LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 203, 6 December 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Maori co-operative store is to be started in Tauranga shortly. Rust has made its appearance in some of the barley crops on the Waimate Plains.

Mr. Newton King has received the fol- j lowing cable from Sydney re hides: "Unchanged." Hay-making operations have now commenced in South Taranaki and some very heavy crops are being gathered in. A first offender for drunkenness was convicted and discharged at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. Mr. H. S. Fitzherbert, S.M., presided. Mrs. Lucena has disposed of her interest in the Waimate Hotel, Manaia, to Mr. W. Bellve, formerly proprietor of the Federal Hotel, Wanganui. It is understood that a refreshmentcar will be attached to the mail train as from the 16th inst., for about five weeks owing to the rush of the holiday season.

An eel 221b in weight was caught in the Piakau stream near Inglewood on Sunday by a. lad named Lawrence. The eel was about 4 feet long and 15 inches in girth. The toll-gate keeper at Puniho has asked that the toll be thrown open on Christmas Day to enable, him to have a holiday, but the Council has declined the request. The Minister for Internal' Affairs has notified the County Council that on and after Ist April, 1911, the St. Aubyn Town District would not form part ol the County of Taranaki. What is claimed to be the largest living kauri tree in New Zealand is growing in all its majestic splendor at Puriri, near Thames. It has a girth of 40 feet, or is roughly 13 feet in diameter.

According to the Hon, Dr. Findlay the | restlessness of the average New Zealander is unique. One out of every three members of a community changed his place of residence every year. The Education Board's inspectors conducted proficiency examinations at the Central School yesterday, the candidates including pupils of surrounding schools. To-day they will be at the West End School, and on Wednesday at Inglewood. A correspondent writes:—There was an error in the Tariki news on Wednesday morning. Miss Ella was the winner of the nail driving competitions on Thursday and Friday evenings. Also Miss A. Bell ably assisted in the refreshment room."

Next year Mr. Edgar Stead will make another attempt to capture some living specimens of the huia, to be placed in one of the bird sanctuaries. He will probably go in March into the Eangitikei district, near the Maungaterau river and 'Mount Aorangi, where he spent some ten days on the same quest last year. An alarming occurrence ,took place at the Public Works' stone quarry at Parakiore (Whangarei) lately, when a huge block of stone, estimated to weigh five tons, became dislodged and crashed down from <a great height on to the railway siding, smashing a truck to splinters. The force of the impact was such that the truck wheels and the railway lines' were driven into the earth to a considerable depth, the metal being twisted like wire. A gang of men were soon at work clearing the wreckage, a matter of ■considerable difficulty, because of the weight of the huge stone block. Had the incident occurred when the men were at work at the base of the quarry the consequences might have been most serious, j The business of the Taranaki County Council; was very nearly being held up yesterday owing to several members seeking leave of absence when it suited them. Some had a train to catch, another had a wife to meet, while business claimed a third, and all that remained to hold forth for the county's good was a bare quorum. Councillor Carter was one ,of the brave band who held the fort, and when he spoke of leaving the chairman said that he would be under the painful necessity of adjourning the Council. So with 'Councillors McAillum and Andrews fighting dutifully, the remaining business was put through more extpeditiously and just as satisfactorily as at any time when there was a full meeting,. According to the Hastings Standard, although considerable damage was done by the recent frost to the orchards, there will still be a large quantity of fruit available for the market. The orchards situated in close proximity to the Havelock Hills suffered little or no damage. A rough estimate of the yield from the district, including Hastings, Havelock, Give, Meanee, Greenmeadows and Mangateretere, is about 40.000 cases, made up approximately as follows: —20,000 stone fruit, 13,000 pip, and the balance in raspberries, currants and gooseberries. In addition to the above, it is estimated that the tomato output will be from three or four thousand cases. Last year the total number of cases of fruit handled •by the Fruitgrowers' Company was 00,000. It was an unusual sight to see the European and Chinese potato-buyers leave the North Coast wharf in a body on Thursday afternoon (says the Sydney Morning Herald). They were on strike. The agents who were selling the newly-arrived potato consignments from the Clarence River considered that £lO per ton was a fair market value. The estimate of buyers, however, was £ 1 below this. Neither would give way. The buyers, therefor?, decided on a boycott, and left the.wharf on a trolly amid the cheers of the onlookers. The Chinese nearly always give the highest price in the trade. They are fqnd of the best commodities. Sprne of them were prepared to pay £9 10s. This made the, white retailers somewhat afraid to trust them after they had left the wharf. An amusing incident arose when two Chinamen were observed blowing ■out a match held .by a retailer. They were swearing that they would be. loyal to the union, and not pay the price asked by the merchants. Later in the afternoon the dispute was settled by a compromise. The price decided upon was £9 10s a ton.

