LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 325, 12 June 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Borough Council meets this evening. It is understood that the two vacancies on the New Plymouth High School Board have not yet been filled. Messrs. Sanderson and Griffiths, architects, have accepted the tender of Mr, Colin S. Walker for the Kaponga Methodist Church.

Two sharp shocks of earthquake were felt at Xciv Plymouth on Saturday night, the first occurring at !U5 and the second at 10,35, both being of exceptional severity. Forty-eight men over the age of 30 years have signed the application to the Defence Department ■ for the formation of the Guards Rifle Club. Their average age is 42 years, and the average length of service nine years.

Messrs. J. R. Hill and S. J. Smith were in great form at cake-selling at the ivinter sliow on Saturday, and ran out of cake before the afternoon was over. It was a very payable proposition, the coin-besprinkled currant cake yielding upwards of £2O clear; but, look at the fun it caused!

The chilircn's free guessing competition at tin.' winter show, the object being to estimtite the number of seeds in a big pum/>kin on exhibition, was closed on Saturday. Miss Lizzie Lawrence, of Durham road, and Miss Evelyn Englefleld, li'rankley road, divided the first prize. Misses E. Bedford, of Westown, and Miss Doris Brown, of New Plymouth, were equal for the second prize, and five were even for third money, as fol'bws: Frank Cummins, Edgar Martin, Ella Orchard, C. Hooker, and C. Pellew.

At the winter show, right opposite the table on which were placed excellent specimens of crochet, etc., ol nearly half a century ago, was seen a modern knitting machine hard at work. To the mother—or, more likely, grandmother—who spends days and nights in knitting a few pairs of hose for the family, this machine, the "Beehive," comes as a revelation. Mrs. J. E. Rowlands, of Kent road, who had charge of it, .turned out men's socks at the rate of a pair in twenty minutes, ladies' hose occupying about twice as long.

At the Patea Harbor Board meeting the Kaupokonui tramway scheme was discussed by the members. In reply to Mr. Barton, who said the Opunake railway was practically relegated to the remote future, Mr. Pearce, M.P., stated, in his opinion, notwithstanding the statements made recently by the Minister for Public Works, that the railway would be authorised within a year or so. He thought it would be a false step on the part of the Board to advocate the tramway until the route of the railway was settled He admired the stand Mr. Barton was taking in regard to the tramway, and if they could not get the railway then the tramway would be of service to the Board, but he felt sure the railway would be authorised in the course of a rear or two.

The programme for the "Round the Mountain Road Race" on August 17th, for prizes totalling about £3OO, has now been issued, it is confidently anticipated that entries will be received from Australia and all parts of New Zealand to the number of not less than 200. So far the local committee has met with encouraging success in raising funds, and over £OO is now promised in cash. It is estimated, to provide for contingencies, that £IOO should be in hand, and an energetic effort to raise this amount is to be made. Mr. Saunders, of the Biograph Pictures, has kindly offered to put on a special programme next Wednesday night, when Mrs. George's orchestra will provide u special musical programme. In all probability other items will be included to mako the programme as attractive as possible. Tickets are now on sale ami being liberally bought, and it is hoped that the fund will benefit considerably. The race promises to be a splendid advertisement for New Plymouth, and is already being paragraphed in the sporting columns of papers all over the Dominion.

BUSINESS SUCESS, it lias hecn said, is largelv due to one's judgment in utilising the ablity of auxiliaries. When you employ an organisation such as the New Zealand Express Co. to do your customs, carrying and forwarding work you got the benefit of specialists—trained men who devote all their time to these departments. Your work is well done and economically done. Necessarily, the New Zealand Express Co. ar= top in rlmir '••in._A«i v t. WINTER COUGHS are dangerous without you stamp them out quickly. What to'use mav puzzle you, hut we are never disappointed by recommending our subscribers to use the old tried remedy, Chamberlain's Cough Remedy. Sold by all chemists and storekeepers.

A young stag that has evidently strayed away from its usual haunts'ha* been recently on the Kumeroa-Wood-ville-road running with some cattle. This is the first stag that has been eeen there.

A "kissing gallery"—a balcony specially arranged for people who come to meet friends or relatives—is one of tut striking innovations of a new railway station which is now in course of erection in New York,.

From the Petone Chronicle: Mr. D. J. Nathan has informed the press thai there is a butter ring in Wellington formed for the purpose of keeping up prices. He Says it can be broken down by importing butter from Australia, where the product is cheap just now. Unfortunately the butter ring is protected against the public by a duty 01 20 per cent. The same old story!"

The Hon. H. McKenzie mentioned ai the Gabriel's Gully gathering that the first gold discovered in New Zealand was at Shortland Creek, Coromandel, when Bishop Selwyn arranged with the Maoris for permission for Europeans to work. The next find was in Nelson in 1857. Nearly 78 millions' worth of gold has been produced in New Zealand, and of that total Otago has produced about 28 millions' worth.

The heavy wind yesterday raised a big sea on the Manukau bar, and the Earawa and Corinna, arriving at the heads during the afternoon were not expected to cross the bar till eight o'clock. The Home liner lying off Waitara was compelled to leave her moorings, and steamed across the front of New Plymouth during the morning. An auxiliary schooner anchored in the lee of the breakwater for shelter.

