LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dr. G. H. Thomson writes: In my lecture to territorials last week I did not say that the Mangatuku “was bop nd to collect a great deaj of rubbish and sewage.”

It is expected that Mr. R. W. McVilly, General Manager of the New Zealand railways, will visit New Plymouth in about a fortnight or three Weeks’ time.

Discussing prospects for the coming dairy season the chairman of the Midhirst Company, at yesterday’s annual meeting, said the latest reports they had received were that they must not look forward to very high prices. A shareholder: What • would you call high prices? The chairman eaid that last year they had looked forward to 2a and received Is 3d. This year they had made a sale of their output to the end of September at Is OJd and would be able to pay out very well until then. After that he did not think any one would be prepared to prophesy what the prices would rule.

A suggestion that there would be an alteration in wages this season was made by the chairman at the annual meeting’ of the Midhirst Dairy Company yesterday. He said farmers were not getting much out of their farms and men on wages were in the best position. The cost of living depended on the price of food, fuel and clothing, and these were the same to the farmer as they were to the salaried man, while the farmer had to pay 50 per cent., more for his seeds and manures compared with pre-war prices and horse-shoeing repairs and renewals cost 100 per cent, more. A hundred-weight of butter or cheese to-day would bring a good deal less than it would in 1914. It w,aiß, he contended, not known generally what hard lines the - farmer had gone through. Even the rate of interest on mortgages had gone up U per ceht. The man on the land could not stand any more taxation and it behoved everyone receiving a salary and in a steady billet to assist in bringing matters back to a stable position. At a committee meeting of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society last night it was reported that the 100,000 brown trout and 80,000 rainbow trout, ova had arrived in good order. The hatching had been under the capable supervision of Mr. W. Bell and good results had been secured, despite .the fact that for a couple of weeks the water supply had been inadequate. A full head of lake water was now going through the hatching boxes. Telegraphic advice had been received that a further seventy-five thousand brown trout ova had been despatched from the ’ fTakataramea hatcheries. These should reach New Plymouth to-morrow evening and will be taken direct to the hatching boxes in the Puk-ekura Park hatcheries. A rich legacy has come the way of the Taranaki Agricultural Society. It is understood the will of the late Mr. W. J. Davis, an old settler of the Inglewood district, includes a legacy of £250 to the society, which will also participate with six others in the residuary legacy, making a total of about £l2OO for the society.

At their mart to-morrow L. A. Nolan and Co. will sell a large quantity of furniture and sundries on account of a lady leaving the district. Particulars are advertised. The annual meeting of the New 1 lymouth Astronomical Society will l)e held to-night, when Dr. G. Home will deliver a paper entitled '‘Variable Stars.” A comparative trial of the different washing powders on the market will result in a veritable triumph for “Fairy Wonder” Dry Soap, the queen of household helps. It cuts time, labor and expense in half, and. moreover, it is a positive pleasure to use. Obtainable at all stores.

Thefts continue to be reported from the New Plymouth library. Ini his report for the month of July the librarian makes mention of the fact that a number of magazines were stolen from tne tables.

Major Belcher, of the Empire Exhibition Mission, is of opinion that New Zealand ought to be able to considerably increase the quantity of butter sent to England, as at present the Dominion only supplied 20 per cent, of the amount of butter required at Home. The extent of the power of the hydroelectric scheme mentioned by the Eltham Argus as having “hitherto escaped observation.” and referred to in our issue yesterday, was given as 20 horsepower. This was obviously a mistake; the figures should have read 20,000 h.p. From yesterday the rate of benzine on the railways has been reduced from Class A rate and a half to single rate Class A, or a saving of one third. The reduction is probably due to the motor competition. The one opossum skin sale of the year took place at Dunedin last week, the product of killings at Catline and Dyndham totalling 16,000. Practically all were cleared, the prices ranging to Ils lid per skin. “Top blues” advanced about a hundred per cent. The Hawera Jersey Club has a credit balance of £lB2, and assets exceeding liabilities by £337. At the annual meeting on Saturday the following officers were elected: President, Mr. R. J. Linn; vice-president, Mr. J. Pettigrew; committee, Messrs. H. W*ren, Hoskin. Bennett, Western, J. O’Donnell; auditor, H. A. Lennon.

