LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9564, 10 August 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Masterton Lawn Tennis Club has a membership of 160. Mr J. C. Williamson's "Englishman's Home" Company will visit Masterton on Wednesday, October 13tfc An important meeting of the Wellington Farmers' Co-operative **~ Freezing Company js to>" d " neJd "* to day. A directorate will to***}** 'at the meeting. The annual general meeting of members of the Masterton Lawn | Tennis Club will be held in the Masterton Technical School, Dixon street, at half-past four o'clock this (Tuesday) afternoon. It, is the intention of the Royal Orange Institution of New Zealand to open a branch of that Lodge in Masterton, and a ceremony to give effect to same will be held in Masterton on Saturday, August 21st. It is anticipated that a large number of members of the various Wellington branches of the Lodje will be in attendance. A record for quick selling was established by Mr 0. H. Porritt at his sale of cows on Wednesday, says the Manawatu "Standard." This auctioneer sold 64 cows in the first 60 minutes, and 269 head in four and a-half hours. The cows were all sold singly, and the prices obtained were also in the nature of a record. Of course the* arrangements were favourable, and they made quick selling possible, but all the same the record would be hard to beat.

Richard Thcmas Power, a young man, was arrested by Detectives Hammond and Cameron late on Satur* day night on a charge of burglaryf He bad skeleton keys and a bag op coppers when coming out of a shoe in Willis street. 'At the Policd Court, yesterday, - t he was charge? on ten informations with breakind and entering various premises, anon one information with, theft. To the latter charge he pleaded guilty. He stated that the skeleton keys found in his possession would open the doors of all the premises mentioned in the informations. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence on a charge of stealing. •£s£?

The well-known Salvation Army organisation—Perry's Biorama— will commence a season of three nights at the Masterton Town Hall, on Saturday evening next. Brigadier Perry is a cinematograph expert, whose services [in securing animated pictures have often been requisitioned by the New Zealand Government, and he is bringing with him on this occasion an interesting series ofnew film*. The Company numbers about twenty and includes some fine instrumentalists. The entertainment given by the Company is highly spoken of by the Press and public alike, and record houses have been met with everywhere. In the past the name "Perry" has been synonymous with all that is best in the cinematographic art, and no doubt the forthcoming season by the Biorama Company will prove hitrhly \ successful. i

All that is left of the Elginshire, I which was wrecked off Kingsdown, below Timaru, more than seventeen years ago, is gradually disappearing from view, says the "Timaru Herald.") At high tide now the seas break right over the wreck, and what decking and timber of any sort hab managed to hold on for so long is being broken away by the sea, and washed jup on the beach. A very noticeable fact regarding the wreckage that is coming ashore is the excellent condition of the paint and varnish on the woodwork. On .<* piece of cabin fittings the paint looks remarkably fresh after seventeen and a-half years' exposure. There have been some fairly stiff seas lately, and high and dry on the beach is to be seen a solid iron awning far a ship/a;.'.;stairwayj. weighing about two tons"/ or perhaps more, which must have required considerable force to move. This has been occupied as a home by two penguins, who have taken up their quarters there.

John Cheyne, storekeeper at Utrt* wai, was thrown from a horse yester* day and killed. A sharp shock of earthquake was felt at Waipawa at a quarter past, seven o'clock on Sunday morning. Mr Job. Tocker has promised the* Wairarapa Racing Club a gold-

