LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8353, 9 February 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Wairarapa Mounted Rifles (Native) have been disbanded. The Mediterranean fruit fly has been discovered in an orchard near Napier.

The Exhibition attendance for the week totalled 64,704, making the aggregate to date 1,126,168.

The entries received for the Masterton A. and P. Association's Ram Fair total 2,960.

The Manawatu Cricket Association have to face a considerable loss over the match with the Englishmen.

The New South Wales bowlers were beaten at Christchurch, on Thursday, in a four rink match by 85 to 67.

The Wellingon Gas Company has just experienced the most prosperous year on record and another reduction in the price of gas is foreshadowed.

The Masterton South Brass Band will render a select programme of music ;at the Kuripuni Triangle on Monday evening, commencing at 8 o'clock.

The Napier and Hastings Brass Bands passed through Masterton, yesterday afternoon, en route to Christchurch, to take part in the Exhibition Band Contest.

Partly on account of the plague in Australia, the Dunedin Health Department is making a house-to-house inspection of Dunedin and suburbs.

There were 24,325 people in the colony who objected to state their religious denominations or beliefs at the time of last census. Nearly twothirds of these were males.

At 1.45 o'clock yesterday afternoon a five-roomed cottage in South Carterton was destroyed by fire. The house was the property of Mrs Hercock, and was occupied by Mr George Perry.

The Dannevirke Rifle Cadet Volunteers went* into camp on Wednesday. The rain prevented much useful instruction being given, ij There are thirty-four cadets in camp, sides Sergeant-Major McNair and Captain Harrison.

The Kaikorai Band, the champion band of the South Island, will be severely handicapped at the Exhibition Contest next week by the abence of its first trombone player (Mr Boyd), who is suffering from typhoid fever.

Dr. Ashburton Thomson, chief medical officer of New South Wales, hopes that next session the New South Wales Parliament will pass, a law rendering the reporting of all cases of consumption compulsory. As indicating the extreme caution that is being observed in many of the rural districts of Canterbury to obviate grass fires, it may be mentioned that a well-known settler, travelling to town by the north train last week, admitted that he had not lighted his pipe out in the open air for more than six weeks.

A prominent Canterbury produce merchant, ,who is at* present on a visit to Masteirton, states that the crops in Canterbury Will not be so bad as was at first anticipated. The opening price of oats is expected to be about 2s f.o.b. Lyttelton. • Owing to a certain undesirable element among the list of "paying guests" Visiting the Exhibition, board and lodging, has/not ibeen so very dear in some cases. And board-inghouse-keepers have learned another rule of the game, viz.,,"That down the fire-escape and over the fence is 'out.' Christcharch Star.

* An unusual sight for New Zealand was witnessed recently by passengers on the express to Christchurch. This was a farmer's wife sledging a bathful of clothes a distance of some miles down the Kakanui River, there to conduct the weekly washing, the supply of water at the , home having become exhausted. The Newcastle City Band arrived in Christchurch, yesterday, to take part in the International Exhibition Band Contest. The Wanganui Garrison Band arrived on Thursday, and paid the Newcastle Band the compliment of meeting it at the railway station and playing it into town. By Sunday thirty competing Bands will be in Christchurch. The editor of the, Wairarajia Age has received the following letter from Mr 'E. A. 'Palmer, of Island Bay, who has been interesting himself in assisting Mrs Aldersiade and family:—"Your welcome contribution to the fund in aid of the Aldersiade Family just- received. On behalf of the widow and orphans I wish most sincerely to thank you and the people of Masterton for the kind assistance and sympathy extended to them in their sad bereavement." A recent issue of the Gazette contains a list of the qualified medical men J and women who have been registered as practitioners in this colony. The names of 850 practitioners appear on the register, and of those 25 are women. A large number\ of these physicians, although registered in New Zealand, are not practising in the colony. On the dentists' register there are 489 names, and of these ten are women.

The committee appointed by the Masterton Borough Council to confer with the householders in Michael Street in connection with the widening of that street,; met last evening. There were present: —Crs J. >,C. Ewington (chairman), J. H. Pauling, W. Morris and the Town Clerk. Several householders in the street were interviewed, and satisfactory arrangements were made with them with one exception. When the rest of the residents have_ been interviewed the committee will report to the Council.

There is evidently ample work in the country for farm hands and labourers, for the Auckland Labour Bureau find but little difficulty in meeting every application, says the Auckland Herald. The last batch of immigrants that arrived in the colony just recently were evidently of a desirable class, and the greater number of them took up positions in the country. In fact, everyone of them who applied to the local bureau was accommodated, and those who had not previously been on a farm were taken by settlers on the condition that they were willing to learn, y

The two prisoners, who escape from the Lyttelton Gaol on Thursday, have not yet been captured. A Christchurch telegram states that the Executive Committee of the Seddon Memorial Technical College Fund has received in subscriptions to date £399 lis.

