LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The will :0 f the late Mr. Keir Bardic was proved at .lM2(i,

The Pacific table ißoard announces temporary suspension of the deferred system. Traliic for the United Kingdom af the deferred rate will not be accepted, via the Pacific, nieaiidme.

Up to tlie present four applications for passports to leave the.Dominion have been received by the Collector of Customs at New Plymouth. Many of the applications from this district have gone direct to Wellington.

The following team will represent the Life .Saving Ciub at the VVuitara Seaside Picnic nil Thursday. January K!;~ W. Whitlaker, J. Stolii-,' X. Winter. W. Davis, C. Gilbert, P. Kiannagan, and X. Christiansen. A practice will be held at the ICcast End beach on Sunday at 11 a.m.

A Wellington resident, writing from the Transvull, states that things "have brightened so considerably in South Africa that most of the big diamond mines, which have been closed for over a year, were to be re-opened on January 2.

Nominations closed yesterday for candidates for the vacant seat on the Borough Council caused by the resignation of Mr. A. K. Sykes, but no nomination was received. This is the second occasion that a Council election has ,iipscd in Xew Plymouth. Further nom- * ♦.rations, to close at noon on Friday, •January 21, are now called, and the election will take place on Friday, January 28, A fire broke out yesterday morning in a six-roomed house in Money Street (at the back of Hill's Devon Street West store) owned by Mr. W. H. A. Stockley, of Auckland, and occupied by Robert Stanley Wooldrid'ge, manager of the Taranaki Motor Transport Go's garage. The outbreak started in a wash-house attached to the building, and Hie alarm was given shortly before 7 o'clock by Mr. Slohr. a neighbor. The fire hail evidently been burning some time before it was discovered, but the brigade succeeded in saving the building, which was, however, considerably damaged. The insurances are: Furniture £IOO in the State Office, and house £3OO in the Sun • Oflice.

While on his way homo from business at Fltham Inst evening, Mr. Jack Witt was acostcd by two, men and assaulted. Mr. Witt was riding his cycle and when nearing Xgaorc he saw a trap containing two men coming towards him; lip imediately drew over on to the left side, of the road and as he did so the driver of the gig also took the same side. Mr. Witt was forced to dismount to save an accident, and while he was walking his machine one of the men alighted from the trap and struck him. The other occupant of the trap also joined in the fray and Mr. Witt was badly pumincled. It is stated that the two were drunk, and this may possibly account for tho assaulv. Mr. Witt has placed the matter in the hands of tho police.—Stratford Post.

Last winter, at the time when it was expected New Zealand horses would be sent to England, Mr. Edgar Jones, of Tiniaru, noi iced that the horse covers in use in the Old Country were very inferior, and he called the attention of the High Commissioner to them. The High Commissioner then called on those in authority arid pointed out the flimsy nature of the article, but the authorities would not move. Many horses died, and Mr. Jones claimed that their deaths were due to the wet, soppy cover on their backs. When the Inventions Board began to sit, Mr. Mackenzie wrote and pointed out tho inferior type of cover used in England as compared with the New Zealand article. The Board took up the matter, and it has been decided that ii better type of cover, of the New Zealand pattern, is to have a trial. "I made all my boys join the Army when war broke out," said a strapping British soldier, who, with his aon, had returned from the trenches. "We've been in the trenches together," said the father, indicating the son," and although we've been in the thick of some of this big attacks there's not a. bit of German lead in our bodies. Four of my boys are still fighting, but Jack and I have got a few days' leave. There's nothing liko having a family party in tho trenches. During the fighting round Loos, Jack was always near me. 'l'm here dad,' he used to say when the shells were falling close, to us. That's the way we fought, and we made up our minds to stand or fall together. Wo weren't the only father and son at the front. It gave the young ones courage to see theit 'old men,' as they call us, up and ready when the word came to attack."

