LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The value of Patsy's exports of cheese for the twelve months ending November 30 last was £1,828,993 —an increase of £224,543 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

The secretary of the G.P.0., Wellington, a’dvises that mails which left Wellington on December 8, per R.M.S. Marama, via. San Francisco, arrived in London on January 8.

The Eltham County rates are now coming in freely. A number of names of defaulting ratepayers were drawn from a hat the other day and handed to the council’s solicitors to deal with. Perhaps the knowledge of this fact has stimulated the dilatory ones (says the Argus), . A little over £2 per acre was considered a fair price for harvesting a hay crop by a member of the Hawera Hospital Board, when discussing an account for work of this nature which came before the Board. The Board had paid 3s 6d an hour for stacking, but the price paid in Manaia this year was as high as 5s an hour. The Hospital ’Board had some difficulty in obtaining men,—Star.

At the meeting of the Hawera Hospital Hoard bn Monday a discussion took place on the means that should be adopted in providing funds for the building of the new hospital. Members generally favored raising a loan on the land if possible. The secretary said that if the new hospital cost £60,000 half of this amount would be paid by the Department. It would be better for the Board to borrow in one sum its i-hare of £30,000 than to have a number of small sums borrowed by local bodies. The interest on this loan could then be paid xnit of the levy on local bodies. The secretary was instructed, on the motion of Mr. Meldon, to make inquiries as to when money would be available and what would'have to be done in a preliminary way before a loan could be

The Moa Farmers’ Dairy Co. will pay out over £12,000 to suppliers on the 20th inst. for December butter-fat (says the Inglewood Record).

Until the schools re-open in February, the New Plymouth observatory will be open to the general public on Tuesdays and Fridays as well as on Thursdays and Saturdays, between the hours of 8 p*.m. and 10 p.m

A syndicate ha<s been formed to prospect 300 acres of coal-bearing land to the north-east and west of a present coal lease at Mount Somers, says a Timaru paper. Mr. Hazard, commissioner of Crown lands, sitting as warden to hear an application for a license, said that Mr E. R. Green, inspector of mines, had inspected the ..property, and oft his recommendation the application would be granted for a term of two years, on condition that the prospecting work would be vigorously prosecuted.

“As soon as we know what the new President and his Government will do with regard to tariff and protection, we shall be able to make up our minds about commercial representation in the United States,” the Prime minister informed a reporter on Saturday. It has frequently been stated that New Zealand is inadequately represented in the United States, ,and recently it was reported that • American Press statements harmful to the interests of this country were being allowed to pass uncontradicted.

“The public taste seems to be inclining more and more in favour of tomatoes as each year goes by,” remarked an Auckland fruit auctioneer. “Record quantities have been sold thia year, and at higher prices.” He stated that the public of Auckland demanded greater quantities of tomatoes than of peaches or plums, and in order of preference tomatoes, came fourth, with apples, bananas, and oranges predominating in that sequence.

An instance of clerical humour occurred in the train going to Auckland. A dignified reverend gentleman entered the train at Ellerslie, and was immediately pounced upon by a lady and gentleman who had known him in another part of the Dominion. “And where are you stationed now?” asked the lady. “Oh! this is my parish, Ellerslie.” “Are there big congregations?” was the next question. “The largest in New Zealand, madam, at Christmas and New Year, and a record collection too. “Oh! that is good.” remarked the lady. “Yes,” added the clergyman, “the total collections for the year were £25,000, but unfortunately it did not go to my church.”

A Wellington company having inserted in an advertisement /or its goods the line. “Don’t support the nation that was last in (the war) and first out,” £be American Consul-Gen-eral at Auckland, Mr! A. A. Winslow, protested to the Minister of Industries and Commerce. Hon. E. P. Lee,

writ in* to the firm in question, pointed out t'At the advertisement did not confer n q the standards of fairness that are traditional amongst Britishers, and asked to have it withdrawn. The com-* 4 pany, in reply, declared that it would withdraw the advertisement now that it had served its purpose, but it strongly protested against the dumping of goods into New Zealand from a country where there was the most intense bitterness against the British Empire, and asked the question: “Can the Americans point to a single- instance in which the United States of America ever said ‘Thank you’ to the British Empire for fighting on the soil of France while Americans remained safely at home coining the almighty dollar?” The* correspondence remains at this point.

That the growing of forest trees for profit by the individuaal is a sound and remunerartive businees was emphassed by the Director of Forestry when addressing the annual conference of the New Zealand Association of Nurerymen last week. He was satisfied that with persistent presentation of the facts and the profitableness of the business, a large and growing interest would be taken by New Zealand farmers, settlers, local bodies, private companies, and syndicates in systematic planting. To satisfy the future internal demands was required in New Zealand an aggregate private acreage of 150,000 to 200,000 acres of plantations. Was it possible to induce the establishment of that enormous cumulative area within a generation ? It was well worth trying fc-, and by a united effort on the part of all concerned it could be attained ; for money talked. Keeping continually at it by lecture, demonstration, education, and instruction, supported by reasonably-priced planting stock, expert advice, and the development of co-oper-ative profit-sharing schemes, should result in the establishment and operation of thousands of small and large plantations throughout the Dominion. Inequitable taxation must be overcome, forest-fire protection methods developed, and forest-fire insurance perfected, so that every farmer* would have his woodlot, and from it secure a periodic and satisfactory return of timber for his own use and a steady profit by conversion.

A letter written on November 17 from a farmer in Berwickshire to a friend in Dunedin contains the following, paragraphs of general interest:—“We have not had any snow as yet, but there have been some sharp frosts. We have got our potatoes lifted and stored, and the crop has been an exceptionally good one. Wet weather has been experienced for the corn harvest, which is therefore late, and there is a good deal of bad corn in the country. This year the prices at present are: —-Wheat, 87s to 945; barley, 555. to 110 s; oats, 45s to 60s, per quarter. Rabbits are selling at 3s 6d per pair; ducks at 5s each, old hens 2s, chickens 4s each, wood pigeons Is 3d each, common pigeons lid each; butter 4s per lb, eggs 5s 4d per dozen, potatoes £6 10s per ton, hay £9 10s per ton, barley straw £4 10s per ton, oat straw £5 per ton, bread Is 5d per 41b loaf, sugar Is 3d per lb, but the latter is to be reduced ’2d shortly. Everything else is correspondingly dear. For a common suit of clothes to wear every day I pa-id £8 Bs. Prohibition is the principal subject in Scotland at present, but as far as the polling has gone, indications are that the people arc dead against it. We have not voted in Berwickshire yet. There are throe issues: No license, no change, and reduction, but' I notice that a large number are voting ‘no change.’ We have had a miners’ strike, which was to paralyse the country, but the Government'has got it patched up until the New Year The miners are to have a rise of 2s per shift if tjie output of coal js increased, so we vml see how they get on. Goal is dear. We paid £2 10s for one ton and Ils for carting it from Kelso; but we get plenty of firewood. Practically all the woods here are being cut down,' so there is no shortage of fuel. The landlords are selling nearly all their wood, and a lot of them are selling their estates too, while the farmers are buyiajg a>nd turning landlord.”