LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 82, 15 July 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

From the railway train the other morning five hares were seen in a paddock near the outskirts of New Plymouth disporting themselves. It is unusual to see more than two together, particularly near a habitation. In the Salt Lake oilfield, near Los Angeles, California, the Union Oil Company is drilling in the Rosemary well at 3440 ft. The casing has cost £4OOO, and there are five strings of tubing of a total length of 18,648 ft, or three and a-half miles.

Pinus insignis, as a timber tree, has generally been despised, but Mr. Richard Evans, of Kaiapoi, had a good word to say for it at the Farmers' Union Conference. There were houses in North Canterbury, he said, built of pinus insignis, which was full of resin, and a good durable wood. He added that the only timber in his district likely to take the place of white pine for butter boxes was poplar, which had no resin. He knew of a poplar tree which was planted 26 years ago in good land, and which was now eight feet round., Great is the contrast shown between the Germans and the colonials in regard to the matter of handling cargo from the Viganella now in port. Discharging operations were commenced with seven of the Germans in the hold of the vessel, and these dealt with about 60 tons a day. On Wednesday, owing to the reduced number of the crew through desertions, four wharf lumpers were given charge of the hold. These four men took the place of the seven Germans and dealt with just on 140 tons during the day, more than double that ■which the Germans handled in the same time.

"A piece of downright rot" is the opinion of Mr. J. McQueen, of Invercargill, on the Noxious Weeds Act. He told his fellow delegates at the Dominion Conference of the Farmers' Union sitting in Wellington that he had some of mos't of the noxious weeds on his farm, and was not much the worse. The stock dealt with them. The sheep ate the ragwort. Mr. Leadley (Ashburton): "I've got a neighbor who says the same as you, but 'I don't like him as a neighbor." Mr. McQueen: "Then there's one sensible man in your district." They had been scared in the past about sorrel, and then about Scotch thistle, and now some farmers would like to see Scotch thistle on their land. The land got sick of weeds as of other plants, and in a few years the "hole thing would be laughed at. Mr. McQueen also stated that Californian thistle made excellent ensilage.

Tn reference to the case of a Maori woman, who was abandoned by nawve* at Pipiriki, as reported a few days ago, a Wanganui Herald correspondent writes —"This poor unfortunate woman was taken from Pipiriki suffering from a loathsome disease to Hiruharama to be treated. Hearing of the treatment she received I think it is only right that the treatment should be made the subject of an enquiry as, eventually, she died. Can you inform me where or when, not very long since, a certain dead child was taken in a launch from the foreshore up the river to be buried? The police know the mother and the white man. These things should not be tolerated in a Christian country. What are Dr. Pomare and his staff doing?" The latter statement in the letter refers to the native practice of taking the bodies of those who die at their camps in town up the river. These deaths are seldom or never registered, and it is but rarely that there is any doctor in attendance to give a certificate of death. The reason appears to be that the natives are not subject to the same laws governing these matters as operate in the case of Europeans. Such occurrences are so common there as to excite little remark, though the local press has frequently drawn'attention to them with no result.

At the Jersey breeders' meeting on Wednesday. Mr. R. E. Bannister, of Palmerston North, referred to the question of securing a suitable tropin- to be competed for by dairv cattle throughout the Dominion. The funds of the -Association were accumulating. Thev had £IOO on deposit and nearly another £IOO ready to place. Why not, he asked, procure two trophies valued at about £SO each for a championship prize for Dominion competition. (To the chairman: "You can shake your head and put my friends against it"). The meda's. he continued, that thev intended giving for butter-fat competition were worth about 30s. It was ridiculous in the extreme for cows worth £4O, £7O and £l2O in compete for a medal at that price. These meetings were very useful to enable them to express their thoughts and oxchange ideas. What, he wanted to know, did thev intend doing with the funds? Were they going to hoard it up? He would be prepared to reduce the value of the trophies to £3O. or even £2O, one for bulls and one for cows. such trophies to be won two years in succession or three times at intervals. The chairman here declared the meeting closed. Mr. Bannister concluded that he had to bow to the ruling, but was quite in earnest over the matter, which ne thought should be discussed. The matter, however, was left at that. At the smoke concert in the evening Mr. Bannister again referred to the matter, and stated that he felt so strongly on the subject that if any two gentlemen would give trophies valued at £25 and the Association would do the same, he would be prepared to donate one valued at the same amount. Later on in the evening Mr. Corrigan stated that if Mr. Bannister would donate a cup of 25 guineas for the cow that put up the best record for the year, he would augment it with a similar amount, making 50 guineas, on condition that the testing was done systematically, and probably others would do the. same. The sooner testing was started by the Association the better and he felt sure the membership would then increase by leaps and bounds.

