LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 173, 20 January 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Five of the milk cheques passed by the Waverley Co-op. Dairy Co., at their Monday night's meeting, were over £IOO, the largest being £lB3. A Poverty Bay settler has just invested in a one hundred and sixty guinea piano. He is not worried over the decline in exports, An appeal to San Francisco from Dr. Sun Yat Sen for funds in furtherance of the Republican cause in China resulted in the Chinese National Association being assured of £400,000. Peaches are plentiful in Auckland and fairly cheap—thirty for a shilling. Away back in the 'sixties, a large kit of peaches, as much as a Maori woman could carry, was delivered at one's door for a shilling. The dairy farmers are having a good "innings" this season. During the month of January the Kaupokonui Dairy Co. paid out over £14,000 to suppliers. The last cable the company received from Home was to tlie effect that their cheese had realised 7Ss. In the Illustrated London News, dated November 11, 1911, there is an illustration of a Grand Brinsmead piano aboard the Medina, for the Royal voyage to India. Four pianos were specially constructed by Messrs. John Brinsmead and Sons, of Wigmore street, London, for the use of the King and Queen and the Royal party aboard the P. and O. liner Medina, which is to start for India on the 11th. There are two deck pianos, and one saloon piano, all of mahogany, and a "grand" in the music room. The King and Queen have Brinsmeads in the Roval residences for their personal use. and for thirty years Brinsmeads have been used on the P. and O boats, owing to their being able to withstand the climatic changes on the voyage to the Bast. Hence their selection for the Medina. , . ,

Local authorities concerned in the Technical School Advisory Committee are to have their representatives appointed before February 10, on which date the present term of office expires.

The Under-Secretary for Justice has informed the New Plymouth Borough Council that its application to have Marsland Hill reserve kept clean by prison labor has been approved. The Chief Postmaster has notified the New Plymouth Borough Council that Mr. E. A. Shrimpton, telegraph engineer, will shortly pay a visit here to discuss with the borough officials the advisability of installing the underground system of .telephone wires in place of the overhead system.

With a view of preventing the further removal of stone, earth or other material from tihe Waiwakaiho river within ten chains of the bridge, the Taranaki County Council is asking tne New Plymouth Borough Council to co-operate, and the former to-day proposes to serve notices on owners of properties abutting on the river within the area.

A good deal has been said of the high price of land in some parts of the North Island, Taranaki, for instance, where j values reach £6O an acre, but it has to be recorded that a forty-acre farm at West Plains, only about four miles from Invercargill, changed hands the other week at £SO au acre, although eight years ago it was purchased ' for little more than £3o.—lnvercargill News. The Dunedin Ctar says:—"Mr. C. A. C. Hardy, who was defeated at the general election after representing Selwyn in the Conservative interest for twelve years, was entertained at a complimentary social on Thursday night. We have a very kindly feeling for this genial and reticent politician, and could name more than one—aye, more than a dozen—Opposition members who could more readily be spared." One of the "old timers" at a recent picnic in Otago was (says the Otago Daily Times) Mr. Thomas Cuthbertson, an active man a few months off ninety years of age. In 1834 he came, with 360 others, in the Mermaid to Melbourne. He has a wonderful memory for his ag«, and can tell many interesting stories of the early days in Victoria. He came to New Zealand in 1864, his first job being on the laying of the foundations of the old hospital in Dunedin. A private of the 6th Dragoons named Motte was sentenced to ten years' hard labor by a court martial at Lille (France) on November 30, for hurling a shoe at the regimental doctor. The offence wa( l committed in hospital. Another private named Buezebock, who was in the next bed to Motte in hospital, was called as a witness. When asked to state what he knew, Buezebock expressed his opinion of the doctor and the officers of the regi- , ment in strong language, took off is regi- | mental cap, and threw it at the colonel's ! head. He was then and there sentenced to death by the court martial. _We have received from Messrs. Hawkins and Smith a copy of the eleventh edition of "The Keeper's Book," by Philip Mackie, who is the proprietor of the famous White Horse Whisky Distillery. It is a special .coronation number containing 500 pages, and deals with all matters connected with a gamekeeper's duties, including the care of dogs, etc. The sportsman -will find much to interest him regarding pheasant, wild duck, rabbit shooting, deerstalkjng, fresh and salt water fishing and miscellaneous sport. Fish hatching on a modest scale also forms the subject of a separate article, as does also the care of the gun. An excellent chapter is that on prevention of accidents and the rendering os (l §rst aid. The book is profusely illustrated.' Speaking on the question of immigration to the Hastings Tribune-, Mr. J. B. Clarkson said that after making several trips to the Old Country, he could not too strongly urge the need of population in New Zealand, and the institution of an extensive immigration pplicy ©h ; tne part of the Government. An average of half a million arrivals per year was wanted if any good were to be done in this country, and having in mind the excellent machinery in the way of the High Commissioner's office possessed ky New Zealand in London to look after the Dominion's interests, it was to be regretted that it should have its hands tied owing to the'influence of the Labor party in New Zealand. For the work of advertising New Zealand and lecturing on its resources no one was more suitable that Mr. T. E. Donne, of the High Commissioner's office, but all his time was occupied in answering enquiries. On the other hand, Sir George Reid, High Commissioner for Australia, was stumping the country in the interests of Aus> tralia. Mr. Clarkson stated that on the voyage from England he met the manager of an amusement company, who alonfe had spent £4OO in one journal in advertising Australia.

