LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 300, 12 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is notified in the Gazette that after December 31 next the present issue of duty and postage stamps will be replaced by new issues of all denominations.

On the application of Mr. Roy (Boy and Nicholson) probate of the will of John Reeve, late of Junction Road, was granted by Mr. Justice Sim on the 14th April, 1913, to Mary Reeve, the executrix therein named.

The Dunedin Star says that oatmeal is now selling at £l4 10s a ton—an advance of £1 on last week's rate. The increase is due to the high prices ruling for oats, which are not being offered freely—an unusual condition at this time of the year. The first sale of property in the Ashburton county under the Land for Settlement Finance Act of 1009 has just been effected, the Government having notified Messrs. Kellman and Co. of its intention to acquire their farm of BGO acres at Lowecliffe, about twenty miles from Ashburton.

The Patea Press reports that an eightroomed house at Whenuakura, owned and occupied by Mr. P. Milne, was totally destroyed by fire early on Tuesday morning. Mr. Milne is a heavy loser, as there was no insurance on the house, and the furniture was but slightly covered.

An accident which might easily have ended fatally occurred at Moturoa on Saturday. Mr. Brnund's launch, unable to stand against the stormy sea, broke from her moorings at about 5 o'clock, and was curried out to sea. Messrs. Braiind and Simpson immediately set off in a boat in pursuit of the errant launch. They had a stormy passage, lost a paddle and capsized. After a stiff struggle with the breakers, they >ade the shore. Botii the launch and the boat were lost.

A town traveller for one of the big merchant firms told a Press reporter last week that he was convinced that things were not good in Christchurch at present. During the past two years he had paid considerable attention to the way in; which shopkeepers, whether small or lanre. spoke about their businesses, and taking what they said, in conjunction with his sale-hook, he was forced to the belief that things had not been brilliant during that period.. Now he feared that instead of hearing merely that things were not good he would hear that they were bad. , Already shopkeepers from whom he had never before heard a grumble were complaining of a falling-off in cash trade beyond what is always to be expected at the beginning of winter. New Plymouth must have been visited I by Clement Wragge's "Trojan" storm on Saturday. The weather was inhospitable in the morning, and in the afternoon there was a terrific thunder-clap, accompanied by vivid lightning, which put the whole electric lighting service of the town temporarily out of order. The fuse at the power house was blown out, but in a few minutes the trouble was remedied. Many telephones were also put out of service. A few minutes later the rain came down virtually in "buekctfuls," and caused not a little inconvenience and damage to shopkeepers, several of whom Were flooded out. The roads and footpaths also suffered, the blinding being washed into the gutters, which, even without this blockage, were unequal to the enormous body of water which so quickly fell. The Duncdin Star says:—The big new intercolonial liner Willochra is the main attraction at the wharf at present. Inside the flag-room is an instrument that records the stability of the ship on principles of leverage, and in the room behind is the master-clock, which keeps all the clocks in the ship to accurate time. This master-clock is a boxful of wheels. None of the other clocks in the ship have any wheels-—they are merely face and hands. Their hands do not travel slowly 'round in the ordinary way. The minute hand makes a leap forward each minute, and CO such leaps enable the hour hand to record one leap. Electricity is the motive power. The interesting things are not restricted to the navigating bridge. Away down below sea level may he witnessed an unusual appearance of the stokehold and engine-room department, where water-tube boilers are installed in place of the usual boilers whose old methods of having the flame inside the tubes and the water outside has been reversed by the new devclopemnt in generating steam. There are still other features of interest, such as the very high ceilinged first-class lounge room, where well-arranged luxury tempts to reclining restfulness.

