LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 278, 25 April 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of the ladies' committee engaged in arranging for the New Plymouth Fire Brigade ball was held yesterday, when there was a large attendance of members. The first practice dance for children will take place in the Good Templar Hall on May 2. The s.s. Waimate, which has been loading at Waitara for London during the past week, expects to complete today. The vessel is taking an exceptionally heavy cargo from the Waitara Freezing Works, consisting of approximately 24,000 carcases, -SIX) .bales of wool, and 400 casks of tallow. There was a slight "mix up" yesterday between a cab and a motor car in Devon street., near the Theatre Royal. In evading' the ear, the cab cannoned into a verandah post, shattering it to pieces', and incidentally scratching the leg of one of the horses. Another argument for the suspension verandah!

A deputation from the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, headed by Mr. C. H. Burgess, waited! on the Hon! W. Fraser, Minister for Public Works, yesterday, to add weight to the deputation which waited on him at Tongaporutu on Thursday, with reference to the nec-d for repairing the road over Ut. Messes ger, and bridging the Mokau river. The Minister made a reply in terms of that to the country deputation. The docility of ostriches and their adaptability te domestic training ware admirably illustrated at the Rochester (Vic.) railway station last week, when 000 of the birds arrived, consigned to a local ostrich larmcr. Atter they were ■dot-rained -t'hc farmer started for his home, a -ihort distance out of the town, and tile birds lined up and fallowed Jimi. The owner is commencing an extensive ostrich farm with iIO.OOO worth oi birds, down suflrcii'iitlv to allow'turn to sneak.

A number of Eltham farmers visited Moumahaki State Farm on Thursday, the, visit proving instructive and interesting.

In, the Magistrate's (Jourt, New Plymouth, yesterday, before Mr. A.Crooke, S.M., six weeks' exemption from military training from April 20, was granted to Philip uoby, of Oakura, farmer. During a thunderstorm at Rahotj early in the week two cows belonging to Messrs Wilicox Bros, were struck dead by lightning. The animals were found close to a wire fence and within a chain of each other.

The estimated minimum sum required to establish an observatory competent to give continuous service equivalent to that oi northern observatories, is £30,000. .W T. Cuwllioni, of Nelson, has promised to give this sum as a beginning.

At .the Eltham Magistrate's Court' on Wednesday, when a charge of discharging flreajms within the Borough was being heard, his vV or.ship commented in very strong terms on the danger of this practice, and intimated that in future the fines would be much heavier in cases of the kind

Speaking at Urenui, Mr. C. K. Wilson, M.P. for Taumarunui, said the time had arrived when, the farmers should govern New Zealand. There were now, he said, twenty-eight farmers in the House. The country produced 87 per ««»* of the wealth of ftew Zealand, a.id the towns and cities mopped it up. The backblocks had not had expended on them a fair share of, the wealth produc•xt 8 that if every railway work ,] T Zealand was stopped to-morrow and .the money put into ro'ading. the backblocks it would, from a national point of view, be the finest thine ev»r done in isew Zealand.

In LTV SUr P, rise Si' lan Hamilton iSftufb TO r i mg lns pection of the New , -r? n!Campments ' that th e Australian military horses are fed on oats which are imported from the Ar-motivpa-1 asido all Patriotic motives, remarks a Sydney piper, "it S'V een V t0 be cconom 'cal»y unsound Chat Argentine oats should 'be cheaper to purchase than those which are grown m Australia. It is certain that they i are not in any way superior in nutritive value. It is a matter which must have the serious attention of the Juinister of JJefence. Australia must be self supportxiig. it is ridiculous for a country exporting so much grain to have to import the oats used by the Defence Department."

At the banquet at Urenui on Thursday night Mr. A. H. Halcombc asked tiia 'Minister of Public Works to express to the Prime Minister the gratitude of the farmers at the attitude he nad taken in connection with the recent strike But for his firm stand the farmer would now be under the heel of the wharf worker. The farmer had no intention of putting down the worker, but merely stood up for his rights against the strikers, who had been raised. Many of the fanners who went' -.j the ports at the time of the strike were back-blockcrs who, after years of stru-r----gie, were just commencino; to see thp sunshine, and, the strike threatened tput them back whence they started. Nelson, Moate and 00. have been advised that uhey have received first and special pnzeg for blended teas, against all competitors at the Auckland Exhibition; also iirst and special prizes for their collection of Ceylon, Indian, anu Ohma teas, and first prizes for their ilmoa COJ,ee and cocoa respcctivelr So far back as 1882, at the Js'ew Zealand lnternaitional Exhibition, this firm was awarded the only gold and first silver medals for blended teas, in competition With Australasia- Tile (louse of Nelson Moate is now in the 3.> th year of its existence, its headquarters being in Wellington, and there are branciies in Auckland, Chnstchureh and Dunedin, Hobart and Colombo. Mr H. Nelson, the founder, still, takes the leading part in. its management.

