LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 220, 5 February 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tomatoes are likely to re very plentiful in the course of a wo. 1; or two in Auckland, as blight lias not visited the Clops this year. In a short time it is expected that they will b" retailed at a. very much cheaper rate than at present. The outdoor crops are now i.ipidly ripening.

Captain Manto. a Japanese, cavalry officer, was a passenger by the steamer Knmano Mam. which left Sydney for Yokohama, via ports, last week. .lis took with him fifteen thoroughbred horses for the military authorities in Japan. Captain Maruo if of opinion that the animals will make fine chargers for the .Japanese officers.

Tlio demand for unskilled workers in Xorfch Canterbury at ;it is very brisk (says the Press). The Public Works Department require a large num-,. ber of men for the Pealcy Fiat works, and several men have hern sent to employment there. Uras--seeders are more or less ki demand. and a number have been engaged. Harvesters have not, yet been asked for, for although the very dry season has brought on the crops on (lie light lauds, harvesting has r.ot become general in many districts. A new Zeppelin airship, bult at Friedrichsliiifen for a private company to make passenger-carrying trips, has been acquired by the German Government for the rise of the army. Its capacity is 700 000 cubic feet. The cabin for passengers will be converted into rooms for the carrying of bombs, for wireless apparatus. rind for quick-firing gims. A larger Zeppelin, of about !»20,000 cubic feet capacity, is now being constructed at Friedrichshafen for the German This airship will carry two more quicktiring guns than the other naval Zeppelin, and larger quantities of explosives. During the winter experiments will be made in discharging explosives from the airship. The time and place of the tests are being kept secret. The incidents leading to the arrest of I'emmer. the Wellington constable, on a charge of theft, are said to be somewhat peculiar. Hats of a distinctive make had been missed from the shop of Messrs Wallace and Gibson. So far as these mercers knew, no other shop displayed exactly the same specimens. The disappearance of the hats remained a mystery for a long time, till one day a man who was wearing one of these peculiar types of headgear, walked into the shop to make a purchase. The mercer, noting that hat, made 110 observation at the time, but h said to have followed the wearer to the police station, informed the detectives of the remarkable occurrence. and this led to suspicion and a search, and Kenuner's arrest. Subsequently be was charged with theft from a jeweller's shop. Angelo Sarto. the Pope's brother, who is a postman in his native town of Riese, recently arrived in Pome. After lunching with the Pope at the Vatican lie visited the Chamber of Beauties, where he complained to the representative for Riese of the hard lot of a country postman. Sarto declared that he wus obliged to walk eight miles a day, often through deep snow or under a burning sun. delivering letters and newspapers, and receiving only -2s a day in wages. The deputy introduced Sarto. who is a grey-lraired man of sixty-four, to the I Under-Secretary of Posts. y..], 0 ordered his pay to be doubled. He also promised Sarto that an assistant postman would loe appointed for Riese. "i am not the only postman who suffers,"' remarked the Pope's brother. The Under-Secre-tary thereupon promised to order a I special enquiry into the employment of rural postal employees in order to better their condition.

A delayed cable, dated London, January 2 - 2. says:—Lord Curzon yesterday presented Lord Boberts with a £SOOO cheque and a statuette representing "Peace," the gifts having been subscribed to by the National Service League. He said he believed that Great Britain was on the eve of a great awakening, and hinted at the possibility of universal military training. He also suggested a round-table conference with the overseas dominions for the purpose of obtaining recognition of the Empire's military needs. Lord 'Roberts, replying, said that Lord TTalda lie's territorial 'scheme, was a failure. Time, money and energy had been utterly wasted on it. and Great Britain to-day was practically unarmed. Her military arrangements were the laughing-stock of the worfii, but he believed that the Government was goin» to seriously consider the matter in the van- future.

"Fair and Fifteen" writes to the Sydney Sim with regard to the recent discussion on the vonth of Australia by the Science Congress: "What a lot of rubbish these professor* do talk! What do they know about hoys and girls flirting? If (itey were ever luttruii enough to ilirt themselves it was so long ago that they've forgotten all about it. Silly old jos What's the ha rm, anyway? T've been giving the boys the glad eye for years, and T don't think I'm any worse than a lot of other girls I know who never go out without someone to look after then). At least, their mothers and fathers think they don't go out, but T know different. I've been to a boarding-school myself. What's the harm in mashing a boy—so long as he's nice? Ijovs were made to wash. What the professor said about some boys is quite right. I'oys of 15 or 10 are awfully gawky, and need a lot of encouragement; but win 11 they get a bit older you don't need to iii\e them the glad eye. My present mash is IS. and he started it. All giil> don t look as old as I do, so what are they to do if the boys won't come of their own acoerd? Are they going to miss all the fun ? Not on vou'r life."