One of his fellow-passengers, across from Xew York to liondon, in proposing a vote of thanks to Sir Joseph Ward for his excellent address, said he hoped to visit New Zealand, but that country was in one respect like Heaven—it was rather hard to get there. .Sir Joseph, in replying, remarked, amid laughter, that there was another place popularly supposed to be only too easy to get to, but that place was certainly not NewZealand.

Mr. Hearst, of yellow journal fame, has made a descent on English journalism. He is already in possession of one London weekly, and is now negotiating for the acquisition of an evening paper, with the probability of also obtaining a morning paper of his own. It is announced that his object in starting newspapers in England is not so much to add to his already colossal fortune as to provide a eentul European bureau for the Hearst news service, which must have more outlets. The danger of youngsters playing with dynamite detonators was demonstrated at the Waiongona school one day last week. A lad named Horace Lumsden was playing with a dynamite cap that he had found, when another lad procured a lighted stick from the school fireplace. The firestick was applied to the cap, with the result that the boy Lumsden had portions of a thumb and two fingers blown from his hand. The boy i 9 now being treated at the New Plymouth Hospital.

The annual meeting of the United Friendly Societies' Association was held at Stratford on Thursday. The yearly report stated that there was a credit balance of nearly £lO. The report said it was a matter for regret that lodges did not respond as heartily as they might have done to the appeal for funds, but it was hoped that this'year every lodge affiliated will hold a be-ielit function of some sort. The Stafford, El-, tham, Kaponga, and Te Kiri lodges were the only ones who responded, and they together raised the sum of £lB, which helped materially to place the Association in its present position. A small committee of the executive met the Taranaki Boards at a conference at Stratford, and the result was a reduction in hospital charges to 4s fid per day. The sum of £SSS was paid for maintenance to the following hospitals during the year: Xew Plymouth, Wellington, Rawcne, Stratford, Hamilton, Hokianga, Mercury Ba.V. and Rotorua Sanatorium. The following officers were elected:—President, Mr. Kivell (Oddfellows, Stratford); vicepresident. Mr. Melville (Oddfellows, Kaponga): committee. Messrs. Henderson, Spurdle, Lot* and Burne; secretary, Mr. F. Amoore (re-elected). Mr, AYhiteford (Eltham) declined nomination as a member of the executive, and the above were elected without a ballot.

Fifty years ago, on June 3, 1801, Her Majesty's steam transport Prince Arthur arrived in New Plymouth from Bombay with a detachment of the "Die Hards," the 57th Regiment, and their wives and families. Another portion of the regiment had arrived in the Star Queen and Castilian previously. The Prince Arthur brought 107 men, 44 wives, and 73 children. Brevet-Major Hassard was in command, and under hiin were the late Sir Robert Douglas, Lieutenants Acheson and McClintock, and Captain Clark. Major Hassard was killed in battle with the Maoris at Ototuku. The transport called in at Auckland for orders on her way to New Plymouth, and the Auckland daily, the Southern Cross, described her as the finest boat that had entered Waitcmata harbor. The vessel was 225 ft. long, 1200 tons register, with auxiliary screw. The company of children was delighted to find on arrival that none of their parents, who had preceded them to the Taratmki war. had been killed (in the first war). Amongst those of the Prince Arthur's complement resident in Wellington are Colonel R. J. Collins. V.D., 1.5.0.. and his two sisters; Miss Molloy, and Mr. Samuel Hill, .T.P., of the Valuation Department. In Taranaki there are surviving Messrs. J. R. Hill, .T.P.. New Plymouth; John Staspoole, New Plymouth; R. O'Donnell. Tongapnrutu: and Martin Molloy, Kent road, New Plymouth. Others are Sergeant Martin Stagpoole, Police Department, Christchurcli; A. H. Bosworth, Bunk of New Zealand. Christehurch; W. H. Foster, Wnnganui; McCrea. the wellknown .Tersev breeder at Palmerston North; Alfred Batten, Otaki: Mrs. ITpvwood and her sister, Mrs. Batten, Tnvercargill. Of the mothers on that vessel the only known survivors in the Dominion are Mrs. Hnnla-chnn. New Plymouth, and Mrs. Foster. Wanenmii. Sir Kenneth Douglas, of Wellington, is a son of the late Sir Robert Douglas. The late Mr. W. Bell, of Halcombc, war. also on the vessel.—Evening Post. MILITARY OVERCOATS. ARRIVAL OF A SECOND SHIPMENT. The Melbourne Clothing Company, Ltd., has much pleasure in announcing the arrival of a second consignment of clean, specially selected, British Army ridinsr coats, with good long capes, as issued to the Royal Field Artillery. These famous coats are the kind known as "first grade" and are the very best of their kind supplied by the British Government to its forces both at home and abroad. These coats are ug, doubtedly the ideal coats for farrne* and others exposed to cold and rain. We have only 100 coats in this shipment, and they are sure to be "birds of passage" in our three Tarannki stores. We have, ton, on the best authority that the sale of these coats by the army stores is likely soon to be stopped, so we would advise intending buyers to make early nnplication to either of the Melbourne's three stores—New Plymouth, Stratford, nnd Elt.ham. Prices as usual—the lowest in Taranaki.