LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9086, 11 May 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A burning flue in a Queen street residence caused an alarm to be sounded on the Central firebell yesterday afternoon. The Eketahuna auctioneers have extended the time limit for bids at auction stock sales from one and a-half minutes to two minutes.

The operatta "The Japanese Girl" will shortly be repeated by St. Matthew's Church Choir. lhere will be a double bill on this occasion, as some Shakesperian pieces will be produced prior to the 3peretta.

At a meeting of the Featherston County Council at Martinborough, on Friday, it was decided to levy a general rate of 3d over the whole county, and a rate of gd in connection with the Moroa water race maintenance.

At a slock sale at Eketahuna, on Friday, seven yearling calves were sold for XI.

Fifty-one deer-stalkers licenses were issued at Martinborough during the season.

Mr T. F. Evans has, through' pressure of business, resigned the position of secretary to the Lower Valley Jockey Club (Martinborough).

A wood-chopping match at Nireaha, on Thursday last, between E. Olsen and W. Arantz, for £lO aside, was won by the former after a keen contest.

On Saturday and yesterday the weather in Masterton was in a very unsettled state, heavy rain falling at intervals.. Yesterday the air was very wintry, and the roads in a sloppy condition through the constant rain-squalls. The strangers' tea of the Masterton Y.M.C'. A. was well ttendedl l'a&t evening, Prior to'the tea the'usual address was given,- the speaker being Mr D. 13. Thompson, whose subject referred;to».the advisableness of gelistic methods being adopted by the Association.. Messrs Nivew and Sileeman sang solos.

Messrs W. ff. Beetham and G-. Heron, J.P's., presided at Masterton. Police Court on Saturday> An old man named Charles Williams, who pleaded (through Mr Rollings) that he was muddled with- drink at thff time, was sentenced to>l4 days' imprisonment for assaulting; a little girl. James Dalton,. charged with habitual drunkenness, was<remanded until to-day.

The question of the disposal of the present Showgrounds was discussed by the Masterton A. and P. Association in committee on Saturday afternoon. A resolution was unanimously to submit the grounds to the Masterton Borough Council': under certain conditions at a certain price, the offer to hold good for two monthsIn the meantime the application from local football authorities will be held over. . The stewards of the Opaki Racing Club further discussed on Saturday the question,of. whether or not it was advisable to try and obtain a new course'. Mr A. P. Rawson, surveyor, was present, and submitted a plan of the present course, showing that it was not possible to turn the course round so that the straight would run along the south side. It was decided to instruct Mr Rawson to inspect Solway with s view of ascertaining whether a suitable course can be laid out there.

Following are Y.M.C.A. fixtures for this and next week:—To-morrow evening Mr R. Brown will deliver a lecture to the Debating Society. To-morrow week the subject for debate will be "Who benefits the dominion most —the moniad man or the worker?" To-night the canvassing committee meets Mr H. N. Holmes in the rooms. This morning and Wednesday morning hockey practice by the club will be engaged in at the Showgrounds. On Thursday the club meet's W.F.C.A. B team. On Wednesday next the Glee Club meets in the Rooms, and on Friday evening the Chess Club continues its championship games, and also holds its annual meeting. The most important fixture, the annual meeting of the Association, will be held to-night week.

For playing "two-up" at Denniston, Mr Rawson, S.M., fined Geo. Miller (with a previous conviction* £lO, Percy Broadhurst' £3, and Alfred Croft and James Melodonovitch £2 each, at the Westport Magistrate's Court, on Saturday. The magistrate said the practice of playing "two-up" was becoming a very great evil throughout New Zealand, and complaints were made to the police from time to time by the wives of miners at Denniston that their husbands wasted their money playing "two up." He could not see any sense in the game; it seemed only fit for child-en. He was determined to do what he could to stop the vicious practice.

There appears (says a Wellington contemporary) to be some misapprehension concerning the alleged introduction by the Government uf a regulation providing that potatoes grown and shipped to ports in New Zealand are to be inspected at the port of arrival , The Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. R. M'Nnb) states that potatues grown in New Zealand are not inspected in the course of shipment by any department under his control. AH that was done at Auckland was to carefully watch consignments brought in from Australia and other places, to prevent the introduction of any potato disease. There is, he further states, no need for insnection of potatoes grown in New Zealand and shipped from one port to another.

A matter of considerable importance was discussed by the Masterton A. and P. Association on Saturday afternoon. Correspondence was--read from Messrs I. Sykes and D; and J. McGregor (reported elsewhere) stating that a canvass had been instituted by members towards the cost of the new Showgrounds. The canvass had resulted in the sum of £343 being already collected from a very few persons approached, and it was.suggested that as the canvass was not regularly authorised it would be in the interests of the Association to set up a committee to> continue the canvass; The matter was discussed at some length in committee, the general feeling being that a very large sum would be raised if the canvass was conducted in the right way by a strong committee. It was finally decided unanimously that the following should; constitute a committee to carry oro the canvass .'--The Finance and Ground Committee, and Messrs J. and D. McGregor, Quinton Donald, J. McMaster, J. 0. Bidwill, I. Sykes,- J. Strang, and A. G. Pilmer.

