LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3081, 31 December 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Wairarapa Age will not be published to-morrow (New Year's Day).

Rifleman R. J. King, of the Opaki Club, will be, a competitor at the AucKland Rifle Association's meeting to be held on Friday and Saturday.

Mr W.- Rayner, of West Taratahi. has a rape field "of 130 acres in extent, which is probably the finest crop in the district. Shearing is now completed throughout the Forty-mile Bush districts Sheep have shorn well, the fleecej being bright, lustrous and heavy in grease.

Thomas Ryan, alias O'Brien, was sentenced to one month's imprisonment for vagrancy at the Masterton Court yesterday, by Messrs T. Wagg and J.'H. Pauling, J.'sP.

Mr Snow, Government surveyor, ha-! just finished taking the levels and estimates of th. j unfinished portion of the Brancepeth - Waikaraka road. When this road is finished it will shorten the distance netween Masterton and the Coast by thirteen miles. Our Carterton correspondent write? as follows:—The s,s. Paparoa, which is reported by cable to have put into Cape tk ye Wand with fire in No. 3 hold, has Carterton cheese on board to the value of £3,200, which is covered by insurance effected in Wellington by the National Dairy Association The Masterton police are in possession of a photograph of the man who was murdered in Courtney Place, Wellirgton,. on Saturday night last. A number of persons who have seen the photograph state that the face was a familiar one in Masterton, but they are unable to say what his name was. The Langdale Settlement is lookin;? first - class this summer, writes a correspondent. Although many Opposition politicans predicted that his settlement would be as great a failure as Pomahaka was in its early days, Langdale has proved to be a first-class investment, and next to Teneatua (Bay of Plenty) the most prosperous Government settlement in the North Inland.

A combined meeting of the ladies' and men's divisions of the Masterton branch of St. John's Ambulance Brigade will be held in the Dominion Hall on Wednesday evening next, when the coming season's syllabus will be drawn up. Discussion will also take place upon the proposed bazaar to be held in May next, for the purpose of providing funds for establishing a district nurse in Masterton. As stated in these columns previously Lady Plunket will extend her patronage to th.3 bazaar. Mr C. F. B. Livesay, Architect of Wellington, has moved to more conveniens rooms in the National Mutual Chambers, Customhouse Quay, (adjoining the Head Office of the Bank of N.Z.) Address— P.O. Box 771. Telephone 2692. Messrs Hansen and Co, General Merchants, Shortland, Thames, N.Z., say—- " From our experience in selling Chamber lain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy, we are satisfied that a few doses of it is sufficient to cure anyone suffering from colic, diarrhoea, or pains in the stomach.' For sale by all chemists and storekeepers"

Most of the oat crops in the Whareama district are being attacked by swarms of caterpillars, which necessitates immediate cutting. All the crops of oats are fairly heavy.

The following have been selected to represent the Masterton Fire Police at the Fire Brigade's Demonstration at Auckland: —Lieut. L. H. Lewis, Constables Butcher, C. Braggins, J. Butcher, E. Livermore, F. Fear; emergency, R. Russell. Mr J. Fraser, Government Valuer, is at present engaged assessing land values in the Te Whiti Riding. A property-owner informed a "Wairarapa Age" reporter that on some of the firsSclass land, values have gone up from £8 to £lO per acre.

There is a remarkable abundance of feed throughout the Forty'mile b'ush district just now, and rape, crops are well forward. As a consequence all store lambs offering there have been readily bought up. Store cattle are also mpeting with ready demand.

A very fine crop of potatoes, thirtyfive acres in extent, is to be seen on Mr W. L. Falconer's property at the Fernridge. The crop is in forward condition and perfectly free from blight or any other disease peculiar to potatoes. A gentleman well acquainted with the meat-frpezing industry, when seen by a Hawke's Bay "Herald" representative on luesday night, said he had heard a rumuur that butchers at works throughout the Dominion intended to strike for highc-r wages early in the new year, but he had no knowledge of any such movement confined to Hawke'3 Bay.

A stock buyer, who is in a position to speak accurately upon the subject, stated to a Wairarapa Age representative that it is generally anticipated that half a million more fat lambs will be sent Home this year in excess of last year's return. He said that he knew of instances in this district in which farmers had already sent forward eighty per cent, of their lambs to the freezing works.

The forthcoming carnival in connection with the Wairarapa Amateur Swimming Club, to be held on the Park Lake on January 22nd, promises to be thoroughly successful. The Secretary has received intimation from various prominent swimmers in the North Island who will be competing at the carnival. There are sure to be large entries for the club events.

The Opaki Rifle Club has now won the North Island Championship Teams Match three times.in succession, No. 1 team, consisting of Riflemen Henry, Feast, King, Cameron and Hyde, having secured it recently at Wanganui with a score of 1,326. The trophies now' held by members of this Club embrace the New Zealand Championship Belt, North Island Championship Belt, Wairarapa Championship Shield, Hawki's Bay Championship Belt and innumerable gold medals and o*her trophies. Lieut. Knox, R.N., the organising lecturer of the Navy League, will be passing through Masterton from Wanganui about January 21st or 22nd. Ijt is understood that Lieut. Knox is willing to deliver a lecture in Masterton, and the Mayor, Mr P. L. Hollings, is to be approached with the object of having a public meeting called after the holidays to discuss the matter. Lieut. Knox is a brilliant speaker, and wherever he has delivered addresses in New Zealand he has been enthusiastically received.