The Samaritan Home in Christchurch is the first institution in the colony to be gazetted a receiving: home for habitual drunkards under the Act of last session. - . '

Mr Will Laurence arrived in' Masterton, yesterday, to make arrangements for the appearance of -the Chas. Holloway Dramatic Company in Masterton during Show Week.

Sir John Hall, Mayor of Christchurch, entertained the Lord Mayor of Melbourne at dinner, yesterday, and the Hon. Mr Fowlds entertained him at luncheon at the Exhibition.

Mr H. W. Brabant, S.M., succeeds Mr W. G. Riddel], S.M., as chairman of the Hawke's Bay and Napier Licensing Committees. Messrs W. H. Hawkins and O. C. Munro are gazetted members of the Pahiatua Licensing Committee.

The Masterton Municipal Brass Band left, yesterday morning, for Christchurch. to take part in the Exhibition Band Contest, which will commece on Monday. The band will be without the services of three cornet players and two bass players, who are unable to make the trip-to Christchurch. In the "own choice" selection the band will play "Poliuto."

A proclamation appears in this week's Gazette constituting the new river district of Kahutara, in Featherston County. Mr C. J. KentJohnston is named as returning'officer to conduct the first election of five members. The election will take place at the Featherston Town Board office on March 7th, and &ie first meeting of the Board will be held at the same place on March 14th.

Frequently figures have been' quoted showing what the dairying industry means to the Waikato, and recently another instance came under our notice (says the Waikato Independent) which further demonstrates the great good -it is to the district.*. A supplier to the New Zealand Dairy Association received from •it, for butter-fat alone, supplied during the months of November and December, over £825. It would appear that there is a great dearth of teachers qualified to take up positions as first assistants in the Secondary schools. ...Several inspectors said so at the Education Conference at Wellington". The Assistant Inspector-General (Dr. Anderson) said , that the governors of Te Aute College had been - looking for first assistant for months, and finally a delegate was sent to Sydney where a master was obtained. Mr Rutherford, M.H.R.,. the wealthy wool-king, who is, neverthea Liberal, is persistent in his resistance to the Land Bill brought in by his own party. He told a Cheviot audience the other day that he knew the bill backwards; always slept with it under his pillow, "and, in fact, I . haye it here now," he added, dramatically, producing a copy from his breast pocket,/ 'and it will be with me till it is killed."

The sad death'of Mr Hutcheson at Port Moeralci, through loss 6f. blood and shock after a bite from a shark while' bathing, apparently, has not taught its lesson to some Wellington residents. At several of the Wellington seaside resorts young people still bathe :n the open water, without the lpast fear of being- attacked by sharks, which are more numerous now than they have been for many years. In Oriental Bay two days ago a grey shark about 15 feet long was seen swimming only a few feet off the shore, at a spot much frequented by ; bathers. Several sharks have been caught on the eastern side of the Wellington harbour, during the past week. At the conclusion of the meeting of the Masterton Trust Lands Trustees, last evening, the Chairman (Mr C. E: Daniell), who will shortly leave on a trip to England, stated that he would be absent from the .colony when the next election of Trustees took place and consequently he would not be a candidate. As this .would be the last time he would sit with' the present, Trustees, he took the opportunity of thanking them for the courteous treatment he had re-, ceived at their hands. 1 The. Trustees present urged Mr Daniell to reconsider his decision, and to leave a nomination paper signed for the next election.. They referred at length to the excellent work that Mr Daniell had done as a Trustee, and were confident that the voters, recognising his valuable services, would return him again as a Trustee.

Particulars are advertised of a black mare impounded from Wrigley Street. The Te"Ore Ore Committee insert a notice 6f thanks for donations and assistance received in connection with their annual school picnic.

Messrs Dimock . and Co., Ltd., elsewhere notify that the, next truck forjsending live pigs away will leave Eketahuna on Monday, February 18th, and Mauriceville on Tuesday, February 19th. The superiority of the "Arcadia" blended tea is the subject of an announcement elsewhere in this issue. The wholesale agents are/Messrs Gilmore and Co.p Auckland.

The members of the Albion Football *Club are requested to attend the funeral of the late Mr Harold Williams, which will take place today at 2.30.

Messrs Ross and Greenfield, land agents, Masterton, have opened a branch office in Carterton, which will be in charge of Messrs S. R. Amyes and F. P. Heard, who have a thorough knowledge of land agency business.

The Knox Church Young Men's Class will commence its' session for ■1907 to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock, when Henry Drummond's "Natural Law in the Spiritual World" will be continued. Services will be held in Knox Church, to-mor-row, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. In the evening the subject will be "The Rev. R. J. Campbell and The Fall— Is It Historical?" These services, and also the service at Wangaehu in the afternoon, will be conducted by the Rev. A. T. Thompson, 8.A., B.D. Mr E. Feist will conduct the services at Dreyerton at 3 p.m.