LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 257, 9 April 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlic North Taranaki Dairy Company (Waitara) are contemplating going in for c'.ieese instead of butter manufacturing. Final decision, however, has not so far been reached.

The damage done to roads iby the cartage of heavy loads of firewood was discussed at a meeting of the Parihaka Boad Board .yesterday, and the foreman was instructed to make an example of anyone carting loads in excess of the quantity allowed by the by-laws.

The result of the weight-judging competition at the Stratford Gyinlfchana was as follows:—Actual weight of sheep 112 lbs; G. Thompson (Tariki) and' F. M. Grayling (New Plymouth) guessed the exact weight and divide first and second prizes. The lowest estimate was W/ 3 lbs and the highest 210 V, V~

Influenza has laid a heay hand upon many of his subjects in and around Stratford (says the Post). Indeed, sickness is prevalent. Schoolmasters remark upon t'.ie severity of coughs and colds among the children, the amount of "barking'' in the. school being a distressing feature of the daily routine ' '

At To Koti several cuttings can be seen from the train where the men are at work on the Opunake railway, says the Patea Press. At the station .there is a modern "steam navvy," which is to be used in the construction of this line, thus testifying to the efforts of the Government to at last adopt modern methods of railway construction.

A fleet surgeon, writing homo from the Last Coast of Africa, tells an interesting story about Major Charles Grey, the only surviving brother of Sir V.dward ('trey. Major Grey was wounded in the arm and part of it was amputated. Although the wound had not healed at the time the letter was written, be was assiduously practising revolver .shooting with the other band.

Mr John D. Koekfeller, who is reputnl to be the richest man in the world, has given during the last, twelve years V;l.lll)!).()li() dollars for tiie promotion of education throughout the United : iates This fact, is brought out. in a report of its work issued by .the General Kdneation Board, which Mr Rockefeller founded DC this sum Chicago University has received 1:i..-.i4,3-l:i dollars, and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Rose * 81.2H7.0-2l' dollars.

M a special mootincr of the I'arihaka Koiiil Board-yesterday it was decided to declare rajrwovt, ox-e.ve daisy, blackberry, tfn-so, pennyroyal, St. John's wort, fat lien, and ('alil'ornian thi-dlc as noxious weeds within tin; road district. Some of the weeds mentioned have flourished in tlie district for many years past, and upon steps being taken' lately to enforce their eradication it was discovered that (hey had not been scheduled as noxious weeds in the district, and could therefore flourish unchecked. This did not, apply to blackberry and ragwort, which, with sonic other weeds, are declared by the Act to he noxious weeds ihroiprhont the Dominion. The firstnamed is not verv prevalent in some parts of the district, hut unless those portions badly infested with it aro carefully watched, it will become a jrrait enrse. as birds and other pests curry it to the clean lands.

the land was quite bare- a few months I ago, ho states, it is mow. beautifully green. In fact, one night's rainfall made a vast improvement). The sheep and cattle- are much improved, and the farmers are smiling the smile that is said to denote contentment.

A runaway in Bahotu caused iome little excitement yesterday morning. Whilst the driver was in the back of an express its horses bolted down the Kahui Road from alongside the police station. After crossing the main road two of the wheels mounted the footpath, where the vehicle struck a telegraph post with such force that the driver was thrown out, fortunately; .escaping with a bruising. The impact broke the pole of the express, freeing Ihc. horses, which were caught a little lator.

At Oamaru on Saturday morning Mrs. John Vrase.r, who was known throughout] New Zealand in musical circles as Mm Winnie Nixon, set out with a determination to raise a substantial sum for the Belgian fund. By noon on Monday, Mrs Fraser was able to hand to the local fund the sum of £875 subscribed by eightteen donors. Considering the Sunday intervened, this very large sum was raised practically in twenty-four hours. This must bo regarded as a splendid achievement.

