LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 189, 19 January 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The turnip blight is reported to have caused considerable loss to farmers in tlie Manawatu district litis season, move especially amongst younger crops.

"There is not a blade of green gra-s within one hundred .miles of Napier." was the statement made by Mr .). T. Smith, who is visiting Wellington with a team of howlers. He states that the season has been the driest in the memory of the oldest inlwbitant of the district.

A private letter received by an Auckland merchant from a friend in Scotland gives a few particulars regarding the rise in foodstull's since the war began. "Cheese, ham and sugar, are up 2d per lb., and tea -Id. Eggs are a big price. I am not sure of the price of common lots, but fresh are 3.s per doz., and nobody says a word. Beer is up -id and 2'/id per schooner, and still nobody says a word."

i Mr 11. J. Dolan, solicitor, of Napier, and formerly of Mastcrton, made a plucky rescue of a drowning man at Xajiier on Sunday last. He was walking along the Marine Parade, when lie beard shouts from a man named I'. Prown, who had been Hashed out to sea throngh the breakers, and was in imminent peril. Mr Dolan, after giving the alarm to several persons along the beach, plunged in, and after a severe struggle, succeeded in bringing Brown close to the shore, where the two were helped out, in an exhausted condition, by other swimmers.

Tile Hustings Tribune says: —A number of artesian wells in Hastings are ceasing to flow. This is particularly noticeable in and around the power house vicinity. During pumping operations, the wells cease to llow, but when the pumps arc not working, the wells begin to rise again. Wells a quarter of a mile distant are thus affected, and in some cases idi e town high pressure supply has to be brought into use to nil tho tanks.

A visit paid to a number of prominent gardeners in the Hutt Valley elicited the information that the prospects this year, as far as potatoes and tomatoes are concerned, are particularly bright, says a Wellington paper. The hot, damp, weather of last week acted like magic on tlie plants, while the subsequent sunshine is promoting vigorous growth. As far as tomatoes are concerned, one grower states that his plants grew fully six inches last week, and all he need's now for a while is plenty of sunshine to ripen the frifit. On the 'whole, the gardens are looking exceedingly well, and the supply of both tomatoes and potatoes should easily equal that of last year.

Peace has its victories, no less renowned than war, and the bibulous section of Donald has just aeccfmplished .one. There has been a strike among the beer-drinkers, who felt the finest sentiments of their nature wronged by the increase in the price of stimulants', says a Melbourne paper. It may have been their diminished circumstances and not their • will that consented, but they have shown what can be done when the mind is attuned to high resolve. For a whole thirsty fortnight they abstained. They laid a kind of siege upon the publicans by staying awn v. and became temperance advocates by force, of circumstance. It may be that tin habit has grown upon some of then*, and that tlie ranks of their old-time confreres will see them no more, for the watci diml m, habit (in s,io« upo i one pi tis well is w> othu Tin pub In in nm linl that tin \ |in< hun in i comnuicnl uisc 1i bn tin ,i ( , th if laid the golden eggs and the h < ( i tlumsihis mav lmo (xpuimid i fin-inn il lcsuiuction with mono m thin pi»l t \nion, t'u philosophns who come from north of Tweed. wa. ; oik \\h< si fiv oi ill motto \ i NTuu spuid vein mono md \ou will tiwus h\, in.no to spmd The huth of f i I i-i in hi puliilh . mi. lioim f' s m of the pi lUsionil ib tuuiK mi n 1 Int tin \ must hi i hi, n somc(s of dfti munition is hown 1\ th. ii clin,iii, to th. u Mituou l.soh tin. u h th. tuuphtion of tin Chi st mi til v om fniu i o tin il v"is a similar strike at Broken Hill, wlior tin p fioin , t\t( ndi 1 io tli Ini i \.n mm. lihm] fh m { D mid t ,i 'hiu is no ' no mii, how tar th. . mi id ii :y be followed in othu Mil I I 1.1 lin inion th. f il i mi' i toil to ]j in f ■> inndi i im I i u (], j i fi i I <nm i tbif li i ptnnv di | il 'hi ,11 dm in ]( iof m ilhi j flu 11 mi o Hut \\l fl i th n ( I 1 i ii th rmhl n n lul i\ I ' i ill i < i in di mi I Im, > ldi if uon, iik I ii, n Mlk Villi n 1 Dp! 1 on lifi ~|i, hil, 1 i ihi i i <oll AT ' tdio 1 'f i 'lf in i m linn ni 11 i n uitiji ''m ii if nih h i hum 'U , , . ,i 1 U<l 1 i 1 | i ' 111 i i ■ I ' 1 .. i i i r ' an tore* i eiiern

