LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 107, 13 January 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"According to our balance-sheet, we are working for the Government," remarked the president of the Masterton Racing Club. "They made a profit of £l3l, and we made a loss." Several farmers in the Masterton district intend threshing their crops from the stook. The majority, however, are stacking. One settler estimates that his oat crop will produce 65 bushels to the acre.

Krupp's works are reported to be constructing a 14.9 in gun for Germany. This will be the biggest piece of artillery made. It will have a length of 05.65 ft, and the weight of the projectile will be 85831b, or nearly three and a half tons.

A touching story of the devotion of a mother and daughter is told by the Rev. Henry Pitt, vicar of St. Mary's, Soutliwark, London. Six years ago a 15-year-old died, leaving a few farthings. With these the mother purchased some cotton and commenced a communion cloth in memory of her child. The mother labored for live years at the task, but died before it was completed. An eider daughter, a member of St. Mary's Church, took up the work, and after devoting a year's leisure to it, finished the cloth, which now, after a labor of love extending over six years, lias been presented to St. Mary's Church. The morning service in the Whitelev Memorial Church will be conducted by the Rev. h. P. Jvellov, and in the evening Rev. J. W. Burton will take as the subject of the sermon, "Does it matter what a man believes as long as he is sincere?"

It is worth noting that three Taranaki scholars headed, the list for New Zealand in connection with, the examination foi; Junior Scholarships. They are Doris Lawn (672 marks), Colin Campbell (660), and lan Hoy (034). Douglas Overbye, with 619, was sixth. A first, second, third, and sixth for New Zealand is a highly creditable record for tin 1 Taranalri scholars. In the Magistrate's Court yesterday a first oflending inebriate was convicted and discharged. As a result of a recent carnival of flowers, it is expected that the funds of the Nelson Beautifying Society will benefit to the extent of nearly £2OO. , Sir Arthur Guinness is now the "father" of the New Zealand Parliament. He was sworn in on August 19, 1884, has sat in nine Pariament and attended 33 sessions. At the close of a cricke.t match at South Yarra, Melbourne, ou Saturday week, Arthur Marks, a resident of Richmond, who acted as scorer, dropped dead. The body was being taken to the morgue in an ambulance when the driver of the vehicle fell and sustained injuries to his head, necessitating his admission to the hospital. The Hon. R. McKenzie, Minister for Public Works, has written to Mr. H. Okey, M.P., in reply to a letter from the latter urging that tenders should be invited at an early date for the erection of the proposed Departmental Buildings at New Plymouth, stating that the resident engineer at Stratford has been instructed to invite tenders at once for the erection of the buildings in question. The Garrison Band, through the kindness ,of Messrs. Sole Bros., will render a programme of music at their beautiful grounds, "Aotea," to-morrow (Sunday) afternoon. Good paddocking for those driving has been kindly provided, and 'busses will run to and from the grounds. Should the present fine weather continue a large crowd will no doubt avail themselves of the opportunity of visiting these fine grounds. When.the Justices were dealing, with a young fellow in the court, charged with using obscene language, they mentioned that' they had the right to impose the full penalty of twelve months' imprisonment or a fine of £2O. When the defendant heard these words he looked very confused, as he did not know what might be his fate, but when he was let off with a guinea fine and expenses his face brightened. This should be a lesson to other young fellows, who are inclined to use bad language. The Opunake Seaside Improvement Society intend having a fete on February 14, for which we acknowledge receipt of a complimentary ticket. The people there have awakened to the fact that they have a good asset in the beach,, and business and country people are working together to make it attractive to visitors as well as themselves. The idea of the Society is to drain the swamp, have a bathing shed for children, fresh water shower baths, plant trees, and effect other improvements. (We acknowledge receipt of a copy of the Hdweira Star Almanack and Directory, which has now been published for 29, year®, in succession. As usual, it contains" useful information about the whole of the Taranaki province, and this year has been added Wanganui, Marton, Peildmg, Pailmerston North, and Taihape .towns and districts. The farmer, the business and the professional man. can get such information 'out of the publication, which is indisnensablp fn n»or..

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday a first offending inebriate was convicted and discharged.

As a result of a recent carnival of flowers, it is expected that the funds of the Nelson Beautifying Society will benefit to the extent of nearly £2OO. , Sir Arthur Guinness is now the "father" of the New Zealand Parliament. He was sworn in on August 19, 1884, has sat in nine Pariament and attended 33 sessions.

At the close of a cricke.t match at South Yarra, iMeibourne, ou Saturday week, Arthur Marks, a resident of Richmond, who acted as scoreir, dropped dead. The body was being taken to the morgue in an ambulance when the driver of the vehicle fell and sustained injuries to his head, necessitating his admission to the hospital.

The Hon. R. McKenzie, Minister for Public Works, lias written to Mr. H. Okey, M.P., in reply to a letter from the latter urging that tenders should be invited at an early date for the erection of the proposed Departmental Buildings at New Plymouth, stating that the resident engineer at Stratford has been instructed to invite tenders at once for the erection of the buildings in question.

