LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 228, 20 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wcstport advises that the State mine briquette works have been temporarily closed owing to scarcity of orders. The Maketawa Dairy Co. is now turning out 24 boxes of butter daily. The milk supply is going down, but the tests are very good at both the main factory and Durham road creamery, ranging from 3.8 to 4.6.

Some of the stones that form the rock apron on the seafront near the railway station and yard appear to be in anything but safe positions. Considering the large number of people (particularly women and children) who frequent tht place at this season of the year it would perhaps be well if these masses of rock were prised into positions of safety, as a serioug accident could easily happen if the stones fell.

A young lady while riding on horseback along Avenue road, near Mr. Malone's residence, was the victim of an accident due to the furious driving of a motor-car. The.horse took fright at tho car, and the young lady was thrown and badly cut and bruised. Thinking discretion the better part of valor, the motorist made himself scarce, not even stopping to enquire whether the lady was alive or dead.

Some youths who have built a canvas boat put their craft to sea, a morning or two ago, and pulled out for quite a mile from the shore. The boat is a very frail looking structure, and should it be struck by a roller or a shark's tail the occupants would have a sorry time. Risks of this sort should not be taken, and the boys' guardians would be well advised to pass a word of caution anu check such foolhardy actions.

The annual picnic of St. Mary's Sunday School was held yesterday av Franklei'gh Park, in the beautiful grounds of Mr. J. H. Frethey, and was a huge success. There was a very large number of children from the main school and the branch schools connected with St. Mary's present. The races and sports went off with great eclat, a most enjoyable day's outing being the result. Before dispersing, cheers were heartily given for Mr. and Mrs. Frethey and also for the Kev. and Mrs. Evans.

"I ain't a-going to pay!" was theremark passed by a defendant in the local court yesUrday morning on hearing that his neglect to comply with the sanitary laws of the borough had mulcted him in the sum of twenty shillings (os line, and 15s expenses). "Well, if not, you are going to gaol," said Mr. Fitzherbcrt, who presided, and as the law's transgressor turned to leave the court further magisterial advice followed him even to the door: "You had better not lock the gates so that the nightsoil man can't get in!"

By-laws, and particularly those regulating heavy traflic, prove a veritable bugbear 'to local uodies, who are often very diffident about making them, and even when made have difficulty in enforcing them. At Wednesday's meeting of the Stratford County Council a letter was read from Mr. Vaughan, clerk to the Clifton County Council, asking for information as to the Stratford Council's heavy traffic by-laws. The reading of the letter caused a ■.■■ mile, and a reply' is to be forwarded to the ett'tct that the Stratford County Council have battled with this question for years, and got very little satisfaction out of it.

At a meeting of the Taranaki Agricultural Society on Wednesday night Air. W. Birdling wrote thanking the Society for the award of a gold medal for fat cattle at last show. The New Zealand Shipping Company and the Shaw Savili and Albion Company each wrote offering a cup to be competed for in the buttei and cheese classes at the Winter Show. The New Zealand Shipping Company's trophy is to be a challenge trophy, to he retained only if won for two years in succession by the same factory, and that of the Shaw Savili and Albion Company can never be won outright. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to each company, and a sub-committee was appointed to draw up suitable inscriptions and conditions under which tho cups will be competed for. The conditions for the appointment of a secretary in succession to Mr. Webster were considered, and the position will be advertised shortly.

The ratepayer who is in the habit of utilising ''the long paddock" for grazing purposes is not as a rule very partial to the ranger, whose lot does not always fall in pleasant places, particularly when he gets up ahead of the other man and triumphantly marches the cattle awav to the pound. The Stratford county ranger is no exception. At the last 'meeting of the County Council a petition was received from settlers at Midhirst. asking that his services be dispensed with, whilst a counter-petition .was received, asking that his services be retained. The Council refrained from taking any action. The question of allowing the roads to be grazed when grass was plentiful in the autumn, for fear of fires, was also discussed, but no action was taken. An irate ratepayers also waited on the Council complaining that his cattle had been impounded through some disagreement with his neighbor. He, however, admitted that the ranger was not to blame for doing his duty. During the month the ranger reported that lie had impounded 1(1 horses and 21 head of cattle.

