LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 231, 28 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The train conveying the, Kaimiro school picnic excursionists on Tuesday was the first to stop at the new platform at the East End bathing reserve. The Express states that three Wairarapa land speculators, one of whom is not unknown in Eketahuna, recently made £30,000 out of a deal in the Taupedistrict. Wanganui takes its twopenny-half-penny rows very seriously. One of its papers yesterday devoted no less than 16% columns to publishing the'story of the engineer, who has fallen out with its late Mayor! Says the Sydney Herald: "Probably New Zealand's greatest political need is a really big political issue. That would clear the atmosphere and set opinion and counter-opinion in such vivid contrast as was lacking to the cross-talk of the recent election. Allen L. Alison, aged two years and eight months, son of Mr. L .0. Allison, of Mangaone, Hawke's Bay, died last Saturday from eating sheep dip. The father laid down a packet and the boy got hold of it and died in a few hours. At the inquest a verdict of accidental poisoning was returned. A good programme has been arranged for the children's swimming sports, which take place at the Municipal Baths this afternoon. Through the kindness of tho Egmont Brewery and Messrs Pike and Waters and O. Steffenscn, an abundant supply of soft drinks will be available for competitors. A good many improvements have recently been effected to Dawson's Falls mountain house. They include a fine dining-room, 20ft by 25ft, 5 extra bedrooms 14ft by 14ft, a fine main entrance hall, and a hall at the rear, ladies' sit-ting-room and a 7ft. verandah round two sides of the house. A unique cinematograph film of "The Last Muster of the Balaclava Light Brigade" has been secured by the Empire Picture Company. This picture, taken to assist the Balaclava Survivors' Fund, will be shown at the Empire Palace to-night, in the presence of the Taranaki War Veterans, and should prove a notable attraction. If we might venture to give Mr. Mackenzie a word of advice, we should recommend him to adopt as the cardinal principle of his policy the rule of always doing the great things first. And among these great things may be named four—, roading the land, railroading the land,' opening the land, and settling the land.; —Auckland Herald. Two gold medals were offered by tlie • Stratford A. and P. Association for the. best essays on the last show, one for ■ schools with a roll of over 250 or over and the other for those below that number. The latter was won by Master Dugald Paterson, of Tarata. "The presentation was made the occasion of a little function at Tarata recently. ■ It would appear that the high prices obtaining for butter-fat this season and the prospect of a continuance next season has caused the value of heifer calves to go up with a bump. An Eketahuna settler who contemplates entering the industry next season informed an Express reporter that he had to pay £4 5s a head, for a line of crossbred heifers betweea fifteen and eighteen months old. We understand that after considering the various tenders submitted, the committee of the new North Egmont hostelry have entrusted the furnishing of same to Messrs Baker and Co. The "bedrooms will all be furnished alike, except as to size of bedsteads, and will each contain! a piece of furniture combining in one article a chest of drawers, cupboard, washstand, and dressing-table, designed by Mr. C. E. Baker especially for this purpose, on quite original lines. '

That the girls learning to cook at the local Technical College can prepare an excellent repast was demonstrated at the school at noon yesterday, when they entertained the members ; of the Education Board at luncheon. The dinner, which was tastefully served, was well cooked, and the variety of courses showed that the girls are good all-round cooks, capable of cooking everything that is expected from the average person's kitchen. During the function the chairman of the board (Mr. H. Trimble), congratulated the instructress, Miss Mac Donald, and her assistant, Miss Tiplady, on the excellent progress made by' their young charges. The chairman of the Tramways Conference, which sat at Opuna'ke on Tuesday, says the Hawera Star, made some trenchant remarks on the spirit of parochialism so noticeable in some county councils. Some members, he remarked appeared to think that they represented 'only their own particular 'little ridings and were incapable of taking a broad view on general questions. He was <*iad to say that that element had almost disappeared from the Taranaki County Council, and he trusted that it would soon be an unheard of quantity in other councils as well. County council members m the Taranaki County were not speaking generally, chargeable with an excess of parochialism, but were capable of approaching county questions with I open minds and a broad outlook.

