LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 210, 14 December 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Prince Consort died 14th December, ISGI. The New Plymouth Fire Brigade has decided not to send a team to the Fire Brigades demonstration at Hokitika. Chaff is now quoted at £5 10s per ton iu Dunedin, and there is every prospect of it reaching a higher price. A first' offending female inebriate was convicted and discharged by Mr. Fitzherbert, S.M., at the local court yesterday morning. As to-morrow, Thursday, is the last day for the payment of land tax without the penalty of 10 per cent., the Money Order Office will remain open until 5 p.m.

The New Plymouth Employers' Association has decided to recommend shopkeepers in New Plymouth to close their premises on Monday and Tuesday, December 26 and 27, and Monday and Tuesday, January 2 and 3. Some idea of the extensive operations of the Kaupokonui dairy factory may be appreciated by the fact that at the "present time no less than 4SOO cheese cases are required every month. As these cost Is each, it will be seen that it costs the company £240 per month for cases alone.

At the usual monthly meeting of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade last night, the resignation of Fireman Tempero was Accepted. Mr. F. Doughty was elected a member of the brigade. It was decided to hold competitions among the members early in 1911, and a committee was set up in this connection. Judgment for plaintiff by default was given at the local court yesterday morning in the following cases: W. Rowc (Mr. Standish) v. John Atkinson, claim £2 Is, costs 10s j same v. F. Hawke, claim £4 15s 6d, costs £1 ss; Okey and Rollo (Mr. Govett) v. Harry Greville, claim £3 93, costs 10s; Dr. H. A. McCleland (Mr. F. E. Wilson) v. Norman Copestake, claim £1 2s 6d, costs. Mr. Fitzherbert, S.M., presided. In accordance with an agreement at Monday night's meeting of the Borough Council, members visited the Powderham street culvert yesterday morning. Aa inspection of the crack in the retaining wall came somewhat as ap eye-opener to those members of the Council who had not previously seen it, we learn, and it was eventually decided to fill up the opening with cement with the object of more readily being able to discern any further movement in the concrete. Special attention is directed in District Defence Orders to the following provision of the amended Defence Act: "No person shall bring or convey any intoxicating liquor into any camp, barracks, fort, or other place where any of the defence forces are quartered, stationed, or serving, or are being trained or exercised." All members of the defence forces are warned that, the amending Act now being in force, any offender is liable to the penalties named therein. The Observer Christmas Annual is out, and contains '2B pages of concentrated fun, seasonable stories, and. above all, aores of "Bio's" best work. Bio's artistic fertility is amazing, and neither his humor, nor his "line" pales with the passage of the years. The Christmas "Observer" is lucky in its verse manufacturer, whose industry is as notable as the variety of his subjects and the cleverness of his wit and cheerful satire. The striking features about the whole production are the fact that most wellknown people in the Dominion are under humorous view, the cleverness of caricature, verse and story, and the wholly artistic nature of the "get-up." It will sell.

Asked by a reporter as to what were hi® intentions with respect to the future, the Hon. T. Mackenzie replied:— *Don't you see the dilemma they have placed me in? Like the dove that went forth from the ark, they will give me no rest for the sole of my political foot. Waihemo is gone, Waikouaiti is gone, and they say Taieri is to go also; and yet they say my political ark, Clutha, will have none of me. 1 must, therefore, perforce, seek regions new, and as seats are going to be wiped out in the South Island and new ones to be created in the North Island, what is more natural than that I should go where seats go? However, I have no doubt when the time comes everything will work out for good."

The committee in charge of the providing of an up-to-date hostelry house on the northern slopes of Mount Egmont, entirely independent of the present accommodation house, met last night. There were present: His Worship the Mayor (Mr. G. Tisch), Messrs. N. King, W. A. Collis, C. W. Govett, E. Dockrill, R. C. Hughes, W. C. Weston, and T. Avery; and apologies were received from Messrs. E. Griffiths and J. H. Parker. It was reported that Mr. C. F. Robinson had offered to survey and report upon the proposed site. The committee decided to meet the National Park Board at the Mount Egrnont House at its next meeting to discuss terms of lease, etc. It was reported to the meeting that £SOO had been placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the house, as a £ for £ subsidy on local subscriptions.

