LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 60, 20 June 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Rev. John Takle, a missionary from India, preached twice yesterday in the Baptist Church, -on "Things as they are in India." His remarks were very interesting, and were very attentively followed by large congregations.

The forming of the new' tennis and croquet club, with courts in Pu-kekura Park, is a popular movement. Intending members are asked to hand their names to members of the committee, whose names are published in our advertising columns this morning.

A somewhat singular disappearance is reported from Balclutha. A young girl from the Awamangu direction came to the town last -week without the consent of her father. He discovered here whereabouts in Balclutha, and desired her to get ready and return home. The girl went into her Ibedroom td dress, but disappeared through the window, and her whereabouts are now a matter of surmise.

Owing to some dissatisfaction at the manner in which some school buildings tave recently been erected, the Hawse's Bay Education Board has decided that in future it will buy its own timber and do the work of erection of new buildings by day labor. 4t the last meeting of the Board complaints were received in respect of no less than 28 defective chimneys, many of them being in school buildings of comparatively recent erec-

A movement is on foot to hold a large Government exposition in Auckland in the spring of 1915 or 1916. Mentioning this at the annual dinner of the Chamber of Commerce, the president of the Chamber, Mr. J. H. Gunson, said he understood that the Panama Canal would be opened during the former year, and it was politic that we should not be slumbering as to the importance of this to the Dominion. The Prime Minister in his speech commended the idea of celebrating the completion of the Canal, and suggested that the "Queen City" of the Dominion should itself do something worthy of the occasion without relying upon the Government for everything. A rather extraordinary incident is reported to have happened in Queen street (says the Auckland Star). Mrs. P. H. Ellis, a resident of Grey Lynn, had been out visiting some friends, and had arrived at the lower end of Queen street too late to catch the last car for Grey Lynn. She thereupon engaged a cab, and was about to start when a man standing by hailed the driver, and asked him was he going to drive with the nose-bags on his horse's heads. At the same moment the man is said to have jumped on to the step of the vehicle, and made a grab at Mrs. Ellis' gold muff chain and watch, and also at a purse she held. The lady struggled' to retain her property, and the driver, coming to her assistance, the thief decamped with only a piece of the chain in his hands. The driver and a policeman gave ohase along Customs street, but the man succeeded in giving his pursuers the slip, thus evading arrest.

How many years of his sentence of twenty-one years will Powelka require to serve? Upon enquiry in official quarters a Dominion reporter was informed that that would depend upon the way in which he conducts himself. It appears that in cases of long sentences the Executive almost invariably shortens the period. There are instances, however, where prisoners have been kept imprisoned for over 20 years in the Dominion. In this connection it is interesting to note that in New Zealand "imprisonment for life" means imprisonment for life, whilst at Home the sentence in question means one of twenty years. If Powelka gains the highest marks in every direction whilst in prison he will not (it was stated) be incarcerated above fourteen years. Under the new prison scheme. the cardinal feature is that prisoners shall be given full opportunity to work out "their own salvation." When Powelka has therefore sufficiently expiated the offences for which he has been sentenced, he will be afforded ample opportunity of showing that he is a fit person to be liberated.

