LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3183, 7 May 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The latest return from the Mystery Flat dredge Js soz ISdwts for 138 hours work. The return from the Masterton dredge is 28ozs 4dwts for the week. The three vacancies in the Greytown Borough' Council have been filled, Messrs F. Hayes, W. Brunton and Percy Rogers being the new councillors. The County Engineer is at present making a preliminary survey of the northern approach, with a view to submitting a report to the Masterton County Council on the matter. The "meet" of the Wairaoapa Hunt Club, which was to have been held at Tinui yesterday, was postponed. The next hunt will take place at Blairlogie on Saturday next. Next Saturday will probably see the conclusion of the bowling season in Masterton. A meeting of the Committee will be held this evening, when matters in connection with closing the green for the winter will be discussed. It has been definitely decided to hold a Pigeon Show in Masterton under the auspices of the local Homing Pigeon Club. The performances of the successful b.irds will be attached to the various pens in the show. A similar show was held in Wellington recently, and proved a great success.

There are at present eight patients in the Greytown Hospital. The Wairarapa Racing Club made a profit of £290 Is 2d on their autumn meeting. It is reported that Mr Coleman Phillips will oppose Mr G. A. Fairbrother for the Carterton Mayoralty. There were nine births, two deaths, and one marriage in Featherston during April. Some enjoyable games were played on th2 bawling green yesterday afternoon. Four rinks were occupied, and keen compaction resulted. Game is reported to be plentiful this season in the Lower Valley, and a number of record bags have been secured. The wholesale price of butter in Wellington has advanced a Id per pound. The wholesale price is now ll£d, and the retail price Is Id. A trapper in the Waikaka district the other morning found thirteen cats in his traps, and on the following day fourteen weasels, some of them dead.

fAt a meeting of the general committee of the Carterton Bowling Club, on Wednesday evening, writes our Carterton correspondent, it was decided to close the green on the 27th. when a match President v. Past President will be played. As the Masterton Homing. Pigeon Club's season has practically concluded, the officials are making preparations to hold a social, at which the trophies and certificates won by the successful competitors will be presented. Yesterday morning, at 6.10 o'clock, a man named Kailton Rodgers fell dead on the footpath in Taranaki street, Wellington, while conversing with an acquaintance. Heart disease is the supposed cause of death. The keen interest taken in homing pigeon races in Masterton was fully evidenced by the race from Palmer- , ston North yesterday afternoon. Th°.re were no Jess than eighty separate entries for the event, the "Ladies' Bracelet" race. Competition was keen, and the birds finished in remarkably good time. Some wonderful stories are told in regard to the number of black swans at the Chatham Islands, says the "Lyttelton Times." These birds were introduced on the islands about 15,1 years ago, and they are now present in countless numbres. A gentleman who visited the islands was told by another visitor that he had seen the birds sitting nine Jeep in a great continuous line several miles long.

Miss.Nellie Stewart did a gracefuf thing on her opening night at Melbourne AH Saturday afternoon a crush had waited for the doors of the gallery to open. They would have gone tealess for the sake of seeing Miss Stewart, had the latter sent out to the caterer for tea and cakes for the weary, patient girls. When the first refreshments arrived, there were only 5u girls, but in the end, states the "Australasian," over 300 people—not all theatre-goers—feast-ed at Miss Stewart's expense.

One of the latest forms of amusements to be inaugprated at private parties in New Plymouth is a ohonograph record competition. The idea if given effect to would very soon enable anyone who has gone tr> the expense ot obtaining a machine to get a good big collection of'records at a tiring cost campared with what would have to be paid for them in the ordinary way. Each guest is supposed to take a record and to the lady or gentleman who introduces the best, a prize is awarded, the records of course remaining with the host or hostess as the case itoay be.

In leplv to a soeech made bv Sir Joseph Ward which appeared in the press, in which the Premier stated that possibly one of the coming retrenchments would be that the local bodies might be required to make tbeir own valuations, and the present system would be a mistake, and stating further that, as the work done by the Valuation Department has proved satisfactory in everyway, and the cost 19 less than it would be if local bodies made tbeir own valutaions, the Hawke's Bay County Council had passed a resolution respectfully asking the Government to continue the existing system.

