LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 January 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Three degrees of frost were registered in Masterton on Friday morning, and 4.7 degrees on Thursday. Both days were warm and sunny during the later parts of the morning and in the afternoon. Three ocean-going, steamers are due at New Plymouth shortly, -the Wangaratta, the Wes,t Mahwah, and the Kumara. What has become of ah those people who said, “You will never see an overseas steamer at the New Plymouth breakwater?” (writes the Eltham Argus). A settler of thirty years’ residence on the Waimate Plains, commenting on the fine dry spell during the last few weeks, said that he thought the district was in for a dry autumn. He said that he lias never known so much hay harvested before Christmas as was the ease this year. —Star. The death occurred at his residence, Mountain Road, Eltham, on Saturday morning, of Mr Joseph Mullions, who met with an accident there on Wednesday. Deceased, who passed a good night, took a sudden turn for the worse at about 6 oicloek on Saturday morning and died soon afterwards. Mr Mullions was 40 years of age, and leaves a widow and one child to mourn their joss. A man who Jias' been travelling a good deal through the country districts of South Taranaki of late says that, from the number and sizes of the haystacks to be seen in every district, the haycrop this year has been an exceptionally good one. He roughly estimates it as double that of last year. The weather conditions have been most favourable for harvesting the crop, which will mean a great deal to dairy farmers during the winter months.—Star. “New Zealand is a place of much interest to medical men in America,” said Dr V. G. Heiser, of the. United States Health Department, who arrived in Auckland last week, “Your country has the lowest death rate of any country in the world,.” he continued, “and we are very much interested, and desire to study the methods by which a high standard of health is maintained here.” The continued spell of dry weather is giving Taranaki farmers some concern, as if it. lasts much longer it will affect the - milk supply, which up to the present lias been a record. The dry weather, however,’ has been very suitable for haymaking, and some excellent crops are reported. -Some have averaged up to four tons.to the acre, or practically double the, average of last year. The dry weather has also assisted the turnip and carrot crops, though rain now would be, welcome. A good soaking rain this week would mean hundreds of thousands of pounds to the province. The upper part of Egmont road, leading to the North Egmont Mountain House, is in a very bad way at present, the dry weather and the heavy amount of motor traffic . having loosened the stones, making the road in places more like a riverbed than a public highway. This is a road that should be tar-seal-ed if. it. is to be preserved, and very likely, the Government, which now subsidises, the. .road,, would be prepared to help further if a permanent job were made, of it, as the traffic warrants. Sixty-one people ’ yesterday availed themselves of the opportunity to make a motor trip to Mokau, which had been arranged by Mr H. Gibson. A.fleet of eijlit motor-cars left New Plymouth at 6.20 a.m., and, after a good run, reached Tongaporutu at' nine o’clock for breakfast. Mokau was reached a little later, the party starting the journey up the river at eleven o’clock. They went nine miles up the river and, after a very enjoyable outing, the return trip down the river was commenced just before 4 p.m. When Mokau was reached it was found that one of the passengers had been left, so one of the ears decided to remain in case the man in question was brought back by the Ministerial boat containing the Hon. J. G. Coates, which went up the river later. The other ears came on to New Plymouth, and the first car, which left Mokau at 5 o’clock, reached town again about 7.20 p.m. The Ministerial party brought the missing man down the river, and he joined the last car, .which had waited behind. With the utmost confidence in your verdict we ask your careful investigation of the numerous special features of CLINCHER CROSS MOTOR CAR TYRES, All garagM can aunelv. 102

Wellington advises that mails which left Auckland on November 29 per R.M.S. Tahiti, via Vancouver, arrived in London on January 6. Colonel R. Logan, C.B. (late Administrator at Samoa), has purchased an estate in the south of England, where he intends to settle permanently. On a charge of failing to maintain his wife, Douglas W. Davies was arrested in New Plymouth by DetectiveSergeant Cooney on Saturday, on a Warrant from Palmerston North. Accused was brought before Mr H. R. Cattley, J.P., and was remanded to appear at Palmerston North on the 15th inst. The outcome of information concerning a number of thefts from dwellings in New Plymouth was the arrest of a boy named Tutre Collins, aged 13 years, who was apprehended by Constable Parkinson.. The accused’s activities, it is alleged, embrace visits to four dwellings during the past week. When questioned the boy admitted having absconded from the Weraroa Training Farm on Boxing Day. He walked to Marton, and then came on by train to New Plymouth. The