LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 384, 2 June 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Melbourne cable announces that milk lias been raised to Is 8d per «ullon. 1 ° Llie vital statistics for Hawera for May were as follow:—Birtlis 17, deaths 2. an-! marriages 10. . '' 1(1 vital statistics lor Sir,worn during May were as follow:—Births 27, deaths 2 ; and marriages 2. ' The usual holiday (King's Birthday) will bo observed on Thursday next by the tradesmen and business people m Now Plymouth. ised supper dishes for the Fire Brigade Bail have them ready early on Thursday morning, when they will be callied for? The New Zealand Shipping Company advises that the Lallamshire arrived at London, from Wellington, oil Monday, and the Opawa left Capetown on Moilday for Auckland.—Press Association. On the motion of Mr. Qnilliam (Govett and Quilliam) the Supreme Court lias granted probate of the will of the late Captain .John Henry Armstrong to the executors named therein. One of the young men in Masterton who has been rejected by the military authorities on account of his height has, strangely enough, seen service in the British Army. j The Customs duties collected at Now Plymouth duYing the past month amounted to £3183 18s !)d, and the excise duty £SO 7s. For the corresponding period of last year the figures were , £3003 10s 8d and £7l ss. We have received 5s from 31r. J. X. Martin (Tarurutangi) towards the Hospital Ship Fund. The Hawera Fund totals £731. The fund is now closed, and shows little alteration in the figure published yesterday. ft is stated by the Hon. A. L. Herdman that it is the intention of the Government to make the Waimarino-Toka-ano road one of the finest in the Dominion. it is being constructed at present by prison labor. The Turakina, which left Wellington on Saturday afternoon, for London, took 12.513 crates of cheese, loaded as follow:—10.'! crates from Auckland, GSOO from New Plymouth 1078 from Wellington and 3002 from Bluff. Word lias been received from the manager of the Ilawera Dairy Company from Hamilton, stating that he has won the first prize, also the point* prize, at the Waikato Winter Show, for the liawera cheese. At a meeting of the executive of the Employers' Association it was decided to request all employers to observe tomorrow, June 3 (King's Birthday), as a whole holiday, and it is hoped that all employers will do so.' During the first four mouths of this year, New Zealand exported 11,4(16 tons of tallow valued at £325,048, as compared with 10,252 tons of the value of £293,!).'!!) for the, corresponding four months of last year. Following is the return of the number of births, deaths, and marriages for the New Plymouth.district (Mr. J. S. Medley, registrar) for the month ended May 31, I!US, the figures for 1014 being ia parentheses:—Births 25 (35), death's 18 (0), marriages 11 (8). Strawberries are very rarely seen in the winter months, but the other day a Marlborough resident left at the Express office a specimen of fruit which is in evidence in his garden. The plants were set out in the spring, and despite severe frosts all have produced fine large strawberries. That the Avar will not depress the price of land is evidenced by the fact that several farmers in the Kkctaliuna and llawke's Bay districts, who acquired their farms comparatively recently, have been offered considerable advances by buyers. That there is a feeling of confidence is shown by the ofi'ers being refused in each instance. In enclosing payment for a wanted advertisement, a , Midhir.st settler writes: "there were about 25 answers to the advertisement, from as far south as \\ averley. The Daily News must have a really first-class circulation, and as a subscriber for a great number of years I heartily congratulate you on the success you have attained." The Stratford Home Defence Corps has voted live guineas from its funds to the Hospital Ship Fund. Since the company met for its first drill, its subscriptions, as a corps, to the various funds brought into existence by the war amount (o close upon £7O. " This, says the Post, js. certainly an indication of good work done. Of approximately some 12,000 Salvationists who have enlisted in the Old Country, SOfiO are bandsmen. In one regiment, wiiose colonel was desirous of forming a band, on enquiry being made, it was found that there were some sixty Salvation Army bandsmen in the camp'; consequently (savs a pamphlet issued from the Xatioiial Headquarters) thirtylive were selected, and Salvationists form the liegimental Band. Bishop Sadlier, <,f Nelson, who returned from a lengthy visit to the Old Country last, week, has little patience with the altitude of America on the war. "It is a conglomeration of pawns. If T had i my w;:v we would not, allow any of them 1 to land in New Zealand. We' had two of them on board this ship who had the ' nerve to say that Germany had a per- 1 feet right to sink the Lusitania. Think ' of that! And these people travelling comfortably round the world under the protection of the Union Jack. They , i have no backbone—none!"

The following are the score.? of Hie Stratford Home Defencers in the handicap match for the James' medal:— Rifleman Watkin (handicap 15) total <M, Captain McMillan (scr) 84, Robson (4) 04, Ireland (j) 04, .lohnson (2) 03, Edgcombe (3) 03, 'Brocklebank (3) (13, Rimington (7) (>3, W. ißrocklebank (3) 92, Color-'Sergeant Richardson ( : 3) 60, Pivao (2) 58, lAllanson (2) 58, Pinhey (!)) SB, Plowright (!>) 34, Ellis (15) 54, Pearce (11.5) 45, Lander (14) 37.

The Ngamotu Seaside Committee appeals to any residents to give a helping hand on the beach near tho freezing works to-morrow (King's Birthday) Fencing and pknting will be carried out, and helpers are asked to give one day towards improving our town. The names of any willing workers can lie left at the Red Post or Deare's Boot .Arcade. Air. .1, Haydcri has kindly offered to provide refreshments. * ■

In the theatre Royal on Sunday evening next the Citizens' Band will give their first performance on their new instruments. A collection will be made, and the proceeds devoted to the national fund for our wounded. As it is the initial performance on the instruments provided by the public, and as one of our bandsmen is at present lying wounded at the Dardanelles, no more worthy cause than the above appeals to us, and a large response is anticipated. Programmes will bo published later.