The Garrison Band, through the kindness ,of Messrs. Sole Bros., will render a programme of music at their beautiful grounds, "Aotea," to-morrow (Sunday) afternoon. Good paddocking for those driving has been kindly provided, and 'busses will run to and from the grounds. Should the present fine weather continue a large crowd will no doubt avail themselves of the opportunity of visiting these fine grounds. When.the Justices were dealing, with a young fellow in the court, charged with using obscene language, they mentioned that' they had the right to impose the full penalty of twelve months' imprisonment or a fine of £2O. When the defendant heard these words he looked very confused, as he did not know what might be his fate, but when he was let off with a guinea fine and expenses his face brightened. This should be a lesson to other young fellows, who are inclined to use bad language. The Opunake Seaside Improvement Society intend having a fete on February 14, for which we acknowledge receipt of a complimentary ticket. The people there have awakened to the fact that they have a good asset in the beach,, and business and country people are working together to make it attractive to visitors as well as themselves. The idea of the Society is to drain the swamp, have a bathing shed for children, fresh water shower baths, plant trees, and effect other improvements.

IWe acknowledge receipt of a copy of ttta Hdwera Star Almanack and Directory, -which has now been published for 29, year®, in succession. As usual, it contains" useful information about the whole of the Taranaki province, and this year has been added Wanganui, Marton, Feildmg, Pailmerston North, and Taihape .towns and districts. The farmer, the business and the professional man can get such information 'out of the publication, which is indispensable to everv house and office. It embraces Acts of Parliament, election returns, exports and imports, and, arc fact, every subject of general interest.

A well known Auckland firm recently received) the following letter from a Maori customer in the Waikato, which they have carefully filed away as a curiosity:—"Te machine I sold, you, hj« cu mall rite, but what te use te machine when te shuttle he no here. HenaTe lamigana he kum in tod he say machine a J ," te > what te goot wid out te shuttle. Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown I tmk you too much te humbug. You'te rogue. I send you te machine l ; te money you send Mr. Jones and Brown. lour affectionate friend, —pg Henare Tamikana he just ' kum' my whare; look m U drawer of the machine and he fin te shuttle. You no fool Mr' Jones and Br»w»." ' '

An interesting curio was discovered a feif mys ago by some children playing on the beach at the mouth of the Waipaoa river, in the shape of a small metal disc, thickly encrusted with sand and other accumulation by the action of sea water. On further examination (says the Gis-borne Herald), it was found to contain a reproduction of George 111 with the British crown and shield on the reverse side, and the wording, "In memory of the good old days, 1708." It has a milled edge, and has apparently been worn on a chain. The discovery has been brought under the notice of Mr. John Townley, who offers the suggestion that the token was apparently lost by a member of Captain Cook's 'party on the occasion of the discovery of New Zealand in 1709. ,

Mr. D. Nathan, of the well-known firm •pf that name, has been on a visit to' Mawera. Interviewed by a reporter of the local paper, he- said lie was pleased with the surrounding country, but what struck him forcibly was the want of beauty about the farmhouses. The farmers, with few exceptions, did not make their places attractive. He also considered that many farmers were not making the best use of their land, and what was needed in the district was a small experimental farm, from which farmers could learn the best means of cultivating the land, so as to secure better production. Mr. Nathan further said that the farmers were not using their waste products as they should do, and if they did so they would double the returns from their farms. If the farmers turned their whey into sugar of milk, and it was sold at the market prices ruling in Europe (up to £IOO a ton) they would be able to turn their whey to profitable account, for the dairy companies would □e able to pay their suppliers more for wiiey and casein than for milk. Mr. Nathan thought that in such a good distnct, with Hawera as the centre, they should have had the Opunake railway to the mam line years ago. Mr. Nathan expressed his disapproval of toll-gates, and said he had not seen such a thine for years. Asked if he could give any idea of the prospects in the butter and cheese markets, he said he would prefer not to do so. x

Landlords always find reason to grumble at the want of care in the treatment of their premises toy tenants, but perhaps a case that is reported locally is unique (remarks the Eliliam Argus). The tenant had a mania for shooting minahs, and with a pea-rifle he popped away at them whenever the birds s. '. tied on the roof of the dwelling. The iyult is best expressed by the landlord himself when he got up through a manhole in the ceiling looking for the cause of the leaks: "I'm hanged," he said, "if it wasn't riddled like a pepper-pot." And as if to add insult to injury, the culprit left and didn't even pay the rent! A three-year-old boy accidentally caused the death of- his father, Captain Albert Verdier, a French officer, at Prades (France), on November 30. The child, who slept in the same room as his parents, cried in the night. His mother got up and took the boy into bed with her. He was restless, and began to play with a lace-edged cloth on a little table at the bedside. Captain Verdier's revolver was on the table. Mme. Verdier saw it falling as the boy pulled at the lace, and tried to catch it. The trigger caught in the lace, the revolver went off, and Captain Verdier, who was sound asleep, was shot through the head. He was only 37 years old.

A Canterbury fruit-grower in a large way stated to a reporter that growers weie expecting a poor crop of stone fruit this season. Frost had killed two-thirds of the plums, and had done a tremendous amount of damage to the apricots and peaches. Cherries had not been plentiful, and the bad weather of late had adversely affected the crop. Pears were very light all over Canterbury. There was some comfort to- be found in the fact that there were some very respectable crops of late apples. On the whole, he was inclined to think that prices of fruit would be payable to growers without 'being excessive.

A Sydney paper deplores the fact that Australia and Xew Zealand have no distinctly national dishes such as the roast beef of Old England, the oatmeal of Scotland, the pork -and beans of the United States, or the "praties" of Ireland. The paper, which deals seriously with the subject, asserts that 110 nation was ever great until it made some dish (if only one dish) its very own. "To conquer a kingdom is a trifling matter; to write deathless verse is creditable; but 'he or she who shall invent an Australian national dish shall be enshrined in the hearts of generations to come with a lustre that shall never fade." How about Welsh rare : bits made with New Zealand cheese ? Or eggs and bacon, both typical and abundant products of the country?