The first sitting of Idle Court sinca the holidays will be heh: today.

A farmer at Fairlio has (the 'Tin.era Herald reports) 'refused. a,n 'oil'e: oi £-10 per acre for his potato erop.

Cable advice 'has been received ai Klthaiu tiliat a Ilaweia dairy fa.- jit 'realised lljlis per cwt. for whey 1>: ,tr. and s-l.'ls 'per cwt for cheese- recoid j :■■*■

The contractor;, have notified the Town Clerk that the rails for llie t ;'-,':'.- way sys'i.'ju are expected by Ihe ■,.- t\.it L'iiilip. direct I rem Ihigi'and. Tic vessel is expected here early next month.

The Mayor (Mr J. K Wilson), th Kleetrical Engineer, and the Town (.lev-, have been invited by the ccihliug I lor 'ough Council to attend ile- opening ■■ their new electrical system on Saturduj i'M'A instant.

The climbing reason is now in I'ud swiie.; at the uuiuuiaiii, an average o,' live ])ar,ics a dav "ii;i\ In**- ascended frie-i the North Kg.iiont fountain Honouring Hi,, past w: ,■!< in beautiful wraliier conditions.

A message from one of i,he YVaiiiirapa boys with thi' .Kxpeditionary Force states that when tin: transports were in the neighborhood of Aden, three -.hots were lired over the bows of one of th.vessels.

The district camp, which the l).','-:,ie Department has sub-titued for tin- :'.': Dial concentration camps, will, -o far .-: (he No. S group is concerned, lie in ' at Waiwakaiho, from March ]*t n. .March 13til inclusive. Tt is cxpec.cd that there will be from Sl!0 to mm men. under canvas.

The following amounts (says he Stratford Post) are to be paid out on the t.l'th hist., bv the local dairv factories: Cardifl 1 Ca4(io, A'gaere .CIUoo, Lowgarth €27S(i, Stratford ,C!J-!!)1, and adding the Moa Hairy quota from here, (1773. it brings up the respectable total of „CtU,!)(i7 for those two districts.

One well-known land ajcent at l-Vild-iny informed a Waiiganui Chronicle reporter tliiit during the past week unite a number of enquiries had been received for properties, and that it was qui!.'.: apparent a keener demand for rural and town properties had set in. This satisfactory information was confirmed by another in the same town.

Tahurangi, the telegraph ssttion at <he North Egmont Mountain House, lias been very busy since Christinas, liesides the telephone, which lias been in almost continuous use, over I,">D i.eie--Binnis have been received (in and out). making this one of the busiest bureaux f.round New Plymouth.

At the conclusion of the bn.-iness of i'iie Poiongh Council last iiigiiv. Cr Clarke, at the re(|uesl of the 'Mayor, detailed rOine of his experierc-.-.-s wlli'e in England, and gave some u.eful in■funmU'mi as to the state of the sued-. also of the omnibus and want trafii.-. end other matters of inVrest.

The State Advances Office has informed the Taranaki County Council that it will grant the loitn of £<>sl) to form, 'culvert, grade and metal lloni road, the loan to have a currency of :!li'/ 2 years, at 4 per centum. -Iloni road is situated in the former WcivrJno road ,li-;-ii-ict.

In vL'w of fill a postponed Tabor Memorial Competition which is to come off shortly, it behoves all swimmers to 'attend the annual meeting of the Surf and Life Saving Club, to be held in the Town Hall at 8 o'clock this evening. The shield will probably be competed for by clubs from the Taranaki district onlv.

