LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 284, 4 May 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There was not a large attendance at the annual meeting of ratepayers of the Moa road district, which was held at the Board's office, Inglewood, on Saturday. Mr. H. Trimble (chairman) read the balance-sheet, and the meeting adjourned.

o' 205 deceased persons were certified for stamp duty during the month of April, the largest being that of Henry Huyman, Otago £91,740. New Plymouth estates were Christina Don Whyte £O9ll, Alexander Oliver, £11502. Press Association.

At the recent L/ondon-Smithfield Show, Mr. A. Findlay, of Mairsland, Auchtermuchty, sold "Magnificent" potatoes at from £BO to £IOO per ton, and a newer potato ("Majestic") at the rate of £II,OOO pel- ton. The prices seem to justify tbe names of these tubers. During the month of April general customs duties collected at the port of New Plymouth amounted to £4569 17s 4d, and excise duty to £7O 6s . For the corresponding period of last year the figures were £4889 14s 9d. and £SO Is respectively. Frequent complaints are made concerning the wretched substitute for a footpath in Powdcrham street, between Currie and Brougham streets. The slippery sfarip of uneven clay was bad enough, but now the temporary wooden wall ;s giving way, and gaping holes appear. For some years pa3t the Hon. O. Samuel has been in the hab'it of contributing £5 annually to the funds of Pulkekura Park. This year Mr. Samuel sent the cheque from Singapore—a tributo to his generosity as well as to the fact that New Plymouth is with him on his travels.

After 54 years' of married life, Mr and Mrs Joseph Jones, Cheltenham (England) have died on the same day, the husband bding 78 and the wife 77. Mr Jones became ill through worry over his wife's illness, and when he was told of her death he began to sink at once and died just before midnight. The Maa-sland Hill paths would be the better for a little attention. They were asphalted once, but this has not been top-dressed, and the surface is fcreaking away in- places. The approach to the hill from Brougham street, likewise, is not all that could be desired. The hill attracts many visitors, and some attention to these matters would not, in the (interests of the town,' be wasted.

Kcports that have trickled through to' the Bluff regarding the mutton-birders are to the effect that this year gives promises of a record yield. Thanks to the dry weather, every mutton-bird burrow has an inhabitant, there having been no birds flooded out as in former years. As a matter of fact, during the early part of the season the muttonbirders were on short supply, so far as water was concerned. The "passage" birds have now been dealt with, and the ••mid-passrfge" crop is being reaped. The Reason will last another month at least. The acquisition by the Government of the Orakei block of native land newAuckland was referred to by the Prime Minister last week. This block, he said, was not being utilised to the best advantage, and the Government iliad taken steps to acquire it. There were many bright anil beautiful suburbs around about the city of Auckland of which the citizens were proud, but he ventured to &ay that in time to come the Orakei suburb would be one of the brightest and most beautiful of them all. The Government, Mr. Massey said, was paying, as nearly as ■ possible, £IOO,OOO for the Orakei Block. It was not paying too much, but the natives were getting full value for their interests. The Government was also taking steps to see that' the money received by the native owners was put to gocd use. A great deal of it would bo spent by tfrc natives on improving other lands in the Kaipaou district which were owned by them. Tehuantepec is a name which, at school, we used to roll under our tongues vtli groat gusto. "Tee-you-anti-peck," we called, it, and were proud to know so long a name. Its only successful ii>.il was Popocatepetol, which could give it a syllable. Tehuantepec was onlv r. place on the map somewhere within'the Mexican borders, but we now learn '.-oni Mr Hamilton Fyfe, a n 1 known English journalist, that it ins other claims to interest than its wcait'i of syllables. It is the ideal womeu'j franchise town, there, it seems, the woiiu-n do the "bci*--mg," and the men do the bi.Miiv*. \V» read: "Tehuantepec is on the isthmus of that name, and th«rc dwells a race of Indians among A, w-vner. are, both in physique and in ~Uigenc«. vastly sum... Mr to the men. Ail tile business is in the capable hand: of !l, e superhl., oUl lt handsome matron of (ho trilp' They will not allow a iraa t, sell anything ..the markct-p.aM. Kven tin "meat. -tolls are m charge of w0.,,".,,, who c-r-rve up carcasses and sin the -prim,. ,'„iv on the counter wun all the jovnl ance of the ma!, butcher. collee or bananas ol a plantation it is with a woman that yo.i will treat, ar.d Mie will drive a shrewd bargain with

Tliokvalne of "Soltar" as a street preparation and itlie success with which it has been used on streets in Xew Plymouth, was demonstrated to a News representative on Saturday by Mr C Skitrop, who fllmly believes" in his treatment of the streets with this preparation as being a. minimiser of wear and tear ami a preventive of dust. That portion of Currie street from flill street to the railway station was treated with /Soltar" just before Christmas, and now presents a fine rubber-like surface, with no holes and a minimum of noise. Oil thiw street the soltar was sprayed in before Hie blinding was rolled,'which Air Skitrop regards as the best method m treatment. The whole of Currie street lias been treated with "Soltar" to good effect, and there is a line "Soltar" street in course of formation i« hobe street, past the post oflice. On ™' s *!° '•Soltar" was not sprayed into tlie blinding, and so the. surface takes bnger to f o rm. Mr. Skitrop estimates that streets can be tieated with Jus preparation at an outside price of Is 4d per Miuare yjm l, and'looks forward, as will ratepayers, to th ( . time when all the streets in the .borough will have been s-o treated.

A Sydney cablegram states that the Hospital Saturday street collection yielded £7664, slightly below last year's. It is understood that a mot oAj Tjus service between Wnnganui andSSi|ini is to be inaugurated as soon as thefonnecting roads arc metalled and readv for motor traffic. *

A tradesman's carter asks us to drow the attention of the Borough Council officials to th« very bad state of Liardet street at übe new filling alongside the electric light sub-station. ■

Mieep bring high prices in Canterbury, xaie other day a line of 8100 (including *m lambs) were disposed of at 22s 7<l Per head. A second line of lambs brought the fine price of £1 per kead. Tango pedometers, showing the mileage danced, are now worn as garter ornaments at fashionable gatherings ia Fourteen miles S B t(?r Bhowed after * decent'

edWSF at Aram °H Mr. Isitt statpVmoutrY I"* 8 a e° wh< * New Plymouth harbor loan was beine dweussed in Taranaki, there were hose who declared that it would leaTto the impoverishment-of the district Thov portance of the harbor to the district. .. The gale in some parts'of the Dominion early on Saturday played havoVwMi the telegraph wires. Communication was interrupted, and the telegraph operators at New Plymouth had an all-night session m order to cope with the work when at last the wires were ready for business. '

The election for the member for Lake County for the muff Harbor. Board on Wednesday created unusual interest throughout the district. Mr. Reid a leading farmer, opposed Sir J. Ward, who has represented the district on Urn. Board for eighteen years. The totaffl at all the polling J>oths were: Sir Joseph' Ward 305, Mr. Reid 219. Majority for sir Joseph Ward 86. After the ■oil S»r Joseph Ward said the result was veiy gratifying. The election had been carried out on a restricted frjtahiie. His opponent was an old locaflpSdentj awl he (Sir Joseph) had not been in the dis-. trict for eight years, and his .absence' had been used for all it was worth. He had no opportunity of meeting »ny'of the electors until the last few days, and the whole efforts of his political opponents had been used to defeat him, with the acknowledged object of creating an unfavorable impression against bim throughout the Dominion.

Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (First and Second Groups) are notified that subacriptions will be due and payable today (Monday), at the Secretary's office, Currie Street, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 pan., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.n to 8 p.m.—Advt.