mounted whip, for presentation to

the jockey riding the first winning horse over the new, or rather im-

proved, course at the New Year

meeting. The Public Trust Office was not: put into possession of its new premises "any too soon, for during itsfirst month of occupation the new business entrusted to it totalled 90 < estates and 86 wills, 176 in all. This is a record, says a Press As* soci'ition telegram, and is nearly." double the*&vers£e. An appeal in connection with a--. case heard at last sitting of the • Masterton District Court is to beheard at Wellington either to day or on Wednesday. The appeal is in the case of Hodge v. Munn, in which the plaintiff was awarded £4O and co3ts for alleged wrongful dismissal from his position as cheesemaker for defendant a dairy farmer. Me H. C. Robinsor, with Mr Von Haast,. will appear for appellant, and Mr G. A. Pownall for respondent. Mr C. A. Pownall, solicitor,, of' Masterton, left for Wellington yesterday afternoon, to appear at the Supreme Court on the appealslodged against the judgment obtained by the Masterton (Borough Council in the betterment claims against Mrs Sullivan, owner oi theOccidental Hotel site, for the widening of Park Street, and against the I Commercial and Farmers' Club, owners of a site in Dixon Street, on the length widened last year. Mr Chapman, K. C. and Mr D. K. Logaiij of; Masterton, appear for the appellants.. The Stewards of theWairarapa.. Racing Club have issued jockeys" licenses to Messrs W. Hibberd, W* Galbraith, and A. Godfrey. Meeßrs A. Crawfgord, W. Galbraith, A. Godfrey and W. H. Jowersey, have been granted trainers' licenses, and Mr R. M'Dougall a gentleman rider's.; license. The balsnce-sheet and teporfc show that the year was commenced* with a debit balance of £969 7s 4d„ which has been reduced to £926 4s 3d. The amount of £462 lis 5d «pent oh building and improvement account, represents mainly the cost, of re-forming the course proper, a work which is now well under way towards completion. Mr Jos. Tocker. has resigned the position of care-, taker, and Mr F. B. Brough ap-. pointed in his stead. The report, recomends that a sum not exceeding£4,ooo be alloted for stakes for the? ensuing year,'' , ~ _ £gSL

19 §W.fr demand for ■land*' uu/ !'r the Lands for Settlements scheme, Mr Barron, chitf land purchase officer, has been inspecting a large number of properties in Canterbury and Otago which are under offer to the Government, and he? will make hfs report to the Land Parchase Board. He will probably visitAuckland this week, and then reportupon the estate at Martin borough, in the Wairarapa, which is under offer* to the Government. There appears to■ be still some confusion in the mindsof many regarding the sco|>,e ,pf the improved farm and the Minister of Lands desire to' emphasise the fact that the only thing necessary to entitle an ap--plicant to put in his application is that he is landless. There will be v.o* discrimination between C vil servants and any other section ot the : community. Regulations regarding,' transfer will be strictly enforced and' are exceedingly stringent, one clause providing that no transfer can be? granted by the Land Board withoaE good and substantial reason, and no profit can be made out of the transaction.

Speaking at Napier Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., said on the two great questions of land administration airdl finance he had b<*en, as a member oft" the Ministry, a square peg in a roundH hole. He had had to quit that Jamily party, and did not regret having doneso. If he had been a square peg in al- - bole as a member of the Cabinet, he found that when he met the ; people he would be likely to exactly fit tne place they wanted filled. It had' been alleged that he was trying u> form a third party, but such a statement was quite unfounded, as le had never communicated such an idea to any other member of the House. What he wanted to see was a good, strong, united Labour party in • the country, and in the towns, an invincible party determined to push forward the true interests of New Zealand. Such a party should in-

elude all who worked with head on with hand, and should only exclude the parasites of greed, and lust, an&i gluttony that preyed upon labour. For some time past Dunedin housewives have complained that fresh fish< is a luxury too expensive for daily consumption in large families, says the Otago "Daily Times." This

phase of domestic economy is being seriously discussed in quarters and inquiry is being made togauge as far as possible what induce-

ment exists for another trawler to supply local demands. Should the re-

sults prove satisfactory, it is pro- ■ posed to form a local syndicate to*\ equip a large steam trawler with up- T, to-date gear. The vessel in view is . admirably adapted for that purpose, and when equipped would be one of the largest and most powerful steam trawlers in the Australasian colonies.

At present the project is only in..;, embryo, but as soon as it is proved that a public demand exists for an independent supply of fresh fish the project will at once assume a concrete form.

"The thing that has killed more natives in the South Seas than anything e'se has been the introduction of clothing," said the Rev. A. B. Hunt, in tf.e course of a lecture at Timaiu. "The native did hot useclothes for warmth, but rather for J show; he put them en duii-g the-i| day, and was nearly naked all night. M The result was chills and other ills, ' which soon created a high rate of mortality. In one village the speaker had found all the natives in hiding and then after waiting for some time, the chief, his prime minister, his secretary, and others appeared on the scene. They explained that they had b.eea looking out the State . wardrobe, and the State wardrobe v ' at that time was very limited indeed. The chief wore a shirt supposed to be white, the prime minister a very - small singlet, and the secretary was >. gloriously attfced.. in. one stocking"

