LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Linesmen are now engaged in erect- » •ng a telephone line direct from Hawera j to New Plymouth, with only (Eltham on the line. This will greatly facilitate telephonic communication between Hawera, Eltham and New Plymouth. j The shareholders of the Eltham j Dairy Company met yesterday i morning to consider “the future of the bacon i industry.” The meeting was not open to the Press. ' The New Plymouth Band Committee I have received another entry in the P, I grade for the forthcoming contest, from ■ the Masterton Municipal Silver Band. This brings the total entries up to 22 The extremely bad nvGather that has prevailed in Taranaki during the last fortnight seemed to reach its height yesterday, when there was a heavy fall of hail in some parts. The storm seemed to be more severe at Te Roti, where, the hail was as large as pigeon eggs, ' and considerably annoyed the cattle. 1 Much damage has been done to orchards ■and .gardens.

I'he general store at Alton, occupied by J. B. Emmett, was totally destroyed by fire at 2 a.m. yesterday morning, and nothing was saved. The stock and contents were insured in the Queensland office for '■£sso. The building was owned by Mr. J. Ridge, Wanganui, and was insured in the same office for £250. Last season practically every dairy company in Taranaki recorded unusually heavy supplies, but despite this the present season again shows an advance. During October, the Eltham company supply was: Cream 38,4531b5, milk 8.175,38G1b5, representing 319,213 lb.s butter-fat. Compared with the supply for the first four months of last season, that to the 31st October this year shows the following increases: —Cream 46,1671b5, milk 338,8041b5, but-ter-fat 34,2381b5, When motoring home from Eltham on Saturday afternoon Mr. T. McQueen. of Mata, met with an accident. It appears that when proceeding along the Mangawhero Road the car struck a calf, and overturned, and Mr. .McQueen and his little daughter, who was accompanying him, were both thrown out. Mr. J. S. Jenkins arrived on the scene of the accident a few minutes after it occurred, and brought the victims into Eltham. They were medically attended and it was found that Mr. McQueen was suffering from a fractured collar-bone and some cuts and bruises on the head, while the little girl’s legs were severely lacerated. A deputation consisting of Messrs. E. Dixon, M.P., J. B. Murdoch (president of the Chamber of Commerce), Murray, Fletcher, Harrop and Sage, waited upon Mr. McVitley, general manager for the New Zealand Railways, as he was passing through Hawera by the express yesterday morning, with .reference to the proposed new railway station for Hawera. Mr. Murdoch pointed out that the preliminaries in regard to the acquisition of the land required had been completed, and he asked whether any indication could be given as to when the work would, 'be commenced. Mr. McVilly assured the deputation that the Department was anxious to proceed with the new station, and that his officers had the preliminary work in hand. The whole matter, he said, was dependent upon the amount placed on the public works estimates, and had he been granted as much as he had asked for the preliminary work would have been proceeded with at an early date. An inquest concerning the death of the little girl Irene Mary Ann Fraser, who died while being brought to New Plymouth from Warea on Sunday for medical attention, was held by the Coroner (Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M.) last night. Evidence of identification was given by the 'child’s motner, Mrs. Ivy Fraser, ’who stated that the child was

3 years and 4 months of age. It had been ‘healthy since birth until last Friday, when it developed a rasping cough. On Saturday the little girl appeared much brighter, but on Sunday its condition was so 'bad that the mother determined to bring the child into New Plymouth. On the way in. however, the child died. An elder child has since been brought into New Plymouth suffering from diphtheria. Medical evidence was given by Dr. G.. Home, who stated that the child was dead when brought to his surgery on Sunday. Death had been caused by suffocation brought about by laryngeal diphtheria and a verdict accordingly was returned bv the Coroner.

The total area of wheat sown for threshing in New Zealand during the season 1921-22 was 352,918 acres and for chaffing 1252 acres, states a return prepared 'by the Government Statistician (Mr. ’Malcolm Fraser). The figures for oats were 170,655 acres and 344,051 acres respectively. For the coming season of 1922-23 the South Island gives the North a long lead in the areas to be cropped, the estimated figures being 275,000 acres of wheat and 335,000 acres of oats in the South as against 10,000 acres and 50,000 acres respectively in the North, or totals of 285,000 acres of wheat and 385,000 acres of oats. “Experience, however.” states the return, “has shown that the results in the case of oats have been generally underestimated. The system of estimation does not appear to apply quite so well as in the case of wheat, where the variation of the estimated from the final result is much smaller.” When asking for the return, the Statistician also requested particulars of the varieties sown or intended to be sown, and the following details were supplied:—Tuscan or Longberry, 175,153 acres; Hunter's (varieties), 56,641 acres; Velvet or Pearl, 31,172'acres.

No. 90 company of the Senior Cadets' (New Plymouth) inaugurated the new system of continuous courses of instruction at the Coronation Hall yesterday. The. course will continue till Saturday, the Cadets parading each morning at r, o’clock and working through the day till 4 in the afternoon, with a (break of an hour at noon for lunch. Those who complete the course will be exempt from further parades for the balance of the military year. If the weather proves favorable the training during the next few days will take place on the Waiwaikaiho range, where those, attending will bo given much more interesting open-air work than is permitted in the confined spaces of the drill hall. A course for A Company of the ; , Battali.m. WVilffij-Hm Regiment, will commence on November 20 and extend to the 25th inclusive, followed by Headquarters Company who will go into training from November 27 to December 2. ' AH the work for these companies will be advanced» field work. Jl is -likely there will be other voluncourses later for those who are not able to attend those at present being held- Liebt. L. W. Andrew, V.U., N.Z.S.C., is in command of the present course and is assisted by W.O.L. J.T.R. Bell and Staff -Sergt.-Major A. E. Stevens, N.Z.P.S. C. A. Wilkinson. Ltd... wholesale . and retail merchants, elsewhere give, part culars of the goods arriving from London ex Port Dennison. Farmers, builders. etc., should scan the list. Wilkinson’s trade on bedrock prices, and customers will get the benefit of the saving effected by the direct shipping. The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. wish to draw clients attention to their Matau sale, which they are hold- ; 11( r in their Matau yards on Friday, November 17, at 1 p.m. hull particulais of entries will be found on page 8 of this issue. Messrs. Martin and Co. advertise in this issue an improvement in their motor car service to and from Opunake. From Wednesday next an additional ear will leave Opunake daily at 8.30 a.m peaching New Plymouth at 10.30 a.m. This should be of great convenience to farmers and others. The return journey of this additional car will leave New Plymouth at 3 p.m., connecting at Oputio’kfo with the Hawera bus.