LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 73, 13 August 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The | annual meeting of the Taranaki Employers' Association will be held in the Town Hall at 8 o'clock to-night. On Friday, August 23, the s.s. Rarawa will not sail for Onehunga till midnight, on account of having 10 ship the "Margaret Cooper" Company to Auckland. The,Taranaki Agricultural Society has fixed on February 26 and 27 as the dates for the autumn show. This function is to take the place of the spring show usually held in December. The New Plymouth High School Board, of Governors invite parents of past and present pupils and their friends to visit the High School on Thursday next to inspect the new boardin" establishment. ° In the last issue of the Spectator, a weekly paper published in Christchurch by Mr. G. W. Ruesell, M.P., appears a paragraph which states "that Sir Joseph ward looks like being leader of his Majesty's Opposition." An evidence of the growth of the dairying industry in the Thames Valley and Paeroa district is afforded by the increase in the output of the Thames Valley Dairy Co. The output of but- | tcr increased by 25 per cent.—from 000 r to 700 tons (valued at over £100.0000) the price paid to suppliers bein«'ps/d per lb. ° . ,s Mr. Okey, M.P. for Taranaki is to ask tihe Native Minister whether, seeing the importance of the oil industry in the Taranaki district and the advantages of having all lands in the vicinity prospected for oil, he. will bring dowii legislation giving the Public Trustee statutory power to make regulations empowering him to grant borinar rights over lands held under the West Coast Settlement Reserves Act in the Taranaki dis> triet.

Seven photographs of ox-Mayors of New Plymouth now aiioru the walls of the Borough Council Chambers. The latest addition is that of Mr. J. B. Roy, who was Mayor of the borough from 1888-89 and 18D3-97. The council lias decided to transfer the portraits to the walls of the Carnegie Library, until now municipal chambers are erected. At the last meeting of the Eltham County Council the letter from the Taranaki County Council asking the cooperation of the Eltham Council in urging the Cabinet to commence the construction of the Opunake railway from both ends, as recommended by the Commission, was merely received, the chairman remarking that most of the councillors were not in fa.vor of the route suggested.

Airmen number at least one New Zealander, who is quite in the "first flight." This is Mr. W. Moorhouse, formerly well known among motor-cyclists in Wellington. Eecently he made the cross-Chan-nel passage from Prance to England in an aeroplane, Mrs. Moorhouse accompanying him, Pleasing reference was made to the achievement at the annual smoke concert of the New Zealand Motor' Cycle Club on Saturday evening. Mr. G. V. Pearce, M.P., on Monday morning received a telegram from the Hon. the Postmaster-General to the effect that he was prepared to lend the Harbor Board the sum of £SOOO for putting, the dredge in commission and for relieving the present strain on the .board's finances. It will hot be necessary, we understand, to create a rating -area as was understood by the Harbor .Board at their meeting last week.— Patea Press.

"One moment, your Worship," queried a borough councillor with an air of incredulity at last night's meeting of the Borough Council. "What is this account for tuning a piano?" "We have a piano .in the FLtzroy Hall," smilingly intimated the town clerk. "Were you' not aware that the borough owned a musical instrument?" laughingly enquired the Mayor. It was. further elicited that certain persons had refused to hire the hall until the piano -was tuned. Hence the expenditure.

The Stratford Borough Council, at its meeting last night, urged the immediate construction of a railway line from Stratford to Kaponga and Manaia, emphasising, in support of the resolution, that the Railway Commission unanimously found that Moturoa was clearly the best port in Taranaki, and, therefore, the line would give the quickest and : most direct communication with the deep spa ports. It would also efficiently provide immediate relief to the roads in South-west Taranaki.

A somewhat unique presentation has been made to the Rev. John Wilkinson, 8.A., senior curate of St. Mary's parish, who leaves New Plymouth at the end of the month to take charge of the parish of Epsom, Auckland, in the shape of an illuminated address from the prisoners of the local gaol. The address is couched in the following terms:—"The prisoners of the New Plymouth gaol take this opportunity of wishing Mr. Wilkinson every happiness in his new home 11/8/12," Mr. Wilkinson conducts divine •erfice at the gaol on Sunday mornings.

The Salvation Army Brass Band was referred to in the lujht of a nuisance by a member of a deputation which waited upon the Borough Council last night in reference to . the proposed erection of public conveniences in Brougham street. As an occupier of offices in that street he already had, he said, enough to put Up with. "Through the supineness of the police and the Borough Council," he exclaimed with some feeling, "the Salvation Army Band congregates in Brougham street and kicks up such a disturbance that I cannot do my work." Ho added that he was thus prevented from: getting that "enjoyment" out of his office that he should. ■

. "I am absolutely ashamed of the appearance of, our town,".''remarked Or. Ambiiry at last night's meeting of the Borough Council, in drawing attention to noxious weeds in the boromgh. Vacant sections in the borough were, he added, smothered with noxious weeds. In the interests of the town, property owners should be asked, requested, hay, compelled, to clear their vacant, sections of .noxious growths. The Mayor explained that the matter had been placed in the hands of the Government inspector some time,ago, to which Cr. Amburv rejoined that the weeds still remained. He wanted the clearing-up process to be enforced at once. He added that some ■sections belonging to the borough and some.'of the unformed streets were likewise in a disreputable condition. The council should, he said, at lea *f instruct its engineer to employ casual labor, if required, to clear the streets. The council decided to urge the' Government nspector to enforce the law relative to the clearing of noxious weeds from sections in the old part of the borough.

