LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 297, 12 June 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A euchre part}' and dance will be held in the Pitzroy Hall on Friday evening, in aid of the Taranaki Circular Road Race. Several talented artists will render vocal items. Mrs. George's or chestra, comprising five instruments, will provide the music. A new cycling club has been formed at New Plymouth. It will be called the Rover Cycle Club. At a meeting held for the purpose Mr. L. E. Smith was elected captain, Mr. E. Jury secretary, and Mr. Arnold George handicapper. The subscription was fixed at 2s 6d for members and 5s for honorary members. The first club ride will be held on Sunday next, to be followed by a road race on June 20. The course will be from the Red House Hotel corner to Bell Block and back, a distance of eight miles. The Rev. J. C. Watts Ditchfield, who is coming to New Zealand on organising work in connection with the Church of England Men's Society, will lecture at New Plymouth on September 18. Unfortunately Mr. Watts Ditchfield will spend only one night here, but it is I lucky that he is able to come at all, as his tour of New Zealand has been cut | down from six to three weeks. Mr. | Watts Ditchfield, who is well known in the Old Country as a powerful speaker and first class organiser, is touring both Australia and Kew Zealand to follow up the work begun by Mr. Woollcombe about three years ago. Early yesterday morning two motorcars left town for the Mountain, containing a number of photographic cn- ! thusiasts, including the Empire Theatre expert cinematograph staff. The object of the trip was to secure views of the present heavy fall of snow. When the parties arrived at the Mountain House they found the country all around six inches deep in the white mantle. Snowballing was soon the order of the day, and a film of this sport was secured. Later the party climbed a considerable distance up the mountain. In many places the track was covered eighteen inches deep with snow, and no record distance was done. Nevertheless a most unique and interesting film should result. Mr. Saunders informs us that the film will be on view at the Empire Picture Palace in a few days. Before Mr Crooke, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday judgment for the plaintiff by'default was given in the following undefended oases: S. W. Shaw v. Joseph Hooker, £27 5s and costs £2 lils; John Skinner v. Win. Hardwick £2l | lis 3d and costs £2 14s; Edwin May v. I Fred Calgher, £2O 5s lOd and costs £2 i 14s; C. N. Johnston v. Edward Cloake, i £2 7s 6d and costs £1 12s; Gilmour and ! Clarke v. J. H. Bowater, £lO and costs £1 3s Od. In the judgment summons case in which the Auckland Clothing Companv proceeded against H. Eva for payment of £4 10s od, defendant, who made no appearance, was ordered to pay on or before June 18, or in default undergo five days imprisonment. Owing to non-appearance of the plaintiff, the case of Lavinia Patterson v. May Hill, of Koru, claim for rent alleged to be duo, , was- struck out, and costs amounting to 1 £3 8s allowed the defendant. Mr Stan't dish was for plaintiff and Mr Johnston t for the defendants.

Reserved judgment was given in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning by Mr A. Crooke, S.M. in the case in which Robert Colson sued Barriball Bros, for £ls damages, representing a half share in a crop of carrots and mangles put in on defendants' property, only to be destroyed by stock. The cattie had been able to get to the crop, claimed the plaintiff, owing to the neglect of Barriball Bros. The defence was an allegation of the failure of Colson to comply with the verbal agreement entered into, particularly with regard to weeding. After reviewing the case at length, his worship gave judgment against one of defendants (Archibald Barriball) for £lO, which he considered was as reasonable an estimate of the value of Colson's share of the crop, as it was possible to arrive at. Costs amounting to £4 14s were also allowed against Archibald Barriball, tiie ease against his brother Henry being struck out, Mr Quilliam appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Johnston for defendants.

A claim for agistment was preferred I by Wm. Humphries (a farmer residing at New Plymouth) against W. Thoma--1 boii (a carting contractor) at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr. Frank Wilson appeared for the plaintiff, while Mr. C. H. Weston defended. The claim, whieh amounted to £0 Rs, was for the grazing of seven horses for nine weeks, at 2s each per week on the plantiffs section (since sold) of 22 acres. Giving evidence in support of his claim, plaintiff was unable to say when the horses had been taken away," because no notice had been given -to him, and no replies had been made to his communications to the defendant on the matter. He therefore claimed up to the date on which he became aware of the fact that Thoma«on had ceased to graze his horses in the paddock. The defendant paid £2 9s into court, in settlement of the rent from the actual period he was in occupation, and disputed the balance. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for £2 16s, with 14s costs, including the amount paid into court. In giving his decision, the Magistrate, held that the defendant was in error in not having notified the plaintiff of the termination of his occupancy. The Library Committee was "whitewashed" at Monday night's meeting of the Borough Council of any censure in connection with the sale of an old and out-of-date copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica to one of its members for the sum of £3. The subject was broached by Cr. Clarke, who said that, now the Council had been put in full possession of the tme facts of the ease, it was quite clear that everything had been fair and above board, and that Mr. White really did not want the Encyclopaedia. As a matter of fact, he had been more or less persuaded into buying it against his own will, knowing that he was thus doing the library a good turn. Other councillors followed in the same strain. According to the Mayor, it was certain that' Mr. White had not got a bargain, while Cr. Morey stressed the fact that the Council had now nothing against Mr. White or any other member of the committee. He added, and Cr. Clarke agreed with him, that at the i same time no harm had been done by discussing the matter at the last meeting of the Council. Cr. Ambury said that the volumes were nothing like the value that had first been thought by the Council; indeed Mr. White would he only too glad to sell the Encyclopaedia for what he had paid for it, plus the cost ( £1 19s) of having them rebound. No further reference was made to the subject. The Council decided to authorise the committee to spend £5 in advertising the library by means of circulars.

