LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 162, 8 January 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At Gisborne on New Year's Day the railway traffic was the biggest on record. To what extent a family may multiply within the period of a single lifetime is shown by the case of an oldtiiae Lady Semple of Stow, who nursed her seven hundredth descendant before* she died; ajid even more striking is the famous Kentucky family of Webb, of whom three brothers, and as many sisters, all living a few years ago, counted their descendants to the amazing number of 1650.

According to the Motueka Star, Mr. T. W. Kirk, Director of Orchards, has been definitely authorised to inform the secretary of the Motueka District Fruitgrowers' Union: (1) That a bonus of £SO will fee given to each ship which lands her cargo of New Zealand apples in London in good order, provided (2) each, shipments shall consist of not less than 2000 cases, and (3) that the bonus applies only to shipments sent under the Government guarantee. A passenger by one of Friday's trains to Levin left his notebook containing £SO in bank notes in the carriage. Fortunately they were shortly afterwards found by the local railway officials and placed in safe 'custody. The passenger did not notice he had lost his notes until in Levin, and he immediately communicated with various authorities. The Levin post office telephoned to a number of stations in the lime, with the result that the passenger later received his pocket book intact.

During December at the local abattoirs there were 'slaughtered for local consumption 51 cows, 73 bullocks, 15 calves, 478 sheep, 368 lambs, 136 pigs and 5 Suckers. Ninety-five tripes and 2 calves' heads were cleaned. Compared with the corresponding month of last year this shows an increase of 4 calves and! 3 pigs > and a decrease of 9 cattle, 50 sheep, 47 lambs, and 8 tripes. Two sheep and 5 pigs wiere condemned; Twelve cows' and 9 bulls were slaughtered for export, of which 2 bulls were condemned. Fees received amounted to £llß 13s 9d, a decrease of £4 5s 9d on the corresponding month of last year. . A return made by the Borough Council compares the estimated receipts and expenditure for the year ending December 31 with the actual receipts and expenditure to that date. The estimate of receipts up to March 31 was £18,322, while the actual amount received to the end of December was £16,859. The estimate for drainage fees was £75, but up to the present £lB9 has been received. The estima'te for extra water supplies was £IBSO, and £1944 has already been received. The estimated expenditure, to- the end of March was ■£lßii9o; the amount paid to the end of December was £15.956. The estimate for street labor and metal was £2200, and £2361 has already been spent. The sum of £IOO was set down for sundries, and £259 has been expended. Bank interest and charges were estimated at £2OO, but up to the present only £27 lis 'has been paid. Mr. Morris Fox, editor of the Government Insurance Recorder, tells a good joke at the expense of Dunedin in the latest issue of that journal. A man from Dunedin once visited the town of Wellington. Ah Irish friend insisted upon the visitor staying at his house instead of at. an hotel, and kept him there a month, playing the host in detail, even to treating him to the theatres and other amusements, paying all the cab fares and the rest. . When the visitor was returning to Dunedin, the Irishman saw him down to the steamer, and they went into the saloon to have a parting drink. "What'U you have?" asked the host, continuing his hospitality to the very last. "Now. look here," said the man from Dunedin, "I'll ha'e nae mair o' this. Here ye've been keepin' me at yer hoose -for a month, an' payin' for a' the theatres ajj' cabs an' drinks—l tell ye I'll stan' nae mair o' it! We'll just'hae a toss for thig ane!" The return of four members of the Young Maori Party should mark a distinct advance in the methods and ideals of native representation in Parliament (says the Auckland Observer). Maori members have been handicapped in the past by their ignorance of, or indifference to, Pakeha ways and the English language. Now, for the first time on record, there will ibe four Maori M.Pl's who will be able to dispense with the services of an interpreter. They are not likely .to confine their interest to native affairs; they can give keen attention to matters of general legislation. Three of them are university graduates, and they will be able to bring trained and cultivated intellects to bear upon matters before the House. In mental calibre and attainments they will be more tha.n the peers of the average European member. If pur All-White M.P.'s were only equal to the Brown members in this respect we. would have something like a model Parliament.

