LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 186, 16 November 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The public works programme provides for new departmental buildings at New Plymouth and Stratford, additions to the New Plymouth Courthouse, alterations to the Stratford Telegraph Office, and the erection of police stations at Wlmngamomona and Waitara. The Public Works Department reports that the following tenders were received for the erection of the new post office at Rahotu:—H. Peterson and Co. £672, Boon Bros. £775, R. J. Candish £S37. Smart Bros. £063, Ryan and Sons £97(1. Messrs Peterson and Co.'s been accepted.

Some smart work was done by the Railway Department on the wharf yesterday in connection with the discharging of the colliers Kotuku and Himitansri. During nine hours 130 trucks of coal were despatched from the wharf for town, and during part of the time only one of the colliers was working. A Gisborne firm has been advised by cable that an expedition, including one of the most eminent oil experts in the world, and a geological surveyor, will arrive in New Zealand on the 15th prox,, for the purpose of inspecting the area over which oil Tights have been obtained. The operations will be conducted on the most scientific lines, as ample capital is available for the prospecting work. The borough engineer's estimate of tarring Gill street extension was £3O. Cr. Dockrill at Monday's meeting of the Council said the cost would not be a third of this sum. The Gas Company has now offered to provide all the tar required to do a chain for £5; and the Taranaki Petroleum Company will supply oil for a similar area for the same amount. A comparison between the two methods will now be possible. Referring to the abundance of grass at present from Wanganui to New Plymouth a well-known settler in this district (reports the Patea Press) states that a thousand good dairy cows coulo easily be absorbed by dairy farmers along the West Coast at present. A farmer in the Alton district says he could do with 15 to 20 milk cows at the present time and many others coula find grass for a similar number, but, of course, there are none on the market.

The eleventh anniversary of the Whiteley Memorial Church was celebrated last Sunday, when the. Rev. J. G. Chapman preached appropriate sermons. The anniversary celebrations will be continued to-night (Wednesday), when a conversazione will be held in the Whitelev Hall. A varied musical programme will be submitted, in which some of the leading vocalists and instrumentalists of the town wfll take part. Refreshments will be dispensed during the evening.

The New Plymouth Fire Board has passed the following resolution with reference to the payment of the brigade's services in attending fires outside the borough, " That a charge of 2s fid per hour per man per call, and £5 for plant be made for the services of the brigade in attending fires outside the town boundary in the event of a guarantee being given by the local body." With regard to the Fitzroy Brigade, the Fire Board sees no objection to its continuing as at present. Messrs. Tisch and H. F. Russell, J's.P., occupied the bench at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, when judgment for plaintiff by default was given in each of the following cases:—William Grant (Mr. Johnstone) v. Gordon Jeffrey, claim £3 (costs 14s); F. J. Joseph v. David Carmichael,' £ 3 12s lOd (las); Walter Little (Mr. Johnstone) v. Reginald Noel Heppell, £7 4s 7d ( £1 6s fid); Robert H. So'le (Mr. Standisli) v. William Wills Herbert, £2 Ids 9d (13s); A.Ii.C. Boot and Shoe Co. (Mr. Wright) v. Thomas Duffin, 18s Gd (7s). It may not be generally known by users of the telephone that the cup into which they speak when talking through the instrument is of a highly inflammable nature. A telephone subscriber in Carterton found this out. He approached the edge of the cup too near a lighted match, which he held in the other hand, as he turned from the telephone to address a remark to someone in the room, and the cup instantly took fire and burned fiercely. Anyone using the telephone by candlelight or by the aid of a match must take care not to let the light come in contact with the enimeiator, or there will be a blaze. That the lack of regard for trifles often leads to disaster was exemplified in the case of Frederick Blacklidge, who appeared before Mr. W. G. Riddel], S.M., at the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Thursday on charges of stealing a bicycle and breaking and entering. It appears that Detective Cameron called at Blacklidge's lodgings a few days ago to arrest him on a charge of stealing a bicycle, and whilst taking down his statement noticed that Blacklidge had a copy of Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby" in his pocket, and on the table ,was another book entitled "Scottish Humour." Two boobs with similar titles had been missed among other things stolen from the Hon. T. W. Hislop's house on Oct. 20, and the sight of them in Blacklidge's possession confirmed Detective Cameron's former suspicions of his connection with the robbery. He therefore charged Blacklidge with the offence and received a written confession of guilt. The executive of fhe Taranaki Hospital Association met in Stratford on Thursday last. Present: Messrs. R. H. Kive'l, M. Spurdle, C. D. Sole, anrt F. Amoore. The repo»t showed that during the last six months there had been paid out on account of members for treatment in the hospitals the sum of £2Bl 2s fid, with a contingent liability of about £4O to be paid yet. Information was received that members of the association would be admitted to the Rotorua Sanatorium at the rate of 20s per week, guaranteed by the Association, and to Te Aroha at 28s pei week. The charges made to the Auckland Association by the Board was 17s fid per week, against Taranaki's 31s fid. On the returns received it was found that the Taranaki charges were easily the highest charged to ativ association in the Dominion. Bro. Sole mentioned a case of a member who went down to Wellington and had a very serious operation performed for appendicitis, the total charges for everything and four weeks m the hospital being £5 4s fid, which the Association had paid.—Post. MELBOURNE. TAILOR-MADE SUITS. They're distinctive, highest-grade suits. Not alone, because they represent in every feature the be3t in suit construction. That's just what has put the Melbourne reputation as men's suit'builders head and shoulders above every other Taranaki competitor. As a business policy, it is a good investment to ,buy your suit from a responsible company—a company whose guarantee means something. You. .what the Melbourne suits gfand.