LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 309, 26 June 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A score or so of handsomely designed and costly medals, which are for competition in connection with the Taranaki and 11th Regiment Territorials boxing championships, to be fought out at New Plymouth to-morrow and Friday evenings, are on view in the window of Mr. G. Griffiths' tailoring establishment in Devon street. A grocer's assistant, in giving evidence before the Court of Arbitration in Wellington on Monday, stated that he was a married man with four children, and was working for a wage of £2 5s a week. He grew nearly all his own vegetables and mended the boots of all members of the family as far as he was able. He was paying a weekly sum towards purchasing the house he lived in, and expected that it would be his own some day—about 25 years hence. The long arm of the law was exemplified in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, when a young man named Andrew Hutchcson, alias 11. Parker, was charged with having, on August 24,1908, at Auckland, forged and uttered a cheque on the Union Bank of Australia for £l4 10s, purporting to he signed by F. G. Welch, of Onehunga, and drawn in favor of H. Parker. Accused, who was arrested yesterday morning by Constable Boulton, was, on the application of Senior-Sergeant Haddrell, remanded by Mr. Crooke, S.M., to appear at Auckland on Thursday next. In the district orders issued to territorial officers by Colonel E. W. E. Chaytor, commanding the Wellington military district, it is noted that "the names of those officers desirous of presenting themselves at the examination for promotion, on August 10 and following days, are to be forwarded on army form B 2053, so as to reach the head office by July 4, 1012. With regard to senior cadet parades, it is notified that it will be the duty of the officers or N.C.O. in charge'to see that every lad leaves the building immediately after the parade is Tn no case are lads to be allowed to loiter about the hall or parade rrround. A board of officers will assemble at the District Headquarters. Palmpi'Rton North, on a date to be fixed by the president (Lieut.-Colonel Prinze" to d'-il with all claims for capitat'.- i for Hie year 1011-12. No claim will !:i considered until a statement of li-.i-iiUrs has Ven received from the off* r eo»imanrtii">the unit or regiment.

The borough waterwork .stall' was engaged last night in changing some of the fire plugs in Devon street with a view to havfing all the plugs uniform. There appears to be no limit to the possibilities of dairying. The Rahotu Dairy Company, which has been manufacturing cheese all the season, also manufactured whey butter as a sideline. During the winter months butter is being manufactured, and the company has also decided to turn out a ton of | skim milk cheese. Should this realise a paying price, a further quantity will bo made.

A farmer living close to Timaru has demonstrated the value of chou moellier as a winter food for stock—sheep, cattle and horses. He has a splendid crop, the plants being from 4ft to 4V»ft high. The stock eat both stems and leaves of the plants. The farmer is feeding cows in milk on the plant, and he is also fattening bullocks on it. The crop was sown at New Year time, and it is yielding more feed than any other crop w'ill do for the same extent of ground. A Southern Tarakai farmer supplies some interesting figures relative to the comparative profits of dairy and potato farming. The gentleman i;i question is one of the biggest in 1 both branches of industry in the district, and his figures, taken over a number of years, go to show that an acre of potatoes will produce as much as eight good milch cows. As it is exceptional dairying country that will run a cow to l</ 2 acres the figures mean that potato-growing is twelve times as lucrative as dairying.

Pyridine, with which methylated spirit is now adulterated, with a view to making the stuff more distasteful to the depraved drinker, is a limpid volatile liquid, having a powerful and persistent odor, and causes a bitter taste in the mouth and back of the throat. It is believed that the greatest slave to methylated spirit drinking will find the stuff, as now prepared, something too warm for his palate. It is hoped that the step taken will assist in destroying a deplorable vice, as the man who would drink it with pyridine in it would almost be able to take spirits of salts. The use of eagles for the destruction of aeroplanes and dirigibles in flight is the latest thing in the aviation world. Several French army officers are now at Nice engaged in the task of training a number of eagles to go in pursuit of flying machines. The birds were first made accustomed to the whirr of the propellers, the flutter of the motors, and to rifle fire. By placing food on the top and sides of the model aeroplane in use the experimenters then found that the eagles no sooner sighted a machine as baited when they swooped down and attacked it with great fierceness. The officers who are making these remarkable experiments have not yet concluded their work, but the results so far achieved have been so much beyond their expectations that they have'been instructed to continue their tests.