Mr Francis William Manning:, formerly manager of <he Queensland Meat Export Works, has returned to Brisbane after spending seven years in the Argentine. In the course of an interview he said that from the factory which he controlled, 40,000 tons of meat was shipped annually The output of his factory last year was 580,000 sheep and 90,000 cattle. The feature of the Argentine meat trade was the immense amount of chilled meat shipped as compared with frozen meat. "There is a movement," said Mr Manning, "to try and send chilled meat from Australia to England. IVy opinion is this can only be done by the use of some pat l ent process. 1 was the first in the Argentine to use the new Linley process for the safe carriage of chilled meat. It proved a great success. I believe in the near future chilled meat will be successfully carried from Australia to England by such a process. Ido not think Australia could possibly compete successfully with Argentine in the Home market.s."

The Australian Postmaster-General (Mr Thomas) has written to Dr. Coulter, Deputy Postmaster-Genera] of Canada, a second letter concerning the proposed All Red route. Mr Thomas states that the Commonwealth Government is willing to appoint a representative to attend the contemplated conference, and that the representative will be instructed to urge that the steamships to be employed in the All Red service should be owned by the several Governments concerned. "It seems to me," Mr Thomas has said, "somewhat of an absurdity that we should put on Customs duties in Australia to keep out Canadian products, and that they should put on duties in Canada to keep out Australian products, and *hat a proposal should be made to subsidise steamers to carry trade against these hindrances. It would seem that we should have some form of preferential arrangemant between this country and Canada, in order to make the staemer service a success.

A second bowling club is to be started at Palmerston North. A party of six guns is stated t® have secured 295 ducks at the Wax—pukurau lakes. A woman named Mrs O'Connor has been elected to a seat on the Taihape School Committee. The Kailway Department have decided to construct an overhead bridge at Dannevirke Station, much to the disappointment of ths townspeople, who desired a subway. Mr Clement Wragge says fine winter weather will soon occur with frosts inland. Horticulturalists should take steps to protect tender plants. Dr. Gibb, of Wellington, has re--1 ceived an annual contribution of £l5O from an anonymous giver for the Presbyterian Church Extension Fund. At a municipal electioneering meeting in Devonport, Auckland, a speaker is report ad by the Auckland "Herald" to have said:-"I am speaking as truthfully as I can.'* There was applause.

There was a large attendance at ths meeting of the men's division of St. John Ambulance Brigade in the Dominion Hall last evening. The business included.the arangement of the syllabus for the winter practices. Yesterday afternoon, on the Carter-* ton bowling green, Messrs F. Kawlings and C. J! De Lacey (holders) defeated Messrs Alex J.* Lindop and W. J. Hill (challengers) by 30 to 16. Ferns, writes our Carterton correspondent. A little girl named Prentice, of Newman (Forty Mile Bush), on Thursday attempted to nail a detonator to a piece of wood. The result was an explosion, and the child received minor wounds on the arms and legs. The gold chain and locket stolen from the jockey's dressing-room at the receut Patea rsce meeting, held at Hawera, have been traced through the instrumentality of the police, and have been found in the pcssession of a person named Albert Scott at Chriatchurch, who has been arrested. Some membHrs of the Labour Party expect a rather stormy session. The Opposition have ticketed a compact block of seats on the left of the Speaker. Good progress is being made with the alterations to the Parliament building, and there is every probability that they will be completed in time for the opening of the session. A witness, a horse-trainer, giving evidence in the Palmerston North Court the other day, stated that he had seven horses in training. Each brought him in £2 per week, or a total of £56 for a month. It cost him £54 for the upkeep of the horsey leaving a profit of 40s for the month. He told the court that at the lowest it costs 10s per week to feed a racehorse.