A large deputation of property owners and tenants in Brougham street waited upon the Borough Council last night, in protest against the proposal to erect public conveniences in that thoroughfare. The first speaker was Mr. J. B. T loy, who urged that the proposed location of the premises would depreciate both the value and goodwill of adjacent properties. It would tend to divert the traffic from Brougham street. Personally, he had never heard a single complaint as to the absence of conveniences in the town, and in fairness to the ratepayers interested the council should reconsider the position before it definitely com- , mitted itself to the suggested site. If the council persisted in its proposal, the ratepayers interested would hare to consider their own position, and take Bteps to defend themselves. Accord'ng to Mr. A. H. Johnstone, there were four good reasons why the council should pause before it committed itself to a line of action:—(l) The street was exceedingly narrow; (2) a thing of the kind was liable to become a nuisance: ('■'■) the suggested site was rather too rnblic; (4) a very considerable and rwporsible body of ratepayers strongly objected to the proposal. Other sneakers were Messrs. R. C. Hughes, P. G. Corkill, Collis and Teed, who objected to the site as citizens. The council decided to consider

the matter at a special meeting next Monday. The usual weekly meeting of the Egmont Lodge, No. 11?, was "held in the lodge room, being opened bv the Chief Templar, Bro. P. K. Peuoerell. The C.T. reported that the lodge anniversary arrangements were under way. A committee consisting of Bros. Maunder, Hartnell and Haydcn was set up to interview absent members. I!--. IT. E. Hayden was appointed ass'r-lant secretary. Bro. Maunder kindly dis; rinded a number of the N.Z. Alliai;,-' ■•unnal report, which were apore-iau'd by the members. The follow ; i"? officers, in Whose hands the programme for the evening was left, supplied •t"">a:—Secretary, Chaplain, Guard, Past Chief Templar, Marshal, Treasurer. Financial Secretary, Chief Templar. The juvenile branch of the lodge at nr- jent seems to be in a very promising :<■' ' . For a few weeks past the atteridai'-'s at the sessions held on Wednc=day .-ve-iings came to a very low ebb on •■ -. ■■■<■ n\ ."of the Boy Scout meetings, wb'.!i ; ( .'| 0 n that night, and to which a '•■'■■>* -i"mber of young brothers beloiur "' ; V> superintendent realised that *ov ■■ l,: ":r must be done to revive the h.. I. and the changing of the ni«l:- L : r '•v.»M;i<r was the course taken, MovV- night has 'now been deck! vl on ■: . ' • : \ consequence the nmoVr; >i ; .- ■ ' ■i? swelled considerably by memb'r.; '■ . : i : > -.-,-> be<>n on the inaelive list for .: ar'")'past. The renin livb'f . ,■' ;,. . . ..'.;.;• ~,.,. spent in a few parlour r:v ■ 'Dhe session was closed by the C,T. ... :."0 p.m.

New Zealand has in one year exported; to Great Britain pork to the value of J over £30,000. / "There is no eountry on God's earth where the farm laborer is treated better than he is in New Zealand."—Mr. Sheat, a North Canterbury farmer.The growth of motoring in Australia is amazing, particularly in proportion to as population. Twelve years ago there were about half-a-dozen ears in Australia, to-day the numbers arc. creeping up towards 20,000. The Waitotara County .Council is in favor of the Farmers' L'nioH proposal to encourage tree-planting on farms by remitting the rates on all plantations over an acre in extent. They have passed a resolution to that effect.

A resident of Sydney, writing to a friend in Wellington, says that the weather in the former city' during the past two months has been the worst he has known for ten years. During the latter half of June, and the whole of July there were only six fine days.

A number of interesting scientific cinematograph pictures, illustrating the circulation of the blood, and the influence of the introduction of certain baceili into the veins of various animals, were* shown before an audience of medical and scientific men at the King's Theatre in Wellington. The display was a revelation of the uses to which the kinematograpn is being put in Europe and America to assist science in determining causes and effects.

In an address before the Confcrente on Eugenics Dr. Woods declared that the men of genius among Royalty were 100 times as many as among other classes of people. Of 832 monarchs whom he had analysed forty could rank -with any man of genius who ever lived—the speaker instancing Gustavus ,11., Adolphus (King of Sweden 1611-32), William the Silent (founder of the Dutch Republic), and Prince Eugene (the celegrated Austrian General). Dr. Whetham, a lady practitioner, read a paper in whieh she argued that there was a possibility of the white people of Britain, and the Western nations generally, becoming shorter, darker, and less able to take the initiative, less persistent, and more emotional in government. • i