LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9138, 14 July 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Jiut now a considerable amount of poisoning is being done by sett-ers in the district, every spell of fine weather being taken advantage of. As feed is shortening the time is ; very opportune for poisoning operations. The new dairy regulations, which will come into force next month, are expe<tci to be gazetted on Thursday, after which copies will probably be available at the local Stock Office. Dairymen are naturally anxious to learn their full responsibilities after August the Ist, as the original schedule gazetted has been materially altered in revision. Mr S. H. Ussher, Stock Inspector for Masterton District, has travelled through the district a great deal lately in connection with the work of this Department. Just now Eketahuna and Mauriceville districts are being visited. On his recent visit to the East Coast he found feed somewhat short, stock were in fair condition.

So far no successor has been appointed to Mr J. Halligan.'late' Rabbit Insoector at Masterton.

The next sitting of the Wairarapa District Court will be held a month hence. So far, no oases, either civil or criminal, are listed for hearing. All the arrangements are complete for the annual social and dance of the Red Star Football Club, which is to be held in the Foresters' Hall this evening:, and the function promises to be a SUCC3SS.

The Masterton County Councilhas 118 bridges over 12ft in length under its jurisdiction, their total length being 7,983 ft, or approximately, 1J miles. The total length of formed cart or dray roads of all classes is 323 miles, the total metalled length being 205J miles The total length of graded and formed bridle roadsjs 16 milep.

"Should the Totalisator bo Abolished?" was the subject of debate at the meeting of the Y.M.U.A. Literary and Debating Society last evening. Mr L. Daniell led in the affirmative, and Mr J. S, Alpass in. the negative. Mr R. Brown, in the chair, acting as referee. After a keen debate in which about a dozen members participated, the affirmative won by the margin of one vote. The plans for the retort house, offices, etc., of Levin gasworks are being prepared in'Masterton, Messrs Varnham and Rose being Jthe architects entrusted with them. The same firm has just completed the plans for the additions to the Greytown Hospital. The new building will have a very handsome facade, and in all respects will have a modern exterior and interior.

"No men wanted at a'l," was the report of a Masterton labour agent to applicants for work yesterday. A Wairar,apa Age reporter, on enquiry at various labour buieaux, found that the labour market was exceptionally slack just now. Contract Bcrub cutting is expected to start in the course of a week or two, however, and this .will absorb a fair amount of unskilled labour. '

In connection with the Maori Home Nursing Guild, recently commenced by Masterton native ladies, it is proposed to send a number of girls to Otaki to be trained in nursing work. These girls Bfter serving a term of practice and theoretical tuition in the work will return to this district, and disseminate the knowledge they have gained among others.

To morrow evening the Opaki Rifle Club will entertain tne late Fairview Club and friends atjits annual soiree. The affair i 3 always an auspicious event, the trophies won during the year being presented to the various winners, and a pleasant, time generally being spent. The function wil take place in the Exchange Hall, and the usual dance will be held elabor-

ate arrangements having been made for the catering and other details.

The recent wet weather has completely ' stopped the progress of the street improvement works at Carterton. A portion of the main street has been ploughed up in readiness for, laying down the asphalt, and the wat.r tables are almost complete.!. Owing to the delay caused by the spell of wet weather, the contractor (Mr Jones) will have a difficulty in getting the contract completed within the specified time.

Knox Church choir intends to maintain its past keen interest in the production of high class sacred music, and special music is to come to hand shortly for various functions. It will be learnt with pleasure by the congregation that the committee are sanguine of having the additions to the Church completed by Christmas, and the new organ installed. A male quartette is the latest thing in connection with the choir, the members of which will shortly begin practice. The anniversary of the induction of the Rev. A. T. Thompson, of Knox Church, is to be celebrated a fortnight from next Sunday by special services in the Church. The Rev. J. Gibson-Smith, of Wellington, will preach, and the choir will render appropriate music. During his visit the Rev. Gibson-Smith is to deliver an addrees tc Knox Church Youog People's Association, entitled "An Evening with Tennyson," an address for which the Hev. lecturer has earned something of a reputation.

The monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the I'.M.C.A. was held test night, Mr P. L Hollings in the chair. A letter was received from Mr Webster (Melbourne), who had teen offered the Secretaryship of the Association, stating that hd coula not accept the position. The matter was left in the hands of the President and Secretary to confer with Mr H. N. Holmes with a view to engaging a Secretary in Wellington. new members .were elected.

Mr A. B ■ Charters received word yesterday morning from the chairman of the Wellington Education Board that leave of absence would be granted to allow him to referee in the British-Taranaki footliall match, at New Plymouth. The British team asked for Mr Charters, remarks the "Greytown Standard," but the Education Board would not grant the necessary leave of absence when first applied 'to. Now that another referee ha 3 been appointed, Mr Charters is allowed to go—and only two days before the match!

It was stated at a meeting of the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday that the Wairarapa district was making an attempt to secede from the Wellington Hospital District. Councillors held that if the object was attained the burden would fail more heavily on Horowhenua. At the same time, the view was aleo expressed that Horowhenua should form a separate hospital district. One councillor said that while the Otaki Hospital only cost £1,200 to maintain, the county was contributing: over £2,000 to Wellington. The meeting resolved to send a deputation to Wellington to endeavour to get Horowhenua separated, and, failing this, to prevent Wairarapa seceding. CHICK RAISES. The "A. & P" Chick Raiser is a complete scientifically compounded food for young chicks, and contains all that_ is necessary for building up and rapidly developing the young birds from tho time they are hatched until 5 or six weeks old. Obtainable from the W.F.C.A. Ltd.

The re-planking of the, lower Tau~ herenikau bridge has now beencompleted. A falso alarm of fire was sounded z on the firebells yesterday morning at 6.15 o'clock. It is stated that the destruction of Mr B. Rayner's house at West Tara- • tahi on Sunday morning was caused through the chimney catching alight.. The insurances were £250 on the house and £95 on the furniture in the Royal Insmance Company's Office. Mr J. T. Pratley has resigned hia .. position as Home Missionary, under the control of the Methodist church, Featherston. He leaves for Wellington on Wednesday to take up duties.t in a similar position in a district which includes Wellington and Johnsonville and the intervening portion. Mr 0. N. C. Pragnell has given notice that he will move at the next meeting of the Masterton Trust Lands Trustees the following motion: —"That a committee, comprising Chairman (Mr T. B. Michel!) Messrs W. H. Jackson, E. G. and the mover be set up for the purpose of drawing up standing orders.'" Labour is not so plentiful in Wellington as it was a few days ago, says the "Post." The local bureau can find work for farm hands at from £1 to £1 2s 6d a week. A number of , ' farmers have sent in application for labour. The country work is being • taken up to a large extent by flaxmill handa who have been discharged by the closing of the mills. Burglars entered the Marton Railway Station on Sunday evening, evidently bent on business, Lut were dis- ■ turbed by the early morning goods train to Taihapc;, which left about 3o'clock. A dynamite cap and fuse had., been put in position to blow the safe , open, but were not used. About 10s in silver, a large number of railway stamps and a bicycle are missing.

A meeting of settlers at Taihape resolved to urge the Government., to reserve the native lands in that district for closer settlement, and bring them under the Laijds for Settlement Act at the earliest opportunity; a resolution was tlso • passed urging, that the roads in the district be metalled to enable settlers to get their cream to the creamerien.

A weil-known sawmiller on the West Coast states that the outlook for the eawmilling industry on the • Coast is very gloomy, owing to the - large importations of Oregon pine. He stated that there were very few orders coming to 1 hand, and most of" the mills cutting red pine would have to cease work unless something was done speedily to protect the industry. The business people on the Coast did . not realise the seriousness of the. position, otherwise they would be up-', in arms as a protest. He assured a.,' reporter that orders were placed in ■ Wellington for over 3,300,000 feet of ' Oregon pine to be delivered within three months. , This would seriously ■ affect the export from the Coast . mills, and practically paralyse the industry, i

