LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a meeting of the Egmont A. and P. Association, Hawera, yesterday, a motion that a one-day Show should be held in the Spring was withdrawn after a little discussion, but will probably be adopted next year. A Napier telegram reports that at the ronferonce of local bodies called by the Hawke's Bay County Council to discuss tho formation of a hydro-electric board • n carry out the Waikaremoana scheme the voting for and against the proposal was even, and the conference adjourned without coming to a decision. A party from Westown who drove to town on Thursday evening received somewhat cf a surprise, on going to the yard where they had left their hurse and trap, to find that both had vanished, and so far tfiey have not been Been. The matter has been placed in the hands of the police.

The Hawera Star states that a year or two ago the Eltham Bacon Company branched out into the cattle-killing business, and since the inauguration of this department quite a lot of cattle have been put through their works. Now it has been decided to go into the meatcanning business, and £4OOO is to be spent in the erection of a three-storeyed building and the installation of the necessary canning plant. The building Is so constructed that, should the markets at any time not warrant the continuance of the canning business, thev can be converted into freeing stores. The new building will be erected between the existing structures, and ivill be roughly 80 by 50 feet.

In connection with Children's Day in the peace celebrations (Monday), the motor joy ride for children promises to be a huge success. The committee, by means of private car's, hopes to give every child at least half an hour's ride. A number of gentlemen have already offered the loan of cars, including his Worship the Mayor (Mr. C. H. Burgess), Colonel Weston, Dr. Leatham and Messrs. Newton King, J. S, Connett, (5. Fraser, Spedding & Stainton, F. H. Washbourne, P. B. Fitzherbert, H Dempsey, J. Avery, K. B. Bain, E. Goodwin, and W. C. Phillips. If sufficient vehicles are forthcoming it is expected that with oara at 50 yards intervals the procession will be six miles long. Those willing to supply cars are requested to communicate with the school teachers or Messrs. J. R. Fill or R. Day.

A unique meeting in connection with tlie Val Trigge mission was held in Whiteley Church yesterday afternoon. The meeting was an "Old Folks At Home," and there were about *l2O present. Invitations were sent to thoßO who w.ere over GO years of age, or who were grandparents, to he present, and the response was very gratifying. Mr. Trigge gave a talk to the guests in which he said tlie service was an expression of love, reverence and devotion in the past of the younger to tha older generation. Each guest received n buttonhole, and special boyquets were given to the following: Mrs. Rundle (the oldest person present, 94 years), Mrs. Perry and Mr. T. Allen (having been longest in New Zealand, 78 years), Mr. FTowell (oldest New Zealand-horn person present, 77 years), Mrs. Wilmslmrst (greatest number of descendants, 124), Mrs. Chatterton (longest married, &5 years). Mr. C. H. Smith (longest ft Christian, 61 years). After the service the guests were entertained at afternoon tea in the schoolroom.

Professor R. J. l Scott, in the course of his remarks at the presentation to Mr. George H. Mason, at Canterbury College on Monday, narrated an incident showing how, by a happy accident, he wa* prevented from assisting emissaries from Germany in getting information regarding the harbofs of the Dominion. While absent on a trip to, England, Mr. Mason undertook to look after and forward the professor's correspondence, and did so After Professor Scott's return two letters were found in the office safe when the office was being shifted from the college to the new administrative buildings; they had accidentally fallen behind other papers. Mr. Mason had been, very naturally, much concerned about this apparent carelessness, but one of the letters was from a professor at a German university, whom Professor' Scott knew, asking him to give a member of the same university; all assistance in obtaining information about the'harbors of the Dominion, especially those on the (Vest Coast. The loss of the letter and its delay in reaching Professor Scott had made it impossible for him to give the assistance asked for —a matter that Pro-, fessor Scott was now glad of. —Christohurch Press.

