LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 193, 13 February 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A breach of promise action, .Tean •label Peattie v. Charles Edward Masey, in which damages arc laid at ,t'SSO, elegraphg the Dunedin correspondent 'f the Lyttelton Times, is the principal iupreme Court sittings next week. A project is on foot for holding a ombined picnic for the children of own and suburban school* at Stratford 11 Jfarch, 12. Final arrangements will e made at a meeting of committees nd teachers to be held ill the town all on February 20. The newly-formed New Zealand For--3t and Bird Protection Society held its l'st meeting in Wellington on Wcdnc*ay. Its objects are to inculcate niongst the public, especially among iiildren, an intelligent interest in the stive flora and fauna. The North Taranaki School Committee' Association will ask the lion. .las. Hen, Minister • for Education to re'ive a deputation from the Association n bis visit to New Plymouth, when iveral matters of importance to school ■achers may be discussed with him. The director-, of the Davy-Richard->ll Non-re(illahle fiottle Company, Ltd., ive received an offer of £IO,OOO for the itent from a syndicate at I'almerston 01th. A meeting will be held shortly ) consider the proposal, but it is mifrstood that the offer is not likely to > accepted. A small and speculative knot of spec--1 tors gathered on the bridge near the erminus Hotel yesterday, absorbed in 'atehing some small water-spouts a ttlo distance out to sea. Somebody sscrted that this was due to no fewer han four bottle-nosed whales, whose Odics they could distinctly see, while ithei'B favored porpoises, and the sceptical were sure that it -was merely ..slirf, Che monthly meeting of the Kitzroy School Committee was held on Wednesday evening. The headmaster (Mr. (). Johnson), in his report, thanked the committee for the repairs carried out during, the holidays. He recommended that application be mule to the 'l'urauaki Education Board for assistance in making the yard fit to carry out physical culture, and pointed out that some seats were required for the playground. The continued dry weather is responsible for shortage of water in the .Main Trunk milling districts, and sawmill* arc so affected (says the Manawatu Standard) that in one or two casis operations have had to be suspended. In some instances the water necessary for the steam boilers lias had to be carted from streams some distance away. Millers relying on water to carry away tFe sawdust have had to put men on to do the work by shovels and barrows.

Mr. J. Finlayson, the. veteran diver of the Wellington Harbor Board, speaking to a Post representative on tlie subject of drving for sunken treasure, said that some years ago lie was asked to join the Bluff expedition t.i recover the gold from Ac ship General Grant, which struck in a cave at the Auckland Islands and had her huil pierced through her masts bumping the rocks above. The invitation was declined with thanks. "I don't think that gold will ever be recovered," remarked Mr. Finlavson. "The General Grant lies in about ten fathoms of water, and she has never been located. Loiig before this she will have gone all to pieces and the gold will be completely buried."

Tlio immense possibilities of the airship of the future were foreshadowed in the course of a. lecturo delivered by Captain C. M. Waterlow before the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain at the Royal Service Institution. "For commercial purposes," saiil Captain Waterlow, "I believe the airship to have a great future. Even by now we ought to have had a Paris to London service, or at least a cross-channel one." Airships, he went on, will doubtless come into use in connection with the Post Office, and, as time goes on, for newspaper delivery. The airship of the future would probably play a great pari, in the world of sport. A few years hence, he said, a ship the size of the Beta would be the aerial yacht of many men who now keep a big motor car. Such a ship couid be produced at a very moderate figure. An estimate hat- been prepared of tiiprobablo attendance at the divisional camps to be held this year. The figures are: Auckland district camp at Tlautapu, 4540 men, 7400 horses; casual camp, 420 men, 200 horses; Wellington district camp at Takapau, 5(1(11} men. 1574 horses: casual camp, 781 men. 1!U horses; Canterbury district camp at Kowai, 3490 men, 1030 horses; casual camp, <330 men, 110 horses; Otago district camp at -Matarae, 3694 men, 1000 horses; casual ,au,p, 12S1 men, 215 horses; Tn connection with the Wellington (amps, it is estimated that the following supplies will l:e. required:—Sl,2solb bread, 07,5001b fr.vb meat, 10,2501b butter, 40001b cheese, 3050 lb ten, 20.101b coffee, Hi,2501b Migar, (15,0001b potatoes, 1(f,2501b oninion<;, 1(i,2501b jam. 81301b oatmeal, 4070 gallons fresh milk, condensed milk as required if fresh' miik not available. 1 tin per 8 men per diem, 20301b salt, 3131b pepper, 48001b Hour. I'uel: fl ton? coal, i..Sß.oo<ilh wood. UUOlb candles. Forage: !)7,5001h straw. 2700 bushels oats. i'O iona oatsheaf cliall', IS tons hay, 12 sacks bran. At all seasons of the, year CAMROC DRY GINGER ALU is welcomed. In the winter it warn,?; hi summer it cools. It is an ideal V vc;age, made from a guaranteed origijiai Eilfast formula and prepared from tie f,nst flavouring*, and purified ■«*{<■:. 4U hotels and stores. 17

