LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 83, 16 July 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In reporting an entertainment recently held in the town, the Woodville Examiner says: "The vocalist sang splendidly, notwithstanding the fact that his accompaniment was wretchedly played. The piano used should be dropped into the Manawatu."

■Hundreds of applications from all parts of New Zealand have been received tor the positions of twenty-eight officers and noil-commissioned officers to carry out the new defence scheme. The greater number of applicants have been rejected, and those remaining are men recommended by district commanders.-

At the Harbor Board meeting yesterday the secretary, Mr. C, S. Rennell, reported the gratifying intelligence mat the land 1 revenue for the June quarter amounted to £GOI lis lid, as against £•244 for the corresponding quarter of last year. This amount has been beaten in only one quarter during the past ten yearn

November is a long way off yet, but still there is some interest being aroused in the big garden fete to be held at "Aotea" at the latter end of that month, with a view to raising funds for the beautifying of Marsland Hill Mr. E. Sole has already received the offer of Mrs. Woods to provide an orchestra of twelve players for the function, free of charge, except that the Association is to have them conveyed to and from the grounds.

A return showing the stock condemned by inspectors, and slaughtered under the Stock Act, 1908, the amount paid in compensation, and the sum received by the Department from the sale of the carcases, was laid on the table of the House the other day. The total number of animals condemned and slaughtered was: Cattle. 3009; pigs, 207. For these compensation to the amount of £247 full value and £5592 half value, was paid. The sum of £775 was received from the sale of carcases.

A iPress telegram states that business men in Christchurch speak in terms of the highest approval of the new type of received telegram form introduced recently. It is understood the Commonwealth Government is asking for information regarding the form, which is now in use in Dunedin and Christchurch, and will be introduced next in Wellington, and gradually all over the Dominion. Much time is saved by the fact that the address does not need to be written «n uuc envelope, and it is stated that urgenttelegrams received in Christchurch have been in the hands of the addressee two minutes after the time of receipt.

There is on view at the Harbor Board office a complete model of the new dredge Paritutu, forwarded to the Board by the builders of the vessel, Messrs. Fleming and Ferguson. The model is an exact replica of the vessel, fully equipped for work, and faithfully executed to scale. Thesessel stands on a mahogany base, with a mirror beneath the hopper, so as to show the action of the mechanism by which the silt, etc., is discharged from the vessel. It is enclosed in a glass case, with corner pieces of turned mahogany. The whole makes a first-class ornament, besides giving a splendid idea of the dredge. It lias been decided to have it exhibited h one of the principal business places in New Plymouth, where the public will have an opportunity of viewing it.

In connection with the decision of the Minister of Marine regarding the despatch of a vessel to Macquarie Islands with provisions for Mr. Joseph Hatch's employees, it is interesting to recall that at the end of 1890 representations were made to the Government that a party of men engaged in sealing and in obtaining oil on the Macquaries were likely to be in sore straits owing to want of provisions. The Government sent the small steamer Kakanui from Dunedin to relieve the men, and she started on her return journey on January 3, 1891, but was never seen again. Nineteen lives were lost in her. It was thought she disappeared in a heavy gale the day after she left the Macquaries. From subsequent investigations by the Hinemoa, which was sent in search of the Kakanui, it turned out that a few of the sealers had refused to return by the Kakanui. When the Hinemoa called, these men were found to have plenty of food.

Be returns of manufacturers for census year 1911.—Some time ago the Department of Labor issued a notice to manufacturers throughout New Zealand, intimating that the Department, in conjunction, with the Census Departme-it, would require certain information in respect to hands employed, wages paid, etc., during the year ending March 31, 1910-11, and that in the case of large employers the Department would accept the information .in a condensed or modified form. We are now informed by the Department that it will be prepared to receive the information from all employers—large and small—in the modified form, and accordingly it K issuing "Wages Sheets" for the purpose. These sheets will make compliance with the requirements of the Labor Department considerably easier for employers, and the local Inspector of Factories will shortly distribute a supply of the same to the various manufacturers in this district. It is pointed out that the information will not be required every year, but merely in conjunction with the census, which "takes place once in five years. In the case of casun! workers, the Department has issued a special form to be used in lieu of the ordinary wage sheets, which will also be easv to fill in.

The Harbor Board's new dredge. Paritutu, commenced operations vesterdav afternoon about 2.30, when she was put to dredge out a berth for herself at the shore end of the wharf. All the members of the Harbor Board were prese-.it, as were a number of townspeople, «nd keen interest was taken in the operations. The bucket dredge was working at a depth of 26ft., and everything go* ing well. A considerable quantity of sand and conglomerate was scooped up and deposited in the hopper. Occasionally the picks encountered a large boulder, when the machinery was brought up all standing. The boulder was soon worked around and picked up in one »f the buckets. Some of them were too large to go down the chute, and were lifted out by means of a hand crane and deposited on the deck. About 4 p.m., as soon as the hopper, holding about 400 tons, was full, the dredge got under way and steamed out about a mile and a half, where the doors at the bottom of the hopper were opened mil the stuff dropped into about twenty fathoms. The boat then returned to the wharf, after an absence of 4.5 minutes. Those present were well satisfied with what they had seen of the Paritutu's capabilities, and there is no doubt that when the vessel and the crew begin to know each other better there will be even better results.

The services in .Queen-street Church to-morrow will be conducted by the Bev. T. B. Woollnvall, at one lime minister at Fitzroy. All seats free.—Advt.

Tt might be thought that in their solitude the inhabitants of the Chatham Islands would receive items of important news with interest, but a recent visitor, now in Wellington, states that they are almost indifferent to the happenings and doings ia the great world outside vj-.-tv ken. A ease in point occurred when the news of the late King's death was conveyed to Pitt Island. As a steamer's boat reached the landing place, a man ashore was hailed, "Have"you heard that the King is dead?" "No." was the i»ply. ''Have you brought my case of kerosene';" There was a trace of mild surprise and feeling in the initial negative, but the commercial enquiry follow ed without a break.

Tn the course of his remarks secondim.' the vote of thanks to Mr. McXab for his lecture at Hawera on Monday night. Mr. I). J. Hughes referred to the riehne-s of this coast in the material for history and romance, and Mr. McXab, in responding, agreed that there were fewparts of Xew Zealand where there might be expected a greater harvest from research. He made special reference to the incident of Waimate pah, the locality of which is between Hawera and Manaia. On the wreck of the or;g Harriet further up the coast the wife'of the captain, one Guard, had been captured and taken away bv the natives, and subsequently a British »unboat was sent down from Sydney to rescue the woman. The boat stood off the Waimate pah and shelled it, and a party was landed, and this, Mr. Ms-Nab pointed out, was the first conflict between British troops and the natives. Mr. W. P. Beeves, in "The Long White Cloud" gives an account of the incident. It may be added (says the Star) that the history of the natives of the coast betwen Hawera and Opunake has received attention at the hands of the Polynesian Society, and we understand that very shortly a book will be published at Xew Plymouth by the Society containing a good deal of very interesting information.