LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 287, 3 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Australian mails, ox l.dimaroa at Wellington, will arrive here to-night. The rainfall for -Mareh was ">,74 inches, 1.73 inches more than in Mareh, l!)li Rain fell on 1!) (lavs, one more day than in the corresponding month of last year. -Mr. ,T. W. Collins, of the Labor Department, was in New Plymouth this week, when he completed his labors in connection with his enquiries throughout the Dominion into the shortage of labor. There is ijiiite an epidemi* of sickness in Patea just now. a number of residents 'being laid up from various causes. Two scarlet fever cases were admitted to the hospital recently, but neither is considered serious.

Makers of proprietary medicines in London are asking the Oovcrument to adopt drastic measures in order to stop vendors from offering similar preparations at a lower price, with the assurance that they arc "just as good."

' Information has been received that the Department has definitely decided to purchase a block of land in Stratford as sites for the erection of workers' dwellings. Sufficient applications have already been received to take up the whole block.

A judgment debtor who g-.ive. evidence at the Wellingten Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, stated that lie worked on the wharf. During the past two months he had earned £O, and kad eight children to keep. Dr. McArtluir made no order against the"man. Objectors to the Borouuh assessments will note that Mr. F. P. Corkill will be in attendance at his office to-morrow (Friday) afternoon, from 2 till 4 o'clock, to confer with those who have, placed their eases in the bauds of the committee appointed at the recent public meeting.

The New Plymouth dentists, tiring- of giving unlimited credit, have just issued a circular intimating that fur the future accounts must be paid within six months of their being incurred. It has been stated that if it were not for the long credit given, the fees of doctors and dentists could be reduced by one-half. Instead, therefore, of giving six months' credit, the dentists should hasten the miilenium of "cash on the nail" terms by reducing the period from six to, sav, two months. -Anyhow, to have made a commencement in the curtailing of the wretched credit system is something. While at Cape Town, on March 3, the passengers by the, New Zealand Shipping Company's Tongariro. which arrived at Port Chalmers on Thursday, had an opportunity of seeing H.M.S. New Zealand, which was at the South African port (says a southern exchange). The warship had been thrown open for inspection by visitors the previous day, anil on the dav of the Tongariro's arrival the, big vessel was thronged with child■■rcn. "ft was "Children's Lay" on the battleship, and special trains had brought them from different, parts of the country. It was estimated that 22,000 young people visited the cruiser. Tn the' evening the Xew Zealand was brilliantly illuminated hy electric lights, and made a brilliant spectacle. life Patea correspondent of the Wanganui Chronicle writes: ".Figures speak louder than words, and they talk eloquently of the development of dairying in South Taranaki, or the country lying north of Wanganui. When one stands at Patea and surveys the apparent little muddy stream, joining forces with the mighty Pacific, it is difficult to realise that from one of the other passes a little flotilla of coastal boats carrying tremendous wealth in the form of cheese and butter. Yet it is a fact, and during the first three months of this year (January to March) the exports have aggregated no less a sum than £341.310, of which cheese alone contributed £282,040. Fancy, over £300,000 a quarter being distributed among the farmers of the territory! The question is: Are the farmers putting anything like a fair proportion back into the country for the renewal of pastures, etc? Those in the know say not.

Xot forty miles from Wluuigarei, to the north of Auckland, is a township whoso inhabitants are exclusively Scottish, who are descendants of a band of hardy Xova Seotians who settled in this spot nearly ,"i0 years ago. This town goes by the name of Waipu. Scotsmen are notoriously clannish, and have always displayed a tendency, in the words of their blunt proverb, to keep their own lisli-oilal to feed their own seabirds. The settlers of Waipu are no exception to the rule, and this was proved at the time of the- visits of two Cabinet Ministers, who claimed Scotland as their native land, But Scotchmen as public men strive to attain to a Brutnslike rectitude, in which elannishness will, not deflect them from the path of strict duty." So the late 'Minister of Public Works, Mr. Mackenzie, when he visited them last year, told the Waipu people that thev as Scotch people, would think' less of him and would be' - right to think less of him if he allowed the fact that : a request came from his countrvmen to influence, him in'his dutv as Minister. Last wepk his successor. Mr. Fraser. was cnuallv emphatic. He told his Wajim heavers that if he lent a sympathetic ear to their requests it was not became they were fellow-comitrvnien, lint because thev h'ld reasonable «touii.ls for their denifl'i'ls. Sn another popular delusion goes by the board.