The Commission appointed to enquire into the cost of living cannot he said to be making much headway. The evidence given is purely parochial, and does not affect the main question—the cause of the increase. Milk, butter, cheese, fish, meat and most of the necessaries of life have advanced in price, but such is not the case 'with tea. In the centres of production ten has advanced, but no change has been made in either the prices or the quality of Crescent Tea. There aTe three grades, sold at 1/8, 1/10 and 2/per lb.— Advt.

Some time this season there will be produced at the Opera House Berlin, an opera named "King Harlequin." The ( music is written by :Mr G. H. Clutsam (one time of Auckland), and is his latewt work. The Mangatoki Co-operative Dairy Company 'has .selected the following i'o be manager* of ihe new cheese factories:— Messrs. Osborne (Ngaere factory), McCullum (assistant manager. Riverdale), and Taylor (Dalefield, Wairarapa). _ Mr. 11. W. C':mie, C.E.. of Jlawera, has just completed a comprehensive report upon a water and drainage scheme for the Napier South Town Board. The works as recommended by llr. Climie, are estimated to cost ,£22,374. According to the latest lists of companies registered published in the Mercantile Gazette, the Kohi Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., has been formed with a capital of £3OOO in £1 shares. Tho subscribers are all Waverley farmers. The following appeared in the answers to correspondents in this week's Observer:—"A.P.D.—Thanks for large paragraph counselling 'blood-red revolution against the bosses.' Any little thing like that helps to keep the fire going in these days of dear coal."

It is understood that the first year's j operations of the gas department of the | Eltharn Borough Council show an actual \ profit on the working account of about £3OO, which represents the excess of income over expenditure, but without providing for the payment of interest Argus. The Ngaere factory has ceased operations for the season. It is anticipated that when all the returns come to hand the suppliers of the local factory will have received a payment of Is 3%d per lb butter-fat for the current season—quite unprecedented so far as we are concerned (writes the Ngaere correspondent of the Stratford Post). The Opunake Railway Commission, of which Mr. R. W. Holincs, Engineer-in-Chief to the Public Works Department, j is chairman, has completed the taking of' evidence in Taranaki, and will resume sittings in Wellington to-day. The remaining proceedings will be of a deliberative character. The report of the Commission will be presented in readiness for the meeting of Parliament. Advances in the manufacturing side of the dairying industry continue to be made in the Wangaiiui district. Some months ago the Wanganui Dairy Company made a big stride forward in undertaking the manufacture of casein, being the first company in Australia to take it up. Now the Waverly Dairy \ Company are launching out in another direction, having decided to instal a whey butter plant of up-to-date design and capacity. Experiments in making butter from whey have proved very successful, and the practical utility of the manufactured article, of which whey forms the basis, having also beei ■demonstrated, it is expected that the company will have no reason to regret their enterprise. The additional benefits conferred on a dairy farm by these new ventures is obvious.

A question of building extras was responsible for several hours' litigation at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. Okey- and Eollo sued the Oaomii Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., for £4B 7s 3d for material, work and labor, representing extras in connection with the construction of certain concrete work. Mr. D. Hutehen appeared for the plaintiffs and Mr. G. Grey for the defendant company. The defence was that the claim was excessive, and that much of the work alleged to have been done had not been carried out. The quantities were incorrect. Instead of 19V4 yards of concrete, at 49s (id per yard, the defendant company contended that only 15 yards had been used. Other points were also disputed. During the hearing of the case it was made apparent that it was not quite clear as to whether the quality or the quantity of the work was in dispute. His Worship reserved his decision.

Writing of the Taranaki Winter Show, the New Zealand Times' agricultural editor says:—"Taking New Plymouth as an instance as representing North Taranaki, it must be gratifying to the local A. and P. Association to find themselves so loyally supported as was instanced at the show which has just been brought to a close. Here we find a community of small farmers, who are occupying ricii, but expensive land, battling with the problem of making two blades of grass, or its equivalent, grow where one did before. The old regime is passing, and science is playing a part in making the land yield up its possibilities. This new effort is well illustrated by the abundance of exhibits of farm roots and fodder that filled the show benches, which is evidence that grass only is not now being relied upon for feeding purposes. An far as the writer has observed, no other fixture in the Wellington or Taranaki provinces has brought together such a fine display representative of so ninny separate farms. It augurs wel for the future of the association and the prosperity of the district that this is so. In no instance was competition confined to one or two growers; ten, fifteen and twenty entries of onions, poatoes, carrots, swedes and mangels being common, while in mast instances the quality was of a high .standard."