LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A cable from London 9ays the Board of Trade is allotting space for the shipment of about seven hundred thousand cases of Australian apples. A cable from Sydney says the passengers oil the Maheno, which sailed from Auckland on Wednesday, include the New South Y\ r ales State orchestra.

A message was received last night, reporting the New Plymouth Scouts "nil well" at Pehu. They expect to return home to-morrow night. The customs 'duty collected at New Plymouth for the year just ended shows an increase of £18,934 over that of the previous pear. The figures for the last three years are: —1917, £50,306; 11)18, £57,126; 101!), £76,000.

The troopship Rimutaka is expected to arrive in Wellington on Sunday morning, and the Kigoma on January 12th or 13th. A cable from Hobart says the Rimutaka has arrived en route to New Zealand. She has 450 soldiers on board. The vessel is delayed owing to an inquest on a fireman, who fell and fractured his j&dil)

There was again a good crowd of visitors at ths North- Mountain House yesterday. Rain fell in the morning but after noon conditions improved, and were splendid for mountaineering'. The owner of a trotting horse in Stratford has written to the secretary of the Taranaki Trotting Club for information respecting the entry of his horse at the forthcoming meeting. The writer has, however, omitted to sign his name to the letter.

Over 50 entries have been received for the Jersey Oaks competition at the forthcoming show of the Taranaki Agricultural Society. The entries have come from Auckland, Waikato, and as far south as Levin. The time of closing has been extended to January 7th. As a result of the Taranaki Jockey Club's Christmas meeting, the Government receives by way of taxation £3250 lis 3d, made up as follows:—Tax on totalisator investments £1675 9s 9d, on dividends £ISOB 3s, stakes £25 15s, and gates £4l 3s 6d.

The South Island Dairy Association has arranged a conference with the southerly North Island provinces, to open In Wellington on January 14. The conference will discuss questions of distribution of shipping for next season's output of butter and cheese.

The attention and civility shown by the officials on the New Plymouth trams are often commented upon by visitors. One man stated yesterday that he could not help being struck by this very pleasant feature of the tram service, remarking that he had travelled in three different cars, and found the same consideration shown by all the men. The New Plymouth Eowling Club's new grounds near Courtenay and Eliot streets are now taking shape, a good staff of men having been busy preparing the grouud for the greens for the past week or two. It is hoped to have the double greens ready for grassing in March. It is the intention of the club to "plant out" the backyards that adjoin the grounds.

On Saturday morning a large party from Hunterville had a narrow escape while negotiating tlie Wangaehu Hill in a motor-car. Through the steering gear breaking the car swerved, and would have gone down the steep bank but for the fact that it was held up by thrf wires of the fence, although the jolt lifted several of the posts out of the ground. The disabled car was subsequently towed into Wanganui. The following is the return of the number of births, deaths and marriages for the district of New Plymouth, for the month of December, and for the. year ending 31st December, the corresponding figures for 1918 being in parentheses:— Births, 32 (45); deaths, 10 (56); marriages, 11 (f>). For the year: Births, 410 (417); deaths, 140 (222 —a record); marriages 149—a record, (80), The marriages in the Registrar's office numbered 30 (14).

Advices from Victoria, 8.C., state that the whaling season off the Canadian coast is proving extremely good, over seven hundred whales having been taken this season already. Great, steam whalers are used in the industry nowadays, and it is organised on as scientific a basis as any other modern industry. Canada is a big exporter of by-products from the whale, tke United States being the principal customer.

As the result of an accident 011 the Stratford racecourse prior to the com-1 meneement of the racing yesterday, a j .well-known resident of South Taranaki, ] Mr. W. Slattery, of Manaia, sustained a broken leg. Mr. Slattery had just arrived on the course by motor car, and was standing alongside another car, the driver of which, in order to back it into position, turned the front wheels, one of which struck Mr. Slattery and threw him to the ground, with the result that his leg was broken. He was at once conveyed to the Stratford Hospital. The tramway traffic in New Plymouth for the New Year has been particularly heavy, over 11,000 passengers being carried yesterday, whilst the revenue amounted to about ,-£IOO, On New Year's Day, 1917, which was wet, 6,000 passengers were carried. On the last New Year's Day (1918) holiday functions had to be postponed till the snecerdine day owinsr to the unfavorable weather, an'd 8000 passengers were carried that day. New Year's Eve this year earned revenue amounting to £67, the number of passengers carried being about 90fl0. During these last few days of heavy traffic the tramwaymen have rendered excellent service, and to them a special word of praise is due. Some of the men have worked as much as 13 hours per daj-. Opinions varied yesterday afternoon as to the success or otherwise from the spectators' point of view, of the explosion on the island of Moturoa in connection with the progress of the harbor extension works. As a matter of fact the charge which was set off (about ISOOlbs of gelignite) did just what the engineers required it to do. The expectation of seeing large quantities of earth and rock hurled up in the air and scattered in all directions with an accompanying deafening detonation, is not well founded. What the engineers aim at is to secure jufit sufficient explosive force to remove and loosen the maximum quantity of material and cause it to fall in the proper direction without scattering or wastage and without causing the metal to come out in too small pieces. Those who were a little disappointed with the spectacular effect of yesterday's blattim? operation may eonsole themselves with the knowledge that the Harbor Board's engineers were satisfled with what took place, and after all, that is the only point from which the matter can he viewed. When the top of the island is taken off there may be something more satisfying to those'who are lookine for spectacular effect.' Tho tunnel d-iven for yesterday's explosion wafi about 'iO feet Ions?, and it is believed that alio"' twice the quantity of spoil was brought awav as was removed on the former occasion, when it was estimated that from 3000 to 4000 tons were brought down.