LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 153, 24 November 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The valuation of tho Borough of Waitara on 31st March, 1914, was £241,598, but since then the area merged into the Cliftain and Taranaki Counties has reduced that amount by £12,951. The Government is refunding the Taranaki County Council the duty paid on the Bteam roller imported by the County amounting to £ll4 Bs. The Taranaki County Council has been notified that the following unauthorised balances of votes for roads and bridges exist: Carrington-Plymoutli road to Surrey Hill road, £250; Carrington-Man-gorei road, (£ for £), £150; Momona Stream bridge, £400; Plymouth road ( £ for £) £l5O. The telegraph department notifies that the embargo placed upon reference to the restoration of the Pacific cable is now removed, and that route is now working through and accepting ordinary deferred, and week- end ca,ble messages under the restrictions now in force for luch messages. Eltham reports that there was a beneficial fall of rain on Sunday night, but not sufficient for the grass lands, which are suffering from the prolonged eptll of dry weather. At Hastings much-need-ed rain fell and on Monday morning the siky was still OYercast Napier reports that steady rain set in about midnight on Sunday and continued throughout the night. It will do I a tremendous amount of good. It is the best rain since May. The total fall during the past six months has been only about «'/ 2 inches. At the recent meeting of the Wifct End school committee a vote of condolence and sympathy with Mrs. Morrison and family on the death of Mr. Morrison was paused, he having be«n a member of the committee for twelve years.

The name of the doll presented for the Poor in Britain, Ireland and Belgium R/tlief Fund was tiie name of the Queen of the Belgians. Six correct glioses were sent in, necessitating the drawing of lots. As ithe result of the draw Mrst. F. iL. Webster proved 'to be the winner. The doM, which was given by a New Plymouth lady, realised £4 4s in sixpenny guesses.

The statement was made to a repre-. sentativo of the) Sydney Telegranli by h well-nown Sydney doctor\, who had just returned from a visit to England, that the Highland clans were being got together again for the first time for over 100 years. The Macdonalds, McLcods, Erasers, MacKenzics, and other great clans were hearing the call of battle.

According to the arrangement arrived at between the Waitara Borough and the Taranaki County Council in connection with the merger of a portion of the Borough into the County, the latter will pay to the borough £2B Is 3d in respect of share of excess of liabilities over assets, £Bl7 10s for share of public debt, and an annual contribution of . £4O 10s towards the interest on sueh debt.

Some Waitara residents have hit upon a novel way of assisting the Belgium 'lelief funds. There are, many 'Sheep owners who are willing enough to give a lamb], and lioara are to fe found in Waitara fo- 1 those lambs, which wiH bo fattened and disposed of in aid of the 'fund. Already homes have been found for some *ix lambs, and it is estimated that fifty can be fattened in this wa\', ■by wliicli the fund would ibenelit to somewhere about £SO. At the Xovem'ucr meeting of the M est lind school committee the headmistress reported a steady increase in tlic attendance, the roll number amounting to 480, with an average attendance of 434.5. In consequence of the crowded state of the school it was decided to apply to the Hoard for an extra room to be built. His Worship the {Mayor is to be asked to distribute the prizes, the expenditure for which this year, owing to the war, has been limited to £S.

Another instance emphasising the long in'in of the law is reported (writes the Tumuka correspondent, of an exchange). About three jtears ago a young man was convicted and fined at Temuka for an offence, and was given ■the customary seven days in which to find the money. He went in search of the money, apparently to the other hemispheric returning to the Dominion a couple of weeks ago> to indulge himself, among other luxuries, in the thrills of Carnival Week at Ohristclui!roii. At the Gup Meeting he came br'neath the friendly eye of (Constable Smith, of Tilnuka. Mutual explanations followed, and the young man enjoyed an extra thrill not anticipated, m connection with that particular meeting The upshot was that lie paid the line rather than undergo imprisonment-ipaid un three years after the line, was imposed.

A man who began searching anxiously the other day on this pavement in Queen street, Auckland, and who showed by the great number of matches he wasted that the lost object was something that he valued very highly, soon attracted a crowd. He steadfastly refused to divulge what he wits seeking, but the crowd, no doubt thinking that the fause of the search was something well worth finding, were .soon helping the distressed searcher, who displayed 'considerable embarrassment whenever ho was asked for a description of the object of tine mysterious quest. Eventually, in an extremity of distress, the searcher obtained the services of some cabmen and their lamps, and the search continued with greater diligence than 'ever. The people, who 'had 1 been attracted to the scene hv the commotion, then began to whisper of 'sudden attacks 'of mental- aberration, and the man in desperation announced that it was one of his false teeth that he had lost. The crowd scon melted away, and left the •searcher to continue the quest alone.