LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 207, 29 February 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Before Mr. Medley, J.P., at a sitting of the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, one first-offending inebriate was convicted and discharged.

In 1902 the Auckland Tramway Company had only 45 cars; to-day they have 136. Last year they carried over 33 million passengers, and their wages list amounts to £-2000 a week.

A cold-blooded advertisement from a Wellington paper:—"John: Webster, last heard of Featherston, New Zealand; kindly write to. sister, G.P.0., Melbourne; father dead; your advantage." "I remember the old Maoris of this diocese," said Bishop Julius at Christchurch. "Splendid fellows they were, and striking examples for any European, but where are they now? to-day they follow the example that appeals to them, the example of the most degraded type of Englishman, and no wonder the Maori is deteriorating."

Discussing the increased cost of living, the proprietor of a large Auckland boardinghouse declared that the increase as far as he was concerned was getting to be very serious. Meat, bread, milk, butter, preserves, and, in fact, every household commodity had gone up enormously in price. Apparently there is no prospect of prices becoming lower, and as a natural sequence it is extremely likely that boardinghouse-keepers will shortly have to raise the tariff.

"Why don't they get goats? We are getting them for our school," queried a member at yesterday's meeting of the Education Board, in referring to an application for a grant for the eradication of the blackberry on a country school ground. Members appearing a bit sceptical, he added, "You only have to tether them at the end 'of a chain. They are far cheaper." • The Board, however, with visions of 6mall-boy escapades with the animal with the bad reputation, smilingly passed on to other business. Work in connection with re-strengthen-ing the Waiwakaiho bridge is now practically completed. The undertaking, which was a ticklish job, involved putting a ferro-concrete sheath around each of two of the piers. To do this the concrete had to be laid 10 feiet below the bed of the river, and the ganger was that during the course of construction a flood might have carried away the whole structure. The work was necessitated owing to the excessive removal of shingle from the river, causing it to scour the piers in question. *

Although the classes do not eommence till next month, some twenty-two applications have been made for enrolment at one or other of the courses at the projected day classes at the New Plymouth Technical College. Those applying were, according to the report of the technical organiser (Mr. F. J. Heatley) in his report to the Board, mostly those who had not hitherto taken advantage of their free places owing to the lines of study suitable for them not having been available, and those who desired to receive further education along industrial and vocational lines. Enrolments have come m from Oaonui, Okato, Omata, New Plymouth, Lepperton, Waitara, Korifro, and Inglewood, and he thought that with the co-operatoon of the permanent teaching staff, there is every likelihood of the dav school being successful."

A deputation of onei (Mr. G. Browne) waited on the Education Board yesterday and presented a largely signed petiIV, 1 ? , su PP° rt of application for the establishment of a school at Vogeltown. Ihe signatories represented, he said, 89 children, of which number 47 were at present attending school, some at the Central school, and others at private schools in their own district. The proposed site! was close to the 'bus terminus, at the junction of the Carrington and Brooklands roads. The petitioners desired the Board to create a school district from Holdswertliy road up to a point at Ratanui. By wav of comment Mr. Browne declared that the want of a school was keeping the district back. The proposed school would be about one and three-ouarter miles away from the Central school. The matter was referred to the chairman and the Inspector for report.

Uric *eid causes rhtumatism. Do you suffer from Rheumatism, Gout ,Sciatica or Lumbago? Excess Uric Acid in your blood is the cause of the trouble. RHEUMO drives out this excess and quickly cunes the sufferer. All chemists and stores, 1/6 and 4/o.—Advt. 20

The Acting-Chief Postmaster notifies that the following will be the postage rates on parcels between New Zealand and Canada, from March Ist: —Parcels not exceeding 31bs., Is; 71bs., 2s; lllbs., 3s. The latest phase in the proposal to merge a portion of the Hurworth riding in the borough of New Plymouth is the appointment of Mr. M. Fleetwood as returning officer. The poll of ratepayers to decide the question takes' place on March 19.

The Postal Department notifies that in addition to stations already advised, telegrams at deferred rates may be accepted from the Ist. prox. for Luxemberg, Spain, Canary Islands, and all offices in Morocco, except Casablanca, Mogador, and Rabat. i

The weather being unfavorable the display of pictures at the East lnd ;Bathing Reserve was postponed from last night till to-day week. In the afternoon a picnic will be held in connection with the Central School. The pictures will be screened in the evening right up till 10 o'clock.

One of the means of raising funds on Saturday • 'on the occasion of Pukekura Park Day will be by itinerant collectors. The following ladies have consented to act in that capacity: Misses Meta Ford, Ruby Clarke, Brewster, Bewley, Govett, Dora Bedford, Kate Bennett, Whitton, Sturtevant, and Mrs. Montague Avery. The services of a few more ladies would be gratefully appreciated. Says the Lyttelton Times: We like the reviving the old Provincial Councila m a modified form, but we confess we should not look with much favor upon a Legislative Council partly elected by the members of the Provincial Councils and the House of Representatives and partly nominated by the Government. We should much prefer to see the Upper Chamber replaced altogether by a 1 revisory committee, with no power of veto and only limited power of delay. In the Hawke's Bay district a new system of poaching -is in operation. Lemonade bottles are half-filled with calcium carbide, and then thrown into the middle of the stream. Gas is quickly made, with the result that the marble in the neck of the bottle is forced to the top, and as the gas continues to accumulate the bottle not only kills all the fish in the vicinity, but the poisonous substances drifts down with the current, and trout for a long distance down are killed.

On Thursday afternoon, (writes our correspondent) Manaia was visited by an exceedingly heavy rain-storm, accompanied by a whirlwind, which struck a Bbed belonging to Mr Wilson, and completely demolished it, carrying part of it into Mr fells' paddock quite a quarter of a mile away, and also bodily moving a stack of hay belonging to Mr Long. The rain was the heaviest known in Manaia, and in a very short time the water was halfway across the roads, the channels being unable to carry it off.—Hawera Star.