LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford has fixed the weekly halfholiday for Saturday.

London advises that New Zealand tnaiU wore despatched by the Athenie, via Panama, on the 16th inst. The Manutahi Dairy Factory on Friday made a final payment, bringing the total for the season up to 2s ljd, a figure which will take some beating among the numerous factories in the Taranaki province. Francis Conway was brought before Mr. H. R. Cattley, J.P., at the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday, on a charge of assaulting Hughie Rielly. Accused pleaded guilty, and was convicted and bound over to keep the peace for six months.

During last week the War Expenses Department paid out £315,480 in response to 582!) claims for gratuities. The total amount disbursed in gratuities up to Saturday, January 17, was £3,640,554, which represented the settlement of 61,066 claims.

The Mayor has drawn attention to an error in the report of his remarks on the half-holiday question at Monday night'a Borough Council meeting. Mr. Clarke states that lie said that tradesmen in similar businesses to those who had signed the petition to the New Plymouth Council, had themselves voluntarily adopted the Saturday half-holiday in other towns.

After a considerable season of hot and dry weather, very beneficial rains have fallen in the New Plymouth district during the past few days, and there has been practically a continuous fall since Sunday evening last. Between that time and a o'clock yesterday afternoon the total rainfall recorded at the Pukekura Park meteorological station was just over 2J indies.' Since January 10th the total rainfall has been 4.47 inches.

The strawberry season in the Auck-. land district is now drawhm to a close, and it is anticipated that'thn list of the berries will appear on tfie market in a week or ten days. The season has been a record on;, greatly increased quantities of fruit being produced and high prices received. So many more plants were under cultivation than last year that it is considered growers would have had difficulty in gathering the fruit had rain fallen at the height of the season. About 100 crates a day are being received at the Auckland markets at present, but a steady decline is expected.

A pedigree Jersey cow, owned by Mrs. A. Banks and Son, of Kiwitea, returned 20421b of milk for the month of December last, under Government test. This works out at the very substantial average return fo 051b of milk per day. The test for the month was 4.0,, making 81.0Slb of butter fat".' She is the only Jersey cow in Nc Zealand that has been awarded four outter-fat certificates, and is now making her fifth record in her ninth year, and her owners consider that this will prove the most productive year of her career. This is an argument in favor of the contention that a Jersey cow is really in her prime as a milk producer in her ninth year.

As an illustration of the fact that there is money in poultry, the experience of two brothers in the Levin district (says the Chronicle) may be mentioned. One poultry-farms one and a quarter acres, on which he accommodates between 600 and 700 head, and the other works a 50-acre dairy farm with 20 odd cows. After the last year's operations the poultryman came out with a far better credit than the dairyman, who was so much impressed that he intends disposing of his herd and taking up fowls. At Monday's meeting of the Hawera Hospital Board, an account was received froin the New Plymouth Hospital Board for X-ray treatment on two returned soldiers. The secretary said that he had written to New Plymouth, asking if the charges could be reduced, and had been advised that no change could be made, and that Hawera would have to pay and to make a claim on the Department. The chairman said that no charge had been made at all at Hawera. The scale of charges was received from New Plymouth and Wanganui. It was resolved that in future a charge shall be made, and that the chairman and the medical superintendent go into the matter of scale of charges, which will be made in every case. A letter was received from the New Plymouth Board in reference to removing an inmate to another home. It was agreed that this Board are agreeable if the csst is no greater than at present and the accommodation is satisfactory.—Star. The yields of wheat in the southern districts of Otago, and also in Southland, will this season prove most disappointing, states the Otago Daily Times. The unseasonable weather which was experienced in the spring of 1919 prevented many farmers from sowing wheat, and in the Taieri district, for instance, the area sown shows a very considerable reduction. In the Milton, Balclntha, and Dipton districts also there will be only a small acreage of wheat to be reaped. Southern millers will therefore have to secure practically all their supplies of wheat from North Otago and Canterbury, and it is understood that the returns there will also show a falling off, the area being smaller than last season. It is apparent under the circumstances that there will not be sufficient wheat available in the Dominion this season to meet requirements, and it will be necessary to obtain supplies from abroad. The oats crops are looking well in the south, but the area sown down in this cereal is also less than that of last season.

Replying to a representative of the Christchurch Sun regarding the High Commissionership, Mr. Massey stated that Sir Thomas Mackenzie's extended term would not expire for some months yet; and, even if a new appointment were made shortly, Sir Thomas Mackenzie would continue in office for some time. The Prime Minister was asked if the new officer would combine the duties of High Commissioner and Resident Minister for the Dominion in Great Britain. "The High Commissioner comes first," was the reply. "We must have a High Commissioner, although he might be a man competent to do the work of a Resident Minister when such work requires to be done. lam quite certain that the day will come when the Dominions will have Resident Ministers at Home; and when the proper time comes New Zealand will not be behind-hand in making an appointment. As to whether the two offices will be held jointly I am unable to express an opinion at present; but 1 think it quite possible that this will be the ease."

A profitable butchery business is advertised for sale on page 1 by Messrs W. H. and /. McGarrr, Bltham.