LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 255, 26 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

All average of about 4200 sheep is being killed at the Hair Company's works every week. A put of £SO lias been authorised tor the addition of a bathroom and washhouse at the teacher's residence at the Lincoln School. The Inspector-General of Schools has notified the Tanuiaki Education Board that a grant not exceeding £2OO will be available for the year emlinu March 31, 1913, for the training of teacher.-. If the Minister for Railways has no better or more hopeful message to deliver to the people of this district Ihau the inano and empty platitudes which he delivered here recently, Ministerial visits arc not going to do much for them, either in the way of enlightnient on the principles and practice of sound or progressive government or in a more material sense.—Manaia Witness. The personal property of a man, seized by the police in the vicinity of the Main Trunk line recently, included a spieler's outfit and several bottles of whisky. There was a dice box, a "kip" which had a 9lot for concealing a doubleheader, and other interesting stock-in-trade usually carried by the "profession." Tho man was wanted for slv grog-selling, but had left the district very suddenly. ~| , i .j ?.,

Australian mails, ex Ulimaroa at Wellington, will arrive this (Thursday) afternoon. English and America!! mails, via 'Frisco, will also arrive litre tonight.

The Balance Dairy Company, which is the largest dairying institution in the Forty-Mile Bush, paid out £6374 recently for milk supplied during February (states a Pahiatua cor:esi>.-e-!-ent). Although the month was fairly dry, the output exceeded that of tlio same month last season by 2'/ 3 tons. Since the commencement of the present season the amount paid to suppliers for milk and home-separated cream totalled over £45,000.

A new beef animal has been produced. It is the cattleo—the result of twenty years experimenting with the crossing of domestic cattle of various breeds with the American buffalo. Mr. E. Hossom Boyd, of Bobcaygeon, Ontario, was (says tho Canadian "Courier") tho originator of the ideal, and he now has a large herd of cattle. Some show the white face of the Hereford, with the powerful shoulders and neck of the buffalo. The hide is more valuable than that of an ordinary fatted steer. The Horowhenua Chronicle's Manakau representative reported recently that dairy farmers in that district are going in for oats and tares as a winter feed for milking cows. Their choice is supported by the opinion of Mr. Drysdale manager of the Wcraroa State Farm, who regards the mixture as a fine winter feed. Two fields at the farm have been sown with it, and though only a fortnight has elapsed since the sowing it has made such B plendid growth that in two or three weeks' time it will be flt for feeding off. Tho British and Foreign Sailors' Society of London, established for promoting the welfare of sailers at Home and abroad, has offered to give annually to pupils i n schools of tin; Dominion artisttc copper plaques, suitab'inscribed, and bearing the Kim*'- initials, for the best essav on a subject relating to maritime matters. Four plaques will be'awarded, one to a bov and girl in both Islands. O;.netitors must be under the age of Bi \cars on May 31 next. The Taranoki Education Board has received a circular settin" out full particulars of the enmnotition" At a sitting of the Dominions Roval Commission in London, the curious point was brought that Canterbury lamb was actually dearer in New Zealand, its country of origin, than in London. Mr. Gilbert Anderson paid 2d or 2%d more per lb for Canterbury lamb than the fanner received for the carcase put into the cold store shipment. Asked why the price of Canterbury lamb was higher m Canterbury (New Zealand) than in London, Mr. Anderson said this was due to the large quantities exported. Sir Rider Haggard: It seems mysterious that meat should be cheaper'after it has been stored and carried 12,000 miles overseas.

The Waliop of London on one occasion "hen lip went to Buckingham Palace told the King that he had passed Lord Salisbury in an ante-room, but the latter did not seem to know him. "Oh" said the late King, .'Lord .Salisbury never recognises anyone," and g o in«<over to a bureau he took out a new portrait of himself and handed it to tie bishop, saying, "What do you think of this?" "A very excellent likeness, mr," said the bishop. "When 1 showed it to Salisbury," said the Kinhe looked hard at it and then said, Poor old Bullcr; I wonder if he's as stupid as ho looks.'"

In reply ta complaints recently made concerning the- alleged want of privacy in connection with the medical eximination conducted bv the medical injector of schools, the Education Board vesterday received a letter from the in-speetor-Genernl of Schools to the effect that the matter had received attention at a conference of medical inspectors held m February. It was decided that the inspectors should be allowed to use their discretion in the matter. The assistance of the older children in dressin? and undressing was verv valuable in saving time. Any matter of a private nature regarding the nhvsical condition of A child should, of cours«, not be disclosed.

