LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 322, 11 July 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A l>ig working bee of natives is engaged in making a road and entrance to Oakura pa, under the supervision of the Taranaki County Council's surfacema*. According to the statement submitted by the secretary (Mr. A. Cliff) - the Taranaki Agricultural Society, realised a profit of £3OO odd 011 its winter show. The society has donated £3.3s to the Taranaki Garrison Band for contributing selections at the show, and £3 3s to the fund which has been opened by the New Zealand Kennel Club on behalf of the late Mr. M .E. Dovey, a former secretary of the dub. At the monthly meeting of the St. Aubyn Town Board it was decided to instruct tlie engineer (Mr. J. Skinner) to fix levels for kerbing and channeling on Devon street from Cutfield road to Belt road, on Belt road from the South road to the railway line, on IJine street from Cutfield road to Belt road, and on the South road from Cutfield road to Belt road. He was also instructed to draw specifications for earthwork and formation on Lorna street. The chairman was authorised to call for tenders for the above work if necessary. Tt was decided to agree to the adjustment of accounts between the Taranaki County Council and the board, regarding the apportionment of the Barrett road special loan. Tn answer to his application, it was resolved to inform Mr. •Toh 11 Brennan that the Calvert road bridge over the Mangaotuku stream could not lie gone 011 with, seeing that lie required the. board tn cut a race over his property at the board's expense. The foreman (Mr. W. Evetts) was appointed supervisor and inspector of at! contracts let bv the board. The treasurer (Mr. M. Fleetwood) reported that, there were 110 outstanding rates due.

So thorough lias been the culling of ■dairy herds in the Wairarapa in recent years (says the Age) that clearing dairy sales are now almost a tiling of the past. A paper has been started at Otorolianga by Mr. Jas. Claridge, who shares with Mr. Joseph Ivess t'he honor of planting anore ''rags" than any other party in the world.

On Sunday afternoon next, at 3 o'clock, a service for men only will be held in St. Mary's Church, when an address entitled' "Forgiveness—ls there a limit?" will be given by the Vicar of the parish, the Rev. A. H. Colvile, M.A.

The Christchurch police liave decided to initiate proceedings against a northern firm, on the complaint of a Christchurch resident, in connection with an advertisement for the sade of watches. The advertisement suggests to the careless reader that a watch could be procured by payment of 2s Gd, but the sending of this sum produced a demand for further payments amounting to 225. The Christchurch resident paid the amount, with postage, but after a month's delay was still without his watch.

The heroism of Captain Smith, of the Titanic, recalls the tribute which Sir William Butler, in his "Autobiography," paid to our English sea captains. 'T have sailed," 'he wrote, "in many good and bad vessels in my time, but I can truthfully declare that I never sailed with a bad sea captain. Ido not mean only in the sense of his profession; J mean the man himself. He is the very best man this Empire produces; the salt of the sea and the soul of the land are in him. ... If England holds to her captains she will pull through in the end."

In the last three years new houses have gone up in Auckland at the rate of four .per day. Within the greater Auckland area 4000 new homes have been erected in three years. A leading land and property agent informed a Star representative t'hat whereas the population of greater Auckland stood at 110,000, there were not 100 empty houses in the whole city, and that people frequently spent half a day in searching for a house before they found one that had a "to-let" sign showing. Last year over a million sterling was spent on new buildings in Auckland.

The up-to-date Nelson fruit-grower lias entirely departed from the old method of planting fruit trees. Instead of preserving the roots and spreading,, them out carefully when the tree is put in the ground, he lops them off close to the stem, leaving a sort of bulbous root. A hole is made in the ground with a crowbar, and in goes the tree. This method is not adopted to save time or money, but .because it is said to be better than the old one. Instead of having to live with half dead roots the tree makes new ones, and therefore grows much more healthily than it would otherwise have done.