A lecture on English Cathedrals will be given by the Rev. V. ,H, Kite-1, in S. Matthew's schoolroom ti-nignt, a 8 o'clock. The lecture will be illustrated by lantern views. The social committee of the Masterton Fire Brigade's dance met last evening, the various sub-committees presenting their|reports, which were of a satisfactory nature. Messrs Thompson, Johnson, McEwen, and B. Braggins were appointed M's.C. Judging by the sale of tickets and the enthusiasm shown by the ladies' committee, the function promises to be a decided success. The usual meeting of Endeavour Lodge, 1.0. G.T., was held last evening, Sis. N. Miller presiding in the absence of the C.T. Routine business was transacted. The fu hwing officers were installed for the ensuing quarter:-C.T., Bro Tarr; V.T., Sis. Judd; Secretary, Sis. Flanagan; F.S., Sis. F. Miller; Treasurer, Bro King; Marshall, Bro. " Bedford" Chap., Sis. N. Miller; Guard, 80. R. Miller; Assistant Secretary, Sis Fiel.iing; Dep. Mar. Sis. Bedford; Superintendent of J.T. Sis. Miller. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the retiring officers, and also to/he Press for publishing jreports. • The general charge made frequently by New Zealand sociologists that colonial children do not sufficiently recognise the claims of their parents for support from them often receives confirmation in cases which come before the Dunedin Benevolent Trustees. One such instance occurred on Monday, says the "Ofcago Daily Times," when an application for assistance was made by a hard-work-ing woman. There were eight children in the fam ly, three being at work and obtaining good wages. The complaint of the mother was that she was forced to come to the trustees because of the insufficient contributions made to the upkeep of the home by the children. Some strong comment was made upon the case generally, particularly as it was reported that a daughter earning 25s a week contributed only lis and refused to do more, it was mentioned, however, that she was shortly to be married. It was urged by some members that „« decided stand should be made in such cases and an endeavour made to compel the children to recognise their responsibilities, even though it should be necessary to invoke the assistance of • the law to do so.

The' North Canterbury. Fducation Board had decided to give notice to school committees that on no account must the removal of desks from school buildings be permitted. The Board's decision is due to the fact sßt id has been reported that in Sv,ma cases where dual desks hav tjfceen installed people have them for entertainment* aQ^|'^nC The dual desks hs;^. fi€Cß bailed a3 a step in tne r for which the singly <j flß fc locates are agitating «t»t they Jftve not been welcomed in places, where the shoolroom ia the only building for eritertainIments. In one Canterbury district a movement is on foot to erect a public hall because the school has been fitted with the new 7 desks, which are screwed down to the floor. The wisdom of afforestation is being (and has been for years past) strikingly demonstrated at the Christchurch Domain. When this large area was first : aid out treeplanting occupied a large place in the policy that was followed. In the process of time it was found necessary to thin out the trees with an increasingly heavy hand, |until the sale of timber has come to be a considerable item of revenue to the Domain Board. This year, owing to a drasticjcleaning up of all parts of the parks and gardens, an exceptionally large amount of timber is available for sale. It commands a ready market, and shows a substantial margin of profit ofjat the cost of labour for felling and splitting. Curious problems are sometimes / set for the Customs authorities in the wayfof deciding under what class heading of the tariff list imported articles should be placed. Last week, says the Melbourne "Argus") the Assistant Comptroller-General (Mr U. Lockyer) pointed to a grotesquelooking lizard nailed above .his mantelpiece, and invited guesses at its use. /The lizard had been sundried, and Mr Lockyer explained that it has been imported by a Chinese resident. It had been submitted to him as a sample of a consignment, with a request from his officers that he be instructed what it was,land how much duty was chargeable on the lot. The use of the lizard it had been explained by the consignee, was medicinal. It is customary to grind these dried lizards into a powder, which is believed to possess great curative powers. The officers of the department were at a loss whether to treat it as a preserved food, or as a drug, or as prohibited vermin Mr Lockyer has decided that the "medi-cine-lizard" should be classes as "unenamerated," and admitted duty ttie.

A civil claim was heard at the Magistrate's Court at Masterton yesterday morning, before Mr C. C. Graham, S.M., Charles Lett (Mr D. K. Logan) sued H. E. Gosnell (Mr H. C. Robinson) for £lB 19s Id, balance on extras due on a building contract. The main item in dispute was a claim tor £2l for an additional one-foot stud throughout the building put in at deiendaht's request. Plaintiff, in evidence, said lie flhad based his original contract price on ajllft stud, which defendant asked him to alter to 12ft, 1 stating that plaintiff said it would not cost more than £3l>, whereupon defendant told him to go on with the work. The evidence was corroborated by plaintiff's wife and Mr J. B. Keith. For the defence, it was held that according to the apecifications the studs were to be 12ft, and that no request for an increase in the height had been made, defendant having merely insisted on the specified height. Mr Logan applied for a non-suit, on the ground that neither the man who prepared the plans, nor the employee ■who was present when defendant asked for the alteration was available as witnesses, as they were out of town. His Worship gave judgment for defendant, with costs £2 13s. The Magistrate stated that he „ inuat. Be guided by, the, r specifications, owing to the conflict bl evidence 1 .

