LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 224, 16 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is understood that two borough councillors besides (Jr. Jiellringer are ail'ected by the amendments in the Municipal Corporations Act, and will shortly resign from the Council. Bankruptcy returns for the last year are as follows:—Dunediu 111, as against 32 in 1!)09; Oamaru, 1, as against 3 in 1009; Gore 9, as against 4 in 1909; Invercargill 21, as against 19 in 1909. Messrs. Boon Bros, contractors for the work of shifting the Old People's Home, are making good progress, two sections of the building having already been transferred to the new site at Westown. Tahatai estate, the property of Mrs. F. E. Jennins, Waitara, and comprising SCilVa acres, which was offered in farms of from 50 to 100 acres at auction on Saturday afternoon, failed to elicit a bid. This splendid dairying country is still obtainable by private treaty with the auctioneers. A visitor to New Plymouth, an elderly lady, met with a serious accident on Friday afternoon in a very simple manner. After having a siesta, she rose from the bed to answer a knock at the door, but the woollen mat at the bedside on which she put her foot slipped away, and she fractured her thigh in the fall. Sheep worrying in the East End is reported to be rife, the depredations being reported recently on Mr. Newton King's and Messrs. Sole Bros.' "Aotea" properties. The dogs not only worry the sheep, but turn their attention to horses, which they chase around the paddock. A man who has been appointed with a gun stands to earn a fairly good sura if he can manage to shoot the miscreant animals within a day or two.

During the month of December there were slaughtered at the New Plymouth abattoirs 67 cows, 86 bullocks, 11 calves, 528 sheep, 415 lambs, 147 pigs including suckers. Compared with the corresponding month of last year the figures show an increase of 41 sheep, and a decrease of 5 cattle, 7 calves, 13 lambs and 15 pigs. There were condemned during the month 1 bullock, 1 pig, 1 sheep and 1 lamb. The fees due for the month amounted to £ll9 14s, and the rents due for the month were £3 5s fid, making a total of £122 19s Cd, a decrease of £3 2s Id.

The committee of the Stratford A. and P. Association met on Friday night, and passed the balance-sheet in connection with the society's first annual show. The statement of assets and liabilities shows that the assets total £3096 6s 5d and the liabilities £2616 4s lid, leaving £4BO Is 6d to be transferred to the profit and loss account. The. profit ana loss account shows that the total receipts were £l4ll 9s 9d, including £193 13s 3d from gate takings, and £598 0s 6d from members' subscriptions. The total expenditure was £931 8s 3d, which included £409 13s 6d for prize awards, —Post. The list of successful Taranaki candidiates in the recent Junior National Scholarship examination is headed by Gordon F. Saunders, a pupil of the Ngaere School, with 635 marks out of a possible 800. Saunders is a promising boy, and has given proof of ability above the average. During the past year he has gained three prizes for essay competitions. One was given by the New Plymouth Employers' Association in connection with the Winter Show, another by the Stratford Horticultural Society, and a third given by the British and Foreign Sailors' Society in connection with Trafalgar Day, the subject being Arctic Exploration.

Councillor Bcllringer has forwarded tho following letter to his Worship the Mayor (Mr. G. Tisch): —"In view of the amendment of the Municipal Corporations Act of last session, which incapacitates directors of those companies holding contracts with the council from re-i taining their seats as councillors, I feel' it desirable to tender my resignation. In doing so I wish to thank your Worship, councillors, and members of the council's staff for the many courtesies which have been extended to me during the seven years that I have acted as a councillor. I feel that the amendment of the Act in question will have a very detrimental effect, in that it will debar business men whose sole interests are in the lxirough and who are doing their best to promote the progress of the town from placing their services at the disposal of their fellow ratepayers as members of borough councils." The ready practical assistance that a swimmer can give is invaluable, and an incident that occurred at Waitara some days ago testifies to the need as well as to the success of the efforts of Mr. Brown, school teacher, in imparting instruction in swimming to the boys. Sydney Klenner, aged about 12 years, and Norman White, about nine or ten years old, were fishing off the cattle wharf at Waitara. White, feeling a good bite on his line, leaned forward to haul in, when he overbalanced and fell into the river, which at the spot is very deep. Klenner sang out to him to "keep moving," and went in after his mate, whom he successfully brought to terra firma. The fishing line was round the little chap's neck, and the cause of all the trouble, the wee herring, was dangling on the end. Rescued and rescuer rejoiced mightily together at the unlookedfor addition to their catch! Heroism never entered their heads.

