LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 125, 20 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a wedding to take place at Port Aliuriri 011 Wednesday, one of the principal features of the breakfast will ho f cake Bft high. It is said to foe the largest ever made in the Dominion. A settler at Waikanao, whose son trapped an opossum, forwarded its skin to .Messrs. Levin and Co. for disposal at their last wool and skin sale, the proceeds to go to the credit of the local patriotic fund. The buyers attending tile sale bid in a most spirited manner for the opossum skin, and each time ordered it to bo resold. When there were no more buyers left, it was found that £77 10s had been provided to swell the patriotic fund. The skin will be returned to the boy at Waikanae as u memento of tile occasion. It is stated by ti Vvairarapa paper that as a number of men who usually undertook shearing work in the .Masterton district and other parts of Uio W>.irarapa have joined the Expeditionary Force, it is feared that some difficulty will be expevienvtil by farmers and statienholder.3 in obtaining full complements of men this season. For the same reason it is probable that there will be experienced by farmers and stathroughout the Masterton district in Uio coming season. LV letter lias been received in Australia from a German resident at Yap Island, near tho Carolines, who states that Mr. .Mark Eoy, a well-known Sydney business man, r nad requested him to write and «iy that while at Yap he and the British Consul there had been raptured 'by Germans and made prisoners war. They were taken from Yap I and placed on a small island in the Caroline group, but the writer does not say which one. It is also stated in the letter that Mr. Eoy wa s quite well, an I bad been treated with.consideration.

An interesting comparison between Denmark and New Zealand was made iv Major Norton in the course of an address before the Central Chamber of Commerce in Wellington last week, lie said that hind in Denmark was of a quality which would make a New Zealand farmer despair; yet the. countrv, owing to its wonderfully developed system of fanning, was probably the most productive country in the world. New Zealand, on the other hand, wis probably the most fertile country oil earth. He had long held tlrat, view'-, and bad only been confirmed in it bv his present visit, during which lie hail travelled by train and motor over four thousand miles in the Dominion. He left his audience to imagine to what extent the productivity of this fertile land might be developed.

_ 'lt is exceedingly hard to beat little New Zealand in prompt and ell'eetive devotion to the Empire," says the Montreal Daily Star in an editorial. "This ' time, Canada was tin. first to offer j troops. \Ve have that to our credit in j any case; but then we are the nearest ; great colony, and such an offer si:gge-t>>d ! itself by circumstances. Hut New Zea- i land beat us bv having a Dreadnought in (lie^ first naval battle; and she beat ns : again by landing an expedition in S'ainoa and capturing a German colonv. While, j our troops are still at Yalcartier, her ! troops are. in Apia, We gladly give full ' honor and credit to our sister dominion of New Zealand, and hope that wo may ! jlje better able to keep up to her on the : next occasion. But she is exceedingly i hard to beat." " ' i

I YOD SHOULD m DETERMINED iy ri'ieetlng the .vnrf bless ntul frn,i noarious :ounfer f eifrs which- are sn;t> t ; mcß pushed for tho sake, of ureat>-> srain sn 'inst as pooo" r.s the GEHTJIW SANDER Sr. .SONS' vor ATn/T H -, 'i ',Ym EXTRACT. Be not Weiv«: s/i\DEJVfs ILXTRAt/T in reeoi/?iiped the highest medical authorities at pn» sensing unique stimulating, healine '<n. antiseptic powers. The preparation r sAVDES ? EXTI.AOT from the pure « ■ected |en ; »nd 'he refinement bv «ni aial give it curative virtue, peculiarly its own. Therefore; be no' i misled. Demand and insist upon the i UNTUNE SANDEK EXTRACT ant,' t»;n i

Tho matter vi compelling natives to pay rates was under discussion at the last meeting ui the i'atea County Council, ajid the proposed registration of a lien was mentioned. The elerk stated that the Council had a list of Maori | debtors "as long aj any councillor's : arm," and it wan headed by a Maori who , owed over £IOO. It was decided to | obtain a legal opinion on the native ratling problem.

MA 1 keen demand is being experienced i by many breeders for Liocoln rams," states tho annual report of the New 1 Zealand Lincoln Sheep Breeders' Association. "No doubt the quantity of j coarser wools required for blankets, etc., t'y the military authorities* is assisting this,' but tho main factor is that our farmers for .some years past have been using tho finer breeds very largely, and now require a cross with the Lincoln to keep up the weight of fleece." District dairy factories make the following payments to-day for September milk: —Stratford £4280, Xgaere £2240, Lowgarth £I3OO, Cardiff £l2ll. These payments are at the rate of 10'/ a il per lb in tin! ease of the Stratford factory, and lOd in the ease of tlje others. The advance is on the low'side, but this course is held to be prudent in view of tho war. If the seasen is as successful as, in a general way, there is every reason to expect it will be, a further payment will be made during the season. At present companies have to exercise prudence, there being a possibility of irregular shipment later on.—Post.' A curious anomaly arising out of the existence in the suburban area of the city of Auckland of small local bodies was referred to in tho House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon. Some years ago Sir John Logan Campbell bequeathed to the people of Auckland a 'magnificent park, known as Cornwall i I'ark, and it is held in trust by a board ; of private, citizens appointed under the j will. This land is situated within the '.territory of tho One Tree Hill Road i Board, and this lilliputian local authority insists upon levying rates on the park. As a matter of fact, the Road ; Board draws 58 per cent, of its small revenuo from this park. The absurd 'arrangement or lack of arrangement iwas brought under the notice of the House by a petition from the trustees i to have legislation passed remitting the local rates. The committee which eonI sidered tho petition reported that it j had no recommendation to make. It : was made cle&r that the members of ; the Committee were of one mind about ■ the desirability of public open spaces be- ■ ing free of all taxation burdens, but that ; they had not cared to recommend the ; remission when that would mean bankruptcy and annihilation to the local body. On the other hand, representatives of the city of Auckland said that if tho .rates were remitted the One Tree Hill I Road Board district would come into tho city. All agreed that this was a consummation devoutly to be wished, the only question at issue being whether the local body should be coaxed to I join the city or compelled to join. The '.House eventually referred tile petition ■ back to the Committee.