LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 177, 5 January 1915, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday, a first offending inebriate was convicted and discharged.

During the month of December 9510 lioxes of butter and 4390 crates of cheese were exported from New Plymouth,

yWe are in receipt of attractive wall calendars from the Shaw, 'Savill and Albion Co., Ltd., and the Phoenix Assurance Co., through the local agent, Mr Newton King.

Oif Auroa correspondent writes that Mr Powell, of the Auroa road, who was thrown from his horse on New Year's Day, has gone into the ITawera Hospital for treatment.

Mil W. 'D, Webster, having very kindly given the free use of the ground floor of the building adjoining the Northern Steamship Coy's office, the lion, secretary and treasurer (Mr W. J. Chaney) will attend daily between 11 a.m. and noon from the fitli inst., to receive contributions and gifts of clothing for the relief fund.

Il sufficient inducement offers, Mr Smith, proprietor of the Urcnui motor 'bus, intends starting a week-end service between New Plymouth and the North Egmont .Mountain House, leaving town on Saturday evening and returning oil Sunday evening. This arrangement during tile climbing season will give people ample opportunity and time to reach the summit, as they will be able to make an early start from the house.

A shortage of locally-grown fruit is feared on the West Coast of the South Island. The season opened very favorably, and there appeared to be every chance of a record crop; but, unfortunately, severe wind and hailstorms were experienced just at the critical period, with the result that the crop was practically a failure. The continued wet weather has also greatly hampered and militated against successful spraying.

The Canterbury Central Dairy Company established a record "pay-out" for last month, the suppliers getting the sum of ±119,050. This is approximately £IOOO better than the pay-out for any other month. The company recently received a very gratifying report from its London agents on the keeping quality of its butter, a consignment having been stored at Home last March, and being in absolutely first-rate condition last November, eight months later.

Tlic Taranaki County Ciuncil seems not; t.i) lie aceting with great success in tl'.e mutter of the Okato Road Board merging'. A considerable number of ratepayers who signed a petition in favour of tlie merging have now written requesting their names to be removed from tlm petition. A meeting of the Ol.nto Road district ratepayers is to !>e held to discuss t'he matter, and meanpending the meeting, the County Council has been asked to defer consideration of the merging petition. l>y>t tlwieli the Christmas and New Your holiday; there has been a big rush of visitors ic 'ho Mountain, and Mr W. A. < .ils.- =-on iary of the New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion L'ai_'ue, j'ukl yes t"nLiv Uu' pleasure of arranging for the e.'ni.•;>■> or .\ u txeuisionist" who to-day tiv • .:<ilhi«4 tie Mountain. He nrr v,,?cf,-,r .»ix > .otor cars and a motor *s>na tc convey the entire party. Visitors h anprccl.ite the League's solicit>V "•'* 'heir convenience, nnd nu in-v.-'it (lie Mountain only on account ,f the excellent arrangements I made for them. '

Tho patriotic people of Koiito held a social last week, at which they made a profit of f.'i, which is to bo handed to the Red Cross l (, und. A children's concert, held for the same purpose, was succeesful in netting £1 10s.

The net gate takings at the Stratford Racing Club's recent meeting totalled £7l'2 <) 3 6d, a substantial increase on last year's figures. This, notwithstanding the fact that the complimentary list this year was unusually large.

A party of four lutli.u fj-oni ilaveV.'!.. made an early start from New Ply. mouth on Monday morning, reached the snow line on Mt. Egmorit and returned to town in time to catch the 4.20 p.m. train for the .south. This is an example of what can be done in one day by means of an efficient motor service. '

In the offbi.il Year Book just issued (iie population of Napier is shown as 11,083, or, including Napier South, West 'Shore and Auatoto, 12,628. The figure's for the oth.v principal towns outside the four ew'itr w arc given as: Wangamif 13,751. or with suburbs, 10,081, l'almcrston North 12.042, Nelson 8052, or with suburbs 5705. Invcrcargill 14,520, or with suburbs, 17,505.

A notcii'oilhy feature of the woci wiles at Duiii'.lin last week was the. faot that a iccord price for tluv Dominion this season, and the highest for many ; tars past, for greasy wool was obtained .for a line of 10 bales super-quartcrbred wether, and also for 50 bales super halfbred wether, both lots being sold at ici/id per lb.,

Inglewood's rainfall for December totalled 2.02 inches, iliain fell on 16 days, and the heaviest fall was 3.53 inches, or, the 13th. Taken for the year Inglewood's rainfall was 81.51 'inches, and rain fell for 174 days. The heaviest falls were 3.55 inches, on 14th March, 3.13 inches on 20tli March, and 3.58 inches on 13th December.