Periodically in the slack season Taranaki farmers turn an eye to the lowerpriced land in the north and east of this Island. Recently a small party from the Waimate Plains tripped round the north.of Auckland (says the Star). They travelled by conveyance where there was no rail, and managed during their stay to see a great deal of the country. .Mr. Jas. Smith, of Otakeho. was one of the party, and in conversation said to a reporter that ta.king it all round he was not favorably impressed, though naturally he saw some good land. One part in particular, of which he thought a good deal, was the Rapu Swamp, which is being drained by the Government. The methods used appear to 'him to be extremely good, utilising to the full all the expenditure made. But if there is any land up in the North of Auckland to compare with the best of Taranaki he did not come across it. Altogether he had a most enjovable time. On the. journey u» country from Helensville Mr. Smith had a* a fellow traveller the manager of the Union Bank. Helensville, who was on a short trip in which he was comkining the business of going to see some land belonging to a client with the pleasure of a little shooting. At Helensville he went several times to the Government thermal baths, of which he speaks very highly and which are growins in popularity. All along the route the party was most hospitably treated. Settlers in the different districts went out of their way to show them kindness and let them see the best features of the country. One and all voted that the trip was most interesting, profitable and enjoyable. Members of tb<? Equitabb Building ! Society of New Plymouth (First and ! Second Groups) are notified that subI stcriptions will be due and payable today (Monday), at the Secretary Office, | Currie-street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30, from I 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 9 i.m Advt. TESTIMONIAL. " '.Tersev Home.' Normanby, sth March, | ioi©.—Mr. C. E. Oane. Normanby. Dear ■ Sir.—l have much pleasure in stating that the 'Patent Automatic Milk Re- \ leaser' installed bv you has proved very satisfactory. It has been in use seven ' months, during which time, from a herd of over one hundred pedigree and grade Jerseys. T have had no complaints about the quality of the milk; in fact, the factory manager has informed me that it is I the best flavored milk that goes to the j factory. Since hems installed it has I I cost nothing for rep-airs, and I can with •; confidence recommend it to anyone who fcas machines installed.—Yours sincerely, Robt. J. Linn." Farmers are invited to secure pamphlets and all information * from H. R. Jenkins. Eltham.—Advt.

It is stated that the Dcnniston .Miner-:' Union contributed no less a sum tlmn £!M)0 to the 'Newcastle strike fund. Doctors still differ, says the Lytteltoii Times. A doctor in attendance on a patient who died suddenly in Christchurch .stated thai death' was due to euiK'ov. Another doctor, who conducted a post mortem examination, stated that the 'hody contained absolutely no sign of earner, ami tlv.it death was*the result of Blight's disease. A few of the small Kerry cattle are still kept at the State Farm, although their value as milk 'producers is somewhat problematical. Under ordinary circumstances their small size tells against them. The little animals are. however, excellent mountaineers and might .produce payable returns on some of our rough 'back country. Possibly they would pay better than sheep o'n steep and rugged land. On Wednesday some of the tarry mud was scraped off the centre of Devon- : street and placed in the side-channel near Mr. Newton King's offices. Then it rained, and it was found that the stuff blocked the culvert there and backed up the water. Not to be outdone, the workmen produced a piece of hose and cleaned out the gutter. There was a fair crowd of people in the street, and they en-; joyed the proceedings. Napier ia to have a unique social gathering, nothing less than a Beasts' Ball. Though the name sounds forbidding, that is only until it is explained that it is attached to an entertainment in aid of a deserving object, namely, a dance in aid of the Hawke's Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Those who adopt fancy dress dill be asked to represent a boast of some kind. With the whole of the animal kingdom to choose from, there is ample roof for diversity, and an interesting and picturesque scene should be provided.

Writes the South Taranaki correspondent of the Wellington Times:—There is quite a rush here for herds to milk on shares. One advertiser living near Manaia had thirty-two applicants last week, and another near Eltham had fifty-three —one-third of factory cheques and half calves and pigs 'being the general thing. The numerous milking machines instal-1 led make labor more plentiful, although several are putting the machines out, as I they contend the mechanical milker cannot compete with the hand milker. It is amusing to hear the discussions for and against. Living about a mile*on either side of me are two dairymen who each milk over 100 cows by machines. One put his machine in at the beginning of this past season, and has sold twenty odd cows already as useless. He estimates his loss at £350 for the season through the discarding of hand-milking. Moral, only put heifers on machines, and shy off cows. Another has had his machine in two seasons, and is casting it aside for hand-milking. He says that, roughly, his loss has been over £4OO on the two .seasons. ,To use his own words: "I have studied the machines carefully this last season, and am certain that after February the machine does not do its work properly. It is only good for a few months in the flush. Another thing is that a large number of cows are not suitable for machines. Even in heifers this is the same." There is no doubt in time a breed could be worked up with disposition, teats and udder suitable for machines. At the present time the loss in this quarter, added to the great expense of buying and installing machines, is very costly. I notice the Yankees have taken the milking machine in hand, and they expect to be able soon to put one on the market for about a .ten-pound note.