LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 291, 12 May 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The next meet of the North Taranaki Hunt will take place at Mr. J. B. Maibin's at Onaero, and not at Mr. Sampson's, at Sentry Hill, as cabled.

The proposed visit to New Plymouth of a party from Ohura has been indefinitely postponed, owing mainly to the conditio* of the roads. Messrs Marx and Foreman aro in Wellington going into matters in connection with the movement for the better marketing of dairy produce. The total inscribed debt of the Taranaki County Council, according to the latest Treasury notice, is £35,318 5s Id, bearing interest amounting to £683 13s. Tks Borough.'Council has decided to fence m the scptie tank site at the back of the Jubilee Villa in Currie street to prevent its Being used as a horse 'and vehicle stand, as at present. A number of the Wellington unemployed have been sent x up to Awakino to work on the Valley road. They are camped about eleven miles out, and will have anything but an enjoyable time this severe weather.

General Sir lan Hamilton, with his staff, will arrive in New Plymouth on May 20, and will inspect the cadet* at 2.30 p.m. A sub-committee of tho Borough Council has been set up to make arrangements for his «ivi« reception. The Borough engineer haa been instructed, at the request of Cr. Jackson, to report on the question of grassing the centre of NoVs Line to the Fitzroy beach, and forming it in a manner whicli will form an - attractive approach t» the beach.

An effort is Jieing made to form a drum and fife "Band in connection with the 90th Company, senior cadets. The members will be drawn, if possible, from the boys under 15 years of age. Instruments and equipment will be supplied by the Defence Department.

In addition to the insurances on the Red Post Furnishing Company's warehouse mentioned in our report of the fire in yesterday's issue, there is a policy for £2OOO in the State Ocean stock, and an additional £IOOO in the same office on the building, making the total insurances £BOOO. Two notices of motion were tabled at the meeting of the Borough Council last night, one by Cr. Johnstone that in future only one meeting of the Council be held per month, but if necessary two works Committee meetings; the other by Cr. Clarke, that in future no new business be introduc«<l at a Council meeting.

j At last night's meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council it was decided to instruct the Borough solicitors to take the necessary steps to force the owner of the Criterion stables to demolish them in accordance with tile notice /(which expired on May 0) served 1?n him at the instance of the Public Health Department. Long, Jong ago, a notice board warned cyclists against' using the Esplanade. The board has gone, and the effect of the warning is evidently wearing off. Every fine afternoon sees numerous families enjoying the sunny aspect of the Esplanade, and the practice of cycling where ;so many little ones are toddling cannot be too sternly suppressed. The District Koad Engineer has notified the Taranaki County Council that the balance of thirds accruing to it is £24!) 19s, bearing a subsidy of £ /or- £, which it is proposed to utilise for the formation of a dray road, culvertina and bridging, from the present terminus near the Momona stream in a southern direction towards the Oakura stream.

Some discussion took place «t the meeting of the Borough Council last night as to the bridge over the Huatoki at the' bottom of Taranaki Lane, between Brougham street and Currie street, and it was decided that in view of its dangerous condition, the bridge should be closed pending a report as to the. Council's legal position in the matter.

The movement of troops to and. from the. Takapau camp involved the utilisation of nearly ail the available locomotives in the Wellington district. Over 300 trucks, 150 carriages and 57 locomotives were found necessary to take the men to and from the camp. The vehicles for use in shifting the Takapau camp represent a carrying capacity of 100,000 tons.

At 7csterday's meeting of the New Plymouth Harbor Board, Mr. C. ]«. Bellringer, referring to the harbormaster's report, pointed out that the dredging of the 33ft cut was now completed to an area of 200 ft.by 580 ft, thus complying with all the requirements of the shipping companies as to berthage. This left the dredges free to work on the swinging basin and the fairway.