The Hon. Dr. Findlay (Minister for Justice) lias agreed to receive a deputation next Friday which will urge a reduction in the sentence imposed on Powelka. In the opinion of many North Tara-na-ki people the winter show now being held at llawera is more interesting and in many respects better than the Palmerstou show. An inquest was held yesterday on the , body of the man Larsen, found'drowned , at the harbor on Sunday. Evidence was ' t given thai the man had had some liquor, but was not sufficiently under its inllu- ', ence to make him incapable of carina , for himself. A verdict of "death bv \ drowning'' was returned. i The secretary of the Taranaki Poultry • Society returned last evening from the • llawera show, where he was very sue- : cessful in obtaining entries to the number of sixty from exhibitors of poultry. I This brings up the total entries to live > hundred, far greater than in previous 5 years. Mr. Hobbs reports that some 1 really good birds were at Hawera, and ,- they will be here for the show next VVed- - nesday and Saturday. The local society t owes its thanks to Mr. C'onroy. the Haa wera show secretary, for his courtesy and assistance. The burial of Taare Waitara took place at Parihaka on Wednesday in the presence of a large gathering of natives. He was buried alongside Te Whiti. his father-in-law. The service was conducted by Mr. H. D. Bates, deceased's halfr brother, who gave an eloquent address - and paid high tribute to Waitara's noble - qualities; he also advised the Maoris to :- work their lands and avoid intoxicating •, drinks. It is understood that Mr. Bates', who inherits Waitara's rich estate, has ~ appointed Mrs. Waitara and her brother, Willie To Whiti, to succeed Waitara as 0 heads of the Xgatiawa tribe. At a large (l gathering of natives on Tuesday night 1 Dr. IPomare was present, and paid an f eloquent tribute to Waitara.

During the course of his speech at the opening of the Hawera winter show the Hon. T. Mackenzie said that in 1874 the value of the dairy exports from Denmark were £850,000, which had increased in 1000 to £11,350,000, being an increase of 1200 per cent, in 36 years. Taranaki dairy produce from 1880 to 1000 had increased from half a million pounds weight to 38% million pounds weight, which was an increase of 2000 per "cent., and the value was £58,000 in 18S6 and £1,350,000 in 1909. The Minister also mentioned that the value of the dairy industry at the present time was £3,400.000, being an increase of £600,000 over the preceding year. The industry ranked third in the exports from the Dominion.

Illustrating the great changes that had taken place in Taranaki since the inauguration of the dairying industry, the Mayor of Hawera (Mr. Barton), in the course of his remarks at the banquet on Wednesday, said that in the days of Sir Harry Atkinson the principle 'was laid down that when money was borrowed it should be repaid with interest in twentysix years by instalments, for it was considered that roads should last that lone-. A road did not now last four years. In fact, in one case in connection' with the Main South road at Inaha the road did not last one year. In 1908 £BO6O was spent on the road out of loans, and in the next year the repairs cost £l3ll. These significant figures afforded food for reflection.

Visiting pressmen at the Hawera winter show to the number of fourteen were entertained at luncheon yesterday at the Commercial Hotel by the proprietor (Mr. W. A. Parkinson) and staff of the Hawera Star. Mr. Parkinson cordially welcomed the pressmen, and trusted that this would not be the last occasion on which they would assemble in Hawera. Mr. Fames (editor of the Star) also made a few appropriate remarks. Mr. T. E. Hamerton (Inglewood Record) replied on behalf of the visiting pressmen.

It is Gazette that the Royal arms and the words "By appointment to His Excellency the Governor" are not "to be-used,.or displayed by tradesmen (until "appointed'' to His Excellency the Governor, Lord Islington. Appointments issued -by former Governors can only be u?ed with the name of the late Governor without the Royal arms.—Press telegram.

Tn urging the claims for the construction of the Opunake line at Hawera on Wednesday, Mr. Barton mentioned tlr.it the cost of upkeep of the three roads leading to the railway, the Main South, Skeet-Xormanby, and Eltham roads, was not less than £4500 a year. Assuming that the railway cost £0001) a mile, the twelve miles of line would run into £72.000. At 3y a per cent, interest the annual cost would be £2520, just about half what it cost to maintain the roads. Tutting the matter in another way, he instanced the case of the Manaatoki riding, formerly a part of the Hawera Countv and now of the Klthani County. It had borrowed £15,007, and was now borrowing £40,000 more. The area of the land" was 10,000 acres, so that there had been borrowed about £4 per acre in the course of sixteen years to be spoilt on the roads. He submitted that unless relief were soon forthcoming by the building of a railway the whole system of local bodies' finance would break down, for traMic was increasing and the difficulties also.