LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 269, 23 April 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It has been decided, says the Westport Times, to form a Ladies' Eiflc Club in connection with the Inangaliua Rifle Club.

. The New Plymouth High School will break up for the first term holidays on Fridav, April 30, resuming on Tuesdav, May 25.

To-day is St. Oorgc's Day. The hanks, the Court, and Government offices will observe the day as a holiday.

An inquest concerning the death of Herbert J. Hollinton, the waggoner who lost his life near Omata on Wednesday, will he held at the Court-house, Jfew Plymouth, to-morrow morning.

Mr. H. <T. Stanners, Kltham, writes:— "There is a pigeon whih has made its home at our place, which must helong to the New Plymouth Flying Chili. The marks-on the ring are ' M.C.A., 1915-5 142 '; pink and gold, ring."

:At a special general meeting of the ffew Plymouth Bowling CluJ) yesterday afternoon, the rules were altered to enable, the annual meeting of the club to be held in June, instead of September.

A Stratford dealer recently sent, a truck of springing heifers from that district to Wanganui, where they fetched the fine price of £ll 15a each. This class of cattle, it is understood, is very scarce in Taranaki, and a great number of inquiries are now being made for winter calvers.—Post.

Early next week, the two companies of New iPlymouth High School Cadets will be inspected by Major McNaugbt, group commander. The same evening No. 00 Company, New Plymouth Cadets, will parade for inspection.

A handsomely carved hall spat, typical of the best class of Swiss woodwork, is to be raffled in aid of the Belgian Fund by Mr. Thomas Buchanan, of Waitara, is now on view at Vincen's shop, opposite the ' Theatre Royal in Devon Street. Tickets may he obtained from Mr. Buchanan or at Vincen's shop.

It was reported in New Plymouth yesterday that the local price of the best butter had been raised lo la (id per lb. The rise is not unexpected, for Is (3d was the prion reached in Wellington and Auckland early in the week, and, then a local advance was anticipated. A pood demand has set in locally for an inferior quality of. butter at Is Id and Is 2d per lb.

A settler in the Waipawa district a few days ago lost four head of cattle by turning them into a paddock of new grass. The cattle had previously been grazing on practically bare land, and the luxuriant growth of the now grass pro\ed fatal to the beasts.

The Theatre Royal front-of-the-house staff displayed their sympathy with the Belgians by handing the pay received for last night's performance of " The Mummy and the Humming Bird " to the local Belgian Relief Fund. Each member of the staff donated his full pay, the total amounting to £1 3s.

A well-attended meeting of the Taranaki Plumpton Coursing Club was held last night, when arrangements were made to run off the Taranaki Maiden States at the Glcnavon course on Thursday, May 20. • The prize money will be £23, with a seven-guinea silver cup for the winner.

There are indications that the halfholiday question in New Plymouth is going to provoke a keen campaign between the supporters of Thursday arid those who favor Saturday. Both partie? are now actively at work, and yesterday placards made their appearance in many shop windows exhorting the ratepayers to " Vote for Thursday Half Holiday."

The question of the provision of cold storage for cheese, upon which the Wellington Harbor Board is obtaining a report, should not be delayed, according to .Mr. A. McFarlane, a member of the board, who has pointed out that in ten years the output of cheese had increased from 4000 tons to 33,000 tons. Mr. McFarlane added that, in view of this great growth' it would be useless to go in for small works.

A Now Zen hinder, writing from Egypt, says : —"JSTew boots have also been issued. Tliey art marvellous—a sandwich sole, two layers of leather with a layer of rubberised leather in between; double tongue. They are very soft leather, and lined with leather ; in fact, they are more like Sunday boots. Tlicy are said to be the best boots ever made for the' Army, and are supposed to have cost the Government 18s. per pair."

Mr. .fas. Stevens, Castlemain, Victoria, has been experimenting with fowl manure on a half-acre space in a paldock, the soil of which is the usual poor clay loam overlaying Silurian rock, theresult being that the crop (hay) is inch 's in advance of the remainder, and is so well forward as to completely obscure the color of the soil, ft was applied at the rate of one ton to the acre.

A new occulting light has been installed at the. entrance to the Patea River by the Patea Harbour Board. Twenty flashes per minute are produced by the light, which is equal to 350 candle-power and is visible for eleven miles in clear weather. The illuminating gas is dissolved acetylene, and accumulators supply gas for three months without requiring* to be renewed.

In connection with the shortage of space for frozen meat, a Chriatchureli builder has issued a statement to the ell'eet that in six weeks he can erect a building with storage capacity for KO,OOO carcasses. As a result of the statement a company is being formed, and farmers, .particularly in the Methven, Oxford, Npriugston and ScargiU districts, are subscribing freely to take'up shares in order to provide sufficient capital for the venture.