The decisions of members of the unpaid magistracy are often sneered at and described ironically as "justice's justice," but, considering the season of the year and all the circumstances of a ease that came before three Auckland Justices this week, it is doubtful whether the sternest and most severe advocates .of the carrying out of the strict letter of the law would blame them for administering with a distinctly useful kind of clemency. A respectable-look-ing young fellow admitted that he had under provocation been guiltv of a by no means serious breach of the peace. Someonej who was not before the court, had given him what he described as a on the ear," and he retaliated by "punching the bloke's head" with some heartiness. The Bench held that it would be unwise to convict the young fellow, so they ordered him to contribute £1 towards the funds of the Auckland Hospital, an alternative to which ho gladly assented. Some important railways reforms were foreshadowed by the Hon. J. A. Millar at a meeting in Dunedin. He mentioned that instructions had already been given to fit the second-class carriages with the cross seats now in use in the first-class, and to provide separate conveniences for females. He was prepared to exempt all children under five years of age from payment of fares, and to [ favorably consider the matter of halffares between five amftwelve years, but he could not see his way to' «\w the police the benefit of free passes, though he would extend the privilege of a firstclass pass to all railway men who had been in the employ of the State for .twenty years and over. The list of persons entitled to free passes was sufficiently heavy already, and he wished the taxpayer to understand clearly that if the railways were meant to pay their way he must be assisted in resisting the demands of this nature. He was determined that the users of the railways and not the general taxpayers should pay equitably for the privileges they enjoyed. Three doctors from over the sea, After trying their pills upon me,' Said "Laxo-Tonic prevails, Where our skill often fails, You'd better try them and see." Laxo-Tonic Pills, 10% d and Is 6d.—Obtainable at Bullock and Johnston's.

It is reported that there is a. movement afoot to corner the fat cattle trade of Taranaki.

Dairy herds in the Manawatii district are stated to be fairly free from contagious, mammitis this season. A league of men who undertake never to be_seen with a woman wearing a hobhleokU't has been formed at Milan. Germany now has seventeen dirigible balloons, all of which belong to the army, There are nho six privately-owned airships in Berlin. The Turkish Minister for War last week asked the Chamber of Deputies to grant him a credit of £5,000,000 to meet the expenses of the war with Italy. It is estimated that it will cost not less than £OOO to repair the damage done to city property by the recent floods in' Woodhsugh and the NorthEast Valley, Dunedin. That prices of land are going up solidly in Southland is evidenced by the fact that as much as £23 and £24 per acre has been given for areas of 300 and 400 acres thirty miles from Invercargill. Rabbits have had a very, favorable season in the Wairarapa, and have greatly increased in numbers in some parts. Poisoning operations will be later this year, owing to the growth of grass making it practically useless to lay poison. ' A considerable number of the dairy and other farmers of Waverley are at present engaged in making ensilage (writes the Pa tea Press). This is in consequence of the unsettled weather, which has made hay-making a risky proposition. ; ~ A definite assurance has been given by the representatives of an English syndicate that, should the New Plymouth petroleum investments prove successful, money will be provided for the development of the oil areas in the Moiterton district over which options have been taken.—Wairarapa exchange. An angler at Peterborough obtained a wasp's nest containing a large number of grubs, and placed the nest in the kitchen oven to kill the grubs. The next morning he went to get the grubs, but on opening the oven door a swarm of wasps flew out. The oven was not hot enough to kill the grubs, but was sufficiently warm to hatch them. The slightly open door of a local warehouse at a. late hour last night aroused the suspicions of our alert nightwatchman. Visions of burglars at once flashed- across his mind, and he proceeded to cautiously investigate. It was, however, nothing more serious than the presence of one of the staff, who was working by candle-light preparing his samples for an early start the following morning.

It is rumored (says the Observer) that C. H. Poole, who was shot out of the City West constitutency by J. H. Bradney, is about-to return to Yankeeland. It is said that he has been appointed lecturer over there for a certain tourist and immigration agency, at a salary amounting, in English money, to something like £ls a week. The engagement,, it is stated, is for three seasons, whatever that mav mean.

