LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 279, 22 May 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Timaru A. and P. Association has purchased for £IOOO twelve acres of land adjoining, to enlarge their show grounds. A start has been made with the reerection of the Paranara Company's ironsand works at Moturoa. The building will be on a somewhat larger scale than its predecessor. During the month ended May 18 several cases of scarlet fever were reported to the South Canterbury Hospital Board, live in Timaru, four in Temuka, and one in the Levels County. The monthly meeting of the Taranaki Land Board, which was to have been held yesterday, has been postponed till Tuesday next. This is on account of the Commissioner (Mr. G. H. Bullard) being detained on the Opunake Railway Commission. The seentary of the Taranaki Agricultural Society has received an application from the Agricultural Department for 3000 feet of space at the Winter Show. This looks as if the New Plymouth show is to be favored with the whole of the Department's exhibit. The manager of the Woodvillo cheese' factory is confident that he will turn out over 80 tons more cheese this year than he was able to do last year. He considers that the suppliers have had a wonderfully successful season, and the milk has tested well right through. Seeing a circus item advertised as "a slide for life," a settler at Maungatauari, in the Auckland province, remarked that the conditions of the roads' in his district were such that they had a slide for life every day, and they knew not when a better condition of things' would be brought about. The sum of £4500 was distributed by the Ballance Dairy Company this month to its suppliers, pajment being at the rate of Is per lb. of butter-fat. The amount is a good advance on the sum ! paid out for a similar period last year. This brings the total payments to date to approximately £44,500. Yesterday the secretary (Mr. Whitcombe) of the Education Board, received the following telegram from Mr. A. Morton, who is representing that body at the conference of education boards at ! Wellington: "Prime Minister most emphatic that education must be excluded from the Local Government Bill." The Chief Postmaster advises the erection of two additional posting boxes. One is near the Taranaki Club, Egmont street, which will be cleared daily at 4.30 a.m., 12 noon, 3.30 p.m., and G p.m., and the other at the corner of Vivian and Brougham streets, which will be cleared daily at 4.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m., and 2.15 p.m. I A meeting of the New Plymouth I Beautifying Association was held on Saturday evening. The annual report and balance-sheet, as already published, was adopted. The resignation of the secretary, Mr. F. W. Sandford, was accepted with regret, and Mr. Sandford was asked to retain office until the annual meeting of subscribers, which will be held in the Town Hall, on June 17, at 8 p.m. A Timaru telegram states that much inconvenience has been experienced from time to time through patients suffering from delirium tremens being sent to the hospital, where no special suitable pro- J vision is made for violent cases. The Inspector-General now writes that the Department is willing to assist boards to provide such accommodation, and also contribute to the expenses of special attention. The Timaru Board will apply for a grant to erect a padded cell. One of the witnesses before the Bailway Commission on Monday, says the Ellham Argus, made reference to a farmer who drew from a factory cheques which totalled for the season an average of £lB per head for 30 cows. The farmer referred to sends his milk to a cheese factory, and his experience is an example of what can be done by breeding and feeding. His herd has been carefully culled, and he grows plenty of autumn feed. At the present time his cows are getting maize.

Three creditors attended a meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of John Hodgson, marine engineer, which was held at the Deputy Official Assignee's office on Monday. Mr. J. C. Nicholson appeared for the bankrupt, whose estate —a small one—showed an excess of liabilities over assets amounting to £OB 17s. In a written statement, bankVipt attributed his misfortune to his inability to secure permanent employment and to sickness. Last year he was out of work for nearly nine months. If he had not lost his position as man in charge of the borough water-works he woxild, in time, have been able to pay all his creditors. His debts totalled £B3 17s and his assets £ls. This sum represented the value of his furniture. In sympathising with bankrupt's misfortune, the creditors resolved to recommend his -discharge. A casual Maori litigant figured in the Magistrate's Court yesterday as defendant in a judgment summons case. He was being examined as to his ability to pay the debt, a small sum, When plaintiff's counsel remarked: "You have an interest in some native leases. Now how much do you get from that ?" "Oh, about 25s every six months," was the reply. "Why don't you pay the money ?" puTsued the solicitor. "I've no right to pay. I suppose I would pay it if I wished"to. but I want the bike (which was seized on his failing to pay the balance owing on it) back again first," came the reply. The Magistrate: "What! You admit you could pay if you wished to ?" The native smilingly acquiesced. His Honor: "This is a judgment summons case. You will pay the amount within seven days, or in default undergo two days'' imprisonment." A remarkable sight was seen in Devon street last night, opposite the Bank of Australasia's premises, where a great jet of water towered to a height which surmounted the flagstaff on the Post Office clock tower. The impromptu geyser was caused through a defect in one of the fire-plugs, which was undergoing a course of treatment by the Central fire Brigade, Once the water got the upper hand, the brigade was helpless. After it had entertained a crowd of sight-seers for nearly an hour, the jet was shut off by the borough turncock, turning off a section of the water-mains. Residents gained by the display a favorable impression of the five-fighting potentialities of the town water supply. While the column was flowing the pressure of the town supply was reduced from 1301bs to lOOlbs. As soon as the abnormal flow was stopped, the pressure rose again to 1301bs. When you buy a Haake piano you buy absolutely the best family piano ever made for the money. An unequalled guarantee is given by the makers, unexampled value is guaranteed, too. and absolute satisfaction. The Haake, unlike many low-priced pianos, is good. What's the refuge of the wheezer! Woods' Great •'Peppermint Cure. What's the balm for every sneeKcr? Woods' Great Peppermint' Curt. Not a house should be without it. Not a. nurse afford to flout it; Friend of all, both rich and poor, Hore's lofflg life to Peppermint Cure. 12 i