Ait exciting incident occurred in Devon street on Saturday afternoon. In company with a lady friend Xurse Sinclair was cantering at a fairly fast pace up the street, and on reaching the Imperial Hotel corner Miss Sinclair's .friend unexpectedly went up Currit street. Looking round to see what had become of her, Xurse Sinclair momentarily lost control of her horse, which ran into a vehicle and put one of its forelegs on to the tire of the wheel, Nurse Sinclair being dismounted, but uninjured. The animal sustained a severed artery in the leg, which bled profusely, necessitating eight stitches being put in. Mr. K. Cornwall, who was on the scene, executed the surgical work very cleverly. But the incident did not end here. A bystander, who offered to take the horse to its owner, Mr. W. Boulton, mounted, but immediately the animal reared and threw him, and he landed with a wallop apparently on his head on the roadway, the hearts of the spectators going pit-n----pat. Fortunately, however, 'the "weight of his body fell on his shoulders and he escaped injury, and was on his feet holding the reins in a trice. The horse, which is a valuable one and a show prize-taker, is reported to be progressing towards recovery. Members of the Equitable Building Prvietv of Xew Plymouth (First and Second firouns) are' notified that subscriptions will be due and payable toihy (Monday), at (he Secretary's Office, Ci'rrie street, from D ,n..m. to 12.30, from 1 p.m. to a p.m., an.l 7 p.m. to 0 p.m.— Advt.

A 151b trout was taken out of tint Munuwatu river by a resident of Levin last 'Week. A lion cub, the first born in New Zealand, died at the Aramohp Zoo when but four days old. The Stratford Borough Council has decided to adhere to Thursday as the day on which to observe the half-holiday. It is estimated tluit the loss sustained by the destruction of the Wanganui District High School is between £4OOO and £SOOO. Twenty-four brace of Hungarian partridges are l>eing brought to New Zealauu *or liberation in the Waikato district. For the past two years, out of 805 drunkards brought before the Palnierston North Court not one has escaped u conviction. The Pahiatua Herald reports that miJk supplies at factories and creameritg in. that district are showing a daily increase. It is expected that several racing clubs in the Waikato will amalgamate with the bringing into force of the re-cently-passed (iamhig Act. Several strata of a more or less pure f form of fuller's earth are reported to have been discovered recently near Maraitotara, Hawke's Bay, There was a big Maori wedding at the Waimarino last week. Four couples were made happy, while 000 guests, Maori and pakelm, participated in the feasts and jollities. A resident of the Masterton district, who is forty odd years of age, saw the sea for the first time during the recent holidays. Needless to say, lie was very much impressed. During the fortnight ending Decem--1 ber 21., exports from Patea included 1 2UOB cwts. butter, value £14,249, 8987 \ cwts. cheese (£85,108), 2184 carcasss laino (£1352), 75001b. wool (£-M). t Ten shillings per day for cooking for , a week for tne Territorials in camp had no attractions for anyone in Eltham, for , Captain Clark was unable to get a cook J locally. The person to fill the bill wap t brought from New Plymouth.—Argus. A sneak thief purloined from a Timaru > boarding-house two Christmas puddings i and a brace of fowls. On the following I Monday there came to the house, through , the post, a wish-bone, a wing of a cooked > fowl, and a neatly tied parctl containing > a lump of pudding, > A Scottish paper reports tliat a Mrs. ' Jean McYean, an Arrochar widow, who is • in her eighty-second year, was one of 1 the emigrants who left the Clyde recent* 8 ly for New Zealand. She was accom- . panied by her eldest son and two daughB ters, and goes to join two sons who are » settled near Wellington.