The Carterton Fire Brigade held its monthly meeting orr Wednesday evening, when it'was decided, writes our correspondent, to hold a Fire Brigade Ball on Thursday, June 24th. Messrs E. H. and N. McKenzie, W. H. Baillie, McGuinness, and Sadler were appointed a committee to make arrangements in connection therewith. Three" new members were elected. 'lhe medals won by Lieutenant Jackson's team were presented to th 6 winners. Mr W. E. Bidwill presided at a meeting of stewards of the Wairarapa Racing Club on Tuesday afternoon last. It was decided to place the names of' two trainers on the defaulters' list. Applications are to be invited for the position of caretaker at the Tauherenikau course. The chairman gavo notice to move that the following be added t"< rule 2* section 30, referring to more than one horse being entered by one owner being bracketed on® the fcotalisator: —"Also more than one horse entered from the same stable. " A very enjoyable social and dance was held in Lin Foresters' Hall last evening, by the Court Loyal Enterprise, A.0.F., about fifty couples being? present. Tha. floor was in first-class order, and the music was supplied by Mr T. Fawcett, extras being.'played by Messrs F. McKenzie (2'-. and R. Mcintosh. Mr A. Chapman mad 3 a capable 'M.C. A firstclass supper was Drovided, and much appreciated by the dancers. The success of the function was in a large measure due to the secretaries, Messrs V. G. Darroch and J. Rue. The Treasurer of the Masterton Hospital (Mr J. C. Bod;lingtonl acknowledges with thanks the receipt of .£4O 6s 6d from the Mayoress .of Masterton (Mrs P. L. Rollings), to ba applied with the Government subsidy of £4B 7s 9d, for the purpose of installing and maintaining a bed in the Hospital with a ruitahle inscription to be railed the "Hope Jacobs Memorial Bed " The Treasurer also acknowledges with thanks the receipt of a donation of ,£lO from a "Friend," who does not wish his name mentioned.

The Mayor of a small town in the Nelson district is a kir>dly soul, and he takes a great interest in the local school, says an Nelson paper. Sometimes he "drops in to put a fewquestions to the youngsters," as he terms it. He made, one of these official visits last week. "Now," he said, pointing to the smartest boy of the class before him: "Wnt'a the capital of 'Olland?" "H!" came the reply, like a shot out of a gun, and even the scowl on the face of the young lady teacher failed r to repress the snigger which went rippling round the room. The Electric Operascope Company presented a varied and interesting: entertainment in the Town Hall, last night, to a large audience. The management delighted the audience with choice selection of moving pioturw, in which a total absence of flicker was not the least enjoyable feature. The programme was well arranged, scenic, dramatic, and humorous films being all tastefully exhibited. The star attraction was the "Merry Widow Waltz Craze,' 11 the amusing issues of which evoked from the audience a continual rippla of merriment. "The Aspirator," a clever magical "fake," "Beautiful Biarritz" and "Crossing the Plains," were exceedingly good types in tbeir various classes. As an instructive and always interesting attraction the Operascope Company is well worthy of patronage.

A football match between Carterton and Gladstone is to be played at Carterton to-morrow. The Carterton .junior team will play Dalefield at Dalefield. Mrs Saba and Son, drapers and 'Clothiers, are holding a three days •sale of superior goods in the Public THall at the Taueru. The sale opened 'yesterday afternoon, and continues ijintil to-morrow night. Professor Vear, mental scientist, phrenologist and physiognomist, and Mrs Vear, scientific palmist, may be consulted on questions of health, character, occupation, speculation, etc., at their rooms, 22 Wrigley Street, Masterton. Those who are on the look out for unusual bargains in drapery and clothing should pay a visit to Mr A. Norman's premises, in Queen Street, Masterton. where a great removal sale is now proceeding. The stock 'Comprises new season's goods, imjported specially for the winter trade, ibut in order to substantially reduce the stock previous to removing, Mr INorman has arranged special price reductions. A visit to the premises is quite sufficient to convince, the most sceptical of the remarkable values offering. The goods tre ticketed with the prices ruling elsewhere, aa well as ths sale prices, and the : figures go to prove that quite three shillings in the pound can ba saved : by making purchases now.