LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 60, 1 September 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A hundred yearling cattle were shipped last night to Auckland, per s.s. Rarawa.

" "lis an ill wind that blows 110 ont» good." The last shipment of cheese from the Cardiff factory was held up by the strike in London. The price when it arrived was 00s Cd, but when the shipment was sold the price had risen to 665.

One of those who had the good fortune ,to draw a Mackenzie Country run has already, says the Tirnaru Herald, refused £4OOO for the goodwill of it, though he has not spent a penny on it, and has not even entered into possession yet.

The auctioneering, produce and land business carried on for several years in Stratford by Mr. J. D. Morison, and later by Messrs. Kemp and Sawle, has now been purchased by Messrs. Lamason and Melville, both well-known residents of Stratford;

It ie interesting to compare the different prices of gas in different parts ot the world. In New York the price per 1000 feet is 3s 4d, while in Chicago it is 3s 6 ! /.>d. The rates are fixed in some towns annually, in San* Francisco for instance. In Sydney, where a private company has a monopoly, the rate is higher than in most of the large American and English cities, in the latter case municipal ownership being almost universal.

There are about 350 varieties of the pigeon known to breeders of these birds, said Professor Thomas in course of a lecture at Auckland. These varieties, which vary in the most remarkable ways, have all been produced by artificial breeding from a single species, the blue roek-pigieon. The pigeon was quoted by the lecturer as a remarkable example of the yay in which the selection of variations frotm the original type in a creature of brief generations can effect radical changes from the type. An eighteen-months-old child that wandered away from its home yesterday caused its mother an anxious two ot three? hours yesterday morning. After some frantic searching, the police were communicated with. Systematic searching of the neighborhood discovered the youngster happily playing in a back yard some distance away. It appears that some kindly disposed person had found the infant wandering, and had taken it in for safety. It would save considerable worry if , persons finding straying children would at once intimate the fact to tile police, who are usually acquainted of the loss by the owners, and could thus quickly adjust matters. There were twenty-two members present at the monthly meeting of tlio W.'C.T.U. on Wednesday, held in the Baptist Church. One new member was received. Votes of sympathy were passed to Mrs. T. E. Taylor, Mrs. Tisch and .Mr. Griffiths and family. Two ladies were appointed to meet the committee who wished to form a temperance reference library. A committee was arranged to look after the refreshments for the No-License League Social to be held in the Good Templars' Hall on September 7. Miss Taunt, one of the appointed delegates to the Provincial Convention, gave a report of the meetings held at Ngaere, which were well attended by visitors from as far south as Wanganui. The increase of membership throughout the district had been 148 for the year, and 2f>6 children's names had hooji added to the cradle-roll. Four new branches had been formed—at Waverley, Otakcho, Korito and Warea. Miss

Ambury was appointed to receive any subscriptions from members to the T. E. Taylor Memorial Fund. The Y branch is doing good work by furnishing musical programmes for tiie campaign meetings, and in other ways. Tt is thought desirable that fortnightly meetings he held while there is so much business to be transacted. A good report was given of the Carrington Road meeting held last Thursday. Mr. Dawson, secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, is expected to be present at the social in the Good Templars' Hall on September 7. The Opunake Times is early in the field with a prediction concerning the election of a member for Egmont, and 1 plumps for the sitting member. The i paper says: —All sorts of things were prophesied of Mr. Dive prior to his election, but his actions, strict attcn- ! tion to his parliamentary duties, his I uniform courtesy to all who have needed his help, have given general satisfaction, ( and have made him popular throughout the electorate. He has spared neither time nor •money in advocating the interests of the district, and has well ' earned the confidence of his constituj ent>. This being so, his position is , strong, and deservedly so. The action, | therefore, of trying (o bring in an out- | -iider to thrash him reminds us of the boy who cheeks the other boy until he gets a dressing down, and then runs awav for his big brother to come and thresh the offender. It would be interesting to see Mr. Mackenzie in the. contest. because we are quite satisfied that the party which returned Mr. Dive is quite able to repeat the dose. He was returned to knock Mr. Mackenzie and his party out, and we do not think there are any so devoid of principle as to turn their coats merely because he is a 'Minister, who cannot offer himself for election to the people he knows and who know him best, and consequently has to seek a resting place amongst strangers. Tn our opinion, if he is induced to stand here, when the election is over there will he a vacancy in the Cabinet.