A comical sight is to lie seen at Kakaramea just now wliere a swarm oi bees 'have taken up their abode in a settler's chimney. Passers 'by are as touishcd at seeing' a cloud of bees instead of th<; usual cloud of smoke proceeding from the chimney. .As the latter is seldom used the 'bec-is are allowed to remain unmolested. —Press.

Taihape Bias been subjected to a mild epidemic of diphtheria and .typhoid fever (says an exchange), but cases under treatment are doing well, and freJh patients are less frequent than a few weeks ago. The Maoris of the district are reported to he now clear of typhoid. Tiie Health Officers are pursuing a systematic and vigorous inspection with a view to entirely removing insanitary conditions in the borough.

It is noteworthy that the hundreds of people who patrol the New Plymouth beaches and esplanades during tiie summer evenings are for the most part visitors to the town, who enjoy and glow cnthusi-i-itic about tiie good things that this line holiday resort alt'ords, but which fail to appeal in tiie sarnie measure to local people. A glimpse of ouv beaches during the holidays would act as a tonic to -many of our pessimists who decry the possibilities of New Plymouth as a seaside resort.

Numbers of visitors are spending their summer holidays in camp along the beach in New Plymouth. There several tents at the East End Reserve, and more camps are expected to be made shortly. About 25 or 30 cottages and tents are at present occupitd by parties at the West End, consisting largely of people from other parts of the province. If the delights of camping on the New riymoutll. beaches and' the facilities afforded to campers, such as electric light and water supply, were realised, we should have a very large increase in the number of .regular annual campers.

Wo are indebted to the Registrar, .Mr J. S. S. Medley, for tlie following vital statistics relating to the New Plymouth district for the month of December last as compared with December, 1913: —Births 30 (39); deaths 13 (10); marriages 18 (10). (The figures for the year as compared with 1913, are: Births 361 (377); deaths 150 (133); marriages 129 (123). The marriages were a record in both years. The marriages by the registrar in 1914 numbered 19 as against 18 in the previous year. Included in the deaths registered were 25 persons between the agea of 80 and 95 years.

The rat, says the Auckland Star, is regarded as a continual source of danger from a health point of view, and in Auckland the Sanitary Department of the City Council- not only employs men continually to destroy the rodents, but also to supply a hundred per week to tlie District Health Office, where bacteriological examinations are made in order that, the authorities may ascertain if any epidemic disease is prevalent. For tlie past four years tlie report has_ invariably been that the rats arc healthy. As a rather interesting but gruesome sidelight on the ways of the rodents..it may lie mentioned that the municipal ratcatchers-, not infrequently in their reports indicate so many rats caught and so many eaten in the'traps. For instance, Wednesday's report read: "Forty-seven caught; nine eaten." The cannibalistic creatures devour their kind, leaving only the skin enclosed within the gr.'p of the trap.

Oenernl Smith-Dorrien, who saved the British right wing, and perhaps thus saved the British Army and Paris, is rather looked down upon by some because he has the "odd idea" that Tommy Atkins is a gentleman. Smith-Dorrien, while commanding at (Aldershot, made strenuous efforts to raise the tone of the private soldier, and banned cigar-ette-smoking and beer-drinking. His theory is that if a private is treated like a gentleman lie will behave like one, so he cultivates excessive pollteness._ The result is that when SmithDorrien gives an order the politeness is interpreted as a cold and nasty sarcasm and the soldier obeys in fear and trembling. It is recorded that the great fighting leader once had the temerity to request Lord Kitchener always "to say "please" when he gave him an order in future. But, though Smith-Dorrien has all the virtues, lie is a magnificent fighter, and has had marked success in getting hard work out of his men. lie has been mentioned many times in des- j patches. has numerous decorations, passed Staff College, had two horses shot under him, and lias been recommended for the V.'C.

YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND. That by using the. commercial eucalyptus oil, which is now bought at 6d per lb. weight and bottled, and on account of the large profit pushed, you are exposing yourself to all the dangers to which the use of turpentine will expose you—irritation of the kidneys, intestinal tracts and mucous membrane. By insisting on the GENUINE PANDER'S EUCALYPTI EXTRACT, you not only avoid these pitfalls, but you have a stimulating, safe and effective medicament, the result of a special aud careful manufacture. A trial will at once convince. Quality in a small dose distinguishes it from the bulky and dangerous products. Remember; SANDER'S ENTRAG.T embodies the result of 50 years' experience and of special study and it does as promised; It heals and cures without injuring the constitution, as the oils on the market frequently do. Therefore, protect yourself by rejecting other brands. SANDER'S EXTRACT posseses curative properties peculiarly 'ts own. mi,] eiin be used with perfect hi ejiii;.'uted in and shillings, safety internally r~" —*ernally.