At the animal meeting of the Imperial Tobacco Company, at Bristol, the chairman (Mr Ceo. Wills) stated that the net profit for the year amounted to upwards of £:i,rm,t)on. The company had subscribed £47,000 to the war funds, and were making up the wages of 1,350 employees who had enlisted. The directors proposed an annual bonus of !) per cent of the year's wages to the staff, including those on military serivec. Owing to increased cost of living the directors had increased the wages of the workpeople at the rate of 2s in the £ weekly.

Tlio introduction of trams to Now Plymouth will bring to a close the interesting connection which Mr. W. McIndoe lias had with the Fitzroy. 'bus service. Mr.. Mclndoe drove tfie first 'bus from New Plymouth to Fitzroy sonic twenty-one years ago, and with the exception of a short period when lie drove, a cab lie has been in charge of the Fitzroy 'bus ever since. But the arrival of the trams may not see Mr. Molndoe's disappearance from the road, for lie is evidently quite willing to transfer his services to the tramways.

A large steamer passed New Plymouth yesterday bound for Waitara. It was probably the Shaw, Savill and Albion liner Arawa, ■which has been expected any day now from Australian ports, and she has come to*Waitara to commence Homeward loading of produce from New Zealand ports. There is a large cargo of frozen meat -to be taken from Waitara by the Arawa, and, in addition to the meat, there is a consignment of honey which is said to form the largest shipment of honey to be exported from Xew Zealand.

In our comments on the satisfactory state of the harbor at Moturoa, it was stated that the work which had been done meant that the requirements of the shipping companies had been complied, with. Taken in connection with the context, which clearljjfe indicated the position at the commencement of the coming season, this was in a sense correct, but it has been pointed out that the harbormaster would not say that the full amount of <vater demanded by the shipping companies had been provided, although be stated that the port could now accommodate the largest vessels coming to New Zealand.

As evidence that work on the Te Roti-Opunata railway is to be vigorously prosecuted, Mr. 0. A. Wilkinson, M.P., mentioned to a Star representative yesterday that in response to representations made to the department a further fifty men are being sent from Wellington, making a total of 115 engaged on the line. In addition to these seveial are being transferred from the Stratford Main Trunk line. Mr. Wilkinson asked that employment should be given to local men, but the Minister replied that in view of the additional men arranged for he could not promise to employ further locai men. Mr. Wilkinson is, however, making additional representations on the subject.

Saturday, April 24, is positively the last day of the Melbourne's great sale. On that date all oddments, broken lines and left-overs will be swept out utterly regardless of cost. TW«'ii ne " something doing" for the last day.

At the Now Plymouth Winter Show hat year much interest was taken in it fancy-work "signature" cpiilt, which netted quite a sum for the Agricultural Society. With a view of promoting si .similar scheme, and others, for the forthcoming show, a meeting of ladies is call ed for Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock in Messrs Woh'ster & MeKellar's ollice.

The, management of the Empire Picture Company will donate the total gross door receipts at the Umpire Theatre to-night to the, fund for relieving distress among the Belgians. The management pay all expenses in connection with the entertainment, so there will be no deductions of any kind from the gross takings. This will he the fifth occasion that this comparty has assisted since the war started, and Mr. .Saunders advices that one night every month will he devoted to the cause until peace and prosperity are again assured for Belgium.

To-night the Empire Pictures arc screening an excellent programme, the gross proceeds from which will be donated to the Belgian Final. When it is remembered what a, brave tight these little Belgians put up, only to be driven from their homes and country, it must compel true Britishers to do all in their power to lend them a helping hand in time of need. Do your little bit towards the fund by rolling up in large numbers at the Empire Theatre to-night. Yon will not only witness an excellent and interesting programme but will be contributing to a deserving cause. Remember every shilling■ fi.'r admission ; s handed direct to the fund without any deductions whatsoever.

A ghastly story was related to an interviewer at Bristol on February 10, by Victor Thenon, an elderly Belgian refugee from D-nant. Thenon states that at the sack of Binant, which was described the otlier_ week by the Belgian commissioners, his wife was one of many women who were shot in the square. She was taken' into a hoe.se sull'ering from five bullet wounds, and the German* sent a doctor to her. The doctor, a Belgian, had lost his reason through the atrocities he had witnessed, and in a fit of madness opened the wounded woman's veins and bathed her face with her blood. Over 700 inhabitants, Thenon says, were butchered. Many went mad, and raced through the streets oblivious of their wounds. In one case a woman still clasped the body of her dead infant, which had been shot in her arms.

Picture lovers are asked to look up the Royal Pictures advertisement in our amusement column.

Newton King draws attention in this issue to his Douglas sale, which is hp)d on April 20. Particulars of same will be found in oiir advertising columns.

A notice of interest to those about to build appears on-, page one of this issue. It refers to '-'Acme" concrete foundation blocks. They arc light, everlasting, quickly and easily fixed. They are being used in Sir. R. Paul's new house, Devon Street. The Acme Company, of Auckland, holds the patent rights for these blocks, also for reinforced gate and fencing posts made of the same material. Its reinforced partition blocks are used in all Auckland modern buildings.