LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 224, 20 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a formal inquiry yesterday morning, Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., made an order authorising the Borough Council to close a portion of King Street. Mr. J. H. Stevens, Acting-Chief Postmaster, has received advice from Wellington thaj; the English mail, via Brindisi, despatched on February 9, arrived in London on the 15th. inst. A party of about a dozen members of the Egmont Lodge 1.0.G.T:, New Plymouth, paid a friendly visit to the Prince of Peace Lodge, Waitara, last night. There was a good programme of musical items," a l\earty evening's entertainment, being provided. What might be described as a twenty-four-hour type of influenza is now interesting the doctors in and about London. Among the ordinary cases which constitute the present miid influenza epidemic in London, numbers of attacks have been noted which, starting with all ■the "classic" symptoms, have suddenly abated within twenty-four or thirty-six hours.

In an interview in Christchurch the other evening the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister of Agriculture, stated that Mr. C. J. Eeakes, Chief Government Veterinarian, might have had a very good appointment outside of the Dominion, but his loyalty to the Department and to his Minister had induced him to remain in New Zealand., The Government would make that loyalty more secure by paying Mr. Keakes a better salary than tie is now receiving. At £IOOO a year he would be cheap to the farmers of this country.i

Commenting on the Auckland fatality, where a woman was killed outright and another maimed, the Dannevirke Advocate asks: "Will the Legislature or any municipality ever enforce the law and compel motorists to respect the life and limb's of the lieges? At present the motorist in New Zealand flies about with impunity, killing citizens and colliding with humbler vehicles; and if the law will not protect the citizens from him, they must act for themselves. This Auckland horror will, we trust, have rjie effect of calling attention to the evil and lead to some practical action being taken." •

There is every indication that New Zealand is going to experience another period of financial stringency. Money is already-becoming score, and, as a natural corollary, dear. The rate for mortgagee loans has been raised from a half to' one per cent. The New Zealand Trade Review, referring to the money market, points out that the recent'slump in Waihi mining shares meant a serious loss to the country; The depreciation in the capital value of these shares held in the Dominion must be nearly £2,000,:000, while the loss of revenue from dividends is something like £150,000 per annum.

The younger men of New Plymouth are reminded of making a point of attending the meeting called for to-night at the Council Chambers, to make final arrangements for the entertainment of the veterans on the night of the 28th inst. Life's journey to most of the veterans is drawing to an end, and anything that can be done to assuage the asperities of the remainder of that journey should be gladly done by those who are enjoying the fruits of the spade work of the pioneers. It will rest with the meeting to-night to say if an annual "turnout" cannot be provided for the veterans, who are deserving df every consideration and recognition at the ' hands of the community. The latest sensation in. New York litcircles, as well as in those of London, is the claim suddenly brought forward by English worshippers of the Bacon cult that Bacon re-wrote the Bible, as translated for King James, and that the latter's version (as that term is understood) is largely the work of Bacon. According to Mr. T. W. 'Smedley, of the Baconian Society of New York, the final version of the' Authorised Version was handed to King James in 1600, and returned by him completed in 1610. During that interval a stylist had been at work, and it was not the King, because Mr. Smedley declares that there was only one stylist in England at that time.

IF TRAVELLING AT EASTER OR BEFORE, Be sure you check your baggage through us. Baggage is a bother at any time, but doubly so during the Easter rush. Our system saves trouble throughout—we collect baggage, check on, receive immeidatel.y train or steamer arrives, and convey it to your stopping place. The cost? Very moderate, we assure you. Simply cost of cartage.—The N.Z. Express Co., Ltd. VISITING CARDS. - When you run out of cards, send your order for more to the Daily News Printery. 3/6 for 50, or 5/s for 100 (postage paid).

This Wellington Harbor Board's profit and loss statement for the year shows a credit balance of £14,176 compared with a credit of £o2lo'at the close of the previous year's operations. The Hon. T. Mackenzie, accompanied by Dr. Fitchett (Public Trustee), visited Opunake on Monday, but no business in connection with the West Coast leases ivaa done. It was decided at a meeting of representative settlers to arrange a meeting shortly at which both the Minister and the Public Trustee promised to attend.

Sunday last was the fifty-second anniversary 1 of the firing of the first shot in Waitara iii connection with the Maori war. On March sth, 18130, the soldiers left New Plymouth and arrived in Waitara early in the afternoon of the same day. The natives, who had lately betn troublesome, had just left, and the soldiers camped on what is now known as the Camp Reserve. The natives once more occupied the L pa, and on Friday night (March 10th) intimated that they would fight on the Saturday. Next day the storming of the pa commenced, the first shot being fired in the forenoon. It was at this encounter that John Sartcn lost his life in such a tragic manner. The Maori flag had been broken off by a shot and lay dangling over the side of the pa, and in attempting to capture it Sarten was shot dead. The Hawera Electric Lighting Company, which have their works at Okaiawa, on the Waingongoro river, have decided to instal a dual plant, and have cabled'for a 200 b.h.p. Diesel mirrlees 4-cyclinder oil engine and other generating plant. This is to provide against the risk of anything happening at the works, such as the bursting of the dam or shortage of water. Whilst the two plants will be absolutely independent, they will be so laid out that should there be any unusual call On the current they can be worked in conjunction, and thus quickly supply the extra demand. The new plant will be installed near the site of the present power house, so that the one staff can operate, both. At a meeting of shareholders of the Mangatoki Dairy Company on Monday it was decided, by 319 votes to 145, to put in a dual, plant, which means installing a cheese plant. The chairman (Mr. J. Marx) stated that the present prices meant a difference of 5d in favor of cheese, and on a million pounds this ran to the enormous figure of nearly £20,000. As compared with three years ago the difference in favor of cheese was very big. The added moisture alone meant nearly £SOOO a year; the whey butter would mean £2OOO, and the starter butter nearly another £IOOO, or, roughly, £BOOO a year better for cheese to-day than three yiavs ago. Quoting his own case, had the Mangatoki factory been making cheese just now, instead of butter, he would have been £l6O in pocket on this.last month alone. The Mangatoki factory had lost £IO,OOO in six months by making butter instead of cheese.