LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At Messrs. L. A. Nolan and Co.'s woo] and hide sale this week, cow hides sold up to 12Sd per lb. This price is believed to be ,-.; record for New Zealand. 'Twenty-five skins were sold at 12Jd, and 341 realisei Is and over.

The Hawera residents are making every effort to make the gala day in that town to-day a big succes. The Wanganui Hussars and New Plymouth Pierrots are assisting, an;! the combined efforts should result in Hav/era raising n large sum for the Wounded Soldiers' Fund.

The. following vital statistics tor New Plymouth have been prepared by the Registrar (Mr. J.■ S. S._ Medley), the figures for the. corresponding period last year being stated in parentheses:--Births 30 (26), deaths 10 (14), marriages four (17). The Earawa did not arrive at the Breakwater yesterday until 10.30 a.m., ovtr four hours late. The. steamer left Onehunga on Thursday at 3.30 p.m., but on approaching the bar it was found there was a heavy sea. rolling, and that the tide was too low to admit of the passage of the steamer. The Rarawa anchored inside i the Manuka n Heads at 5 p.m. and cleared the Heads for New Plymouth at 11 p.m. On Thursday, 14th, Mr. Newton King will hold an important sale of pedigree and grade, .Tcrsey cattle on account of Mr. John Halo, of Avenue road. Tlin pedigree cattle consist of 15 2-year heifers, mostly at profit, while the grade cattle are all young and of undeniable quality. For "the past two years Mr Hale has disposed of his surplus stock in the paddock, but this year lie has de cided to offer them for public competition, and owing to the scarcity of labor he i 3 including 15 choice grade cows, most of which are in milk, and can be thoroughly recommended. An important sale of land properties : will be held by Mr. Newton King in th.i town hall, Urenui, when the whole of the properties in the estate of the late Charles N. Rowe, will be submitted to 'the hammer. 24 lots in all will be offered, a large number of which are situated in the Urenui township and in addition are several nice farm and suburban properties, ranging in area of from 13 to 225 acres. The sale is being held by instructions from the trustees in the estate, wjio are prepared to accept very low figures in order to close the estate. Further particulars may be had on application to the auctioneer.

The committee having received the necessary pen.iit, tlie knitted quilt thai was to have been rallied at Egmont Hoad last week will be drawn to-day at 2 o'clock in the Soldiers' Club.

(In the motion of Mr, Quilliam (C'ovett & yiiillinm) the Supreme, Court ha* granted Letters oJ' Administration of the estate of the late Private Harrv Fredk. Kider to Mr. S. B. Kider, father of tlie deceased.

Major Toomer, Commander of the Central North Division of the Salvation Army, arrives by the mail train to-night He will take charge of the meetings at the local barracks all day to-morrow. He is accompanied by Staff-Captain Thur kettle, chief secretary for the Division. The Kai Iwi railway bridge was discovered on Wednesday morning to have suffered by fire, all the woodwork of one of the central piers having been destroyed. The engineering staff was immediately communicated with and temporary repairs were effected during the day, , Traffic was not interfered with but trains were only allowed to pass over at a very much reduced rate of speed. . At a meeting of the secretaries of the United Friendly Societies, held in the Good Templar Hall last evening, arrangements were made for the visit of Mr. R. E. Hayes, Registrar of Friendly Societies, who is to deliver a lecture next, Thursday, in the Good Tmplar Hall, explaining the Finance Act as applying to friendly societies. It was decided to ask the Mayor to take the chair. A large gathering of friendly society members from all parts of the district is anticipated. The Hon. .1. T. Paul, M.L.C., who has been severely criticised recently for signing an anti-conscription manifesto addressed to the Australian voters by some New Zealand workers, volunteered for service with the Expeditionary Force at Dunedin last week. He presented himself for enlistment at the Drill Hall in the ordinary way, and does not appear to have been recognised by the recruiting officers. He was examined at once by the medical officr on duty, and was rejected as not being fit in a military sense. Mr. Paul is a married man, so is a member of the Second Division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve.

Negotiations between New Plymouth High School Board of Governors and Mr. H. M. Skcct. of Auckland, have been completed for the purchase of three acres of flat building land adjoining tlie Gins' High School, on the Old Hospital Road. ' The property has been acquired as a site for a boarding establishment in connection with the school, but it will not be used for this purpose for some time to come. In the meantime the area will be used as a hockey ground by the pupils. This will be regarded as splendid news by pojents of scholars and weliwishers of the school, which will now have (imple an i picturesque grounds, aivl. under the new regime, grow in pomilarity.