"I don't know that 1 am violating any confidence in saying that Sir Joseph Ward discussed the question of policy with the progressive members," said Mr. M't when addressing a political meeting m Ohristctmrch. "He pointed out to U3 that at the present time foe had opportunities to criticise all the faults, mistakes and shortcomings of the Massey Government, a very broad fH<i for effective criticism.. Directly he communicated a new instalment of the Liberal programme lie would forfeit his chance to criticise, and be compelled to spend ail ihi3 time defending his own policy. The attacking party has always an advantage over the defending party in polities, and there is sound reason in the attitude Sir Joseph took up. If I had.' been busy expounding the Liberal po icy to-night I should not have been able to expose so many of the sins of the Massey. Government."

* hree young gentlemen from Mata, Messrs Tichbourne, Manncx and Harper, motoring to a dance at Ararata, on Tuesday evening, had a providential escape from very serious injury, savs the Argus. When going down a long and steep hill, about four miles out of Hawera, the car skidded violently, and the lights suddenly went out. One'of the occupants of the car said: "The car must have rolled over several times, and smashed through a stout barbwire fence. One of us was under the car, but the other three were thrown out. Harper lay unconscious for some minutes. The car was completely smashed, but we ali most fortunately escaped with a severe shaking and a few bruises. We must have fallen between 60 and 70 feet, and really had a misaculuous,.escape." Eventually the party walked on to Ararata, had a few dances, and returned to Haw-, era by motor lorry, and thence to Eltham by train,

At a meeting of the Patea Chamber rf Commerce, Mr Barton said lie had noticed that during the Easter holiday,.; just passed the railways were considerably overcrowded and that complaints from travellers were deep and loud. ttc would likfe to move tiliat it be suggested to the Minister of Railways that: "In the opinion of this Ohamber the time has eome to further relieve passenger holiday traffic by issuing excursion tickets for women and children only several dava before ordinary excursion tickets, as by this means female travellers with children would he induced kv reason of greater comfort to avail themselves of same, and that at the same time this would relieve tile pressure on *ne rolling stock availaole and enable the Department to cope with .the traffic." Tn moving the resolution, Mr llnrton mentioned that years ago. when the railways wore run under commissioners, excursionists were all compelled to return on a, certain day, but as that resulted in much overcrowding, it was altered to the present system, allowing people to return at any time up to a fixed date. It might also be necessary .to make a discount, to travellers 01) the early tickets issued, but that was a matter for the Railway Department. Ma fid ie pouted much at Bertie, To his great surprise; P'raps she'd heard of him and Gertie Swapping gladsome eyes. But the thing that did upset her Made her gluin and dour Was that Hert had dared forgetber Woods' Great Peppermint T!a=t Rot Water HoHlefl;'WSraPb ? I prices—Da vies' Pharmacy, i

Eggs are eggs just. now.. They aw being sold in Wellington at 2s Od per dozen wholesale. In one crop-growing district, of the minion the demand tnr. oats is npw. 2D.i---000 sacks less xhan it was a year or tw.o> ago, ana the advent of. motor tractiott is held to be responsible for. the changed, conditions. * H.M.S. Pyramus probably leave* WeiIfftou next Thursday for th« New Hebrides to send a punitive expedition ashore to punish the natives responsible [for murders recently reported by cable. I —-rress Association. = n JL is + 6t u te< ! on ? 0< >d. authority, •ttlat anti generosity of the anti-militarist portion o£ the community New^ei^n 1 ? 17 year findod > tho ■New Zealand Defence Department ia uaw cUfZr ting « n^^^^ l T i omas, of the Wttham school' forwarded a letter through tho tion Board, objecting; to the atteadance °Lf on ? ai 7 P u PEls at parades of senior "L f Ur /" g ! ohooL "ours. He said that m future he woud not allow the ' -t 0 , attend tbe .parades without authority fr<«n the Board. The Board cided that the ffiilitary authorities u acquainted witn the cfrcumstanceTandl the Boards decision.

He habit of securing police •rotcction at .political meetings appears to be growing upon the Reform Miaiatern. A representative of the "New ■ Times" who went early to' the Welling-' ' ton Town Hall on the occasion «f the Hon. A. Li. Herdman's speech the other evening, found a colonel and a major posting special constables about! tne buildings, presumably in anticipation of an opportunity to eject some iaterjectors. He was asked by an officer what corps he belonged to, and hia speculative reference to -tho light brigade" *emi < y to have passed muster, since he wn allowed a seat at a strategic poiit, George We*tinghouse, the famni engineer and inventor, who died at New; 1 '" •* York on March 12 of heart diseasftiwed 68, provided in his will for the wftSnu-' V ; ation of his large business interest* under a trusteeship. The individual wealth and holdings of Mr Weatinghouae have bean 1 estimated at more than £10,000^01.. Iflr > Westinghouse became an investor at the age of 16, and when at the age at 21 he sought the financial backing of ' 1 the late Commodore Cornelius Ttnder- .j, bilt for his now famous air, brake Van- ' derbilt said: 'Do you mean to tell me you can stop a railroad train by wind?" "Well, yea, inasmuch as air is nind, 1 suppose you are right" spoke the youih. "I have no time to waste on fools," said' the commodore, thus abruptly terminating the interview.