LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 221, 24 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sunday was the thirty-sixth anniver sary of the christening of the town oi Inglewood. The annual picnic of the Inglewood school takes place at the Breakwater on Thursday. Gisborne is evidently progressing. During the past year permits were issued for works totalling £BO,UUO. Another useless performance. Travers completed a world's record of 84'/ 2 hours for continuous piano-playing at VVairoa on Saturday night. Members of the Taranaki Land Board leave this morning on a tour of inspection of the Ohura and of the newly-sur-veyed Tangitu block. The New Plymouth Borough Council will this evening consider the report ot Mr. 11, W. Clinue with reference to the electric light extensions. Owners of flags and bunting are requested to make a display on Thursday next on the occasion of the Governor's visit to New Plymouth. The police raided a Chinaman's shop at Wairoa on Saturday and found a quantity of liquor. There will probably be a charge of illicit trading. An individual who spent last night in the lock-up will have opportunity this morning of explaining why he mistook the footpath in one of the main streets for a sleeping apartment. ' As from February 1, the bookmnkcr will he legally extinct. A considerable increase in the totalisator returns is anticipated as one of the first results of the new Act coming into force.

The sum of £I3OO was received by the staff of the Taranaki County Council on Saturday in rates, the result of a general desire to avoid the payment of ten per cent, liability due on unpaid rates after that date.

The Manaia Witness reports a case of cruelty to a cow whereby a drover was fined £5, and costs £2 6s Od. The animal had got into a helpless state, ana was left lying on the roadside for ten days without food or water.

Dogs do not usually lick or eat fruit, but the other day a News man saw a canine do both under an apple tree, the falls of which are regularly sold to the public. This shows the necessity for washing fruit before eating. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, before Mr. H. S. Fitzherbert, S.M., Edward Cooper was remanded to appear at Inglcwood on Wednesday to answer a charge of theft from a till at Carrington's Dining Rooms, Inglewood. Mr. Kean Clark, of Stratford, had just mounted a horse for the purpose of proceeding to the Mountain on Sunday (says the Post), when his horse stumbled. Mr. Clark felt himself going, so threw himself off, but in landing he broke his collar-bone.

The Native Land Court, which has been sitting for a week past in New Plymouth, has been adjourned to the 15th February, owing to no member of the judicial bench being available. Mr. J. B. Jack, Commissioner of the Native Land Court, presided and disposed of about 110 cases.

A Southern syndicate recently purchased a large block of land in the Mokau district. They had hardly completed the deal when they transferred the property to a Hawkc's Bay speculator, at a price which represented doubling their money. The syndicate is now negotiating for the purchase of the Mokau Jones estate.

The Prime Minister will visit Stratford! on Thursday of this week, and in the evening will deliver a political address. He had intended being in Stratford on Wednesday, and it was hoped he would be able to be in New Plymouth on the occasion of the visit of Lord Islington on Thursday, but he was 'unable to make his arrangements fit in. Legacies which run into five figures are not very plentiful, but, like other rare things, they do happen at times. The Dominion's Feilding correspondent states that it is reported that on Friday last a resident of Kiwitea received a cablegram, and on opening it found that, consequent on the death of a relative, he had become legatee to a sum of £OO,OOO. A parade of the No. 1 Battalion ol Taranaki junior cadets will be held on Thursday morning at 11.30, and again at 2.30 in the afternoon, in connection with the visit of His Excellency the Governor. Arrangements will be made whereby uniforms can be obtained that morning. Major Sandford will be pleased to see as many officers and cadets as can make it convenient to attend.

Patca and Wavcrley are to be very well represented at the tennis championship meeting at New Plymouth, reports the secretary (Mr. H. Stocker) of the Association, judging by the number of entries received. Stratford players also will try their skill. A complete list of entries is not yet available, but even now everything points to the meeting being very successful. The'weather, o"f course, has to lie reckoned with.