■ A deputation from the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce waited on Mr. T. Ronayne, General Manager of Railways, yesterday, and asked that the time-table locally be amended with a view to having an early train to New Plymouth from Stratford, arriving between !> o'clock and 0.30. It is reported that Mr. Ronayne, after hearing the deputation, suggested that its views be put in writing, and lie would then refer it to the Chief Traffic Manager as to the necessity or otheiwise of the earlier train. The deputation also drew the General Manager's attention to the danger attaching to traffic where the railway line crosses the main road near Waitara, and urged that it receive attention. Mr. Ronayne stated that if the local body concerned liked to pay for any alteration the Railway Department would offer no objections. He considered the best way of meeting the difficulty, would be to erect a bridge, and he would inspect the locality with a view of obtaining an estimate of the cost, after which the Chamber of Commerce could approach the County Council. The General Manager was accompanied on the run to Waitara by the other departmental heads, and'at the crossing Mr. Burnett appeared to be making a test which would satisfy almost anyone that an approaching train cannot be seen from the road until it is just about to cross the roadway.

It has been decided to make Tuesday; afternoon a lady members' afternoon on. the 'Park Tennis Club's courU.

.Miss Turner, after six years' nursing, in the New Plymouth hospital, is to take up private nursing in Wellington.

A Foxton youth was fined 20s and costs last week for obtaining liquor by declaring that he was over twenty-one years of nge.

Mr. George Southee, of the Upper Hutt, claims to have discovered a surespecific which will exterminate potato blight in five minutes.

Cabinet has authorised the carrying.; out of a further portion of the irrigation. works in Central Otago, which will result in the irrigation of the Mount Ida. Valley block, of 52,500 acres. At a meeting of the Parihaka Road Board on Tuesday it was decided that, the half-holiday be observed on Wednesdays. The Board adopted a resolution that no work over the value of £5. be let privately.

Since December 20, covering the period" of the labor troubles at this port (sayg the Patea Press), 10,173 cases of cheese and 0501 boxes of butter were snipped away to Wellington for transhipment to Home steamers. This is said to be a record for the period mentioned. Further district dairy factory returns* for the December operations are as fol* lows: Normanby, 50,4131bs butter-fat,, valued at £2100; Mclls, 47,4001bs butter* fat, worth £1977; Hawera, 153,5071b* butter-fat, giving suppliers £0395. All the payments will be at the rate of 104. per lb.—Star. "Our Church, of all churches in tbe world, ought to work in the open air," said the Rev. J. Cocker, of Auckland, a« the Primitive Methodist Conference ai Wellington on Wednesday. "It co»menced in the open air—it was born on the top of a hill. Let us go out before the people and win them from the street."

The following Stratford candidates lit the Civil Service junior and senior freeplace examinations of November, 1910, satisfied the pass requirements of one or other examination:— Mark C. Auld,. Maude K. 1. Mlake, Ida Cameron, Amy M. Gcrnhoefer, Francis J. Hodgson, Alois W. Klenner, Chrissie Lau, Alma C. Libean, Susan J. McCormack, Francis McMahon, Elsie N. Parli, Nina B. Pring,. Thomas -FT. Header, George W. Scott,. Horace D. Stanners, Undine Surrey, Ida Taylor, Irene K. Wyllie. The whaler Hananui, which sailed for: Campbell Islands on Saturday from the Bluff, carried a number of passengers,, who tend to indicate that the enterprise is a "family" affair. The little colony at present comprises the Hebberleyu, Jacksons, and Nortons, while the Hananui took down three Booths, three Cooks, and two more Jacksons. Mrs. Cook, wife of the superintendent of the whaling operations, also went with the Hananui, and will be the first woman to make an extended stay on the island. Last week thirty-eight applications for the town clerkship were referred by the Dunedin City Council to the Finance Committee, with instructions to select the eigb,t. most eligible candidates for a further meeting. The following eight have been selected: Messrs. Bardsley (Tinuvru), F. T. Bellringer (New Plymouth), Esther (Dunedin), Jacobs (Dunedin), Lewin (Lyttelton), McCartney (Wellington),- Sullivan (Dunedin), and Wilson (Auckland). The final selection will be made next week.—Press Association.

