LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 235, 13 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The New Plymouth Winter Show will be held on June 9, 10, 11, and 12. The Wellington-Brindisi dispatch of the 22nd January, arrived in London on the 7th inst.

The Citizens' Band will render a programme of music in the centre of the town to-night, commencing at 7 o'clock. The Taranaki Agricultural Society's recent autumn show resulted in a loss of £'2o7. Last year's showed a loss of £l6O.

The Union Steamship Company has made a donation of ten guineas to the funds of the Taranaki Agricultural Society.

The services at Whiteley Memorial Church on Sunday will be conducted by the Rev. A. B. Cbappcll, M.A., botii morning and evening.

The .Motor Transport Company's eliar-a-bane will run a special trip to the Optinako races on Wednesday next. Fares and time-table wilL be found in our advertising columns.

The previous trip to Pukerangiora ..was such a success that the Motor Transport Company has decided to again run their char-a-banc to thi a historic spot on Sunday afternoon. Particulars are advertised.

Swimmers intending to compote for tho Tabor Memorial Life-Saving Shield at the East End on Easter Monday ar.? invited to attend at East End at 10.30 a.m. and at the Breakwater at 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.

At Uie last meeting of the directors of the North Taranaki Dairy Company the matter was discussed of installing a cheese plant, and it was resolved to place the proposal before the suppliers. Archdeacon Evans will preach at the Harvest Thanksgiving Service in Holy Trinity, Te Henui, both morning and ■ evening, and will also celebrate the •Holy Communion after morning; prayer. In the afternoon a children's fruit service will b>> held. There will lie the usual celebration of Holii Communion at 8 a.m.

Mails for 'United Kingdom forwarded from Wellington to Sydney on o.th inst., to lie dispatched via Suez, missed the Suez connection, and will be dispatched from Sydney vi.i San Francisco by the Sonoma, which leaves Sydney on the 13th 'inst.

The Government does not intend to appoint a successor to Mr. Harle, tli>> chief clerk at the New Plymouth post office, who has been appointed postmaster at Ashburton. When the public service applies a pruning-knife it nearly always lops off a few of Plymouth branches,

At the meeting of the North Taranaki Patriotic Committee on Monday evening the Mokau coal miners, who contributed £lO towards the relief of Belgian distress, were accorded a special vote of thanks. The committee decided to forward £2OO, in addition to the p':;vious amounts, to assist the Belgians in tin ir need.

If proof were wanted of the necessity of a dredge being provided for the im piovement of the Waitara harbor (says the Mail) it should be found in the fact that the Arapawa has been unable to leave the wharf owing to the state of the bar. The boat has bejen waiting tlieie a week, and there appears to be li'lle likelihood of her getting away i'o; several days to come.

A particularly mean case of sneakthicving was discovered by the y.;cprietor of the Christehurch Theatre l'oval :i.iiper room on Monday (states a Christen. <*h paper). A box for -flu purpose of receiving subscriptions to the I'lilgian Imul !,nd 'open pixeed on the counter for some time, and l.'u sun: of £4 was acknowledged from that box a lew weeks ago. On the previous day the box had vanished with its contents, which were estimated to amount to at least £l.

As the result of the floral exhibition and evening concert at Vogeltown on Thursday, St. Mary's- branch Sunday school building fund will benefit to tire extent of about £lO, a highly creditable result. The programme at the concert was prorided by Mrs. Birch-Jolmston, Miss "Beryl Hirst, Mr. Hill-Johnston, and Rcr. Crawshaw, erery item being encored. Mr. Hill-Johnson and Miss Hirst were accompanists.

At the opening pf the Supreme Court at Napier the other day, six jurors were excused from service (says the Telegraph). The first telegraphed from xWairoa that he was bar-bound; the second that he lived outside the 10-mile radius; the next was postmaster at Petane; the fourth was in business without assistance and would have to close his shop; the next was a taxi-driver with a hired car; and the last bad a "chronic cough."

A large number of public bodies in the Wanganui education district made contributions last year to technical education classes. They included the Elthnm Borough Council £5, Eltham County Council £5, Kaponga Farmers' Union £25, Anroa Farmers' Union £5, Otakeho Farmers' Union £5, Kapuni Farmers' Union £lO, Matapu Farmers' Club G5, ITawera Borough Council '£2o. Wanganui Borough Council £25, etc. The Patea Farmers' Co-operative Freezing Company had one of its busiest wei*l-i lu-t week, putting through some 1 (iiiO hi ad of prime cattle (says the Pros:). This when the country is in a state of Avar and shipping to ii certain extent disorganised, is something to be proud of. The company has also had a record week with regard to its wa<*es sheet, the latter totalling ess 7, made' up of £727 for permanent hands and £IOO for those engaged in building the new freezing chamber.