The vagaries of a pig caused some amusement m town on Saturday afternoon. Escaping from the Hav'market, | piggy wandered up Devon street, his peregrinations exciting considerable interest. Turning round the post office corner he headed straight for the polic station, and entering the gateway wandered round to the back, whore liis progross, if not his body being thus nrI rested, his owner was enabled to effect 1 a brilliant capture. Present-day settlers in Taranaki, except perhaps those in the backblocks, can hardly realise the hardship, and disabiliMl ' s l ; n ' 1 ' 1 '- » I' the early settlers lahor- !<•,!. There \va< little monev, and there "ere no metalled roads or'railwavs. or |nny ol those conveniences which follow m Lie train of civilisation. The women bad to work as hard as the men, mid I many a settler owed n good deal of his present prosperity to the solid work put m by his wife. Mr. Chong instanced an i" vain pie of this on Saturday. When in business at Inglowood, an old Gorman ■woman earn-, into his store earrvin" on l"T back a bag of fungus, which she had earned m this fashion from beyond Ta- '•:'<!. She received Ms for this, and as -he said there was no food at home she immediately invest,.,] (!„, mnm , y in ~ .illv ot Hour, some sugar and some tea, wh;Hi she threw on her back and then set out on her return journey. 'Mr. Chn;ig was asked liv an' old-timer 'in ■Saturday how it was it took .Tilli of milk to make 111, „f | )lllt(M . in hi , (]nv ." I hut's what 1 don't, know." he naively vepliod. adding that there were no lialicook testers in those days, . um (ll . lt hj (, wa> paying for milk by the gallon His manager told him that 241b or 2,itb -hnuhl make a pound of butter, so one morning he got up and went early to some of his suppliers. lie took a Mass lube, and secured separate sample's of the night's and morning's milk. On testing them, he found the former gave 8 per cent, of cream and the latter ""it! per cent. The farmers had plenty of time to tamper with the night's milk. Thusit was ea.-y to -co how some of his loss was made up. Soon afterwards the Bahcock te-ter lame into vogue, and thee ■'' :! - '■"';'■;• for him. hoi. the farmers all nil,; -ii,l (lie I'.abcock was all wrong. (Jf coui'.ie!

As showing the popularity of the NewPlymouth bench, it may be mentioned, that parties from as far south as--1 almcrston North are camping along th» beach for the holidays.

This season's crop of grass seed on Ranks' Peninsula is estimated at 35,000 sacks, as against 85,0.00 sacks harvested last year. The shortage will mean an. enhanced demand for good seed. Already offers for good seed have been made at (id to 71d per lb—that is, for 121b to 141b seed. The reports generally concerning the cocksfoot harvest are not reassuring by any means.

On Saturday Mr. Chong gave some interesting reminiscences of the erection of the lust butter factory in Taranaki at Jiltham. He had decided to have the factory's machinery driven by water power, and to obtain the necessary power a tunnel had to be driven. This was let to contractors, who, however, encountered so many big rocks that they gave up the job. Mr. Chong, however, nothing daunted, undertook the work himself, and his quaint description very much amused those present. He said he ordered about 401b of dynamite and went into the tunnel himself. As lie had been informed that dynamite was better if kept warm, he always carried his supply in his trousers' pocket. Many were horrified, and told him he would be blown up—but he was not. Moreover, he succeeded in putting the tunnel through, although it was a tremendously difficult job. There was a fair attendance at the Franklcy road schoolroom last night at a meeting convened for the purpose of considering the advisability of holding a Prankley road and Wcstown combined picnic. Mr. H. Okey, M.P., presided. The meeting was unanimously in favor, and it was resolved to hold a picnic in paddocks lent by Messrs. Okey and Cole, on Thursday, March 2. The following officers were elected:— President, Mr. H. Okey, M.P., vice-presidents, Messrs Wade, Winfleld and Burrows; committee, Messrs Bendall (chairman), Garcia, Allen, Heal, Grant, Leighton, Downes, H. Crozier, Tippins, Eaglefleld, J. H. Frethey, H. Potter, Daly, Lovell, V. C. Davies, and Landers, with power to add; executive, Messrs. Garcia, Grant, Leighton, and the chairman and secretary. Preliminary arrangements were discussed, and a further meeting will be held on Monday evening to arrange details.