At a sale of imported and home-bred Jerseys, held at Shelbyville, Ky., on November 3, sixty-eight licad made an average of a little over £io2, and the fortyeight imported cattle brought an average of a trifle over £BO. The top price was £<HK) for the young bull Noble Peer (by' Noble of Oakland's), which went to J. B. Stumph and R. H. Nelson, of Oregon. Distinction's Noble (another yearling by Noble of Oaklands) was taken by Professor Scovell at £450, presumably for Elmendorf Farm. The top price female was Raleigh's May Queen, which went to Mr. §tumnh at £140.' Nearly a dozen different States got the cattle.

Mr. It. C. Renner, manager of the Patea Shipping Company, after examining the company's pay sheets for the amount of wages paid to the Patea wharf laborers, finds that 'there has been an increase of 1)3 per cent, in the wages during the past twelve months as compared with the previous year. This, he says, refutes the statement made on bshalf of the Patea wharf laborers now on strike that their wages are steadily decreasing. The men have always Ik en given preference for work by the above company. The company's estimate is that the cxt|u cost entailed by the increase of sixpence, per hour overtime claimed would amount to IS per cent, in the wages sheet.

Messrs. W. G. Stead and E. J. Watt, of Hawke's Bay, have purchased from Mr. 11. R. Butcher, of Kniapoi, a portion of the well-known Strathmore estate, about 23 miles from Rotorua, and comprising about 28,000 acres, the price paid hem" stated at £30,000 (says the Hawke's Bay Herald). Though much of the estate is pumice country, it also contains about 10,000 "acres of rich swamp' land. It is the intention of the new owners to drain the land by deepening the Waiotapu river to the extent of about four feet for a distance of some fifteen chains. It is to be hoped that the enterprise of the new owners will meet with the success which it deserves.

The Wellington correspondent of the Petone Chronicle states:—"l understand that the liquor interests of the Dominion intend to put up a big fight at the next licensing poll and that a big fighting fund is to be collected. Each publican and wine and spirit merchant will be expected to contribute pro rata to ft general pool to pay for the services of organisers in different districts, a campaign of newspaper advertising is to be. carried on by a staff of experts, and lecturers arc to be appointed wherever available. It is anticipated that a very large sum will be available for propaganda work as the principal brewcriea intend to contribute liberally. They regard the expenditure as an insurance fund. The main objective of the movement is to stem the tide of national prohibition. The leaders of the liquor party are making preparations for a strong crusade against the bare-majority proposal which is to be a leading plank in the no-license party's programme inthe near future."

MEN'S SUPERBLY - TAILORED SUITS AT 50/0. A height of the season event at the Melbourne is sure to be an immensw success, for it brings to light some of the hiifspst banrains in high-class and beautiful suits offered in twelve months. Instead of quoting valuations, we say to you very frankly that these suits are. superior in materials, workmanship and styles to any that have been offered special this season by any store in Tarannki, and that they nre infinitely better than? some of the suits now being noisily advertised at inflated "worth figures." There are only 50 suits in this offering. Tne quantity is a small one for The Big Store. Tt ought not to last through the week. Of the manv fabrics two are describe]: One, an English worsted suit, an excellently tailored garment, made, of pure wool, dark green worsted; tbe. other, a waved worsted suit of pure indigo worsted, semi-fitted coat, beautifullycut and finished'.