When lawyer agree, it may be taken for granted that some unusually pigheaded proposition has been run against. An instance of the exception proving the rule in everyday commercial transactions was brought to light at the Court yesterday morning, when Mr. Fitzherbert was called upon to adjudicate on a question for damages resulting from the vagaries of a Puniho settler's porkers. It transpired in the course of the ease that the defendant had paid a certain amount in liquidation of damages for one unauthorised trip from home of his pigs. Yet when the injured party sought further solace at the bar of the Court, His Worship discovered that though the plaintiff had been already paid less than a third of what he claimed, it was £2 more than he was entitled to on the facts, while without proceeding to defend his own case the defendant was 13s better off than if he secured judgment in iliis favor. No wonder some people hold the law in such awe.

Mr. Frank Aroa, the storekeeper of Oakura. had quite an exciting experience on Monday evening, as the result of an argument with a small methylated spirit, lamp, in which the latter had decidedly the best of it. Wishing to boil some water, Mr. Aroa adjourned to the storeroom alongside the i hop, with the intention of using for the purpose a staall lamp that he had u«cd on numerous occasions. He had, however, hardly placed the match to the wick, when there was an explosion, and the flame* shot out and caught Mr. Aroa. severely burning him about the head and face. The shock so dazed him that he fell backwards, "rabbins: some scrim, which he attempted to wrap round his head. This, however, caught fire, as al=o dh' the ceiling of the storeroom, and matters would have .had a very serious aspect but that Mrs. Aroa,"in the next j room, {hearinp; the noise, rushed in ami, JWs&siommcudafolc presence of miml.

Counsel for a defendant in a breach of awards case, heard at Kaiapoi, remarked that awards of Courts in respect of wages were at times traversed by 'Workers who agreed to the award rate of wages and were paid the same, on the understanding • that a certain portion of the amount was returned to the employer. When questioned as to the rate of wages paid they were able to assure the Inspector that the- award rates were received.

A high compliment to New Zealand cheese was paid by .Mr. Inglis, of Leitli. at. the annual dinner of the Ayrshire Agricultural Association, which was recently held at Kilmarnock. Mr. Inglis, who judged the cheese section, said he had sold Xew Zealand cheese at 70s per ewfc., and a prominent landed proprietor had asked that nothing else should bo sent to him. The flavor was perfect, the color was not too high, and the customers were delighted with the New Zealand cheese. IS During the temporary stoppage of* a creamery through the hreak-dows of the. machinery tha manager forwarded' the injured part by train to the nearest foundry for repairs, and telegraphed to thv chairman of directors of his company, asking him to use his 'utmost endeavor to .have the repairs effected quickly, ' stating that till this was done the milk would go to waste. The chairman, who is a townsman and ignorant of country life, wired back: ''Don't waste the milk; do not milk the cows." This story comes from Greymouth. A nine months' old Christchurch baby had a bad time the other day (says the Press). The father, who had been'given charge of the child, left it for a time to go on with some job in the workshop. On returning to see how baby was faring, he discovered to his horror that a ferret ho kept locked up in a cage had managed to escape, and was attacking the child fiercely, the latter's face being badly torn and lacerated and covered with blood. A doctor's services had to be requisitioned, and that ferret is not likely to have a second chance of attacking that baby. Dr. Paul Klager, the famous Viennese physician, declares that the . growing" fashion of shaving the moustache is responsible for the growing number of patients suffering from headaches and diseases of the respiratory organs. Among 500 cases of serious headaches and diseases of the nose and throat he had counted 420 patients who had their moustaches shaved off. The moustache is, of course, a natural proteotion for the nose against the cold air, dust and microbes. Women are not so often in the streets, and wear veils to protect themselves, and their nostrils are narrower than those of men.

It is suggested that the Borough Council should utilise the spoil from the Good Templars' Hall site in filling up the hollow in the Carringtok Road between Courtenay street and the closed Pcndarves street. Leading out of the hollow is the steepest "pinch" on the borough, and it is important .that the road at this point shold be improved. Some people advocate waiting until the road can be widened out to the Huatoki, which means the erection of a retaining wall, but a levelling up process would be thoroughly appreciated by the users of a very busy thoroughfare. The rest can wait Perhaps, too, the borough surfacemen could be spared to "tidy up" the road thereabouts.