"One thing that has impressed me about New Zealand after 27 years' absence," observed Mr, Dowdney W. Drew, M.L.A., South Africa, to a News reporter, "is the mannei in which deforestation has been p'ennitted to go on. Hills which I remember were once covered with fine forests are now denuded and bare. Not only has the limber "one, but the grass has also been worn off owing to the rush of rains. By the denudation of the forests, the moisture is not held, and the water is not given time to percolate into the soil. The water rushes down the hillsides, and carries away with it much good soil." "Australia is a country with enormous resources," said Mr. Dewdncy W. Drew, a member of the legislative Assembly of South Africa, who is Visiting New Plymouth, in an interview. "If wisely developed it wiil become the most powerful British dominion, and will even eclipse Canada in importance. The extent of cultivatable land in Australia seems to be greatly under-estimated. The droughts are troublesome, but they are sandwiched between much longer periodof good seasons., and seem to me to afford a natural check to undue expansion in the direction of over-stocking. Labor [troubles present considerable difficulty, and this is accentuated by the war." At a meeting of the Ngamotu Seaside Committee, held last evening, arrangements were put in hand for the picnic to be held at Ngamotu on New Year's Day. It was resolved to hold a number of aquatic events, and donations and prizes were, promised by Messrs D. .1. Hughes, R. McQuade, W. C. Weston, W. Morey, and E. J. Deare for canoe and launch races and the treasure, bunt that were decided on. It was stated that the. Citizens' Band would be present, and that the pavilion now in course of erection by the Ngamotu Resorts Committee, Ltd., would be in readiness. The meeting was of an enthusiastic nature, and those present expressed their intention to do all they could to ensure the success of the picnic. An emphatic denial that the New Zealand Government had commandeered the cheese of the Dominion was made by the Hon. James Allen (Acting-Prime Minister) on Tuesday, in the course of his remarks to the butter-fat deputation. In pointing out the advantages of the present system of making u levy, the Minister stated that it secured an unrestricted market for the producer. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P.: "Not for cheese!" Mr. Allen retorted that the Government had not. coiiimandecred the cheese, but the Imperial Government had taken it at the other end. Mr. Wilkinson: "With your co-opera-tion!" The Minister replied that the Government had absolutely nothing to do with it.

The Hon. A. M. Myers reminded the deputation of M.P.'s who waited on Ministers on Tuesday re the butter tax that farmers were not badly cared for in New Zealand. "Farmer* as a class in New Zealand," he said, "have always been well looked after. The Government purchases land for you, lends you money at cheap rates of interest, imports selected stock for you, sends round specialists to improve your knowledge and direct, you in your affairs. Indeed, X once thought there should be a Royal Commission appointed to investigate the indigent condition of the farmers, but I am not now going to suggest this to the Acting-Prime Minister." He pointed out that the general incidence of taxation was not hitting the small farmer bv anv means.

Mr. A. De Bavay, the eminent analytical chemist of Melbourne, testified at the Supreme Court of Victoria that SANDER'S EUCALYPTI EXTRACT compares with other eucalyptus products like well-refined ' and matured brandy compares with raw spirit. By insisting on the GENUINE SANDER EXTRACT you will get tae advantage of quality and will be safe from harmSANDER'S EXTRACT.

"Are you collecting Camels?" is a question that causes no surprise to house-, keepers who use Desert Gold Tea and save "Camels" off packets. Hundreds of caak and gift prizes to be distributed, t

Tlip Now Zealand Hairy Association, Limited, paid oil tin: 21st nit. to its suppliers „£ 101,000 (is 2d. This represents the advance payment for butterfat supplied during the month of Octolicr. The amount paid for the corresponding month hist your was £88,707 2s !)d, thus the present .payment represents an increase of £1(1,25!) lis Sd. The rate per pound of butter-fat paid out for cheese manufacture was Is (id, and for butter manufacture Is 4.'/ 4 d per pound, plus premiums.

With favorable weather, there should be a largo gathering of country people from the districts surrounding Okato on the occasion of the first visit of the New Plymouth Citizens' Band since the new bandmaster took over control. A programme of a varied character will be submitted, bc.'ng compiled to suit all tastes, and the efforts of New Plymouth'? magnificent silver band to alignment the Oknto Patriotic Fund merits a substantia! response. The Okato committee nm leaving no stone unturned to make the gathering a success, and making every provision for a large attendance. Tha visit of the band takes place on Sunday, December 10. -

On Wednesday next L. A. Nolan & Co. will submit by auction at their mart a quantity of furniture on account of a gentleman leaving the district.

To-morrow (Sunday) afternoon at 2.45 p.m., the Citizens' Band will play at the Breakwater, when the following items will be submitted:—Allies March "Entente Cordiale'; (Douglas); cornet solo, "The Golden Pathway" (Gray), by Musician N. Lovell; selection, "England" (Rimmer); suite, "Dreaming" (by special request); trombone solo, "Out on the Deep" (Lohri, by Musician P. Brooks; hymns (a) "Fierce Baged the Tempest,'' (b) "Peace, Perfect Peace"; intermezzo, "Rendezvous" (Aletter); finale, "Canberra' (Lithgowj; National Anthem. The collection this time will be in aid of the band funds.

Owing to alterations to the yards nt Smart road, the New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Bacon and Meat Packing Co. Ltd., will receive pigs at Bell Block until further notice.