The Minister for Public Works has informed Mr. J. B. Hine, M.P., that the government has granted £2OO to the Stratford County Council to assist in repairing the damage done to the road at Punewhokau and property of settlers in the neighborhood as.the result of a serious cloudburst there not so long ago. The Christchurch Press correspondent at Buenos Ayres remarks that while an immense number of immigrants enter the Argentine every year, they have not snowu a preference for rural life, as at the taking of the last census in 1895, the capital (Buenos Ayrcs) had only 14.60 per cent, of the whole population, and to-day it has more than 19 per cent,, apart from the other great urban centred which have been created since that year. Passengers by the train from Jsew, Plymouth were amused at the endeavors of a lady, to place her big hat in the rack (says the Eltham Argus). As the bat was too large to stay in the rack in the oruinary way, the fair passenger vailed feminine ingenuity to 'her aid and skewered the (monstrous headgear to the netting of the rack by means of hat-pins. It then remained in the rack in safety, though it projected considerably into the carriage. ' .

In a civil case in the Eltham Court some time .back, Mr. Konriok, S.M., declined to make an order against a defemlant who it was discovered was an inmate of a mental hospital, and the ease was adjourned. On Wednesday Mr. McVcngh, solicitor for plaintiff, again applied for judgment, stating that the defendant had since returned from the asylum and was apparently again in 'hi* right mind. Under these circumstanced the Magistrate ■gave judgment by default as applied for. A picnic party (Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Borrie and family) met witft unfortunate luck when in camp at the mouth of the Kaupokonui river on Xew Year's Day. By soma means the sand grass near by caught lire and the caunp and contents (which included the best clothing of the party) were all destroyed; about £2O (in value) went up in smoke. The male members were absent at the time, and Mrs. Dorrie was only able to seek safety with the children. A very strong wind was blowing at the time. What appears to 'have been a deliberate attempt at incendiarism was discovered on Thursday afternoon at Mr. Kenworthy's shop (reports the Paten Press). A young lait employed in cleaning up the" walks discovered signs of a recent Are under the wall of the shop next to Mr. Cooper's premises. He at once informed Mr. and Mrs. Kenworthy, who were startled to And, on examination. that one of the piles, about 2ft. of a floor plate, and the end of a wall stud, had been burnt through enough to prove that the whole block of buildings had an extremely narrow escape. A Gisborne contemporary reports that communications have been received from the Christclmrch Tramway Board, Mr. Craigio (Mayor of Timaru), and also from the Chamber of Commerce, Hamilton, asking for information regarding the Edison storage battery cars. The Mayor (Mr. Lysmir) has replied advising that the data, which is somewhat bulky, is at present before the Borough Council, and as soon as the subject has been dealt with, it will be forwarded on to each in turn. The Mayor states that the. question of the tramway should have come up at last meeting. The question of which system was to be adopted was one of file first questions which would have to be decided. The Council would have to cither accept the signed contract he had brought out, accompanied by Mr. Edison's guarantee, or reject tho same.

The Municipal Corporations Act of last session, which has made itself felt all over the country, has been the cause of the resignation of at least one Stratford councillor. Cr. A. YV. Budge is a director of the Stratford Electrical Supply Company, and at a special meeting of the borough council on Friday night a telegram was read .from him intimating that he intended to resign his seat on" the council. Cr. W. D. Anderson is also a director of the Electrical Supply Company, but he does not, as yet, admit that he* must resign. In apologising for his absence at Friday night's meeting Cr. Anderson said he understood that the now Act made it necessary for him to forfeit his seat as a councillor. So far, he said, he had not seen a copy ot the Act; but until he did so and could see in what position he stood ho would decline to sit at any full council meeting or any committee meeting. It i» also understood that Messrs. Porritt and P,. 11. Cameron will be called upon to resign from the Hospital Board.