LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 231, 18 February 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Working Bee Committee oi the Agricultural Show will meet on the race-] course at 1.30 p.m. oil Thursday next. Any well wishers of this Society "will be cordially invited. At a special meeting of the Kaupokomu Dairy Company on Friday, attended by some 140 shareholders, a resolution was passed after a lengthy discussion raising the capital from £30,000 to £45,000 by the creation of 15,000 additial £1 shares. The manufacture of tobacco (says the Waikato Argus) is attaining the dimensions of an important industry in Hamilton. The industry has been carried on successfully for some time, and the demand for the tobacco grown to such an extent that a new company is being floated to cxtejid' the business. The public meeting convened by the Mayor (Mr. G. W. Browne) for last night to make arrangements for holding a picnic in commemoration of the Anniversary of _ the Province and for suitably entertaining the Taranaki veterans and _ early settlers lapsed owing to the insufficiency of the attendance.

The rumor that some appointments to the Legislative Council are in prospect was mentioned to the Prime Minister (Hon W. F. Massev) by a Wellington Post reporter on Saturday. Mr Massev replied that Cabinet has not yet considered the. matter, but it will come up for consideration at the next full meeting. The New Plymouth Draughts Club have decided to hold a North Island Draughts Championship and Handicap Tournament at New Plymouth diirin-' Easter week. With the many attractions the town and district has to offer it is expected that a large number of draught players from outside districts will visit New Plymouth to compete, in the tournament.

Tn conversation with a local tailor a Wellington Post reporter was given particulars of a grievance which New Zealand master tailors have. Said this employer of labor: "The State practically pays the passages out of people called by courtesy domestic servants. Yet the tailors of this country could find work for hundreds of competent tradesmen or tradeswomen, but we can't get them out to New Zealand. I myself know of a number of tailors and tailoresses at Home who would gladly come out, but who can't find the passage monev. And meanwhile many of us master' tailors have to worry along, paying to incompetent hands the high wages fixed by the Arbitration Court."

On the recommendation of the committee, the Primitive Methodist Conference on Saturday resolved:—"New Zealand may justly be proud of its secular press, which by its high tone becomes a strong buttress to good citizenship. We, however, look with anxiety at the reports of domestic and morbid tragedies that are gathered from every part of the world, and which serve no healthy, wholesome purpose. The double crime of murder and suicide is certainly becoming more frequent. We believe" this to be largely due to the suggestions with which the morbid are daily fed. We would respectfully suggest to our public press the wisdom of eliminating all information calculated to affect injuriously the mind and morals of the people."

The usual weekly session of the Egmont Lodge was held last evening in the Good Templar Hall, when there "was a fair muster of members. After the us. ual routine business had been transacted a mock municipal election was held It proved interesting, inasmuch as it was instructive in the details of the business of our civic fathers. A council of five was elected, with Bro. L. Pepperell as Mayor, and a large amoimi of general business was dealt with. One or two deputations waited on the Conn-! eil, but with no beneficial results toi themselves. The Grand Lodge Ration Committee meets next Fridav even-' ing. when very important, Grand Lod"<business is to be dealt with. The Anniversary is to be held next, Thnrs. day fortnight. The session was closed at 0.30 p.m. bv the C.T. Bro. G. W ITartnell.

"While a widespread agitation is< being carried on for the expulsion of Jack Johnson from Chicago, the champion boxer lias carried the war into the enemy's camp by purchasing a bungalow at Lake. Geneva, Wisconsin.'and giving it. as a Christmas present to his new white wife f formerly Lucille Cameron). Lake Ceneva is a fashionable summer resort of Chicago millionaires, who are furious at the idea, of having the black pugilist, as a neighbor. How the latter effected the purchase is a mystery, as th" pro-perty-owners keep a strict guard over all transfers with a view to'preventing the invasion of the territory by unde" sirable parvenus. The bungalow which Johnson has bought is one of the "show" buildings in the resort. It was the home of the late IHss Helen M. Sherman, the trustees of whose estate sold it in ignorance of the identity of the purchaser. The boxer has also acquired a

farm near the bungalow, where he intends. be says, to breed cattle. Tn view of the storm of indignation aroused and the threat thai he will be tarred and feathered if he does not remove, it is Questionable whether the champion will not forego hi- rights as owner. Thenis no doubt that .'I dmsoii. if he is willing sell his Chicago property, would re" ceive from bis white neighbors more than he has paid for it.

