LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

.A Sydney cablegram, received last night, states that beneficial rain.s 'have fallen over the whole State. "I had a pretty bad time, but I would willingly go through it ali again," sa'd a r< turned trooper to a Wellington reporter. O.wing to Devon Street, .being closed, the Motor Transport Company advertise that, the Opunake mail coach will leave the 'Post Office «;ceh day, instead of the Bank of New Zealand. The notes of the banks trading in New Zealand have been declared legal tender for a further period—namely, from August 7 next to Xovem'ber ii intlusivc. A 'Wanganui message says that as a result of a concert given by the Maoris of Putiki a cheque for £3(x> was handed to the Wanganui Patriotic Committee yesterday. The Wanganui fund now stands 'at €203-10. Judge Jank opened a sitting of the Native Land Court in Xew Plymouth yesterday morning. Tlie object of the sitting will be the carrying out oif the provisions of the enactment* in connection with the West Coast Reserve leases.

The Cape Egmont Co-operative Dairy Comipnny paid a further 2d in the lb butter fat yesterday, involving the sum of ,t:s.'lS7 l'Ss 3d. The Pihama Dairy Company paid out £4406 'l3s Id by way of bonus.

Tlie New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., draw the attention of elier/ts to tlie Te Wera sale which they are holding in their Te Wera yards on Friday. July 23. Full particulars will be found in our advertising columns oil pagr> 8. 'Mr. J. Rutherford, manager of the Te A roil a dairy factory, has been awarded first prize and gold medal for butter at the Panama Exposition. }fr. Rutherford was well known in Taranaki as manager of the Bell Block Dairy Company before he left to go to the Te Aroha Company. Up to and including Saturday last, the following quantities of meat had been (purchased in New Zealand on behalf of the Imperial Government sines the inception of the scheme on March 4:—ltts.3G!> quarters of beef, 875,853 carcases of mutton, and 1,150,187 of lamb. The total purchases amount to £2,613,121 10s. A bankrupt in Chiistchurch the other day told a moving story. She was a boarding-house-keeper, and had borrowed in all £OO. On that amount she luid paid in interest alone £l-27. Having to pay so much interest, she had to Merifi.ee other creditors, and attributed her bankruptcy to the strain due to the interest she had to pay.

Our ellington correspondent siiys a certain steamer, well known to the travelling .public, has been withdrawn from the coastal service, nominally to undergo a "refit." The vessel, as a matter of fact, has been selected by the I imperial authorities for war service, and is expected to leave New Zealand waters shortly. It U rumored, he Adds, that other modern ships, now engaged in the coastal service, both here and in Australia, may .be withdrawn 'during tlie next ferw months. On Sunday afternoon, a very interesting service was held at AH Saints' Church, Eltlmm, under {lie auspices of the Church of England 'Men's Society. A procession was formed at the Town Hall, and, headed by the .band, a large tnmjber of men, including members of the lire brigade and various lodges, marched to the church. The service was .held by the Rev. A. 11. Colvile, of New Plymouth, who preached ft striking sermon on the subject: "Our Enemies: Ifow Shall we Treat them?" Che church was nearly full, and the service most inspiring'. A collection, taken on behalf of the Wounded .Soldiers' Fund, realised the sum of £5 (is Od.

The High School Board recently took steps to have the name of the High School changed to Taranaki College, and fit last night's meeting of the board a letter was received from the Education I Department, pointing out that as another secondary school was to be established in the district the High School could not tclaiin tiie title of Taranak'i College, and, further, it was not advisable to allow the word '■ college " to be given to any schools other than those which now have it, as there was likely to bo confusion between university coileges and others. The name, 'however, could lie changed to tiramar School if desired. It was decided to continue under the present name of High .School. Tlie weekly meeting of the Egmont. Lodge, 1.0. U.T., was opened I>\- the' Cine: Templar at 7.30 last night,' The programme for the evening was a sixipennv concert and open night. Items were given as follow:—Pianoforte solo, Mrs. Denton; song, E. Martin (encore); recitation, E. 'Murphy; song Mrs. Yates (encore); song, Mr. Gilbert (encore); song, Miss Evelyn Martin (encore); r.ong, Miss K. Russell (encore); song, Miss Isaacs (encore); song, Sister Blanchard. Mrs. Denton played tiie accon' 1 - paniine.ntis for tlie evening. Brother llartncll, district deputy and grand marshal, was up from Wanganui, and took .the opportunity of saving a few words m connection with- the membership shield lately won 'by the lodge. Supper was handed round, and the session closed at 0.30.

The 'Tourist Department, for some reason, lias decided to dispose of tile collection of 'bird's and animals at liotorun, comprising teas, parrots, pukako, peacocks and other birds, 'besides monkeys. This collection, which was formerly somewhat of an attraction at the sanatorium, has been oll'eicd to the Wellington Zoo, and the. City Council has accepted the gift.—Press Association. Unless the outlo'ok considerably brightens, there will be, a paper famine in Xuw Zealand before the end of the present year, and it is not at all improbably many newspapers will have to reduce size or tease publication altogether. There aro large quantities of paiper on t'he Canadian seaboard, 'hut there is insufficient shipping «pace to bring it to the dominion. 'By yesterday's mail arrived a massive iron cross, addressed to Inspector Tvppings, of Xew Plymouth, care of the editor of the Daily News, hearing the following tag: "We, the inhabitants of Tariki district, reward you with one of them famous iron crosses which we read aliout for great.'bravery iu the trench at Waiipuku on the night of .Tune 5 last." The Xcuvs will be pleased to hand the cross, which is a work of art. over to New Plymouth's famous inspector, hut before doitag so would like to keep it on viow for a few days. That there are, women living in Wellington 'who have a distinct boning towards the Kaiser Has brought home to two young women recently. While journeying in the tram-ear, two young ladies were discussing the Kaiser fn uncomplimentary , terms. A middleaged woman nv»9 sitting opposite them,and heard the conversation. On alighting, the woman passed the young ladies some distance from the tram terminus, and, turning around suddenly, slipped both in the face, remarking at the same time, ''Take that from the Kaiser!"

An extraordinary occurrence happened i!n a private house in Christciurch one night last week, indicating tho vagaries, of lire. One of the children of a .family, it is supposed, set ablaze a toilet cover over a chest of drawers, which was against, a tpla.stered wall. On the top o' the tliest wore a numl>et> of miscellajfeous toilet articles, more or less inflannnato. The. fire burned completely round the fringe of the toilet cover, including the portion of the back, the plaster wall being slightly scorched. Beyond this no damage wils dune, despite the fact that the two window 1 .! in the room were wide open. It was not till the following morning that the fact that there had 'been a lire was discovered. Attention is drawn in our advertising columns to the sale of furniture oil Thursday by ifr. T. Ijamson in the estate of Messrs. Brocklelbank Bros. The goods are all new and up to date, and will be sold without reserve.

Wherever a fence o'f exceptional strength is wanted, and wanted quickly, the ''Pittsburgh Perfect" olectrical'lywelded fence is the very thing. Every intersection of the vertical and horizontal iwires is welded electrically, so that this is really a one-piece fence. It is easily erected, and economical in every way. Messrs W. M. Bayly and Co., of Stratford and liltham, are agents for this fenee. They advertisuln this issue, too, that they sell the increasingly popular "Mt. Egniont" tea-, and farm supplier, such as manures, Bi'bby's calf food, etc.