A pronounced shock of earthquake was experienced in Masterton at 10.30 last night. Mr. W. A. Veitcli, M.P., iias started at Wanganui in an auctioneering business in partnership with Mr. J. T. Muir.

About thirty-five Boy Scouts from New Plymouth will attend the review before General Baden-Powell, to be held in Wellington next Tuesday. The Arbitration Court will sit in Gisborne on June 17. and in Wellington <>n June. 24. .Sittings will l)e held in Christchurch stnd Dim.'din immediately afterwards, but the dates have not yet been arranged. While he was at Fairlie the other dav. the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie) said that something -would have to be done to put a stop to the trafficking in Crown leases, by which the seller was left with all the profits and the buyer had to "nurse the babv."

The little wax-eye, as he is commonly known, or the "blight bird," is reported to bo doing good work in orchards and gardens this year. A Masterton resident states that the little bird is frequently seen making a hearty meal on the wooly aphis, a pest which'clings tenaciously to the branches of fruit trees and flowers. The blight bird is very fond of the aphis, and more good is done by the bird than by all the spraying possible. An enterprising Gisborne firm is reported to h:ive completed a good stroke of business by (he aid of wireless. A message was cabled. to Australia and transmitted to the party interested, then aboard a steamer from Auckland, by wireless. The transaction was confirmed through the agency of the steamer's wireless equipment. Another firm had cabled to Sydney to await the steamer's arrival there, and were thus forestalled by the wireless message. The visit of Miss C'uthbertson to Scotland to obtain woman workers for Victoria was very successful (states the Melbourne Age). In a report to the State Government, dated March 22. she stated that she was just returning from Scotland, where she had interviewed 200 applicants for assisted passages to Victoria. Although the agents of a very large firm in Canada had been before her' and had been successful in obtaining only a few applicants, she was able to select from the applicants about seventy suitable girls, who wished to go to Victoria. The number was drawn principally from Glasgow. The Dunedin Star gives for what it is worth the following extract from the letter of a Wellington gentleman who is said to be usually very well-informed on political matters:—•'The feeling is growing daily that the days of the Mackenzie Cabinet are numbered, and that when Mr. Massey moves his want-of-confidence motion he will be followed into the lobby by 44 or 45 members. This is assuming that Mr. Millar and a number of discontented Liberals will vote against the stopgap Ministry. But what then? That Mr. Millar and Mr. Massey will be brought, together, and that, with a viewto preventing a dissolution, which otherwise seems to be the only solution of the present haphazard condition in which neither party can command a working majority, a fusion Ministry will be put in charge of the Treasury benches. If that happens, Otago will come into her own kingdom again." The armored cruiser Australia, which will be the principal ship of the fleet to take the place of the Imperial Navy in these waters (sftys the Sydney Evening l News), will prove a costly affair, more expensive than the Federal Government probably expected. • After costing over two millions to build, she will entail an annual expenditure of over two hundred thousand for maintenance, repairs, stores, fuel, wages and victualling. This is the annual cost of only one ship, and is just the amount which the Commonwealth at one time contributed to the British Navy. But warships soon become obsolete, and it will he necessary to provide a sinking fund of about £lso,ooo''a'Vear in order to replace the Australia when she is relegated to the scrap-heap. This big warship, which can have no effective work in these waters, will cost a total of £350,000 a year, and will be out of date by the time she reaches the Commonwealth. The money spent on this costly toy could have been spent on more effective means of defence.