The annual meeting of the New Plymouth Club was held last night, Mr. W. N. Ewiug (president) in the chair. The report and balance-sheet showed that the past year had been a very successful one from a financial and social standpoint. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year : — President, Mr. W. N. Ewing; vice-president, Mr. F. Reston; hon. secretary, Mr. A. L. Humphries; hon. auditor, Mr. H. Stocker; committee, Messrs. P. Jury, J. C. Morey, sen., C. M. Hill, C. N. Johnson, A. K. Smart, F. Plumtree, S. M. Fennell, and W. Roberts. Votes of thanks were passed to the retiring officers anil subcommittees. The annual meeting of shareholders in the New Plymouth Club (incorporated) was held subsequently. The directors reported that all matters were progressing satisfactorily. Messrs. W. N. Ewing and J. Eberlet, the retiring directors, were re-elected. Sitting in his civil jurisdiction at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., gave judgment for the plaintiff by default in the following eases:—Dr. IT. A. McCleland v. Leonard L. Smith, claim £0 7s fid, costs 8s; John Avery v. Henry Evan Jones, claim £3 Is Rd, costs 13s. In the judgment summons case of Grayson and Cock v. John Ward, the defendant, a laborer, who made no appearance, was ordered to pay the amount (8s lOd) forthwith, or in default undergo seven days' imprisonment. Referring to the ease of Okey and Rollo v. Oaonui Dairy Factory Company, the Magistrate intimated that he was prepared to give his deferred judgment. Before doing so, however! he wished to give counsel for the plaintiff' (Mr. D. Hutehen) the right to apply for a non-suit, owing to the plaintiffs bavin" been at a disadvantage through the defendants having erroneously stated in a letter prior to the action that the quantities were not in dispute. Upon Mr Hutehen stating that he would consult his clients, the Magistrate further reserved his decision.

Indications are general, says tlie Age, that any bias that may exist'against the Commonwealth Bank is political, and that it is dying down. The governor of the Bank, Mr. Dennison Miller, was present at the civic reception given recently to Lieutenant-General Sir Baden-Powell, and it was noticeable that many leading commercial men approached him to wish him success. Although the public is wondering how the bank can be established with a capital of only £1,000,000, confidence has been expressed since the appointment of Mr. Miller that the establishment will be on sound lines. One sign is the large number of applications for positions from first-class men. Numbers of bank clerks have already cause to rejoice at the appointment of Mr. Miller. In one important banking establishment it synchronised with the distribution of increments, and there were made £2O, instead of the usual £lO. It is expected that the Federal Government will almost immediately give notice to the State Governments that post offices are required for Federal Savings Banks, or that a, date in July will be fixed for the inauguration of the Victorian section of the savings banks. The London Standard, in an article on the frozen meat industry and its importance to Great Britain, dates the beginning of the industry which has grown to such magnitude at 1880, when the s-.s. Strathleven left Melbourne with 400 carcases aboard. The successful arrival in London of this initial cargo demonstrated the fact that the transport of frozen meat over great distances was a commercial possibility. Another shipment followed by the Protos, this time of 2000 carcases, and then, for some inexplicable reason, there was no further consignment in bulk until 18S2. On February 15, 18S2, the first shipment of frozen meat was made from New Zealand, and now New Zealand holds the premier position, the Dominion having sent to Great Britain in 1911 a total of 5,223,783 careases of sheep and lamb, compared with 4,125,350 from South America and 3,611,051 from Australia. It must not, adds the article, be forgotten that incalculable benefits have been derived from the introduction of the frozen meat industry. Not only has it brought prosperity to the colonics, but it lies brought the consumption of meat within the means of many millions of people, who would otherwise have to do without it. and a« such it must obviously have a most important bearing on the hrnllh and strength of the nation a« a "hole. Nov does it compete with t lv- H<>": • for the retail prices f ll.>•>■■. '■]}]>-,] meat hav been practical!- !.■■'■ ■■■• for 111past 30 years.