An important transaction in newspaper property has been concluded in Auckland, Messrs. Wilson and Horton, proprietors of the Weekly News, having purchased the New Zealand Graphic. Recent English agricultural papers contain references to a new variety of potato known as '"Vitality," which is claimed to be blight resistant. This potato was introduced by Mr. James Richardson, Old Leake, near Boston, and some of the Lincolnshire growers—in which county over 80,000 acres were planted in potatoes last season—have shown great faith in it. At the present time (says the Wanganui Chronicle) we are feeling the breath of winter, and on the Main Trunk line it is bitterly cold at nights. Passengers by the Main Trunk complain that heaters are not being made use of, and we are sure that now attention has been drawn to the matter, the authorities will cause the hot steam to go through .the pipes and provide a little comfort for those who are obliged to make use of the Main Trunk service at night. Many hens are going to pot through their obstinacy in the matter of producing eggs (states the Dunedin Star). A merchant says that exceptionally large numbers of fowls have been sent to market by people who have tired of buying dear feed for hens that will not cackle in profitable gratitude. Fat hens are selling at 3s per pair. Cockerels, which . never have an alternative to hanging with stretched neck at a poulterer's door, are worth - 2s each at the least. The liberality of Sir Joseph Ward in declining to accept any remuneration for his services in arranging the sale of the borough of Invercargill's loan of £90,000 has been frequently appreciated by the Council at recent meetings (says the Southland Times). At a meeting last week there was a clause in the public works committee's report approving of. recognition in the purchase of a recreation reserve or park to be called the "Sir J. G. Ward Park," offers of properties to be invited. "As far as dairying is concerned, Xew Zealand has nothing to learn from any of the countries I have visited," remarked Mr. J. M. Muir, head of the produce Department of Joseph Nathan and Co., who has just returned to Wellington from a tour abroad. "Our cheese and butter factories are more complete and up-to-date than any I have seen in other parts of the world. It is undeniable that the quality of our produce stands very high in public favor, more especially in the new market of British Columbia, | where it is preferred to the produce of the Eastern States of Canada. Peoplewere quite willing to pay a premium over their locally-manufactured article in favor of the New Zealand pioduct." Mr. Clifton Bingham, the writer of lyrics, died the other day at Clifton, Bristol, at the age of fifty-four. He wrote some of the most popular songs of the day, including "Love's Old Sweet Song," "In Old Madrid," "Dear Heart," "Asthore," "Thoughts and Tears," "The Green Isle of Erin," "The Dear Homeland," and "The Promise of Life." Sir Frederick Cowen wrote much of the music to Mr. Bingham's songs, but Signor Tpsti and Mr. Molloy also set some of his lyrics to music. Mr. Bingham was a native of Bristol, his father being a bookseller in that city. In addition to song writing he was the author of many successful stories. He wrote more than 1500 songs and innumerable Christmascard greetings in verse. In the course of her twelve years' journalistic experience, Miss Schalex, an Austrian visitor to the Dominion, has travelled in many countries, studied many peoples, and her 'impressions of New Zealanders are that they are like no other people. Everywhere she has been amazed at the democracy of the country and its government. "You cannot understand," Miss Schalex said, "how strange it is to one coming from a conservative country like Austria to a land in which there are no classes but the one. Then your hospitality. That astonishes me. I came to New Zealand, quite unknown, without even a letter to anyone, and everyone I met lias entertained me an&. me in my work. That would not happen in ten years in my own country. This democracy is a very living thing, if I am to judge by my own experiences." The average housewife is greatly worried, in these days of high prices, over the increased cost of living. The grocer's and the butcher's bills grow bigger each week, and the youngsters* clothes seem to wear out sooner, and certainly cost more each time they have to be renewed. The editor of' Everylady's Journal—the popular Australasian magazine for women—has begun a campaign to help his readers to cut down the cost of living without whittling down pleasure or comfort. In the May issue before us some most practical and helpful articles along this line appear: ''Short-cuts to Good Housekeeping," the new crochet patterns, with beautiful designs; "To make an Evening Gown at Home," a complete less for amateurs; "Economical Ways in Fancy work"; "Housekeepers' Problems"; "Making Money by Raffia Work"; and a splendid cookery series. Certainly this magazine for home-making women continues to give excellent value for sixpence, and should be welcomed in every home in which this paper is read. "Everylady's Journal" may be obtained locally.