An ex-Canterbury man says he never thought Taranaki could produce anything in the way of cereal crops until he saw some wheat and oat crops two miles on the other side of Waitara. These, he states, are magnificent and compare more than favorably with the 1 best, he lias Sieen in Canterbury. The farmers in the 'Waitara district are firmbelievers in the advantages of fertilisers, and the,fine crops .referred to are the results of the liberal use of'basic slag. An observant English visitor, who is now touring New Zealand, says he has been immensely impressed with the possibilities of Canada. Already it was a great factor in the*wheat market, and its trade was developing in a remarkable fashion. The recent change of Government, far from having any serious effect, seemed to be responsible for renewed energy in many of the most important Departments of the Public Service, and the settlement of land especially was go* ing ahead at an astonishing rate."

. The "Prince of Wales Feathers" and "horse-shoe" ferns which grow in such profusion in the grounds of Messrs. Sole bros., "Aptea," have never looked more magnificent then they do at the present time. Not only are the varieties mentioned so fine, but the whole of the ferns and ithe shrubs are a picture to see. It is no wonder that the grounds are very popular with visitors, and hundreds of people have been in the grounds during the past few weeks, and many are the appreciative remarks placed in the visitors' book. It i« understood that a band concert is> be held there shortly.

If there is no hitch in the engineer's plans, in all probability vessels will be passing .through the Panama, Canal in less than two years from now. Anticipating the opening of the new route to the East,' a British syndicate has, it is said, purchased Fanning and Washington Islands, in mid-Pacific, with the intention of establishing there a coaling-sta-tion for steamers. The United States, which already possesses Hawaii, ideally situated on the Panama-Yokohama route, has been looking about for other desirable Pacific islands for a naval base, and (recently made Ecuador a tempting offer for -the Galapagos group, which lie about a thousand miles off the Pacific entrance to the canal, but the offer was declined.

The Abors are of an extremely independent and democratic nature. Each village is a little republic in itself and makes its own laws by the vote of the majority. The villages are collections of from 30 to 250 houses, situated, as a rule, on a spur. The houses are built of large rough-hewn,planks on "changs" or platforms, with low-thatched roofs the eaves of which come down to the platform. The pigs of the village live under the houses, and their scavenging in the only form of sanitation these people possess. In the centre of each village is a large hut, sometimes over 50 yards long with several fireplaces in it, which is used as a guest-house and council-chamber, as well as barracks in which the bachelors sleep, whose duty it is to guard the village at night and turn the inhabitants out for work in the morning. In it the village elders meet daily to discuss matters of State, and issue orders for the work of the community for the next day.

The man who is always the mos,t pressed for time is generally he who has in* least to do. i

It is rumored that a well-known business man of Wellington has "skipped by the light of. thei moon," leaving numerous creditors as well as a wife and family unprovided for.

Resolutions were passed by a great meeting of Scottish fishermen at Yarmouth towards the end of November calling on the State to grant loans to enable fishermen to acquire steam and motor craft. ■

An heir to estates valued at £17,400,000, for whom the British Government and the Dukes of Marlborough and Devonshire have been searching, has been found and turns out to be Joseph Coila, a carpenter living at Brooklyn. Coila i»' 05 years of age.

A large codfish, weighing 301b, was captured off Queenstown harbor a few weeks ago. In its gut was found a leather purse containing two sixpenny pieces, which were quite bright. It is supposed that the purse was accidentally dropped by a passenger on an Atlantic liner. '

The dredge Paritutu left for Wellington on Saturday morning for Wellington, where it is to go on the patent slip and be cleaned. Thewessel reached its destination at 0 a.m. yesterday—about six ■ hOurs ahead of the time it was anticipated it would take. The weather was.. entirely favorable. It is stated that the Board of Supervisors paid Detective William J. Burns. £IO,OOO for the work he accomplished in running down and arresting the Mc- , Xamaras in connection with the dynamite disaster at the Los Angeles, Times. ' office. Another version states that the reward was £IOOO.

