LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 100, 5 August 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is probable that another • brewery will be started in New Plymouth at an early date.

At the Manaia courthouse on Wednesday, three hotelkeepers, Mrs. Lmcena, G. D. McKenzie and D. Bashford, were fined for breaches of the Licensing Laws.

Referring to the manufacture of butter boxes Mr. JacgbMarx stated at the Mangatoki meeting on Tuesday that the railage on the timber from the Egmont Box Company's sawmill to the factory at Eltham, actually costs more than the shipment of white pine to Australia for the manufacture of butter boxes there.—Argus. , A horse straying on the Esplanade a few days ago came under the eye of the borough inspector, and as a result its owner, Wm. Crozier, was prosecuted for allowing the animal to wander at large. He did not appear, but addressed aj letter to the court admitting the offence. Though actually an admission of guilt, the letter was not technically a plea of guilty, and the case had to be proved. Defendant was convicted and fined 10s and costs 13s.

The Minister for Justice (the Hon. Dr. Fimdlay) confirms the statement that the Government intends to acquire an area of land about four miles from Te Puhi, on the Tokaanu and Pokuru Blocks, on the borderland of the King Country, for a mental hospital and reformatory. About five thousand acres will be required for the hospital, and twelve hundred acres for the reformat tory prison. The requisite buildings will be erected, and the inmates of the institutions will farm the land.

The Taranaki Garrison Band will parade the town to-morrow evening, starting from the Melbourne corner at 7.30. Meetings of ratepayers to consider the Moa' riding bridge loan proposals will be held in tae various centres towards llio cud of this month.

On Monday night the borough council will receive a petition from several ratepayers in the Mangorei road district, near the racecourse, asking that their properties be incorporated in the borough.

What was probably the largest shipment of island fruit ever landed in New Plymouth to the order of one firm was placed in Messrs., Webster Bros.' iruit store yesterday, the consignment consisting of 700 cases of oranges and bananas. Mr. L. B. Webster mtormed us last night that there is a very good demand for good fruit this winter.

Taranaki footballers fondly imagine that everyone is interested m uieirj doings. A gentleman who has been in a Government position in Taranaki xor some years past raised the hair of a coterie of football enthusiasts at Hawera on Wednesday night by. quietly asking what teams had been playing football that day. Thus are lond delusions shattered. A few weeks a Chinaman named Joe Wong was fined £5 and costs in. the local Magistrate's Court for rescuing a horse from the borough ranger. Messrs. Malone, Anderson and Johnstone, acting for the accused, applied to the Minister of Justice for a reduction or remission of the fine., Subsequently, some one communicated with the Chinese Consul in Wellington on the matter, but, on learning of the firm's action, he decided that it was unnecessary for him to approach the Minister. Mr. Johnstone has now received a reply from the Minister, agreeing to remit £3 of the fine imposed. ~„ . | '-J . ~.•• In an interview here (telegraphs an Auckland correspondent), Dr. Burbank; the manager of the American Universities' football team, said that the one thing which stood out for all Australia and New Zealand was the general, widespread sporting feeling, of the country. The young men partaking of games were fully 100 per cent, more, in proportion, than Americans. Out here, he said, they played football until they were forty, and every man they met told them how he played or how his son played. It was therefore easy to understand why Mew Zealand was "the greatest football country in the world. This was something that must make a strong, virile, redblooded race Of people, ready for the battle of life.

In considering the question of granting bail to the old man Dale in the SM. Court yesterday morning, Mr. Fitzherbert remarked that he would make the sureties very light, but even if Dale spent a few weeks in the prison it would not be any great hardship, for the New Plymouth "prison accommodation was as good as any. Then, noting the looic of disapproval on the face of Mr. C. M. Lepper, secretary to the, Hospital and Charitable Aid* Board, he added, "Fan not saying anything against your home, Mr. Lepper, but I know the accommodation is very comfortable." Mr. Lepper: "It's not as comfortable as the home, your Worship." Mr. Fitzhefbert said he was unable to institute comparisons, for he had not been in the home, but he had had opportunities of seeing the accommodation and meals supplied in the goal.

Mr. Harry Lauder, the Scotch comedian, is considering an offer made to him by a syndicate to undertake a complete tour of the world; The salary offered is in excess of any he ha 9 yet received. The tour includes the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, and will occupy two years. Mr. Lauder proposes to endeavor to defer existing contracts, so as to accept what he describes as "the largest offer ever made to any artist in the history of entertainments."' During Ihis last tour in the United States Mr. Lauder received a salary of £BOO a week. This winter has 'been an exceptionally bad one for dairy farmers, more especially for vendors of milk (says a Gisbbrae paper.) The number of slips that have taken place have been the means of curtailing feed considerably, and the farms that haye not been interfered with in this way have suffered on account of the continued wet weather. The executive of the United Friendly Societies Hospital Association met at Stratford yesterday afternoon. President Bro. E. Henderson (Inglewood Foresters) presided. It was reported that during the last quarter the Stratford Druids and Hawera Foresters had joined the Association, making a total <of 24 lodges with' a membership of oyer 1300. Several claims were received, involving the sum of £163, the largest claim being for £l4. The principal ■claims came from the Waitara district. The Association has sufficient money in hand to meet all claims. A vote of condolence was passed and will be forwarded to fir. Valintine in connection with his recent bereavement. In order to raise funds for the Association each affiliated lodge is holding an annual social. Last night, the Kaponga Oddfellows and Inglewood Druid| each held one. It is understood that the local Hibernian Society and Druids intend holding a combined entertainment short-

The borough inspector, B. Tippins, proceeded against Archie Hooker in the S.M. Court yesterday for a breach of the borough by-laws, by having buried nightsoil on his premises within the borough of New Plymouth. He pleaded "guilty to a technical breach/ and in explanation stated that he had been burying nightsoil on his property, which comprised half an acre of ground. When the inspector gave him notice to comply with the by-law he went to see one of the borough councillors—an ex-mayor of the town, whose name he would not' mention unless his Worship desired it—, to complain of the bad state of repairi of the street at the back of his property. During the conversation, he remarked, "Futhermore, I'm on half an acre of ground, and they're going to put up the rates on me by making me pay for the removal of nightsoil.' The councillor remarked, "If you're on half an acre its not necessary," and he added that the council had intended to make people on half an acre remove their nightsoil from the premises, but finding a flaw in the Act, did not proceed with the matter.' The council subsequently held an enquiry into the matter, and he was asked to be present. He attended, and asked the council if he would be prosecuted if he made a statement explaining that if a prosecution was pending he would deline to say anything. The council replied distinctly "No," and he thereupon informed them of the circumstances. The Bench: Ignorance of the law does not excuse you. Even if they did tell you that, it didn't excuse you. The defendant added that as soon as he found out that he had been misled as to the meaning of the by-law he complied with the requisition.. Mr. Fitzherbert .said he was not concerned with any breach of faith between the council and defendant. He would be fined os, and costs 7s.