On liia recent visit to San Francisco, Mr. J. G. Harkness wjs much impressed' by the elaborate interior decoration and fitting of hotels, clubs and other large buildings. Though of great height, the buildings were not striking in exterior design, but 110 expense was spared inside. Everything of the best was used in fittings and conveniences. Mr. Harkness judged that profits must be higher than in New Zealand, but wages and prices are also high. He thought that 4s in New Zealand would go as far as 8s in America.

The 700 firemen who attended theTimaru Fire Brigade demonstration evidently had a strenuous time (says an exchange). The majority of the firefighters assert that they were simply "tired to death" in the south. They were ao systematically attacked for the Belgian fund and by the Queen of the Carnival candidates that there was liardly anything left to come home with. At a meeting of the directors of the Elthain Dairy Co. on Wednesday, it was decided to pay 13d for butter-fat supplied during February, the total payment to suppliers being £13,000. It was also decided to pay an additional penny for the months of September, October, November, December and January. Advice has been received that the shipment of cheese by the Kia Ora netted 89s.

The soil in the Hawke's Bay district (states the Tribune) is evidently blessed with qualities not possessed by many districts in New Zealand, for, despite the long drought, many farmers have been getting good crops. At Twyford a farmer obtained an average yield of 75 bushels of barley to tho acre, and sold it at 5s fld per bushel, a very satisfactory return. Other good yields are also recorded.

A statement of R. H. Cameron's financial affairs was presented to a meeting of creditors held at Stratford on Tuesday. It showed secured creditors £17!)6 10s, being State Advances Office, Wellington, £750; W. T. S. Trewinj £'2so; Mrs. A. A. McDonald, £55(1; B. Harkness, £114; C. S. Nielsen £132 10s. The unsecured creditors' total is set down at £157- 14s, and the estimated value of securities £2200. The assets are stated to total £845 10s. There is also an amount of £6lB due under a judgment of the Supreme Court recovered by Curtis Bros, against Elizabeth Brooking, Percy George Brooking and Robert Hugh Cameron, the bankrupt. The meeting was adjourned until Monday.

The congregation at St. Michael's Church, Christchurch, were amazed on Sunday evening (states the Lyttelton Times) by the unexpected and unusual appearance of a canine worshipper. A large bulldog wandered down the aisles, and after hopelessly trying to find his owner, calmly took a seat beside two ladies. The ladies were alarmed at tli" proffered friendship, and hastily jumped up. ' The dog thereupon left the seat, and found his way into a pew occupied by a well-known worshipper and his wife, but the lady on seeing the unwelcome intruder hastily jumped up as if to leave the church. Her husband thereupon took the animal In his arms, and carried him out, depositing him in thf road, and closing the gate. _ Before lie could resume, his seat in church, however, the dog had outdistanced him, and took a stand beside Canon Burton. Ultimately the animal was enticed to the belfry by the verger, and was shut up (ill the, conclusion of the service, a sadder and a wiser dog. The future prospects of the dairying industry were briefly discussed by Mr. H. K Pacey, manager of the New Zealand Dairy Association, in speaking at Waiuku on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Pacey said that notwithstanding- the improvement which had been made, he was of opinion that the best had not, yet been achieved by the industry. He considered that future improvements would depend more upon the farmers themselves than upon the factory managers. It would depend upon the maintenance of at least the former standard of cleanliness and care as a means of producing a high-grade butter, and if attention were given to details upon the farm it was certain that there would be remunerative markets for butter. "Many of our farms are not carrying as many cows as they should," Mr. Pacey continued, "and many of the cows are of an inferior kind. ' I look forward to the time when tile average herd will give 3001b of. butter-fat per eow per season. The improvement of the cow, and more intense cultivation, will at least double the productiveness of these districts pt a comparatively early date."

"While we were at anchor in Simons Bay, South Africj, in Noveniber" (said the officer of a trading steamer in Sydney last week), "the native crew of a British cruiser, thinking that they had a grievance, scrambled on to the quarterdeck to interview the captain. The grievance was deemed to be frivolous, and the captain ordered them to resume work. Hut it seemed as if they had been schooled in trades union methods, for they refused. The Jack Tars were consequently called up and tlve natives were removed by force. Carrying their objections further, they worked lazily, and then they suddenly downed tools !n a body. .There was no mediation—no arbitration or conciliation. The Jack Tars showed them up on deck, and at a given signal threw the whole bunch of them overboard. The, steam pinnaces were handy to prevent any serious consequences. and after their black heads had been bobbing about in the water for some time they were taken on board again. That was the end'of the strike. They went bade to work with renewed energy."

Readers are reminded of the sale of horses and sundries at Kaponga 011 Monday next, on account of the El-tham-Opunake Carrying Company. The horses, wo understand, are all in good condition and should make excellent farm horses. Special attention is also drawn to the big list of harness and sundries.