LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The shooting season opened yesterday, when fine weather prevailed in Taranaki. A number of guns left for the back country oh Sunday and yesterday, for a few days’ sport.

Permits for buildings to the value of .£15.700 were issued by the New Plymouth Borough Council during ArpiJ. Die work includes ten new dwellings, four being residences of a particularly pleasing type.

The Arbitration Court’s decision on the bonus question will he delivered in Auckland at the beginning of next week (says a Press Association telegram).

The exainination of engineers and en-gine-drivers, also electric tram-drivers, commenced at New Plymouth yesterday, at the office of the inspector of machinery. The examinations are being conducted by Mr. H. G. L. Noy, inspector of machinery.

A collision occurred on Sunday night at the intersection of Courtenay and Eliot between a motor-car driven by Mr. J. G. Barthrop and another in charge of Dr. Walker. It is stated that the lights of a third car interfered with the vision of both drivers, who did not see each other in time to avoid an aecident. Both cars were damaged.

The season for trout angling closed during the week-end. Quite a number of local, rodmen took advantage of the excellent weather conditions for a final effort. Good catches are reported from the coastal streams, one fisherman securing nine nice browns from the Kopuwai, and another a basket of six from the Kaihihi. A party who tried t]ie Waiwakaiho in the upper reaches of the river state that the rainbow trout are firmly established right up into the reserve.

A local trout-angler, fishing on the Waiwakaiho River a few days ago, witnessed an extraordinary capture of an eel by a weasel. The weasel was on the opposite side of the river, and came down the cliff face to the edge of the stream. Hete he flattened himself against the ledge of stone, and, stealing cautiously along, saw the eel near the edge of the stream. The little animal shot out of sight like a Hash and made its way down the bank in order to make its attack. This it proceeded to do by creeping up opposite the eel and then lunging its head and shoulders into the water, emerging with its teeth firmly embedded in the eel’s back. In a second the. eel was dropped on the rock ledge, and the animal sprang and di J ove its litle tusks into the brain of its captive, the latter succumbing With hardly a wriggle. The weasel then made its way up the cliff, dragging its pi'ey along until it was hidden from sight by some koromiko bushes.

The typhoid outbreak is becoming increasingly serious, and over two hundred cases have been reported. Reporting on the outbreak. Dr. Beattie, in charge of the Avondale Asylum, says: “The whole position seems to me to be this: The water has become infected — possibly through the heavy rains of March washing human waste into the. underground springs, which are largely superficial springs running upon an impervious clay. The contamination may have arisen from any art of the watershed which is undrained, and it is impossible for anyone to say at which point the infection gained access. The Mount Albert water supply must never again be used by the Mental Hospital, no matter how satisfactory the analytic reports may be. Analysis can prove that the water is perfect to-day, but it cannot prove what it was like yesterday, or what it will be like to-morrow, without further analysis on each of these days. Underground water supplies passing through an inhabited —and especially an undrained or a partially drained —watershed like. Mount Albert are liable to contamination at any time and are fraught with grave danger to any community/’-

The final result of Poppy Day in Wellington is £1746. The expenses were ten shillings.—Press Association. Serious allegations concerning the treatment of certain natives in illhealth at Ratana’s camp have been referred to' the Minister of Justice (the Hon. E. P. Lee), who has instructed the Commissioner of Police to have careful enquiries made. “If we can get the King Country roaded, we can beat Taranaki ‘hollow,’ because we’ve got the climate,, and they haven’t,” stated Mr. J. N. Bodie at the Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce, last week.

How far do swaggers usually travel in a day? One who has just made the journey from Poverty Bay to Wairarapa estimates that ho averaged 15 miles daily. His longest day was 30 miles, from Waipukurau to Porangahau. An ex-patient of the Avondale Mental Hospital, when charged with drunkenness at the Auckland Police Court, asked the magistrate to send him to the institution for the insane. Medical evidence was given that the defendant was perfectly well, and his application was not granted. A further month in which to report has been granted to Mr. F. W. Flanagan, Valuer-General, who is acting as a commission investigating the difficulties of dairy-farmers in the Waikato and Taranaki districts. In a brief interim statement. Mr. Flanagan reported that he had met many of the farmers who were in difficulties, and had been a'ble to recommend adjustments in many cases so as to ease their burdens and enable them to pull through the time of stringency. A reference was made by the president of the New Zealand Rugby Union (Mr. Junes McLeod), at the annual meeting of the council last week, to the danger of sectarianism creeping into school football. It was a difficult question, but it ought 'To be made clear that certain schools had been debarred from playing school football. Personally, he would not give one penny to any union which prevented any primary school from taking part in any .competition. He hoped unions would put their foot down against such a practice. It should be open to all schools to take part freely in school football. (Hear, hear.) “We have worked, it out, and found that it is cheaper to get our goods through Taranaki than by the Main Trunk railway,” states a letter received yesterday by a New Plymouth business house, from a number of Tatu settlers in the Ohura. The goods are railed to Tabor a, and thence taken by waggon through the Tangarakau Gorge, if the weather is fine, for the road is impassable for wheeled traffic when rain lias fallen. If wet, the goods are packed in. Brom the northern end, the goods have to be sent to the railhead, and thence taken by teams to Tatu. Only a portion of the road is metalled. The settlers are confronted with bad roads both ends, but it is interesting to know that the Tangarakau route offers the greater advantages to the settlers in at least one part of the Ohura. When the road is metalled from Tahora to Tatu, most of the Ohura trade* must come this

way. All those interested in subjects per-

taining to trade and commerce are reminded of the meeting to be held at May and Arrowsmith’s to-night, at 7.45, under the auspices of the New Plymouth Commerce Students’ Society. This will take the form of a mock bankruptcy meeting, an<l will be under the direction of Mr. J. S. S. MedlVy, D.O.A. As there are similar societies formed in Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch, etc., it is hoped that lhe membership of the New Plymouth Society will be such as to attract prominent lecturers from these places.

As entries for the New Plymouth sale of pedigree Jerseys cjose on 10th instant, Jersey-breeders are reminded about putting in their entries as soon as possible.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., wish to draw clients’ attention to their Matau sale, which they are holding in their Matau yards on Friday, May 1, at 1 p.m. Full particulars of entries will be found ou page S.