In a private letter from the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, mention is made of a Confirmation Service at the foot of the Pyramids. The Bishop writes:—"l took my first Confirmation Service yesterday, right in the middle "of the New Zealanders' camp, hundreds of picketed horses and tents and men on one side, and limitless desert on the other. Horses being led past to water, and bugles blowing now and again. Thirty-five men, all of the best, including one officer. It was a never-to-be-forgotten afternoon."

An unexpected event occurred at Barton's circus on Saturdav night at Waitara. One of the items oil Hie programme was that of a lady trapezist lifting heavy weight with her teeth, and to illustrate licr dental strength, she, while handing suspended byi her leg, lifted a Native from the ground bv a strap with a swivel which had been placed round his waist. In this position he was whirled rapidlv round. The effect was disastrous, for the Native had had a hearty meal, and the circular motion produced seasickness, while he was still being whirled round.—Mail.

The Eltham Argus does • not place much faith in the rumour that Tom Mackenzie may return to New Zealand and take up the leadership of the Legislative Council. No one should essay the leadership of the Council unless lie is a lawyer —and a good one at that. The Council is continually dealing with legal technicalities in private committees, and onlv a lawyer could explain those technicalities to the Council. The present leader, the Hon. 11. D. Bell, fills the position most admirably. So far as Tom Mackenzie is concerned we fancy (sa-" tlie Argus) that when he is finished with the High Commissionership he will also be finished with New Zealand politics.

The growth of mushrooms on Banks Peninsula this year has been phenomenal (says the Aka'roa Mail), and the season has lasted since the end of December. During the last month grazing paddocks right up to the summits of the Peninsula Hills have been literally white rings of mushrooms, and those ga:iiering them have become tired of this autumn delicacy. It is a pity that some outlet could could not have been found for them, as many hundredweights of mushrooms wasted in the paddocks, after the usual catsup-making requirements were fulfilled. The dry season, followed by late warm rains, no doubt accounted for the plentiful growth this year. These conditions also prevailed in many parts of the North Island.

Sports clubs are in, existence among the Expeditionary Forces in Egypt, and good healthy rivalry is encouraged. A letter from the front from four members of the Petone Football Club, who are on active service, says:—''Our regiment, the Wellington Mounted Rifles, was the firsi, •to form a football club, and the first to run a boxing tournament in the brigad;:. So far we have not been beaten, though we have played representative teams from the Australian Light Horse and the Auckland and Canterbury regiments. To show the sporting spirit in our regiment, one of our officers, Lieutenant Harry Palmer, of Palmerston North, turned out after twenty years' absence from the field, and played a great game."

An enjoyable afternoon entertainment was held in Mr. S. Percy-Smith's beautiful grounds yesterday afternoon in aid of the Victoria Maori Girls' School, Parnell, Auckland. The weather was perfect for such a function, and Miss Percy-Smith, who organised the effort, is to be congratulated on the success achieved. The first portion of the programme was a pierrot maßk entitled " The Only Legend," in which a number of local young ladies took part. Mrs. Birch-Johnston, who took the leading role, was also responsible for the training of tliosee taking part in this piece, which was very nicely presented. Subsequently a number of the old country dances were given by some children trained by 'Miss Bedford, and proved very effective. Tea was provided during the afternoon, and the fruit and other stalls were well patronised. There were about eighty present, and a sum of approximately £l3 was realised in aid of the school.

The German Crown Prince will reach the fatal age of 33 in May. He has four sous. In 1010 there happened to be read in a New York court a letter from him to Count Hochbcrg, written in 1(107. In it he complained that, like Edward, Prince of Wales, under Queen Victoria, ho was shut out from knowledge of public, affairs: "I am like a seaman never allowed to steer, and yet may be summoned to the helm." This percolated to Germany, and next year the Prince for the first time commanded at the spring review of the Berlin garrison. It was then a cranky Russian flung a tin at his carriage. The thing hit a policeman, and let out a shower of harmless white beans. This incident, as usual, increased the popularity of the "victim," and he was in high favor towards the. end of MHO. In 1911 he was "banished" to llantzig—the. result, it was said, of two much fondness for the recreations of the capital. Then came bis dash to Berlin, his jingo utterances, and after that the war—zero.—Bulletin.