Mr C. F. B. Livcsay, Architect of Wellington, lias moved to more convenient rooms in the National Mutual Chambers, Customhouse Quay, (adjoining the Head Office of. the Bank of N.Z.) Address— P.O. Box 771. Telephone 21)02,

" To what do you attribute your Pre-eminence ? " askad the interviewer Of Madam Mclba lately. " What keeps your voice so dear and purj, Tho tone so steady, firm, and sure, That oharms tho world so greatly?' " I kill a cold at once," said she, " With Woeds' Great Peppermint Cure you see!" 1

The next concert of toe Masterton Orchestral Society will be held on Thursday, May 28th. Mr W. J. Napier will contest th& Waitemata seat against the sitting member, Mr L. E. Allison, a* the general election. Wild ducks are reported to be plentiful in the Piako district. Foar Thames sportsmen last week secured. 320, in addition to a large number of teal and pigeons. A meeting held at Stratford and! convened by the Natonal Dairy Association, decided to recommend all butter factories to ship by the next Home steamer at least twenty per cent, of the butter then in store, and continue shipments as seem desirable.

The Masterton Pipe Band held a very successful practice on Saturday evening, twelve members being present. The band is actively rehearsing for Hospital Sunday (the 24th), when the Friendly Societies' demonstration will be held. Several new sets of pipes have just been received from Howie makers, a very fine set having arrived on Friday for Mr H. Pickett, the maker aesidirg along with the pipest free a aet of thirty reeds of vesy fine cpaltj..

The crirniTial sessions of the Wellington Supreme Court wfiil be formally opened to-day and adjourned until 10.30 a.m. on 18th May. Mr Justice Chapman is to preside.. The adjournment has been found necessary owing to the extended sittings of the Court of Appeal. To-morrow morning,. Mu Justice Cooper will pass sentence on Arthur Beeson for defamatory libel, and on William George Tustim for breac lies; of the Bankruptcy Act..

14was stated in the treasurer's report at the meeting of the Wellington Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association on Frid:y night that the total receipts from tl.e New Zealand championship meetirg amounted to £244' Ms 9d,. and the disuissments'.to £146>16s 3d,, lea-wag a net profit of £97 14s 6d, half of which went to the Amateur Athletic Association,, less- two. guineas-* the value of an unallotted silver medal and standard badges and caps. Should Parliament approve of t» e item, of £250 on the. annual appiapriation of the Defence Department fur rifle prizea for shooting, open to volunteers only,, the following, will be the conditions of competitions to take place for the year ending 28th February next: —Mounted Rifles, infantry and defence cadets only to compete; £73 6s 4d; toi be apportioned to the Wellington . distriot; and amounts to be awarded by officers in small prizes according to results obtained in the annual course of target practice in the following order:— First-class shots, 15? per cent.; second-class shots, 30 per cent; recruits, 20 per cent-

This evening Mr Hi N. Holmes comes to Masterton from the Wellington Y.M.C.A. to assist; further in the campaign for funds to support a local organising secretary. To-mor-row the committee originally appointed to conduct the campaign will wait upon those sympathisers' with tha Association who have not" yet been approached. As over half the money required has already been promised, little difficulty is anticipated in obtaining guarantors for the balance. As the Association is doing a large amount of practical work in Masterton, having some fifteen different organisations at work,.it is deserving of hearty support. . Mr Holmes returns to Wellington to-morrow-afternoon.

Mr R. Brown, land and estate agent, Masterton, has several town properties for sale or lease.

Messrs W. B. Chennolls- and Co., Ltd., ad/ertise for immediate sale a valuable property within easy reach of.the Masterton Post Office.. Mr F. P. Welfh advertises for sale several fresh properties which have been placed in his hands for. immediate sale, and offers for a client an equity of £l5O for £IOO. ""he large chromo pictures of the Rimutaka incline, now on sale at Mr C. C. Aitken's Mastertonpremises,., are meeting with ready, sale.. As only a ctrtain number have been allotted to Masterton, intending purchasers should make an early call.

Mr H. T» Wood, chemist and.optician, has the. necessary scientific instruments for determining and correcting all. defects of vision. suffering from eye troubles should call upon Mr Wood for advice. Mr A. W. Martin, controller for Australasia for Dr J. A. Sherman's method of curing rupture;, can be consulted daily at the Hotel Cecil, Wellington, during the present month.. He will forward to any address, free of cost, a book, entitled "A warning and guide to the Ruprtured."