LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 116, 2 October 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Langky 0 f Hamilton, lias bought the lease of the Urenui Hotel', and will take possession in a few weeks' time. The Education Board Inspector's annual examination of. the Central School will commence on Monday week, and the West End on Thursday, the 17th inst. tlle Taran?nf n r as m ad j ud ge<l a bankX p ls ' to be taten hi Mr. W. li. Emeuy, kta of the White Hart and Rahotu Hotels.

. -September rain fell on 26 days in New Plymouth, the total rainfall for the month bemg 5.32 inches. In tlie corresponding month of last war there m a o! 4 3Mi^ th m agg^aie rain -

As late secretary of the Garrison Band Mr. IVuwtcm Allen, is being sued by an' Auckland firm f or instruments supplied to the band Preliminary to the case, wftlv ff K o ''". 1161 ' 1 at Auckland next week the defendant made, application in the Magistrate's- Court yesterday, to havo to evidence taken locally ' The Magistrate (Mr. A. Orookc, S.M'.) agreed to this course. From the evidence of Allen for whom Mr. C. H. Weston appeared, and his cross-examination by ry 1 "'. Nicholson, who represented the plaintiffs (Messrs. Arthur Eady and Co.). it appears that the instruments were delivered on an order given in May ]()07 It was during the Band's visit to'the exhibition at Christehurch that the then secretary (Allen) and the bandmaster gave a- verbal order to an agent of the Company for a 13 flat and an E flat bass. The agent clearly understood, contended tire defendant, that they were being ordered for the Band. Tlie defendant took delivery of the instruments when they arrived on behalf of the Band. ITc- had now no connection with the Band, not having been a member for something like two years. The amount involved in tlie case'is £l7 Bs.

A prize pedigree Holetoin bull and a 00 w, the property of Mr. Newton King, was snipped North by the Ngapuhi lasti night. The steamer also took 47 horses. The freehold of the Criterion Hotel has changed hands, having been purchased by Mr. Hill, of Itawera, from the Cottier Estate. It is understood that bhie price was £14,000. Mr. Hill intends to -replace the present building with a Hew, and up-to-date structure. 0

Tlie Mells Dairy Factory will thi-s year send its output through Messrs. A. Clements and Son on open consignment; the Noimanby and Ararata factories through Messrs. Lov>ell and Christmas,' and- the Hawera and Melrose through Messrs. H. A. Lane and Co.—all on open consign-

T^ e High School Annual Sports will oe held on the school grounds on Thursday, October 24. The committee is circularismg old boys, pointing out that it is entirely dependent on the assistance of friends for funds to carry out these meetings. Subscriptions will be welcomed.

In a judgment summons case at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, John William. Ward was ordered to pay forthwith the sum of £3 15s to E. H. Kenyon, or in default undergo four days' imprisonment. Mr. J. C. Nicholson appeared for the judgment creditor, and at his instance the order was suspended for five .weeks.

A -veteran soldier, in tin person of Mr. George dampett, died at the Veterans' Home at Auckland on Thursday night, at the age of 82 years. He entered the East India Company's service in 1850, and served in the Burmah campaign, for which he was awarded a medal. Later on he joined the 18th Regiment (Royal Irish), receiving a medal with clasps for service at Lucknow and Delhi. In the Maori war, Mr. Clampett fought at Nukuniaru in 1865, earning the distinguished service medal.

The Governor will have an excellent opportunity of gauging the deplorable state of some of our back-country roads wlieii lie journeys to the Mountain Il'ouse on Friday. As a matter of fact, so a'News representative was informed! th'e Vice-regal party will travel in as much comfort as if they were traversing the "Rocky Road to Dublin." Parte'of the road in the Moa Road Board district are said to be in a very bad condition. Yesterday a, member. of the Mountain House Committee was out endeavoring to get. in touch with some member of the Board with the object of getting permission to temporarily repair the worst spobs, in order to ensure the motor ears containing, the official party ■reaching their destination.

_ Yesterday saw the opening of the fishing season in Taranaki, and many New Plymouth sports conveniently found '"business' away from town. Mostly the devotees of the rod went to Opunake, where one man is reported—the usual grain of salt indispensable in telling of anglers is thrown in—to have bagged 25 fish. ThoSe who wended their way Warea-wards report that the local river •is low and in good order. The fish are numerous and in 1 fine condition, but are too well fed. The party had moderate success. A couple of good baskets were secured out of the Stony river, the fish ranging up to seven pounds. From the Waivvakaiho river come reports of too much water and too much rain. All things considered, the season has opened fairly and auspiciously. "St. Aubyn Ratepayer" writes protesting against "the policy of bluff being 'Carried on by the St. Aubyn Town Board, or rather the alleged board." By advertisement and personal notice the board •has, he contends, notified that lutes arii now due «nd payable, and' t'luit "ten per cent, will shortly be added to unpaid rates." ■ He adds: "Not content in moving Hen veil and earth in its endeavor to defeat the wishes of the majority of .electors by clinging limpet-life to office, the board now has the effrontery to' try and make an illegal imposition on its ratepayers. According -to the Act, the Board cannot levy .an additional tan per cent., until six months and two weeks have elapsed after the issue of the Rite demands. As a matter of fact the hoard 'did not issue its notices until May,2B. It thus had no right, despite 'ita threat, to impose the extra charge until well into December."

It is understood that the High-School .Board has made application to the Gov. ernment for the "education reserve on the Old Hospital Road, known as Skeets' property, as a site for a proposed' girls' high school and boarding-house. Recently the hoard decided to separate the J).oys and girls next year. A preparatory school is going to he instituted next year, and this will leave no possible room for both- girl' and boy students. Separation will therefore be an urgent necessity, quite apart from the contention held in certain quarters that it is expedient for more than one consideration to have separate schools for the different sexes. It is understood that the board will make an effort to get the necessary funds to build a school for the girls next year. Whether the building is to |je located on the site in view largely depends on the nature of the reception which the board's application meets at the hands of the Government.

