LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 171, 6 December 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Five and six-roomed houses are still difficult to obtain in New Plymouth. The Mangatoki Co-operative Compan;. sends its first consignment of cheese away this week, 500 orates being consigned to West of England ports.

Auckland has subscribed £3OO towards the Godlev Cadet Prize Fund, Wellington £BO, Napier £29, Feilding £l9, Pahiatua £lO, and Wanganui £5.

A road race to Bell Block and back will be held next Thursday under tli>auspices of the Rovers' Cycle Club. Entries will close with the secretary (Mr. L .Smith) to-morrow. . The headmaster of the New Plymouth High School ;s arranging to take a number of the school boys on. a walking tour to -the Mokau luring the approaching holidays. A more suitable or interesting trip oould not be taken. Mr. Herdman stated in Auckland last night that the Crown Law Draughtsman, is already occupied in preparing legislation for next session. He states that the Government's Bills will be ready for con sideration as soon as Parliament meets. Was the New Plymouth Town Clerk having a little joke, or was he really under a misapprehension when he wrote to the Stratford Borough Council offering a water-cart for sale, and stating that°he understood Stratford was requiring one. -Post.

3he need for further boarding accommodation, hotel or otherwise, in New Plymouth ;s, with the approach of the holiday, season, becoming more evident. Enterprise in this direction would sure to be rewarded. A good up-to-date family hotel or boarding house on or near the beach would never be short of patronage.

Owing to the still increasing cost of hides, which are now stated to be selling at phenomenal prices, the New Zealand tanners' Association resolved yesterday, says ;n Auckland Press wire, to again advance the price of leather by one penny per pound and one shilling and sixpence per side, and one halfpenny per foot for chromes.

The Kaponga Dairy Factory Company is m full swing at checse-makinn- n W 'l now, its output being a thousand crates a fortnight. This week the company is despatching 1010 urates by the Roto'rua. and their grade is keeping well up {<> their previous high standard, 00-91 linstock at present in the company's curhmroom promises to turn out even better than anything they have hitherto ma,'c —Star. ' '

A Wanganui telegram says: Just recently the sawmiliers increased the price of heart of matai by Is per 100 ft. A conference of millers has now taken place and it has been decided further to increase that class of timber by an additional Is per 100 ft. The price of clean lines of rimu and heart of rimu has also been increased by Is per 100 ft. All the mills on the Main Trunk are working under pressure to cope with the big demand.

At the Oakura Railway League meeting last night mention was made by one of the speakers that at present it cost £2OO per annum to maintain each mile of road; Mr. Okey remarked that a fewyears ago, when he was chairamn of the County Council, the cost only £7O per mile. If, he said, the cost had increased so much, consequent on the increased cartage, during the past six or seven years, it would soon grow to .snob a point that the settlers would be unable to bear it.

The; Wanganui museum, which alwa ■< has been carried on in the face of great financial difficulties (being supported almost entirely by voluntary contributions) is now "on the rocks.' The revenue, it seems, is not sufficient for upkeep and there is no opportunity of acquiring fresh specimens except by exchange. The trustees have therefore'approached tlvBorough Council with a request cither to increase its subsidy or to take the museum over, striking a small rate for its maintenance. The council has referred consideration of the matter to its Finance Committee.

A traveller complains of the dangerous practice adopted by some tracHon engine drivers -jf travelling along the public highways without sufficient fights. Last night, whilst driving j n f rom okato about 11 p.m. he complains that he met a traction engine drawing a couple of trailers, and its sole illumination, save the mark, was a head light of about two and a half candle power, and even this could have been improved if the "lass had been cleaned. So dull was the Ti«h't that he was unaware it was a traction engine he was approaching, until he was right upon it. Fortunately, however he met it where the road was wide, but there are numerous places, where he would not care to encounter it without some previous warning. Surely if motorears, traps, and even cycles are compelled to carry decent lights, a traction en«ine which is much more awkward, cumbersome and dangerous should have to do so also.

HAD A WEAK CHEST. "My son Frank would not be alive today had it not been for ChamberlainV Cough Remedy," writes Mrs. A. M. Buckley, River street, Bulimba, Brisbane Queensland. "He had a weak chest and was subject to attacks of croup but Chamberlain's Cough Remedy lias brought him safely through and'now lie is strong and healthy."—Sold by ail Chemists and Storekeepers.

Mr. R. T. Sadd, Commissioner of Crown Lands for Hawke's Bay. intends to proceed with the pulling up of some 40,000 or 50,000 acres of Crown land which has previously been acquired from the natives, as soon as he lias got the present areas of land for settlement open for selection.

A peculiar accident, whereby Mr. Bishop lost a valuable half-draught horse, occurred at Clareville, the other morning (says the Carterton News). A boy was trying to catch the animal, and the horse evaded liim every time. At last, getting angry, he picked up a small stone and threw it at the beast. The missile struck the inside of the horse's hock and broke the bone, with the result that the animal had to be destroyed. A good story comes from a country district not far from Gisborne. A visitor from town was inspecting the sights of the country place, when he espied a man donned in dungarees and shirt sleeves, actively engaged in cleaning out a schoolroom. After conversing about the climatic potentialities of the district, the Gisbornite remarked that he supposed the gentleman he was addressing was one of the railway workmen. "Oh, no." replied the other, with a genial smile, "I am the English,parson." The humor of the situation (says the Times) was enjoyed by both men. although the visitor was somewhat taken •aback. "I do not remember a season so bad for 30 years," said a sheep farmer to-a contemporary the other day. "Last year was bad enough, but this takes the cake. During the last six weeks there have been only fifteen days on which, shearing could be carried on." Another stated that be bad been able to shear only on five days during the month of November. Reports from Wairavapa indicate that shearing will not be completed until well into January. ' At Brancepeth, which is one of the krgest sheds in the Masterton district, operations are not yet more than half through. Some of the smaller stations have cut out, but others have not yet been able to start, owing to the shortage of shearers. The position in the Forty-mile Bush is said to be worse thai! in AA'airarapa. A somewhat unique house has been built at Petone for Mrs. Love, and while it has all the features of a modern dwelling, it contains a distinctly Maori hall, probably the only one of its kind in the country. The decoration -of the hall is distinctly Maori, and the. only colors used in the patterns, which have been reproduced from old and authentic models, are black and red, "The ceiling is high, open and pitched so as to represent the interior of a Maori; house. The walls are panelled with fluted timber looking like woven (lax, and tinted like it. The studs, or poupou. and the rafters (heke) and ridge (tabuhu) are also elaborately figured with Maori patterns, and over the door and pV>ve the windows, the frieze, and skirting, there is much similar ornamentation. To introduce black into the windows was not easy, but it was overcome by the use of a pale grey colored glass, together with- ruby-tinted glass, where red was required, in the lead lights. The spirals, waves, zigzags and other features of Maori design in this hall have been copied with scrupulous care.