Although the diphtheria epidemic about Sydney has now lasted for about two years, it is still fairly severe in its i»cide»ce, and there are about. 100 cases, in the Metropolitan Hospital, When the 1 epidemic was at its height the patients* numbered about ISO. A few cases arestill being reported from the country districts of New South Wales.

The suggestion that the lifebuoy recently found on the west coast of the North Island came from the long-missing--steamer Waratah is not accepted by many prominent shipping men in Auckland. In any case several other vessels /. in Australian waters bear the same naui«>. as the fine Blue Anchor liner which has long been given up as lott. There is a feeling in shipping circles in Sydney that the large quantity of drifting wreckage and cargo passed by the .steamer Kapunda recently is from the ■, barque Kilmallie. This vessel is now / . over 130- days out from Liverpool, and would more than probably carry cargo*, of the description recently seen. This one not only took the biscuit; hut the whole tin: A young woman entered a. restaurant in Vienna recently, and seated herself at a table opposite a man and his wife, who were total strangers to her. After disposing of a substantial luncheon she rose, shook hands with the woman, nodded to the man, and passed! out, explaining at the desk that he* friends would settle the bill!

' "I wish .the crowds would be a little more responsive when the winner is not a New Zealander," said Mr. Parkinson, manager of the Victorian athletic team competing at t)he championships, at a smoke concert at Wellington.' He added thrit the performances of New Zealanders were always as heartily applauded in Australia' as those' of the Australians. That was what he liked to see in crowd* wherever he went. '

It may not be generally known (say* an exchange) that chimney soot is valuable as a manure and as an insecticide. Its fertilising properties are particularly ndted in gardens and meadows. In connection with the vineyard industry in Southern France it is stated that it kills the phylloxera with the rapidity of a stroke of lightning, and at the same time endows the vines with, extraordinary energy of growth.' Moral: Save your soot.

A native orator who was airing his political views at the Tauherenikau races on Monday, remarked that he was ''the friend* of Jimmy Carroll," and then went on to say that he had been asked to stand for Parliament as a supporter of Mr. Massey, and he thought he would be a candidate at the next election as the "first Maori straight-out Masseyite." If he got into Parliament the first mattet he would look into was, who was th« real owner of the Tauherenikau racecourse,'as he claimed that it did not belong to the Racing Club, but to some ancient Maori chief.

Some idea of the cost of producing cinematographic films was recently given by Mr. E. J. Sohn, representing the United States Amusements, Ltd. "The Fall of Troy," .which was shown here some time ago, cost, before a photograph was taken, about £15,000. "Captain Kate," another picture seen here, coat about £20,000, while, says Mr. Sohn, one film will be shortly produced which represents an initial outlay of about £30,000. And yet Mr. Sohn says the business has only begun to scratch and that its future expansion is beyond the idea of anybody.

One of tke wire baskets that are placed in Devon street by the borough authorities for the reception of stray paper, banana peelings, and other trifles, was put to a peculiar use on Saturday evening, when a well known native, on whom the unwonted sun had evidently taken effect, deposited himself therein, and was soon fast asleep. There he remained for, some few minutes—fortunately no man in blue passed meantime —until some of his dusky brethren arrived, and, after considerable trouble, aroused him and led him away to some more secluded nook where he could enj«y his repose in'comfort. A dairy farmer from America, who is' visiting the Palmerston North district at present, states that maize, when stored in the same manner as hay, makes an excellent winter fodder for cows, and is largely used in that manner in the United States. It should be cut, he states,, just when the covering of the cob is turning yellow, and then put into stooks for four or five weeks. After that it can be either stacked or put into a shed, the latter for preference. If it is stacH- f ed great care must be taken to see that the stack is properly topped, otherwise the wet will penetrate and spoil the whole crop. Having been treated in the way mentioned it can be kept for months and fed to the stock at any time.—Standard.