At a meeting of the committee of the Stratford Racing Club, held the other evening, the. Stratford Post says, it was 'e.ccided to denoate the sum of ten guineas to the Salvation Army for the relief work in connection with the poor and distressed at Home occasioned by the present war It may be added that the Pacing Club has already given £IOO to .(lie Belgian Relief Fund.

A rllie match with a dinner at stake was lived on the Jiewa Kewa range yesterday between President F. J. Hill, of the Defence Rifle flub, and Trooper Dawson Webster on the one side, and Deputy-President W. Olliver and Troeoev S. Paul on the other. Firing was at the 300 yds, 500 yds. and 000 yds ranges. The Deputy-President's side won by 109 '.a 103.

According to a writer in the New Zealand Times, the . purchasing power, roughly, of one shilling in Wellington has decreased in the matter of «<unnion necessities by 1 l-'xl during the last six months. To the average ,t3 per week man this means an increase of !>s (id per week, while to those earning £i weekly the amount of added expenditure is estimated at 12s.

At the annual meeting of the South Taranaki Bacon Company, held ai. Btham on Saturday, the chairman (Mr H. D. Forsyth) said that in his opinion 'tlie question of pig raising, not only in Taranaki, but in the whole of New Zealand, had never been practical!.' Incklcd. Properly handled, tho business 'had a great, future before it.-'"f hey could raise twice as many pigs as the'v were now dointr.

People that live in glass houses should not throw stones (writes the Patea Press of yesterday). Our Wanganui morning contemporary had a paragraph in its 'Saturday's issue to the effect that the port of Patea was at present unworkable, but it said nothing for its own port where no less than four steamers for 'Patea, the Hawera, Mana. Aorere and Wairau were lying bar bound. Had these boats been able to leave Wanganui either yesterday or 10-dav they could have' reached Patea without difficulty as the local port was workable on both days. The rviipnni a; a matter of fact left Patea vesferdfiv M-ifli n full V«-i

i propo ai to hold i Di mini, u Tnd i tins Weel instead oi ri mi in, li plays of local industry in various eentiei at diJTcicnt tinn h m nnf .1 from the Wellington Industrial Assoeii tion The picsiibnt All >- T Humitt sud tint hi had discn cd th j i o i tion with Air O. A r . Norwood, president of the AAMlm,ton \sointion Hi fwi presidents igieid tint tin sclum, is n excellent one It was tlmujit tl t much ,ood could br do l t th I hi i tion DipiidiKiit could b pi i ml { \ it a i f hi mo\emen*- In i i 111 n in tie School Tom ml iituli n \iw ' hud nidn tin V motion \ is i -> si 1 fiioun, i \ew 7cihid 1 i| fr b ii Id from Afav 21 to Afav 20.

)i'l T MTOT ID BP\R T N "* |M lii it i u in, tlu oin Hi Knl ucalvj hi on which is mil bon hr a ol i ( i mi lit md wtf' il md m u init < 1 llu lin [in li( (in ' i m u in i ii , Mill ilf to ill th din i to I 1 ll (111 U Ot 1111] llflll M ill ) i- in'ifon ot I'h 'ilm \ uti fii il it ul muco is in uibi u i I \ i i n, mi Uii ( rMUM SWOI 1 -> i u \m>u i \rr vc l u iot mi\ i .id tins pitf Ps but on h \ a tinulitin, safe and ifUctne midua _n if tlu usult of spien 1 and can ful 'manufacture. A trial will at one; onm . Dinliti in n m ill dos dis 'in u' < if fiom t'u bull and in i io i pioduts Idiiembu 's'VND 1 I s I MKAI T i mho Iks the usult ' imi ii nil mlr nun u,l 11 if hi I (irunn i 1 II hi ii i i Ihoit npir '1 (ii fitili ' il i ii ' , (1 1 ' i ii i i 111 I, ' N.I ' > s ill , iinim ' id th i ( i i< , i i