An instance of how two young Australians saved their brother's life was recently demonstrated at Rappville, on the Casino-Grafton line (writes the Sydney Mail). A little girl named Dorothy Ford, of Rappville, aged 13 years, was coming home from school, accompanied by her three brothers. The Youngest boy, seven years of age, had the misfortune to be bitten bv a black snake on the great toe of the right foot. The sister immediately took a string from a parcel she was carrying and tied it tightly above the wound, and sent another of the boys, aged 0 years, back to Rappville for help. She then hurried the snake-bit-ten boy home, lanced the wound, and after sucking it applied some permanganate of potash. Her prompt measures and presence of mind no doubt saved her brother's life. Shortly afterwards the elder brother arrived home, and in order to make sure that no ill effects would result he again cut the wound and applied more permanganate of potash. After a neighbor had come on the scene the eld-->r I boy set off to inform his father, riding some nine miles on a rough bush track The injured boy is quite well again, and, without doubt, he owes his life to the iluck of his youthful sister and brother.

Taranaki petroleum shares are now at a premium, buyers on the Auckland stock exchange offering 21s. At a meeting at Eltham on Tuesday evening an Eltham-Qpunake Railway League was formed to collect data as to routes, etc. It is understood that Liberal and Labour members have decided to conduct a systematic platform campaign throughout New Zealand between next month and the opening of the session. The Eltham. Dairy Company has purchased a fine section clo.se to the railway station whereon to erect the new cheese factory. A concrete building is to be erected, and the curing room will be one of the largest in the Dominion. A few days ago a Queensland land agency firm reported the sale of a station, the area of which was 1500 square miles, carrying 60,000 head of cattle. The transaction was a cash one, and the purchasers were the New Zealand and Australian Land Company.

It is not often that an auctioneer personally up" his own ihome. Such, however, occurred in Pahiatua (says the Herald), when Mr. W. H. Hawkins, who is leaving the district for New Plymouth, conducted a clearing sale of furniture and household effects at his residence. The loading of the s.s. Otaki at Waitara roadstead was finished on Tuesday, amdi she sailed for Wellington. The cargo taken in was as under:—s347 qrs beef, 3719 carcases mutton, 66lqrs veal, 1902 carcases lamb, 259 bales of wool, 210 packets of wool, 134 casks tallow, 110 casks oleo, 204 boxes meat, 8 bales leather.—Mail. Constable Lapouple went out on Tuesday afternoon to the steamer ;Otaki in the Waitara roadstead, and arrested a man called _ Chris. John Farrell on a eharge of being a deserter from the Royal Artillery. Farrell,was a fireman on the vessel, which he joined in London. He appeared before Mr. G. H. Stubbs, J.P., and was remanded to Wellington. A waterspout in Cook Strait attracted the attention of many people a few days ago. It travelled from the direction'of Kaikoura, and broke off Cape Terawhiti. Some fishermen who were out in the Strait at the time were alarmed lest the column should overwhelm them, but fortunately it passed some distance away. The spectale is said to have been a very fine one. Two golf stories from Taihape— The first hole on Taihape's course is over a steep high hill, and Taihape's crack player, in company with a visiting professional, went out for a round. The "pro.'s" shot was first rate, but the Taihapian's struck the hillside and rolled down. He tried again aud the ball rolled back to his feet. In all he tried sixteen times, each unsuccessful. Then he went home, got a spade, and buried the ball where it lay at the foot of the hill! The same player was playing a brother Taihapian who was equally good as himself. On this occasion he played beyond himself till doing the home hole. Then he failed lamentably. He had a lead of 21 strokes and lie sliced into a close handy fowl yard. He recovered the ball and sliced the shot again and continued to slice it. The fowl yard had an overpowering influence on the ball, and it flew that way every time, till his credit of 21 points was liquidated and he lost the match. His "bag" was one rooster, three pullets and a chicken.