Shags have boon in evidence to ail unwonted extent in Pukokura Park lately. During the last tew days the curator lias shot four large specimens. One that he bugged yesterday was ill the act of swallowing a carp, for which the shag has a special weakness.

Tilic line spell of hot weather of the past week or two has been most favourable for hay-making operations, and seme good crops have been saved. The rain which arrived last night had been threatening for a couple of days and had the effect of greatly stimulating the industry of the hay-makers.

Tiie Government Meteorological Department is establishing a weather station in New Plymouth. It will lie located near the caretaker's cottage. Some of the instruments 'have arrived, and a place is being cleared for the erection of the station. Mr W. \Y. Smith, the curtor of Pukekura Park, who has considerable experience in meteorological record and research Wrjrk, will be in charge of the station.

The vital statistics for t'ke Stratford -district during the month of December were:—Births 20, deaths 4, marriages £>. The. figures for December 1913 ware respectively: C2 10. 5. The decrease in births is explained l>v the fact that though M hangamomona was made a separate di.-'tr.et ;n 1913, many births in that district were registered at Stratford, while last year they would be registered at Whangamomona. The total figures for the" year 1914 are:— Births 247 (208), deaths 40 (51), marriages 02 (04). —Post.

At tlie Auckland Rifle Association's forty-first meeting, held at Penrose on January 1 and i, the Ohura men did very well. In the first match, s Healey and Walter Williams were second and. third. Mr Williams was the winner of the Long-range Aggregate Match, .ind in the grand aggregate lost the championship by two points, President Conies, Waihi Rifle Cluib, winning with a total score of 400. The Txenthani; ex-champion, Rifleman D. Roots, of .I'atca, took several prizes, and wound lip with an aggregate score of 30a points.

Characteristic.—The combined troops from the Egyptian 'Damp had been out for fluid training exercise, and, returning after smulown. were, of course eha 1 - lenged l>y the sentry on the camp entrance in tiii} usual way. 'Who comas there? "Canieronjans," came tlic reply. Pas-4 Oameronians, all's well. 'Who comes there? "Sixteenth Lancers." Pass Lancers, all's wall. Who comes tl-tre? ''Uordon Highlanders." Pass Gordons, all's well. Who comes there? "Wihat the devil docs it matter to you.'' Pass Australasians, all's well!

Mr E. Haider returned to Hawc-ra on 'Saturday from a motoring trip through Hawke's Bay." He* travelled altogether ever SflO miies. Beyond Norsewood, l.e says, tha eoimtiy was bone dry, and they bad had no rain there since .May last. Notwithstanding tliig tile cattle were in splendid condition, and the store sheep ' were also looking well, although the bombs -,vore showing the effects of the dry spell. Tin raids beyond Wangamii were exejllen'o for motoring, and altogether his trip through the iHawko's' L'ay country, making -Xapicr the base, was most enjoyable.—Star.

Before leaving Ctisborne to attend the Opposition caucus at Wellington, Sir i;ames Carroll, M.P. for Poverty Bay, stated that there were rumours to the effect that a general election would take place in March next. Sir James said ho would not believe this as neither party would 'lava to put tliei country to the cxperis:! of another election while the war lasted What would be done was that the leaders of the two parties should meet, and agree upon the business to he taken by the House. As long ms this arrangement was adhered to, there should be no want of confidence motion. Tiiis truce should be observed while the wal- lasted, no matter whether Sir Massey or Sir Joseph Ward '.vas in power.

■ ( Many papers have reprinted a paragraph which alleged that in the far north much resentment was felt at tha way tin which a German postmaster handled thj official war news, givijig pominenea to German successes, P v oviding evasive answers when !i; .<

settlers enquired about British victoihf The Post Office authorities and t:v police looked into the matter, and tha Secretary of tho Postal Department t,r ■■ that there is absolutely no foundation for the report. The postmaster is a New Zealandcr of German parentage-, and the settlers so far from resenting Ms attitude over war news, state) that he has gone out of his way to communicate news, an.l in some ca,'ses had gone to the rouble of delivering written copies. Evidently there can be too much suspicion of a foreign name occasionally in these trying times.