HOW TO MOVE WITH LEAST TROUBLE AND ANXIETY. is not pleasant under any cirM nnstnee-, lint it's ten times worse ''•'hen dime by incompetent carriers. Eniphn !(>. 1,(7 get eilieient, careful work. \\e aim to save you trouble and t" s.ive your furniture bard knocks. You ex]Mvt nothing less than this, and you grf nothing less than this when we shift yi'Mr t h ing?:. riic Express Co.. Ltd.— Advl.

.Judgment for the defendant by default was given in the Magistrate's Court yesterday in the case of C. Carter v. ,T. W. Briggs, claim for £5 15s and costs 23s Gd. i Bishop Averill laid the foundation stone of St .Luke's Church, at Ilavelock North yesterday afternoon. It is to lie a handsome stone building, erected at a cost of £3OOO. ' ; A Manaia resident speculated in the purchase of a hundred-acre farm a week ago. Three days afterwards (says the Witness) he sold at an increase of three pounds an acre on his price. The exports from Taranaki ports during 1912 amounted in value to £1,719,1 007, as compared with £1,320,775 in 1911. This is according to the official statistics in the Gazette. Mr. N. J. King, of Stratford, has secured the contract for making alterai tions to Mr. Newton King's recentlyacquired premises in Fenton street. The building is to he converted into a firstclass implement store and show-rooms which are very much needed in Mr. Newton King's Stratford business, and a garage for the firm's cars. "A Reader" wants to know why it is that particulars of the new valuations

in the Borough are not available. The Town Clerk informs us that any information regarding valuations can be obtained on application to the valuer (Mr. C. T. Mills) who has rooms in the municipal chambers.

The Borough Council purpose calling a meeting of ratepayers to discuss the tramway loan proposals. The date will be fixed at the monthly meeting of the Council on Monday next. At one time it was necessary to convene statutory meetings of ratepayers prior to polling on loan proposals.! but owing to an amendment of the Act this does not now obtain. The Council, however, as one of its members pointed out to a News representative, is desirous of affording ratepayers an opportunity of going into matters with Councillors. Hence the meeting.

An undefended civil claim was ventilated in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when McLeod and Slade, printers, sued Joseph ITooker for the return of a ledger. valued at £3 10s. Mr. A. TT. Johnstone appeared for the plaintiffs, and the defendant failed to put in an appearance. Evidence was given bv James McLeod, managing director of the plaintiff firm, to the effect that when Hooker left their employ in October last he had m his possession certain of the firm's books, all of which had subsequently been delivered up, excepting the ledger which formed the basis of the claim. The Magistrate made an order for the return of the ledger within several davs, or its equivalent, £3 10s. Costs amounting to £2 12s were allowed.

The New Plymouth Boys' High School re-opened yesterday, with a roll number of 130, there being 110 fewer than seventynew boy students. Some idea of thia big numerical gain may be gleaned from the fact that the total of 130 equals the combined number of boys and <rirls on the roll last year. The number of boys has in fact almost doubled. The new preparatory department starts with a roll number of 20, while the number of boarders at the school hostel has increased to 32. Similarly the roll of the girls' division shows a substantial increase. The girls' school, which is now located in a large two-storeyed house in Devon street next to Dr. Wylie's, opened with a total of 75 pupils. 'Accommodation la available for 1 five boarders, and the whole of this is already occupied, several other applications for "rooms having to be refused.

The Rev. Mr. Addenbrooke when tiavelWng in his gig to conduct services, at Oakura on Sunday evening last met with' an accident which might easily have resulted seriously. When about midway between Tataraimaka and his destination the gig bumped badly in a rut, and one of the reins slipped from his hand. The liorse, though without vice, is spirited, and without the control of the driver quickly developed a smart gallop. After travelling uncontrolled for several hundred yards he tried to thread hi,- way through a herd of cows grazing on the road. The gi» struck a cow, and was pitched a considerable distance, landina against a fence. The Rev. gentleman was luckily thrown clear of the trap but was badly shaken. He sustained a sprained wrist and his side was badly injured. Though so badlv shaken and evidently suffering, lie refused to return home. A passing trap conveyed him to the Oakura Hall, and despite the earnest solicitations of his friends in conducting the service, though hi? distress was very evident.—Correspondent.