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Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143473, 21 April 1911, Page 2

The Now South Wales State Treasurer states that in the near future there is likely to bo a special provision for the remission of some degree of taxation in favour of parents with largo families. The census of the borough of Masterton shows the population to be 6136, compared with 5025 five years ago. A large number of residents now live in the suburbs, and the population of Greater Masterton is fully 7000. A man walked into the Carterton railway station the other day and consigned a rifle. The stationmaster, thinking the rifle might bo loaded, opened it and looked, and was amazed to find ono cartridge in the chamber and three more in the magazine. Scientists declare that Ngauruhoo is one of the youngest of Now Zealand volcanoes, and has never been wholly inactive. As recently ns 1907 there was water at the bottom of the crater, and the fact that there is now molten lava there indicates a great change. Professor J. E. B. Mayor, of Cambridge, who died recently at the ago of 86, stated that during his lifetime he bought about 50,000 books. This is probably a record for a student who read most of the books ho owned. Assuming the professor began to buy books at the ago of ton years, he must have purchased them at the average rate of more than two a day—excluding Sundays—during the whole of his long life. A census enumerator in South Canterbury has communicated to the local paper an item of news which is highly interesting because of the light it throws on the conjugal condition of the rural population of New Zealand. Within a radius of ten miles of Fairlio ho discovered 64 bachelors, each of whom is in good circumstances, owning an average of about 300 acres. Each of these is well able to support a wife, and yet they are contented to live in single blessedness. The Customs duties collected in Now Zealand during the quarter ended March 31 last totalled £767,687, compared with £700,371 during the corresponding quarter of 1910. The total Customs revenue for the financial year 1910-11 was £3,022,305. The imports during the March quarter this year totalled £4,577,300, compared with £3,913,184 in the corresponding period of last year. Exports for the March quarter of 1911 were £8,228,121, and for the corresponding quarter in 1910 £8,864,528. The Melbourne Clothing Companv is now showing a very fine range of mo'n’s tailor-made suits ready for service for the winter season. Suits of dark green and brown worsteds, plain and twilled Venetians, fancy coatings, and Indigo .worsteds quietly cut and finished in every way. They are in measurements to perfectly fit every figure, whether tall, short, stout or slender. The prices are the Melbourne’s popular prices, viz., 455, 655, 655.* .

In Southland tho opinion is gaining gronnd that 40s per 1001 b. for primes! ox beof will again bo reached in tho coming winter. Arrangements have been completed for tho ministers at Timaru to give Bible lessons for half an hour once a week in each of tho three town schools from 9 a.m. to 9.30 a.m., explanation by the visiting teacher to bo that which is necessary to mako the passage clear to tho children, and no sectarian teaching of any kind to be given. For tho present year lessons will bo taken from the Gospel of St. Mark, parents to notify the headmaster if they object, and secular lessons will be provided instead. The Rbv. J. G. Chappie, Unitarian minister, is issuing a reprint of his Sunday address, opposing tho Bible lessons scheme. The rabbit-trapping industry is in a very flourishing condition throughout tho Tuapeka district at tho present time, writes a correspondent of tho Otago Daily Times. Tho warm,, dry season experienced has been very favourable to the propagation of bunny, and those engaged in trapping are making good catches, and despite tho somewhat low prices being paid by exliorters some very decent cheques are icing earned. The daily output from the Lawrence railway station exceeds 4000. Owing to tho low price for skins ruling it is expected that tho season will last longer than last season. A remarkable case of deliberate suicide by an animal was witnessed by a resident of Hamilton on Sunday afternoon. A sorry-looking grey' horse was seen standing with its fore feet in the water, on tho Hamilton East side of the Waikato River, at a spot near Mr. H. J. Greenslade’s residence, gazing despondently .into tho stream. It occupied this position for about half an hour, when it suddenly jumped into the river and repeatedly immersed its head, slowly drifting down stream the while, until when about fifty yards distant front tho spot whore the plunge was taken the poor beast was as dead as the proverbial doornail, the carcase drifting slowly down with the current. Tho loader of the Opposition (Mr. W. F. Massey, M.P.), who returned a day or two ago from his trip to the South Island, informed an Auckland Herald reporter that his tour had been in every way a most successful and satisfactory one. “It. is quite certain,” said . Mr. Massey, “that tho people generally aro taking more interest in politics than they have done for many years past. It is yet too soon, of course, to make any prediction as to what will happen at the forthcoming general election, but it is gratifying to know that more good' candidates aro likely to offer their services in the Opposition interest this year than has been tho case for the past three or four elections.”

