LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

All dairy factories in Taranaki report big increases in the supply of milk this year. The Opunake factory is now turning out over 16 boxes of butter daily as compared with 10 boxes a day about this time last year. Prospects for the season are bright.—Times. The North Taranaki Hunt pays by way of Government taxation on its recent steeplechase meeting the sum of £lOB4 13s Bd. made up as follows: Stakes £Bl 10s, dividend tax £615 Ils, totalisator tax £341 19s 3d. gates, etc., £l2 Is fid, amusement tax £33 Ils lid.

The scarcity of new strawberry plants during the winter will probably have the effect of greatly reducing the output of fruit this spring at Auckland. A grower said he understood there had been a shortage of about a million plants, which is a very serious matter. ,

A very pleasant evening was spent by the New Plymouth Savage Club on Saturday night. The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) was the chief savage for the evening, and extended the usual hearty “savage” welcome to Mr. A. Rowe, of Auckland. Music, song, and story made the hours fly by quickly, while Mr. Rowe extracted a great deal of amusement from a “savage” community sing. The Opunake Times says the railway line is slowly but surely being pushed on to Opunake, the arrival of a ballast engine at the Te Roti-Kapuni section being announced. Work on the Ka-puni-Pihama section is being expedited, and there is a possibility of a gang, together with a steam shovel, being put on the Opunake end at the Waiau in the near future.

The monthly musical service at the Whiteley Memorial Church last night was attended by a large congregation. The choir gave two anthems, and Miss White sang “The Holy City.” The service was appropriate to the Whiteley flower show, which opens on Wednesday, and the preacher (the Rev. W. J. Elliott) based his sermon on Solomon, chapter 1: “For. Io the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come.” A splendid effort to climb Mount Egmont under the difficult conditions prevailing was made yesterday by two young ladies and two men, the party reaching to a point 250 feet from the top. A heavy coating of snow envelops the mountain. It was raining, and the upper part of the journey consisted of stretches of ice in parts, all the conditions combining to make ascent difficult. The start was made early in the morning, led by one of the men, who is an experienced climber, and the party returned to the house late in the afternoon.

After a long spell of fine days and clear sunshine a change in the weather set in on Saturday. The morning was bright, but the afternoon grew muggy, with dark clouds rolling up. These conditions prevailed during the night until yesterday, when warm winds, increasing in velocity, brought welcome rain about three o’clock in tne afternoon. The rain will be appreciated by farmers and gardeners.

An appeal for contributions to the Sir Arthur Pearson fund for the civilian blind of New Zealand was received by the Eltham County Council on Saturday. On the motion of the chairman (Mr. C. J. Belcher), it was decided to donate £lOO. ■ Appreciation of the worthiness of the cause was expressed bv all members, but it was thought that the Government might be well advised to stand the whole cost and strike an equitable tax. so that the “willing horse” would not be over-worked. The chairman said the council was “up to the neck” in debt, but the Treasury was empty and the Government could not be expected to do everything. There seems to be every prospect of leading bands of the Dominion participating in the North Island Brass Bands’ Association contest, which is to be held in New Plymouth in February next. The local secretary of the contest committee (Mr. E. L. Humphries) has had numerous inquiries regarding accommodation from bands in different parts of tho Dominion. Auckland Artillery Band are among those who are seeking accommodation, and it is stated that the Woolston (Christchurch) Band has decided to attend the band contest ito be held at New Plymouth in prefcr- • ence to that at Dunedin, because the New Plymouth contest will be held in the opea air.

In imposing a fine of £5 on a motorist at the Police Court at Wanganui on Monday for driving round a corner at too great a speed, the magistrate remarked: “Charges of manslaughter are usually the result of broken by-laws, with the added fact that somebody happens to be in the way.” “May I ask that you prevent the Press from publishing my name?” asked a first offending drunk at the court at Wanganui on Monday. “You may ask it, but I won’t do it,” w«s Mr. Barton's reply. Senior-Sergeant Lopdell said it was not the practice of the Wanganui Press to publish the names of such first offenders. Mr. Barton retorted that he thought it would be a good deterrent.

The art of intense cultivation familiar to visitors to Belgium, and to certain districts in France, is not altogether unknown in New Zealand. In the Nelson district returns of £7O per acre for raspberry-growing are not at all uncommon, although the crops now run only one and a half tons to the acre. When raspberry-growing in Nelson was first started on virgin land returns of three tons of raspberries to the acre were quite common. It can be easily seen how holders of small blocks, such as ten acres, in Nelson have been able to acquire a modest competence. There is no end to possibilities for similar holdings in Central Otago. A Palmerston North lady and gentleman, who have lately returned from a six months’ visit to their relatives in an English rural district, speak feelingly (says the Manawatu Times) of the prejudice which is still being fostered by interested dealers against our beef and mutton, and which is always referred to as “that foreign stuff.” On each visit to London, they brought back a leg of lamb, which cost 9s as against 12s fid for home-killed, and carefully concealed the New Zealand meat tags, until the appreciative family had expressed their intention to buy from the London butcheries in future.

Unemployment is again acute in Christchurch (states the Press). The North Canterbury Unemployment Committee has the names of 360 unemployed at present. Thirty married men are employed on relief work in the domains, and unless funds are forthcoming these men will have to be paid off. There are at present at least 60 cases of absolute hardship known to exist, and work can be found for these as well, if funds are available.

“I don’t wish it to be thought that the poor can offend with impunity,” said Mr. ‘Wyvern Wilson, S.M.. at Christchurch, when he was asked by counsel to dismiss a by-law case as trivial. A boy was charged with having ridden a bicycle on the footpath, and counsel stated that the family was in poor circumstances. The lad earned 30s a week which went to the “family fund,” and the mother also went out working. The magistrate said he would not dismiss the case, but he would convict defendant without penalty. Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (Third and Fourth Groups) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable today. Monday. Sept. 11, at the Secretary’s Office, Currie Street from 40 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. —Advt. The New Plymouth Soft Goods Manufacturing Co.. Devon Street and Currie Street, New Plymouth, will hold an astounding bargain sale for two weeks only. The sale will commence to-mor-row (Tuesday), and a glance at the special advt. appearing elsewhere should convince intending buyers of the genuine cut in prices of blouses, silk piece goods, voiles, hosiery, Manchester goods, etc. This sale should be r busy centre during the next two weeks.