A trial of the Caldwell machine gun took place last week, says the Melbourne Argus, on the Port Melbourne rifle ranges, before a large and representative gathering of military and public men. In many respects it is similar to the well-known Maxim, but the chief points claimed in favor of the Caldwell gun are reliability, speed, lightness, and simplicity of construction. The inventor, Mr. Caldwell, is a native of Melbourne, and for the past three years all the

engineering and mechanical skill of the inventor has been concentrated on this gun. It is the only machine gun that ■ has ever been manufactured in the Commonwealth. The gun at its trial fulfilled all required of it, without the slightest hitch occurring, and the demonstrator stated that 0000 live and 2.">,000 blank cartridges had already been fired from it, without showing the least sign of wear on the working parts. The trial was given at 500vds range, and the gun grouped the shots perfectly. There are slightly over 100 working parts in this Australian invention, as against 732 in the Maxim. It is capable of tiring 1000 shots per minute. This machine gun has been submitted to the War Oflice, and the inventor will shortly sail for England, to have one made in one of the many armament works under his direct supervision. Two women thieves carried out a smart coup at the expense of a Paris jeweller in the Rue de Provence in December, stealing three pearl necklaces to Hie value of ;tl(i00, A smartly-dressed woman of aristocratic appearance entered the shop of M. Salomon, a dealer in jewels and antiquities, and told him she wanted to purchase a pair of diamond earrings as a New Year's gift to her niece, The jeweller opened his window case and placed a number of choice stones, set and unset, before the woman, who examined them closely through her lorgnette. As she did so the jeweller saw she was wearing diamond rings apparently of great value. A few moments later a second woman customer entered the shop. She stood for a minute by the side of the open window ease and then said to the jeweller, "I see you are busy; I will call again in a quarter of an hour." The first customer did jiot make up her mind, and smiii left the shop, saying she would make her final choice the next day. M. Salomon was returning the earrings to their place in his window ease when he saw that three pearl necklaces had been abstracted. Evidently the second " customer" had profited by the fact that her supposed accomplice was engaging the attention the attention of the jeweller to steal the necklaces.

We have a little book describing thr Kodak Happy Moments' Competitionit's free for the asking. The Davics Phnronoy. "Oh, it's the climate!" The fresh bracing climate makes "Camp" Coffee such a fitting beverage in this part of the world.

In a leaderette on the Fitzroy Hull question yesterday, we stated that "in the meantime the Fitznivians are. to !>•■ deprived of a hall in which to hold local meetings and socials." What was intended was that when the Council resumed the whole of the land this would be the case, for, of course, » hall will he available for a few years yet. But the councillors do not seem disposed to make any provision for a hall for the future, and this, an we pointed out. is an undoubted injustice to the Fitzroy people. In a street fracas the police often find it necessary to call upon a bystander in the name of his Majesty the King to render help, but in the case of refusal the original Police Offences Act did not provide an alternative. However, an amendment to the Act of last year makes the provision necessary. and for failure to assist a constable in the execution of his duty when called upon, any person over eighteen years of age is liable to a fine of £5. At Lyltelton on Friday evening a constable called for assistance, but in this particular instance the bystander had no hesitation in placing his services at tbo disposal of the police, and during the hearing of Court proceedings on Saturday, Sergeant Clarkson, of the Lyttelto'n Police staff, paid a high compliment to a bystander for his action. "The way in which Dunedin sets itself to work to subscribe money for educational works is just wonderful," stated the Hon. James Allen, Minister for Education, in speaking to a Christchurch interviewer respecting the effort being made in our southernmost city to obtain £IO,OOO for the enlargement of the medical school at its University. "It has always been the same in Dunedin," continued Mr. Allen. "Their efforts and success are an object lesson to the whole country." The stimulant to Mr. Allen's remarks was the announcement that withing a few days the Dunedin public has subscribed £SOOO of the Bum required, coupled with the reflection that a students' building at the University was in the course of completion, as the result of a similar effort on the part of the general public and moneyed men of Dunedin, this latter being but one of several similar benefactions to the Otago seat of learning. At present there is a noticeable absence of the activity which usually characterises trade at this period of the year, and as a consequence the number of, men in search of employment is in excess of requirements (says the Invercargill "News"). For some time past tho flax-milling industry has been dull on account of the exceedingly low prices ruling for hemp in London, but it is gratifying to note, according to the latest cables that values are showing an upward tendency. Should next week's advice reveal further improvement it is expected that there will be a change for the better so far as flaxmill employees are concerned, as mills at present idle will again commence operations. The harvest season is now over, but on accaunt of the low prices ruling for oats, many farmers do not appear to bo inclined to thresh until there is a prospect of some improvement taking place, consequently mill hands arc not in deninnd, Agricultural operations are also slack.