Mr G. Watson, Colomba Road, has for sale sittings of eggs from proved strains of Silver Wyandottes and Indian Banner ducks.

It is expected that the Taratahi Dairy Factory will comence opsrations about the last week in August, writes our Carterton correspondent. In the course of his evidence before the Police Commission at Christcburcb. Mr Laurenson, M.P., replying lo Mr Bishop, who asked if members of Parliament were not badgerd with all manner of comnlunts and requests, said that last year he forwarded over 3.U00 letters, and he supposed that he averaged from eight to 16 per dav. "Do you find the stamps?" asked Mr Bishop. "Except when Parliament is sitting," replied Mr Laurenson. "That s a nretty big tax," commented Mr Bishop. "Yes," remarked Mr Laurenson, "it's no 1 -, a pivina: e»me to be a member of Parliament."

Conspicuous in the Western sky a little before and after sunset each tine evening are Venus and Jupiter, regarded as the brightest of ail the planets cf our solar system. Iney will be in the same region tor several days; but, given favourable weather, the mofct interesting phase of their movements will be ooserv-< able to-morrow, when they will bo in conjunction, or at nearest approach to each others as seen from the earth, at about 6.28 p.m. Their distance apart then will be only Oder. 12in., or', say, one-fifth the diameter of the moon; Venus, the brightest, passing north of Jupiter. On the following days, for a week or so, Jupiter will be seen moving eastward, till he becomes lost in the sun's rays, whilst Venus will pursue her course .east till the 15th October, when she will be at her greatest distance from the sun east at 10.30 p.m. Then she will return west again, till, hk3 i Jupiter, she will get lost in the sun s rays. The planet Mars, which, rising lately in the east behind a hazy or foggy atmosphere, has been taken to be an 'airship' or other mysterious visitor, will be a conspicuous object in the heavens for the next five or six months. It rises to-night at about nine o'clock, and will continue to do so four minutes earlier each successive evening. It is easy to single out this planet from the .stars by reason of its bright reddish bus.

MSsarS Inne and Goddard, bgo> sellers and stationers, have to hanu all the latest publications, and in vite inspection. The firm are agents for the Barlock typewriter. Messrs B. Kayner. T. W, McKenzie, MeGresor Bros! and G. R. Sykes notify that trespassers fourd on their properties Manaia with dog or gun will> oe prosecuted, yktthe Auction' Mart oh Sandfly next, Mr J. R. Nicol will dill on account of the Ladies' Swimming Club one Turner-Miesse motor car and a five-roomed house and section in Worksop Road.

The W.F.C A. have a very superior stock of footwear specially made to their order to suit the requirements of their trade, and a cordial invitation is given to inspect the stock. The Scoullar Company, Wellington, are at present offering special value in dining room furniture, some lines of which are quoted in their advertisement appearing on page 2 of this i.sse.

During the current week Messrs George and Kersley. cf the Economical! offer the balance of their fine stock of furs at specially reduced prices. Full particulars and prices willjae found on page 6 of this issue.

Residents areVeminded that dark and li?ht prints, summer dress goods, Kaiapoi costumes, and overcoats, arj a few of the many lines that may be procured at less than cost price at Hendry and Buxton's relinquishing sale. The quality of the goods is guaranteed first grade. The closing days of Murray's show-room expansion sale are announced, and very special bargains are on offer in the drapery and showroom store. Remnants ars being cleared at half price, whilst ladies' coats and costumes are obtainable practically at buyers" own prices. Messrs Butcher Bros, have * made arrangements for the continuous supply of prime ox beef and wether mutton, from the herds and flocks of some of the best breeders in the district. The services of a small goodsman have also been secured, and on Saturday last the firm disposed of over four hundredweight of small goods.

By a special method, Mr J. V. Gordon, chemist, of Masterton, has succeeded in producing a poisoned grain for the destruction of small birds that are so destructive to newly sown grain and grasses. Mr Gordon claims for his preparation that a single grain will be sufficient to destroy bird life. Besides having grain ready for use, Mr Gordon will prepare farmers' own cereals, if desired. ' For Influenza take Woods' Great Peppermint . Core. Never fails. 1/6 and 2/6.