LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 215, 1 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlie Wnivo'a farmers have practically decided to erect a co-operative freezing works.

Tn France one person; in thirteen has a bicycle, one in 501) a motor car, and one in 1382 a motor cvcle.

"Never before in the. history of New Zealand have 28 fanners been in Parliament," says Mr. C. K. Wilson, M.P. for Taumarunui.

An Auckland syndicate has secured a block of 63,821! acres of native land at Maiingatautari. which is now being subdivided by surveyors preparatory to being put on the market.

The times are changing. A visitor to Mastertori one day last week remarked that the only privately-owned motor cars he saw passing through the town for a full hour were occupied by natives.

It is good to let well Piromrh alone. A Paris jeweller named Pouvicr recenllv burgled his own shop after insuring it for £4001). and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, lie appealed, and the court made Ins sentence four years. The Auckland Herald states that the Education Hoard received a letter from a parent living in the Arouaiti country school district, stating that he would not send his child to school, as three Maori children were in attendance. The Hoard abruptly passed a resolution to ask the truant ofiicer to act at once.

A despicable act was perpetrated by some miscreant who clipped the wings of :'. homing pigeon belonging to a member of the East End Plying Club. The bird participated in a race from Waverley to Xew Plymouth last week, and the act must have been committed fairly close to Xew Plymouth for the pigeon to arrive home in its mutilated condition.

A considerable number of members of the local branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants anil (heir friends gathered together in the Social Ifall on Saturday evening on (he occasion of a smoke concert being tendered in honor of the visit of Messrs. W. T. Wilson and M. .1. Mack, president and general secrefarv respectively, of the New Xeah.nil Society. A fairly lengthy toast list was honored, ami alto"."lher a very pleasant evening was spent. Both gentlemen thanked the members for having tendered them such a cordial reception, and urged them to work together in the best interests 0 f (| u . Society's cause.

There sire, several Ki'iitisli hop-pickers in the "aniens in Motucka this seascni. A grower informed ;>. Nelson Mail reporter that the English pickers do better work and keen at it more consistently than (lie colonials. Good money is to lie made :<X the prevailing nrice of 2Vi>il a bushel, one family's earnings amounted to 30s a dav. and some pickers earn £■l a week; in fact, last week, one young woman earned £•') I.K Visitors are present from manv parts of the North Island, the West, Coast, and even from Canterbury. Tt is expected Hint liopniekinL' v ill I'st for another two or three weeks. Th"re is some speculation as to the priee this season, as so far no s-'les have been made, with the exception of tboso growers who have received n (jvtivmiici: Is a nonnd it is said, from merchants for their crop. The hop crop is reported to be a good one.

"Xexl. time von drink (linger Ale. jrive it a name. Call for CAM HOC DliY GINGER AI.K. guaranteed to be made from the original liclfast Formula. No artificial aids to make it palatable. Just the finest Ginger Hoot and sterilised water. All.Hotels and Stores. 2

Arrangi mcnls arc being made for the' Borough Council in meet, llie Prime Mini ister til Kawaroa I'iirk at 4 o'clock on; Friday nilernonn to discuss the future* control of this reserve.

Three months aj?o tlio peaceful surreiuler of Adrianople would have set the bells of peace chiming throughout the Balkans; the. battering down of the •defences of Adrianople may be the prelude to fiercer sieges and wider war.--Auckland Herald. In the Perth Police Court recently fourteen women were each lined 7s for having worn unsheathed hat-pins in the street. The previous batch of oll'eiiders in tiiis respect was each fined .'is. and the Magistrate said that the penalty would he increased to 10s.

In response to an application made at the request of the East End Bathing Reserve Committee, the Railway Department has agreed to grant the Borough Council a year-to-year lease, at a pepper-1 corn rental, of a small reserve adjoin- 1 ing the East End Bathing Reserve. Vital statistics for the quarter i>ndM yesterday are as follow, the figures for the corresponding period of last year being given in parentheses:—Births 7fl (84), deaths ;ll (2<i). marriages :'.(» ill)). The figures for March this year were: births -24 (271, .leii'.V.c; !) ((>). marriages 13 (10).

(Splendid entries havo been received for the Frankley Bond Sports, to be held in Mr. Okey's paddock on Thursday. A special feature is the grand tug-of-war, which promises to be even movi exciting than the, Easter Monday, event. The committee has extended an invitation to the residents of the Old People's Home to be present.

A proposal that motor-cars anil motorcycles should be taxed was before the. Borough < 'ouncil last, night, in the shape of the following resolution tint the Woodville Borough forwarded for consideration:—"That, in the opinion of, this Council the Government should impose a' moderate tax on motor-cars and J motor-cvcles; that the proceeds of such, tax be handed over to and expended by | the local bodies iii maintaining and improving the roads efl'ected by motor; traffic, a special board being set up to, allocate the distribution of the proceeds of such tax. a, higher tax being imposed, on cars applying for hire." ' The usual session of the Egmont Lodge of Good Templars was held last evening. There was a large attendance. Two candidates were proposed, and one initiated and seven juveniles were proposed for transfer to the adult Lodge. (!.('. T. Brother A. I!. Thompson, G.E.S. Bro. Cameron, and CM. Bro. Havtnell were formally welcomed with due ceremony. The visitors made some instructive and inspiring remarks regarding the necessity for mutual brotherhood, and congratulated the Lodge on its up-to-date hail. Greetings which were, heartily reciprocated were received from the Pioneer Lodge No. 2. Wellington. Pioneer Lodge. No. 2. Dnnedin, and Hope of >Grev l.vmi No. 117. Auckland. The G.C.T. heartilv thanked the Lodge for the excellent' manner in which the Grand Lodge had been received and treated during the recent session.- A vote of thanks to the Sisters who had charge of the catering arrangements concluded the meeting. Writes •'Reform" in the Wellington Times---"Speculation is the cause of the neglected state of so many farms in Ta'ranaki. The money that should be spent in improvements is gwiiig into the pockets of 'retired' (-peculators at Eemuera or Xew Plymouth, ami isprobably being invested in other promising districts. The. Government should compel a man, who has made a large profit in a land deal, io leave the farm in a state suitable for proper farming. A portion of the unearned increment should lie spent in improvements. Mr. Massey is to be here next week. No doubt he will be motored to one of the few decent farms in the district and will go awav quite satisfied, but if ! could get hold of him I could show him something that would set him thinking. I could show him' farms worth £SO an acre that have hot been sown down for thirtv years.

and are overrun with weeds. T could show him'the skeletons of thousand* of

ealvs that have !ie"ii c.ruellv starved to

death bv impro-ier feeding. If he came when one of Tarnnaki's fierce storms

was on I could -how him herds of unfortunate dairy cows trying to obtain

shelter behind wive fences. But Cabinet Ministers'are not shown these things, and they do not look for them."