The police at Timaru on' Sunday night raided a "two-up" school and arrested eight men, who, on being searched, were found to have £l3B in , their possession. They were playing in a hut occupied by a retired railway: . servant named Michael Joffcph Barry. The door was locked, and The police effected an entrance through a window. Some of the constables were , rather badly cut by glas«. The men appeared at the Court yesterdaymorning, when Captain Wray, S.M., said he saw no reason why the maxi--. mum penalty should, not be imposed. ■ Gambling was causing a great deal of distress and immorality in Dominion, and'must be put down with n strong hand. He imposed the maximum fine of £IOO on Barry; . as keeper of a common gaming- ' house, and the maximum (£5 each) on the seven young men who were , cauirht at the <rame.

"The demand for settlement is , ■ still unsatisfied," states the annual report of the Lands Department, .'• "and this is evidenced not only from . the number of applicants during 1907, /-' but the same holda good for those f; lands opened in 1908." There were .;• really three months—November to i* January—during ■■which no lands '■- could be offered for selection, hence' p the total number of selectors, and areas selected do not equal those of l 1906-7. Lands disposed of for cash ■ increased in number and'area, but > this is accounted for by the fact that under a special Act the trustees of V> the Canterbury Agricultural College ,'.; were allowed to purchase two con- '.;. siderable pastoral areas of 16,400 :' acres which intruded their, en* dowments, and were practically in-- 4 i accessible from the Crown's point of '■, view. Sehctions under the renew-<--able lease were made during Ffcbru- _£ ary and March last, both of ordinary ,-■ and settlement lands, 32 selectors ,■ and 3,535 acres repressing the ';' first period and 151 selectors and y 49,100 acres the second period. Of \i the ordinary Crown lands opened '■' under the optional tenure occupation ■', with right of purchase still holds the <; foremost place., ,',

Chatting with a Christchurch. "Star" interviewer on things theatrical Mr Frank Thornton said the last seat-on in England was most disastrous. New plays could not be got, and there was nothing worth havingbeing produced. There was no "honest straight" comedy, and plays that had been put on scon provedl lamentable failures. "When Knights Were Bold," which had been runningsince January 1907, was one of the few exceptions that proved the ruleUnknown authors could find no'mar- , ket, and people still clung to the , shreds of old names, finding soon that the majority of their writings: were poor. Musical comedy was im- . pnving. "The "Mfirry Widow,'*' , "Veronique," and productions of their class were really good comic,, operas, and the standard was improve ing steadily. With regaid to the drama, however, Mr Thornton ', continued, things was very bad, and. ; he quoted as an instance the case . of "The College Widow," an Amerr ,* ican production, which on arrival in -5 London needed eighty supernumer-- ; aries. "Shoals of letters poured in,"' . he said, "from well-known actors and actresses, who were only too glad totake the chance of earning some i money." Australia, Jon the-other:: hand, was over-catered for. Only big- T shows could hope to make money, f The big opera companies went to the 1 small towns and working people could / not support many of them. *

In the Appeal Court, at Wellington, yesterday, the Blackmail miner's case was not proceeded with, as the papers were not ready. The Court adjourned until this morning. . Anxiety is felt for isolated rabbiters in the back country of Otago, where very heavj snowfalls have been experienced. One rabbiter

suffered so severely from exposure that it is feared both his feet will have to be amputated. A Press Association telegram from Invercargill states that Robert Little who ; was brought in from Winton. on Friday afternoon, having slightly cut his throat, appeared before the Court, yesterday, and was remanded. While in the cells at the gaol he tore the bandages off his throat, and attempted to hang himself. He will probably be sent to the

