LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 170, 27 October 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On page 7 of this issue appears the first of a series of articles, statistical and descriptive, concerning the life and activities of rural New Zealand. The author, Mr. R. J. Eames, late editor of the Hawera Star and a writer of considerable ability, is devoting the whole of his time to the work. The articles will appear weekly, and when completed will be published in book form. The present contribution deals with "Taranaki, the province prolific." and is full of valuable information and treated in a most interesting and original fashion.

There will be no military manoeuvres next Easter, and "daylight parades" art to be abolished.

The Wellington market has been glutted with apples. American apples met with poor demand.

Over 800 million bushels of wheat have been marketed in Winnipeg for the year ending August 31. "The Frozen Hell" must thaw now and then. There are 8568 Boy Scouts in New Zealand. If all these boys do "one good deed a day," New Zealand should not regret giving Baden-Powell that gold brick. There was little interest taken in the county election yesterday. Mr. D. McAllum was returned for the Omata riding by a two-to-one majority over his opponent, Mr. A. George. As the result of the experiment by a Masterton farmer of growing solid straw wheat last year, a much larger area is being sown this year, a number of farmers being very favorably impressed with its potentialities.

The Maoris of Wairarapa are trying to establish a native nursing home at Masterton. Already over £IOO has been collected amongst the Maoris, and an acre site and 42 acres of reserve adjoining at Te Ore Ore have been donated to this worthy object. Paupers in England and Wales number 759,128—a decrease of 17,702 since last year. These figures do not include the dukes, marquises, peers and baronets who had been '"ruined" by the Budget, and many of whom have a mere £50,000 a year to buy bread with.

A Somerset (England) laundry company has been fined for working women longer than the regulation hours. It is evidently a serious offence to overwork women at Home, for the fine was one shilling! The number of hours each woman worked per week was 68. The Sydney Daily Telegraph says that at the Bowraville Roman Catholic Chur.ch, the Rev. Father Durkin, when announcing the holding of a ball in aid of the church funds, took exception to what he described as the cheek to cheek style of dancing,' which he stated was gaining favor in the district. Women sailors are employed in Denmark, Norway and Finland, and are often found to be excellent mariners. In Denmark several women are employea as State officials at sea, and particularly in pilot service. They go out to meet the incoming ships.

Mr. Newton King received a telegram last evening from Carterton that all his Holstein Friesians took first prizes with the exception of his two-year-old bull, Lord de Kol, which was beaten by King Say, one of the bulls recently imported by Mr. King from America. Mr. King was also awarded champion foi dairy herd cow. .Mr. E. D. Giles, of Canterbury, thinks that unless New Zealand freezing companies adopt' some means of sendingtheir mutton to look attractive, the Argentine will beat them, as the latter's get-up is much superior, and their mutton. to look at, quite as good. He suggests that the Dominion freezing companies should "use better bags, and be more careful in shipping and butchering. Ten thousand new pennies were scattered along the road from New York to Oyster Bay by Mr. James B. Hammond, typewriter and inventor, who recently gave his factory to his workpeople. The New York World states that Mr. Hammond, with has cashier, went to the bank and drew the money, and then rode off in his motor car, enjoying the children's scrambles as he threw the pennies out on the way.

Mr. T. E. Taylor desires that the Arbitration Act shall be amended in order to give domestic servants the power to form ail industrial union. In a country where domestics may select their employers, and where there are four times more billets open than girls to fill them, protective machinery does not seem absolutely essential.

The Hon. A. R. Guinness remarked in tlie House on Friday that there were more accidents, fatal and otherwise, in the State mine at Point Elizabeth than in anv other coal mine in New Zealand. Two lives have been lost within the past four weeks, in addition to other accii dents. He said he would like enquiries to be made to see whether these accidents could be minimised.

A modest fish story is published by the "Prince Edward Island Gazette." A 1501b. sturgeon nearly sent a party 01 three in a motor-boat over the Niagara Falls. Two miles above the Falls, the fish leaped for the search-light in the bow. missed it. struck and seriously injured Miss Johnson, of Niagara, and then, thrashing about in the boat, disableo the engine. The sturgeon, which measured six feet eight inches, was finally subdued with oars. Meanwhile the boat was being swept rapidly towards the cataract. George Allen, hearing cries of distress, sped out in a launch and towed .the party ashore. The Nelson shipment of apples to London, on which the Government granted a bonus, was successful, according to a statement by the Minister of Agriculture. The weaknesses and strong points of this method of shipment had, he said, been discovered, and New Zealand was to be congratulated upon having demonstrated that it could place fruit in marketable condition 011 the London market. The Government intended considering the grantin" of bonuses to further shipments. Arrangements may yet be made to give New Zealanders fruit at rates as 'cheap as Now Zealand fruit is sold in London. A local merchant (says the Dunedin Star) 011 Wednesday morning disclosed how some business concerns in other lands produce millionaires. Some rears ago. when there was a duty on imp'ortea kerosene, the wholesale cost of it at Dunedin was 7«/ s d per gallon. There was a lair profit for the sellers at that .line. They would not have sold if there bad been no profit. Now, when the <.utv ,s oil, kerosene is sold at Dunedin . P p i" P' al,o n to importers. How " f th , n 0(1 was removed vmi disastrous effects to the Orepuki p 1 T ™ rks > ,s picketed liv the directors' of the American Oil Company who monopolise the Australasian trade? :