Undoubtedly great money is being earned by those engaged in rabbiting just now (says the Wvndliam Herald). Even lads in this neighborhood have learned from £1 to £2 per day. They fan hardly help making big cheques where rabbits abound, for the prices being paid for rabbit flesh and skins have reached an unparalleled level.' The golden inducement to effort means that bunny is being attacked most assiduously. A rabbiter from Kamahi recently tinted that he had been earning froin C 5 to £7 a day selling the skins, only. Hp'had just made a disposal, of his stdek n< the. price of £4 10s per hundred skins. He worked hard, truly, setting 200 traps, Mid in the afternoons it was his practice to ferret the warrens. He had, he said, caught in his nets as many as 92 rabbits in 4.} hours. He commonly, when ferreting, caught rabbits to the value of from £1 to £1 10s in, say, a couple of hoursSome old-timers have caught quite as many rabbits as this individual, but prices then were not to compare with those of the present time. Colonial rabbit fur is being put to such a multitude of uses that there is a se.ttled demand fov it. And the same applies to the llosh. A healthy, prime rabbit ia a decided delicacy if properly cooked. The Home Country has been a big customer for New Zealand rabbits, exported frozen or canned. The net result of the activity •in the pursuit of bunny must be an appreciable diminution of the number of rabbits in the country. For Chronic Chest Complaints Wood's Grwt Fopptnoint Cure.

Dr. Addison, President of the Local Government .Board, speaking on bousing at London recently, said: ''ln the past, on the average, local authorities had been responsible for about 5000 houses a year. I shall be grievously disappointed if we are not well on our way to completing 300,000 within two years of this day." It is not generally known that there are large deposits of almost pure lime alongside the Mokau River and in the Moliakatino Valley. Were we governed by enlightened and progressive men those rich deposits would be available for the farmers of Taranaki at a very low cost. Much of Taranaki's land hungers for the lime that Nature has put at its door.

An Ashburlon resident complained to a bootmaker that the new soles on his boots had lasted less than two months, and had cost 8s 6d for that repair. The bootmaker, in explaining the low quality of repair leather, Said that nowadays the l'ides were prepared by chemical process in a few weeks, whereas the oldtime tanning processes had extended oyer a period of years. The present process was as unsatisfactory as the prices for its product, he added. Leather had formerly cost Is 3d per lb., but now was priced at 4s fld, in spite of the saving in the time of production. A paragraph appearing in the London News of a recent date stating that Sir Thomas Mackenzie is contemplating an early return to New Zealand with the object of re-entering public life here, has set people talking afresh of the disposition of the high commissionership. ,Jf Sir Thopas has. any such intention as the News attributes to' him he scarcely will rifaain in London over the approaching elections, and yet his term of ofljee has just been extended and there is no indication of the appointment of his successor. Mr. Clutha Mackenzie, who arrived from London last week, can give lio information on the subject, ,and is not inclined to discuss politics, but he thinks it unlikely his father will leava London within the nest few months.

Military text-books rarely contain anything of much interest to tlie average layniun, but the" "Syllabus of Cadet Training," just issued from the Government Printing Office, is a striking exception to the general rule, The author of the work is not disclosed, but the preface and the instructions to officers are so much in accord with the principles laid down by Sleeman in his semi-public addresses that it is tolerably safe to conclude his has been the guiding hand in the preparation of the little volume. Colonel Sleeman after doing his '3>it" at the front with thoroughness and distinction was invalided to New Zealand, and shortly after his arrival here was sufficiently recovered to accept the. position of director of military training, which"he has filled with great advantage to all branches of the service and to the country.

"What Hawera should do right away is to buy out ,the electric lighting company," stated a prominent Hawera citizen to a News representative the other day. "Not that there is a big catch in the company's assets and rights, for there is not, but this scarcity of coal has brought home to us the necessity for depending more upon electric power. The Waingongoro power is very limited, and we want to induce New Plymouth tj spare us some of its surplus electrical energy. Waitara,lnglewood,andEltham, I understand, are desirous of securing power from New Plymouth, and S.tratford and Hawera must do likewise until the Government mains reach us—probably in another twenty years' time, if we are fortunate. Mr. Blair Mason says he can develop from 7000 to 8000 horsepower at New Plymouth. That's ample for Taranaki for many years to come. We all should pull together and help New Plymouth to develop this "immensely valuable resource and, of course, help ourselves at the same time. The day of gas is going; it may, with the shortage of coal, go at any moment. Hydro-electricity does not go on strike and as a power, .heater, and iliuminant stands out on its own."

Mr. L. S. Drake, the Wellington City Council's chief motor inspector, who recently visited the Taranaki district, is enthusiastic in declaring that the roads in the Hawera district and around Mount Egmont are the best in the Dominion. He had a very good opportunity of testing the roads which have been laid down by Mr. Muggeridge (engineer to ,tlie Hawera County Council) and pronounces them to be ideal for all classes of motor traffic, having been tested by the verv heavy milk-van traffic over a considerable space of time. These roads have been treated with a composition patented In Hawera, a tar composition which penetrates and solidifies to a depth of six inches and which does not crack, rut, or roll up under traffic. One important feature in connection with the traffic in the district mentioned is that the bylaws provide tha.t steel' tyres shall have a minimum width', of 2i .inches, whereas the minimum in Wellington is 1% inches. "I. motored all round the mountain, adistance of 120 miles, on toads as smooth as a billiard table," said Mr. Drake, "and all I liad to pay in toils was 9s. I don't believe there is one motorist in the country who would object to paving that much for the comfort of travelling over such fine ;roads. I consider this new surface would be ideal for the Hutt Road."

