now the Education Board is going to adopt the sensible scheme of supplying each committee with a copy of its own regulations. As for the "Act," that's a matter for the Department to supply more or for the Board to direct that the teacher shall place his or her copy where it is easily available bv the committeeNothing, however, has been done in that direction. The Mangorei Dairy Company occupies fifth position on the grade list for tile itast season with the fine grade of 02.87—less than half a point below the gratle secured by the top factory. When we consider that Mangorei,'has over 150 suppliers, and manufactures butter from cream received from eight different creameries, embracing the whole scope of country from Carrington Road to I.epper Road, such a result is one that the factory manager (Mr. J. Simpson), butter maker (Mr. T. Robinson), creamery managers and staff should he proud of. In flush of the season the factory was turning out 73 boxes of butter daily. Now the output has dropped to 33 boxes. Pasteurising has been undertaken throughout the season with satisfactory results. The tests at present range from 3.8 to 5.4, and the averagemust be well over 4.5. By an exchange of Maori implements with the Imperial Academy of Science at St. Petersburg, the Dominion Museum has just received an interesting collection of coins. Most of the specimens belong to the various Russian coinages from the year 704 down to the present time. They include coins of the various denominations from 1(1 kopecks t* quarter kopeck. Some of the coins are interesting from their design and history, and a few of them are from the outlying portions of the Russian Empire, such as Siberia and the ancient .kingdom of Poland. In return for the coins, Mr. Hamilton lias sent to Russia a variety of Maori «xes and stone implements which were desired for purposes of comparison with those of the other countries. It may not be generally known' that Russia possesses a number of very interesting Maori relics which were obtained at the time of Captain Cook's death. With a view of securing these for the Dominion Museum further exchanges are in contemplation. "Our politicians have their fling, Of course," said Dismal Dan, "But can't agree on anything^— Beshrew me if they can!" Said Cheerful Charles: "You've got the •blues; But needn't make things bluer! They all agree to take their screws, And Woods' Great Peppermint Cure." 15 DR. SHELDON'S NEW DISCOVERY For Coughs and Colds, is a preparation that can be relied upon to cure all lung troubles. It has proved a blessing inthousands of home*, and has been energetically endorsed by many of the most prominent citizens and professional menr ia Australia. Dr. Shsldon's New Discovery is not r patent medicine, or a» ordinary cough mixture, but a scientific discovery that will make sore Price, 1* Gd and 3s. Obtainable 8 verywfceM. . ~ -1