Five of New Zealand’s blinded soldiers arc masseurs, stated Mr. Clutha Mackenzie. M.P., in a lecture! at Napier. Eight dr nine are poultry-farming, and. two are doing shorthand and typing. One man in Southland, besides working eight hours a day in an office, has two acres of land on which he grows vegetables and keeps poultry. On Sundays he gives addresses in church.

A progressive euchre party was held at the Victoria League room last night, being given by the book committee in aid of the book fund. There was a large attendance and an enjoyable evening was spent, the prizes being won by Mrs. Paul, Miss Foote and Mr. Hay. The arrangements were in the hands of the book committee (Mesdames Neal, Corney and S. Burgess) assisted by Mrs. Stocker and Mrs. Nicholl.

The Taranaki Chamber of Commerce is arranging for a tour of inspection of the hydro works at the Waiwakaiho on Thursday, August 10, and inviting members of the other Chambers of Commerce in the province, as well as members of the Awakino Settlers’ Association, the Tahora Settlers’ Association, and the Ohura Railway League (the latter three bodies being affiliated with the Chamber. It is proposed to entertain the visitors to morning tea before setting out on the trip and luncheon afterwards. The visit will be made between the hours of 11 a.m. and' 2 p.m. Last evening the Borough Council granted the necessary permission.

“What a fine city you have in New Plymouth,” said the Rev. Dr. C. H. Laws in the course of his address last night. The speaker said that, though he -was impressed with New Plymouth as it was to-day, he was still more impressed by the finer* city thirt was to be. All signs of future extension were to be seen on every hand, which convinced him that a large influential city was fast growing up, and he made an appeal that the churches should take their full share in the future development that would take place during the next ten or twenty years. Writes Mr. W. B. Davies, New Plymouth: It is to be hoped that the Makomako is once more returning to us, and that we shall hear its joyful music in our wattle trees again. In the sixty’s, these birds came in large numbers in the winter months, and as the sun rose they would all at once offer up in a chorus their joyful song. This used to happen in our trees at Bonithon. As time passed, they seemed to .disappear, and it was thought that they had become extinct. Some have said that they were to be found in the ranges. We lived there ten years in the bush, and never saw or heard one. The blue wattle crow is sometimes called the bell bird, but the bird is not the songster that the makomako is. There is a specimen in our museum, the color of the plumage being olive green. “We should drop the words ‘immigration’ and ‘emigratioin’ when we refer to movements from one part of the'Empire to the other,” said Major E. A. Belcher at Christchurch. “We all belong to one great family, whether we live in England, in South Africa, in Australia, in New Zealand, or in Newfoundland. When we go to live in another part of the Empire we simply migrate. It is a case of migration. New Zealand should be careful what emigrants she taken. She should take the surplus population of the Old Country, but she should see that she gets the right sort of surplus population. Migrants from the Old Country should learn that they will have more opportunities in New Zealand, but not less work. I differ from a statement that the best type of migrant is the man with agricultural experience. The previous occupation of a migrant is a small matter. The important thing is his personal characteristics. A man with agricultural experience in the Old Country may have to unlearn what he learnt there as soon as he comes to New Zealand.”

In our advertising columns, tenders are called for the purchase of the wellknown estate of “Heidelberg,” the property of the late Mr. John Brennan, and we direct the attention of prospective investors to this favorable opportunity. Beautifully and conveniently situated on the Main South Road, within the borough of New Plymouth, and extending to an area of about thirteen acres, in a locality that has been much built oyer of recent years, it should commend itself for cutting up purposes. The sale is necessary to facilitate the winding up of the estate, and the trustees are prepared to give easy terms of payment. At the May Poultry Farm on Thursday, at 1.30’p.m., L.’A. Nolan and Co. will submit to auction the whole of the poultry and stock-in-trade of incubators, etc. These birds are mostly pullets, and are bred from the best laying strains procurable. Anyone interested in poultry should not miss this sale. There was a large attendance of the public at the sale of imported stocks at Webster Bros.’ Mart on Friday last. The sale was commenced at 11.30 and continued right on until 4.30. The sale is to be resumed to-day, at 11 o’clock, and it is hoped to clear the entire contents of the 19 cases this week-end.

“Gift Week” at McGruer’s, New Plymouth, was remarkably popular last week, and the management have decided to extend the unique opportunity for securing, the offerings up to Saturday next, July 29.