I A Jersey t'uw ironi Kentucky, named I Golden Fern, -was exhibited by the Elinendorf farm. of Lexington, and is noted as being one of the few animals in the world carrying as much as £2OOO life insurance. She is valued at .64000, and lier calf, horn last June, has been sold for £IOOO.

"Whilst crosMiig Canada 1 lia<l the pleasure of paying a dollar (4s 2d) for a New Zealand chop, but it was worth it compared with their own mutton." So said Mr. P. IJ. (liauvel, an Australian .stock-owner. who has been on a tour of -America, where he paid particular attention to the cattle industry. '

Land values are J ruling all over the West Coast (says a Gi'eyinouth correspondent), and the establishment of dairy lactones is having a very promising and healthful ell'ect upon the future of dairy farming in the district. Good land is fetching high prices, and it is slated that last week £lO 10s per acre was offered and declined for a 1000-acre homestead in Westland.

"The police are strictly prohibited from replying to any unauthorised enquiries made by individuals or societies seeking information as to the character, respectability or linancial position of persons residing in their district. If information of a general nature, or statistics, is applied for. instructions must be obtained from headquarters," states the new police regulations. There are till passengers on board the Shaw. Savill steamer Arawa, which is due at Wellington from London to-day. Strange to say, there is only one saloon passenger, and Auckland is "the destination of this somewhat lonely traveller. There are 41 passengers in the second cl:\ss and 4HI in the third class. The total number of passengers for Wellington in all classes is 8(5, Auckland 124, Xiipicr 7, Gisborne 31, Lyttelton 40, Tiniaru 4, Oantaru 2, Dunedin 51, Bluff 10, Pieton 7. Nelson 3. Westport ll,Crcymouth 2(1, Wanganui 5 and New Plymouth 3.

A gentleman writing from Madras to a friend in Cli rist,church gives just the account Xew Zen landers would have expected of the manner in which Lord T.-ilington is discharging the high duties he hurried away from the Dominion to undertake in India. The early sittings of the Royal Commission over which he is presiding were held in Madras with open doors, and the general public had plenty of opportunities for criticism, and no doubt look advantage of them. "Lord Islington." the correspondent writes, "is .generally admitted to make an excellent chairman. He has a good grasp of ' his subject, and asks his questions read- ! ilv and to the point. What is more, he gets his answers clear and explicit, or, if the witness cannot answer, he drops the <l ll est io>i at once." The correspondent also makes an appreciative allusion to a distinguished politician of another type, "Ramsay Macdonald is about the best of (he rest," he says, "and, like' Lord Islington, he is clear and to the point." The. Commission is expected to remain in Tiulia till April If), fiiid then sail for England.

A citizen, who lives near the entrance of the drive through the Auckland Domain. has evolved a quite unusual and interesting hobby. On his property he has a wire-netted frontage of 100 yards, and it is his custom to use that and a stop watch to time the passing motor tars. Tie came to the Police Court the other morning (says the Star) as a witness against the driver of a motor car who was charged with exceeding the 12niile speed limit in the Domain. Mr. Cutten, S.M., however, stated that this class of evidence did not much assist matters'. When . a man had to watch when n car came abreast of-a certain mark and passed another mark, keep an eye on the stop-watch, look out for the number of the car, and then enter into a complicated mental calculation, the wi-rc (hat he really had a less idea of the speed of the car than the person who just looked on and trusted to his impressions of the speed as prompted by previous experience of speed vehicles', and contrast with the moving objects at the time on the road.