The Taranaki Agricultural Society has informed the New Plymouth Borough Counci) . that it is taking steps to secure the Coronation subsidy of £250. Speaking of the Coronation subsidies at Christchurch the tithe* Hon. D. Buddo said that the result of the Parliamentary provision for Coronation memorials fiad. been undoubtedly beneficial to local efforts, especially in regard to town halls and public baths. Some localities, old settlement, where there had been practically no provision for public meetings, had been able, with the assistance given, to provide for themselves public halls, . which must be of undoubted benefit to the districts. These permanent memorials, Mr. Buddo said, were all expected to be finished by December. 31 last, except those that cost a large sum of money. There were, however, a number of localities which found difficulty in the supply of material. These had asked for an extension of time, and this had been approved, and it was to be hoped that a greater proportion would be completed by the close of the financial year. The total cost was expected to be inside the Parliamentary provision of £24,000. There were some applications which had come in late and could not be considered, but they were very few in number. M.C.C.'S GREAT SUCCESS. SALE OF STEWART HUSTON'S STOCK. The Melbourne Clothing Company's sale of stock, purchased at 13/4 in the £ from Stewart Huston, has proved an instantaneous success. Right from the time the doors opened until closing time each day of this sale has this popular store been crowded with buyers. And no wonder. Just figure for yourself what it meant to you when we got this stock at one-third off cost price. It means that on every article of this stock purchased you make a clear saving of at least 50 per cent., and in some cases more. In every instance you are buying at less tlian landed cost. Just consider the mighty savings represented in prices like the following:—Men's genuine panamas, 10/0; men's Island hats, with straps, 1/- each; men's wire tweed trousers, 5/11; men's flannels, 2/5; men's merino singlets, 1/0; men's merino pants, I'/ll; men's colored neglige and tennis shirts, 2/11; morn's silk ties, (id each; men's worsted trousers, 8/11; men's tailor-made suits, stunning patterns, beautifully cut and' finished, 45/- and 59/6, worth 05/- and 80/-! Don't miss this wonderful sale for the greatest money saving chances ever offered on men's apparel.—Advt. VISITIt\t» r ARDS.—When you ran out of ff'Tds, send your order for mom to tin Laity News Primtery, J/J for 69, or 6/- tor 100 (postage "|

Persistent reports have been circulated recently in the Waikato district and in Auckland that the Health Department intends to close down the eonsuisipthv sanatorium at Cambridge. In answer t» enquiries made at the Health Department offices the other day, it was stated lhat there is at present 110 intention of i losing down the Cambridge sanatorium. _ A shag shot recently on the Clutha river by Mr. H. Hill was found to contain 110 fewer than 25 trout of various sizes. tft lms been demonstrated that one shag will, on ;;n average, consume 101b weight of trout per day, and as the} are very numerous on the Clutha, it is little wonder (says the Cromwell Argus) in view of these facts, that the stream is being gradually depleted. Owing to the continued high prices ruling for bacon and hams, the Okitu (Poverty Bay) bacon factory is now paying the highest price ever given in that district for bacon pigs. The live-weight scales have only been in operation one week, but so far the farmers are said to be unanimous in their preference for the actual dead-weight system, even though a higher price per lb is being paid under the- live-weight system. The butchers of Auckland have (says the Star) decided to abolish late shopping hours 011 Saturdays and now close at 6 p.m.. instead of nine as heretofore. On other days they will shut at 5 p.m., as usual. On Wednesdays, instead of remaining open till 1 p.m., they will be closed at noon. This is the first time a trade in New Zealand has decided to abandon the advantages of the Saturday night business.