Seacliff Asylum. "Chinese laundries are still a trouble to the inspectors," says the Napier innpector, in the course of his annual report to the Department of Labour. The "Allee same partner" and"Menoundestand English" excuses, he says, are often made. These

men work all hours, their pay is dountful, and the books are (if kept at all) very badly keot. Something needs to remedy this unsatisfactory state of affairs. During the past week business in the produce line in Dunedin has been practically at a standstill, and there is a decided weakness in the oat an I wheat markets. Eggs are in short supply, and the same applies to farmers' butter and well conditioned poultry, which at the present tirr.e wo lid bring record prices. The sup ;ly of fruit is also limited. The we; weather has seriously affected business generally. Mr Hickey. who was one of the pri.ne movers in the Blackball strike, reported by an exchange to have stated at a wharf labourers' meeting at Greymouth that the movement for federation on the West Coast was taking on, and 1,300 workers have voted in favour and 120 against. He himself was against strikes in any form, and he had seen more striken than any one of his age in the Dominion. Any one who had en 'e taken part in a strike did not wish to take part in another. A scheme for linking Hawera with other towns along the South Taranaki Coast by means of an electric tramway has been before the public in that province for some time past. An expert, report on a tramway hetwejn Hawe'ra and Kaupokanui, a great dairying centre, was laid before representatives of the various local bodies and provisionally tip prove I. 'foe latest report states that the project has been abandoned for the time hein.r at any rate. Proposals for a.new scheme may be formulated latec '

"Ifc is pleasing 'o find," says the Secretary for Labour, in his annual repor\ "that the shearer nowadays is ropoit.'d'tty most employers to be superior to the shearer of a few years ago. The men performing this work not; only do a better day's work, but exp3--t to be iraated with more I consideration, especially in the matter of accommodation, than that formerly shown. Some employers • have bean successful, by showing fair and generous treatment to their shearers, in getting the same men year after year to perform their work, and the result has proved mutually satisfactory." ! A3 the Federal Government's naval programme includes the provision of a certain number of submarines, considerable interest was evinced by the Defence Department last week (remarks the "Melbourne Age" of the 29th June) in the arrival of inform- | ation to the effect that a new type of submarine had been launched a month ago by Messrs Vickers, Sons and Maxim, at Barrow. As Commander Clarkson is to proceed a' once to England in the discharge of various missonr. for the Government, he will be instructed by the Minister to report upon the new submarine. According to information published by the press of trn north of England, the vessel U a great advance on its predecessors. The bonts built hitherto have had one torpedo tube forward and one propeller. The v new_ boat, which is larger in every way, is said to possess four torpedo tubes—two forward and tuo aft—and twin scrowa. It is understood that there will be no conning tower. When on the surface of the water the whole of the top struct iro will be visible for about two feet. The buildi >g of the new boat has been done most secretly, and the pla':o wnere she is? now being turned out is baricaded round. A gentleman seeks private board and residence. An advertiser wants to hire ahorse and gig. A strong smart lad is wanted for the drapery business. Particulars of a bay mare impounded from th« Carterton road aie advertise J by the poundkeeper. Nurse? McWhinnie and Newell ainouire thai; (hey have opened a m iternity home at 21, Cole street, Masterton.

Messrs W. B. ,Chennells and Co. have a number of house properties to let. Particulars will be found on page 8 of this issue. Gas consumers are reminded that to-morrow (Wedn33(lay) is the last day on which discount will be uliowed op current accounts. Mr Alfred Perry, auctioneer and land agent, Huntervilb. advertises particulars of a dairy farm of 280 acres place;! in his hands for sale. Tendors are invited, to close at noon on Thursday next for trenching frr gas mains f.)r (he Masterton Borough Council. On pnge 8 of this issue Mr J. R. Nicol advertises particulars of a number of farm properties that should interest those in search of good farms at moderate prices. Mr J. A. Leahy announces that ho hns purchased the ca':> and carrying business for manv yoaw carried on by Messrs A. E. Jones and Co., Dixon and Cricket Streets. Mr Leahy's practical experioncj in the business will enable him to give personal attention to all clients' requirements. Messrs Jones and Co. also insert a notice of thanks for past support, and solicit a continuance for their successor. Mr C. F. E. Livoaay, Architect of W,l- ---• lington, Ims moved to more convenient rooms in the National Mutual Chambers. Customhouse Quay, (adjoining the Head Oifico of the BankofN.Z,) Address— P.O. Box 771. Telephone 2692.