Interest In the meetings being conducted in Wliiteley Memorial Churcli by the Rev. Val. Trigge is growing. Each night there have been good congregations and the inissioner lias given earnest addresses. To-morrow there will be .three services, culminating with tho night meting at which Air Trigge will give his "victorious talk." The meetings will continue for the three succeeding nights. - On Tuesday the inissioner will toll the story of his own'life, and the meetings will, conclude on Wednesday with a big thanksgiving and communion service.

f louses! (Blouses! Blouses! Wonderful selection of all the latest styles in white silk's, crepe de chines an'd Fuji silks, at ,t! ! Melbourne, Ltd. Lovely qualities at the following prices: White silks, 18s fid to 2s fid; crepe de chines, 29a fid to 38s (id; cream Fuji silks 22s fid and 23s fid; heavy white Fuji silk, 20s 6d. Ladies should not tk-lay in testinq the mcri ■ of the new washing powder, "Fairy Wonder" Cleanser. This wonderful new compound eliminates tho drudgery of washing day by doing away with rubbing and less rinsing. Simply put the clothes in boiling water, add Fairy Wonder washing powder, boil for twenty minutes, rinse and wring, ■ and •your washing's done. Give it a trial. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., Stratford, wish to draw clients' attention to the clearing the y we holding on account of William Huzziff, Esq., on his farm, Toko Road, Toko, on Thursday next, 17th July, at 12 noon. Full 'particulars of stock, machinery, sundries ana furnitwv Will be found eu page 8 «i thig 1

Mr. Dan Barry, 0 f New Plymouth, has u purchased Mr. S. Death's SOO-acre farm ' on the Fraser Road. The price is said to be £OO per acre, says the Eltham Argus.

Some 15 members of the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Society of Accountants were present at a meeting last night. The president, Mr. H. Bally, was in the chair. Mr. Monteath intimated that he was not seeking re-elec-tion as representative on the New Zealand Society's council, and Mr. Hugh Baily was nominated for the position. The following committee was elected: Messrs Weston, Monteath, Duff, Webster, Elliott, and one Hawera representative, to be selected later. Mr. E. H. Tribe wag appointed hon, auditor for' the ensuing year. The chairman moved that it be a recommendation to .the incoming committee that two prices of £3 8s each be offered, one to the High School and the other to ,the Technical School, for proficiency in commercial subjects. A suggestion is made by a correspondent of the Auckland Herald .that the Department should obtain suitable motor lorries and equip them \lith flanged iron wheels to run upon the railroad. This adaptation of road vehicles to railways has frequently been employed, but probably on the largest scale during th« campaign in East Africa. Particularly during the operations in 1916, the British forces, having reached the central railway, partially solved their transport problem by narrowing the gauge of their motor lorries so that they could run on railway trolled wheels. The results were entirely satisfactory, and the skill and initiative shown by the South African Pioneers in overcoming insritable difficulties with the means at their disposal largely increased" the mobility and the effectiveness of the British forces. This may not be the* only mechanical solution of the present transport problem, but it should assist in relieving the situation. There is no certain prospect of an early resumption of normal train sevices, and in the meantime tAt deficiency might be largely replaced by the running of motor vehicles, operating independently, "butpaased along the lines in groups in much the same way a* trains are controlled from station to station. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., Stratford, wish to draw clients' attention to the clearing sale they are holding on account of WUIiW Hallett, Esq., Ohura Road, Tahora, on Friday next, 18th inst., at 12 noon, full particulars of Btock, machinery, sundries and household furniture will be found on page 8 of this issue. .

To smokers of State Express Cigarettes, 333! Don't throw away your red paper wrappers! The Ardath Tobacco Company, Ltd., of London, are offering prizes amounting to £2OO for tin largest number of red paper wrappers collected on or befoYe 31st. August. Smoke up! You can't have a cigarette of more delicate flavor than the all round popular "333!" Remember the competition closes on August 31st,