According to the .Borough Inspector's tally >lO (ewer than 5*2 motor cars were plying fori biro in New Plymouth yesterday, the second day of the Tgraimki Joskey Club's Autumn meeting. This, of course, includes many cars from outBide New Plymouth. The famous Hartley and Riley fioid Dredging Company, whose 20* shares ■were sold as high at £2O, and which company paid a total of -Cl.'i a share in dividends, has been wound up and a liquidator's dividend of I4d per shave, tho claim and dredge having been sold for £3OO. The bo* plan for the Paul Dnt'ault concert on Wednesday, February 18. is Ailing rapidly at Collier's musia depot, and everything points to, the renownul tenor being greeted with a packed house. Country residents can reserve seats by writing to tho box office l Collier's, Devon street.) Every summer Mr. Dnt'ault returns to tho little town where his parents live, and gives a concert to which all are. invited, and for which no charge is made. His coming is made a gala season for the entile district, and a week of festivities are enjoyed, while the little Catholic Church, where the great tenor sang as a boy, always holds a special song-service to commemorate his return. ''lt is the brightest spot in the whole year," says Mr. Dufault, "and one which blots out the memory of many weary days."

A peculiarly interesting circumstance is mentioned in the annual report of St. Mark's, the parish church of Kennington, London (says tho Guardian). Dr. Darlington, the vicar, states that at present his only colleague at the church is tho Rev. Hoani Parata, who went to him last Holy Week. Mr. Parata, lie adds, is justly pround of the fact that he belongs to the great Maori race, and in July last ho was married at St. Mark's to Miss Cowir, a Xew Zealand lady. Dr. Darlington adds:—"My colleague is a mnn of such unique experiences and great capabilities that I feel Mo cannot hopo to keep him here for long before somo independent sphere,of work is offered to him."

The fruit crop this season is but a moderate one, so Mr. W. .1. Courtier, tko Government Orchard Inspector informed a Christehureh Press representative. Owing to the frosts and generally inclement weather that prevailed, there was a heavy dripping of apples and pears in the spring. Apples this year are but fair, and pears only moderate. Pench«s, peculiarly enough," have ben very good. Apricots on the low lands were all taken by the frosts, but on rising ground, in many instances, survived. Cherries, to a very great extent, cracked owing to the wet season, and growers were unable to obtain full benefit from their trees. Japanese plumß are inclined to be light, the frosts haviug' affected tliem very liadlv. "Medical men, in dealing with Maoris, havo experienced a certain amount of difficulty as the natives have always had a drea<l that the doctor will interfere with their state of tapu," said l)r. ■A. ChalKnor Purehas at Auckland the other night mi the course of his presidential address at the opening of the Australasian Medical Congress. lie went 011 to nay that a Maori will always show great reluctance to have a tumor or an injured limb removed. Fortunately for the. Maoris, that feeling waH gradually passing away, and there were at the present time several qualified practitioners of the native race who had done excellent work in instructing the Maoris in the laws of health, and in the improvement of their sanitary conditions.