LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3222, 21 June 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A company is being formed at Wairoa, Hawke's Pay, to supply the town with electric light. Mr Andrew Hunter has exchanged his farm at Mount Stewart, Sanclon, for Mr G. Death's at Cambridge, near Hamilton. The Christchurch Gas Company has decided to increase the price of gas on the basis of 6d per 1,000 feet, as from July Ist. It is understood that no more of the co-operative labourers are to be discharged from the works on the Stratford-Ongarue line. Coal, wages, wear and . tear, and other items are said to bring up the cost of running the Auckland-Wel-lington express to £I,OOO weekly. The latest return from the Worksop dredge is 40oz lldwts for the week. A report received from the dredgemaster states that the wash is "making," and better returns may be anticipated. An epidemic of jaundice amongst I the children of several households in ' Warkworth and Dome Valley, Aucki land, has caused some perturbation. | One theory has been advanced that it is a form of influenza. •

Evidence of the scarcity of employment iu the Dominion is supplied by the fact that over 40 applications have been received from all parts of the country for the position of caretaker of the'' Westport Club at £BO a year.

Amy Bock, who received a sentence of two years, and was declared an habitual criminal, is serving her sentence in the Dnnedin f gaol. Should she earn good conduct marks, her sentence will expire in a year and six months, when she will be sent to a reformatory prison.

Mount Egmont is remarkably free from snow this season of the year. Many people are inclined to become anxious, feeling that it is the Warmth of the mountain that is malting the snow, and that Egmont, like Ngauruhoe, will become active. It is rather remarkable that whilst Egmont is remarkably clear Ruapehu is more than half covered in snow.

Mr J. Hessey, of Masterton, who has been to Waikaia inspecting the Masterton Dredge, in his report to the directors, he states that the present width of the face'that the dredge is working on is about seven chains, and fair returns revising from 40oz to sUoz may be expected therefrom. He estimates that it will take the dredge five years to "work out" the ground ahead of her. This appears to be a very satisfactory report, and shareholders may congratulate themselves on havin? such a good property.

It has been stated that some licensees in what will soon be "dry" districts intended having convivial "celebrations" on the fateful 30th inst., after closing time. However, says the "Post," Inspector Ellison point" out that although the hotels will close at 10 o'clock as usual, on the last day of the month, the licenses will not actually expire until midnight on tnat date, and that, therefore, any persons found on licensed premises without lawful excu»e during the two dying hours, ara liable to the usual penalty.

During the course of a lecture in Dunedin, last week, Mr Clement Wragge said he had been very much struck with a certain feature of colonial architecture. The peculiarity,, was "spikes." Every house had one —sometime half-a-dozen usually with a little bail on tha top. These were specially noticeable in the Nor*'h Island. M»- Wragge then said this was a relic of the old sun worship ot the Lemurians, the race of people which once occupied a great ! continent, of which New Zealand and other islands are the remnants.' These people worshipped the sun, and the ball on the spike was simply the continuation of the custom of worship. A meeting was held at Dunedin last week to consider the question of sending a team to compete at Sydney at the Jubilee rifle meeting in addition to the team selected by the New Zealand Association. Feeliag was not antagonistic to the selection made by the Association, but it was thought they could select a team in Otagoand Southland which would be a credit to the province. The cost was computed at,about £3OO. After discussion the meeting was adjourned to ascertain whether the leading j 15 or 20 shots in Otago and Southland I could go, and whether the men select- | ed would be competent to compete in all matches, including the Empire match, a:i also whether they could have the sanction of the New Zealand Defence Association. The provisions for the "gradual abolition of barmaids made in the new South Australian Licencing Act, which came into operation at the end of last year, have proved effective in keeping many girls out of bar?. Notwithstanding, about 400 barmaids have secured certificates of registration. The Act provides that after March 31st no female other than the wife or daughter of the licensee, except registered barmaids, shall serve liquor. The qualification for registration is not less than three months' service in a bar prior to the passing of the Act. At the first meeting of the Licensing Bench over three hundred women secured certificates, and at the first quarterly meeting held last week, fifty-two more applications were dealt with. The qualifications had all been inquired into by the police, and where bona fide, registration was granted. The Bench refused twelve applications because the applicants failed to prove they had complied with the service requirements.