111-fortune does not seem to pursue “Bill” Squires, the man who lost his punch, so consistently as a farmer -as it did when he was a prominent figure in boxing circles. Taking up a farm on tho resumed area of Goonoo Goonoo, Tamworth, more than twelve months ago, he has kept his hands to tho plough, and his farming operations were crowned with unusual success recently, when he succeeded in winning the allimportant prize for tho champion bag of wheat in one of the strongest competitions yet seen at tho show. Strangely enough, tho variety of wheat which secured him this coveted honour from tho leading wheatgrowers of tho State was “Comeback,” and this was at once taken as an augury that Bill Squires’ punch had come back.> Tho meeting of tho electors, held on Wednesday evening in Auckland to hear the views of several candidates for municipal honours, provided one little joke (says the Herald), which spread itself throughout the evening. Every speaker made some reference to the question of public baths, and one of tho first of them set tho ball rolling by saying, “Wo have all been going to got baths for years.” The audience cordially agreed, and curiously, every subsequent speaker framed his hath sentence in such a way that it could be construed into a suggestion that there was a personal reason for advocating the establishment of municipal hatha. The joke was a particularly good onto, but no one improved upon it, and the audience had its laugh. Some iriterest was created recently regarding the reported operations of tho American meat trusts in the Argentine, but according to Mr. F. K. Cassells, of Buenos Aires, who is on a visit to Auckland, tho trust has not gained control of tho moat trade, nor is it likely to do so. Ono of tho largo meat-chilling businesses, known as “La Blancha,” which was founded by Argentine capital, has been purchased by an American firm. “Tho meat trusts are not feared in tho Argentine,” said Mr. Cassells. “The republic is not so socialistic as Now Zealand, but tho people do not like monopolies, and the Americans would have to bo exceedingly astute to secure control of the meat exportation of the Argentine. If there was anything like an American trust established in the country tho people of the Argentine would immediately subscribe sufficient capital to break it down.”

Tho reception accorded to tho Minister for Public Works in Masterton (says the Wairarapa Age) was in striking contrast to that extended him in Pongaroa and Weber. In the latter place they had requests to make, and treated tho Minister .with tho dignity and respect duo to a representative of the Crown. Tho people of Mastorton, however, allowed tho Hon, R. M'Kenzio to dump himself down upon a hotel verandah, moon around in quiet and solitude, and practically fish for himself. Tho deputation which waited upon him was so small in numbers that, had it not been for a stray politician or two who conveniently dropped in, it would have been insignificant. The whole turnout was a comparative farce. If Masterton wishes to secure favours from tho Government it will require to treat Ministers with just a little more respect and decency than it did tho Hon. R. M'Kenzie.

Early in the year it was announced that 150 clerks would bo wanted to do work in connection with tho making up of tho Commonwealth census returns. Tho remuneration offered was 30s per week for those under 21, and 10s per day for those above that age. The work is to bo of a temporary character, lasting, in most instances, to about two months, though in some cases the time will be longer. Rather to the surprise of the Federal officials, an army of 1100 men put in an appearance at tho Exhibition Building, where the examinations to qualify for the position were held. Tho surprising thing was (says a Sydney Telegraph correspondent) that so many people should have been available for positions that are merely temporary. The candidates wore of all ages, sizes, and conditions, tho majority being young follows of ages from 18 to 25, but there wore many middle-aged men and some groy-boards among them. In addition to the 1100 Melbourne candidates, about 700 wore examined in other centres of tho Commonwealth.

Velveteens are to bo exceedingly popular this winter, and in anticipation White and Sons have just landed a comprehensive range of these goods. Tho prices aro. exceedingly moderate for tho very fine qualities shown, Is Is 10, and 2s 6d per yard.*

Two enterprising French burglars entered a haunted house in the guise of ghosts, but only the octogenarian lady owner was taken in by them. The other residents took the pseudo ghosts instead, and one has been sentenced to fifteen and the other to five years’ hard labour. A witness in the court at Balclutha on "Wednesday caused some amusement when (says the Free Press) ho declared there was no school committee at Molyneux Beach except a chairman and secretary. “All the others,” he said, “have gone to the islands muttonbirding.” A correspondent sends us a parpdy of the lines He who fights and runs away Lives to fight another day, as follows; Those who" Tot others learn to fly Live to fly another day. Another instance of the danger of allowing children to ride on the handles of a bicycle was furnished on Saturday (says the Hastings Tribune), when a little boy sitting on the front of a bicycle with his, father, got his foot caught in the spokes of the front wheel and was thrown forward on his face. Beyond a blow on the nose and a few scratches he escaped without injury. The reported coal find at Retaruke, along the Main Trunk railway, near the Wanganui River, has not Some up to expectations. The Minister for Public Works informed a Wellington Post reporter the other-day that the quality of the coal was inferior, and that the site was too far from a railway to work coal of any but the best quality. Accordingly, prospecting operations have been suspended for some time past. In the course of some remarks made on Wednesday at the inquiry into the fire which occurred in Mr. J. Tipper’s motor garage, Quay Street, Auckland, in March last, Mr. Gresham, the city coroner, said, “I always hold these in- ? nines without a jury now, because I ind that in fire oases juries invariably go for the insurance companies and ignore crimes. Last time I held an inquiry without a jury and I committed a man for trial. He was convicted, and he’s now serving three years of hard labour.” Some twenty men are now engaged in the preliminary survey operations in connection with the Lake Coleridge electric power scheme. The first necessity is to locate a line for the tunnel for the offtake from the lake. This will bo about a mile in length, and as soon as that survey is completed a start will bo made with the construction work. The recently-appointed chief electrical engineer (Mr. Parry) is expected to arrive from England in a few Weeks, and the Minister for Public Works anticipates that the whole scheme will bo in working order in about two years from now. In conversation with an Otago Daily Times reporter the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister of Agriculture, stated that his department was doing its utmost to find some means of exterminating the potato grub, which has caused much havoc in the Oamaru district. A report has been submitted to the Minister setting out the troatmOht which has been tried in the district, and Messrs. A. H. Cockayne and T. W. Kirk (of the biological section of the department) have been engaged on the matter for some time, but, so far as latest advices go, have not yet discovered any effective remedy. Amongst the lines of poultry to be offered by Webster Bros, to-morrow are 10 fat turkey hens and gobbers.