Giving some of his travel impressions to the Men's Brotherhood at Wellington oil Sunday, and referring to liis visit t» Germany, .Mr. Justice Cooper said he was always under the impression that the Germans disliked Englishmen. That was not true. There was an anti-Eng-lish feeling in Germany just as there was an anti-German feeling in England, and a prominent man in Germany had suggested to him a remedy to destroy such ill-feeling. "If," he said, "you in England would hang the editors of your daily papers, we in Germany would do the same." (Laughter). He saw a great deal of the German people. He was in Strasbuig on September 5, the day on which it was said war was to be declared between England and Germanv, and an "extra" was issued at the railway station. Wherever he went, however, he found a friendly feeling towards English people, but there was no doubt a hostile feeling existed towards the English Government, though that feeling did not exist so far as the English Government was concerned.

The Manaia paper complains of the beggarly amount paid to the cleric of the Town Board, which, it says, docs not represent a day laborer's wages; and yet it has been regarded as adequate for a man whose work requires special training and 'whose duties entail the transaction of the entire public business of the community. The Witness goes on to say: But this state of things is a very common characteristic of public bodies in Taranaki, though it does not apply, as far as we are aware, in any other part of the Dominion. A corporate or municipal official should be in much the same position as a Government servant. He should receive a fair return for his work, and lie should not be allowed to engage in any business pursuits which bring him into competition with the public, who arc his employers. The contrary is the rule in Taranaki, and the lit tends neither to efficiency nor reliability. It is hardly conceivable that the very large majority of those who provide municipal revenue wish to see their business done bv poorly paid officials. At all events,'if this kind of this is to be the passport to the public favor, then no man of spirit, possessing, a sense of justice, would sit on a public body.

A picture canvasser at Napier, who stole la 9u from an old woman, at whose place he called, was fined £2.

A find of the bones of about 30 moas lias been made'in a swamp on the farm of Mr. T. L. Smith, of Clevedon, near Auckland.

Approximately £41,900 has been spent in the erection of Roman Catholic school buildings in and around Auckland during the past 15 or 10 months. A Gisbonie Times reporter was informed a few days ago that for several weeks after the wreck of the Star of Canada, the cost of cabling to the Home authorities averaged about £OO per week.

"To expose fraud and imposture, il there are reasonable grounds for believing it to exist, is the privilege, nay, the duty, of the press, and if we find the press fail to do this, then they at once sink to the level of American journalism, which Heaven forbid."—Mr. Justice Edwards, at the Supreme Court at Napier on Saturday.

One of the leading bacon companies in the North Island, during last year, suffered losses in excess of ' £4OOO on account of pigs purchased and subsequently condemned. A Hawke's Bay company, from the same cause, lost close on £•2000. These figures are not mythical, as they havo to be checked and certified to by Government inspectors, prior to being accepted bv the Department, which pays ; compensation to the amount of 2d per lb on all condemned pigs.

An aeroplane patent has just been filed in the United States by an American woman, Mrs. .Anna O. Hagerstedt. Mrs. Hagerstadt's invention is known as an "amphibious liver," for it combine's ail aeroplane, a motor boat, and a self-pro-pelling land vehicle. The primary purpose of this "three-element craft" however. Hying. a science,to which Mrs. ■Hagerstedt has devoted, a lifetime o) study. She is the only woman'in America Who holds an aeroplane patent. One of the most delightful drinks in London at the present moment is (says a writer) dispensed 'at -Marlborough House, and the recipe is the invention of Queen -Alexandra. The juice of crushed peaches apd oranges is used in equal part.*, a few slices of cucumber are added, castor sugar to taste, and a fair suspicion of ginger. The whole is mellowed with nmraschin before being placed on ice and is left there for Some hours before serving. It is called' "The Alexir of Life." • ' •'

Thirty-five pounds' worth of butter for a season from a single cow is a statement that the average dairyman might be pardoned /for doubting." Yet this 1 amazing return will probably be achieved by two purebred Holstein cows at the Weraroa State Farm—Dominio 111. and Manola. Last month these cows had given for the season considerably over 22,0001b« of -milk, and were still going strong. _' According to the Horowienua Chronicle, these cows were fairly safe, ere the season closed, to produce seven hundred pounds of butter each, or a gross return of £35.

An amusing incident happened in one of the principal squares at Zurich. A well-dressed young woman, wearing highiieeled boots, was . crossing the street when her heel became caught in a tramway lino where several branch lines cross. A crowd collected round the struggling girl, and tram-cars stopped while a gendarme vainly tried to free the boot, which the girl indignantly refused to take off. As more tram cars were' delayed and the crowd increased a gendarme cut the bootlace and pulled out the little foot, and their the crowd became hilarious—the .silk stocking was full of holes!

It is reported that a gigantic international trust has been formed with the object, of "cornering" all the white lead in the world. Tli-e trust, which emanated from America, embraces every English firm except six out of over a< hundred. This small opposition, however, is of little avail, as the six independent firms will be bound to join .the trust, ai} they will be unable to buy any more 'dry white lead except at a prohibitive figurp. A uniform price* lias been fixed bv the inteinational committee, and no white lead can be obtained under that figure. The immediate result ,of .the combine has been the increase in price from £lB and £l3 a ton to £2l and over. After it has been ground the price is £3o...and this i» the amount that the ordinary decorator lias to pay as fixed by the trust. Last year ke would have paid £2l a ton.