It is reported that that portion of the Rakautatahi block, Norsewood, which it has been decided to open for settlement, will be balloted for in October.

The mails which left Wellington on the 27th May by the s.s. Manapouri, and connected at Papeete with the Mariposa, arrived at San Francisco on the 18th instant—due date.

The boom in' dairying lands in Taranaki still continues. A farm at Okaiawa just changed hands at £45. A fifty-five acre property at Waihi has been leased at £2 5s an acre, two hundred acre farms at Manaia at 38s each, and seventyseven acres at Kaponui at 37s (to a Wellington policeman.) , The plantations in the Scarborough nursery, which was established by the Government near Seddon, but was abandoned as a nursery last year, are now in a ruined condition. The property covers about 120 acres, about 30 acres of which are under plantations, and the whole of it has been let for grazing purposes. The following officers have been elected for the ensuing term in connection with the, Masterton Foresters' Lodge:—C.R., Bro. Knowlesj S.C.R , Bro. Shinnick; Secretary, Bro. Darroch; Treasurer, Bro. Candy; S. W., Bro. Blinkhorne; J.W., Bro. Rue; S.B , bro. Murphy; J. 8., Bro. Brassell; Minute Secretary, Bro. Gardner; Auditor, I Bro. Gardner.

In regard to the Solicitor-General's journey to England, it is understood i that the claim—said to amount to about half a million—brought against the New Zealand Government, is from a citizen of the United States, and that it dates back to the very earliest days of the'colony At that time a large area of land of,' Auckland was purchased for the usual "blanket and beads" by an individual who hailed from America. The transaction was not recognised by the Government when the Government had any say in the matter, and the land, instead of being given back to , the Maoris, was retained by the Crown. The'negotiations on the sub-* ject have been proceeding, at intervals, ever since, and the result is that the United States Government has taken up the cudgels on behalf of the claimant. The following is the statement of Anketell Bros., farmers, Masterton, who have filed a petition in bankruptcy:—Unsecured creditors, £B7B 19s 3d; secured creditor*, £2,157; estimated value of securities, £3,300; assets,. goodwill on 200 acres of leasehold at Taratahi, £22; surplus from securities in the hands of secured creditors, £1,143; total assets, £1,343; estimated surplus, £464 0s 9d. The secured creditors are as follow: —F. J. Pownall (Wellington), £95, estimated value of security, £IOO. Graham and Co. (Masterton), £227, security £750; C. Wyeth and W. B. Chennells (Masterton), £l,llO, security £1,400; J. Brown (Carterton) and F. Townshend (Wellington), £725. security £1,050. Alfred Anketell's statement in his separate estate is as follows:—Unsecured creditors, £3OO 11a; secured creditors, £4l; asset?, four horses, ten rams, one reaper and binder, one double furrow plough and one fee of harness, £94; book debts estimated to produce £10; interest in leasehold at Taratahi, £200; Burplus from securities in hands of the credit tors, £5; estimated surplus, £9 lis. Massey Harris Co., Ltd., Christchurch, are the only secured creditors for £4l, value of security £46. John Anketell's statement* in his private estate is as follows:—Unse-:ur<id creditors, £179 15s lid; assets, fittings and tools, £25; library, £3O; total, £55; deficiency, £ll4 15s lid. There are no secured creditors. A reward is offered for the recovery of a blue overcoat lost on Saturday on the Upper Plain road. Messrs Abraham and Williams, Ltd., report the sale of the draught stallion "Dominion," offered on Saturday. The price realised was £34. Particulars of a number of good farm properties are advertised by Mr P. Tullock, latsd Paisintua.

The sale of furniture at the* Occidental Hotel, to-morrow, will be one of tha moat attractive held in M«sterton for a considerable time. Owing to the very large number of lines to be submitted the sale will commence at 12 o'clock noon. The goods will be on view during the morning of sale. Book-lovers, teachers, mechanics and the managers of country libraries, will be interested in the inset which is circulated vvitn this isiue on account of Messrs S. and W. Maekay, Queen street, Masterton. The fhm are offering exceptional discounts on all chsses of books, and there is a large stock suited for general reading, and for those interested in mechanics and technical subjects. With regard to the stofik of fancy goods, the firm state that they will not carry these goods and offer all the lines in stock on such terms that hawkers and small storekeepers will tincl it to their advantage to call and make extensive purchases.