child and perambulator, ' visited the wharf in the afternoon,' and loft their prams in the middle of a railway, track, in a gap between two strings of trucks while, they conimeneed an interesting conversation. While this conversation was in progress, a shunting engine came along and commenced to push one lot of trucks towards the o:her. The fond mothers were blissfully unaware of the. danger which their charges ran, until the warning was given by a seaman on one of the boats. Immediately there was a rush to save the babies. One mother arrived in time to rescue the pram and contents, but the other was not so fortunate, had the presence of mind, however, to-push the child's head down as the buffers came together, and although some of the child's clothing was caught on the coupling hook of the moving truck, the child was uninjured. The hood of the pram was badly smashed.—Herald.

The story deserves to be told of two young Munaia farmers, one married and the other single, and joint tenants of a dairy farm, if onlv to show that not all the patriotism and fine spirit of courage and adventure that we acclaim so much and so justly at the present moment is in all cases on the side of those who volunteer for the fighting front. The unmarried partner in the firm had met someone who said to him by way of mild reproof and itncouragement, "What, not gone to the front yet. Well, you're wanted there, you know, and it's your place just now." The remark appeared to have soaked in, for on getting back to the farm he said he could hold back no longer, and was going to the front. The partner commended his resolution, and there and then voluntarily gave trim a written stipulation that he would work the farm in his absence, giving him half the profits, and employing a man in his. placo only when that course was unavoidable, and' on his return botli to resume work together i again on the farm, At present the married partner is doing more than a man's job to run the farm single-handed, and the profits arc being put aside for the lad in the firing line. —Witiwiv.

Several hundred Maoris from different parta of the Hay of Plenty have been engaged at several burial grounds around Wiiimana pa, digging up the n>mains of their friends who were interred there some years back, states the Opotiki Mail. A large number of the Maoris returned home through the Wnimana settlement last week, and it was a rather gruesome sight for Europeans to see several of the old men with bundles of bones strapped on theTr '.lacks. The proceedings were carried out under Maori law, with two members of the poliee force present to see. that there were no serious disputes as to ownership among relatives. The Maori law does not require any precautions to bo taken in the way of disinfecting where contagion,-) disease, such as typhoid fever and diphtheria, lias been the cause of death, nor does it recognise that germs or disease live after burial. The procedure is to open the grave, obtain possession of all the bones, while most of the deceased's relatives, both male and female, stand lound and lament. After this the bones are scraped, then done up in black cloth into bundles about two feet long by nine inches in diameter. Old men arc always selected to carry these to their destination, and they are supposed to go on foot, but of late years they ar.» allowed to ride on horseback provided they do not remove the bundles from their backs.

A writer in the Bulletin finely tells th> fallowing story of an incident in the life of one of Australia's pioneers:—"She had spent the weary night in a rou«l----built hut, 70 niiles from Gladst<ii.', Queensland. She was starving, and 'or three babes—one yet unwarned-were alternately Bleeping and crying fir food. There was a handful of flour in the hut noting else. 'When supplies had v,m slur', her husband had gonj into G.'adstone, and should have been back two day.ago. He v,\s ;till abs iu T;i ri..> Homing she huce a paste r i' (he /bur. cooked it, and doled it out to the children, who cried piteously for more. That night, when sleep hair overcome them, she determined that she must wait no longer for her husband; she must find him. So at daylight, she put the few crusts that remained in a bag, and with her babes set out on the 70 mile tramn to Gladstone. Towards sundown the children collapsed from exhaustion. Next day the baby died, and was buried in a grave scratched by the almost'demented mother in the bush. The rest of the journey was almost a blank to the woman. Now running, now walking, carrying tho girl and dragging the boy, then carrying the boy and dragging the girl she at last readied the town and struggled to the hospital. Across a bed whoreon lay her husband she fell senseless. He had met with an accident, and was still unconscious. They both recovered, and the children were nourished back to life. The woman was my mother. The little boy was me."