boy will appear jn Court this morning. Anglers in the Rotorua district have enjoyed good sport recently, trout of fine quality being plentiful in the various lakes. Numbers of large catches have been reported, and heavier fish have been caught this season than for many years. Good sport has also been obtained in the upper Wanganui River, where trout were plentiful in the early part of the season, but owing to the abundance of whitebait the fish did not take the fly freely. Beyond Ruatoki the Maoris are keeping the majority of anglers away, and visitors must receive permission to fish from local chiefs. A number of sportsmen have enjoyed fine fishing in this district. Fish are now working up the Waimana. Assistance for roads in the Taranaki County was asked from the Minister of Public Works by Mr. J. S. Connett, chairman of the ■ Taranaki County Council on Saturday. Mr. Connett sought assistance in regard to the Corbett and King roads, and also the Carrington Road. He said that in some cases settlement had been held up on account of there being no road access. l\lr. S. G. Smith, M.P., reminded the Minister that last year the “blue pencil” was used a good deal on Taranaki County applications. Mr. Coates said he would obtain reports from the district engineer on the subject, and he assured Mr. Connett that the Department would endeavor to help the council. The return of business done in the ■Magistrate’s Court at New Plymouth during the quarter ended December 31, is as follows: Sittings, presided over by a stipendiary magistrate, £2, by Justices of the Peace 1, total 33. Civil cases hoard by stipendiary magistrate, 112; aggregate amount sued'for, £3145 4s 7d; amount recovered, £2222 Ils lid. Plaints entered, 150; distress warrants issued, 15; judgment summonses issued, 15; judgment orders, 11; warrants of committal issued, 7. Fees paid £163 13s. Criminal cases: Arrests, 18 males; summonses, 7v males (inclusive of 4 juveniles) and 1 female. Criminal fees paid, £l2 15s; fines, £35 ss; total, £66. Old-age pensions granted, 13; refused, I; pending, 14 (including 3 widows); renewals granted, 65 (13 widows); refused, 1; pending, 8 (2 widows) .

Mr Frank Amoore, late of Eltham, and now Mayor’ of Whakatane, recently motored through to Taranaki via Taupo, Napier, and Palmerston North. He found the roads fairly good, though stJny, especially in Hawke’s Bay. “The dry weather,” he remarked to a News reporter, “is playing up with the roads where they are not tar-sealed, as in many parts of Taranaki. People are beginning to recognise that tar-sealing pays, and that without it the roads cannot be kept in proper order. Motor traffic is becoming very heavy, and macadamised roads will not stand up to it in dry weather.” Mr Amoore was greatly impressed with the greenness of Taranaki, especially in the north part of it. On the East Coast and in Hawke’s Bay the dry spell had burnt up the grass badly, and the contrast with Taranaki was very marked. Mr Amoore has bought a property in New Plymouth, and intends to reside here at the termination of his term of Mayor of the East Coast town, in April next. The manner in which the country is stood on its edge along the East Coast between Napier and Gisborne, was an eye-opener to the Wanganui boy cricketers who recently played Poverty Bay, and. it is reported that more than one of them prayed out loud as the cars crept along narrow roadways round sharp bends, with a precipice above them, and a yawning abyss below. Many times the tourists believed they had reached “the roof of the world/ only to discover that they had a higher and stiffer climb before them The Waikare Hill is a fearsome obstacle, and its ascent was rendered all the more difficult by the heavy nature of the road, which had been affected by rain a few days previously. The monotony of this portion of the journey was relieved by many bursts of magnificent native bush and river scenery, which makes New Zealand the most beautiful country in the world. Here and there, too, glorious glimpses of the coast line were obtained, and the party gazed down uponsome exquisite seascapes from an eminence of 2000 ft. Darkness came on shortly passing Tarewe, and the cars ran into dense fog on the top of the Wharerata Hill. So dense was the fog that it was impossible to see more than a yard or so beyond the wind screen, and the cars had to crawl round fearsome precipices for miles, with the drivers absolutely feeling their way through the murky gloom. Here again members of the party were heard muttering prayers which many had not repeated since childhood’s days. Thanks to the prayers of the righteous, which a-vaileth much, and very skilful driving, the 13-mjles of the steep descent was safely accomplished.—Times. Men's popular single square peak collars Is 6d at the Melbourne, Ltd. All other shapes in collars Is 6d. Boys’ washing ties 9d and Is. Boys’ washing hats Is lid, 2s 6d, and 2s lid. Men’s all silk collars 2s 6d. Fuji silk collars 2s lid. Men’s bathing costumes 2s Ud. McLeod and Slade, Ltd., New Plymouth’s calendar firm, have opened up their 1921 samples, and notify that their representatives will be calling on customers shortly. The range is the best this firm ever handled, and represents the last word in colour printing.