There are still 180 chains of the MimiMokau road unuiotallod from tlruti to ly H. Messenger, and at yesterday's meeting of the Clifton County Council, the chairman affirmed that unless two patches (totalling less than half a mile) were metalled, traffic would bo stppped next winter. The Council, I); said, could not do anything, as they had no money/ and the Government would not do anything. In course of discussion, it became apparent that there is n misunderstanding somewhere. The Council had a grant last year for burnt papa, to the extent of .ClO, but they were desirous o.f substituting shell rock, which, though much more costly, made a better road. Application was made lo the Public Works Department for authority to make the change, but a reply had not yet been received. On (his year's grant there is a sum of .-ei.'iOO which the Council proposes to expend in getting shell rock ready for next season, but so far authority nas not been received. Intimation has also been received from the Department that a sum of £2SS. which the Council had anticipated w.ould be available, had been expended by the Department elsewhere.

Lndies' blade silk-ankle lioae at Is Od a pair is the largest bargain at the Melbourne Ltd. Another Stunning" new arrival is a line of fine quality hemstitched Irish lawn handkerchiefs at 3 for Is. "Webster Bros, insert in this issue a preliminary notice of the sale bv auction of all Mrs/Arthur StandHh's bolide furniture and elTccts. AH particulars in a later issue. The Wellington district manager for Viavi intends giving it lecture to ladies while in New Plymouth. It will deal with health matters of peculiar interest to women, showing, with the aid ,of life-size charts, how many distressing ailments may be overcome permanently, without, operation. Ladies should avail themselves of this opportunity to acquire much useful information that is not generally obtainable. The date of the lecture will be announced later in our advertising columns.

The X.%. loan and Mercantile AgencyCo. Ltd., Stratford, draw tUe ttlUatior. of the public to Ilu> Mrnimru sale, which they are hoWinor in their Stratford yards on Tuesday next, lltli inst. Full parlieiilars will lie found in our ndver-li.-inj; eoiumus un p.tQe S of this issue.

California!! onions that cost 13s CJ « ease to land in Duncdin Were *old-titer* a few days ago for Od a case. They did not carry well. Side by side with this w« have the fact that Kew Zealand-grown onions that were properly gathered and stored are keeping well.

The small boys in the Ashburtoa County, assisted by the County Council, have been doing their share .towards reducing the small bird pest. From Ist April to aist December 449,280 head* of old birds were purchased by . tb« council, while the heads of young birds and eggs purchased during November and December totalled 13.'i,t100. Rats also came in for a share of the slaughter, and 1)27 were purchased during the year,

Pieeent visitors to Waipapa, near Portrose, Southland, states that the bolters iif the ill-fated Tgrarua, which struck this reef over Jil) years ago, are still visible at low water. A large sum ot money (in silver) went down with tha ship and a considerable sum W;is expended in trying to locate Hie treasure, but without result. The cemetery, in which about 100 bodies were hit erred, lies about a mile and a-hnli' from the lighthouse, and presents a thoroughly neglected appearance. The many difficulties which are met •with by the returned soldier, and by relatives of soldiers who have been reported killed, wounded, or mining, have been brought under the notice of .Mr. T. Wilford, MP. for Hntt (Wellington i. In order to assist those who have luul no success in their inquiries .Mr. Wilford has, at his own expense, retained a clerk in his Wellington ollice for the ptifposof investigating any cases that ar« brought under his notice. The clerk lus been working now for several weeks with excellent results. Any inquiries that ar» addressed to Mr. Wilford at the nftico of Levy and Wilford, Wellington, will bo attended to as quickly as possible. Mr. D. R Hiitchins, who is inspecting Xew Zealand forests, in (he collide of an interview, gave, some iuteresling figures relative to the wa-de uf New Zealand timber resources. Thin eminiry, hr, said, wns sending away £lOOll a day for imported timber, and Australia was sending awuy itlfl.OOO per day. What was needed was the preservation of the forests, anil yet nt the -ame time to set the timber out of them. This could he done by proper afforestation Uinl regulated cutting. It was n naiional misfortune that Xew Zealand's splendid forest had not been preserved. What was required was systematic confervatime lumbering, as in the United SUtc«. The main thing was timber demarcation. Where forest is good and «nii \% bad it is set aside, but where (he soil is too good for forests it is brought under cultivation, A loan would be required, but the expenditure would Mltimately pay better than the railways