LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 154, 28 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Old-age pensioners are reminded that their pensions for December will be paid at the usual place to-morrow (Friday), A first offending inebriate was convicted and discharged at the court yesterday morning by Mr. Hickman Russell, J.P. While fishing on the beach near Waikanae a few days ago a visitor lost a gold watch and chain, valued at between £2O and £3O. Despite vigilant search, no sign of the missing articles were found. At Alberta, one of the Canadian provinces. several beet sugar factories are in course of construction, meaning a great help to the farmers, as they are guaranteed not less than £1 per ton for their sugar beet. A lady resident of Rangiora recently had the misfortune to break her arm in a very singular manner. She was driving in a vehicle, and a dog ruslied out, and when endeavoring to hit the dog with the whip she struck lier arm against the splashboard, breaking the limb. A well known coastal native was sitting down in a doorway in Devon street after the races yesterday evening, when he was accosted by a friend anxious to learn how he had fared at the races. "Too much te. lose," was the disconsolate reply. "That te way I tiTed." No further developments have occurred in connection with the Napier borough safe robbery. The amount found by the message boy was £52 l!)s 4d. It was found in a foolscap envelope, and though there was such. a large amount, the packet was not heavy, there being a number of notes in the package. The sum was done up in envelopes, the borough employees' names being written thereon. A little amusement was caused on the racecourse yesterday, when the clerk of the course was chasing two small dogs. One escaped the lash of the whip by crawling under the fence, but the other got confused, and made for an opening a long distance off. The crowd joined in the fun, and watched the man in scarlet chasing the dog. Having been overtaken, the dog turned sharply round, and the whip getting entangled gave it its only chance, aiid it got to safety before its pursuer could again give chase. Some old colonists in this district may recollect the Eureka fight, which took place between the diggers and the 14th Regiment at the Eureka stockade, Ballarat, on December 3, 1854. Twenty-five of the diggers lost their lives, and 13 soldiers. There is still one man living in Wellington who was present at the stockade when it was attacked by the troops —namely, Captain John Simmonds. He was within a few yards of Peter Lalor when lie was shot down. Mr. J. Brown, of Upper Tlutt, attended many of the diggers' meetings that led up to the riot. Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, had quite a scare recently on its becoming known that a rabbit had been seen in the township. The rabbit inspector reported having had a great hunt for the intruder, having been xvatelling for it day and night, three men having been engaged to unearth it, but without success. Eventually it was shot as it ran under a house. The excitement could scarcely have been greater had it been a tiger that was at large, instead of a rabbit. A small quantity of seed of the frost and drought-resistant 'Siberian lucerne (Mediacago falcata), collected by Professor Hansen in Siberia, has been received by the Agricultural Department from the United States Department of Agriculture (says the Farmers' Union Advocate). This lucerne, which grows naturally in localities of very limited rainfall, and where the winter temperature falls as low as 30 degrees below zero, will probably prove of value in the cold and arid region of Central Otago. It is proposed to grow this plant in the experimental farms until a sufficient amount of seed is available for demonstration work.

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