A meeting 01 may members of the Park Tennis and Croquet Olub was held, in the Town Hall last night to make arrangements for the garden party in Mr. R. Cock's grounds on Thursday, 22nd inst. Miss T. Okey was appointed secretary to the ladies' committee, and Miss Hammond treasurer. Mrs. Cock and Mrs. Dowling reported on the business transacted at the meeting of the ladies' committee last week, and: it was reported further that assistance was being readily proffered. The Wtoteley Hall trustees had given the use of seats, and the Westport Coal Company would cart them to and from the grounds free of charge. Mr. Hoffmann had kindly offered the use of a pianola and piano, and the use of the necessary crockery had been arranged with the Railway Social Club. The catering arrangements were organised. The price of admisison was fixed at a shilling, this to include afternoon, tea, and it was decided to have the fete in full swing from 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be afternoon tea, ice cream and sweets stalls, Christmas trees, a gipsy tent, etc. As before stated, the ladies are bent on providing the funds for the clubhouse. *. Mr. Wm. Mervyn Jones writes to thank the medical superintendent; matron - and nurses"; of the New Plymouth hospital (or their'attention to him whilst

A youth under 21 years of age, arrested for drtJn.kenness, will, under the new Act, be liable to a fine of £lO. The fine provides both for a publican supplying him and the person who accepts the liquor. Pictorial directions for restoring the apparently drowned have been published by the Health Department. With the chart before one and a model subject, much may be done by way of rehearsal of just the right thing to do in an emergency. A commendable feature of the chart is the plainness of the language used in the directions. It concludes: "Read! learn!! remember!!! You may thereby save a human life on some occasion."

A good consignment of wines, etc,,, from the wreck of the Union Steam Company's Waikare, at Dusky Sound, has been brought to the Bluff, and is a further instance of the fact that most of the salvaged goods from the Waikare are in an excellent state of preservation. The wines and other bottled goods have been totally unaffected by immersion in salt water, and the contents are quite good. The bottle salvage runs into several hundred bottles.

Messrs. Boon Bros., contractors' for the removal of the Old People's Home to Westown, asked permission of the County Council yesterday to use the county roads while the work was going on. Every care would be taken, and the road would be kept open for traffic all the time. Permission was granted, the agreement to be entered into in-

demnifying the Council against all claims, and undertaking to repair damage, if any, to the roads. A poll was taken at Oamaru last week on a proposal to consolidate the loans of the Oamaru Harbor Board which haa been in financial difficulties since 1804, partly owing to the institution of a differential tariff on the railways, which' diverted a large part of the trade of the port The proposal was to consolidate £137,000 now and the balance in 1013, the total being £223,000. The .poll resulted an the proposal being carried by 2177 to 238. The loan is to be secured by a rate, instead of as heretofore being secured by revenue and rents. The High School Defence Cadets ara going into camp at the Waiwakaiho reserve on Tuesday next.for a week, when they will undergo their annual course of instruction. The camp will be in charge of Captain Ryder, with Staff SergeantMajor Sanderson as instructor. -Major Sandford will also be in camp. Captain Ryder states that those who have kindly offered to donate vegetables for the camp may leave the same at Mr. Neill's store, and where any further .donations 1 will be received with thanks.

English papers to hand indicate that "Podge" Kelly, the Petone boy who is playing with the St. Helen's team is doing credit to his old club and to the team with which he is associated. One paper, describing a recent match, refers to Kelly as having played a "storming" game, his dashes and fearlessness beinfc a treat to witness. The writer says he often changed his game with advantage and even when he had a damaged shoulder he displayed his old pluck and dash. Turtil and McPhail, two other New Zealanders, are also referred to in complimentary terms. The other day a Maori 'resident found that his young apples were badly bitten into, and on searching he .discovered tfoat the damage was done by an insect which another resident identified as the potatobug. The owner of the apple trees then' applied a strong solution of arsenate of lead, and found this had no effect upon the insects, which, indeed, when placed in the solution itself crawled out apparently refreshed. He then dusted a tree with insect powder, which had the desired effect. A specimen of the pest has been sent to Professor King, with samples of its ravages. Mr. J. F. MacMahon, of the well-known theatrical firm of MacMahon Bros., is now in town arranging for the first and only presentation in New Plymouth on Saturday evening next of the now his- .

toric battle for the world's heavy-weight championship, between Jack Johnson and. Jim Jeffries. The picture reproductions of the contest are said to be the best of their kind ever taken, being crystal-like in their clearness. The Wellington and Auckland seasons have easily established record attendances for those cities. In addition to the "star" subject, a new and delightful series of the latest bio-

graph surprises will constitute the first portion of the programme. "That is a glaring example of the value of expert evidence," remarked counsel in a case in the Auckland Magistrate's Court the other day, when one witness gave the value of two rings in dispute at about £4O, while another witness valued them at £5 each. Another

witness valued one of the rings at £7 10s and Hie other at £l6 las. The Magistrate (Mr. Kettle) thought it ' would be interesting; to have the testimony of other experts so.as to ascertain the true value of expert evidence. He added that in the case before him recently an architect considered certain work should cost £5, which another architect put the cost of the same work at £SO. That was another example of different opinions held by experts. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Canterbury branch of the Mothers' Union, the Rev. H. D.> Burton, vicar of St. Michael's, said that on the voyage out to New Zealand he heard a welleducated lady, a New Zealander lrorn and bred, belonging to the south. part of the South Island, belittle New Zealand home life as a thing that did not exist, and she expressed the opinion that ■ it was a very good thing that that was so. She said that New Zealanders were a pleasure-loving people, and had far too imudh to do to have time for the quietude of English home life. Mr. Burton went on to say that if that view were true, he would be sorry for the Dominion. If that lady rightly guaged this part of the nation, then rudn was coming to it, buf s he declined to believe it. While tte Motliers' Union and such organisational were working, it would not be allowed to be true. All the same, the fact that such a view was expressed under such circumstances indicated the need for the work that the Mothers' Union was doing. Amid the distractions of a climate such as New Zealand enjoyed the search for pleasure was apt to be carried to excessive lengths.

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