LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 282, 7 May 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the. Cbristehurcii ."Uavorai installation, the Mayor stated 'that the approximate balance of the general account on March 31 was estimated at £4-1,888. Claims for wool in the s.s. Tokoman;, sunk bv the l!ermanS|Oll' the coast of France, have lieen paid by Lloyds, the value of the wool in some cases being assessed at Is 4d.

It is stated that the settlers of Newman have entered into arrangements to take over the New Zealand Farmers' Dairy Union's cheese factory in that, district.

The caretaker of the Taranaki Plumpton Coursing Club reports that the hares art! numerous and strong, so that there jhould be a good meeting on May '2O, J.tie first of the season.

'■Bunny" is having a lively time here just now (says the Mntaura Knsign), tlio price, viz. ,71(1 per pair, making his life very unsafe. In several instances last month's cheques reached nearly .C-tO per man.

The call for men is being heartily responded to by the young men in the Wairarapa. One station-holder told an Age representative that nearly every man on his property intended becoming a recruit.

As the result of a sehool concert held at Pukearehu lately, the Belgian Relief Fund will benefit by £4 l'2s Gd, which amount has been remitted to us and handed to the treasurer of the local fund.

It appears that the Taranaki men mentioned yesterday as having been accepted for the reinforcements have not yet been accepted, but when the formalities have been completed the men will be. notified whether they have been accepted or not. The steamer Tnvertay, from ]fi-/w York, via the Panama Canal, anchored in the ITauraki Gulf, oft' (.Vie Colville, early yesterday morning. Wireless advice stated that the vessel was unable to reach port owing to the whole of the bunker coal supply having been exhausted. The steamer Onewa was despatched at 1 p.m.'with sufficient coal to enable the Invcrtay to steam to port. She was expected to arrive about midnight.—Press Association.

The Auckland Tramways Company yesterday initiated with success n novel scheme of raising money for the Belgian Fund. Every conductor was supplied with special tickets which he sold at one penny each, and it is estimated that if every person using tram-cars each day bought one ticket the sum of £3OOO per week would be raised. Over 14,000 tickets wore sold yesterdav, and the €(10 added to the Belgian Fund. - The Tramway Company is bearing all costs of the advertising scheme.—Press 'Association.

There was a large attendance at the I Criterion billiard parlors last night, when Mr. Clark McConachy gave an exhibition of his skill with" the cue. Tn the match with Mr. A. Bartlett of 750 up, Mr. McConachy conceded his opponent 350, but lie ran out when the latter's score was 575. His best break was ISS, and his average 2ft, as against Mr. . Bartlett's 0. At the conclusion of the srame, McConachy gave a splendid exhibition of all round billiards (his nurserv cannons being particularly fine), and he concluded with some clever trick and fnncv shots that evoked hearty applause. Mr. McConachy expressed the opinion that the Bird and Jensen table on which he played was one of the best he had used in the Dominion. Tt is a. pleasure to see how the men work on the construction of the tramways." said a prominent Xew 'Plymouth citizen yesterday. " T .was dmvn there for hour. They do work. Tt is a revelation after seeing the municipal day labor at work. Win 1 . T guarantee that those men down at Moturoa do as much in oriejiour as the day labor men in three. They are working under eonfiactors who know their business pay their men well, and expect a full day's return. They are getting it, too. If the men are not up to their work, they are soon ' fired,' That is tile only way of milking a success of this contract." Our informant foneluded bv advising anyone wanting to see men actually at work to pay a visit to the locality, ]

,„."A I-rtsx " writes to the Opnnake i lines:—" 1 iroqucntly sop ii, tlio papors opi"!<"ifS expressed and proposals o/lVred in connection with tlio purposed Avar tax' but as the correspondents win. write are all mon tlloy only look at tlio position I '••><" -Man's point of view, wliirli is a view. Wlmt I sliould like to SCO proposed is a bachelor's tax; two pounds per ln-,1,1 oil all liaoliolovs ovim--21, and it lii' called a war tax: nil 'bachelors who atv st-rvinir their country at tlio 'var to lio fro,, from tlio tax. Imcholor >s all soil, and if ho cannot airord to pay !'■> por year special tax lio is not, 'l'nch use to this ooinitvv. 11,■ should '<■ oit,ior at tlio war or K<-t marriod. A tax ot this kind would considoralilv in-liva-v tlio revenue.'' Tlio time for nreivinfr tenders for tile Stratford Municipal liiiiMinjr* has boon oxtonfl,'d to oloso at S p.m. on Satiirday. May 15. Customers for l>y-Xol Fluid for Automatic TWmfi'i'tors plea-'e note that tlio local apnts for this excellent coitipnnvl ot disinfecting oils are Messrs Jackson & d aril. Price, Gs 9d per gallon

Tin; business peo])le of New Plymouth will have an opportunity of hearing an> address by Mr. A. R. Seimett, organiser or the Hoard of Trade anil industries to Ire established in New- Zealand iat the Town .11 all explain the objects of the board, to ,lie established.

The estimated population of the Dominion at Marc'i 31, excluding Maoris and the Cook and other islands, was sfl!t,i>7B males and 531,00S females, a total lif h,KM),r)S«. Including .Maoris and islanders, the figures are: Males (502,">02, females ,M0,'52(1; total 1,103,028. —Press Association.

At Petersburg, 111., an evangelist, conducting a revival, asked all thtf men in the audience who loved their wives t.o btand and sing a hymn together,. ■ Every man rose to his feet and joined in the singing. When they sat down ho spoke to the women, asking all who loved their husbands to stand and sing a hymn together. Not one stirred from her scat.

It is stated that about 100 men, who enrolled for service in the Sixth Reinforcements from Otago, either failed to attend a medical examination or were missing on the day the troops entrained for Trentham. Their names have been struck off the roll of those available for service abroad, and if at any future date they wish to join the Expeditionary Forces they will have to register again. Something of a record saddle ride was accomplished by Mr. R. King, son of Mr. I). King, of Winton, recently, when he took two mobs of cattle from Beninoro and Omarama stations (Waitaki County) to Canaird station, Kingston. He was in the saddle (except when resting at night) for close on five weeks, and covered in the double journey some 80011 miles.