LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 44, 14 August 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Patea Waterside Workers' Union has cancelled its' registration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. The amount of the special collections at St. Mary's Church on the Cth mst in aid of the Maori Missions Fund was £25 10s 2d. . "I have never lost. anything at all while in business," said a bankrupt at a meeting of creditors at Gisborne. "No, we know you haven't, but,we have," but torted a creditor.. • . Football practices for the season are practically over. Visitors to Western Park and residents in the' locality ask us to suggest to footballers that they erect a shed on the Tukapa practice ground, a borough reserve,' if it is to be used for Sunday morning practices next year. The player's may not object to changing in the open, but others have to be considered. The final meeting of the Irish delegates local committee was held on Saturday night. The donations have been large enough to enable the committee to pay all expenses and to forwird £IOO to the treasurer of the fund, Mr. Martin Kennedy, Wellington. Special thanks were tendered to the press for assistance and the puiblic for their liberal donations. Frankley Road residents, who have organised a Settlers' Association, are moving in the matter of assisting the Agricultural Society in the erection of the King George Agricultural Hall, in which to hold the annual winter shows and allied exhibitions. With this end in view a concert and dance is to be held in the school hall to-morrow evening. The cause is a good one. The spirit shown by the settlers is praiseworthy. The concert itself, wc are assured, will be a good one, and first-class arrangements arc made for the dance. We trust the support accorded the promoters will be liberal, and that they will consequently be able to hand over to the Society a substantial cash balance wherewith to advance the project which it has taken in hand, and which must be for the advancement of the whole district. Members of the BopiitdMg Building Society of New Plymouth (First and Second Groups) are notified tkat subscriptions will %e dtte and payable today (Monday), at the Secretary's office, Ourrie-street, from 9 ajn. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.—Advt

Nothing has been done to improve the Brougham entrance to Marsland Hill. At this time of year, or after rain has fallen, it is almost unnegotiable. The Tauranga Times appeared last week as an eight-page paper. We congratulate the proprietor (Mr. J. H. Clayton, for a long time associated with Taranaki newspapers) on his enterprise, which in such a progressive district as Taurangi can hardly help being amply rewarded.

The Mayor of Invercargill (Mr W. A. Ott) estimates that during the present financial year buildings to the value of £IOO,OOO will be erected in the borough. Last year, the amount expended in this direction was £OB,OOO, and Mr Ott has stated that he considers that indications justify his prediction. The water rate is based on the capital value, and taking this at 6 per cent, and the rate at only 5 per cent, an increased revenue of £3OO would result.

Some excellent potato digging records have been established in the western and southern districts this season under the stimulus of Od per l>ag paid for the work (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph). They pale, however, in comparison with those put up in a contest for the championship of Dungaree (Vic.) the other day. Two diggers dug and bagged 99 bags of marketable potatoes in eight hours, while the losers accounted for 90 bags. The match was held in a crop which yielded six tons to the acre.

Progress for August contains a reference to the most important town-plan-ning operatibn of modern times, viz., the planning of the Commonwealth capital, describing the terms of the competition offered to-architects, ami a picture of the model of the site. The >a«hting pages have a spirited illustration taken at sea of the winner of the last ocean race, making fine weather of the heavy blow in which the race was sailed. There is a fine description (by Mr. L. Moore) of the electric power installation at Trollhattan, in Sweden. Views of the launch of the 'Titanic" (taken specially for the paper) are of great interest. The njotor pages contain the account of a climb to the summit of Ben Nevis by a motor car. Thd'main interest of the number is arelu'tectural, and that is maintained by some remarkable original articles, one on 1 town-planning, and some illustrations, all above the average achieved in the past by this interesting periodical. ■A notable droving feat is reported from New South Wales. A run-holder near Yass found himself in an awkward predicament. The snow threatened the lives of, his large mob of tattle, over a thousand head, and an attempt was made to get them out of jeopardy. The rescuers, a number of expert drovers, prepared an outfit resembling that of a Polar expedition, including a full stock of snawshoes, the locality A>cing in the vicinity of the Brindabella Mountains, on which phenomenally heavy snow had •fallen. All along the route by which the cattle were to he taken deep snow drifts had to be negotiated, tlje shallowest portion being 2ft deep. The drovers started the strongest of the cattle to break a path through the snow, the mob travelling in single tile in a procesBion four miles in length. The 'journey was necessarily a slow one, besides being •cold and perilous, sleep "being a matter of impossibility, as the cattle had to be kept moving, and when a lower and -warmer country was reached the cattle and drovers rested four days. Their intended destination was finally reached without'the loss of a single head.'