At the annual meeting of the Taranaki No-License League, as advertised, an address will be given by Lady Holder, president of the Australian W.O.T.D. Lady Holder is returning from an ex-' tended tour through America, England and the Bermudas, as well as from attendance at the World's Christian Temperance Union Convention in Brooklyn, U.S.A., v and mill /have an interesting story to tell of the prospects and working of prohibition in other lands. A recent visitor to Nelson was not only struck bj the extent of land de-, voted to apple and-, pear growing, but moro 'by the prices Jieing paid for young orchards—£N>o to £l4O per acre is a common price and £l6O has been paid. Though the Nelson province has so prominently come under the public eye owing to the extent and production of its orchard lands, its neighbour, Marlborough, is now receiving some attention. The alluvial lands around Blenheim are being taken up by expert orchardists who say they little dreamed such ideal fruit' conditions existed in New Zealand. Blenheim has a superb climate, and claims that it has more hours of simshine per year than any spot in New Zealand. Messrs £. Griffiths and Co. will supply information to anyone interested. A client who has just visited Blenheim purchased at £2l per aere. The road past Fraser's, on the Uruti flat, and over Mt. Messenger, is in a deplorable state just now, woiv than it has' ■been for years. Fraser's, on the Uruti flat, and over Mi. Messenger, is in a deplorable state just now, worse than it has been for year. The coach on Wednesday was delayed • about three-quarters of an hour, owing to a team ibeing bogged about half a mile from the summit, and a couple of "banjos" had to be nsod to dig a way out before traffic could resume. The M.P. for Cheviot (Mr. Forbes) had a grand opportunity of tiering what Taranaki roads are like in wet weather, and the visit of Messrs Forb'es and Witty to the hinterland of Taranaki and the King : Country will be productive of good, for both these gentlemen have ! told Mr. Jennings that they thought he bad exaggerated the position when he was in the House, but a 'broken axle of a trap in which Mr. Witty was being conveyed from Pio Pio, a*d the stick-up ,on ift. Messenger, were convincing proofs to both the southern U.'P.'a. z

The Waitaru Harbor Board is unable to secure the services of Mr. C. H. Haworth, engineer to the Wanganui Harbor Board, to report upon a scheme of harbor improvement. The Stratford Borough Council decided last night to put a pertinent query to the Government, practically this: "When ia it intended to erect in Stratford a Post Office suitable for the requirements of th* place" t What would some of our sheep-farm-ers think of land that feeds sixty-four sheep to the acre? Two Taraanki farm, era, who have lately visited 5s T ew South Wales, were informed by a landowner in that State that he knew of some irrigated land thsit fed sixty-four sheep to the acre for four months of the year. It was rather a '•staggerer" ti> the visitors, but the New South Wales farmer was well known to one of them, or his veracity might have been doubted.

A remarkable movement is now in progress amongst the native population of ''Fji for the Fijians" has been raisthe Sydney Daily Telegraph), Strange as it may appear to Caucasions, the cry [ of "Fiji for the Fijians" has been raisecd, and patriotic native orators are travelling through the villages rousing their countrymen to a sense of their duty—. and collecting cash. As far as, the white community is concerned, the agitation is surrounded by a good deal of mystery, though it is suspected that two white men—an Englishman and an Australian —are responsible for the planning of the scheme, and are using the ignorance and prejudice of the natives for their own advancement.

At the annual meeting of the Waitara Harbor' Board, Mr. Jas. Hine was unanimously elected chairman. Mr. Vaughan; in proposing his election, said that Mr. Hine had proved himself a good member, both on the New Plymouth and Waitara Harbor Boards, and would undoubtedly fill the office worthily, even as his predecessor (Mr. W. F. Jenkins, teiyor of Waitara) had done. Moreover, Mr. Hine was not a member of the Borough Council, which wpuld be found a distinct advantage, a3 in.thc event of the interests of the two bodies clashing, as they anight do at some •. time, they would have the benefit of the services of an independent man, without whom the position would be most embarrassing, and that was what ithey i,Vaijie& to avoid. Mr. Hine, in. returning thanks, said that he fully recognised the great' difficulties before the Board ,in its efforts to improve the pori and that he would endeavor to preside as impartially as had his predecessor, ' * '