A farmer from llawke's Hay was in rauniarumi! on Thursday on his way to the Olmra in search of hind. He is looking for a farm of about 1)00 acres. He complains bitterly of tho want of feed in the Hawke.s ißav district, and has himself over a hundred head of cattle, which he must either find grass for or sell for their hides. His son counted 20 dead cattle on tile roadside during a fen-mile ride. lie advises men with sons, whom thev wish to settle on the land, to leave the old districts of highpriced farms and g 0 for cheaper land and bigger areas in the King Country.

At the Taranaki County Council meeting yesterday some discussion took place on the question of driving on the public roads without lights. Councillors pointed out the danger of this practice, and it was decided to prosecute in certain instances that had been brought under their notice. -A motion to appoint a man to detect offenders lapsed, as the chairman pointed out that the present stall' could deal with the matter. It was also decided to notify a carrying company to reduce the speed of their lorries, failing which action would bo taken.

in her official report regarding tin.' visit of the All England women's hockey team to New Zealand last year, Miss C. J., (iaskill (captain) says.-—"lt was quite unlike any other hockey tour I have ever heard of. In it the hockey seemed a comparatively small part, an'l all througn New Zealand we -were reas not merely hockey players, but visitors from Home.—pioneers of Imperialism one paper called us—and it is no exaggeration to say that we seemed to receive a national welcome. Our arrival coinciding with the outbreak of war, it was a great thing for us to feel that we were greeted as a link between New Zealand and the Mother Country. ... We . received an extraordinary amount of kindness from people who had no connection with hockey."

A Tikorangi correspondent writes anent a recent letter to the News which stated that there were between forty and fifty eligible men to serve in the war, that there arc only eleven single young men between the ages of twenty and forty available in the district, and that of the number one is already in camp. Of the remaining ten, tour * are farming on their own account and would have to sell out if they enlisted; two more are medically unlit for active service, one is just. recovering from a severe illness, whilst another has not yet recovered fvom tile effects of paralysis. This leaves only four who are eligible for service. Tikorangi, therefore, cannot ho accused of failing to arise to the occasion. It is engaged in farming, which is just as important to the national cause as actual fighting in the ranks.

"Do your duty to Oils girl before you do it to your country," was the laconic answer of Mr C. C. kettle, S.M., at the Auckland Magistrate's Court on Saturday, when a young fellow said he wanted to go to the war. and hoped to arl'ange for payments to be made through tho Defence Office, The man's lawyer explained his client had no desire to evade any liability, and a friend came forward and went security for the defendant's appearance next August, and failing that, accepted a liability to pay in £IOO. Mr. Kettle said so many young fellows wanted to slip away to the war and leave girls in the lurch that he felt it his duty to see that proper security was given for payments being made. He recognised that there would be quite enough demands upon charitable organisations without allowing the maintenance of illegitimate children to be added. The ratepayers would have burdens enough to carry as it was.

A strapping young fellow presented himselt to a well-known Gisborne man a tew days ago and applied for employment. The gentleman in question, the employer of a considerable amount of labor, explained that he had no va<ancies. The young man was persistent, and explained that he had been all round town looking for a job. Thereupon the employer volunteered to find him work, and putting on his hat and'eoat he set out with the unemployed one to look for a new berth. On the way the young fellow became curious as to the nature of their mutual errand, and was promptly informed it was the Garrison Hall, and that enlistment formed the "job" in question. A protest followed, and the billet-seeker made off, but not before he hud been given some sound advice as to the King and country's call upon the services of all single, able-bodied men in the present grave crisis.

he weather report for May, as recorded by Mr. W. W. Smith at Pukekura weather station, is as follows: There was considerable range of temperature and variable weather during the month. Until the Otli the days were fine, with bright sunshine. The sunshine icornier showed -lhr. 47min. before noon, and 'lhr. .'JDniin. after noon on the 2nd. The lowest sunshine on one day was 11 mill, before and lOniin. after" noon. There were three . sunless days. Total sunshine 130 hours 17 minutes. The solar radiator (sun's heat) recorded 130 deg. on the Bth, and lOOdeg. on the oth. The highest maximum temperature in shade reached 70deg. on the l!)th, the lowest olldeg, on the 20(h. The minimum thermometer gave 5-1 deg. on the loth: the lowest 4()deg. on the 12th. The mean ot tin; dry and wet bulbs were respectively 4!) and -II degrees. Terrestialmean radiation, .lift, and Ift. from surface were 41 :uid 40 degrees respectively. Rain tell on thirteen days, the highest 2.047 inches on (lie 22nd, tiie lowest .001 inches on the .'list. Total, (i.033 inches. The wind blew from the S.E. on 20 days, S.W. 3, S.N.W. 1, S. 4, \ k' 2. W. 1. Cumulus clouds prevailed till the lflth, and were followed by stratus and nimbus (rain cloud). A fine display of eiiTo-eumulus (mackerel sky lO.ufirt to 23.000 ft.) was witnessed on' the 20th, The four forms were the prevailing clouds of the month. The altitude of the new station is 100 feet.

Messrs W. X. imd A, McGairy, of !*>• thixni, advertise for sale dairy farms 01* very easy terms.