At the Wanganui Rifle Association's meeting, at which Rifleman J. Henry, of the Opaki Rifle Club, won the North Island Championship Belt, he established what must be a record for the Dominion. He won three matches out of four, taking £2O in cash, a gold medal and the Champion Belt. During the shooting a heavy right tricky wind was blowing, but nevertheless Rifleman Henry put up a score of 32 per range for seven shots, and 48 per range for ten shots. This is a remarkanly gocd score. Rifleman Faast, another member of the Opaki Club, who secured second place, also shot exceedingly well.

Mr W. E. Hyslop, representative for the "Triumph Motor Cycles," accompanied by Mr H. L. Shaeffer, of Hastings, left Masterton yesterday afternoon on their motora, en route for Wellington. It is their intention to establish a motor cycle record from Wellington to Napier, a distance of !!30 miles. They propose to lunvc the Empire Oity Po3t Office at 4 o'clock to-morrow morning, and expect to arrive in Napier about 1 p.m. The machines will be sealed before leaving Wellington. Petrol consumption will be taken,into consideration, and the timc3 will be checked at the different towns through which they pass. The following donations have been made to the Mascei-ton Hospital: C.S., £2; Mrs Alfred Caselberg, fruit; Mrs J, Caselberg, sweets; Mrs W. H. Hosking. toys; Miss Vallance, toys; Mifcs Cress, books; Miss Thorn ■ as, toys; Miss Keith, cakes; Miss Von Keisenberg, toys; Miss Payne, toys; Mrs C. F. Vallance, sweets, etc; Mrs Sutton, toys; Mrs Winchester, cakes; Mrs Cameron, Opaki, pooks and toys; Mrs Mason, Taueru, books; Mrs H. Holmes and children, books and tuys. The school children, Taueru, flowers; Mrs W. H. Jackson, flowers; Rev. Hodge, cake; Mr Reid Coffee Palace, pair geese; Mr Rothenberg, toys; Mr J. D. Cruickshank, sweets, etc.; Mr J. Candy, toys; Mr Charman, toys; Messrs McLeod and Young, toys; Mr Egar, toys; Miss Millar, Kopuaranga, donation to fund; Mrs Ashton, toys.

Ever since the world began, man has been contriving instruments for the reproduction of sound. Nature's sweetest music—the sighing of wind through reeds, the laughter of a brook, or the lapping of waves—these have caused m°n to stop and pondt r. Wo see the result in such instruments as the violin, the harp, the flute. But the most ell'ective of ali, perhaps, is the P ano. Imprisoned within its four walls, hide the magic works which breathe forth enchanting harmonies. Just to run one'd fingers along the keys of an instrument such as the Broad wood, the Bonisch. the Lipp or the Steinway is a supreme delight. The Dresden Piano Co., Ltd., Wellington, who are agents for these, and, indeed, every instrument of high repute, will gladly tell you about their easy timepayment system, which makes it simple for everyone to possess this king of instruments, the piano. Local representative, Mr T. B. Huntor. 4

Several members of the Masterton Mounted Rifles intend taking part in the rifla competitions to be held at Trentham to-morrow.

The unmetalled portions of the Blairlogie-Homewood road are now being metalled. Mr Cameron is carrying out the work.

A procession of pipers in connection with the Caledonian Sports will leave the Post Office at .10 o'clock sharp to-morrow morning for the grounds.

% Mr M. Elgar, owner of Waikaraka station, got 81 per cent, of his lambs away as fats in the first "cut." This is a rather creditable performance for his manager, Mr Barclay, and possibly is a record.

The s.s. Kahu, landed goods and shippad wool at Uriti yesterday. The boat was anchored all day on Tuesday, but on account of the heavy north-west gale blowing was only able to take on board two loads of wogj: ~^ The following re-h~ndicaps in connection with the Caledonian Society's Sports on New Year's Day have been declared by the handicapper, Mr Ulic Shannon:—22o Yards Handicap J. White, 2 yards. 440 Y?rds Handicap—L. Alzdorf, 5 yards. 880 yards Handicap—L. Alzdorf, 10 yards. A farmer writes in reference to the aheep-stealing intelligence published in our issue of yesterday:— "The reference you have made to the theft of sheep in this district was well timed, and will be productive of good. There is no doubt that 'sheep lifting' is going on. To my own knowledge a number of farmers at the Lower Manaia, abuut twelve months ago suffered heavy loss, and it was only when they combined, and offered a decent monetary inducement for a conviction, that the depredations ceased. Farmers should take combined and vigorous action to put an end to the career of the sheep thief r and the only way to deal with the matter, with any hope of success, is to appoint a private detective, one thoroughly conversant with earmarks and the flocks of the district. This has been tried in other parts of the Dominion in year 3 gone by, and invariably proved effective in stopping the loss of sheep through theft."

Mr F. P. Welch has vacancies for all classes of labourers.

Tenders are invited by the'Masterton Borough Council for trenching for gas mains.

A good capable working manager for hill country is required by an advertiser.' 1 It is an excellent position for a suitable man.